Residential energy use represents a major portion of Acton’s carbon footprint, and a significant cost in every household budget. Green Acton has worked on a variety of projects to reduce residential energy use, or to switch energy use to cleaner power sources. Acton Power Choice: Acton’s bulk purchasing program for electricity for residents and businesses “greens up”… Continue reading →
EPA Pay As You Throw resources
The EPA archived resource pages on unit-price trash systems lives here: https://archive.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/tools/payt/web/pdf/payasyou.pdf . Though EPA no longer updates this information, it may be a useful resource. The document includes a spreadsheet for evaluating the potential economic and environmental impacts of unit-price systems.
Reducing Carbon Footprint by replacing streetlights.
Earlier in 2014, the Municipal Properties office released this report on streetlight replacements.
Background: How to Measure a Town’s Carbon Footprint (Marlborough model)
In 2007, Jennifer Boudrie released a 65 page report entitled “Energy and Environmental Inventory For Marlborough, Massachusetts“. She shows how to use EPA formulas and data from utilities and the municipality to create a detailed carbon emissions inventory. The carefully documented details in the report give an excellent starting point for creating and updating an inventory… Continue reading →
Carbon Footprint
We can’t measure our progress on carbon emissions in Acton without understanding how we measure our current emissions.
Water
Acton relies entirely on groundwater for its drinking water, with approximately 95% of town-delivered potable water coming from wells throughout town. Our community has a history of both groundwater contamination and strong community advocacy efforts aimed at protecting Acton’s groundwater resources. Green Acton’s mission includes serving the community by reviewing plans to protect and ensure… Continue reading →
Climate
Climate Change is the most urgent world-wide environmental issue for the foreseeable future.
Education
All Green Acton projects have an educational goal in addition to their more-immediate purposes. We are always looking to inspire others to learn about how people (and animals and plants and everything else) are all parts of an interconnected system on Earth, and about how our actions can help or hurt the healthy functioning of the… Continue reading →
Acton-Boxborough Farmers Market (ABFM)
Seasons run mid-June through late October 10am–1pm • Pearl Street • West Acton
Agriculture
Agriculture that’s local and sustainable is at the nexus of many of Green Acton’s interests and concerns — mitigation of climate disruption; clean air, soil, and water; waste reduction; and verdant and vibrant ecosystems.