Maryland must engage all residents to reach climate goals

Last year, in Michigan, I worked on Ann Arbor’s groundbreaking initiative to transition its front-line Bryant neighborhood to carbon neutrality by 2030. The majority of homeowners and renters in this community are people of color, and 75 percent live in poverty. Many are elderly, uneasy with using and navigating communication technology. I listened to concerns about clean-energy projects sponsored by the government and utility companies, which reflected residents’ experiences of being marginalized by authorities. Community outreach workers helped residents understand the advantages of weatherization and energy retrofits to their homes and helped with applications to access state and federal funding for home energy upgrades. This process of building trust between project managers and community members was essential to signing people up for free energy audits and initiating renovations and retrofits.

We cannot diminish the devastating effects of climate change on our communities solely through technology and top-down decision-making from government and organizational leadership. Climate action plans become real and transformative when ordinary individuals can make practical lifestyle changes to improve energy conservation and efficiency.

Madeline Sumida, Silver Spring