COG honors four local programs for leadership in climate and energy innovation

At the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors meeting, area leaders presented the 2024 Climate and Energy Leadership Awards to the City of Bowie's Food Waste Diversion Program, DC Department of Energy and Environment's Building Energy Performance Standards, Prince William County Public Schools' Environmental Literacy Program, and the District of Columbia Green Bank's A-Peace Sustainable Affordable Housing Program.

The awardees implemented a broad range of climate solutions, which have contributed to the COG regional goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and supporting efforts to advance equity in traditionally disadvantaged neighborhoods.

The awards were announced by Prince George's County Council Chair and COG Climate, Energy, and Environment Policy Committee (CEEPC) Chair Jolene Ivey and COG Air and Climate Public Advisory Committee Vice Chair Julie Kimmel. Officials said the projects were recognized for being innovative, replicable, and results-driven.

Small Government Sector Award: City of Bowie's Food Waste Diversion Program

The City of Bowie expanded its existing food waste curbside program to include all City residents. In addition to helping to meet the City's climate mitigation goal, the new food waste drop-off site supports Bowie residents' continued engagement in climate-friendly activities.

Since the new food waste drop-off site was launched in January 2024, the climate impacts include three tons of food waste diverted from the County landfill and 297 gallons of gasoline offset by diverting food scraps from the County landfill. Bowie Staff also implemented "Food Waste Friday", an effort that has further engaged the community, particularly elder residents who prefer the drop-off site to the curbside program.

Large Government Sector Award: DC Department of Energy and Environment's Building Energy Performance Standards

Roughly 75 percent of the greenhouse emissions in DC are from buildings. Recognizing the importance of reducing energy use to address climate change in buildings, DC's Clean Energy DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018 was signed into law, outlining a framework that required half of all large existing buildings in DC to use at least 20 percent less energy over 5 years. This minimum energy efficiency requirements for existing buildings, called the Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS), was the first building energy standard required in the U.S.

In its first two years, the AHRA program provided energy audits to 60 housing properties, representing nearly 8,000 households, and funded over $8 million of energy-saving upgrades. The audits and energy upgrades helped the District's affordable housing stock to be better positioned to meet BEPS's performance requirements. Additionally, the AHRA program is projected to save over 5.24 million kWh (kilowatt hours) of energy per year. In total, DC's BEPS program is projected to reduce 10-12 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions, a significant step towards meeting DC's long-term goal of net zero carbon by 2045.

Educational Institution Sector Award: Prince William County Public Schools' Environmental Literacy Program

The Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Division has 98 schools, 90,000 students, and 13,000 employees, making it the second largest public-school division in the Commonwealth of Virginia and maintains over 12 million square feet of facilities. To meet the Prince William County School Board's Sustainability Initiative passed in June 2020, the PWCS Environmental Literacy Plan was created to support teachers in creating climate- and sustainability-related cross-curricular learning tools for students. The program integrates place-based experiential learning that aligns with state-mandated content and standards.

PWCS environmental professional development has 228 teachers across 80 schools and is grant funded at no cost to schools. PWCS is a minority-majority school division and is the most diverse county in Virginia and the tenth most diverse in the United States. For the school year 2023-24, 72 schools participated in the annual Energy Challenge by conducting energy audits at their school, reducing waste, and adopting sustainable behaviors. PWCS's Solarbration event resulted in 168 middle school students learning about solar energy. In October 2023, PWCS hosted its inaugural "The EcoHero Show" for 5,200 third grade students and 1,800 adult teachers and chaperones. That event had a long-lasting impact on students, as teachers noticed students discussing energy savings for weeks after the event.

Non-governmental Organization Sector Award: District of Columbia Green Bank's A-Peace Sustainable Affordable Housing Program

The DC Green Bank collaborated with Ayesha Hudson, a DC native, to help realize her vision of building sustainable, resident-centered affordable housing in the District. Through this partnership, Hudson's business, A-Peace, LLC, has developed two properties in Wards 7 and 8 to deliver 13 units of energy-efficient, solar-powered affordable housing in her community. By prioritizing investments that promote sustainability, increase affordable housing, and advance equity, DC Green Bank helps the District meet its climate goals and ensures the clean economy intentionally includes communities historically excluded from economic progress.

DC Green Bank worked directly with Hudson for two years to help her qualify for financing as an emerging developer. Through an investment of $3 million by the DC Green Bank, private equity grant funding and the additional qualified financing, this funded the new construction of a sustainable affordable housing development in Ward 8 and an energy efficiency and renewable energy retrofit of an existing affordable housing property in Ward 7. Both buildings will have all-electric heating and cooling systems and Energy Star appliances that will help save residents money on their utility bills. The project also included two photovoltaic systems totaling 49 kW, capable of producing more than 65,000 kWh of energy annually - avoiding the equivalent carbon emissions of 120,000 miles driven by car.

To learn more about the award recipients and their innovative programs, visit the COG website, linked below.

MORE: COG's Climate and Energy Leadership Awards

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