The Special Town Meeting of December 10 will ask voters about building a new Twin School in West Acton, and a new Fire Station in North Acton.
Green Acton believes it’s important to recognize that building large new buildings always exacts environmental costs. Those can include: the use of toxic materials, or virgin materials that may not be reusable or recyclable at the end of the building’s life; greenhouse gas emissions embedded in materials production; impacts on nearby land or water bodies; a toll on Town water supply; and loss of greenspace and trees.
Because we find ourselves in a global climate emergency, the need to slash greenhouse gas emissions is urgent; this will require electrification of all sectors, a swift transition away from fossil fuel use, and the conversion of electricity supply to renewables.
Given that context, Green Acton appreciates the attention paid to energy systems, as well as to water use, during the design of the new buildings. There will be no fossil fuels piped into either building, including no methane (“natural”) gas, a poisonous, explosive gas that has an extremely high greenhouse gas impact as it leaks at points all along the path from production wells to distribution to buildings. In the proposed Twin School, water use is carefully minimized by reusing rainwater and use of low-flow appliances.
For both projects, the designers looked at various alternatives for heating and cooling, and found that a ground source heat pump system yields the greatest savings in operating costs, and did the best job for the environment. Ground source heat pumps take advantage of the fact that the ground beneath our feet and below the frost line stays at 55 degrees year-round. These systems use a heat-transfer liquid (similar to those used in refrigerators and air conditioning systems), as well as some electricity from the grid, to keep buildings at year-round comfortable temperatures with a high degree of efficiency. Repayment of the loans for both of these projects is spread out over 30 years, and the operating savings mean that using a ground source heat pump is cash-flow positive immediately.
Green Acton celebrates the clear thinking that has led to these choices of water systems, and heating and cooling systems, and recommends the use of water-saving techniques and fossil-fuel-free heating and cooling in all new buildings.
Green Acton is taking no position on Article 1: Acton-Boxborough Regional School District — (Twin) School Design & Construction
For more, see Green Acton’s statement on Article 1
Green Acton supports Article 2: North Acton Fire Station Design & Construction
For more, see Green Acton’s statement on Article 2
Green Acton is taking no position on Article 3: Sewer District Expansion to West Acton