2015 - 2019

States in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are implementing strategies to restore the health of the Bay and the region’s creeks, streams, and rivers.  These activities are being implemented in accordance with the US EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load, which identifies necessary pollution reductions from major sources of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment to meet water quality standards in the bay.  Through the “Financing Strategies” project, EFC supported bay states in their pollution abatem

2022

Photo Credit: Eric Reed A universally accepted accounting framework to holistically measure the benefits and costs of urban and community forest resources does not exist.  EFC partnered with organizations versed in carbon trading, financing mechanisms, research, and urban forest management to develop a standardized, replicable, and transparent accounting system that can assess return on urban tree canopy investments for private, nonprofit, and public investors.   

2022

With a grant from the Prince George’s County Stormwater Stewardship Grant Program, EFC worked with four homeowner associations (Brinkley Station HOA, Vista Estates West HOA, Wyndham Woods HOA, & Residences at Victory Promenade HOA) and two civic associations (Oxon Hill CA and University Hills CA) to develop personalized Sustainability Action Plans.

2022 (January)

The University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center (EFC) developed this guide with support from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to help local governments assess and improve their capacity for increasing climate change resilience. The guide provides an approach for developing a baseline of local government operations as it relates to climate change, integrating climate change into local daily decision making, and enhancing the core functions of local government to better enable the implementation of climate action strategies.

2021

The EFC supported the Central Kenilworth Avenue Revitalization Community Development Corporation (CKAR) in conducting targeted outreach to the Latino community in the Greater Riverdale Area. The goal of the project was to assess community needs and develop tailored outreach focused on family and community health and wellbeing.  EFC provided technical expertise in strategy development, focus group and interview design, data analysis and synthesis, and development of messaging and communications delivery mechanisms.  

2018 -2019

With support from the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Montgomery County Water Quality Protection Fund, the EFC provided stormwater education and outreach to residents in Montgomery county, Maryland. The EFC worked with five communities - McKenney Hills-Carroll Knolls Civic Association, Wheaton Hills Civic Association, Glenmont Forest Neighbors Civic Association, Rosemary Hills Neighbors Association, and Parkside Condominiums Homeowners’ Association - to address issues such as pet waste management, litter reduction, and pesticide reduction.

2022 - 2025

The Mid-Atlantic Climate Action Hub (MATCH) was established to build connections across Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania, targeting communities disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change due to historic disenfranchisement, coupled with proximity to environmental hazards and underlying social, economic and geographic vulnerabilities. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, MATCH was led by the Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health (CEEJH).

2024 (November)

The University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center developed a brief to help translate the benefit values (monetary) of landscape architects’ work on nature-based solutions. The brief offers an overview of nature-based economic benefits in five key areas: health and livability, expanded investment and sustainable jobs, increased biodiversity, carbon sequestration and improved resilience. A supplementary analysis offers lessons from 175 case studies in the U.S. Five key takeaways from the EFC brief include: 

2019 - 2022

EFC, in partnership with Maryland Black Mayors, Inc. (MBM) created a training program to educate and better connect MBM elected officials and staff with stormwater management solutions. The training program includes in-person workshops, MOST Center online courses, facilitated peer-to-peer discussion forums, and matchmaking with local watershed groups and technical service providers.

2019 - 2020

EFC partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to develop Financing Urban Tree Canopy Programs: Guidebook for Local Governments in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. This resource is the result of a year-long collaboration between EFC and the Alliance, along with additional partners including the USDA Forest Service, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), and the Chesapeake Bay Program Forestry Workgroup. It draws on input from representatives of local and state government from every jurisdiction in the Bay Watershed.