Did you know that households are responsible for 74% of Brookline’s carbon footprint? That means what YOU do can make a difference.

Brookline has 27,000 households. Imagine if each Brookline household reduced its carbon emissions by 5,000 pounds or more. That's our goal.  

Below are some ideas of things you can do each month to make a difference:

• January -- Switch the source of your home’s electricity to an alternative energy source. See "Sign Up to Get Your Electricity from Wind" or "Consider Solar" for information on how.
• February -- Schedule a Home Energy Audit and do the recommended follow-up work.
• March -- Come to Climate Week—Brookline’s annual event with classes, displays and ways to learn and take action. (Starting in 2016, Climate Week will be held in March instead of January.)
• April -- Drink Brookline’s tap water and say goodbye to plastic water bottles.
• May -- Reduce electricity use by changing to energy efficient light bulbs and turning off  appliances that leak electricity.
• June -- Improve food choices by eating fewer meat meals and shopping for local produce. Try new vegetarian recipes.
• July -- Schedule a visit with a solar panel expert or urge others to do so.
• August -- Cool off using fans and turn your air conditioner to 78° or higher.
• September -- Check out the Recycling Corner in the TAB to learn how to reduce, reuse and recycle.  Go zero waste.
• October -- Take the T, walk or  ride your bike.  Discover car sharing and if you drive, turn off your engine when idling. As temps drop, top up tire pressure.
• November -- Stop unwanted catalogs and phone books with www.catalogchoice.org.
• December -- Turn your thermostat down at least 2° and even more at night and while out.
  
  

Some facts about Brookline:

Brookline was named a Massachusetts Green Community in 2011—one of over 100 in the state that meet five clean energy benchmarks—which enables the town to apply for grant funding for energy efficiency projects.  

Brookline has a Climate Action Plan.  Interested in seeing it, commenting on it or working to make it happen?   You can download a hardcopy of the plan by visiting the town's web site.

Climate Action Brookline has over 100 climate partners—a network of businesses, town groups, neighborhood associations, non-profits, schools, faith groups. 

Mass Save: Join Your Neighbors in Saving Energy and Money

Mass Save® is an initiative sponsored by Massachusetts’ natural gas and electric utilities and energy efficiency service providers.  They work closely to provide a wide range of energy efficiency services to help residents and businesses manage energy use and related costs.

Go to: www.masssave.com

Read about the value of home energy efficiency 

There are many reasons to get a home energy asessment and follow up with air sealing and insulation. Rebates from the MassSave program are available to cover some of the work.

You can also learn about the Energy Star program, including energy efficient products and applicances, windows and water heaters, and available rebates.

Other Resources:

If you'd like to read more about air sealing or find other resources, click here.

You Can Cut Household Carbon by 20% with Electricity from Renewable Sources

Your choice, your impact.  

Brookline Green Electricity (BGE) is a municipal aggregation program operated by the Town of Brookline. With BGE, Eversource continues to deliver electricity and manage all electricity billing. The only change is the source and cost of electricity supply, chosen by the Town of Brookline through a competitive bidding process.  

Ready to sign up now?  Click here.   To find out more, go to the town's Green Electricity website.

Why renewable energy? The Town is committed to increasing access to affordable renewable energy regardless of income level.  Renewable energy, like wind power, reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and your participation can help makes a difference. Something as ordinary as paying your electric bill can have an extraordinary impact on our community.

What Does the Community Say?

There are many things you can do to reduce carbon dioxide when you travel.

Replace Car Use with walking, biking or public transportation when you can. You can credit 1 pound of CO² reduction per 1 mile of walking or biking.  There are zero carbon emissions, it's good for your health, it saves money, and it may get you there faster than a car in rush hour traffic. See the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition for more tips.

Bike Sharing.  Brookline is part of the Hubway bike program.  Check it out.   It also has a new group "Biking Brookline" - you can contact them via email:  bikingbrookline@gmail.com

Electric Vehicles.  MassEnergy has a program called “Drive Green” that will provide a discount for purchasing or leasing an electric vehicle, including Nissan LEAF, Ford Fusion Energi, Ford C-Max Energi and Checy Volt. The program runs through February 28, 2017.  Visit massenergy.org/drivegreen for details.

Driving Smarter.  When you need to drive, these steps can help save CO₂:

• Drive more slowly.
• Combine car trips for shopping and errands.
• Carpool whenever possible.
• Turn off your car's engine if idling for more than 10 seconds.  Did you know it's the law in Massachusetts to turn off your engine if you idle for 5 minutes or longer (with some exceptions for "necessary" idling)?
• Rid your car of unnecessary pounds you are carrying.
• Have your car serviced regularly.
• Inflate your tires to the pressure that is printed on them.
• If you are in the market to buy a new car, consider a hybrid.

Car Sharing.  Zipcar, Enterprise Car Share and others offer ways to have a car only when you need it.

Flying.   If you need to fly, consider purchasing carbon offsets for the miles you will travel.