On Saturday Somerville joined over 1,400 communities across the country in calling on Congress to take action to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Locally, 
the Step It Up climate action rally attracted over 200 residents to Statue Park in Davis Square. Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone took the occasion to announce a new sustainability initiative:
“ …I am pleased to announce to all of you here today that we’ve drafted and will soon be releasing the city’s first Environmental Strategic Plan.
“In this plan, we’ve set as a firm goal that Somerville will obtain at least 10 percent of our total municipal energy requirements from renewable sources by 2010. The plan includes execution of an Energy Performance Contract, or ESCO. Through the ESCO, we will reduce energy demand at city owned buildings by at least 20 percent by 2009.
In addition, starting next year, the City’s purchasing decisions will reflect a preference for products with an increasing share of renewable materials and post consumer or recycled content, and we’re building sustainability into all our purchasing procedures,
“This summer, we’ll be switching our City vehicle fleet to blended biodiesel, & we’ll be expanding both education and enforcement on our anti-idling regulations. You’ll be hearing more about the specifics of this plan in the days to come, and I look forward to working with all of you here today do our part to fight climate change together.”
More and more B.S. Talk is so cheap, action that really does something just never happens does it Mayor? You spend so much and nobody but the hacks and unqualified are still with you they just keep leaving maybe the green house gases are getting to hot, just like the brown grass of Broadway and the potted tulips. I wonder who got to buy them? But then not really do WE!
Posted by: More | April 23, 2007 at 08:27 AM
Is that the Skipper in the background? Yup, just look at him. Guess he just got his fix before he came to the park. He must have taken one of those cold ones from the Building shop refrigerator. He keeps it well stocked during the week as well as on weekends.
Posted by: Mike Hunt | April 23, 2007 at 02:07 PM
Take a small step by fixing the Mystic River pathways, so there are good walking routes in this developing area!
A public information meeting will be held by the Department of
Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to discuss the feasibility of
providing a pedestrian crossing over the Mystic River in the
Vicinity of the Amelia Earhart Dam located in Somerville and
Everett, Massachusetts. The meeting will also discuss the
feasibility of extending the Draw 7 Park bike path through the
MBTA's Charlestown Bus Maintenance Facility to Route 9.
Where: Winter Hill Yacht Club
85 Foley St.
Somerville, MA 02145
When: Tuesday April 24, 2007 7:00 P.M.
http://pathfriends.org/lower_mystic/
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/news/pm4-24-07.pdf
Posted by: Bryce Nesbitt | April 23, 2007 at 04:20 PM