March 2025

March 06, 2025

Your latest local news on sustainability and climate change action
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IN THIS ISSUE

Four early signs of climate hope
Why climate advocacy matters: Watch the Super Bowl ad!
Planting trees in South Framingham
Spotlight: Miyawaki forests
New Mass Save plan focuses on equity, heat pumps
Framingham Community Electricity now live
Protecting Framingham’s small ponds
Geothermal expansion in limbo
Win a free rain barrel from the FHS Environmental Club
Opinion: Beware misleading solar claims
Upcoming events | In the news

Four early signs of climate hope

Credit: Richard Crook/Flickr

Are you eagerly awaiting spring? This cold weather and the chaos in our government are enough to get a person down in the dumps. Inspired by MassAudubon’s four early signs of spring, we offer four early signs of climate hope:

  • Solar carports blooming at Framingham State University

  • Bright green bins of compost set out at the curbside for pick-up

  • The quiet sounds of plug-in electric / hybrid vehicles around town (they number 1,557 just in Framingham alone – four times the number in 2021!)

  • $6.2 million in Mass Save incentives to Framingham residents in 2023 alone.

Super Bowl ad highlights why we do what we do: for the kids

Have you seen this ad that aired during the Super Bowl last month? Called “By the Time,” it’s the first climate ad from any nonprofit group on national TV. Created by Science Moms, a nonpartisan group of moms who are climate scientists, and the Potential Energy Coalition, the video shines a light on the devastating impact climate change will have on our kids.  Watch it on YouTube.

Planting trees in South Framingham

Come to Energize Framingham’s organizing meeting Saturday, March 22, 10-11 a.m. at the Framingham Main Library (49 Lexington Street). We’re gathering people interested in adding trees to “heat island” areas – those that lack sufficient tree cover – to discuss strategies, solutions, and next steps.

Potential partners and volunteers who are part of the South Framingham communities are encouraged to attend. Volunteers will also be needed to help map areas to prioritize for tree planting, reach out to residents, plant the trees, and provide other kinds of support.

Spotlight: Miyawaki forests

A Miyawaki forest nine months after planting. Credit: Berman Herish/Wikimedia Commons

A growing number of urban areas are planting Miyawaki forests – miniature forests (just 1,000 to 10,000 square feet) with a diverse mix of fast-growing native trees and shrubs. Planted in heat island areas where there is a bit of publicly-owned land available, Miyawaki forests provide cooling, absorb carbon, help absorb runoff, and can attract birds and pollinating insects. 

The city of Cambridge was an early adopter. More recently, a Miyawaki forest was planted in Watertown, and Worcester now has two: one in a paved lot, the other on part of the lawn of a public housing development.

Worcester’s Green Worcester Advisory Committee worked with the city manager to obtain a $400,000 MVP (Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness) grant. Other collaborators were the Parks Department, the city Department of Sustainability and Resilience, the BSC Group, and a nonprofit called Bio4Climate. Residents then turned out for community tree-planting events. Once the forests were planted, the city provided a little initial upkeep, and the forests then became self-sustaining. 

Learn more about the role of forests in combating climate change in this recording from MetroWest Climate Solutions.

New Mass Save plan focuses on equity, heat pumps

On Feb. 28, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) approved a new three-year Mass Save plan for 2025-2027. Created by state legislation, Mass Save helps residents and businesses invest in cost-saving energy efficiency projects, like insulation and even electric lawn equipment. These investments typically save homeowners money — and also help everyone using electricity avoid paying to build additional new power plants. 

Mass Save’s budget had been proposed to increase from $4 billion to $5 billion, but the DPU pared this back to $4.5 billion to reduce the financial burden on ratepayers, whose heating bills skyrocketed this winter. (Mass Save is funded through energy efficiency surcharges on gas and electric bills; see In the News.) The original $5 billion budget was projected to bring over $13 billion in statewide benefits from reduced electricity costs, avoided investments in power plants, and avoided costs of greenhouse gas emissions.

The new Mass Save plan puts more emphasis on supporting purchases of heat pumps. It also has an increased focus on equity, directing programs toward environmental justice areas that tend to feel greater climate impacts. Framingham is one of 21 designated equity communities that will receive enhanced Mass Save offerings for renters and low- or moderate-income residents. Other new initiatives will make it easier for people to access Mass Save offerings, including a statewide call center with multilingual staff.

You can read the DPU’s full order here (jump to page 12 for the Executive Summary).

