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| Master Plan Update Committee & Sustainability Subcmte Meetings Apr 16 & Apr 17 |
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| Master Plan Update Cmte: Sustainability Subcommittee Agenda for April 16, 2024 |
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| Master Plan Subcommittee meetings scheduled for April 1 & April 2 |
Come meet with the Sustainability and Land Use Subcommittees on March 2nd! From 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM.
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| Land Use Master Plan Subcmte |
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| Sustainability Master Plan Subcmte |
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| 2 Master Plan subcommittees meet before the full Committee meets on Wednesday |
Those of us who have been meeting in Franklin have enjoyed the chance to come together. Join us!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81930304274?pwd=Tm9VdGxYcDFaVTVDUkwyT3YvUnlFdz09
Meeting ID: 819 3030 4274 Passcode: 350ma
Dial-in +1 646 876 9923
ATTENTION Franklin residents! In addition to our regular agenda, we will hear about and discuss sustainability plans for the Town of Franklin. We will be joined in-person by Gino Carlucci, chair of the Sustainability Subcommittee of the Franklin Master Plan Update Committee, from 7:15-7:35. It will be primarily an introductory discussion to one or more public meetings scheduled over the next 2-3 months, at which everyone interested will have the opportunity to provide input to the master plan in general as well as the sustainability elements in particular. We look forward to our discussion with Gino.
The remainder of the Node meeting will focus on the two major 350 Mass campaigns: Emissions Free Buildings and Make Polluters Pay. Read about them here.
The Emissions Free Buildings (EFB) campaign works at municipal and statewide levels to replace building systems with proven renewable energy technologies to make our buildings and homes emissions free, in alignment with the Commonwealth's emission goals.
Along with statewide legislation, the 350 Mass EFB campaign promotes local action to accelerate the transition with five Local Projects that can be undertaken by single communities. We'll discuss the choices for towns within the node:
Here is your opportunity to promote climate action in your town and get guidance to make that happen! The Greater Franklin Node encompasses 20 towns. We want to identify potential Local Projects for towns. Which projects make sense for your town? Who are the key players? How to engage local citizens? This is your chance to make a difference in 2024 and take on the challenges that we face in climate and energy. Join us!
Please sign up for the Climate Weekly email.
Check out upcoming events on our website.
Please try to join us for Thursday's meeting. We will maintain our schedule of meetings on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month.
Note: We typically will hold a hybrid meeting on the 1st Thursday and a Zoom-only meeting on the 3rd Thursday, but this week's meeting is a hybrid event so we can welcome Gino Carlucci and residents of Franklin for an in-person discussion.
If you have questions or items for the agenda, you can contact the Node coordinators, carolyncbarthel@gmail.com and/or ralph.halpern@comcast.net. We will send a reminder on Thursday.
Thank you.
Node Co-coordinators,
Carolyn Barthel
Ralph Halpern
Ralph Halpern
ralph.halpern@comcast.net
781-784-3839 (h)
339-203-5017
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| Sustainability Subcommittee schedules their meeting at the Winter Farmers Market - Dec 16 |
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| Master Plan Update Committee & Subcommittee meetings 9/18 to 9/27 |
a. Goals and Policiesb. Review progress since 2013c. Begin to organize potential goals and policies
i. Mitigation and resiliencyii. Sustainability element and other elements
a. Topics not addressed in 2013b. Data gathering needsc. Upcoming meetings
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| Master Plan Update: Sustainability Subcommittee Meeting - Sep 18 at 7 PM |
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| Master Plan Housing, Sustainability, & full committee agendas |
"It’s strong, plentiful and fireproof, as well as beautiful, yet stone has long been supplanted in the building industry by energy-consuming steel, concrete and brick. A trio of advocates for this age-old material say it’s time for a rethinkImagine a building material that is beautiful, strong, plentiful, durable and fireproof, whose use requires low levels of energy and low emissions of greenhouse gases. It is one of the most ancient known to humanity, the stuff of dolmens and temples and cathedrals and Cotswolds cottages, but also one whose sustainability makes it well-suited to the future. Such a material, according to a growing body of opinion in the world of construction, is among us. It’s called stone.Last week I sat in the roof garden of a hefty pile of masonry in central London, talking to three advocates of this magnificent substance: engineer Steve Webb, Pierre Bidaud of the Rutland-based Stonemasonry Company and architect Amin Taha. My initial request, driven by a journalistic preference for highlighting individuals, had been to meet Taha alone, but he pointed out that their work is a collaboration of different disciplines. The building on top of which we met is their joint creation: the six-storey, five-year-old Clerkenwell block where Taha has his office and his home."
