Belmont Rower Looks Out for the Charles River

 Climate Change, Environment, March/April 2024  Comments Off on Belmont Rower Looks Out for the Charles River
Mar 012024
 
Belmont Rower Looks Out for the Charles River

By Zeus Smith As a US National Team rower, Belmont resident Maggie Fellows spends a lot of time on the Charles River. Since 2021, the Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) has mobilized a cohort of passionate community leaders like Fellows to push for climate-smart policies and practices right in their backyards. Called River Advocates, this program brings together volunteers from various backgrounds and experiences to learn effective advocacy strategies and steward a more climate-resilient future. The River Advocates program is a crash course in civic engagement––by joining, volunteers find a community of like-minded individuals interested in learning about direct actions [READ MORE]

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How to Make Decisions About Heat Pumps

 Air Quality, Climate Change, Construction and Housing, Newsletter, November/December 2023  Comments Off on How to Make Decisions About Heat Pumps
Nov 012023
 
How to Make Decisions About Heat Pumps

By Will Brownsberger Edited and reprinted with permission from Brownsberger’s blog, willbrownsberger.com/heat-pumps. Many people are seeking to shrink their personal carbon footprint. Many also seek to participate constructively in the energy systems transitions necessary to achieve net zero carbon emissions. There is a broad consensus among climate planners in Massachusetts that we need to electrify heating in buildings. However, each building raises unique challenges. This article attempts to summarize the environmental and consumer considerations for people seeking to electrify home heating. Many of these issues are explored in more depth in this heat pump outline. Several good heat pump applications [READ MORE]

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Why Belmont Needs the Specialized Energy Code

 Climate Change, Newsletter  Comments Off on Why Belmont Needs the Specialized Energy Code
Aug 312023
 
Why Belmont Needs the Specialized Energy Code

By Roger Wrubel Massachusetts adopted An Act Creating A Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy (Roadmap) in 2021. The act directed the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to update the existing energy building codes and to create a new Opt-In Specialized Energy Code to encourage the construction of all-electric buildings.  The state needs to update energy building codes because the policy requires reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The policy set greenhouse gas emissions limits of at least 50% below the 1990 baseline by 2030, at least 75% below the baseline by 2040, and required net-zero emissions by 2050. By 2050, emissions [READ MORE]

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Could Town Buildings Generate Solar Power?

 Climate Change, Environment, January/February 2023, Newsletter, Solar Power  Comments Off on Could Town Buildings Generate Solar Power?
Jan 032023
 
Could Town Buildings Generate Solar Power?

By Aditya Jain and Vincent Stanton, Jr. Imagine a project that would produce a new recurring revenue stream for Belmont without any upfront cost, utilizing only town-owned land and buildings, while lowering electricity costs and helping the town achieve its green energy goals. That could be the payoff for installing photovoltaic (PV) panels on town properties. Suitable town-owned sites include non-historic buildings with large flat rooftops, parking lots, and open ground including the former incinerator site along Concord Avenue. Adding PV arrays on privately owned rooftops and parking lots could significantly expand the network of arrays and improve the economics. [READ MORE]

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School Claims Parking is “Educational Use”

 Climate Change, Construction and Housing, Environment, January/February 2023, Open Space, Parking  Comments Off on School Claims Parking is “Educational Use”
Jan 032023
 
School Claims Parking is “Educational Use”

By Justin Roe Belmont Hill School submitted their long-awaited plan for the Belmont Hill woodlands area to the planning board in October. The response from Belmont’s residents was instantaneous and overwhelming in opposing the proposal.  Within three weeks, Belmont’s Select Committee and Planning Board have received hundreds of letters voicing town opposition to the project. A petition in opposition has attracted over 2,200 signatures, and hundreds of lawn signs and banners are popping up in every district in Belmont. School action groups from Lexington and Waltham are taking an active role. All within a few weeks.  The school presented its [READ MORE]

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Letters to the Editor: Belmont Hill Plans, Bike Trails

