ACTON — Town Manager John S. Mangiaratti is pleased to announce that the Town of Acton is developing a climate action plan (CAP), and encourages residents to participate in the process.
Sustainability Director Andrea Becerra is leading this initiative, alongside Acton’s Green Advisory Board and local stakeholders, with technical assistance provided by the Metropolitan Area Planning Committee (MAPC).
“In September of 2020, our town held a special meeting and at that meeting, there was overwhelming support to declare a climate emergency,” said Town Manager Mangiaratti. “To build upon what was discussed last year, we have decided to establish a climate action plan to make our community more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. We hope that residents will join us in developing this plan.”
The Town plans to complete the CAP blueprint by the end of 2021. The final CAP will be published in the spring of 2022 and will list 15 to 20 prioritized strategies to curb community-wide greenhouse gas emissions during the next five to 10 years. The plan will include recommendations for buildings, energy supply, mobility and transportation, and nature-based solutions.
On Wednesday, June 30, the Sustainability Office and MAPC welcomed more than 60 participants to the first climate action workshop. To read a summary of the workshop or watch the recording, please visit the CAP blog here.
The town, along with MPAC, will be hosting a number of other thematic workshops through December. Residents are encouraged to attend.
The next workshops are:
- Buildings & Clean Energy, Tuesday, Aug. 3, from 12-1:15 p.m., Register here
- Nature-based Solutions, Wednesday, Aug. 4, from 7-8:15 p.m., Register here
- Mobility, Thursday, Aug. 5, 7-8:15 p.m., Register here
Residents also will have the opportunity to attend a community-wide in-person workshop in the fall. The date for this workshop will be announced in the coming weeks.
Residents are also asked to participate in a community-wide survey on climate and sustainability. The survey will take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Residents interested in taking the survey can click here.
“Acton is uniquely positioned to be a leader and an example in climate action in both Massachusetts and the country,” Sustainability Director Becerra said. “This was made clear by the level of enthusiasm and support the Town’s Climate Emergency Declaration received in 2020.”
Additionally, the Town is participating in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for the first time, joining municipalities across the world in publicly disclosing greenhouse gas emissions data to track environmental actions and progress globally.
Residents with questions are asked to email the Town of Acton Sustainability Office at abecerra@actonma.gov or call 978-929-6611.
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