Select Board's Sustainability & Climate Action Summit - Working Teams

_{(last updated: 5/14/2021)}

The Select Board, Town departments, Brookline residents, business owners, employees, students, and organizations participated at the Select Board’s first Sustainability & Climate Action Summit on June 5, 2019.  We collaborated together to begin to harness the expertise, energy, and commitment that exist in Brookline to meet our 2050 zero-emissions climate commitment and other sustainability outcomes. The next Summit will likely be held following a Sustainability Program Administrator hire. Recommendations  adopted by the Select Board included creating working teams:

Brookline Green Electricity Working Team

• last meeting: May 7, 2021
• next meeting: tbd
• Email Thomas Barrasso at [email protected] if interested in participating and are not a member already listed below
• recent work: editing communication, including assisting with new video about how to check if you have opted up and/or are part of the Town's aggregation program; visiting neighborhood association meetings
• top priority tasks: directing all BGE questions to Brookline Green Electricity; partnering with Climate Action Brookline to choose 100% renewable product through summer 2021
• additional identified tasks: analyzing trends of consumer preference to prioritize future education efforts about the Town’s BGE program
• lead coordination contact: Thomas Barrasso*
• other volunteer & employee* members: John Harris, Dawn Edell, Deane Coady, Daine Sokal, Joel Kershner, Suzette Abbott, David Klafter, Marga Dieter, Roslyn Feldberg, Linda Hickey*, Derick Yung*, Werner Lohe, Nancy Heller, Melissa Goff*, Mary Sabolsi, Susan Martin, Judi Bednarz, Blake Cody, Mary Dewart

Transportation Working Team 

• last meeting: Dec 3, 2020
• next meeting: date tbd
• Please email John Harris at [email protected] if you are interested in participating in this meeting and NOT listed as a working team member below.
• recent work: Electric Vehicle "how-to" booklet for EV charging on private property (to be released soon online!); successful passage of Warrant Article 31 at Fall 2019 Town Meeting; micromobility advocacy at state legislature
• top priority tasks: improved future e-scooter share program, EV demonstration projects, incentives/regulations for EV infrastructure on public and private property, potential Street Design pilots
• additional identified tasks: advocating for budget requests as a result of WA31, re-introducing municipal-sponsored shared e-scooter program, supporting Transportation staff with commencing concept study for the Beacon Street Bridle Path
• lead coordination contact: volunteer John Harris at [email protected]
• other volunteer & employee* members: C. Scott Ananian, Scott Englander, Jules Milner-Brage, John Harris, Jan Preheim, Susan Helms-Daley, Jesse Gray, Todd Kirrane*, Dan Martin*, Maria Foster*, Willy Osborn, Anne Lusk, Eileen Berger, John Bowman, Linda Olson Pehlke, Susan Hems Daley, Blake Cady, Jan Preheim, Jacob Meunier, David Trevett, Heather Hamilton, Christi Electris, Bob Miller, Tommy Vitolo, Ben Kaufam, Lynne Karsten*, David Kroop

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The following Working Teams were active for specific staff-citizen collaboration projects in the past and may be reactivated as needed:

 Renewable Energy Working Team

• last meeting: January 7, 2020
• recent work: finalized contract language edits of Power Purchase Agreements signed by the Select Board in 2020; Warrant Articles 12 & 13 approved at Fall 2019 Town Meeting
• volunteer & employee* members: Willy Osborn, Alan Lescohier, Scott Englander, Blake Cody, Dan Bennett*, David Lowe, Melissa Goff*, Justin Cassanova-Davis*, Charlie Simmons*, Dave Geanakakis*, Jeana Franconi*, John Buchheit*
• Click to sign me up / take me off / I want to work collaboratively with others on..., or email Kara Brewton at [email protected].

