Sustainability & Equity Programs

The Frederick County Division of Energy and Environment offers an array of programs to assist residents and businesses in becoming better stewards of our shared environment.

We offer programs and support for reducing energy use (and saving money on energy costs), conserving resources, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting our Chesapeake Bay watershed. Working together, we can build a resilient, healthy, "green" community!

We also recognize that the impacts of climate change are not distributed equally, and some neighborhoods and individuals are at increased risk. We are working to ensure that our programs and services meet the needs of everyone in our community. In support of this goal, we have been awarded a federal grant to support our Environmental Justice initiatives!

What is "Sustainability"? Sustainability is often defined as the intersection between the environment, the economy, and equity.

Sustainable practices support ecological, human and economic health and vitality. With the understanding that resources are finite and should be used conservatively and wisely with a view to long-term priorities and consequences of the methods in how resources are used.

Want to learn more? Check out the information on this page, visit our community events calendar, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @SustainableFCMD!

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Glossary of Terms

Term	Definition
Alternative Energy	Substitutes for existing petroleum liquids, i.e., ethanol, biodiesel, and tar sands substitute energies. Alternatives for generating and storing electrical power are wind, solar, and battery substitute energies.
Blackwater	Blackwater is contaminated wastewater that must be drained from a building into separate blackwater pipes for extraction, and it cannot be mixed with greywater. Wastewater collected from toilets, kitchen sinks, and dishwashers are good examples of blackwater.
Black, Indigenous or person of Color (BIPOC)	The term is acceptable when necessary in broad references to multiple races other than white. This term is also meant to unite all people of color in the work for liberation while intentionally acknowledging that not all people of color face the same levels of injustice. Acknowledge your audience and remember that identifying by color can sometimes lead to bias. Be specific whenever possible.
Carbon Footprint	Carbon footprint refers to the emissions of greenhouse gases (carbon equivalent) from an individual or organization.
Carbon Neutral	Organizations that are ‘carbon neutral’ achieve net-zero carbon emissions. That means the given organization offsets the amount of carbon they produce by removing carbon emissions elsewhere or purchasing carbon credits.
Climate Change	Climate change refers to the periodic change in Earth’s climate due to changes in the atmosphere.
Climate Resilience	Climate resilience studies existing systems’ capacity to handle stresses and maintain functionality imposed by climate risk.
Culture	The collective behavior patterns, communication styles, beliefs, concepts, values, institutions, standards, and other factors unique to a community that are socially transmitted to individuals and to which individuals are expected to conform.
Deforestation	Deforestation occurs when a forested area is converted for non-forest reasons.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice (DEIJ)	This acronym is used as a noun identifying a concept, effort, initiative, or foundation for enhancing social justice in organizations or communities.
Ecological Footprint	A person or community’s impact on the environment is expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources.
Ecological Restoration	When an ecosystem is damaged, ecological restoration is the process that artificially restores the ecosystem to its original form.
Environmental Justice	The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies, and refers to “decisions [that] support sustainable communities where people can interact with confidence that their environment is safe, nurturing, and productive.
Environmental Racism	The set of structures, institutions, practices and ideas that produce unhealthy, poisoned environments, and are often concentrated in low-income communities and communities of color worldwide.
Equity	The promotion of justice, impartiality and fairness within the procedures, processes, and distribution of resources by institutions or systems.
Geothermal Energy	Geothermal energy is a renewable energy form derived from hot water or steam within the earth.
Global Warming	Global warming is defined as a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.
Green Building	A green building is built based on ecological principles to maintain a healthy structure that minimizes environmental impacts. Essential features of green building include reducing or eliminating adverse ecological effects while also creating positive developments within the community.
Greenhouse Effect	The greenhouse effect refers to the trapping and build-up of heat near the Earth’s surface. When more greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane are emitted, less heat jumps back into space. Some of it is re-radiated back to Earth’s surface, increasing the temperature of the lower atmosphere.
Greenwashing	Greenwashing is a marketing tactic that inaccurately portrays a “green” or “eco-friendly” product or service to increase sales.
Greywater	Greywater is wastewater, without toxic chemicals, collected for secondary uses. For example, greywater is collected and reused from bathrooms, sinks, showers, bathtubs, and clothes washers.
Intersectional Environmentalism	An inclusive version of environmentalism that advocates for both the protection of people and the planet. It identifies the ways in which injustices happening to marginalized communities and the earth are interconnected.
Natural Resources	Natural resources are materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain.
Recycling	Recycling refers to collecting and reprocessing a material to be used again.
Reforestation	Reforestation is the process of planting trees where a forest was previously held but had been removed for commercial purposes.
Renewable Resources/Energy	Renewable energy comes from a not depleted source when used, such as wind or solar power.
Solar Energy	Solar energy is energy derived from the sun. Solar panels are used to absorb the Sun’s radiation. This type of energy is captured, stored, and regenerated into the electricity grid.
Sustainability	Sustainability is the ability of a system to be maintained at a certain rate or level. It involves creating a system of permanence; a structure where people, planet and profit can live in harmony without compromising one or the other.
Underprivileged, Underrepresented, Under-Resourced & Underserved	Use underprivileged when referring to a group having less money, education, resources, and so forth than the other people in a society and may refer to individuals or subgroups in any racial or ethnic group. Use underrepresented when discussing any subset of a population that makes up a smaller percentage within a significant subgroup than it actually holds in the general population. Use the phrase under-resourced as a way to frame resource inequities such as leadership, physical assets, money, power, political will, institutions, community cohesion, and services. Use underserved only when talking about populations that receive inadequate or inequitable services.
Water Scarcity	Water scarcity is the point at which all demands on the supply of water or the quality of water cannot be met.
Water Security	Water security refers to a population’s ability to provide safe access to adequate quantities and qualities of water for sustaining human well-being, protecting ecosystems, and socio-economic development.
Wind Energy	Wind energy is created through wind turbines. This energy is collected through the motion from heavy winds in farm areas with open land (fewer trees = more current).
Zero-waste	The zero-waste approach eliminates waste, does not consume new resources, recovers resources, and does not manage waste within incinerators or landfills. For instance, composting is a popular method intended to reduce food and yard waste.