Education Opportunities – April 19

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Resources climate smart heading

Climate-Smart SolutionsLeading the Charge: How USDA Rural Development (RD) Supports Climate Smart Solutions for Schools 
USDA RD is in a unique position to make climate-smart investments in rural infrastructure. This fact sheet is filled with avenues to support climate-smart schools. Contact your state-based RD energy coordinator to learn more.  

IRA Pocket Guides
USDA RD developed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) pocket guides to help applicants navigate the suite of programs that were recently developed for clean energy projects in rural America across several agencies.

IRA/CHIPS Pre-filing Registration 
Internal Revenue Service offers this tool for elective payment or transfer of credits. Additional information about clean energy tax credits can be found at irs.gov/tribes and irs.gov/cleanenergy.

Wastewater Infrastructure Case Study 
Communities Unlimited and the Urban Institute shares the findings from a Mississippi Delta small town that upgraded its public wastewater infrastructure after facing costly violations and system breakdowns.

USDA Offers Climate Smart Solutions for Commodities 
By investing $3.1 billion in 141 selected projects under Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program – Details on projects supporting climate-smart solutions and additional information to gain tips on types of projects funded are viewable on the project dashboard.

Power Forward Communities 
A coalition of housing, climate, and community investment groups were awarded a seven-year National Clean Investment Fund grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to provide capital for affordable residential decarbonization throughout the country, with a specific focus on low-income and disadvantaged communities. The coalition includesEnterprise Community Partners, Rewiring America, Habitat for Humanity International, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and United Way Worldwide move to transform the housing sector, save homeowners and renters money, invest in stronger communities, and help meet national climate goals. 

Youth Apprenticeship Week Factsheet & Learn more about the first Youth Apprenticeship Week May 5-11, 2024, and how to get involved!
More Clean and Green Resources:USDA RD: 5 Eco-friendly Swaps You Can Make to Replace Single-Use Plastics: Stay up to date on what’s happening in the bioeconomy. BioPreferred® Program – subscribe to BioBuzz and BioBuzzGov.USDA NRCS: Investments in Climate-Smart AgricultureUSDA RD: An Economic Impact Analysis of the U.S. Biobased Products Industry: 2023 UpdateUSDA RD: The Hidden Costs of Convenience: Examining the Long-Term Effects of Plastic WasteUSDA RD: Green Your Supply Contracts with Biobased ProductsInteragency Working Group on Coal & Power Plant Communities & Economic Revitalization (IWG)-Delivers federal resources to help revitalize America’s energy communities including funding search enginesIWG Announces Investments and Worker Strategies for AppalachiaEDA’s Newsletter: News for Coal CommunitiesEPA Tools and Resources Webinar SeriesUS Climate Smart Toolkit: Find Funding and Strategize on Climate HazardsJoint Office of Energy and Transportation: Communities Taking Charge Accelerator Funding Opportunity

EPA Smart Growth Grants and Other FundingDOE Funding to Understand Solar’s Interactions with Wildlife and EcosystemsDOE Wind Energy Technologies Office is Addressing the Wind Industry’s Workforce NeedsPathways to Commercial Liftoff: DOE’s Next-Generation Geothermal PowerEnergy Resources for Small Businesses |Toolbox for Small BusinessesWater Touches Everything: NASA PostersFederal Blueprint to Decarbonize America’s Buildings SectorU.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Rural EV Toolkit: Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Rural Electric Mobility and Quick Start to Electrifying Your School Bus

FleetUSDA Climate-Smart Success Stories:
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USDA RD helps community access clean water after 5 months without viable service Through USDA RD’s Water and Environmental Programs, rural communities in Washington State can obtain technical assistance and financing for drinking water and waste disposal systemsAn intensive small farm gets help from the sun by using solar power funded by the USDA RD Rural Energy for America ProgramFrom Black to Green: A Biddeford, Maine boat yard on the site of a former coal-burning energy plant turns to solar energy for the futureGreenTechnologies joined the USDA BioPreferred Program, an initiative that helps increase the purchase and use of “biobased” products
Events / LearningEarth Day
4/22 | Washington, DC: Celebrate Earth Day with USDA 
Sustainably Cultivating the Future. USDA agencies, People’s Garden, Xerces Society, and more partners are joining together for an Earth Day celebration! Exhibits, Workshops and more + Fun! 
See link for map and times. Appearances by Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl, and Sammy Soil. Food vendors available to purchase lunch.water

5/15 | Virtual: EPA: Introduction to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund5/21 | Virtual: “Mental Health in the Rural Workplace”. Speakers from USDA Rural Development, Recovery Friendly Workplace-New Hampshire, Farm Bureau, and Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention will share information about how their programs and resources can support employers’ and employees’ mental health in rural workplaces. This event is hosted by USDA RD’s Rural Workforce Innovation Network (RWIN).