Categories for Climate
Welcome New Director of the Department of Environmental Protection Jon Monger
Welcome to the new Director of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Jon Monger. Jon has dedicated his career to addressing environmental issues, including serving as Counsel to a presidential
A Summer Intern’s Experience at DEP
My name is Daniela, and this summer, I had the privilege of interning at the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, specifically within its energy-saving department. I was fortunate to
Bethesda Green is conducting their fourth Summer Speaker Series
Bethesda Green is conducting their fourth Summer Speaker Series, where they bring together founders, industry experts, and policymakers for a series of conversations on sustainability that will inspire and
Meet the ’23-’24 Climate Fellows and Summer Interns!
Every year, Montgomery County’s Climate Team hosts climate fellows and interns to support the work various departments do across the county. This year, the fellowship program has changed slightly and
Your Guide to Air Quality
Blog post written by Ilana Williams, Montgomery County 2023 Summer Climate Intern At the beginning of June, Maryland issued a Code Red air quality alert in response to the smoke from the
A carbon footprint calculator for MCPS schools
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is the largest school district in Maryland and among the largest in the US. To benefit my community and raise awareness of climate change, I
Become a Summer County Climate Intern! Apply by March 31st
Interested in a full-time, year-long role? View our application page for the Climate Fellowship program! Montgomery County Government Climate Summer Internship (Hybrid) – June-August 2023 About the Internship Montgomery County,
Resetting Our Approach to Climate Action
Often, when we talk about climate change, it begins to feel overwhelming. Though we are more aware of the problem than ever before, many still don’t know how to take
Checking in on the EV Revolution
The electric vehicle market is growing rapidly in Montgomery County. As of June 2022, there were 16,618 plug-in vehicles registered in the County, with 10,939 of those full battery-electric vehicles.
Meet the 2022 Summer Climate Interns!
The County’s Climate Team is happy to welcome Najila, Lulu, Kristina, Feh, Daniel, Rachel, and Lumina as interns and fellows for the summer! Each of these passionate individuals will collaborate
Make a Difference with Community Solar at Paddington Square
We’re facing a serious challenge. Right now, 1 in 6 Montgomery County residents have trouble paying their electricity bill. Meanwhile, the impact of rising fuel prices and pollution continue to
MCPS Adopts Transformative Sustainability Policy
On June 28, 2022, the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education unanimously adopted a transformative sustainability policy. Titled Policy ECA, Sustainability, the policy commits the school district to cutting
MCPS Adds One New Green School Making 91 Total
Walt Whitman High School has been named a 2022 Maryland Green School, bringing the MCPS total to 91. Staff and students at the certifying schools went above and beyond in this
A Quiet Evening in the Garden with Mrs. Li
“Who is suffering? If it’s not our generation, it’s our next generation.” These are the wise words of Cuiling Li, a 55-year-old Bethesda gardener. We were able to venture into
Thank You to the 2022 Spring Climate Interns!
Montgomery County, Maryland, has been committed to significant greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and climate action for over a decade. The County recently released a Climate Action Plan detailing the effects of
Do you have great ideas to help protect our environment?
Do you have great ideas to help protect our environment? This Earth Month, we need your ideas to help us protect our environment. Through the Climate Action Plan, the County
በዚህ የበጋ ወቅት ላይ የማህበረሰብ የሙቀት መከታተያ መጠቆሚያ (heat mapping) ፕሮጀክት ላይ ይሳተፉ!
English | Amharic / አማርኛ | Spanish / Español በሞንትጎመሪ ውስጥ ያለው የሙቀጥ መጠን እየተሰማዎት ነው? በዚህ የበጋ ወቅት ላይ የማህበረሰብ የሙቀት መከታተያ መጠቆሚያ (heat mapping) ፕሮጀክት ላይ ተሳታፊ ይሁኑ!
¡Participe en el mapeo comunitario del calor este verano!
English | Amharic / አማርኛ | Spanish / Español ¿Siente el calor en el condado de Montgomery? ¡Tome medidas participando en el mapeo comunitario del calor este verano! Este
Start a Cool Block in Montgomery County!
The Cool Block Program Helps Neighbors Work Together to Fight Climate Change A non-profit, Cool Block, brings neighborhoods together to empower each other and build community over shared environmental goals.
Guide to Sustainable Food Shopping in Montgomery County
Purchasing gently used items (learn more here) is the best way to support the environment and your budget. When food shopping, however, there are different ways to shop more sustainably.
