July/August 2019 Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter & PDF

 Environment, July-Aug 2019, Newsletter  Comments Off on July/August 2019 Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter & PDF
Jul 162019
 

View or download the July/August 2019 issue as a color PDF here, or read single articles below.   Articles in this issue: From Here to There: Belmont’s Roadmap to Decarbonization By Roger Colton The Belmont Energy Committee’s 2018 “Roadmap for Strategic Decarbonization” will allow periodic measurement of progress toward the objective of reducing emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Read more.   Buying Local: Electricity from Belmont Light By Marty Bitner In Belmont, there are clear benefits to buying local when it comes to energy usage, and that means powering our lives with electricity whenever possible. Read more.   Belmont Energy [READ MORE]

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From Here to There: Belmont’s Roadmap to Decarbonization

 Air Quality, Environment, July-Aug 2019  Comments Off on From Here to There: Belmont’s Roadmap to Decarbonization
Jul 162019
 
From Here to There: Belmont’s Roadmap to Decarbonization

By Roger Colton The adage is timeless: think globally, act locally. On climate change issues, Belmont has taken that advice to heart. In 2009, a Belmont Special Town Meeting approved the goal of 80 percent emissions reduction by the year 2050. The following year, the Belmont Energy Committee was organized and appointed to pursue that goal. In 2016, the committee examined the change in CO2 emissions between Belmont’s first greenhouse-gas inventory of 2007, and the most currently available data, 2014. They estimated that total emissions from electricity, transportation, and heating fuels declined by 5 percent in those seven years. Energy [READ MORE]

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Buying Local: Electricity from Belmont Light

 Air Quality, Environment, July-Aug 2019  Comments Off on Buying Local: Electricity from Belmont Light
Jul 162019
 

By Marty Bitner In Belmont, there are clear benefits to buying local when it comes to energy usage, and that means powering our lives with electricity whenever possible. In contrast to the investor-owned corporate utilities serving many of our neighboring communities, where financial benefits primarily flow to shareholders who live far away, Belmont Light is a municipal electric utility, operated in the public interest. In Belmont, we are both the customers and the shareholders, and doing what is best for ratepayers is always the objective. Our electric rates are determined not only by the amount of money needed to purchase [READ MORE]

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Belmont Energy Reference List

 Air Quality, Environment, July-Aug 2019  Comments Off on Belmont Energy Reference List
Jul 162019
 

  REFERENCE LIST for July/August 2019 Belmont Energy Committee articles _______________________ Belmont Composts! belmontcomposts.org jwusauk@aol.com Belmont Drives Electric belmontdriveselectric.org belmontdriveselectric@gmail.com Belmont Energy Committee belmontclimateaction.org contact via web form Belmont Energy Roadmap belmontclimateaction.org/initiatives contact via web form Belmont Light belmontlight.com customerservice@belmontlight.com Belmont Light Green Choice belmontlight.com/energy-solutions/residential-programs/ HeatSmart heatsmartbelmont.org heatsmartbelmont@gmail.com  

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Belmont Light’s Role in Energy Efficiency

 Air Quality, Environment, July-Aug 2019  Comments Off on Belmont Light’s Role in Energy Efficiency
Jul 162019
 

By Roger Colton Belmont’s commitment to a long-term goal of strategic electrification will not scale back Belmont Light’s energy-efficiency programs. In Belmont, strategic electrification involves increasing electricity use primarily by electrifying transportation and home heating/cooling. Belmont Light says there’s no conflict between this effort to increase electricity use and its offer of energy-efficiency programs. According to Ben Thivierge, energy specialist for Belmont Light, the phrase “energy efficiency” has “changed its meaning. Energy efficiency used to mean simply not using electricity.” Today, he said, “there’s a larger scope. ‘Energy efficiency’ today is associated with decarbonization. It is through energy efficiency that [READ MORE]

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HeatSmart Belmont: Electrifying Home Heating and Cooling

 Air Quality, Construction and Housing, July-Aug 2019  Comments Off on HeatSmart Belmont: Electrifying Home Heating and Cooling
Jul 162019
 
HeatSmart Belmont: Electrifying Home Heating and Cooling

By James Booth Heating buildings by burning fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas accounts for almost half of Belmont’s climate-warming CO2 emissions. A key strategy in Belmont’s Climate Action Roadmap is switching to carbon-free electricity as a pathway to zero emissions. So how can one efficiently heat a building using electricity? The answer is heat pumps. Heat pumps work by moving heat from one place to another, much like a refrigerator or air conditioner that can also operate in reverse, able to heat in winter and cool in summer. Traditional electrical baseboard heaters or other “resistance” systems convert [READ MORE]

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New Belmont School Leads Way with Zero Net Energy

 Construction and Housing, Environment, July-Aug 2019  Comments Off on New Belmont School Leads Way with Zero Net Energy
Jul 162019
 
New Belmont School Leads Way with Zero Net Energy

By Jacob Knowles The latest climate science indicates that we must reverse the historic trend of emissions escalation and begin actively extracting CO2 from the atmosphere. Energy consumption by buildings represents 28 percent of annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which means that zero net energy (ZNE) buildings are a core component of achieving a livable climate. On the bright side, there has been exponential growth in ZNE buildings, with a 700 percent increase between 2012 and 2019 in completed and emerging ZNE buildings in the US and Canada, as documented by the New Buildings Institute. This growth is happening [READ MORE]

