Chelmsford Climate Action – Make a positive difference and slow the effects of climate change

"We make the future in the present. The future depends on whether we show up, or fail to show up, today"

Rebecca Solnit Hope in the Dark

Be inspired by Amanda Gorman's poem Earthrise

Chelmsford Climate Action Team was formed in 2020 to help educate our community about climate change
and to promote climate legislation and activities. Subscribe to our newsletter (at the bottom of the page) so you will know
when your voice is needed to help drive change in town.

Current Actions to Take

Curious about what Chelmsford has or is doing to increase Sustainability. Check out this list provided by Peter Spawn.
Go to this page to learn about Chelmsford’s initiative to increase home energy efficiency. Then schedule your NO COST Home Energy Audit. Call 1-978-350-0293 or go to HomeWorks Energy Chelmsford Program
Opt Up for clean electricity in Chelmsford Choice
Get trustworthy quotes for Solar on your rooftop from EnergySage who is partnering with National Grid
Start planning your next car to be all electric using Green Energy Consumers Alliance’s Drive Green program. Also check out used EVs at the used EV dealers GreenWave in North Hampton NH and EcoAuto in Tewksbury MA
Request a FREE consultation on heat pumps from Heat Smart Alliance
Check out the incentives for electrifying your home
Sign up for Chelmsford’s new curbside food waste composting program
Calculate your carbon footprint
Help Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom
Avoid banks that finance the fossil fuel industry, like: Bank of America, JPMorgan, Citi, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley

upcoming and Current events & Activities

How you can reduce your Energy Costs through MassSave

Chelmsford Senior Center Friday, October 24, 10am, Rm. B07

Chelmsford library Tuesday Oct 28 6:30 Large meeting room

Heating costs have risen in the past year and are headed higher. To help lower those costs, start by scheduling a no-cost Mass Save energy assessment and learn what upgrades are recommended for your home. Come listen to Chelmsford’s Energy Advocate Matt Wilkins explain how to get started.

The recommended actions to improve insulation and eliminate air leaks are highly subsidized by Mass Save and so are very cost effective. Single-family, multi-family, renters, and landlords are all eligible to participate.

Do you have a heat pump? Starting in November National Grid will have a discounted electric rate for homes with heat pumps. You may be automatically enrolled if your heat pump was installed after 2019-find out how to know whether you are actually getting this rate. The discounted electric rate makes heat pump operating costs competitive with those who have oil heat. Mass Save rebates for installing a heat pump are currently high but will be slowly decreasing in the future- so this is is a good time to consider switching from oil to heat pump.

Come with your questions.

Supported by the Chelmsford Clean Energy and Sustainability Committee<

Recent Events & Activities

Sustainability Day at the Massachusetts State House
Tuesday, September 9 from 10AM to 2PM

JOIN US!

Chelmsford will be represented at the inaugural Sustainability Day at the Massachusetts State House on Tuesday, September 9 from 10AM to 2PM – please stop by to say hello and learn more about the work our town is doing. Explore more than 35 exhibitors featuring municipalities, nonprofits, advocacy organizations, state agencies, and businesses that are leading the way in climate action. The Showcase highlights practical solutions in waste reduction, composting, zero waste models, decarbonization pilots, climate technology, battery innovation, and more.

This event includes a special speaker program… with opening remarks from House Committee on Climate Action & Sustainability Chair Tram Nguyen and Vice Chair Michelle Ciccolo, followed by a Keynote Address from Massachusetts

Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer. The event is open to the public and no charge.

For more information and to sign up. click this link.

Mass Save Community First Partnership (CFP) Grant

Chelmsford is moving ahead rapidly with the Mass Save Community First Partnership (CFP) Grant it was awarded with neighbor Billerica. The grant funds for three years an Energy Advocate (EA) who will have an office located in Chelmsford but will market Mass Save benefits and offer help to residents to increase their home energy efficiency and reduce their energy costs in both towns. To date the team has attended over 10 training sessions, advertised and received responses for the EA position, and will be interviewing candidates and making a selection within the next few weeks. The grant application was submitted by the Chelmsford Clean Energy and Sustainability Committee in coordination with Chelmsford town management.

