Climate Action Plan (CAP)

Sustainable Belmont is spearheading the effort to develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP) for the Belmont community. At the November 16 Special Town Meeting, members overwhelmingly passed a resolution (see Article 6 of the Warrant for Special Town Meeting) to reduce Belmont’s carbon dioxide emissions using the CAP as a reference guide. We have been revising our March 2009 draft, taking into account the feedback we have received so far. Now the September 2009 draft of the CAP (download below) is ready for review!

Ten steps you can take now to reduce your carbon footprint (HTML or PDF)

The goal of a CAP is twofold: to measure the amount of heat-trapping emissions generated by an entity, and to then implement strategies to reduce these emissions. As these strategies are implemented, emissions are measured again to assess the effectiveness of the actions taken. CAPs have been adopted by towns and cities, large and small, around the world. In Massachusetts, many municipalities have created or are in the process of creating a CAP.

The resolution passed by Town Meeting calls for the formation of an Energy Committee. The Committee, comprised of volunteers, will be appointed by the Board of Selectmen and will work with the entire Belmont community on strategies to reduce our collective carbon footprint 80% by 2050. They will use the CAP as a reference guide and give an annual assessment to the Belmont Board of Selectmen on progress made toward the goal.

Ongoing discussions about the CAP and its implementation are essential to its success. We encourage all town residents, business owners, policy makers, and others to read the draft (or parts of it as time and interest allow) and continue to provide us with feedback on the plan and implementation. All feedback will remain anonymous.

Download the Belmont CAP (September 2009 draft):

• Executive Summary and Key Recommendations (570 KB, includes title page, table of contents and acknowledgments)
• Part I: Introduction (699 KB)
• Part II: Belmont Greenhouse Gas Inventory (938 KB)
• Part III: Recommendations (2.0 MB)
• Appendices (1.3 MB)
• Full Report (4.3 MB, includes all of the above)

Additional ways of learning about the CAP:

• A Belmont Media Center video of the CAP slideshow (30 minutes) can be seen online (http://belmontmedia.blip.tv/file/2148165/).

• Read Sustainable Belmont’s chair and vice-chair’s guest perspective in the Belmont Citizen Herald, May 8, 2009, “Lend your voice to Belmont’s Climate Action Plan.”

• If you’re interested in hosting or attending a neighborhood coffee to discuss the CAP and its implementation, please contact sustainablebelmont@gmail.com.

There are several ways to provide feedback. We welcome feedback on whatever parts of the CAP you have time and interest to read.

• To send private feedback, email sustainablebelmont@gmail.com. Please note the section, page, and paragraph that you are referencing.

• To post comments about our CAP on our public blog, click here (and scroll to bottom) .

• If you’re interested in hosting or attending a neighborhood coffee to discuss the CAP and its implementation, please contact sustainablebelmont@gmail.com.

We also encourage interested residents to volunteer for the new Energy Committee. To learn more, please contact sustainablebelmont@gmail.com.

In case of technical problems with this website, please contact webmaster@sustainablebelmont.net.