Climate Action Plan (CAP)

Needham’s Climate Action Plan (CAP)

A tool, or roadmap, for how Needham can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen its resilience to Climate Change.
Needham’s Climate Action Plan Committee (CAPC) was formed in March 2022 and charged with guiding the Town’s CAP development.
CAPC consists of five interested residents, two members of the Planning Board, and two Select Board members, assisted by DPW staff.

Needham’s Climate Action Plan importance

the CAP will serve as a Flexible and Actionable Plan to help all of Needham move towards a carbon-neutral future.
We need a plan to reach our climate goals
We need to be able to measure progress
The CAPC is a Town Committee, but not just focused on Town activities
Working to drive action across all segments of Needham
Energize the entire community to understand and make changes towards drastically reducing our GHG emissions.

Accomplishments To Date

Reviewed the CAP materials from peer towns
Learned from their methods, processes and recommendations
Had discussions with the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (MAPC) and others about the process of developing a CAP
A Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory is in progress:
- Expected to be formalized and completed by Fall 2022
- Greenhouse gas inventory (GHG) inventory sets the baseline and tells us about the makeup of Needham’s GHG Emissions.
- Initiated by Green Needham in 2021, using the MAPC analysis tools. Inputs came from:
  - Town energy use data
  - Discussions with Town Staff
  - Public data sets

What we learned

89% of emissions come from three types of sources – Residential buildings, Commercial and Industrial Buildings and Passenger Vehicles
Town buildings and vehicles only contribute 2.4% of Needham’s emissions

Needham’s Climate Action Plan – Next Steps

CAP development is an 18- to 24-month process.
The CAP will be an actionable document that sets out a path for curbing Needham’s greenhouse gas emissions.
During this process, we will be:
- Engaging stakeholders (e.g.: Town departments, businesses, Eversource)
- Evaluating tools and tactics to implement some strategies (e.g.: compatibility of solar canopies with zoning regulations)
- Developing community resources (e.g.: promoting intensive use of Eversource energy efficiency programs, reducing barriers to electric vehicle adaptation)
- Some actions may be undertaken before the formal plan is adopted. (e.g.: evaluation of Community Electricity Aggregation options)

Resources

	Needham's Climate Action Plan (CAPC) Committee CAPC's page on Town of Needham website - members, mandate/charter, meeting minutes, etc.
	Stephen Frail's Needham Climate Action Plan (CAPC) presentation - Tues. Nov 15th at 7:30 pm Stephen Frail CAPC presentation - Lane Lyceum: Needham Climate Action Plan, Tues. Nov 15th at 7:30 pm