By Jennifer Mann/ Staff Writer Arlington Advocate

Thursday, November 9, 2006

The Board of Selectmen last week unanimously endorsed a plan to make Arlington more "green" by reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 2010.

    The Sustainability Action Plan, created by Sustainable Arlington and a group of Tufts University students, and further shaped over the summer with recommendations from selectmen, includes municipal recommendations such as the following:

• Perform a comprehensive energy efficiency audit on all municipal buildings.

• Install a wind turbine in Arlington and solar photovoltaic systems on municipal buildings.

• Use a bio-diesel blend in Department of Public Works trucks and institute a trip reduction program for municipal employees.

• Establish an Efficiency Home Improvement Loan program and Commercial Energy Efficiency program.

• Selectmen would also establish an Energy Management Work Group, with responsibility of conducting an emissions inventory, evaluating the energy performance of town-owned facilities and implementing measures within the plan.

    "We congratulate the selectmen on adopting the Sustainability Action Plan," said Marc Breslow of Sustainable Arlington and the Mass. Climate Action Network. "Most energy use in Arlington comes from our homes and vehicles, but the town government must help lead residents to become more energy-efficient and to use clean, renewable energy sources.

    "In doing that, we will cut our global warming emissions," he said.

    The goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 6 percent below 1997 levels by 2010 and 12 percent below 1997 levels by 2015. The plan is an outgrowth of Arlington's decision in 2000 to join Cities for Climate Protection, which requires participating towns to develop such a plan.

    Recommendations center on four areas: energy sourcing, transportation, energy efficiency and community outreach.

    Selectman Annie LaCourt worked more recently with Sustainable Arlington on additions to the plan that include a timeline for its implementation, with assignments to various town departments and committees, and a section on grant opportunities.

    "I believe this is an action plan we can go with at this point," she told other board members at the Oct. 30 meeting.

    The timeline breaks down the goals by those that will be performed in the next 18 months, in 18 months to three years, and beyond three years. Short-term goals include accounting and monitoring measures and the formation of the working group. Long-term goals include creating a paid municipal position of sustainability program manager.

    Broad-based cooperation is expected including the town manager, Board of Selectmen, Chamber of Commerce, Planning and Community Development Department and Transportation Advisory Committee, among others.

    "There's a lot to do here and it certainly can't be done unless we have the cooperation of all the responsible town employees," Breslow said, adding: "Many tasks that could be taken on by the (sustainability program) manager in the future will have to be taken on now by volunteers."

    The plan also includes outreach efforts to the community, such as an information clearinghouse on rebates and opportunities for efficiency programs available to residents and business owners, and improved safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, with incentives for using public transit and ride sharing. The Chamber of Commerce would spearhead an Alliance of Sustainable Businesses.

     The Sustainable Action Plan can be read in its entirety by going to www.massclimateaction.org, clicking on the Arlington link, and then the link for Sustainable Arlington.

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