2025

June 27, 10AM at the Chelmsford Senior Center

Bern Kosicki talked about sustainability and the mission and accomplishments of the Clean Energy and Sustainability Committee. Refreshments were provided.

What programs benefit you directly? What do you think the committee has done well? How can it do better? How can you contribute to this group’s goals? Your feedback as a concerned town resident is important to us.

You can take a look at Bern’s slides here.

June 9 Noon MCAN Networks Zoom: Register
Fred Davis, MCAN President

It’s mid-year, and it’s mid-decade: do we know where our climate goals are? For 2025? For 2030? What must be done, LOCALLY, to achieve them statewide?

NEWEST LOCAL DATA on the critical decarbonization measures: heat pumps, electric vehicles, solar. How far we’ve come, how far to go. The numbers surprise!

Fred will lay out a vision for NEW AND DIFFERENT STRATEGIES available for organizing every MA city and town, in the next years. Times change, so must climate activism!

At 1:00PM: interested attendees can continue an open network discussion.

June 10 at 7 p.m. MetroWest Climate Solutions webinar with native plant expert Marie Chieppo

Allowing Landscape to Work for You: Designing for Resilience and Sustainability

Join MetroWest Climate Solutions on June 10 at 7 p.m. for a discussion on sustainable landscaping with Marie Chieppo, a native plant designer and horticulturalist. To register for this free webinar, visit metrowestclimatesolutions.org.

There is so much that nature does to support our gardens when we create a partnership. Ecologically based design strategies help strengthen the partnership by giving nature the ability to do what it does best: live and reproduce. We, in turn, benefit from far fewer demands for maintenance and more time to take in nature’s wonders.

Chieppo will use case studies to explain how to work with nature to create beautiful landscapes with maximum function for living organisms. She became a Master Gardener in 1999. For the next 19 years, through her business, EcoPlantPlans, LLC, she and a crew of skillful women designed, installed and maintained beautiful gardens and landscapes. After earning an advanced certificate in native plant design and horticulture at The Native Plant Trust, she joined the Sustainability Committee at the Association of Professional Landscape Designers and became certified as Landscape Designer through the Garden Federation. Most recently, she became an Accredited Organic Landcare Professional through the Northeast Organic Farmer’s Association’s (NOFA) Organic Landcare Program.

Chieppo earned a Masters in Public Health degree. Earlier in her career, she worked as a researcher for the Editor in Chief at the New England Journal of Medicine.

May 28, 7 PM, Virtual presentation: Mass Save: Friend or Foe?

Scrolling social media and news reports this past winter, many people blamed Mass Save for high electric and gas bills. Was this fair? Mark Dyan is an energy efficiency expert who will present an accurate picture of where Mass Save actually stands in the context of energy provision and energy costs for Massachusetts households.
Register link https://community.massenergize.org/ActonMA/events/1971

Learn about Clean & Efficient Energy Solutions on April 30, 2025

Join Westford Climate Action for a family-friendly Open House and Showcase on Wednesday, April 30, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at the Westford Museum, 2 Boston Road.

WCA members will share their personal experiences with heat pumps, electric vehicles, solar installations, induction stoves, electric lawn equipment, rebates, and more. Learn about No Mow May and Dark Skies. Find out more about WCA’s successes and future plans for clean energy and sustainability.

Families are encouraged to attend! Children can take part in a student-led climate experiment they can try at home. Plus, they can enter a free raffle for a Solar Bug kit and adults can try their luck for a native plant.

Bring your curiosity, bring a friend, and bring students who are passionate about climate solutions!

For more information, visit westfordclimateaction.org.