City’s electricity purchasing plan is live; will show up on your April bill

Framingham Community Electricity, the city’s new aggregation program that purchases electricity in bulk on behalf of residents and businesses, is live as of March 1. Unless you decided to opt out, the change will be reflected on your April Eversource bill, which will list your electricity supplier as First Point Power (“First Point-FraminghamCommunityElec”). 

You can still opt out at any time by filling out this form and go back to Eversource’s Basic Service for the next billing cycle. You can use the same form to change your program option. If you do nothing, the default option is Framingham Standard Green, which provides 35 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. There is no penalty or fee for opting out or changing your plan.

At the March 3 meeting of the City Council Subcommittee on Environment and Sustainability, Sustainability Coordinator Shawn Luz estimated that about 5 percent of households sent mailers about Framingham Community Electricity opted out of the program. About 70 households chose to spend a bit more for the Framingham Green Plus option, which provides 100 percent of electricity from renewable sources. Another 700 households chose the Framingham Basic plan, which gets 27 percent of its electricity from renewable sources as does Eversource’s Basic Service, but costs slightly less.

More details about Framingham Community Electricity in our February newsletter.

BRIEFS

Protecting Framingham’s small ponds

Credit: John Phelan/Wikimedia Commons

Hearing residents’ concerns, City Councilor Leora Mallach has proposed regulations to prohibit gasoline-powered motorboats on bodies of water under 75 acres, such as Learned Pond (34 acres). The proposed change will not affect Waushakum Pond (82 acres), Farm Pond (151 acres), or Lake Cochituate (625 acres). Here are the proposed amendments.

Currently Jet skis are prohibited on Learned Pond and motorboats are permitted only 150 feet from the shoreline. It’s a small area, dangerous, and the prohibition is difficult to enforce, Mallach says. Residents are encouraged to reach out to Councilor Mallach or other councilors with their opinions at any time and advocate for this change.

Geothermal project expansion in limbo

Framingham’s networked geothermal loop, now up and running with most locations connected, was set to have expanded to create a second loop under a $7.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to partner organization HEET. Although Framingham was selected for the project, the negotiation process is now stalled, apparently because there are doubts about whether the funds will actually be available, says Framingham Sustainability Coordinator Shawn Luz.

“In the worst case scenario, if we see a clawing back of Phase 2 funds, it wouldn’t jeopardize any existing work,” Luz notes. “But It would be a bummer. Everyone’s excited to see an expansion of this network.” As always, we will keep you posted.

Enter drawing for a free rain barrel

Credit: FHS Environmental Club

The Environmental Club of Framingham High School and the Rotary Club of Framingham announce a drawing to win a free painted rain barrel.

Students from FHS have painted 19 rain barrels with environmental themes. There will be a drawing on April 12 to choose the recipient (you must be on hand to pick up the barrel; location TBD). 

Rain barrels conserve water, reduce storm runoff into lakes and streams, and control moisture levels near your home foundation. Each of these 50-gallon barrels has a spigot and a flat back to put against your house and is made of 100 percent recycled plastic. Installation is not included, but instructions are provided.  Enter the drawing at this link.

OPINION

Beware misleading solar claims

By Leo Boudreau

In the past few months, we have seen plenty of misleading ads about residential solar. I have been selling solar since 2010 and I have never seen so many false statements.

  • “The Government is going to put solar on your roof for free.”

  • “Massachusetts will give you a $30,000 credit to put solar on your roof.”

Both ads are misleading and not true.

Other companies’ ads claim lower prices than their competitors.

  • “Our systems are cheaper than theirs because we use AI, and we don’t have commissioned salespeople.”

  • “We use the same tier-one equipment as they do.”

I decided to check them out.

I investigated three companies whose ads I often see on NextDoor and Facebook: My Solar, Project Solar, and Monalee. Since my roof already has solar, I used my neighbor’s house as a test site and created a separate email address.  

All three companies were quick to provide me with a quote. Here are a few ways these quotes can confuse and mislead the unwary customer:

  • Monalee compared their cash price after government tax incentives to “competitors’” prices before tax incentives.

  • Financing deals: Project Solar offered a 25-year loan  with a 3.99 percent interest rate, increasing the total cost (after the tax credit) from $12,917 to $28,500. Moreover, unless I surrendered the tax credit to the company, my monthly payments would be more than my present electric bills.

  • My Solar provided a relatively competitive price, but would only produce 75 percent of my total yearly electricity usage, while the other companies’ quotes would cover 100 percent or more. 

  • The companies talked about their 25-year warranties, but most panel manufacturers already have a 25-year warranty. These warranties are for the panels only and do not cover labor costs.

