Massachusetts Names City of Cambridge a Climate Leader Community

The City of Cambridge is proud to announce that it is one of just 19 Massachusetts communities to have achieved Climate Leader Community certification from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources. This certification recognizes how far the city has come in setting and meeting rigorous requirements to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Certified Climate Leader Communities must meet six State requirements: be a Green Community, have a local climate committee, commit to and have a roadmap for eliminating on-site fossil fuels by 2050, buy zero-emission municipal vehicles whenever available, and adopt the Massachusetts Specialized Stretch Energy Code.

“Meeting the requirements of this certification is transformative for a community,” said Julie Wormser, Cambridge’s Chief Climate Officer. “It involves a lot of vision, investment, and hard work by the City Council, staff, businesses, institutions, and community members.  We need to make sure that the investments we make in clean energy also increase our affordability, neighborliness, beauty, and resilience as we live into a climate altered future.”

Climate Leader Communities are eligible for up to $150,000 for technical studies and up to $1 million in decarbonization accelerator grants.  “Cambridge is a center of innovation,” added Wormser. “We want to make sure that anything we learn through our efforts to decarbonize will help lower the bar for other communities to do so as well.”

“Following decades of success in reducing energy use and costs, Climate Leader Communities inspire us with their dedication to build healthy, sustainable communities,” said Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Elizabeth Mahony. “These cities and towns will build high performance buildings, generate local, clean energy, electrify their fleets, and increase community engagement and education. Congratulations to Cambridge on your commitment to protecting your residents and our climate.”

Most recently, Cambridge announced the new Solar Assistance Program, which provides no-cost support to Cambridge businesses, non-profits, and owners of commercial and large residential buildings, making it easy to install solar on their roof or parking lot. It is the newest of several programs that the City offers that help lower energy costs and support the adoption of renewable energy. Additional City offerings include Electrify Cambridge, the Cambridge Community Electricity Program, and community solar.

For more on Cambridge’s climate and sustainability work and to sign up for updates go to www.cambridgema.gov/sustainable.