The Baltimore Jewish Council and Adamah, the largest Jewish environmental organization in the country, are holding their annual environmental forum on Dec. 3 for residents to learn about local environmental advocacy efforts and bills under consideration in the 2025 Maryland Legislative session.
The two organizations have held the event for years highlighting different environmentally focused bills about to work their way through the legislative process in the coming year, which begins Jan. 8, 2025.
“[We hold this forum] with the goal of educating our community on the work that’s being done in Annapolis to help protect the environment and provide clean energy,” said Abigail Snyder, the director of government relations for the BJC. “We’ve highlighted things from the Styrofoam ban that Maryland has put into effect, to things related to fossil fuels. It really covers the gamut of environmental issues.”
Snyder said they typically try to deliver this educational experience through an organization that’s spearheading advocacy around a particular bill.
She added that having a heavily involved group present gives attendees the opportunity to follow up with the organization afterwards if they become interested in helping advance these grassroots efforts forward.
The forum’s keynote presentation this year will be delivered by the newly formed Upgrade Maryland campaign, a group focused on upgrading Maryland homes and businesses with the best electric equipment and healthy building standards to keep energy prices low for residents, protect people’s health and meet climate goals.
One of the areas where Upgrade Maryland is trying to accomplish this goal is by targeting education and advocacy efforts around SB-0548, the Ratepayer Protection Act, a bill intended to modernize existing programs and use strategic gas planning to direct investments into projects intended to keep energy bills lower.
“I think we all know that our BGE bills are going up and things that have gotten a little crazy as resources become less available. And so, we’re excited to highlight their effort to try and have a more equitable transition to clean heat. And I think it’s something that affects the everyday person,” Snyder said.
Snyder said that even though Upgrade Maryland isn’t a religious organization, many of its partners have various religious affiliations. She added that the shared environmental focus that BJC and Adamah have is tied into the Jewish value of repairing the world.
“It’s very clear that one of the strong Jewish values is to repair the world: tikkun olam. And this can manifest in
many different ways, but in a time where climate change continues to become more of a problem, repairing the world can quite literally mean repairing the damage that we have quite literally done,” Synder said.
And besides the religious aspect of legislative involvement, these bills will have a measurable impact on the lives of residents, making education surrounding them even more important.
Snyder said she selects the various bills the forum highlights each year after looking at what bills were selected as
priorities by a coalition of environmental organizations in Annapolis for advocacy work in the upcoming legislative session.
“[The coalition] tries to get the full team on board and will pick a handful of priorities that they’re going to work on together. I usually take all of those bills that have been submitted as a priority and then look through and decide from there what I think could impact the Jewish community the most; could impact Baltimore the most,” Snyder said.
She added that she also looks for bills that are interesting for the average resident and aren’t overly complicated or technical. She said that taking these selected priorities means that the presentations on the legislation will be on an issue that can make a big difference.
Snyder said that for people interested in making their voices heard about the environmental issues and legislation they learn about at the forum, the best practice is to learn about your elected officials and the work they’re doing.
She said if the work aligns with your interests, it’s worth it to try and set up a meeting or attend their events to start building a relationship.
And for people who aren’t certain the forum is something they’re interested in attending, Snyder said that it never hurts to come expand your knowledge on a topic like environmental advocacy, even if it’s not a personal passion.
Synder said that the forum is the only legislative advocacy event that BJC organizes to this scale, highlighting its importance to the organization and larger community.
“Our goal is to repair the world, and if we can highlight ways in which Maryland is trying to do that, then we are furthering that mission,” Snyder said.
bhamelin@midatlanticmedia.co