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Climate Change, Environment, November 2022, Open Space, Parking, Plants  Comments Off on Letters to the Editor: Belmont Hill Plans, Bike Trails
Oct 312022
 

To the Editor: New England in the fall is renowned for its beauty—the trees are blazes of color, birds, squirrels, and other animals are busily preparing for winter, and the occasional whiff of woodsmoke floats in the air. Driving up Prospect Street, one is met with the pleasant sight of the pristine lawns and stately brick buildings of the Belmont Hill School—a self-described educator of “men of good character,” where “boys are expected to collaborate and become part of something larger than themselves.” Which is why it’s such a shame that the Belmont Hill School is apparently ignoring its own [READ MORE]

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Electric Buses Are Coming to Belmont

 Climate Change, Newsletter, November 2022  Comments Off on Electric Buses Are Coming to Belmont
Oct 272022
 
Electric Buses Are Coming to Belmont

By Brian Kopperl and Roger Wrubel With the right conditions, electric school buses (EV) can replace the familiar diesel school bus at a cost that is both financially and environmentally attractive. EV buses are quieter than diesel and healthier, too, and all the major bus manufacturers, from Thomas and Bluebird to Lion, now make them. Other Massachusetts  towns like Beverly, Dracut, and Acton already have their electric fleets in operation or on order; Belmont should too.   The Energy Committee has encouraged Belmont schools to start a phased transition by including three EV buses (out of 10 expected total buses) [READ MORE]

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How Belmont Can Switch to Electric Vehicles

 Climate Change, Newsletter, November 2022  Comments Off on How Belmont Can Switch to Electric Vehicles
Oct 272022
 
How Belmont Can Switch to Electric Vehicles

By Roger Wrubel and Brian Kopperl If Belmont is to reach its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80% of 2007 levels by 2050, all sectors of the community must do their part. The Belmont Energy Committee has proposed an “EV First” policy requiring the town to consider electric vehicles (EVs) for all lightweight vehicle purchases. The policy allows for exemption requests by departments if EVs do not meet their needs or are too expensive.  We collected data on the concerns of town staff in transitioning to EVs. We analyzed each of these concerns: lack of EV charging infrastructure, [READ MORE]

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Wicked Hot Mystic Maps Summer Heat

 Air Quality, Climate Change, Environment, Newsletter, Sept/Oct 2022  Comments Off on Wicked Hot Mystic Maps Summer Heat
Sep 092022
 
Wicked Hot Mystic Maps Summer Heat

Detail of a map of surface temperatures recorded by Wicked Hot Mystic, a collaborative project of the Museum of Science, Boston, in partnership with the Resilient Mystic River Collaborative (RMC), Mystic River Watershed Association, and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. On August 12 and 13, 2021, over 80 volunteers joined MOS and MyRWA in measuring ground-level air temperature, humidity, and air particulate matter using special sensors mounted on cars and bikes. This data was collected August 12 at 3 pm. Note that the McLean conservation land is 10F cooler than surrounding areas.    For more information see www.mos.org/explore/public-events/wicked-hot-mystic

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Gas Leaks Are a Civil Rights Issue

 Climate Change, Environment, July-August 2022, Newsletter  Comments Off on Gas Leaks Are a Civil Rights Issue
Jun 212022
 
Gas Leaks Are a Civil Rights Issue

By Aditya Jain Governments have embraced natural gas as a “bridge fuel” to completely renewable energy sources, yet natural gas is far from a clean energy source (“It’s Time to Switch from Gas to Clean Energy,” BCF Newsletter, August/September 2021). Natural gas leaks in streets and homes cause significant public health hazards and environmental damage.  Across Massachusetts, gas leaks are often underestimated by officials and underserved by gas companies. While numerous gas leaks in Belmont are listed and mapped, other communities of underrepresented minorities face the heaviest burden of this pollution. Massachusetts-based energy researchers analyzed gas leaks in different geographic [READ MORE]

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