Our Projects

Intro

Residents and businesses generate virtually all of Brookline’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with official Town government offices and services contributing only 3%. If we want to have a meaningful Climate Action Plan, it is imperative that everyone who lives or works in Brookline has a stake in the process and commits to a meaningful response. 

CAB is looking forward to playing a leading role in an extensive community engagement process, as we all work together to compile our Climate Action Plan Update. Let’s get started!

Electrify Brookline

Electrify Brookline is a town-wide, neighborhood-based campaign to help Brookline residents transition our buildings and our vehicles from burning fossil fuels to clean, renewable electric alternatives. It is a collaboration between the Town of Brookline’s Zero Emissions Advisory Board (ZEAB), Brookline Mothers Out Front (MOF) and Climate Action Brookline (CAB).

Our goal is to provide clear information to guide the community on the path toward electrification. We’ve developed a series of How-To Guides on topics such as induction cooking and heat pumps for heating and cooling. These simple, clear explanations for Brookline renters, landlords, condo and homeowners can help you get started. And each Guide includes stories of how your neighbors have made these changes.  

There are other resources as well. Our Financial Incentives guide provides a summary of all the state and federal rebates and tax credits available for electrifying your home. And our Green Contractors list includes service providers your neighbors have used to install heat pumps, solar panels, EV chargers, electric upgrades and more.

You’ll find it all on the electrifybrookline.org website

Public EV Charging 

Many Brookline residents who have invested in replacing their gas-powered car or truck with an electric vehicle (EV), can install an outlet or EV charger in their garage or driveway. Incentives are available to help reduce the cost, and as a result owning an EV can be very easy and cost-effective. 

However, residents who live in multi-family buildings may not be able to arrange for EV charging. As a result, the Town’s Transportation Division has taken the lead in the planning and build out of publicly accessible charging stations across Brookline. They provide a map of existing public charging stations on the Town’s website; and include information on the costs involved as well as future plans for additional sites.  

CAB members and other residents are working with the Transportation Division to further support availability and use of public chargers. They are proposing expanded use of existing chargers (including overnight charging), suggesting locations for additional chargers, and helping to identify potential new suppliers. 

The goal is to support Brookline’s 2040 Zero Emissions goals by providing easily available vehicle charging options for all Brookline residents, whether renters or owners.

Micromobility as a Climate Solution

For trips that do not require a car and where walking or public transportation are inconvenient, the use of small wheeled conveyances that are not gas-powered solves multiple problems.  These micromobility options include bicycles, e-bikes, e-scooters, mobility scooters, and more. 

In addition to greatly reducing the GHG emissions of any particular trip, micromodes help relieve road congestion, provide an inexpensive way for low income people (and everyone!) to commute to school or work, and promote good health when muscle powered.

For several years, Brookline has been working on implementing a rigorous Complete Streets program, which focuses on making our roads completely safe for all users, especially vulnerable ones such as pedestrians, children, the elderly, the disabled, and cyclists.  Brookline is just beginning a Vision Zero planning process, where motor vehicles cause zero deaths or serious injuries. So far, these efforts have focused primarily, and appropriately, on road safety.

Building on our Complete Streets and Vision Zero initiatives, CAB is leading a campaign to emphasize micromobility as a major potential climate solution. The CAB board has approved a statement advocating for protected bike lanes as part of the Washington Street Complete Streets project.

Brookline Renters’ Project

CAB, working together with Brookline Mothers Out Front and the Town’s Zero Emissions Advisory Board, has received a grant from the Mass Save Community Education program to reach out to Brookline renters with information and guidance about how renters can benefit from Mass Save offerings, as well as individual actions they can take to make their homes more comfortable, healthy and lower cost. The project began in February 2024 and will continue throughout the year.  

Through surveys and in-person meetings, we hope to learn what renters already know about climate change, energy efficiency and Mass Save; share what Mass Save has to offer; understand the barriers that make it difficult to take steps towards energy efficiency; and how Mass Save could improve. 

Stayed tuned for the final report which is targeted for December 2024.
Want to know more or become a participant? Check out the Brookline Renters Project website. You’ll find a link to the survey, as well as information on resources.