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| Everyday luxury: affordable housing near Palma, Mallorca, built by Balearic social housing institute Ibavi, constructed from load‑bearing stone quarried locally. Photograph: José Hevia |
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| Going forward from FY 2024, what is sustainable? (audio) |
"We're doing our part here locally, and we're here really to call on the Federal Government to join us" regarding offshore wind.
- @CobiFrongillo, Councilmember Franklin, Massachusetts
Please watch the entire press conference on this YouTube link: https://t.co/VyMqDi0yj3
"We're doing our part here locally, and we're here really to call on the Federal Government to join us" regarding offshore wind.
— Elected Officials to Protect America (@EOPAmerica) October 14, 2022
- @CobiFrongillo, Councilmember Franklin, Massachusetts
Please watch the entire press conference on this YouTube link: https://t.co/VyMqDi0yj3 pic.twitter.com/dmCRCp3Qv2
In a classic 'bury the headline' move in front of a long weekend, the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) allowed ISO-New England to further delay moves to reduce dependence upon fossil fuels. The news was released at "10:17 PM · May 27, 2022·via Twitter Web App".
"Tonight, @FERC voted to permanently end the use of the #MOPR as a tool to stymie state policies in @ISONewEngland .
While I would have preferred this happen immediately, I voted to approve the filing with the 2 year transition.
Full statement here:"
Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/RichGlickFERC/status/1530372578929529185
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| https://www.ferc.gov/ |
"We’ve just released the @iea 10-Point Plan on actions advanced economies can adopt to cut oil demand by 2.7 million barrels a day. This would be a big saving - it's the same amount of oil currently consumed by all of the cars in China."
IEA => International Energy Agency "Shaping a secure & sustainable energy future. We provide data, analysis & ambitious real-world solutions on all fuels & technologies. "
The full press release behind this infographic -> https://www.iea.org/news/emergency-measures-can-quickly-cut-global-oil-demand-by-2-7-million-barrels-a-day-reducing-the-risk-of-a-damaging-supply-crunch
The full report with additional explanation and charts -> https://www.iea.org/reports/a-10-point-plan-to-cut-oil-use
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| 10-Point Plan to Cut Oil Use |
FM #661 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 661 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares the Strong Towns Town Hall event with Congressman Jake Auchincloss, State Rep Jeff Roy, Franklin Town Councilor Cobi Frongillo, and Charles Marohn from Strong Towns.
The event was held at THE BLACK BOX and broadcast via Franklin TV and Zoom.
After a round of opening remarks, there is a question and answer period with audience participation. Each question asker identifies themselves so you should be able to follow along.
The recording runs about 1 hour and 14 minutes, so let’s listen to the Strong Towns Event on Nov 15, 2021. Audio file -> https://player.captivate.fm/episode/9af1799e-c16d-4b73-8329-74515b343b2f
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My notes from the session
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/11/recap-strong-towns-event-fostering.html
More about Strong Towns can be found online -> https://www.strongtowns.org/
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like something here, please let me know
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
Via Cobi Frongillo:
"Some thoughts on this Earth Day to get our brain's turning on opportunities for local advocacy..."
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| What's currently being done? |
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| Possible next steps |
"... at the end of the day, everything we design and produce in the economy or buy as consumers is done so for function. We want something, therefore we buy it. So breaking things back down and delivering smartly, elegantly, sophisticated solutions that take into consideration the entire system and the entire life of the thing, everything, all the way back to the extraction through to the end of life, we can start to actually find really innovative solutions."
Recently the U.S. joined the U.N. in launching programs to combat food waste. Fortunately, right here in Arlington we already have a great model for doing just that. Our guest on this edition of the Climate Hawk Companion is DeAnne Dupont, has been walking the talk, and was instrumental in establishing the Minuteman Food Recovery Project as a collaboration between the Minuteman High School Parent’s Association and Sustainable Arlington.
The project collects from Panera Breads, Trader Joe’s and other local businesses in the Arlington, Massachusetts area and distributes it to people who need this food. This makes for a better community and fewer greenhouse gases. Listen to the podcast to catch up on how it all works.
The United Regional Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a seminar entitled Business Sustainability for the Real World: Bringing Economic Wellbeing to Our Business Community on Sept. 14.
Learn ways to increase your market share, opportunities that sustainability can bring you, how it can help reduce operating costs, and much more.
The event will be held at Living Waters Conference Center, 15 John L. Dietsch Blvd., North Attleborough from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The registration cost is $25. The price includes lunch. Call the Chamber at 508-222-0801 to reserve your place.
