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- February 2025
February 2025
Climate optimism: Hope for the future
Your latest local news on sustainability and climate change action
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IN THIS ISSUE
Framingham Community Electricity: Choose your option this month!
Climate Optimism: Hope for the future
Watch: Climate featured on ‘The Frame’
FHS wins silver in international climate art competition
Briefs: New golf course, public works requests, get trained in heat pump coaching
Upcoming events | In the news
Framingham Community Electricity: Choose your option this month
You’ve likely gotten the city’s mailings by now about Framingham Community Electricity. This group electricity buying program for Framingham residents and businesses launches in March 2025 (you will see it on your April bill.)
Framingham Community Electricity is legitimate (you can tell because it has the City seal.) It will provide:
Cleaner electricity automatically – for a lower cost than the existing Eversource basic service
Three new electricity supply choices
Stable and consistent pricing
Above is a snapshot of your options. If you do nothing, you’ll be auto-enrolled in Framingham Standard Green and your Eversource bills will list your supplier as First Point Power (“First Point-FraminghamCommunityElec”).
The automatic opt-in is per state law – it increases enrollment to levels high enough to enable Framingham to negotiate stable rates. But it’s easy to change your option (click here) or opt out of the program entirely (click here). For all choices, prices are fixed until March 2027. They affect only your electricity supply charges, not delivery charges.
We encourage you to review these details on the Mass Power Choice website and this fact sheet. The city is holding a series of information sessions – see Upcoming Events below. You can also call this customer support number: 844-202-6226.
What would I spend, and what will be my climate impact with the different options?
Use this easy calculator to determine both your costs for each option and the impact on carbon emissions. At the top of the calculator, just plug in your monthly kilowatt hour (kWh) use, found on the first page, left-hand side of your Eversource bill.
For example, suppose you use 800 kWh in a given month:
What if I have a private electricity contract?
You won’t be automatically enrolled, but you can still join. You can request enrollment online or by contacting customer support.
What if I have solar panels?
No problem! We reached out to the program, and they said:
Framingham Community Electricity will not interfere with your net metering credits, and you don't need to take any action to continue receiving them. Participating in Framingham Community Electricity will change your electricity supplier and supply price, but it will not change Eversource as your electricity delivery utility. This means that Eversource will still be the one sending your electric bill, and Eversource will continue to calculate your net metering credits and apply those credits to your bill. In addition, there will be no change in the price at which those credits are calculated – their calculation is not connected to your supply price.
Where can I get help with my electricity bills?
Visit this City of Framingham webpage for more resources.
Climate optimism: Hope for the future
Energize Framingham member Maria George gave an inspiring and informative presentation on Climate Optimism January 11. Her data-rich presentation made a convincing case that there are things to celebrate around climate and still opportunities for citizens to make a difference.
“Bad news spreads faster and is more common,” she said. “Progress is slow, boring, and not newsworthy.”
George’s presentation contained some surprises. For example, worldwide carbon emissions peaked in 2007 and have been declining since (at least through 2022). Moreover, prior success stories show that action CAN make a difference:
Acid rain from sulfur dioxide air pollution was destroying forests and killing fish until scrubbers were added to smokestacks. Since the 1970s, sulfur dioxide pollution has fallen by 95 percent.
Chlorofluorocarbons were destroying the earth’s ozone layer until an international agreement in the 1980s phased them out, reducing the damage by 99 percent.
Deforestation in the Amazon has reached a nine-year low.
Just in 2024, wind and solar surpassed coal in the U.S. and fossil fuels in general in the U.K. as energy sources. It’s expected they will continue beating fossil fuels on cost going forward, even if policies of the Trump Administration slow down this trend.
In 2024, there were 50 percent more solar installations than in 2023.
Efforts by mayors, governors, business leaders, and others can help offset federal policies unfriendly to climate action.
George encouraged people to talk about climate with friends, neighbors, and others. Data indicate that only 7 percent of people are completely dismissive about climate concerns – but there are still opportunities to change the hearts of the 11 percent who are doubtful, 7 percent who are disengaged, and 20 percent who are cautious. (The remaining 54 percent are concerned or alarmed.)
