City of Boston 2014 Climate Action Plan Update

By Pam Sinotte

What would Boston look like if Hurricane Sandy had hit Boston at high tide? This and many similar questions were explored as representatives of the City of Boston presented a draft of the 2014 Climate Action Plan (CAP) Update to members of non-profit organizations and neighborhood environmental groups last month. The new CAP will be completed and released by the end of 2014.

The Climate Action Plan contains a wealth of information; here are some highlights:
Some good news:
-        Through community and individual action, emissions per resident and overall emissions in the city are declining.
-        We are half-way to our goal of a 25% reduction in greenhouse gases (GHGs) by 2020.
-        Boston was recently ranked the most energy efficient city in the U.S. based on our policies and programs, and the fifth best city for biking.
Some bad news:
-        By 2047, the coldest years will be warmer than today’s warmest.
-        Over 50% of our decrease in GHGs in the past five years came from something Boston doesn’t control – a switch from dirtier coal to cleaner natural gas power plants.

As Nancy Girard, Environment Commissioner for the City of Boston, said, “We’ve gotten all the low-hanging fruit – now we have to push harder. Climate action comes down to individual choices and neighborhood actions.”

Click here to see slides of what the 2014 CAP update will achieve, and how your choices can make a positive difference in reducing greenhouse gases. It’s worth taking a look just to see the dramatic slide of how a storm like Hurricane Sandy would impact Boston today and at mid-century.

One of the city’s goals is to engage 10,000 Bostonians in the 2014 CAP planning process and implementation. The City needs to hear from you! Here’s how you can participate:
-        Join the conversation and share your ideas - go to Engage.GreenovateBoston.org.
-        Attend or host a Greenovate Boston Meet-up
-        Check out the Summit in April - we’ll post further information on this website as it becomes available

Making passive solar space heaters

By Eric Smalley

On November 16th, we were fortunate to have renowned woodturner and GreeningRozzie board member Beth Ireland lead a workshop on making passive solar space heaters. Twenty of us gathered at the Roslindale Community Center and learned to use hand tools.

We made 12” x 24”wooden boxes and we painted aluminum cans black.

We painted the interiors of the boxes black, put the painted cans in the boxes and covered the boxes with Plexiglas.

Placed in a South-facing window or other sunny spot, the heater emits a stream of warm air. The black paint absorbs sunlight, which warms the cans and the interior of the box. This warms the air inside the heater, which rises and exits through a hole at the top of the box. A hole at the bottom of the box lets air flow in, which allows a steady circulation through the heater.

Here’s a how-to video for making similar passive solar space heaters.

Here’s blog post by GreeningRozzie intern Hannah Pullen-Blasnik about passive solar heating.