On March 16, 2019, Senate President Karen Spilka, Representative Maria Robinson, Representative Carmine Gentile, and Representative Jack Lewis opened the Statewide Sierra Club Summit in Framingham to educate and empower municipal and public officials to advocate for and take climate action in their communities. Over the last 12 months, Sierra Club has organized a series of local climate leadership summits across the state. While we will continue to hold local summits, this statewide event represents the culmination of the first year of this work.
The session led by MA Chapter Director Deb Pasternak covered climate change and its impacts, the energy landscape in Massachusetts and ways in which community leaders could advance clean energy and sustainability goals. Other presenters included Ben Hellerstein of Environment Massachusetts, Kevin O'Brien of Sierra Club, Anna Vanderspek of Green Energy Consumers Alliance, Drew Grande of Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Veena Dharmaraj of Sierra Club, and Cammy Peterson of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
The following communities were represented: Ashland • Berlin • Billerica • Boston • Brookline • Burlington • Cambridge • Conway • Danvers • Dover • Dunstable • Easthampton • Framingham • Harvard • Holliston • Hopkinton • Leominster • Lexington • Manchester-By-The-Sea • Melrose • Middleborough • Needham • Newton • Northampton • Palmer • Southbridge • Uxbridge • Waltham • Wellesley • West Springfield • Wilbraham • Worcester
Press Coverage
Sierra Club’s Massachusetts climate leadership summit focuses on push for change (MetroWest Daily New 3/17/19) FRAMINGHAM — Ben Hellerstein discussed efforts Saturday to help communities commit to reaching 100 percent renewable energy as a long-term target, and how policies at local levels can help achieve that goal, during the Sierra Club’s statewide climate leadership summit at Framingham State University. More than 100 cities across the nation have committed to this target, and at least 12 are in Massachusetts, including Natick and Lowell, said Hellerstein of Environmental Massachusetts. Massachusetts also has the greatest offshore wind potential in the nation, the equivalent to 19 times the state’s annual energy consumption, said Hellerstein, an elected Town Meeting member in Brookline. (read more)
