Hannah Payne, Sustainability Coordinator with the City of Somerville, MA presented at CREW's Sustainability Committee on the City's Community Climate Change Plan on February 14, 2019. The comprehensive plan, Somerville Climate Forward, contains implementable key priority actions that aspire for Somerville to become a resilient and carbon neutral city by 2050. 

The plan builds on five main areas; buildings, mobility, environment, community, and leadership. The discussion focused on incentives and tools for new construction and for upgrading existing buildings to lower their carbon footprints; buildings making up two-thirds of Somerville's carbon emissions. In addition to net zero building performance standards, green infrastructure solutions such as on-site infiltration options were discussed aiming to lessen the pressure on the City’s aging stormwater infrastructure system. 

Lastly, regional collaboration and pilot projects were explored as well. The discussion was moderated by Isabel Kaubisch, member of the CREW Sustainability Committee and former advisor on the City’s Infrastructure Task Force that helped shape the plan.