For more than three decades, the Environmental Finance Center has helped hundreds of local, state, and federal partners throughout the Mid-Atlantic region advance policies, programs, and financing strategies that achieve outcomes for people, places, and the environment. See EFC’s featured work below.
EFC's Featured Work
2024 Annual Report
The Environmental Finance Center worked with communities big and small, rural and urban, red and blue throughout the Mid-Atlantic to advance locally identified environmental priorities.
Mid-Atlantic Sustainable Breweries
UMD EFC’s Mid-Atlantic Sustainable Breweries Program offers free sustainability consultations to help craft brewers assess operations and implement practices related to energy, water, wastewater, air emissions, and cleaning and sanitizing – all while saving costs and improving brand recognition.
Designing a Resilience Action Plan for Maryland’s Coastal Communities
As Maryland’s coastal communities face increasing climate threats, including rising sea levels and severe storms, this initiative aims to strengthen the resilience of eight vulnerable coastal jurisdictions.
Building Climate Resilience in Prince George's County, MD
The Climate Wise Academy aims to strengthen climate resilience in Prince George’s County, Maryland. This program supports local climate preparedness through training and capacity building for Green Teams and community members. The project will enhance local climate resilience by developing a comprehensive climate-specific training curriculum and toolkit.
EFC Projects and Publications
See EFC’s work in action by browsing our current and archived (completed) projects below.
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2024 (November)Landscape Architecture: Maximizing the Economic Benefits of Nature-based Solutions Through Design
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: View Project Details for Landscape Architecture: Maximizing the Economic Benefits of Nature-based Solutions Through Design -
2024Economic Benefits of Nature Based Solutions and Landscape Architecture
The American Society of Landscape Architecture (ASLA) believes that landscape architects maximize the benefits of nature-based solutions through design. Nature-based solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss are more than mangroves, forests, and grasslands. Using landscape architecture strategies, they can be woven into places where people live. They take the form of parks, recreation areas, streets, coastal infrastructure, and more. Through inclusive design, they can provide even greater benefits to people and support the healthy urban ecosystems people rely on.View Project Details for Economic Benefits of Nature Based Solutions and Landscape Architecture -
2023 - 2025Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (EJ TCTAC)
What is the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program (EJ TCTAC)?View Project Details for Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (EJ TCTAC) -
2023 (August)Delaware Tree Stewards Pilot Program Evaluation: Findings and Recommendations
In 2023, UMD EFC assisted the Delaware Forest Service (DFS) in evaluating the pilot phase of the Delaware Tree Stewards program, which offered training on tree science, tree maintenance, and tree planting project development, with the goal of equipping volunteers to plant and care for trees in Delaware communities. EFC's program evaluation consisted of a participant survey, focus group, partners strategy session, and a review of program material.View Project Details for Delaware Tree Stewards Pilot Program Evaluation: Findings and Recommendations -
2022 - PresentMid-Atlantic Climate Action Hub
By Kelly Blake, Maryland TodayThe Environmental Finance Center is a key partner in a $2.2 million grant to help launch a University of Maryland-led initiative to address the effects of environmental racism and climate change across the mid-Atlantic region, providing financial and training support and advocating for policy changes. View Project Details for Mid-Atlantic Climate Action Hub -
2022 - 2024Addressing Stormwater and Pollinators in the Route One Corridor
EFC’s Sustainable Maryland (SM) program recently convened staff, elected officials and Green Team members from 14 municipalities along the Route One Corridor in Prince George's County, Maryland, to discuss how they could advance projects and collaborate on a regional basis to address stormwater and flooding issues and the creation of a pollinator corridor.View Project Details for Addressing Stormwater and Pollinators in the Route One Corridor