Funds Announced for Solar Projects at Baltimore Community Resiliency Hubs, Opportunities for Action, and more! | |
Dear Baltimore Office of Sustainability Friends,
New year – new plans and opportunities for action!
For 15 months, Baltimore Office of Sustainability has convened people across Baltimore and other stakeholders to develop the 2024 Climate Action Plan Update (CAP). The CAP builds on strategies in other City plans such as the 2019 Sustainability Plan, to provide a roadmap to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030 (over 2007 emissions). There was a public comment period in October 2023 where robust feedback was collected and then integrated into the CAP. The CAP was approved and adopted by the Planning Commission on January 25th and it will be reviewed y the Sustinability Commission in the coming weeks. You may see the CAP Update here.
Similarly, the Maryland Department of Environment completed a Climate Pollution Reduction outlining the policy actions required to reach the state’s ambitious climate goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent from 2006 levels by 2031, achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2035, and reaching net zero emissions by 2045.
The 446th session of General Assembly began on January 10, 2024 and will run through April 8, 2024. Many bills that will be considered focus on sustainability and climate resilience. You can learn more about key bills and how to share your input with legislators by visiting the Maryland League for Conservation Voters website.
Happy Reading!
Baltimore Office of Sustainability Staff
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Civic Works Supports & Strengthens Baltimore Communities for Over 30 Years |  | |
This month, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., we are featuring a long-time Baltimore service organization - Civic Works.
Civic Works has been supporting and strengthening Baltimore's communities for over 30 years. Chances are, you've encountered at least one of Civic Works' many sustainability-related programs in Baltimore. Civic Works supports agricultural and open spaces in Baltimore City, through an urban farm (Real Food Farm), a Civic Works CSA, and a community vacant lot transformation program. One of Civic Works' key initiatives is job training, especially in the sustainable and construction industries - since Civic Works' start in 1993, they have placed over 1,200 program participants in careers. Civic Works also connects low-income regional residents to energy efficiency programs, including through their "Civic Works Energy Program.” As a service organization, Civic Works channels the energy of volunteers and AmeriCorps members to city organizations - this year, hundreds of volunteers signed up to participate in their annual MLK Day of Service this past weekend.
To find out more about the great, sustainable work that Civic Works is doing in Baltimore, please visit their website.
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You don’t have to be a climate scientist or city planner to help improve the sustainability and resilience of Baltimore. Everyone has a story to tell about making Baltimore a stronger, safer, and more equitable place. We’ve been collecting stories on our website, and we invite you to share yours with us by posting on social media with the hashtag #EveryStoryCounts and/or by emailing us. | | |
$7.3 Million FEMA Grant Award | |
We are very pleased to share that our Office has been awarded $7.3 million in FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding for our nation-leading Community Resiliency Hub Program!
This incredible opportunity will fund solar power + battery storage installations for 16 community-serving non-profits in Baltimore's most climate-vulnerable neighborhoods over the next 3 years. These systems will provide continuity of operations for Resiliency Hub Partner organizations to provide essential services during power outages, and on-site renewable energy production will provide energy cost savings - which will be invested right back into their incredible community programs!
We are very grateful for our partners in this effort including the Baltimore Office of Emergency Management, Dots Energy, Groundswell, the Maryland Energy Administration, the Maryland Department of Emergency Management, FEMA Region 3, and all 16 participating Resiliency Hub Partner organizations for making this innovative award possible!
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Community Resiliency Hub site with solar panels. Photo c/o BOS Staff. | | |
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Staff Departure
Aubrey Germ, Climate & Resilience Planner
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After 5.5 years of service as the Climate and Resilience Planner for the city, Aubrey Germ has departed for her next adventure as a senior managing consultant for ICF leading climate resilience projects for state and local governments across the country.
During her time with the city, Aubrey led Baltimore’s FEMA-required 2018 and 2023 Disaster Preparedness Plan updates and supported the city’s 2023 Climate Action Plan update. She also led Baltimore’s Community Resiliency Hub Program to national acclaim and directed over $2.5 million in capacity-building resources and resilience investments to Baltimore’s most climate-vulnerable communities, including multiple solar power & battery back-up systems. She obtained and managed over $8.3 million in funding awards including the development of a $7.3 million FEMA proposal that was recently awarded! As part of Baltimore’s emergency response strategy during the COVID-19 Pandemic, she played a key role on the food-insecurity response team and provided direct resource, funding, and technical support to frontline community-based organizations so they could scale up their impact and better serve residents.
Thank you for all of your work, Aubrey!
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Aubrey Germ representing Baltimore Office of Sustainability at a community event. Photo c/o BOS Staff. | | |
Sustainability Highlights | | |
New Forestry Bills Being Considered by City Council | In early December 2023, Councilperson Mark Conway introduced two bills focused on public property tree health and mitigation, BGE and Baltimore Forestry Division's relationship and their work maintaining trees, and establishing funding sources for Baltimore's Sustainability Fund. During a hearing on January 24th, City Council discussed bill CC #23-0465 (Tree Removal on City Property - Permits and Procedure), a bill that seeks to strengthen regulations that protect trees and forest patches. Visit the City Council's testimony page if you are interested in following this bill. | | | |
Books + Articles our Staff are Reading | | |
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Real Food Farm Community Volunteer Opportunities - Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at various times and locations. Real Food Farm has opportunities available for volunteers to assist with hands-on farm projects and packing and delivering produce boxes for the Affordable Produce Delivery Program.
