1. DC Solar Congress April 14, 2018
Hello!
I am happy to be here tonight! Thank you to Envision Frederick County and specific thanks to Ann Nau and Kai Hagen for inviting me to the program. I won’t be before you long but want to talk about our work and collaborative vision for a healthy, affordable, accessible and sustainable Maryland.
DC Solar Congress April 14, 2018

2. What We’ll Cover Today
Operating Framework: Equity, Access, and Justice
Energy and Health Equity
Renewable Energy and Access
Community Resiliency and Justice

3. Who We Are
Mission: To eliminate environmental threats to human health.
A women of color lead organization
Based in Baltimore and we work across the state of Maryland.
A network of health professionals, environment and health advocates and impacted community members
We operate as community builders, educators, and EH policy experts

4. Health is a function of Environmental Justice
Equity in the distribution of benefits and burdens among all Marylanders
Access to decision makers at a time when their actions can inform a process rather than provide observations on the impact of an action
Justice is the realization of the highest potential of each and all without the weight of structural barriers or biases

5. Energy & Health Equity

6. Housing Income impacts housing stock quality Apartment dwellings
Low-income households struggle with energy efficient homes
High energy consumption due to inefficiency creates economic burdens
Apartment dwellings
Landlords lack incentives to provide energy efficient dwellings

7. Pollution
Pollution from non-renewable energy burdens low-income communities and communities of color
Lifetime health impacts can limit social mobility
Maryland residents with the lowest household income (<$15,000/yr) account for the majority of adults with asthma at 15.5%.
Asthma accounts for the greatest loss of productivity through missed work days or school absenteeism
Nationally it is estimated that approximately 10 million work days are missed each year due to asthma

8. Renewable Energy & Access

9. Accessibility for ALL Expensive renewable energy is everyone’s problem
Energy efficient, and clean and renewable energy is good! But, not universally accessible as policies and programs that incentivize its use emphasize ownership and leave out tenants out.
Leaving renters behind means continued production of greenhouse gases and climate change
In the pursuit of a primarily renewable energy grid, we must consider the economics of energy. We all can not prosper if everyone does not participate. Resources must be catered to communities to fit their needs in a just way (equity not equality)

10. Community Resiliency & Justice

11. Climate Change Socioeconomic factors influence community vulnerability
Poor housing - Exposure to hazards in the built environment and elements
Impacts of Sea level Rise - Greater incidence of water borne illness
Poor Air Quality for populations in proximity to high traffic areas - Asthma exacerbation and ground level ozone rise
Extreme heat events - Increased likelihood of death to persons with fragile health facing cumulative impacts during extreme events

12. Building community resilience
Create policies with low income residents, at the beginning of policy development so that the perspective of low-income residents is built in.
Create plain language, accessible (in every language) public facing information on programs, policies and agencies where decisions are made about energy policy
Consider existing and projected human health, when creating energy policy
Build a culture of inclusive development, where public input is early and often

13. Contact Us! Website: mdehn.org Twitter: @MdENVHealth
Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, Executive Director
Yinka Bode George, Program Manager