The Baker-Polito Administration announced 31 Massachusetts cities and towns including Lynn have been designated as Green Communities, committing to clean energy goals to reduce energy consumption and lower emissions, and are now eligible for grants totaling $5 million. Lynn’s grant would be $495,030. With the designation, 271 of the Commonwealth’s municipalities have earned a Green Communities designation. Since the program began, the Department of Energy Resources’ (DOER) Green Communities program has awarded over $123 million in grant funding to the Commonwealth’s cities and towns through designation and competitive grant rounds.
“The Green Communities program is instrumental in helping municipalities take action at the local level to protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The addition of 31 newly designated communities continues the progress being made by the many municipalities and local officials across the Commonwealth who are on the front lines of Massachusetts’ clean energy efforts.”
“Our administration is committed to aggressively reducing greenhouse gas emissions and this announcement is another step in moving the Commonwealth forward towards a cleaner and more resilient energy future,” said Lieutenant Governor KarynPolito. “More than three quarters of the diverse cities and towns of the Commonwealth have now earned the Green Communities designation, which has led to substantial energy reductions and fostered tremendous clean energy growth across the state.”
The 271 Green Communities range from the Berkshires to Cape Cod and are home to 84 percent of Massachusetts’ population in municipalities as large as Boston and as small as Aquinnah. All Green Communities commit to reducing municipal energy consumption by 20 percent each, and this new group of 31 cities and towns have committed to reduce their energy consumption amounting to savings of 54,519 MMBtus in five years, energy use equivalent to heating and powering nearly 2,071 homes, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 20,250 tons, equivalent to taking 4,263 cars off the road. Proposed projects include weatherization in schools and municipal buildings, electric vehicles for town and school fleets, and renewable thermal technologies such as air source heat pumps.
“The Green Communities program continues to demonstrate its exceptional effectiveness in lowering emissions and creating a healthier environment in towns and cities across the Commonwealth,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides. “It’s programs like this that have positioned Massachusetts as a national leader in energy efficiency and clean energy policies.”
“Today’s designation announcement is a clear representation of the hard work and commitment of the many local officials from municipalities across the Commonwealth who have worked tirelessly to create a cleaner, more affordable and resilient energy future for the state,” said Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Patrick Woodcock. “By taking advantage of the resources provided through our Green Communities program, these municipalities will reduce energy costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions thus contributing to our shared clean energy future.”