ECO Orleans member Cecelia Buckley recently caught up with Susan Chandler, chair of the Orleans’ Energy and Climate Action Committee (ECA). The committee is working under a new charge, reflecting October 2020 Town Meeting enactment of a Climate Crises Resolution. “Climate change is core to our mission. Previously we were the Wind and Renewable Energy Committee, with a focus on getting the town off fossil fuels. Our new name comes with a new charge, more action-oriented – less coordinating,” says Chandler. The committee’s new name reflects a broader scope of responsibilities: community education on energy conservation and efficiency and climate adaptation and mitigation strategies; ensuring cleaner, leaner, and more resilient town infrastructure by establishing and monitoring energy and emission inventories and usage goals, and preparation, coordination, and execution of adaptation and mitigation strategies that anticipate and respond to the effects of climate change.
The nine-member committee has welcomed six new members with experience in project management, energy education, law, and town government. Currently ECA is discussing committee goals for 2023, including development of a plan for identifying and monitoring key measures of town energy use (a virtual dashboard), advising on efficiency and conservation measures, drafting bylaws to move energy infrastructure forward, and exploration of options for regional collaboration on energy sustainability staffing. Additional goals include continuing to work with Ron Collins in support of the town’s Green Communities grant, and implementation and development of a plan for residential and commercial energy use education, to include papers and other resources accessible electronically on the town website.
With several other Orleans ECA members, Chandler participates in quarterly meetings of the Outer Cape Climate Action Committees (Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, Eastham, and Orleans). Each town faces similar challenges, e.g., creating dashboards for monitoring energy use in town government and supporting homeowners in making climate-wise decisions. Chandler is able to share Orleans’ ideas for innovative strategies as well as bring home ideas generated by neighboring towns.