CLIMATE LEADERSHIP NEWSLETTER
NOTES FROM MASSACHUSETTS CITIES AND TOWNS
The purpose of the Climate Leadership newsletter is to features stories of environmental and climate action in Massachusetts. It provides a platform to highlight work being done by cities, climate leaders, and local groups in communities across the Commonwealth.
How has your town or city acted to protect our air, water, lands, and public health? To share local climate actions your community is working on, email Veena Dharmaraj at veena.dharmaraj@sierraclub.org.
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Newburyport Commits to Make New Buildings Net Zero Carbon by 2030
Congratulations to Mayor Holaday for signing the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Declaration and committing to make new buildings in Newburyport net zero carbon by 2030. Newburyport joined 19 global cities, including New York, Washington D.C., Santa Monica, London, Copenhagen, Paris, and Johannesburg to also pledge that all buildings, old and new, would meet net zero carbon standards by 2050.
Buildings are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in cities. To deliver on the commitments cities will collaborate with businesses and the private sector to drive transformation. Signatories will establish a roadmap to reach net zero carbon buildings, develop supporting incentives and programs and report annually on the progress made.
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Commonwealth Launches Initiative to Improve Recycling Practices
As part of the new ‘Recycle Smart’ initiative, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), awarded more than $2.6 million in recycling grants to 247 municipalities. This initiative to help communities build stronger recycling programs will educate consumers about materials accepted by recycling facilities and contaminants—plastic bags, food waste and clothes—that should be kept out of the recycling stream.
Look up hundreds of individual items to learn how to properly manage them with DEP’s Smart Recycling Guide and searchable Recyclopedia.
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| Climate Mayors Electric Vehicle Purchasing Collaborative |
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A new online portal from Climate Mayors Electric Vehicle Purchasing Collaborative will make it easier for cities and towns in Massachusetts and across the country to leverage their collective buying power and accelerate the transition of municipal fleets to electric. Thirty U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco have already signed up to take advantage of pre-negotaited prices on
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electric vehicles . While the current focus of the portal is on cars and charging infrastructure, deals will expand to include buses, trucks and vans. The collaborative will also provide training, best practices, educational materials, and analysis support, creating a one-stop location to support EV transition.
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| Bike Share Programs Launched in Metro Boston and Western Massachusetts |
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Fifteen communities are participating in a new regional bike share system launched by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). The station-free or ‘dockless’ technology offered by bike share vendors LimeBike and Spin will allow users to pick up and drop off bikes anywhere in the service area. Metro Boston cities participating include Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Milton, Needham, Newton, Revere, Waltham, Watertown and Winthrop.
Pioneer Valley’s first bike share program also took to the road recently. The ValleyBike program is a partnership between Northampton, Holyoke, Amherst, Springfield, South Hadley, UMass Amherst and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. The share system includes 500 electric pedal-assist bikes across 50 bike share stations in participating communities. More information on the ValleyBike program is available here.
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| Boston Moves Closer to Implementation of Community Choice Aggregation |
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By issuing a request for qualification (RFQ), the City of Boston has taken the next step in the implementation of community choice aggregation, which was approved unanimously by the Boston City Council last year.
The RFQ will help identify firms to assist with the development, implementation, and administration of the city’s municipal electricity aggregation program. This program would allow the city to procure electricity at a “group” rate that would give Boston residents and businesses cheaper |
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| electricity with a higher percentage of local renewably sourced power. Through this aggregation program, the city will increase its investments in local, renewable energy through solar and wind. |
Recycling Facilities to Keep Glass Out of Landfills
The towns of Dennis and Groton have received a $257,000 Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP) grant from the Department of Environmental Protection to support the development of glass processing facilities. Given the recent closure of the last glass recycling plan in Franklin, the two new facilities will address a gap in the state’s glass recycling and help keep glass out of landfills. The glass crushing operations set up in these towns will accept source separated glass from neighboring communities and produce a construction aggregate for municipal applications.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Paint the Town Green: Celebrate Arlington’s Path to a Sustainable Future
Come celebrate the one-year anniversary of Arlington opting into Green Municipal Aggregation. Learn about the steps that Arlington has taken, plans to take or is working on to achieve a clean, carbon-neutral and renewable energy future. This event on Sunday, September 23, 2018, 3:00-5:00 p.m. at Arlington City Hall is sponsored by the Town of Arlington, Arlington Mothers Out Front and Sustainable Arlington.
Net Zero Roundtable at Maynard
Join Mass Climate Action Network (MCAN) for a Net Zero Roundtable on September 25, 2018, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Maynard High School. Learn about net zero buildings, why they are important and the tools and strategies for setting and implementing net zero goals in your community. If you have questions, please contact Kai Palmer-Dunning at kaipd@massclimateaction.net.
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