by Natascha Finnerty
People remember where they were when Kennedy was shot, or on 9/11. I remember where I was in October 2018 when the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) — and 6,000 scientists — reported that the world has 12 years to halve the pumping of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere to avoid warming the planet to the point of irreversible damage.
I was in Europe and upon hearing this news I felt panicked and grief stricken at the short 12 year timeline. Earth Day was created 50 years ago and we are still fighting polluters and damage to the environment. 12 years is half the age of my daughter, who is just starting out her adult life. I was convinced that the U.S. would respond to the environmental needs of our planet. Surely, the report would be taken seriously. Instead, it seemed like another one-day news cycle, without any consequence.
The implication of the IPCC report and the U.S. government’s lack of response spurred me to educate myself and become an advocate. I read environmental books and attended trainings by experts like the Sierra Club Massachusetts Chapter, 350.org, and the Sunrise Movement. After our training, the Sierra Club Mass. Chapter then instructed trainees to “go out into the world” and spread the message. So I decided to start a regional group in Central Mass., The Nashoba Valley Climate Coalition (NVCC), which was conceived out of a need for coordination between individuals, different levels of government, and businesses to reduce greenhouse emissions.
While the window for early action to prevent the climate crisis has closed, we can seize the opportunity to lessen its impact and prevent further damage by reducing our carbon footprint now. NVCC is taking action to meet the 45% reduction of GHG by 2030, per the IPCC recommendation. Here are some highlights of steps we’ve taken to get started:
GROWING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
Transportation Innovation: We first tackled reducing GHGs caused by transportation by highlighting new models of hybrid and electric vehicles at an “Auto Innovation” car show, that we held at a local ice cream shop. EV owners and staff from local auto dealerships educated the public about electric vehicles — while eating ice cream! We also encouraged biking and carpooling by starting a bulletin board for people in town who wanted to carpool to Cambridge, and working with the town to plan where we can add bike lanes and sidewalks. Our next projects include installing three more EV chargers at the high school, and replacing an older gas transport van with a new EV model.
Government Partnership: As one of the earliest Green Communities, Lancaster has a town administrator with the experience and knowledge to accelerate municipal climate initiatives. We were able to help residents reduce GHGs from buildings by applying for a grant with Mass Save® to run a campaign for home energy assessments, weather insulation, heat pumps, and other actions. More than 65 households have electrified their heating with heat pumps since we began the project. Additionally, we will receive grant money from National Grid to help pay for the installation of a solar system at the Community Center and lighting sensors in our schools.
Advancing Solar Progress: We are moving forward with our solar system aggregation campaign. We were mentored by Bolton Local, Bolton’s environmental group who’s “Solar Sprint” program enabled homeowners to take advantage of Federal rebates for installing solar panels. We were able to quickly secure ten residential solar system installation contracts in the first month.
Coming Together for Change
- Creating Community: NVCC committed to hold monthly education programs about the climate crisis, and widen the community of residents engaged in this work. In May 2019, we introduced “Open Town Meeting” training sessions, along with an environmental movie series at the local church and library.
- Community In Action: We restarted Lancaster’s Energy Committee, which had not met in two years, to help facilitate community climate action. Through the pandemic we’ve helped keep the momentum of our community action going by attending weekly Sierra Club MA Chapter virtual Advocacy Hour meetings to learn about timely ways to take action from home.
- Educating Youth: Thanks to generous donations, NVCC hired two interns this summer to help us improve participation in our Mass Save® energy campaign by contacting landlords and small businesses by mail. The interns investigated interest in food waste issues and created our website, nvclimate.net.
I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish - most importantly building a cohort of environmental leaders willing to tackle emissions reductions in our town and across the state. However, we can’t let ourselves rest on our laurels - there is still much to do to keep the planet from warming less than 1.5 degrees C and irreparable damage. This threshold is coming quicker than predicted by 2018’s 6,000 scientists, and it's crucial we take action now. The Earth cannot wait.