Max Teirstein Email and Phone Number

Managed multiple high-priority policy, grantwriting, and community engagement projects to address the climate emergency in New Haven, focusing on the health and economic impacts of climate change on communities already distressed by COVID-19, poverty, and other socioeconomic challenges.Highlights include...Created New Haven’s third-ever greenhouse gas inventory and leveraged results to generate an evidence-based climate action plan for the new Office of Climate & Sustainability.Applied to six major federal grants from the EPA, DOE, and USDA. Secured over $10 million in funding for New Haven:1. $9,471,615 in Climate Pollution Reduction Grant funding for a networked geothermal system to provide clean heating and cooling to Union Station and an 1,000-unit mixed-income housing development adjacent to the train station.2. $1 million in EPA Government-to-Government funding for heat pumps for low-income households currently heating with oil, working with Yale University to implement an air quality study using qualitative interviews and Purple Air sensors.Led a canvassing campaign that increased enrollment in residential energy efficiency programs by over 300% and built an ArcGIS-based app to track canvassing outcomes in real time. Personally knocked on over 2,000 doors in the city's disadvantaged communities.Orchestrated the office’s holistic community engagement strategy, coordinating appearances on radio/TV programs, presentations at community events, canvassing, and online outreach.

Built networks of relational organizers for progressive midterm elections campaigns in PA and FL. Interviewed applicants for paid organizing positions and vetted those applicants via Google searches, FEC and state contributions, and reviewing social media accounts. Used Monday and other CRM systems to coordinate volunteer participation from onboarding through the end of their tenure as organizers by midterm elections.

Built a publicly available mapping tool of New Haven's most urgent environmental and social justice challenges according to a survey of local leaders and residents to guide urban policy and decision-making. Available at bit.ly/CPIMapWorked with the New Haven City Plan Department to conduct outreach to local organizations conducting grassroots environmental, health, and economic justice work

Member of the Senior Team of the Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health (CEEJH) at the University of Maryland. Conducted geospatial analysis via ArcGIS to update and expand existing statewide and federal environmental justice mapping tools. Created white papers and literature reviews for partners such as the National Wildlife Federation, the EPA's Environmental Justice Advisory Council, and other state agencies and NGOs. Created lesson plans for the EPA on using mapping to prepare communities for natural-technological disasters; piloted workshops in Duplin County, NC, and North Charleston, SC.

Weighed in on key decisions regarding the future of the farm from the perspectives of finances, recruitment, organizational structure, grant-writing, and other fundamental areas of Zumwalt Acres' development. Created a short documentary about Jewish approaches to agriculture for Zumwalt Acres' workshop at the Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest.

Designed and executed the recruitment strategy for new apprentices to join the farm, yielding over 75 applications for the spring and summer seasons over three months. Drafted interview questions, facilitated reviews of applicants, and successfully arranged for two cohorts of farm apprentices to join Zumwalt Acres, all according to schedule.

Joined a handful of other young agriculturalists in the effort of transitioning the Zumwalt family farm from conventional corn and soy row-cropping to an integrated agroforestry model. Much of the initial work focused on building up the organizational infrastructure, including grant-writing, social media work, scientific and policy research, and community development.

Assisted the scientific and legal staff in the Environmental Protection Bureau in identifying the scientific underpinnings to key issues in the NYC Watershed to determine culpability for those issues. Responsibilities included briefing staff on technical issues and keeping them updated on the most recent developments; drafting reports and fact sheets; procuring technical information and undertaking scientific and data analyses; preparing presentations using Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; and assisting staff in preparing for negotiations with violators of environmental laws.

Managed teams of volunteers and conducted outreach to Wyoming voters in the fight to elect a female, immigrant climate scientist to U.S. Senate in the most Republican state in the Union.

Drafted the official recommendation on a holistic mapping tool to the governor on behalf of the Governor's Council on Climate Change's (GC3) Equity & Environmental Justice Working Group. Assembled private and public sector participants of the Mapping Tool Subcommittee to continue advancing the mapping tool after my internship concluded. Supported the administration of the GC3, recording minutes for over online 50 meetings. Conducted additional geospatial analysis for DEEP's EJ program to guide permitting and siting of toxic facilities.

Participated in eight-week intensive field ecology course in UC Reserves across northern California.Designed and led four original ecological research projects with peers.Engaged in discussions and workshops about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the conservation field.

Researched carbon mitigation strategies for the aviation sector and completed 75-page policy memo on decarbonizing aviation, covering over 100 sources.

Instructed children in wilderness survival skills.Supervised assistant instructors in leading nature connection programming.Served as liaison between parents, co-instructors, and administrators.