Office of Sustainability and Environment

SustainaVille

Visit the City's SustainaVille web page to:

• Learn about the City’s sustainability and climate change programs
• Learn about Somerville GreenTech pilot programs
• View our Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Plan 
• Find out about the Solarize Somerville program
• And more

Visit the SustainaVille Home Page

Sign Up for the SustainaVille Newsletter

Somerville Waste Wizard

View the Somerville Waste Wizard to:

• Find out how to recycle waste in Somerville
• Look up your trash, recycling, and yard waste schedule
• Get tips on safely disposing of hazardous waste
• And more

SomervilleMA.gov/Wizard

Past Projects

Solarize Somerville

Solarize Somerville was a City, State, and volunteer campaign to bring reduced-cost solar electricity to Somerville residents.  In just five months in 2016, we exceeded our goals, and community members signed up for over half a megawatt of rooftop solar panels. 

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory

This report presents an inventory of GHG emissions for all of Somerville as well as an inventory of the subset of emissions that are from city government operations. The inventories of 2014 emissions provide a baseline for planning emissions reductions and measuring progress in future years. This report identifies the leading sources of climate change-causing emissions in our community.

Carbon Neutral Pathway Assessment

Somerville has set an ambitious goal to be carbon neutral by 2050. This report defines carbon neutrality and analyzes the technological transformations necessary to achieve this emissions reduction target, through the implementation of policies and programs. This report presents a possible pathway to reduce emissions but does not encompass all of the ways the city can reduce emissions and is not intended to be a prescription for how the city should reach its goal. The report is an exercise in understanding what it will take to become carbon neutral and will serve as a baseline resource for the strategies for Somerville that will be developed in the city’s Climate Change Plan

Stormwater Asset Management

In order to implement a successful stormwater management plan and to eliminate (or reduce) non-point source pollution from Somerville, the City developed an in-house asset management and environmental accounting system for storm water utilities. This system developed a Geographic Information System (GIS) layer of stormwater utilities and Best Management Practices to track problems, solutions, implementations, and corrective actions. Special consideration was given to trees and greenery in the City to analyze and understand their utility as Best Management Practice (BMP) to reduce stormwater and pollution in general. Public educational material was developed and mailed to all residents and provided on the City's website.