Guide to Sustainable Shopping in Montgomery County
Did you know that it takes 2,000 gallons of water to make a single pair of blue jeans and 713 gallons of water to grow the cotton required for one
Meet Montgomery County’s New Climate Engagement Manager
Hello Montgomery County, I’m Laura Sivels (she/her/ella), and thank you for welcoming me to the Department of Environmental Protection! As the Climate Engagement Program Manager, I will be looking to
MoCo Environmental Task Force
Across the county, students are becoming increasingly more involved in helping make Montgomery County become a more sustainable and environmentally conscious place to live. One such student organization, the MCR
“Lead The EV Charge” – The First Electric Vehicle Purchasing Cooperative is HERE!
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich issued a challenge to County residents and businesses today to “Lead the EV Charge” by pledging to buy electric vehicles as the County launched the
Department of Environmental Protection 2021 Year in Review
The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has released its 2021 Year in Review video with department highlights! The video features DEP’s Acting Director Adriana Hochberg and staff members
Interview with Michael Boldosser with the County’s Climate Team
Q: What position do you hold in the Climate Team? I work with the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) where I serve as an Emergency Management Specialist
Montgomery County Resident’s Guide to Vermicomposting
Food Waste Background The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Recycling and Resource Management Division estimated that approximately 56,000 tons of residential food waste were disposed of in the
Interview with Doug Weisburger with the County’s Climate Team
Q: What position do you hold in the Climate Team? A: I am a Senior Planning Specialist, Sustainability Programs, in the Department of Environmental Protection. On the Climate Planning Team,
Flood Insurance in Montgomery County – Available to All Residents
Flooding Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of severe weather events, including flooding. Flooding is the most frequent severe weather event and the costliest natural disaster. Storm surge
Conversation with County Climate Leaders: Sandra L. Brecher
Sandra L. Brecher who represents the County Department of Transportation as a member of the Climate Planning Team talks about her experience on the team, recent progress, and shares advice
Montgomery Parks Undertakes LED Retrofits at South Germantown Recreational Park
Montgomery Parks recently converted 62 high-pressure sodium (HPS) light fixtures to newer, more efficient LED technology at South Germantown Recreational Park. South Germantown Recreational Park was built in 2001 and
The Benefits of Switching to Induction Cooking
One of the key actions in Montgomery County’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) is to require newly constructed buildings to be all-electric and to electrify all new and existing buildings by 2035. In 2018, 50% of
Putting Science on Display: The Universities at Shady Grove BSE Facility
On July 22, 2021, Associate Principal Rick Fredlund of the architecture firm Cooper Carry accepted USGBC’s Midsummer Night’s Green award for the Universities at Shady Grove’s new Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Education (BSE) Facility. The award is one of several earned by the project in 2021, joining
Meet the 2021 Summer Interns and Fellow!
Montgomery County’s climate planning team is excited to welcome four interns and a fellow for the summer. Dora, Laura, Sara, Susannah, and Matthew are passionate individuals committed to addressing climate issues and to
A Deeper Dive into Montgomery County’s 2018 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
By Julia Brown and Tenzin Yangkey A critical focus of Montgomery County is addressing the causes and impacts of climate change in order to ensure a healthy and equitable future for
Connecting with young people on climate and environmental topics: Do’s and Don’ts
By Omotola Fadeyi, Resilience Ambassador and Junior at Paint Branch High School In the past three months working as a Resilience Ambassador for Montgomery County’s Covid Corps, I have taken
Montgomery County to Use Climate Lens for Future Budgeting Decisions
by Julia McMurry, Climate Intern A community-based workgroup released its final recommendations in October 2020 in a publicly-available report detailing how to integrate climate considerations into County budgets. The Climate Change Budgeting
Climate Change at the Local Level: Protecting Our Watershed
When we think of climate change we often think of melting ice caps, rising sea-levels, extreme weather, and warmer global temperatures. These are the harsh realities of a warming planet
High School Student Designs Climate Education Course for Middle Schoolers
What happens when you combine a dedication to climate activism with a passion for helping others learn more about it? For Montgomery Blair High School senior Vivian Li, it meant
Resilience Ambassadors Amplify Underrepresented Voices Through Community Outreach
By Julia Henderson, Climate Intern Montgomery County’s Climate Planning team, in partnership with Vision Zero, began the Resilience Ambassador pilot program in mid-July. The County brought on a team of
Climate Education Resources
Incorporating climate literacy and education about climate change into schools is an important factor in making Montgomery County a more sustainable community and necessary to meet our goal of zero
County’s Streetlight Conversion Yields Financial Savings and Reduces GHG Emissions
By Julia Henderson, Climate Intern Interview with Dan Sanayi, Traffic Engineering Design and Operations, Montgomery County Department of Transportation, July 20, 2020. Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT) recently
