SOLARIZE MASS SURVEY

The committee is applying to participate in the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's Solarize Mass program. Please fill out this survey to help inform our application. Thanks!

CLIMATE ACTION PLAN

The committee has developed a new climate action plan. The plan can be viewed with a wiki created just for this purpose: www.brooklinema.gov/cap. A hard copy of the plan, as approved by the Board of Selectmen on December 11, 2012, can be downloaded here.
 

GREEN HOMES BROOKLINE PROGRAM UPDATE

Green Homes Brookline is a town-sponsored program that encourages residents to have energy assessments of their homes and install weatherization improvements, such as additional insulation. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funding from the Department of Energy that the Town of Brookline used to subsidize weatherization improvements for moderate income residents through the program ended September 2012. However, Green Homes Brookline continues to encourage all residents, regardless of income, to take advantage of incentives from the NSTAR- and National Grid-sponsored Mass Save Home Energy Services Program of up to $2,000. Qualifying energy upgrades may include but are not limited to attic and rim joist air sealing, wall and attic insulation, and instant savings measures such as energy efficient light bulbs and water saving devices.

The Green Homes Brookline initiative is a partnership between the town, Next Step Living, a Mass Save Participating Home Energy Performance Contractor, and community-based organizations, including Climate Action Brookline and Mass Energy Consumers Alliance. For information on how to enroll in the program, residents can call Next Step Living at (866) 867-8729 or sign up online at http://www.greenhomesbrookline.org.

Residents who qualify for Fuel Assistance or are on a utility discount rate should contact Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) at 617-357-6012 to learn more about no-cost weatherization and efficiency improvements.

SAGEWELL IS A GREEN HOMES BROOKLINE PARTNER

Sagewell has taken thermal images of most Brookline homes. Go to www.sagewell.com to request to see the images of your home.

CLIMATE ACTION COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Selectmen's Climate Action Committee has the following responsibilities:

1. Recommend programs that reduce the net production of greenhouse gases in Brookline, such as energy efficiency measures, green energy sources, and additional greenspace.
2. Monitor, measure, and assess efforts of the Town to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Monitor promising relevant programs in other municipalities.
4. Monitor relevant technological developments.
5. Serve as liaison between the Town and the public with regard to information and programs related to reducing net production of greenhouse gases.
6. Report annually to the Annual Town Meeting and to report from time to time to the Board of Selectmen, the Town Administrator, and the public.

Read the Climate Action Committee's Report to Fall Town Meeting 2012 for a summary of the committee's recent activities.

CLIMATE ACTION COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

The Committee has some openings available for residents interested in working on climate-related issues for the town. If interested, please contact the Selectmen's Office at 617-730-2200 or Lara Curtis Hayes at 617-730-2618.

• Dan Bennett – Building Commission designee; Building Commissioner, Town of Brookline.
• Ben Chang – School Committee designee.
• Mary Dewart – Owner, Dewart Design, a landscape design/build practice; founding member and current board member of Brookline GreenSpace Alliance; town meeting member, Precinct 3; served on Brookline Parks and Recreation Commission and the Brookline Community Foundation; lectures and symposia, Massachusetts Horticultural Society; video producer, Isabel's Gift,The Story of Larz Anderson Park.
• Jon Cody Haines – Citizen representative to the Climate Action Committee; incTank Ventures, focusing on Sustainable Energy Start-ups; B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of New Hampshire; M.S., Engineering Management, Northeastern University.

• Alan Leviton – Climate Change Action Brookline designee; BS Chemical Engineering, Purdue University; MS Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois; retired from Rohm and Haas Company with experience in the design, construction, and operation of chemical plants; currently a chemical industry consultant.

• Werner Lohe – Conservation Commission designee.

• Jesse Mermell – Committee co-chair and Member of the Board of Selectmen.

• Patricia Maher – Advisory Council on Public Health designee; nurse practitioner, Cambridge Health Alliance; Board Member, Brookline-Quezalguaque Sister City Project.

• Linda Olson Pehlke – Brookline Neighborhood Alliance designee; freelance writer and historian (2001-present); former urban and transportation planner; former member of the (Massachusetts) Governor's Air Quality Task Force; founder and president, Friends of the Minot Rose Garden.
• Jim Solomon – Citizen representative to the Climate Action Committee; chef/owner, The Fireplace Restaurant, the first Green Certified Restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association; member of the Board of Directors, Boston Green Tourism; Board of Directors Vice President, Brookline Chamber of Commerce; Board of Directors, The Terezin Chamber Music Foundation; Board of Directors, Boston Children's Theatre; active member of Seeds of Peace, a non-profit organization working to secure peace in the Middle East and other regions of conflict.
• Ali Tali – Transportation Board designee.
• Keske Toyofuku – Citizen representative to the Climate Action Committee.
• Don Weitzman – Committee co-chair and Advisory Committee designee; retired, former teacher and teaching consultant, private investor, Town Meeting Member (1994-present); founding member, Neighbors Building Brookline (precinct 12 TM slate); Advisory Committee member (1996-1997, 2006-present); former Selectman (1997-2000); founding member and past co-chair, Town Meeting Members Association; founding member and former treasurer, Brookline Neighborhood Alliance; board member, Brookline PAX; board member, Fisher Hill Association; board member, Brookline GreenSpace Alliance; associate member, Brookline Democratic Town Committee; host, Brookline Beat, Brookline Access Television; founding member, past co-chair, and current treasurer, Climate Change Action Brookline (CCAB). Sponsored and co-authored Article 29 (May 2008 TM) that established Selectmen’s Climate Action Committee.
• Mark Zarrillo – Planning Board designee.

Contact Email

Lara Curtis Hayes - lcurtishayes@brooklinema.gov