Green Communities are a select group of Massachusetts cities and towns committed to reducing municipal energy use and costs through clean energy projects in municipal buildings, facilities, and schools.
Why? Buildings – both municipal and privately-owned residential – are the source of 40% of Orleans’ greenhouse gas emissions. Cleaner – and greener – municipal buildings are essential to a resilient Orleans.
A $134,709 Green Communities grant, awarded in 2018 when Orleans was designated a Green Community, has funded these cost-saving energy decisions:
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Purchase of two hybrid Prius sedans, replacing two existing gasoline-fueled town vehicles
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Installation of a staff vehicle Level 2 dual port EV charging station behind the Town Hall
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Introduction of LED lighting at the Council on Aging (COA), the Elementary School Fire Station, Town Hall, 350 South Orleans Road Water Treatment Plant, 44 Main Street Community Building, and Snow Library
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Supplemental funding for the Depot Square public Level 2 dual port EV charging station.
Additional grant-funded projects are now underway:
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Hot water heating and chilled water-cooling pumps supporting Town Hall air conditioning and
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Replacement of the COA’s three gas-fired attic air handlers with air-sourced heat units.
Completion of Designation Grant funded-projects will position the Town to pursue important future projects – expansion of Hybrid/EV vehicles for staff use and a significant upgrade of energy intensive components at the Water Treatment Plant – that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and invest in Orleans’ future.
Climate Change Matters
What have we learned from Comprehensive Plan and CItizens’ Forums in the past six months? Our changing climate matters to many residents.
What matters most (about Orleans) for residents completing the survey? Access to water (both freshwater and saltwater), natural environment and open space. How important is the Town’s response to climate change? 57.17% of survey respondents emphasized climate change response – solar energy, electric vehicle charging stations, etc. as high need.
Recommended: An Orleans Climate Action Plan
As work on the Town Comprehensive Plan continues in 2024, is an Orleans Climate Action Plan needed?
Climate change will impact each of our community’s core concerns: access to the environment, water, open space, housing affordability, diversity, recreation programming, and Main St.
A climate action plan assessing community strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated with accelerating climate change could be the thread that connects the dots for Orleans now and in the future. What do you think?
Send your comments to info.orleansclimateaction@gmail.com.
What’s in a Climate Action Plan?
In 2020, Orleans joined 13 of the Cape’s 15 towns and many off-Cape communities in adopting a Climate Emergencies Declaration and committing to creating a climate action plan.
In 2024, with the funding of a Sustainability Coordinator and a twelve-month effort to create a 20-year Comprehensive Plan, the Town is positioned to move ahead with the creation of an Orleans Climate Action Plan.
Here’s what we learned from a close reading of action plans from a dozen Massachusetts communities where the 2020 Climate Emergencies Declaration sparked Town leaders to get to work on plans that are making a difference:
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Whole community engagement in conversations, reflection, and analysis
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Focus on social, environmental, and economic resilience
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Town government and staff, and all civic groups, businesses, and residents committed to mobilization of resources
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Specifics re opportunities for achieving Town emissions reduction goals with the available tools and resources we have today
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Detailed strategies and actions that will address climate change rapidly
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A dashboard: observable indicators that will help residents know if the plan is working – analytical tools for progress monitoring-at-a-glance
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Telling the story together – what’s causing climate change in our town, why should I care, what can we do to make a positive difference? And…how’s that working out for us?
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Fresh mindset – everyone has a voice in the planning and everyone plays a role in the success
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Ongoing, no-cost coaching for residents and businesses in making energy decisions – from “I’ll think about it” to “I can do this…Done!”
Customized and grounded in knowledge of the community, Climate Action Plans (CAPs) are informed by historical knowledge, proven technology, and current climate science. Everyone in town has ownership.
CAPs take into account current state policy and funding initiatives, as well as barriers to action at the town, state and Federal level. Some plans list advocacy-oriented actions to address these barriers, e.g., increased incentives, more effective financing tools to support electrification retrofits and elimination of fossil fuel use, especially for low- and moderate-income households.
Interested in looking at sample plans from Massachusetts towns?
The links below may be of interest.
https://www.acton-ma.gov/732/Climate-Action-Plan (Acton)
https://gloucester-ma.gov/1182/Climate-Action-and-Resilience-Plan-CARP
https://www.thevineyardway.org/detailed-action-plan (Martha’s Vineyard)
https://www.cityofmelrose.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif3451/f/uploads/melrose_net_zero_action_plan_v4.pdf (Melrose)
https://resilient.watertown-ma.gov/ (Watertown)
https://wellesleyma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/27281/Climate-Action-Plan (Wellesley)
You also may want to take a look at the Cape Cod Commission Climate Action Plan. The Cape Cod Commission supports towns with policy development, planning, and data analysis. The Commission’s regional plan informs town-specific plans across the Cape.
See https://www.capecodcommission.org/our-work/climate-action-plan/