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Weed Warriors Volunteer Events - Various dates and locations. Help restore our urban forest through the removal of invasive plants. See the link for registration and details.
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Blue Water Baltimore Tree Pruning Parties – Various dates and locations throughout January and February. Join Blue Water Baltimore’s Forestry Team for a Pruning Party to help them prune and maintain some of their recently planted trees. Novice volunteers and expert TreeKeepers alike are welcome to attend.
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BLOOMING SCAPES! Exhibition – Friday, January 5th through Saturday, February 17th at the Creative Alliance. Blooming Scapes! is a group exhibition focusing on the variation of use of the landscape within art. Vibrant hills, topographic scenes, and more will be on view! Featured artists include Kini Collins, Lyndie Vantine, Hyunsuk Erickson, Fanni Somogyi, Paula Zaremba, and Deb Jansen.
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Naturally Latinos Conference - Wednesday, January 24th to Sunday, January 28th in Silver Spring, MD. Themed “Perteneciendo: Nuestras Raíces, Nuestra Tierra (Belonging: Our Roots, Our Earth),” this multi-media experience will provide virtual (Wednesday and Thursday) and in-person (Friday) dialogue, presentations and performances focused on the needs and interests of the Washington, DC region and even national and international Latine environmental professionals, environmental justice advocates, educators, and nature enthusiasts.
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Meet a Mammoth – Public Open House – Sunday, February 4th from 10am-3pm at the Natural History Society of Maryland. You are invited to come toe to tusk with a Titan of the Ice Age that roamed the earth over a million years – roamed right here in Maryland – the Woolly Mammoth.
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Tree Time: Nature Valentines - Wednesday, February 14th from 10-11am at Cylburn Arboretum. Tree Time events are parent/child nature classes that focus on learning about nature through stories, crafts, and exploration.
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Baltimore Free Farm’s Annual Seed Swap & Giveaway – Saturday, February 24th from 10am-1pm at St. Luke’s Church. Save the Date for Baltimore Free Farm’s Annual Event! More information will be posted on the organization’s Eventbrite page.
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Job Opportunities: Baltimore City Government – City government has many job openings available, including several roles that involve coordination with the Office of Sustainability – Community & Youth Engagement Coordinator/Planner II with the Office of Sustainability/Department of Planning, Plans Review and Inspection Section Chief with the Department of Public Works, Deputy Director for Complete Streets with the Department of Transportation, and Deputy Chief of Energy with the Department of General Services.
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Workforce Development Opportunity: B'more WISE – B’More WISE provides technical-based training to Baltimore residents dedicated to pursuing long-term careers in the water and wastewater industries as licensed water and wastewater operators. The program is open to residents 18 years or older with a high school diploma.
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Public Art Across Maryland Grant – Deadline: January 26th. The Public Art Across Maryland Grant offers funding to artists and organizations to support the planning, creation, and installation of new local public art projects or support the conservation and preservation of existing public artworks.
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FY24 Resilient Maryland Program – Deadline: February 15th. Resilient Maryland is a Maryland Energy Administration program that provides funds to communities and organizations to offset the costs of planning, designing, and constructing microgrids, resilient facility power systems, and resiliency hubs.
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Maryland Clean Energy Rebate Program – Deadline: Rolling until funds are exhausted. The State of Maryland provides Clean Energy Rebates to businesses and nonprofits that install clean energy systems, including solar PV, water heating or geothermal heating and cooling.
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Winter is a great time to prune most deciduous in Maryland becasue they are dormant. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac:
- Pruning while a plant is dormant makes it easier for the plant to recover, which is vital for next year’s flowers.
- By pruning before any new growth starts, the plant puts energy towards producing new, healthy growth when the warmer temperatures of spring roll around.
- Practically speaking, it’s also a lot easier to see the true shape of deciduous plants in the winter, since their foliage is gone.
This month, consider learning about how and when to properly prune your trees and give them some attention so they will thrive in the future. Learn more here.
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We Love Feedback
Tell us what you want to hear! Do you have ideas on newsletter content? Or would you like to nominate an organization or person to be featured? Email us at sustainability@baltimorecity.gov.
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Our Mission
The Office of Sustainability develops and advocates for programs and policies that improve Baltimore's long-term environmental, social, and economic viability.
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417 E Fayette St, 8th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21202
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Newsletter Contributors: Joanna Birch, Floodplain Manager; Amy Gilder-Busatti, Sustainability Manager; Maleik Grier, Community and Youth Engagement Fellow; Grace Hansen, Coastal Planner; Ava Richardson, Sustainability Director; Valerie Rupp, Climate and Resilience Program Manager; Rachel Whiteheart, Environmental Planner
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