Carbon Free Boston: Social equity report 2019

OVERVIEW: In January 2019, the Boston Green Ribbon Commission released its Carbon Free Boston: Summary Report, identifying potential options for the City of Boston to meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The report found that reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 requires three mutually-reinforcing strategies in key sectors: 1) deepen energy efficiency while reducing energy demand, 2) electrify activity to the fullest practical extent, and 3) use fuels and electricity that are 100 percent free of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The Summary Report detailed the ways in which these technical strategies will transform Boston’s physical infrastructure, including its buildings, energy supply, transportation, and waste management systems. The Summary Report also highlighted that it is how these strategies are designed and implemented that matter most in ensuring an effective and equitable transition to carbon neutrality. Equity concerns exist for every option the City has to reduce GHG emissions. The services provided by each sector are not experienced equally across Boston’s communities. Low-income families and families of color are more likely to live in residences that are in poor physical condition, leading to high utility bills, unsafe and unhealthy indoor environments, and high GHG emissions.1 Those same families face greater exposure to harmful outdoor air pollution compared to others. The access and reliability of public transportation is disproportionately worse in neighborhoods with large populations of people of color, and large swaths of vulnerable neighborhoods, from East Boston to Mattapan, do not have ready access to the city’s bike network. Income inequality is a growing national issue and is particularly acute in Boston, which consistently ranks among the highest US cities in regards to income disparities. With the release of Imagine Boston 2030, Mayor Walsh committed to make Boston more equitable, affordable, connected, and resilient. The Summary Report outlined the broad strokes of how action to reach carbon neutrality intersects with equity. A just transition to carbon neutrality improves environmental quality for all Bostonians, prioritizes socially vulnerable populations, seeks to redress current and past injustice, and creates economic and social opportunities for all. This Carbon Free Boston: Social Equity Report provides a deeper equity context for Carbon Free Boston as a whole, and for each strategy area, by demonstrating how inequitable and unjust the playing field is for socially vulnerable Bostonians and why equity must be integrated into policy design and implementation. This report summarizes the current landscape of climate action work for each strategy area and evaluates how it currently impacts inequity. Finally, this report provides guidance to the City and partners on how to do better; it lays out the attributes of an equitable approach to carbon neutrality, framed around three guiding principles: 1) plan carefully to avoid unintended consequences, 2) be intentional in design through a clear equity lens, and 3) practice inclusivity from start to finish

Solar+Storage for Low-and Moderate-Income Communities: A Guide for States and Municipalities

The Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) has produced a new report for states and municipalities on solar+storage for low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities. The report explains how solar+storage can benefit LMI residents and describes a variety of policy tools for doing so, including grants, rebates, utility procurement standards, financing support, opening markets, and soft cost reduction

Carbon Free Boston: Buildings Technical Report

Part of a series of reports that includes: Carbon Free Boston: Summary Report; Carbon Free Boston: Social Equity Report; Carbon Free Boston: Technical Summary; Carbon Free Boston: Transportation Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Waste Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Energy Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Offsets Technical Report; Available at http://sites.bu.edu/cfb/OVERVIEW: Boston is known for its historic iconic buildings, from the Paul Revere House in the North End, to City Hall in Government Center, to the Old South Meeting House in Downtown Crossing, to the African Meeting House on Beacon Hill, to 200 Clarendon (the Hancock Tower) in Back Bay, to Abbotsford in Roxbury. In total, there are over 86,000 buildings that comprise more than 647 million square feet of area. Most of these buildings will still be in use in 2050. Floorspace (square footage) is almost evenly split between residential and non-residential uses, but residential buildings account for nearly 80,000 (93 percent) of the 86,000 buildings. Boston’s buildings are used for a diverse range of activities that include homes, offices, hospitals, factories, laboratories, schools, public service, retail, hotels, restaurants, and convention space. Building type strongly influences energy use; for example, restaurants, hospitals, and laboratories have high energy demands compared to other commercial uses. Boston’s building stock is characterized by thousands of turn-of-the-20th century homes and a postWorld War II building boom that expanded both residential buildings and commercial space. Boston is in the midst of another boom in building construction that is transforming neighborhoods across the city. [TRUNCATED]Published versio

