Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, County Councilmember Tom Hucker and County Planning Board Vice Chair Natali Fani-Gonzalez will be among the community leaders and environmental activists joining together on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Silver Spring Civic Building for a “Climate Emergency Town Hall.” Among the goals of the event are to address actions the County can take to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80 percent in the next eight years and why Montgomery must take action even if neighboring jurisdictions are not.

The Silver Spring Civic Building is located at 1 Veterans Place in Downtown Silver Spring. It is near the Silver Spring Metrorail Station and public parking is available adjacent to the building. The Town Hall will begin at 11 a.m. and is scheduled to continue through 1:30 p.m. The event, which is open to the public, will include vendors and exhibitors providing relevant information on environmental issues.

Topics to be discussed at the Town Hall include identification of the biggest sources of GHG emissions in the County. Actions the County have already put in place to combat climate change, and areas where the County must improve, will be analyzed.

“There is nothing more important than addressing the environmental crisis as it impacts virtually everything – our health, economy, social fabric and the survival of other species with whom we share this Earth,” said County Executive Elrich. “We are now in a climate emergency. Addressing any emergency requires a plan, and that plan must be followed by leadership and action. Montgomery County intends to lead and set an example that others can follow and join. That is what this Town Hall is about.”

In 2017, the County approved a Climate Emergency Resolution with the goal to reduce greenhouse gases by 80 percent by 2027 and 100 percent by 2035. Montgomery County has launched a planning process to develop prioritized actions and strategies to meet its GHG emission reduction goals.

Earlier this summer, the County formed three technical workgroups—on buildings, clean energy and transportation—to help identify the needed strategies. To augment its climate planning effort, the County is now seeking volunteers to serve on workgroups focused on community engagement/education and climate adaptation/sequestration. Interested individuals should have demonstrable expertise related to the workgroup topics, including identifying economic and equity challenges and opportunities that might arise in meeting these goals. The deadline to submit letters of interest (with a resume) is Sept. 15. Letters should be sent to climate@montgomerycountymd.gov.

“Climate change is not only in the future — it’s happening now, and we must act now to mitigate its potentially disastrous consequences,” said Councilmember Hucker, who chairs the Council’s Transportation and Environment Committee. “Through actively promoting transit, smart growth, energy efficiency and renewable energy like solar power, Montgomery County is working urgently to reduce our carbon footprint and meet our goal of zero net emissions by 2035.”

The highlight of the event will be a panel discussion addressing environmental concerns that will feature County Executive Elrich; Councilmember Hucker; Planning Board Vice Chair Fani-Gonzalez; and Adriana Hochberg, a County assistant chief administrative officer who also serves as its climate change coordinator. The panel will be moderated by Jacob Fenston, an environmental reporter for radio station WAMU.  

There also will be a panel discussion that includes environmental advocates Naeem Alam of the Sunrise Movement; Wendy Howard of One Montgomery Green; and Bill Ragen of the Labor Network for Sustainability.

The event will conclude with an opportunity for audience members to ask questions of members of both panels. 

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