A grassroots advocacy association, Boston Green Action supports efforts to make Boston a greener, more sustainable city. We represent a range of community interests in our determined call for climate justice.
Our activities are as diverse as our city:
We pursue solutions for reducing emissions from buildings and vehicles.
We evaluate future sources of energy that will build a more equitable economy.
We fight to protect urban trees and promote clean water and air initiatives.
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Climate Action News from Boston Green Action
The 2 Charlesgate West Exemption: “An Alarming Prospect”
This letter from Boston Green Action co-founder Martyn Roetter was sent to the members of the Boston City Council on Tuesday, October 29th following a hearing on the 2 Charlesgate West exemption ordinance filed by City Councilor Sharon Durkan. The ordinance is opposed by many local organizations and community leaders. Dear Councilors, Although I am out of the country, I
“Commentary: Who knocked out Massachusetts’ climate bill?”
Boston Green Action commends Mark Dyen and Lee Ketelson for this timely and insightful commentary on the recent collapse of MA’s climate bill. Here is their analysis from Energy News Network (September 26, 2024) in full: Image: State House News Service
“It’s not NIMBY to question development’s climate justice impact”
In a Boston Globe Letter to the Editor (September 15, 2024), Crane Ledge Woods Coalition members José C. Masso III and James Michel responded to a recent Globe editorial on the fundamental goals of their advocacy on behalf of Crane Ledge Woods. Their Letter is cited here in full: It is unfortunate that the editorial board has chosen to pit
The Three Rivers Report Card
By Emily Norton, Executive Director for the Charles River Watershed Association Charles River Watershed Association held our annual “Three Rivers Report Card event” a couple weeks ago along with our friends at Mystic River Watershed Association and Neponset River Watershed Association. (MyRWA hosted at the beautiful River’s Edge in Medford) We began grading the Charles in 1995, when it earned
Crane Ledge Woods: Coalition Update
This just in from the Crane Ledge Woods Coalition: “You may have read the recent Boston Globe article on Crane Ledge Woods: ‘The long-running fight over 24 acres on the border of Hyde Park and Roslindale has moved from City Hall to the courtroom.’ The article provides a fair description of project history, the currently pending lawsuit, and accurately describes
“Why can’t a utility deliver geothermal energy?”
A wonderful article in the August 28th issue of The Christian Science Monitor spotlights the successful collaboration that results in the first program in the US in which a major utility delivers clean geothermal energy. Contributor Doug Struck recounts the story of an audacious partnership led by HEET (the Home Energy Efficiency Team), Mothers Out Front and Eversource. “With Eversource’s
The 2 Charlesgate West Exemption: “An Alarming Prospect”
This letter from Boston Green Action co-founder Martyn Roetter was sent to the members of the Boston City Council on Tuesday, October 29th following a hearing on the 2 Charlesgate West exemption ordinance filed by City Councilor Sharon Durkan. The ordinance is opposed by many local organizations and community leaders. Dear Councilors, Although I am out of the country, I
Evidence of a Violation by the BRA and the City of Boston in Approving the 2 Charlesgate West Project
Since 2021 when the proponent SCAPE filed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for this project to initiate the BPDA’s Large Project Article 80 Review, it has gone through a series of modifications including notably the height of the buildings involved. The height proposed has consistently been well above what is allowed (70’ within 100’ of the Back Bay Fens) under Municipal Code Section 7-4.10. The Boston BPRD (Boston Parks and Recreation Department) must give permission for the project under Section 7-4.11 of this Code. The origins of this height limitation date from over a century ago to protect Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace. In the 2021 Project Notification Form (PNF), the height was 229’, and in the project now approved by the BPDA Board on 7/18/2024, there is a building of about 300’ tall, which…is said to be exempt from the Section 7-4.10 height limitation.
Massachusetts Leads on Food Waste Disposal but Much Work Remains
We know how bad methane gas is for trapping heat in out atmosphere. For methane’s first two decades it is 86 times worse than CO2—before it decays back into CO2, which is quite bad enough!
But did you also know that food waste is a major producer of methane gas?
“Commentary: Who knocked out Massachusetts’ climate bill?”
Boston Green Action commends Mark Dyen and Lee Ketelson for this timely and insightful commentary on the recent collapse of MA’s climate bill. Here is their analysis from Energy News Network (September 26, 2024) in full: Image: State House News Service
“It’s not NIMBY to question development’s climate justice impact”
In a Boston Globe Letter to the Editor (September 15, 2024), Crane Ledge Woods Coalition members José C. Masso III and James Michel responded to a recent Globe editorial on the fundamental goals of their advocacy on behalf of Crane Ledge Woods. Their Letter is cited here in full: It is unfortunate that the editorial board has chosen to pit
The Three Rivers Report Card
By Emily Norton, Executive Director for the Charles River Watershed Association Charles River Watershed Association held our annual “Three Rivers Report Card event” a couple weeks ago along with our friends at Mystic River Watershed Association and Neponset River Watershed Association. (MyRWA hosted at the beautiful River’s Edge in Medford) We began grading the Charles in 1995, when it earned
