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Town Government & |
Committees: Energy Action Committee 2008 Annual Report Mission: To serve the residents of the Town of Hingham by establishing energy policies that will promote the efficient use of energy, increase awareness and that will reduce adverse environmental impact. Work Product: The Energy Action Committee, successor to the Energy Policy Committee, is developing an Energy Action Plan outlining strategies for both municipal and community-wide operations to reduce overall energy consumption. Work Agenda: Monthly meetings and periodic reporting to the Board of Selectmen to solicit feedback on suggested policies and structure. In early 2008, Hingham signed on as a member of ICLEI: Local Governments for Sustainability and became a member of their flagship project “Cities for Climate Protection” (CCP). ICLEI’s programs help communities assess and reduce climate changing emissions, and in doing so, help prioritize efforts at using less energy of all types: electricity, gasoline and diesel, natural gas and heating oil. And finding ways to reduce reliance on such fuels has direct and positive impact on the town’s energy budget. By signing on as a CCP, we committed to a 5 Milestone Process of assessing our energy consumption patterns community-wide: 1. Conduct a baseline emissions inventory and forecast In early Fall ’08, Hingham completed step 1, completing our emissions inventory. The results of the inventory show that fuel consumption (and attendant GHG emissions) from the municipal sector are miniscule (less than 4%) compared to residential and commercial activity. While our Plan will include strategies for lowering fuel consumption for municipal operations, a true and significant reduction in community-wide emissions can only be achieved by concerted and considered efforts on the part of our residents and businesses. Our next step is to set the reduction target so we can complete the Climate Action Plan. The Plan will include education and outreach initiatives which the committee anticipates will need experts in marketing and communications to help develop. Any interested individuals are welcome to contact us through energy@hingham-ma.com
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