The group that became Green Acton was first convened by Ann Sussman in 2008 following a request from Lauren Rosenzweig (then chair of the Acton Board of Selectmen) to gather a team to advise the Selectmen on environmental priorities. Attendees at those first few meetings included Town staff, Selectmen, and activists from the Environment Team of the Acton-Area League of Women Voters (AA-LWV), Acton Citizens for Environmental Safety (ACES), the Acton Climate Action Team (ACAT), and the Outdoor Lighting Education Committee (OLEC).
Decades before Green Acton launched, another Acton environmental group had formed — Acton Citizens for Environmental Safety (ACES) — to watchdog the WR Grace Superfund process with Acton’s well-being in mind. In 2014, Green Acton and remaining ACES members began discussion about a merger, the legal work of that merger was undertaken in 2015, and completed in 2016. Green Acton inherits the legacy of ACES’ critical work on ensuring the safety of Acton’s water supply, and has increased its focus on this issue. Here is more about ACES.