Climate Café Series: Simple but Meaningful Steps towards a More Sustainable Home, Town and Beyond

Friday, April 25th, 2025, 10am at the Senior Center

Reducing Paper Junk Mail, including clean electricity promotions. We will also discuss how to opt for clean energy without putting up a solar array. Refreshments will be provided. It’s a cafe, after all! You’ll have opportunities to share any steps you have taken or want to learn more about, and what you think the Town of Chelmsford should be doing.

For more information, check out the Climate Cafe page.

Showing of Documentary: Inundation District April 4, 2025 at 7:30, First Parish Church United, 48 Main Street, Westford

Westford Climate Action will present a free showing of the award-winning documentary Inundation District, which depicts likely significant flooding in the Seaport district with disastrous consequences for residents, businesses and taxpayers, who will probably pay the bill for the decision to zone buildings in this area. Movie followed by a Q&A with creator David Abel. This event is free. Refreshments will be served. Donations will be welcome.

Volunteer Showcase Fair at the Chelmsford Senior Center
Saturday, March 22, 2025, 1 - 4pm

Want to be involved in our town? The Volunteer Fair is an opportunity for non-profit organizations, community groups, and town departments to connect with potential volunteers and new members, network with each other, and to showcase their organizations. This event is sponsored by the Chelmsford Public Library and the Chelmsford Senior Center The Chelmsford Climate Action Team (CCAT) and the Chelmsford Clean Energy and Sustainability Committee will have tables there. Please stop by and talk!
Take a look at this document for a list of volunteer activities.

Senator Mike Barrett Public Meeting at Chelmsford Library Feb 25 at 6:30pm

Chelmsford’s State Senator Mike Barret, who is a leader of climate legislation in the Legislature, visited the Library for a public meeting on February 25. Since his last public visit five years ago, much has happened to address climate change in Massachusetts. What does the new legislation mean to our town and state? What is next? What are your concerns? A description of his talk follows:

Recording here: https://www.chelmsfordtv.org/episodes/library-hour-senator-mike-barrett-on-climate-change/

State Senator Mike Barrett on Climate Actions in Massachusetts: Massachusetts has been a leader among states in addressing climate change with three major pieces of legislation in the past four years. State Senator Michael Barrett has been a champion for climate action in the state legislature and will discuss Massachusetts’ past and possible future legislation, what it means to us, and what we can do as residents to help meet challenging state and town goals for net zero greenhouse gas emissions. He will also touch on other sustainability and energy issues and will be available for questions from the audience. Please take advantage of this opportunity to hear Senator Barrett and bring your questions.

In addition to Chelmsford, Senator Barrett’s district includes Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Lincoln, Waltham, Weston, and a large part of Lexington. He serves as Senate Chair of the Legislature’s Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. The committee’s jurisdiction covers everything from cell phones to alternative energy to public utility reform to carbon pricing

Register at Chelmsford Library Events: https://chelmsfordlibrary.libcal.com/event/13945483

Registration is preferred, as space is limited. If you do not pre-register, you may be asked to wait until all registered people are seated. If you register and find out later that you will not be able to attend, please call 978-256-5521 to cancel. This is event is in-person only.

LIRA Lecture Series: Life on an Unpredictable Planet: Coping with the Threats Posed by Natural Disasters

Date: Friday, January 10, 2025

Time: 1:00pm – 2:30pm

Location: McCarthy Meeting Room (Entire Room)

Audience: Adult Categories: Adult Adult > Literature & Learning Online:

For online registrations: Event URL will be sent via registration email.

To register go to library registration page.

A significant percentage of the world’s population lives with the threats posed by various natural hazards. Although deaths resulting from natural disaster events have decreased over time, the economic impacts, social disruption, and effects on our infrastructure have steadily increased. Join speaker Matt Davis to learn more about these threats. Drawing examples from his research at Italy’s Mt. Vesuvius and Washington’s Mt. Rainier, his experiences in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and his work on earthquake preparedness efforts in California, a number of issues in disaster preparedness and recovery will be addressed. Specifically, we’ll explore the reasons people choose to live in risky places, some of the psychological factors that affect their perceptions of risk and likelihood of preparing for potential disasters, and factors that help in disaster recovery.

