Climate Change and Sustainability

Climate Change: Focus on Holliston

Ever wonder why there is a national weather report as part of each evening's nightly news these days?  These days climate change is a widely accepted fact, now that we see stronger storms, floods and fires than ever before.  This is truly an existential threat.

Progress is being made at the worldwide level: COP27, the United Nations Climate Change Conference began in Egypt this month.  You can see it at the national level: Biden's Inflation Reduction Act - passed in August - allocates almost $380 billion toward clean energy and climate-related issues.  You can see it at the state level: the Massachusetts legislature in August passed the Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind Act.  And you can see it at the town level:

Holliston has an Electric Aggregation Program that provides competitively low electric rates and recently had a solar and clean heat program.  Holliston has also expanded their textile recycling and discount purchasing of rain barrels.

All of these steps will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and methane that ends up in our atmosphere.  We need to stop using fossil fuels by electrifying our cars, our homes, and our businesses. Our electrical grid will need to be expanded to make this possible.

Insulating your home, installing triple pane windows, solar panels, and air-source heat pumps are all options that have been taken by some Holliston residents to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  EVs are now owned by 5% of car owners, a tipping point that signals clear acceptance of a new technology.

Let your Select Board know you value green choices.  Let your state legislators know you expect clean, reliable and affordable electricity.  Let your Congress people know it's up to them to stop subsidizing fossil fuel companies and instead support wind, solar and battery power.

Let’s all work together to provide a green future where we will have a healthy planet for future generations. 

Joan Levinsohn

Rich Rosenberry