“Being bombarded by terrible news can lead to ‘apocalypse fatigue,’” George noted. “Fear and guilt lead to avoidance and disengagement; they’re not motivating. Instead we should be sharing the good news.”
Watch the recording and see the slides. Stay tuned for a repeat of this talk at other venues in Framingham!
Watch! Climate featured on ‘The Frame’
Access Framingham’s local news show, The Frame, featured climate action in January. The 6 ½ minute segment is well worth watching!
After recapping the January Danforth Museum exhibition, DM Witman: Ecologies of Restoration, the segment also explored climate impacts in Framingham, such as flooding and excess heat, and mitigation efforts. Framingham’s tree warden, Rebecca Nau, discussed tree planting initiatives including the Setback Tree Planting Program (see our September issue), and Uri Lorimer, director of horticulture at Garden in the Woods, spoke to the value of planting native species. Energize Framingham’s Meghan Murphy and Aimee Powelka both have cameos.
“All of us could talk more about climate,” Powelka noted. “There doesn’t have to be politics around this. It’s just what you’re seeing and what you can do, and a lot of people need more information.”
Big shout-out to Lilja Cormack, video journalist at Access Framingham who produced, shot, and edited the segment. Watch
FHS wins silver in international climate art competition
Above: Eliza Rubel, then a senior at FHS and a former Energize Framingham intern, gives a tour of the Environmental Club’s art exhibit on climate change. Watch on YouTube.
Huge congratulations to the Framingham High School (FHS) Environmental Awareness Club and Visual Art Department for winning silver in the 2024 Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest for their multimedia project A Few Degrees More. Kudos also to FHS environmental teachers Rebecca Maynard and Emily Rathmell and art teacher Katie Lee Mansfield who won this year’s Bay State Education Innovation Award.
The Club’s immersive art project, focused on the effects of climate change, placed second in the interactive/multimedia category out of 5,200 entries from around the world.
Be sure to scroll down at the above link to view their spectacular gallery in full, hosted last March at Saxonville Mills.Through visual exhibits, projections, and sound, it highlighted four effects of climate change: flooding, invasive aquatic plants, decline of native bird species, and coral bleaching.
BRIEFS
New golf course will be a win, sort of
The Framingham Planning Board and Conservation Commission have approved a new 10-acre, nine-hole golf course for the Staples property at 225 Crossing Boulevard, within the “9/90” office park. The plot is almost completely wooded, so creation of the golf course would require cutting down many trees, not all of which will be replaced.
We’re relieved that the site is being developed into a grassy golf course (plus a parking lot and restaurant/clubhouse) rather than an industrial use. Some forested patches will be left in place within the course, and paved areas will use porous pavement.
The planned golf course site is outlined in blue on the above left-hand map; on the right, the red dotted line indicates the Bay Circuit Trail, a greenway corridor that extends through 34 towns in Eastern Massachusetts. It appears the trail will run roughly alongside the golf course, along the Roaring Brook. The developer, WedgLinks, told the Planning Board that it plans to maintain the trail but will relocate it slightly. (See the presentation, which starts at 2:00:57).
Clearing of the site is expected to begin in April or May. Energize Framingham and Friends of Framingham Trails plan to co-host a walk of this section of the Bay Circuit Trail this spring, as part of EF’s planned “Wild Framingham” walk series. Stay tuned for more details!
DPW budget requests: Mitigating Beaver Dam Brook flooding, preventing sewer overflows
At the January 28 City Council Finance Subcommittee meeting, the Department of Public Works (DPW) requested $360,000 to evaluate options for mitigating frequent flooding of the Beaver Dam Brook, which flows through South Framingham.
Among the DPW’s other requests was a $9.9M request for upgrades to the rapidly deteriorating Gates Street pump station – listed as far back as the 2017 Sewer Master Plan as needing improvements. There was already a sewage leak in 2020. Much of the request would go toward repairing a force main (pressurized sewer pipe) and relocating it out of a wetland.
