Worcester, Natick among those recognized for clean energy efforts

At the 13th annual Leading by Example Awards event at the State House on Dec. 10, the Baker-Polito administration recognized eight Massachusetts state agencies, public higher education institutions, municipalities and individuals for their leadership in promoting clean energy and sustainability initiatives.

Awardees were honored for policies and programs that advanced or brought about significant energy and emissions reductions, renewable energy installations, increased energy efficiency, waste minimization, sustainable transportation, and a host of initiatives that reduce environmental impacts associated with state and municipal operations and lower operating costs.

LBE Awards were presented to the Massachusetts Port Authority and the Department of Correction and in the state agency category, Berkshire Community College and UMass Lowell in the public higher education category, the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority and the city of Worcester in the municipal category, and Jillian Wilson-Martin of the town of Natick and Claudine Ellyin of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in the individual categories.

The city of Worcester, designated a Green Community in 2010, is receiving a recognition award for energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste minimization, and other sustainability efforts, including lighting retrofits at schools to reduce energy use by 67%, installation of 15 solar projects on municipal lands totaling 10.5 MW, an electricity aggregation program that will offset 29,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, launching the Blue Spaces Initiative to protect and promote public waterways, and more.

The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority is receiving a recognition award for the installation of solar arrays at the Hyannis Transportation Center and the Dennis Operations Center that will provide the equivalent of 94% of on-site electricity consumption, the installation of 22 electric vehicle charging ports, shifting its fleet to smaller vehicles to substantially reduce emissions, lighting retrofits to high-efficiency LEDs in buildings and parking lots, and more.

Wilson-Martin, sustainability coordinator for the town of Natick, is receiving an individual recognition award for a wide array of successful sustainability efforts, including taking a leadership role on more than 50 energy efficiency projects resulting in $300,000 in cost savings, the installation of 1.1 MW of solar on municipal property with another 600 kilowatts (kW) planned for fiscal 2021, the purchase of three municipal electric vehicles, the installation of three electric vehicle charging stations, and many more efforts to help the town meet its climate resiliency and clean energy goals.

The Leading by Example program is administered by the Department of Energy Resources and works collaboratively with state agencies and public colleges and universities to advance clean energy and sustainable practices that reduce the environmental impacts of government operations.

The awards were presented by DOER Commissioner Judith Judson and Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance Commissioner Carol Gladstone.