Green Communities list grows to 136 cities, towns

On Dec. 3, the Commonwealth named 13 new Green Communities, bringing the total to 136.

The newly designated municipalities are Ashburnham, Belmont, Dalton, Dudley, Everett, Goshen, Halifax, Lanesborough, Millville, Pembroke, Upton, Warwick and Wellfleet. The communities were awarded designation grants totaling more than $2 million to support clean energy projects.

The state also announced that seven Green Communities – Arlington, Belchertown, Cambridge, Natick, Palmer, Springfield and Sutton – have achieved a 20 percent reduction in municipal energy use.

According to a statement released by the Governor’s office, more than 500 Green Community projects have been completed since the program began, saving communities nearly $4 million per year in energy costs.

“I’ve seen firsthand the enthusiasm and commitment these communities bring to their clean energy projects and initiatives in order save taxpayer dollars and lead by example,” said Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Meg Lusardi in the statement.

More than half of all Massachusetts residents now live in a Green Community.

For more information, visit www.mass.gov/eea/energy-utilities-clean-tech/green-communities.