The Town of Needham has been certified by the state Department of Energy Resources as a Climate Leader Community. As a Climate Leader Community, the Town is now eligible to apply for grants of up to $1,150,000 each for projects that reduce municipal building emissions and for technical support for these projects. There are now 28 Climate Leader Communities in Massachusetts. To become a Climate Leader Community, municipalities must meet certification requirements that include a local committee to advise and help coordinate local energy activities in the municipality; a commitment to transition away from on-site fossil fuel use in municipal buildings and fleets by 2050; a zero-emission-vehicle first policy; and adoption of the Specialized Energy Code. You can learn more about the Climate Leader Communities program here. Questions about the certification can be sent to the Town Sustainability Manager, Gabby Queenan, at gqueenan@needhamma.gov.
Green Needham appreciates the role that Gabby Queenan, the Town Sustainability Manager, took in the Town’s efforts to meet the certification requirements. Local organizations, especially Green Needham and the League of Women Voters/Needham, played an important part in supporting and promoting the polices that put Needham in a leadership position.