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Roadmap Review: What’s In, What’s Out, and Why

 Environment, July-Aug 2019  Comments Off on Roadmap Review: What’s In, What’s Out, and Why
Jul 152019
 
Roadmap Review: What’s In, What’s Out, and Why

By James Booth Belmont’s Climate Action Roadmap focuses on promoting electrification of vehicles and heat-pump heating, coupled with carbon-free electricity. For an individual Belmont resident, is it enough to convert to clean electricity to help fight climate change? No. Here’s why: First, in addition to shifting our energy use to clean electricity, it will remain as important as ever to take every opportunity to use less energy through conservation and efficiency, as discussed elsewhere in this newsletter. This includes walking, biking, carpooling, and taking public transit when possible to move ourselves around. Weatherizing our houses to stay comfortable with less [READ MORE]

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Electric Vehicles: One Owner’s Perspective

 Air Quality, Environment, July-Aug 2019  Comments Off on Electric Vehicles: One Owner’s Perspective
Jul 152019
 
Electric Vehicles: One Owner’s Perspective

By Marty Bitner New cars today offer an array of features and options. The most important option, however, is how your car is fueled, and lately options for electric vehicles (EV) are getting better. Today, enough fully electric and plug-in hybrid models are available to meet the needs of most people. You owe it to yourself to consider making the switch from a gas-powered car to an EV. My family did over a year ago; we’ll never go back.     EVs are fun to drive. When you step on the accelerator, the car responds instantly: it just goes. This [READ MORE]

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Michael Smith Honored by Belmont Historical Society

 Historic Preservation, July-Aug 2019  Comments Off on Michael Smith Honored by Belmont Historical Society
Jul 152019
 
Michael Smith Honored by Belmont Historical Society

By Evanthia Malliris The Belmont Historical Society presented the 2019 David R. Johnson Preservation Award to Michael A. Smith, AIA, at its annual meeting this spring. Smith was nominated for his work on the rehabilitation and restoration of the Belmont Police Station Building as well as more than two decades on the Belmont Historic District Commission. “Mike brings a deep architecture knowledge, commitment to historic preservation, and a collaborative spirit to the Belmont Historic District Commission that has contributed significantly to many of the commission’s successes, including the adoption of two new historic districts, completion of a town-wide historic resource [READ MORE]

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Letter to the Editor, July-Aug 2019

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Jul 152019
 
Letter to the Editor, July-Aug 2019

More on disposing in the kitchen sink As a resident of Newton for 20-plus years and an activist in Waltham as well (Waltham Land Trust), I salute Belmont on your newsletter. It stands out, in my experience, as the best suburban NGO volunteer-run information medium. I’ve used its articles in my teaching at Brandeis. So, bravo and well done. I have a question for Mary Bradley, the compost fanatic (I am one, too, and refer to the May/June 2019 article, “Composting in Belmont: Breaking it Down,” typical of BCF articles in its detail and usefulness), and it’s this: has she [READ MORE]

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Belmont Porchfest Returns on Saturday, Sept. 7

 Arts & Culture, July-Aug 2019  Comments Off on Belmont Porchfest Returns on Saturday, Sept. 7
Jul 152019
 
Belmont Porchfest Returns on Saturday, Sept. 7

Get ready to make some noise in your neighborhood! By Mary Bradley On Saturday, September 7, 2019, Belmont Porchfest, the community-wide music and arts festival, is returning for its second year. (Rain date Sunday, September 8.) Live music, interactive arts, and other events will begin at 10:30 AM and run until 6:30 PM at locations all over town, including additional flourishes at the grand finale specifically for vegans and cyclists. For Belmontians who might enjoy a moment of fame, seek out cameras positioned on street corners to capture your thoughts about the day for Makin’ Noise, a documentary film in [READ MORE]

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Community Meets at the Market

 Arts & Culture, July-Aug 2019  Comments Off on Community Meets at the Market
Jul 152019
 
Community Meets at the Market

By Evanthia Malliris Summertime means it’s time to gather at the Belmont Farmers’ Market. For 14 years, the market has been a welcoming spot that offers fresh, local food along with music, storytelling, and activities for kids. Visitors can see neighbors, try new offerings from guest vendors, and meet representatives from the town and local organizations at the Community Table. This year’s new vendors include: Beverly Bees C & M Farm Common Acre Farm Just Hummus Lilac Hedge Farm Mariposa Bakery, Tick Tock Chocolates When Life Gives You Lemons The Market matches SNAP benefits up to $20 per shopper each [READ MORE]

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Belmont Roots, July/August 2019

 Environment, July-Aug 2019, Newsletter, Volunteer  Comments Off on Belmont Roots, July/August 2019
Jul 152019
 

Environmental News, Notes, and Events By Meg Muckenhoupt Reducing emissions can begin in your own backyard—but how? Well, if you’re tired of mowing your lawn, you have a good excuse to stop. Although grasses, like all plants, remove carbon from the air when they grow their leaves and roots, the greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer and pesticide production, mowing, and leaf blowing make grass a poor proposition for our climate. You still have to do something with that land, but there are many other good choices that will look good and keep more carbon in the ground and out of [READ MORE]

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