As the chair of the Harvard Climate Initiative Committee (HCIC), I want to recognize and thank the committee members for their hard work and tremendous time commitment to getting the town’s climate action plan across the finish line with the final approval of the Select Board last month. It’s now time for everyone in the Harvard community to help us implement it. Climate change impacts may feel far away, and our daily lives might make it hard to look to the future, but the impacts will be here even sooner if we don’t take the time to act now. I ask for your support and action. Here’s how to get started:
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Read Climate Action Plan 2022: See what our plans are and where you can contribute to reducing the town’s carbon footprint, household by household. Residents can find a copy of the plan on the town website at: www.harvard-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif676/f/uploads/cap_12-11-2022_final_reduced_resolution.pdf.
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Educate yourselves and set household goals: Join HarvardEnergize at www.harvardsclimateinitiative.org/ and go to Take Action. By joining, you will open the door to a wealth of local information about federal and state incentives and ideas on what every family can do, both small and large. By joining you will receive updates on essential topics such as electric vehicles, home heat pumps, native gardens, green investments, and more.
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Volunteer with us: Many hands make the job easier. Last year we hosted the Earth Day Show and Tell Around Town, and it will be back and bigger in 2023. Reach out to us and learn how you can participate in many of the events we are planning.
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If you have children at Bromfield, have them join the Green Team, where they can make a difference as leaders trying to change the trajectory of climate change. This group of students is dedicated to raising awareness and making change.
We need the entire community’s support to implement the Climate Action Plan 2022 successfully. We look forward to engaging with everyone in town for as long as it takes to make the plan successful.
Ellen Sachs Leicher
Warren Avenue
