The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is announcing a technical assistance partnership with the University of Maryland. Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 to learn more out more about opportunities with the Maryland Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) program, which leverages students and faculty to engage and study local challenges and develop innovative local solutions to climate adaption and resiliency.

Through a partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the PALS program will undertake a group of projects exploring real life issues local communities are facing relating to climate vulnerability and adaptation.  As participants of the Maryland Climate Leadership Academy, communities will be able to submit applications for technical assistance in a range of topic areas.  Projects will be selected based on the local commitment, demonstrated technical need and the matched service that the program can provide.

Possible projects may include engaging communications and language departments in strategies for communicating flood risk, landscape architecture students working on green infrastructure projects or even public health students studying a specific climate related health issue.   All projects should seek to increase a local communities resiliency in public spaces and beyond.

Who is Eligible to Participate in this Program?

• Any employee or elected official from a local government, or non-profit organization supporting local government climate change and sustainability implementation, that has completed Cohort A, B or C of the Maryland Climate Leadership Academy’s CC-P® Prep Series

About the PALS Program

The Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) is administered by the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). It is a campus-wide initiative that harnesses the expertise of UMD faculty and the energy and ingenuity of UMD students to help Maryland communities become more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. PALS is designed to provide innovative, low-cost assistance to local governments while creating real-world problem-solving experiences for University of Maryland graduate and undergraduate students.

For more information on PALS, please visit: www.umdsmartgrowth.org/programs/pals/