Posted on by Chair

Meeting July 21st at 7 pm: The Benefits and Economics of Electric School Buses for Belmont

Belmont, like most towns, continues to use diesel-powered school buses to transport our elementary, middle and high school students.  Diesel exhaust  poses significant risks to our health and the planet, particularly when concentrated in the urban core environment of Belmont and neighboring towns.  Health risks aside, fossil fuel powered buses are also a contributor to green house gas emissions and climate heating.
Electric school buses offer a healthier, cleaner alternative for our students as well as predictable energy/operating costs for the town. EV buses also offer another opportunity to electrify our transport network, in line with the Massachusetts Decarbonization Roadmap and will help the Town of Belmont to advance on our 2009 Town Meeting-adopted Climate Action Plan to reduce 2007 emission levels by 80% by 2050.  Please join this on-line community gathering and learn how Belmont can electrify our school buses:  Thursday July 21st at 7pm.  
  1. Meeting July 21st at 7 pm: The Benefits and Economics of Electric School Buses for Belmont. Sustainable Belmont will host a community discussion with local Massachusetts electric school bus company Highland Fleets to help our community learn about the benefits,  economics and planning needed to transition to electric school buses. Join us to learn more July 21st 7 pm on Zoom.  Register here.
  2. Related – The US Postal Service owns more than 231,000 vehicles, one of the largest civilian fleets in the world – many of its vehicles travel short distance, start and stop frequently, and park in the same place every night. Ideal for an electric vehicle solution. Read about the controversy over the post master general ordering a predominantly gas-powered fleet earlier this year.
    • NYT Article (April 2022): Legal challenge against the United States Postal Service on Thursday, claiming that it violated the law when it ordered thousands of new mail trucks powered by gasoline instead of electricity)
    • The Hill Article (June 2022): U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Wednesday that the U.S. Postal Service, which sparked controversy earlier this year by ordering a predominantly gas-powered fleet, is reconsidering the number of new trucks that will be electric vehicles (EV).
  3. Mystic Charles Pollinator Pathways Garden Visits in Belmont Sunday, July 17: See native plant gardening in action at two extensive properties replacing large swathes of lawn! Get ideas for your own garden, and talk to fellow enthusiasts about everything from meadows and lawn alternatives to curbstrips and invasives!
    • 2:30-3:30 pm @ 48 Village Hill Rd Wooded gardens featuring a Pennsylvania Sedge lawn and a year old curbstrip garden from plugs.
    • 4-5 pm  @ 9 Sumner Lane Perimeter gardens with a grove of native trees; River birches, ferns and grasses; Clover lawn; and a new flower meadow installed last fall.

Be well.