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Thursday, April 15, 2021 | Department of Environmental Protection
RESIDENTIAL: For the first time in jurisdictional history, Montgomery County will be joining the cities of Gaithersburg, Poolesville, Rockville, Takoma Park, Bowie, Arlington, & Washington, DC, as well as Prince George’s County to promote residential solar installations. This collaborative co-op opportunity will be available from April through August 2021 for residents throughout the Capital area. Have you been thinking about going solar, but not know where to start? Not sure about financing or incentives? This is the opportunity to learn everything there is to know about going solar. Visit here for more information.
RESIDENTIAL: What started as a socially distanced activity to celebrate Energy Action Month has turned into a County-wide phenomenon. This month the #MontgomeryPlogs Challenge was added to Greenfest. The Plogging Challenge is a fun engaging way to raise awareness about stormwater pollution while providing Montgomery County residents the opportunity to act and help with stormwater pollution prevention by cleaning up litter from streams, stormwater ponds, etc. Find out how these residents have become Plogging Superstars and hopefully they will encourage you to participate in the #MontgomeryPlogs Challenge.
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RESIDENTIAL: Have you shopped the utility marketplace yet? They are run by your utility supplier and provide energy efficient products that help build a smart, connected, comfortable home at a lower cost. In honor of Earth Month, the Pepco Marketplace makes it simple for existing Pepco customers to save on smart thermostats, specialty LEDs, advanced power strips and more. In fact, you could purchase a smart thermostat for just $1. Promotions run through April 22.
RESIDENTIAL: Just like your car needs regular maintenance, so does your heating and air conditioning system. Washington Gas now offers Maryland customers an $85 furnace tune-up service rebate to help your heating system run more efficiently and last longer. Save even more with a furnace tune-up rebate today! Find out more today.
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RESIDENTIAL: Did you know WSSC expanded their financial assistance programs to help more customers afford their water/sewer bills? They also recently issued their 2020 Water Quality Report (PDF), which confirms 102+ years of providing you with safe, clean and reliable water without a single drinking water quality violation. If you didn’t know, sign up for Customer Connect – the easy and convenient way to stay in touch with everything that’s going on at WSSC Water, your local neighborhood water utility.
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COMMERCIAL: For the past seven years and counting, the Summit has annually offered cutting-edge education focused on the latest trends in green building, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and related topics pertinent to commercial, multifamily, and residential projects in Montgomery County. The full agenda for the 2021 Energy Summit was announced last week. See all of the sessions here and register today!
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COUNTY: One person can make a difference and this series profiles a leader, advocate, or resident who is dedicated to improving energy efficiency and helping the county realize its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2027 and 100% by 2035. This installment highlights Roy Deitchman of Rockville a newly appointed member of Climate, Energy, and Air Quality Advisory Committee (CEAQAC). Find out why he joined CEAQAC and what he is doing as a Partner in Energy.
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The My Green Montgomery Newsletter
Want to know when there are fun things happening in Montgomery County? Each month you will get tips and resources from our staff, local environmental experts, and your neighbors on the many ways to live eco-friendly and keep more money in your pocket! Sign up for the newsletter here.
The My Green Montgomery Green Jobs Board will help you find green jobs in our region. We post jobs for free, if they:
- are green jobs (focused on energy, sustainability, water, trees, community greening, environmental ed, etc.)
- based in the DC or Baltimore regions. Jobs in Montgomery County or easy for our residents to commute to work!
We pre-approve each job before posting, but we do not guarantee the length of time jobs will be posted. To look for new job opportunities, click here.
The Montgomery County Energy Team receives tons of newsletters and articles every day, and these are a few articles that we wanted to share this month. These articles range from county, state, national and international stories, we hope you find them as interesting as we did.
Agrivoltaics: The idea of combining agriculture and photovoltaics (agrivoltaics or APV) was first explored by Adolf Goetzberger, founder of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, and Armin Zastrow in the early 1980s, www.omagdigital.com
Climate-Smart Household Certification: Following the framework of Just Transition, NAACP Climate-Smart Households are defined as homes that actively denounce extractivism and exploitation, while embracing principles and practices rooted in regeneration, cooperation, caring for the sacred — including living in harmony with Earth systems, and deep democracy, www.urbanresilience.medium.com
Energy Storage: More than 150 organizations are urging Congressional leaders for legislation that would make standalone storage projects eligible for the investment tax credit, www.dailyenergyinsider.com
Grist 50 2021: The people on this year’s Grist 50 can reduce food waste, clean up long-haul trucking, and write mind-changing poetry. They’ll school your local candidates, introduce you to the coyotes in your yard, and deploy drones to plant a forest — along with 44 other extraordinary accomplishments, www.grist.org
Renewable Energy: According to data released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) the world added more than 260 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity last year, exceeding expansion in 2019 by close to 50 percent, www.yubanet.com
Solar: Pennsylvania announced a new solar project that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lock in energy pricing for 15 years, www.route-fifty.com
Utilities: The time has come for electric utilities to make some major changes. Bold leadership will be required for the industry to adapt to new technology and pricing models, while also keeping pace with current demands, www.route-fifty.com
Zero Emissions: Climate models show time is running out for the world to cut emissions and avert catastrophic climate change, but a new report finds that taking the required action will actually boost economic growth and create jobs, www.yaleclimateconnections.org
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FEATURED EVENT
Restore Our Earth Fun Run/Walk
Saturday, April 24th from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm Restore Our Earth is the Worldwide Earth Day Network theme to alert people worldwide to the damaging effects of climate change and inspire people to do what they can to help stop these effects. While walking or running along the two-mile trail, you will see various signs that give more information on ways to reduce climate change, and easy tips to implement them in your home. Pre-Registration is required and there are limited spots!
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May 21, noon
Prep for Success: 2020 Montgomery County Energy Benchmarking
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