During the Select Board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 6, members unanimously voted to adopt the Climate Action Plan, which identifies climate change challenges relevant to Harvard and how to address them. They then examined the framework of an implementation plan put forth by the Harvard Climate Initiative Committee.
The report is organized into seven core sectors that are likely to be significantly affected by climate change. Within each sector there are established goals to mitigate and adapt to such effects. The committee has identified, in collaboration with stakeholders, leading actions in each sector that should be undertaken to meet those goals in a timely, viable manner.
For example, the Harvard Energy Advisory Committee, in consultation with the climate committee, will prioritize creating a financial plan to upgrade municipal heating systems in 2023. This is part of an overarching goal to transition to efficient electric heating in town buildings.
Committee Chair Ellen Sachs Leicher emphasized that the plan’s timely adoption will help with the process of applying for multiple grants in the new year, many of which have letters of intent due in early January. The committee has identified 75 potential grant opportunities. Their focus ranges from agriculture, project management, and conservation, to energy.
When the plan was initially put to a vote during the Select Board’s Nov. 15 meeting, Chair Rich Maiore and member Don Ludwig requested more time to review the final draft and emphasized that town administration had additional questions to ask. No changes to the draft were made in the intervening weeks.
Committee member Jefferson Burson presented what he called the scaffolding of the implementation plan. Burson noted factors the committee is seeking to prioritize in order to implement the plan included funding, resources, and other priorities for the town. Burson also discussed the most critical grant opportunities and considerations to take into account as the relevant committees begin to work toward the goals set out in the plan.
The question of hiring a sustainability coordinator or general grant writer within town administration was raised. During the Nov. 15 meeting, Sachs Leicher suggested creating a dedicated role for managing the volume of grants and funding opportunities that Harvard may be eligible for.
Maiore emphasized that creating such a position was simply not feasible for the town budget, a reality facing many town boards and committees who have made similar proposals.
The committee requested additional support from town administration to apply for grants oriented to climate change. “We’re certainly trying to figure out how we create more resources for grant writing because you and others have been quite clear that we’re leaving money on the table as a town,” Maiore said.
Sachs Leicher highlighted a grant regarding the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Plan, which requires letters of intent at the beginning of January. A state coordinator for the program has been in contact with Sachs Leicher, offering to support the committee if they choose to apply.
The report has been reviewed and blessed by both the general public and the boards and committees that will implement the core goals and action. The report is a culmination of a year’s work spent analyzing mitigation and adaptation methods for various sectors in Harvard.
