Tag Archives: transportation

The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup – March 2, 2020

Climate Central

Mass Audubon has three new staff members helping us advance climate action! Welcome to Danielle Perry, Climate Change Adaptation Ecologist; Nia Keith, Climate Change Education Manager; and Rishya Narayanan, Climate Change Communications Manager.

Supporting Cleaner Transportation

Massachusetts is participating in the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), a regional partnership to reduce emissions and invest in sustainable transportation. We weighed in during TCI’s public comment period (more on our support for TCI here). 

One Step Closer to Net Zero

The state has released a draft letter to officially set a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target for 2050. This release starts a month-long public comment period on how to reach that goal, and aligns with a series of public meetings held around the state.

The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup – January 21, 2020

Tackling Transportation Emissions

The transportation sector is responsible for more than 40% of greenhouse gas emissions statewide. To help address the problem at its source, Massachusetts joined a regional initiative to reduce emissions and invest in sustainable transportation. You can help it succeed >

Climate Central

→ Warming oceans force Leatherback sea turtles on longer journeys
→ US clean energy investment hits new record despite lack of federal support
→ 2019 capped the world’s hottest decade in recorded history
→ Meet Australia’s all-female Indigenous fire crew

Americans Waking up to Climate Reality

A new poll found that 58% of American respondents consider themselves either “alarmed” or “concerned” about climate change—an all-time high, and an alarmed percentage that’s nearly triple what it was five years ago.

Webinar: Adopting CPA in Your Community

Our Community Preservation Act (CPA) has recently heard from many communities that are curious about adopting CPA. So we’re offering a free webinar on Thursday, January 30, at 12:00 pm to share CPA basics and how to adopt it locally! Get the details & register >

The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup – December 23, 2019

Creating New Climate Policies

Last week Mass Audubon had an opportunity to weigh in on and help draft new climate change legislation that will be introduced in 2020. We testified with environmental partners before the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change, and highlighted the sense of urgency for state lawmakers to act boldly.

New Transportation Framework Released

The Transportation Climate Initiative, a bipartisan group of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states including Massachusetts, has released a proposal for a regional emissions reduction program within the transportation sector.

Boston Passes New Wetland Protections…

Boston City Council has adopted a new provision to protect wetlands and boost climate resilience. This decision allows for more green infrastructure in new development, protection of urban natural resource areas, and a focus on climate justice. We weighed in on this last year.

…and Resilience Requirements

The City’s Public Improvement Commission, which manages Boston’s public spaces like streets, sidewalks, and bridges, has approved a new Policy for Climate Resilience. The Policy will require future projects to more fully consider climate change impacts like sea level rise and storm surge flooding.

News from our CPA Coalition

After some delays by the state legislature in finalizing their spending plan for surplus FY19 state revenue, there was good news recently for Community Preservation Act funding – $20 million of the final spending plan is expected to go to CPA communities.

The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup – October 21, 2019

Pledge to Help Green Transportation

In recent years, the transportation sector has surpassed power plants as the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the US. Learn more about this shift and how you can help curb emissions.

Climate Central

Our climate change program manager participated in a Project Drawdown conference this weekend, an opportunity to share resources and strategies for creating climate solutions. Not familiar with Project Drawdown? Learn all about it here.

Supporting Rural Communities

Rural areas of Massachusetts can face different challenges than the rest of the state, from declining populations to limited fiscal resources. To help address these issues, a state Commission created the Rural Policy Plan, on which Mass Audubon provided input.

The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup – July 15, 2019

Join Firefly Watch!

It’s summertime, and that means fireflies are out and about. Firefly Watch is a citizen science project that gathers data on local firefly populations, and you can help right from your backyard!

Weigh in on Green Transportation

State agencies and transportation groups are holding public workshops on the future of green transportation. Massachusetts is part of the multi-state Transportation and Climate Initiative working to adopt a regional, low-carbon transportation policy. We’ve provided past input with our partners.

Climate Central

→ Worcester and Boston will participate in a new urban heat island mapping project.

→ Discussing climate change leads to more acceptance of its science.

→ EEA Secretary Katie Theoharides on state climate initiatives.

→ Intelligence aide blocked from submitting climate change testimony resigns.