Another urgent project, at $22.3M, would include replacing the 70-year-old force main from the Worcester Road Sewer Pump Station, which failed in the summer of 2024, leading to a large sewer system overflow. Background on both these sewer projects in our September 2024 newsletter (“Raw sewage leak befouls the Sudbury River”).
The Subcommittee did not take a vote on the DPW projects.
Heat pump coaching: Get trained!
The non-profit Heat Smart Alliance offers training for people who would like to help coach people interested in heat pumps. You can sign up at this link to get access to session recordings and support materials for self study, and/or be notified the next time the course is offered, likely in the fall. Interested but don’t want to study alone? Email us at [email protected] and we can connect you with others who are interested.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Framingham Community Electricity information sessions
This new program offers more stable electricity costs and more electricity from renewable sources (see article above).
Sun., Feb. 9, 1 p.m. (Portuguêse): Brazilian American Center (BRACE), 560 Waverly Street
Mon., Feb. 10, 2 p.m. (English): Callahan Center, Blais Room, 535 Union Ave
Thurs., Feb. 13, 7 p.m. (English): Framingham Public Library, Costin Room, 49 Lexington Street
Tues., Feb. 25, 3-7 p.m.: Drop-in office hours (English & Español): Memorial Building, Ablondi Room, 150 Concord Street)
Sun., Feb. 9, 2-5 p.m. Framingham Repair Cafe
Scott Hall at 24 Vernon St, Framingham
Get your items repaired and stop by Energize Framingham’s table!
Tues., Feb. 11, 7 p.m. Don't Throw It Away - Donate It!
Join MetroWest Climate Solutions for a free webinar on repurposing your discards. To register, visit metrowestclimatesolutions.org.
Tues., Feb. 11, 7-8:30 p.m. Conversation with MA Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer
Register for Zoom link.
Wed., Feb. 12, 7-8 p.m. Heat Pump Water Heater Webinar: Hot showers and cool savings!
Co-sponsored by plugIN (a collaboration of seven MetroWest towns) and Resilient Swampscott. Register at the link.
Sun., Feb. 23, 11:30 a.m.: Advocacy Training at Edwards UCC
Edwards Church, 39 Edwards Street, Framingham
Given current events, it’s easy to feel discouraged, but taking action on issues within a supportive community is energizing and empowering.This program is based on Sam Daley-Harris’ book, Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen’s Guide to Transformational Advocacy. All are welcome. If you don’t have time to read the book, you can watch this webinar where Daley-Harris discusses the book. Please RSVP to Ronda Yeomans ([email protected]) if you plan to attend.
SAVE THE DATES!
Sat., Mar. 22, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Energize Framingham trees event at Framingham Public Library. More details to follow!
Sat., Apr. 26: Framingham Earth Day Festival
IN THE NEWS
Framingham
A first-of-its kind project is tapping energy beneath the ground to heat and cool homes (CNN)
More on Framingham’s networked geothermal project. Eight states, including Massachusetts, have passed laws allowing public gas utilities to become “thermal utilities” — effectively allowing them to add geothermal systems in addition to gas.
Framingham High students, teachers honored for this climate-themed art exhibit (MetroWest Daily News)
(See story above, “FHS wins silver in international climate art competition.”)
ICYMI: Framingham Logan Express Site Upgrades Shift Service To Natick (Patch)
Once renovated, the new Logan Express station will have solar panels and EV charging stations, plus much more parking and more frequent service.
Massachusetts/Region
How Arctic air blasts freezing Boston might actually be connected to climate change (Boston Globe)
So-called polar vortexes may be happening more often due to climate change — specifically because of how rapidly the Arctic is warming, say some climatologists.
National Grid pulls plug on a geothermal pilot program in Lowell (CommonWealth Beacon)
The company cited higher-than-anticipated costs for the project, which would have brought geothermal energy to low-income customers and environmental justice communities in Lowell.
