Beacon Hill

OP-ED: Details of Mass. Senate’s Climate Change Bills

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

The following piece was provided by State Sen. Will Brownsberger, who represents Watertown, Belmont and parts of Boston:

The Senate Ways and Means Committee just released a bold, thoughtful and comprehensive package of bills designed to accelerate our move away from fossil fuels. The package is being well-received by many environmental leaders and I look forward to voting for it very soon. Back in 2008, I had a hand in passing the Global Warming Solutions Act which set the state on a course to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. The present package recognizes the latest science and amends the GWSA to set a stronger long-term target – net zero emissions in 2050. 

The package makes the planning process stronger by making the emission reduction targets more detailed: It requires definition of stringent short and medium term targets for each sector of the economy.  It also requires more timely reporting on progress. The package mandates that the Secretary of Environmental Affairs implement “market based compliance mechanisms” to achieve emission reduction goals. “Market based compliance mechanisms” include carbon fees and cap-and-trade systems that put a price on carbon emissions. Most economists believe that this is the most effective kind of approach to transforming our economy – letting people and businesses make their own price-informed choices in the market as to how to reduce emissions.

Around Town

Recycle Your Styrofoam at the Watertown DPW Event

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Recycle your Styrofoam at the special DPW event. Just in time for the post-holiday cleanup, the Watertown Department of Public Works will host a styrofoam recycling event. Watertown residents will will also have a chance to shred paper and to get rid of tires (no rims). I.D. will be required. It is not open to businesses or commercial entities.

Building for the Future

School Building Committee Looking at Costs of Creating Net Zero Energy Schools

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An example of a rack that holds photo voltaic panels. Similar racks are planned to go in the parking lots of Hosmer and Cunniff schools in an effort to generate electricity. Architects designing Watertown’s new elementary schools are searching for enough space to place solar panels to make them net zero energy schools, however the biggest challenge to meeting the energy efficiency mark could be the project budget. Scott Dunlap, project architect for the three elementary school projects, showed the School Building Committee plans for Hosmer to place enough photo voltaic panels to cover the school’s energy use, while at Cunniff architects still need to find space for more panels. Lowell School will be renovated, so designers are not seeking to make the school net zero.

Around Town

NewRep’s “Oliver!” Features Actor with Watertown Ties

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Andy Papas, who has ties to Watertown, makes his New Rep Theatre debut in the current production of “Oliver!” Andy Papas has starred on stages across the country, but the actor and singer will be making his debut in the town where his family has made a name in a different arena. Papas will play Mr. Bumble in the New Rep’s production of Oliver! The play started its run Monday, and will be on the Mosesian Center for the Arts’ MainStage through the end of December. Papas grew up in Winchester, but his father, grandfather and uncle are from Watertown and were famed for their accomplishments on the football field.

Environment

Find Out About Composting at Forum at Watertown Library

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On Sunday, November 3, 2019, a free public forum on the how and why of composting will be held at the Watertown Public Library from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Almost half of the “trash” thrown away in the U.S. could be composted instead of taken to landfills, and almost half of that is food. It is estimated that American families produce an average of 20 pounds of food waste per month. If not composted, all of this waste has to be transported from individual homes to landfills, a process that requires a large amount of fossil fuel; once the food waste reaches the landfill, it is sealed in airtight enclosures that emit greenhouse gases. Every pound of food thrown away results in 3.8 pound of greenhouse gas emissions. Composting is one way for ordinary people to reduce the consumption of fossil fuel and the production of greenhouse gases.

Environment

What It Would Take For Watertown to Have Net Zero Energy Schools

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An example of a solar array canopy with a timber frame in a parking lot. They can be made of other materials, including metal. Architects showed the School Building Committee what it would take to make Watertown’s new elementary schools net zero — so the campus would generate enough energy to cover the electricity used to run the building. Watertown will be building two new elementary schools — at Cunniff and Hosmer — and school officials seek to make them not only green schools, but are looking at possibly making them net zero schools. Wednesday night, architect Scott Dunlap of Ai3 Architects, told the committee overseeing the project that the energy would be generated by photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.

Environment

Entries being Taken for the Watertown Mall’s Scarecrow Contest

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Mall:

The Watertown Mall is hosting its 28th Annual Scarecrow Contest. Scarecrows can be entered individually or in groups, and there is no entry fee. Your group could be family, friends, co-workers, classmates, teammates, or business. This is a great way to get ready for the Halloween season, show off creativity, and get involved in your community and even advertise and promote your business! The scarecrows will be up for display from October 18 through October 31, 2019.

Around Town

Watertown Residents Can Receive Discount on Solar Systems

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The following information was provided by Neighborhood Solar:

Right now, Watertown, Belmont, and Cambridge residents, businesses, and nonprofits can save 20 percent on a solar installation, receive a 30 percent federal tax credit, and apply for a zero-down loan to get the work done! The program, with its 20 percent discount off the medium price of residential solar installations in 2018, runs only until Oct 3rd! Please join Watertown For Peace, Justice, and the Environment, Green Cambridge, Mothers Out Front in Cambridge, 350 Mass Watertown and Cambridge Nodes, and Neighborhood Solar for an informative presentation on the benefits of installing solar and why now is the perfect time to consider it. Parents and caregivers: feel free to bring children. When:  Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Time:  6:30-8:00 p.m.

Where:  The Cambridge Senior Center

                 806 Massachusetts Avenue

                 Cambridge, MA  02139

Neighborhood Solar is a local nonprofit working to leverage a group-buy to make solar power more affordable.