Sustainable Arlington

An Envision Arlington committee & a Mass. Climate Action Network (MCAN) chapter

Arl.Net.0.Action.Plan.2021

  Net Zero Landing Page

This page will provide a central place for announcements, articles, resources and events related to the Town of Arlington's efforts to get to NET ZERO.</

What is Net Zero? How do we get there?

The Concept:

Net Zero Concepts and Definitions, https://www.epa.gov/water-research/net-zero-concepts-and-definitions

Net-zero by 2050: What does it mean? https://www.dw.com/en/net-zero-by-2050-what-does-it-mean/a-48958487

World Resources Institute:  What Does "Net-Zero Emissions" Mean? 6 Common Questions, Answered, https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/09/what-does-net-zero-emissions-mean-6-common-questions-answered

Written in time for COP26: "... 'net-zero' is different from zero emissions, and this nebulous term can obscure a lot of important differences in how countries and companies actually plan to limit their contributions to climate change."  https://www.vox.com/22737140/un-cop26-climate-change-net-zero-emissions-carbon-offsets. 10.29.21.

And right after COP26: Net Zero/Not Zero, by Gavin Schimidt, a climate modeler, working for NASA and with Columbia University, https://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2021/11/net-zero-not-zero/

"Net-zero CO2 has real geophysical significance. ... even though net-zero is not zero it is still geophysically meaningful and a useful concept for the general public to understand because it underlies the important conclusion that future CO2-driven warming is driven by future CO2 emissions."      

 

Implementing it:

Arlington's Net Zero Action Plan., Feb. 2021How our whole town can reach net zero.

https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument?id=55139

 

"What is a Building Code?" Mothers Out Front Massachusetts,  May 29, 2021. 

https://www.mothersoutfront.org/news/chca-ma-building-code/

A valuable overview, including the connection between building codes and climate change, explanation of stretch energy codes, and additional resources for learning more.

 

Arlington's net zero plan, ACMI, April 2021

ACMI's James Milan interviews Arlington Planning Director and Town Energy Manager

A Pocket Guide to All-Electric Retrofits of Single Family Homes.

Access the pocket guide here.

How to talk about climate change so people actually care  

7 min. TED talk on how to connect with your audience so they get it in personal terms and see the urgent need to act  Listen here.

 

Getting off fossil fuels:

 

Arlington Community Electricity (ACE)  -- make your electric green and local!

Arlington Community Electricity (ACE) is a carefully designed program offered by the Town of Arlington to provide residents and businesses more electricity supply options and more renewable energy. The program is a Town-vetted alternative to Eversource’s default supply and other third party electricity suppliers.

Arlington Community Electricity is the only electricity program offered by the Town – beware of look-alike offers and always look for the Town seal on materials sent to you!

Learn more about the program options.   

Sign up for 100% renewables!

 

Heat Pumps

All About Heat Pumps, Green Energy Consumers Alliance 

(1) What is a heat pump?  (2) Who should install a heat pump?  (3) Heat pump benefits  (4) How to get a heat pump  (5) new, bigger Mass Save heat pump incentives for 2022  (6) new independent consultant support for homeowners

 

Air Source Heat Pump Buying Guide, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP)

ASHP_buyingguide_5.pdf

 

The GeoGrid

Heet.org.  The GeoGrid explainedhttps://heet.org/geogrid/

Two key figures in bringing the GeoGrid to reality in Massachusetts talk to Boston Public Radio's Jim Braude and Margery Eagan. 3.9.2022. Audrey Schulman and Zeyneb Magavi, co-directors of Cambridge nonprofit Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET.org), discuss the fight for cleaner energy in New England, and the challenges ahead in breaking away from fossil fuels.  LISTEN 26:29 

 

More background reading:

The Natural Gas Paradox: Shutting Down a System Designed to Operate Forever

Heather Payne, The Natural Gas Paradox: Shutting Down a System Designed to Operate Forever, 80 Md. L.
Rev. 693 (2021)
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/mlr/vol80/iss3/4

Investing [MA] Billions in Leaky Gas Infrastructure is a REALLY Bad Idea

Economist Dorie Seavey, author of GSEP AT THE SIX-YEAR MARK, A Review of the Massachusetts Gas System Enhancement Plan,

Screen Shot 2022-01-21 at 8.28.31 AM.pngListen here (15 mins):  

https://energynerdshow.com/episodes/investing-billions-in-leaky-gas-infrastructure-is-a-really-bad-idea

 

 

World Green Building Council:  

https://www.worldgbc.org/advancing-net-zero/what-net-zero

Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility

https://www.nist.gov/el/net-zero-energy-residential-test-facility

Project Drawdown

https://drawdown.org/

"'Drawdown'— the point in the future when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline, thereby stopping catastrophic climate change..."

Net Zero Buildings, https://drawdown.org/solutions/net-zero-buildings