SustainaVille

Interested in getting involved in local climate action work? Learn more about programs available to community members below. Programs include ways to make your home more energy efficient, resources to learn how to stay safe during extreme weather (like heat), and how to connect with other community members through volunteer opportunities.

Image	Work with Somerville's Energy Advisor to get a free home energy assessment Opt-up for cleaner electricity through the Community Choice Electricity program Electrify your property Prepare to be Flood Ready
Image	Adopt a catch basin Adopt a tree Check out Somerville's Pollinator Action Plan
Image	Keep Cool during extreme heat Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle your waste Get seeds or give seeds to the Somerville Seed Library
Image	Learn about the City's Transit Benefits program for free monthly MBTA passes -- available for youth and low-income residents Use the Bluebikes locator map to find a Bluebike station near you Explore our state-funded incentive program -- MOR-EV -- to reduce the prices of electric vehicles and chargers
Image	Sign Up for the SustainaVille Newsletter Join Climate Ambassadors

• Climate Forward

  Climate Forward is Somerville's plan to create a strong, healthy, community in the face of climate change while simultaneously reducing climate change pollution, as referred to as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and our dependence on fossil fuels. Read more about the plan on the Climate Forward webpage.

• Carbon Neutrality Pathway Assessment

  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 is a baseline resource for the strategies recommended in Climate Forward.

  • 2023 Pathways Assessment
  • 2017 Pathways Assessment

• Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment

  The Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (CCVA) analyzes how climate change is expected to impact Somerville in the coming decades. The study looks at Somerville’s risks from sea level rise and storm surge, increasing temperatures, and precipitation-based flooding. The study identifies key priorities of Somerville to focus on in order to reduce climate related risks. The information in the assessment is used to develop strategies in Climate Forward and will help the City make future decisions that can reduce risks to climate impacts within Somerville and within the region.

  • 2023 Vulnerability Assessment
  • 2017 Vulnerability Assessment

• Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory

  The City completes an inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for all of Somerville as well as an inventory of the subset of emissions that are from city government operations every two years. The inventories of 2014 emissions provide a baseline for planning emissions reductions and measuring progress in future years. These reports identify the leading sources of climate change-causing emissions in our community. In 2023, Somerville completed its first Consumption-Based Emissions Inventory (CBEI) an estimate of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the activity of all residents of a geographic area.

  • 2020 Consumption-Based Emissions Inventory
  • 2020 Consumption-Based Emissions Inventory Dashboard
  • 2020 - Community and Local Government Operations Inventories
  • 2018 - Community and Local Government Operations Inventories
  • 2016 - Community Inventory
  • 2016 - Local Government Operations
  • 2014 - Community Emissions and Local Government Operations

• Somerville Networked Geothermal and Electrification Feasibility Study

  The Somerville Networked Geothermal and Electrification Feasibility Study helps Somerville answer the question: what will it take to electrify buildings, Somerville's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions? This first of its kind report dives into the issue of transformer upgrades and offers solutions, including exploring the connection to geothermal networked systems. If you are having an issue with a transformer upgrade please fill out this form, or are interested in networked geothermal please fill out this form. 

• Zero Waste Plan

  Somerville's Zero Waste Plan provides recommendations for specific actions to build a zero-waste community and align with community climate goals. The plan identifies waste diversion goals and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction initiatives. The plan recommends long-term waste management contracts, equipment considerations, and programs to reduce trash to protect public health and create safe environments.

• Hazard Mitigation Plan

  Somerville’s Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies actions that can be taken to reduce the dangers to life and property from natural hazard events. The plan makes recommendations to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards such as flooding, hurricanes, and winter storms. The plan also addresses the impacts of climate change, and features recommended mitigation actions the City can take to become more resilient to natural hazards.

• Lower Mystic Region Climate Assessment

  Six municipalities in the Lower Mystic Watershed—Boston (Charlestown and East Boston), Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Somerville, and Winthrop—host New England’s highest concentration of critical infrastructure. These communities partnered with infrastructure managers, state and federal emergency response agencies, community-based organizations, and researchers to understand infrastructure and social vulnerability. This assessment provides us with the data needed to prioritize capital and operational investments.

• Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Plan

  In an effort to both lower the cost of electricity bills as well as introduce green power options into our energy supply, the City of Somerville created a citywide electricity bulk buying program known as Community Choice Electricity. The program maximizes savings and provides a full set of consumer protections, including the right for any customer to opt out of the program at any time at no charge.

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Related Departments

• Office of Sustainability and Environment
• Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change

Contacts