Composting Working Team 

• last meeting: fall 2019
• recent work: assisting Department of Public Works & Public Schools of Brookline to commence formal composting program at all K-8 public schools by September 2020
• additional identified tasks: educating residents about available composting vendors operating in Brookline 
• volunteer & employee* members: Deane Coady, Tamara Sitkoff, Nicola Thompson, Matt Gillis*, Edward Gilbert*

Non-Public Buildings Working Team

• last meeting: fall 2019
• next meeting not scheduled
• recent work: Warrant Article 21 passed Fall 2019 Town Meeting vote (which was not approved by the Attorney General)
• additional identified tasks: scoping implementation and local education about HEAT and similar financial incentive programs like PACE
• lead coordination contact: volunteer Diane Sokal, at [email protected]
• other volunteer & employee* members: Alan Leviton, Jesse Gray, Cora Weissbound, Kathleen Scanlon, Daria Mark, Diane Sokal, Lisa Cunningham, Dave Damm-Luhr, Inge Damm-Luhr, John Harris, C. Scott Ananian, Mary Dewart, Jason Jewhurst, Dave Porter, Christi Electris, Blake Cady, Rick Ames, Deborah Rivers, Aban Makarechian, Werner Lohe, David Klafter, Cora Weissbourd 
• Click sign me up / take me off / I want to work collaboratively with others on... or email Diane Sokal at [email protected]. 

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The following Working Teams were identified in 2019 as potential needs, but neither staff nor citizens have prioritized these topics or identified specific projects to implement.

Public Buildings Working Team

• has not met; likely to revitalized once new Assistant Director for Sustainability is hired (early 2021)
• top priority tasks: coordinating with Building Committees and Building Commission to adopt a public buildings policy and to pilot those policies on projects under design: Driscoll School, Runkle School, Pierce School
• additional identified tasks: scoping energy efficiency studies for buildings with highest estimated energy use intensities
• volunteer & employee* members: Grace Sokolow, Kathleen Scanlon, Lisa Cunningham, Werner Lohe, Deborah Rivers, John Harris, David Pearlman, Blake Cady, Rick Ames, Daria Mark, Cora Weissbourd, Kara Brewton*, Tony Guigli*, Ray Masak*, Charlie Simmons*, Dan Bennett*
• Click to sign me up / take me off / I want to work collaboratively with others on... or email Kara Brewton at [email protected].

Green Space Working Team 

• first/last meeting: June 26, 2020; discussed working jointly with the GreenSpace Alliance
• lead coordination contact: volunteer Michael Berger at [email protected].
• volunteer & employee* members: Deborah Rivers, Michael Berger, Pamela Templer, Matt Eddy, Maiyim Baron, Patricia Maher, Elissa Yanover, Marilyn Ray Smith, John Shreffler
• Click to sign me up / take me off / I want to work collaboratively with others on... or email Michael Berger at [email protected].

Communication & Education Working Team (includes branding & messaging)

• has not met; past ideas included a logo contest
• volunteer & employee* members: David Lowe, John Harris, Margot Dieter, Diane Sokal, Ruthann Dobek*, Jeremy Block*, Karen Bergland, Meredith Mooney*, John Harris, Deane Cody, Roz Feldberg, Ross Feldberg, Eileen Berger, Nancy Mukundan, Joel Kershner, Joan Miller, Werner Lohe, Hinda Blum, Brett Otis, Eileen Berger, Feng Yang*, Leigh Jackson*, Sara Slymon*, Karyn Wergland, Diane Sokal, Joan Miller, Marga Dieter, Patricia Maher, Anne Sudduth, Susan Martin, Jeremy Bloch, Christi Electris, Roger Grande, Mary Minot, Sue Zobel, Rebecca Salguero Palacios, Kathryn Leslie, Michael Spicher
• Click to sign me up / take me off / I want to work collaboratively with others on... or email Kara Brewton at [email protected].

Sustainable Food/ Zero Waste Working Team 

• next meeting: not scheduled
• top priority tasks: not identified
• additional identified tasks: not identified
• members: not organized yet
• Click to sign me up / take me off / I want to work collaboratively with others on... or email Kara Brewton at [email protected].

Archive:  Materials from the June 5, 2019 Summit

Working team areas identified following Summit

Staff Current Climate Activities  |  Summit Agenda