NeighborWorks Green Organizations: 2012 Designee Profiles

The NeighborWorks Green Organization designation recognizes NeighborWorks network members who incorporate healthy and sustainable principles into every facet of their operations and throughout their lines of business. NeighborWorks announced the first group of designees in December 2012 and will be granting new designations annually. NeighborWorks' goal is, by 2016, to have two-thirds of its over 235 network members achieve the NeighborWorks Green Organization Designation, transforming the work of the network in support of creating and sustaining a Network of Excellence.See Profiles of the first 16 NeighborWorks Green Organizations announced in December 2012

Policy & Privilege in Photovoltaics: a Community Level Analysis In San Diego County

This research investigates the demographic and local government permit characteristics of communities with high levels of solar adoption in the San Diego Region. Utilizing a statistical model, this research illustrates which communities have been able to benefit from the current solar incentive programs in a robust market with an abundant solar resource. In San Diego, zip codes with large proportions of people over 65 have the highest correlation with high levels of residential solar adoption. This potentially illustrates that the life changes associated with retiring, including accumulated wealth, stable homeownership, and a fixed income, make residential solar systems accessible and appealing. Moving forward solar policy should expand to better facilitate installations for renters, sharing between neighbors, and clear pathways to retrofit older homes

Carbon Free Boston: Social Equity Report 2019

This Carbon Free Boston: Social Equity Report provides a deeper equity context for Carbon Free Boston as a whole, and for each strategy area, by demonstrating how inequitable and unjust the playing field is for socially vulnerable Bostonians and why equity must be integrated into policy design and implementation. This report summarizes the current landscape of climate action work for each strategy area and evaluates how it currently impacts inequity. Finally, this report provides guidance to the City and partners on how to do better; it lays out the attributes of an equitable approach to carbon-neutrality, framed around three guiding principles:1) plan carefully to avoid unintended consequences2) be intentional in design through a clear equity lens3) practice inclusivity from start to finish

Community Green: Sustainable Energy for Affordable Housing

In view of the increasing concerns for escalating energy costs, healthier living, and environmental degradation, sustainable building initiatives are being pursued with both public and private support, although with significant misperceptions. The purpose of this study is to identify homeowner perceptions of renewable energy sources and to identify the causes of apprehension towards using renewable energy technology in affordable housing. The methodology of this study uses a non-experimental, descriptive designed, random survey. Findings indicate significantly high initial costs for green building technology, such as solar panels, and serve as the primary reason for apprehension toward installing renewable energy systems in homes. However, survey results indicate high preference by homeowners for grants and incentives for green investments. Research limitations include a low sample size and delimitations of a small survey distribution area. The void of perspective research on green affordable housing influenced the author to conduct this study with the intention to bring additional clarity to the subject. The researcher recommends continued support of public incentives for green energy education and technology especially by soliciting the involvement of nonprofit organizations. Cost effective housing, improved health conditions, and environmental awareness are survival points afforded by a transformation of rethinking towards green, sustainable living

Shining examples of cost-effective energy and carbon emissions optimization in building renovation (Annex 56)

"Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme, March 2017"This brochure is a selection of successful realised demonstration projects within IEA EBC Annex56 partner countries that highlights successful solutions and provides general findings, similarities and differences emerging out of the demonstration projects selected in the participating countries. The ?ShiningExamples? are gathered mainly for motivation and stimulation purposes, highlighting the advantages of aiming at far reaching energy and carbon emissions reductions, being still cost effective. The focus is to highlight advantages and innovative (but feasible) solutions and strategies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Unifying Sustainbility And Affordability Through Planning And Policy: Solar Energy Systems As An Element Of Green Affordable Housing In Ontario

The purpose of this major research paper is to examine how existing policies and programs in socio-political contexts comparable to Ontario's make the inclusion of solar energy technology with affordable housing possible. The paper begins with the investigation of Ontario's housing and energy systems. Following this assessment is the analysis of existing policy and programs in the United Kingdom and California that facilitate the integration of solar energy technology with affordable housing. The programs discussed in these regions are compared to past, present and future energy efficiency initiatives in Ontario in order to identify which aspects of them can be adopted to facilitate the creation of solar-equipped green affordable housing in the province. The concluding chapter discusses recommended planning and policy actions to be taken at the municipal and provincial level that will incite the creation of solar-equipped green affordable housing in Ontario. The paper highlights the environmental, social and economic benefits of developing domestic solar energy systems as a decarbonization strategy. Together, these benefits act as an endorsement of a potential reality in Ontario in which affordable housing and sustainable housing become synonymous concepts in the age of climate change mitigation