Matt Davis is a Massachusetts native and a retired Professor Emeritus of Psychology from Dominican University of California. His research expertise focused on how people perceive their risks from various natural hazards and how to better motivate them to prepare for disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and hurricanes. He conducted the first research studies of residents living in close proximity to Italy’s two famous volcanoes, Vesuvius and Etna, has been an invited speaker at numerous conferences across the U.S. and internationally, and was a featured expert in the 2006 television documentary: Could It Happen Here?

An avid traveler, he has visited 35 countries, has crossed the U.S. by car on over 50 road trips, and cumulatively, and led students on many study abroad trips across Europe. In 2020 he retired from his faculty position and left California, recently returning to his hometown of New Bedford. He is the author of a travel memoir, At Home in the World: Reflections of a Travel Addict which chronicles many of his adventures while traveling internationally.

LIRA is a multi-faceted educational program for the retired and semi-retired, for which there are neither educational nor age requirements. LIRA’s philosophy is to provide, at a modest cost, college-level learning experiences for all its members, regardless of previous educational background.

Ongoing Events & Activities

Monthly Member Meeting

Usually hosted on the third Monday of every month at 7:30pm. These meetings are not content-focused. They’re about accomplishing our goals around town, so the conversation largely revolves around strategy, priorities, and logistics. If you’d like to attend, just reach out to us and we’ll send you the link for the Zoom meeting.

Chelmsford's Curbside Composting Program

The Chelmsford DPW initated a new curbside organics program for food scraps. The curbside service provides every other week pickup. A 6-month subscription for every other week pickup is $14.99/month.

DPW will provide the compost starter kit, which includes a 13-gallon bin or 4-gallon (apartment option) bin and set of compostable liners that will be delivered by Black Earth. Interested residents can sign up directly through Black Earth at https://blackearthcompost.com/residential-curbside-compost-pickup

Residents that participate in the curbside program are also provided with a voucher for one 40-lb. bag of compost redeemable at places nearby. Should more than 300 Chelmsford households register, the subscription price will be lowered by 20% for all participants.

Chelmsford Working on MVP 2.0

The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant program (MVP) provides support for cities and towns in Massachusetts to build resilience to climate change especially for vulnerable populations. Communities who completed the MVP Planning program (MVP 1.0) became certified as an MVP community and are eligible for future funding to complete resilience projects. Chelmsford completed MVP 1.0 and is working MVP 2.0.

Based upon socio-economic data the following are examples of targeted populations.

Seniors living alone
Single female households with children
Disabled persons (living alone)
Minority (Indian / other) who speaks English as second language.
Renter and the above criteria

The following link provides an overview of the MVP 2.0 purpose and process: download (mass.gov)

If you would like to learn more about the MVP 2.0 program and team formed in Chelmsford see this page, and please let Evan Belansky know.

ebalansky@chelmsfordma.gov 978-250-5231

Chelmsford Main streets Program Begins

This program provides exceptional savings on insulation, air sealing and energy equipment for Chelmsford businesses.

Look for letter to businesses from town manager,

Limited time- act now. For further information contact Energy Source, a
Mass Save contractor, https://www.energysource.com/

Past Events & Activities

2024 and Earlier

See this page for a repository of past events, activities, and programs

About Us

We are residents of Chelmsford, Massachusetts who share a commitment to climate legislation, advocacy and education in our community. We want to prevent the harmful effects of climate change and protect the planet.

Are you concerned about climate change?

Then join our team! Reach out to one of us if you have any questions, or feel free to just show up to one of the meetings you see in the Calendar section of our site.

"We make the future in the present. The future depends on whether we show up, or fail to show up, today"Rebecca Solnit Hope in the Dark