Station 1: Strategy Prioritization – Buildings
Priority Stickers | Strategy Description |
| Advocate to exclude fossil fuel incentives from Mass Save. |
| Create new affordable housing and mixed-use development within 1/2 mile of public transit and near existing business centers and village districts. Ensure sustainable land use practices, access to green spaces, and improved infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians as part of these developments. Prioritize rehabilitation or reuse of existing buildings, where feasible. |
| Ensure adequate and accessible primary and secondary shelters for emergency and extreme weather events in all neighborhoods. |
| Advocate for a state Green Bank to that can support residents, business owners, and the Town make more energy efficient investments with affordable financing. |
| Adopt zoning changes to allow for broader and more multifamily housing choices and flexible approaches to achieve housing affordability, including smaller-scale units, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), and rehabilitation units. |
| Advocate for a net zero building code. |
| Create a program for deep energy retrofit of existing multi-unit developments (MUDs) and ensure affordability. |
| Provide financial and technical assistance for landlords, condo associations, and renters to improve their homes' energy efficiency. |
| Expand outreach programs and resources to work with Mass Save, the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, and similar initiatives to promote, provide technical assistance, and incentivize energy efficiency upgrades and switch to more energy efficient heating and cooling systems in existing homes and buildings. Prioritize outreach to homes currently served by oil and propane heat. |
| Adopt a net zero carbon standard for new municipal buildings and town-funded affordable housing. |
| Complete retro-commissioning and deep energy retrofits and maximize renewable energy use in all buildings owned by the Town of Acton and Acton-Boxborough Regional School District. |
| Ban fossil fuel use in new construction projects and major retrofits across Acton, with exceptions as appropriate. |
Station 2: Strategy Prioritization – Energy
Priority Stickers | Strategy Description |
| Advocate for greater clean energy investments at the state level. |
| Ban the use of incineration as an energy source in Acton Power Choice. |
| Support the development of state-wide or regional incentives to promote investments in renewable energy. |
| Create a program to track gas leaks and advocate to the utility for fixes for the most major or dangerous gas leaks. |
| Partner with solar developers to create community solar program options for Acton residents / provide participation pathways for low-income residents. |
| Enact a comprehensive solar policy for Acton that specifies priority locations for solar and allows solar by-right in certain areas. |
| Make clean energy the default option in Acton Power Choice, the Town-vetted electricity program for residents and businesses. Include a subsidy or other options to ensure affordability for lower-income households. |
| Maximize the installation of renewable energy and energy storage systems on city/ town property. This may include investigating the potential of microgrids. |
| Run a Solarize+ campaign to help residents procure solar, air source heat pumps, storage, and other clean energy technologies. Include an equity component in the program to encourage participation by renters and low-income households. |
| Identify opportunities to pilot the geothermal district and/or aggregated electrification model in Acton. |
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Station 1: Strategy Prioritization – Mobility
Priority Stickers | Strategy Description |
| Advocate to electrify MBTA and other public trains/transportation. |
| Advocate for community transit service needs, bus stop upgrades, bus rapid transit, and electrification of the regional transit system. |
| Work with local businesses to encourage public transportation use and co-funding. |
| Adopt EV-ready and/or installation requirements for new residential and commercial buildings. |
| Develop and implement a bicycle and pedestrian plan. Incorporate measures to expand and appropriately regulate deployment of micromobility options (e-bikes, scooters, bikeshare programs, etc.) to improve ridership; consider people with different abilities in these regulations. |
| Expand public EV charging infrastructure to fill charger gaps near major thruways and at key locations, including trailheads, garages, parking lots, and other facilities. Consider Level 1, 2, and 3 chargers as options. |
| Participate in regional discussions on transportation and increase coordination with neighboring towns; support the linkage of north and south commuter rail lines. |
| Create an incentive program to help provide increased access to EVs for low-income residents in Acton. |
| Implement an income tiered EV car sharing in partnership with community organizations and affordable housing developments. |
| Advocate for regulatory changes in utility electric rate structures that allow for more flexible electric vehicle charging rates that effectively match the energy grid demand and cost (i.e. lowering cost of charging when the grid demand is low and energy is cheaper) |
| Provide incentives to promote electric vehicle adoption with a focus on financing and purchase opportunities to make zero emission vehicles more affordable. |
| Partner with vehicle manufacturers, local dealerships, large employers and business districts to provide discounts on electric vehicles for residents and businesses. |
| Implement infrastructure to increase bicyclist safety and reduce reliance on automobile transportation. |
| Transition to all electric school buses and town vehicles. Adopt electric-first vehicle policy for municipal fleet to prioritize electric when the Town purchases or leases motor vehicles for its municipal operations. Includes piloting, evaluating, and, where feasible, acquiring electric vehicles for medium- and heavy-duty vehicle and equipment categories. |
Station 1: Strategy Prioritization – Nature-based Solutions
Priority Stickers | Strategy Description |
| Advocate for initiatives that increase waste diversion, such as advocacy for the statewide Extended Producer Responsibility policy. |
| Increase protection of existing open space and potential green spaces throughout town. Prioritize increasing equitable access to green space and water table recharging areas. |
| Adopt a no net loss policy for trees in the town. |
| Encourage CSA memberships for low-income residents and offer financial support. |
| Encourage farms and restaurants to donate extra food to food pantries or shelters. |
| Enhance tree care, awareness, and education. |
| Start a tree planting campaign in Acton to increase tree canopy, particularly in areas with lower canopy; consider disease and drought-resistant trees; identify a target, or specific percentage increase in canopy cover, based on community needs. |
| Conduct risk assessments to mitigate impacts from climate change including extreme heat, flooding, and storms through green infrastructure. |
| Expand community-wide swap shops to promote a culture of reusing Adopt a green code or green factor standard and set minimum requirements for compliance in each zone. |
| Adopt a green code to set minimum requirements for landscaping in new development. The green code allows for multiple compliance pathways and encourages the inclusion of native plants and different types of green infrastructure and zero-scaping (low-water landscaping) to meet a set standard. |
| Review and update bylaws and procedure to incorporate climate change considerations (for permitting, planning approvals, etc.). |
| Conduct a waste audit in Acton to understand the ecosystem of private hauling contracts to reduce waste, improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Investigate setting a standard for private waste haulers to electrify their vehicles. |
| Explore opportunities to promote and/or pilot projects with natural carbon sinks and sequestration solutions. |
Station 1: Strategy Prioritization – Education and Outreach
Priority Stickers | Strategy Description |
| Continue to encourage residents to learn about Scope 3 emissions (e.g., from consumption and air travel) and to voluntarily reduce those emissions as much as possible. |
| Provide resources and information for residents, organizations, and businesses that want to reduce their GHG emissions (e.g., information about solar, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and other clean energy technologies). |
| Engage schools in Acton, Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, and neighboring trade schools to encourage skills training in the clean energy sector. |
| Create an educational program for contractors active in Acton to provide updates on clean energy technologies; continue expanding list preferred vendor list to help residents identify qualified vendors. |