Our summer intern Zachary Turkheimer shared this important story Caroline County's Habitat for Houmanity and the importance of energy efficiency.
Imagine for a moment that you are Governor Larry Hogan. A non-profit organization writes to you within your first few weeks of taking office. The letter is explaining to you how important the EmPower Clean Energy Communities Low-to-moderate (LMI) grant program is to the Caroline County community. The program funded in large part by a multi-state collaborative program called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)(https://www.rggi.org/). The letter goes on to explain how this funding has given many low income families the opportunity to make upgrades to their home that lower energy costs. The director of this organization is asking you to take their organization's community impact into consideration when planning out the budget that regulates the Empower Clean Energy Communities LMI grant program. What would you do?
This scenario is a prime example of what is playing out in the State of Maryland. The Sierra club recently spoke with the Executive Director, William Clemens, for the Caroline County Habitat for Humanity. This organization has received grants over the past few years through Maryland’s Strategic Energy Investment Fund (SEIF), Maryland's grant program through RGGI. They used these grants to provide energy retrofits, weatherization, and energy efficiency upgrades for low to moderate income families in the Queen Anne's and Caroline counties of Maryland.
- Example of air duct upgrade as part of the energy effiency program.
Studies have shown that families on bill assistance have an energy cost burden of up to 20% on their income. These upgrades mean families consume less energy, and thus spend less money. For families on a fixed income, energy efficiency eases the decision to pay for rent, food, medicine, other necessities, and energy. A lower energy bill will drastically improve a family's economic hardships
“A lot of the time we are allowing people to stay in their homes where they would have to move out otherwise”, Clemens shared. This funding is allowing an organization to provide people with a sense of stability in their lives that they would not otherwise have. Recipients of their services have even sent letters to Clemens praising his organization for their work.
- New hot water heater provided with RGGI funding.
The Eastern Shore has been troubled for years with high instances of poverty and unemployment. Caroline County Habitat for Humanity hires local contractors and businesses that provide the particular services they need, thus stimulating the local economy. The purpose of RGGI is not only to work to reduce emissions that pollute our atmosphere and convert to clean renewable energy usage, but to also help better our communities through energy efficiency programs.
Caroline County Habitat for Humanity is demonstrating smart community driven policy. They are helping to generate jobs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and make way for clean energy. The funding for this program has been around for seven plus years, and there are many stories such as this one across Maryland and the Northeast. Thus, proving how vital the funding from RGGI is to our state and local communities.
They were also one of the first organizations in the nation to become a member of the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative: A program created by the Obama Administration in 2008 to empower local communities with the tools to enhance the effectiveness of existing programs and initiatives.
Caroline County Habitat for Humanity is one of dozens of textbook examples for why RGGI needs to be strengthened. Our state and nation as a whole needs to move beyond fossil fuels as our primary energy source and shift towards clean renewable energy resources. With RGGI, we are make great strides in that direction.