Country's first fully-underground electrical substation breaks ground in Cambridge (WBUR)
The substation, extending 105 feet underground, is designed to help meet the area's growing demand for electricity.
City of Boston Awarded a Grant from the EPA For $35 Million For 125 New Electric School Buses (Boston.gov)
Boston Public Schools is receiving $35 million to purchase 125 electric school buses. It’s unclear what will happen to this program under the Trump Administration.
Heat pumps are designed to operate when it’s still cold out. Really cold out. (Boston Globe)
Across the region, where thousands have already converted to heat pumps and millions more are expected to in coming decades, a plunge into sub-zero cold represented a critical first test of a kind of heat still considered new and unproven by many homeowners.
More heat pumps and help for renters: What's in the new Mass Save plan (WBUR)
Mass Save also will stop offering rebates for furnaces, boilers and other appliances that use fossil fuels like natural gas or oil, even if they’re highly efficient. Instead, Mass Save said it will focus on heat pumps, which use electricity to provide heating and cooling.
Electric vehicles in Massachusetts: How are we doing on our goals? (NBC Boston)
Policy shapers estimate Massachusetts needs 75,000 public charging stations to support its EV goals. So far, the state has about 8,800 fast chargers up and running, according to a recent climate report.
Should we limit expansion of natural gas infrastructure in Massachusetts? (CommonWealth Beacon)
This issue brief looks at arguments on both sides of this question.
Trump's pause on offshore wind leasing may have limited impact in New England (WBUR)
Vineyard Wind and , which will provide power to Massachusetts, are already operational or under construction, so may be unaffected.Those that still require some federal approvals, like Beacon Wind and a near Massachusetts, may be in limbo.
Vermont’s Climate Superfund Faces First Legal Challenge from Fossil Fuel Interests (Inside Climate News)
The American Petroleum Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have filed the first suit against the state’s landmark “polluters pay” legislation. The suit will likely take years to play out, but its arguments could affect how similar bills in other states proceed.
National/General interest
‘We Needed More Time’: As Biden Leaves Office, His Climate Legacy Remains Incomplete (Inside Climate News)
A good analysis of Biden’s accomplishments on climate. Some will outlast him, but the U.S. now produces more oil and gas than any other nation in history, erasing climate gains that otherwise would have been realized as wind and solar energy installations increased.
EPA cuts off IRA solar money already under contract (E&E News)
The EPA sent letters to recipients of a nationwide solar program, Solar for All, informing them that their grants had been paused until further notice. The program, part of the Inflation Reduction Act, is designed to finance community and rooftop solar in low-income communities. (Framingham’s Solar Para Todos won’t be affected because the money comes through the state, according to Mass Energize.)
E.V. Owners Don’t Pay Gas Taxes. So, Many States Are Charging Them Fees. (New York Times)
The fees are meant to cover road maintenance but there are concerns about punitive fees, and a federal tax could be coming.
24 U.S. States Commit to Paris Agreement Goals After Trump Exits Accord (ESG today)
The states are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, in addition to Guam and Puerto Rico.
Trump Environment Order Will Leave ‘Vulnerable Communities in the Shadows’ (Scientific American)
President Trump has revoked a 1994 directive that required agencies to protect minority or low-income areas from pollution and health hazards. Civil rights advocates and experts say this threatens the health of tens of millions of people in communities that have often been dumping grounds for pollution, waste sites, and heavy industry.
California just debunked a big myth about renewable energy (Grist)
The state went a record 98 of 116 days providing up to 10 hours of electricity with renewables alone, according to a study in the journal Renewable Energy.
Michael Bloomberg Will Help Fund UN Climate Body After Trump Withdraws From Paris Climate Agreement (Forbes)
Bloomberg Philanthropies, along with other U.S. climate funders, will “ensure the United States meets its global climate obligations,” including covering the funding gap left by the United States.
ABOUT US
Energize Framingham provides climate education, outreach, and advocacy to promote a healthy, equitable, and resilient community.
Have a tip for us? Email [email protected].
In case you missed it… Back issues!
Editors: Nancy Fliesler and Aimee Powelka
