Published by The Boston Globe
Part of "Counting to Ten: A regional update on the first decade of the 21st century"
Ten years ago, green was the color to describe someone looking a little ill. Nowadays, however, it also symbolizes a worldwide movement to protect the earth’s environment.
In the past few years, Massachusetts communities have been taking green to a level above reduce, reuse, recycle. Hopkinton was the first town in the state to add solar panels to municipal buildings, setting up 1,800 panels on four structures as part of an energy-conservation plan.
The panels were built even before the town applied to become a Massachusetts Green Community, a designation established in 2008 as part of the Green Communities Act.
The program allows any town or city that meets five criteria for reducing energy use to apply for grants to fund future green projects, said Mark Sylvia, Green Communities director.
“The Green Communities criteria for the grant program are a high bar,’’ said Sylvia. “Municipalities that meet the five criteria are committed to do a number of things. . . It really demonstrates them as leaders in the Commonwealth.’’
Hopkinton was among the 35 municipalities named in the first round of the Green Community program in May, while 18 more earned the designation two weeks ago. Area communities also on the list are Acton, Arlington, Harvard, Lexington, Lincoln, Marlborough, Medway, Natick, Newton, Sudbury, Watertown, and Wayland.
It was several years ago that Hopkinton selectmen formed the town’s Sustainable Green Committee, which then organized a plan to fulfill the Green Community requirements, said committee member John Keane.
“Sustainability is important to us,’’ said Keane, president of a local energy consulting firm. “When the governor announced the program, it was very much in keeping with goals of the town.’’
The program allowed the town to move conservation plans forward and receive grants for more projects, he said.
The program requires adoption of the Stretch Building Code, an optional addition to the state’s set of regulations covering construction projects; the new code sets higher energy-efficiency standards, among other requirements.
Hopkinton Town Meeting passed the stretch code, which adds about $3,000 to the cost of building a typical single-family home, but also sets up an average of $400 in annual savings on energy bills, including rebates and tax credits, officials say.
“Obviously, there was some lively debate,’’ said Keane. “Some people felt it was, in this particular economic climate, tough to put more burden on new development, but more people were in favor of it.’’
The stretch code is scheduled to become mandatory for all new buildings statewide in 2012 anyway, said Keane.
The cost of implementing energy-saving changes will be about $2 million, according to the town’s plan. The federal Energy STAR program is providing rebates and incentives worth about $540,000. Whatever parts that couldn’t be funded by rebates will be covered by the Green Communities grant, said Keane.
Hopkinton expects to save $428,373 on energy annually after about three and a half years, with a 29 percent return on investment, the committee’s plan states.
“A payback like that is overwhelmingly justified,’’ said Keane. “Moving forward, all the benefits are cost free.’’
All of Hopkinton’s planned projects are on schedule, he said.
Other than adopting the stretch code, participating communities must generate, research, or manufacture alternative sources of energy; approve expedited permitting for alternative-energy companies; reduce energy consumption by 20 percent within five years; and use fuel-efficient vehicles in municipal fleets.
Local officials have been eager to implement these changes to reduce costs, improve energy efficiency, and show their town is “on the cutting edge,’’ said state official Sylvia.
Sometimes, residents or grass-roots organizations push local leaders to apply for the program, as is the case of Marlborough. Resident Jennifer Boudrie, who founded the group Green Marlborough in 2007, was the first to audit her city’s energy usage in 2006.
“In some ways, we were the engine behind this drive to become a Green Community,’’ Boudrie said of her organization. “But we worked shoulder to shoulder with municipal staff, people in the business community, and residents.’’
Marlborough, which created its Sustainability Action Plan in 2008, was among those named as a Green Community two weeks ago. When the City Council saw how much could be saved in energy and money, its members were inspired to “help lead the community in a greener direction,’’ said Boudrie.
“The state was very wise to create the Green Communities program,’’ she said.
Priscilla Ryder, Marlborough’s conservation officer, said now is the time for builders and officials to learn about energy efficiency, because the economy is slow and there is more time to develop new skills. When the economy picks up again, Marlborough will be ready to use those skills, she said.
“Clearly, incentives for the grants fold right into where we’re going anyway,’’ said Ryder. “We might as well get some benefits that help us to advance it.’’
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