By Morgan Leason
In the wake of the climate crisis, College Park Scholars hosted a panel discussion called “All We Can Save – In Maryland” to help inform students about how to improve the environment.
Marilee Lindemann, executive director of College Park Scholars, introduced the four panelists leading the discussion and said her goal is to spark more conversations about climate change, and how anyone can make a difference .
“Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” Lindenmann said.
The panel’s moderator Tim Knight, the director of Environment, Technology and Economy Scholars, talked about the book, “All We Can Save,” by Katharine Wilkinson and called students to action.
Knight explained that the talk is meant to inform students about what is being done at the state, local and county level, and told students what they can do to reduce their environmental footprint.
“I feel like too often in environmental causes we try to inspire people with fear, and we end up paralyzing ourselves,” Knight said. “So over and over I try to find ways that we can think about things that we ourselves can do.”
Knight asked the panelists how they expect Maryland to reach zero carbon emissions.
Mark Stewart, the Climate Change program manager in the Maryland Department of the Environment, acknowledged that our world has a long way to go, but action is being taken to fix the source of the issue: extracting fossil fuels.
“By 2030, Maryland’s new law is a 60% reduction in statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 2031, which is the most aggressive climate goal of any state in the country,” Stewart said.
College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn spoke about reducing transportation emissions.
“The transportation sector is the highest single cause of greenhouse gas emissions,” Wojahn said.
One solution is putting in electric vehicle charging stations around the city. However, for this to be implemented successfully, electrical infrastructure would need to be constructed, which could take several years, Wojahn explained.
Another key topic Knight brought up in the panel was the issue of environmental justice.
Dawn Hawkins-Nixon, an associate director of the Prince George’s County Department of the Environment, acknowledged the toll that climate change takes on low-income communities.
“Climate change will fare very hard on those communities that are already vulnerable to multiple issues via health issues, via energy burden, via just not having enough education and knowledge about climate change,” Hawkins-Nixon said.
Lorig Charkoudian, a District 20 delegate and part of the Maryland General Assembly, mentioned our nation’s history, reminding everyone that environmental justice is still a problem, in part because of systemic inequalities.
“We would not have a climate crisis if it weren’t for racism,” Charkoudian said.
She explained that throughout history, the government has been willing to sacrifice land for the extraction of fossil fuels, which has damaged farmland and made people living in proximity to these zones sick.
Charkoudian also said that some methods of reducing greenhouse gas emissions are still harmful to low-income communities. To combat this, investments in emission-reducing technology such as air pumps and solar panels should be prioritized in marginalized communities, Charkoudian said.
Knight asked the panelists what students can do to take environmental action. Hawkins-Nixon encouraged students to reach out to their representatives.
“Elevate your voice as a student. Let your representatives know that you care,” Hawkins-Nixon said.
Representatives want to know that their constituents are educated on policy and are bringing in their own opinions, she said.
Stewart and his colleagues’ analysis revealed that the most influential thing a University of Maryland student can do to be more sustainable is to eat less meat.
Stewart explained how 90% of the emissions are from the purchasing of meat and dairy and 55% are from consuming beef.
Wojahn mentioned recent legislation and how it can make a larger impact. Biden’s infrastructure bill distributes 60% of its monetary package to states.
“This could be the biggest improvement in our greenhouse gas emissions in our country, or we could actually end up going backwards,” Wojahn said.
One of the ways to ensure environmental improvements with the funding is by working with organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council to monitor and steer the way that investments are being used in Maryland. The hope is that this money will be used wisely, to help the nation shift away from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
“I am very motivated by the vision that we will be able to address equity and affordability issues as we figure out how to reduce the state’s GHG emissions,” Stewart said.
Featured Image: The four panelists at the “All We Can Save – In Maryland” discussion, hosted by College Park Scholars in College Park, Maryland on Oct. 19, 2022. Photo by Morgan Leason.