Carbon Sequestration Work Group Update:
Following the protest of tree removal at Halibut State Park, led by Annette Dion. (https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/local_news/felled-halibut-point-trees-raise-backlash/article_48a3d220-0145-592f-8766-edd0282eff9c.html) and a stirring by Anna Solomon and our own Alice Morris, our group has undergone renewed enthusiasm.
We continue to focus on:
a) Tree Protection Policy, which passed in Manchester-by-the-Sea, currently being rolled out and put to the test and Tree Protection Policy under discussion in Rockport – already very far down the track;
b) Tree Planting: Friends of Manchester Trees – a 501(c)3 in Manchester since 1973 – does annual street tree plantings, in the 10s of trees. Manchester has been a Tree City USA (Arbor Day Foundation) for about 30 years. And Rockport citizens, under the enthusiastic leadership of Nathan Ives and Don Southard, planted 100 Elms in April for the benefit of the town streets. These warriors are already corralling North Shore towns – the 4 Cape Ann towns, Ipswich and beyond – to do a larger planting in 2022. Lastly, Manchester high school student, Will Kenney, celebrated Arbor Day (April 30) this year by raising money for One Tree Planted and handing out saplings and shrubs for local citizens to plant.
Eric Hutchins of Rockport is marking Wharf Storm Surge lines to raise awareness.
We recognize that we need to study:
a) The carbon sequestration properties of sea grasses;
b) The March 26 Massachusetts Climate Change legislation to see how we can help and;
c) Heritage Tree programs to encourage local residents to recognize the value of their existing trees – especially if they are 32” DBH and beyond.
We excitedly welcome into the fold several members of the Essex Open Spaces committee to work with us!
Climate Arts Work Group Update:
The Climate Arts group produced the March 2021 webinar ‘A Call to Artists – Climate Change and the Arts in our Community’. The webinar premiered a short film ‘Without Just Grounds’ on the art and environmental philosophy of late Rockport artist, Elaine MacGray Starrett. The panel included environmental artists Mags Harries and Sinikka Nogelo, as well as Elaine’s oceanographer daughter, Amy Bower.
Climate Arts is now developing a dialogue to inspire people to think and act in relation to the climate crisis with ‘One Legged Table dinners’, inspired by public artist Mags Harries who originally developed the concept. This dialogue is based on art, science, inspiring foods and a climate theme. The One Legged Table dinner becomes a platform for creating community and inspiration for action. The goal is to stimulate climate art that ‘delivers a punch’ and inspire climate–based ‘doable actions’ by diners.
HOW DOES A ONE-LEGGED TABLE DINNER WORK?
The table comprises multiple one-legged tables, each balanced on the other, illustrating ‘community’. Each climate-themed dinner hosted by Climate Arts will include 10 – 12 invitees with scientific, artistic or general knowledge about a particular climate theme.
The first One-Legged Dinner will be this summer, place, time TBD, but the theme will be ‘Oceans and the Climate Crisis’.
OTHER CLIMATE ARTS PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT
Climate Arts used ‘Jamboard’ as a tool to look at other possible projects. Topics in ongoing discussion include facilitating child artists/scientists to work on climate themes; art and science public art, and a climate arts festival.
Community Building & Education Work Group Update:
The Community Building and Education Workgroup has been planning to install several sea level rise signs to bring attention to the seriousness of this issue to residents and tourists. A large sign will be installed at Ocean Alliance (the Old Paint Factory) on Gloucester Harbor and has been designed by Jim Seavey, and we are now waiting for a city permit and funding. Our presence on social media continues, and we hope that CACC members take advantage of this by sending us pictures and short blurbs about local climate issues that they want to bring to our communities. Another project has several members researching the roles and benefits Sustainability Directors add to securing financing and the implementation of a municipality’s climate action plans to meet state net zero goals.
Energy Efficiency Work Group and Associates Update:
In Gloucester: Checked on uptake of Mass Save program, revisited energy-efficiency performance contracting.
In Rockport: Began construction of EV charging stations, got funding to begin LED streetlights, joined the HeatSmart Alliance (for heat pumps), looked into Mass Save data, participated in National Grid (NG) energy-efficiency webinars, applied for MAPC grants for municipal- and residential net-zero plans, applied for NG incentives on Energy Star air purifiers, met with NG on wastewater- and water treatment plant efficiency, met with NG and Green Community project expediter on further energy-reduction plans.
Vision, Policy & Legislation Work Group Update:
· The Confronting the Challenge of Climate Change case study work with HGSD is going to start in September after some recent successes in fundraising.
· With support from VPL members, The Town of Manchester has applied for a Coastal Zone Management grant that we will find out if funded this summer sometime. This grant will be a four-community regional effort to deeply engage residents, listening to their aspirations and love of place as a springboard to generate concrete actions.
· The Legislation group is actively researching the many state bills filed now and bringing them forward for consideration to the larger group that seem to fit the priorities of Cape Ann and the CACC. They will also look at what campaigns might make sense for generating greater CACC involvement in legislature work.
· The VPL workgroup will play an increasingly active role in publicizing the work it does to the wider CACC community, and building more support for our work.
Renewables Work Group Update:
The Renewables Work Group, organized by the first Cape Ann Climate Crisis meeting in Sept., 2019, decided that its mission would be to boost the share of renewable energy in our region’s electricity market. The Group chose to focus first on getting as many North Shore communities as possible to establish group purchasing of electricity by each municipality on behalf of all their residents, known as “aggregation”, in order to increase the proportion of renewable electricity used in the community above the minimum already required by State regulations.
The group organized a multi-community meeting in January 2020, which resulted in a partnership with the MAPC (Metropolitan Area Planning Council) to provide technical assistance and support to participating communities to either establish new aggregation programs, or extend existing aggregation programs. The MAPC worked with at least eleven communities (including Gloucester, Manchester, Rockport, Andover, Amesbury, Topsfield, Boxford, Swampscott, Newburyport, Hamilton and Wenham) to help them launch the process of obtaining State Dept. of Public Utilities approval of the proposed local aggregation program. Several of these communities have begun to gather the local approvals for aggregation programs. Gloucester adopted aggregation in 2019, but has recently approved a 3-yr renewal contract (2022-2024). MAPC may be able to get funding to continue this wonderful technical support into 2022.
The Renewables Work Group also was interested in promoting municipal and other community solar projects, and encouraging those municipalities with aggregation programs to include local solar electricity as part of the electricity supplied by the aggregation contracts. The Gloucester Community Development Dept. and Clean Energy Commission just met with a solar developer, Solect Energy, to explore a possible solar project on municipal land or buildings that could generate electricity to be used on site, or to be battery-stored as reserve emergency power during utility grid outages.
The next Renewables Work Group Meeting (sometime late this summer), will include:
1) Discussion of the status of aggregation initiatives in Cape Ann/North Shore area;
2) Discussion of how to encourage area communities to host solar projects, both through municipal projects and projects by local non-profit organizations, or even private developers;
3) Explore collaboration with local Chambers of Commerce, and with the Gloucester Economic Development and Industrial Commission, to incorporate solar projects to provide affordable renewable electricity to businesses;
4) Discuss renewable project opportunities that may result from Climate Action and Resilience Planning, which both Gloucester and Manchester are initiating via grant applications to fund the planning processes. These plans will set targets and dates for carbon reduction, and renewables projects will be one of the ways to meet those targets;
5) Explore possibilities of getting Cape Ann communities involved in supporting offshore wind development. One catalyst may be Salem’s new partnership with the State to site support facilities at a Salem municipal property on the waterfront.