Harvard may be on the road to becoming a “greener” community thanks to a planning assistance grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources’ (DOER) Green Communities program.
Harvard recently received a grant from the DOER for consultation services to improve municipal energy efficiency and renewable energy resources. Shepherded by the Harvard Energy Advisory Committee and approved by the Board of Selectmen, the grant application was the first step toward Harvard earning “Green Community” designation and qualifying for new sources of funding for municipal projects that reduce fossil fuel energy consumption.
The Green Communities Act of 2008 established the Green Communities Grant Program, which provides up to $10 million annually to cities and towns for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Details about the new project grants should be released this fall. The act also established the Green Communities Division within the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to act as a central a resource on energy matters for all cities and towns.
Harvard’s new grant is for free planning assistance, not money, to help the town to become a recognized Green Community. A consultant selected by the Green Communities Division of the DOER will help Harvard develop an action plan, establish timelines and schedules, provide draft and model documents for verification, and meet with municipal officials, boards, and committees to present plans and answer questions about the process of meeting the Green Community requirements.
To qualify for Green Communities designation, a town must meet five criteria: adopt as-of-right zoning for renewable energy generation, expedite permitting of energy facilities, reduce municipal energy use by 20 per cent over five years, purchase fuel-efficient vehicles when feasible, and require that new residential construction of more than 3,000 square feet and all new commercial and industrial construction consider life-cycle energy costs and water use.
To be eligible for the assistance grant, the DOER required that the town have an established energy committee or collaborate with a community energy organization, and submit a letter from the Board of Selectmen chairman indicating the town’s commitment to meet the Green Communities criteria within a year.
