The Green Ribbon Commission accelerates Boston toward a climate safe, carbon free, equitable future
News
Equity, engagement have got to be part of siting greener grid (The Boston Globe)
Healey-Driscoll Administration Names Alison Brizius New Coastal Zone Management Director (City of Boston)
Brizius will oversee state’s coastal resilience initiative, port regulations, and play an important role in fostering offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine BOSTON — Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper today announced Alison Brizius’s appointment to Assistant Secretary and Director of the Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). CZM leads the state’s policy and
Boston names city’s first chief climate officer (The Boston Globe)
City Updates
GRC Applauds Mayor Wu for Creation of Chief Climate Officer Cabinet Role & Appointment of Brian Swett
The Boston Green Ribbon Commission (GRC) applauds Mayor Wu for the appointment of Brian Swett as the the City of Boston’s first-ever Chief Climate Officer. In addition, the GRC recognizes and thanks Rev. Mariama White-Hammond for her dedication and service to Boston in her role as Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space (EEOS), a position she has held since 2021. Swett has a long history of collaboration with the GRC, most recently serving as a Member during his time as Arup’s Americas East Leader and Principal, and previously during his tenure as Boston’s Chief of EEOS. Swett will be a welcome and valuable partner back at City Hall, and the GRC looks forward to working with him to ensure Boston remains on track to meet its climate goals while accelerating the City’s building decarbonization and electrification process, and efforts to make Boston more resilient to flooding and extreme heat.
Learn moreCCAP Program
Enrollment Open for 2024/2025 Collaborative CAP Program
Applications are now open for Boston area enterprises to enroll in the GRC’s 2024/2025 Collaborative Climate Action Planning (CCAP) cohort through May 30, 2024. Now in its fourth year, the GRC’s successful CCAP approach reduces barriers to taking organizational climate action and developing a strategy for compliance with the City of Boston’s Building Emissions Disclosure and Reporting Ordinance (BERDO). This program includes a peer learning community, trainings, and technical assistance to support companies and organizations in addressing mitigation, resiliency, and climate justice work. The fall’s cohort is open to organizations in any sector and provides a highly cost-effective way to begin organizational strategic climate planning.
Enroll nowFranklin Field Geothermal Project
“This is really an example of a change in the paradigm, where we’ve thought of utility companies as on the other side, that we need to pressure and make sure we are moving as fast as possible and we’re going to continue to do that. But here is an example where when we come together, when we are really clear about the people we are serving and the future that we are trying to build, then, in fact, it’s a win-win all across the board.”
– Boston Mayor Michelle Wu
Coastal Resilience
GRC Commends Healey-Driscoll Administration for Naming Alison Brizius as Coastal Zone Management Director
The Boston Green Ribbon Commission (GRC) praises the Healey-Driscoll Administration for the appointment of Alison Brizius as Assistant Secretary and Director of the Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). Protecting Boston’s 47 miles of coastline from the impacts of climate change is urgent – with the water at our door, we need a leader with courage who can think quickly, practically, holistically, and innovatively. The GRC worked closely with Brizius during her tenure as Commissioner of Environment for the City of Boston, and she has a tremendous track record of advancing complex climate and resilience initiatives while working with – and gaining – consensus from various stakeholders. Her commitment to action-oriented resilience will ensure that Massachusetts is building a safer and more equitable Boston, as well as other coastal communities.
Read moreCLIMATE JUSTICE
GRC and Embrace Boston Present: Our Shared History Report – Using Boston’s Climate Opportunities to Address Systemic Racism
Completed in collaboration with Embrace Boston, GRC’s “Our Shared History” report aims to open a dialog among a wide variety of stakeholders in Boston’s future who hope to use the shift to a resilient post-carbon economy as an opportunity to eradicate the harms of racism embedded in our built environment. The report addresses three main topics: patterns of racial injustice, climate inequities, and equitable climate action opportunities. We are now in an era of systemic transformation of Boston, compelled by climate change. In creating this report, the GRC hopes the historical account will serve to inform our shared vision of progress.
Read the full report