Other things to be wary of:

  • The three companies did offer a workmanship warranty to cover labor costs, lasting between 5 and 10 years. But this warranty is with the selling company, not the installer. If the selling company goes out of business, there goes your workmanship warranty. And, since all three companies have been in business for less than three years, there are no guarantees.

  • The companies I checked out have no installers of their own and rely on subs to install their systems.

  • In seven days, I received 12 emails requesting a “welcome call” from the sales department of one of the companies. Moreover, the email address I created for this exercise is now receiving a lot of junk emails, meaning one or more of these companies are already selling my information. These, to me, are red flags.

A few tips for choosing a solar company:

  • Get quotes from companies that have been in business for 10 years or more and have their own installers and electricians. They should not be using subcontractors.

  • Don't automatically believe what each salesperson is saying; they may be giving you the company line.

  • Look for panel manufacturers with a long history in the solar business, have deep pockets, and produce other products besides solar. Examples include Panasonic, REC, Q-Cell, and Jinko. Why is this important? If solar incentives go away, or newer products are introduced, these companies will survive and remain accountable.

  • In considering quotes, understand the pros and cons of string inverters versus microinverters. String inverters are the easiest and cheapest to install. One inverter runs the entire system; when it fails, your whole system is down and could take weeks to get repaired. Microinverters are smaller inverters that attach to each panel. When one fails, the remaining panels can still produce electricity while you await the repair.

Bottom line: Do your research! There is plenty of information online to help you make the right investment. To get started, check out this solar information on Energize Framingham’s website.

By the way, you may be wondering if the federal solar tax credits will still be available under the new administration. I feel they are safe for the 2025 tax year, but after that is uncertain.

Leo Boudreau has been selling solar energy systems since 2010, currently with NuWatt Energy in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. He can be reached at [email protected].

UPCOMING EVENTS

Check our Events page often for updates!

Fri., Mar. 7, 12:30-1:30 p.m.  ZeroCarbonMA presentation on the Opt-in Specialized Code
Interested in reducing carbon emissions from new construction? The Opt-in (“net zero”) Specialized Code, introduced in Massachusetts in 2022 to help reach the state’s climate goals, has since been adopted by 48 communities (though not yet Framingham). Register and see the list of panelists.

Tues., Mar. 18, 7-8 p.m: Webinar: Induction cooktops
Induction stoves heat faster than gas and are super efficient — plus, they’re safer. And with new rebates and tax credits, switching to induction is more affordable than ever. Co-sponsored by plugIN Metrowest.

Sat., Mar. 22, 10-11 a.m.: Planting trees in South Framingham: Organizing meeting
Costin Room, Framingham Main Library, 49 Lexington Street
Interested in adding trees to “heat island” areas? Come to this organizing meeting! Especially welcome are potential partners who can provide saplings, help plant trees, help map eligible streets to prioritize for tree planting, educate residents on caring for the trees, and provide other kinds of support. 

Mon., Apr. 7: Drawing for a free painted rain barrel
Students from FHS have painted 19 free 50-gallon rain barrels with environmental themes. Enter the drawing here. You must be available to pick up the rain barrel on April 12 (pickup location TBD).

Wed., Apr. 23, 7-8 p.m. Community Solar webinar
Save money on your electric bill! No roof needed! Co-sponsored by plugIN Metrowest.

Sat., Apr. 26, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Framingham Earth Day Festival and Science on State Street
The festival is 11-3 p.m. on the Framingham Centre Common; Science on State Street (12-3 p.m.) is at the McAuliffe Center, Framingham State University, O’Connor Parking lot. Earth Day rain date May 3.

Wed., Apr. 30, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Mass Energize Community Climate Leaders Annual Conference
Be inspired, learn from other's experiences, and hear about best practices for engaging the community in climate action. Registration fee $75 for Energize Framingham members, $35 for students and environmental justice community members. Details and registration form at the above link.

SAVE THE DATES! 

Tues., May 20: Heat pump webinar. Co-sponsored by plugIN Metrowest

Sat., May 31, 10 a.m.-noon: Tour Geothermal, Solar, EV Charging at the Cooler Communities Fair
Fuller Middle School, 31 Flagg Drive, Framingham
Step inside the Cooler Communities Fair to see inspiring climate projects by Framingham elementary and middle-school students. Then step outside to tour the solar panels, EV charging stations, and first-in-the-nation networked geothermal program. Energize Framingham and Framingham's Sustainability Coordinator Shawn Luz will share more about these projects and how they work. Questions welcome!

This fall! Climate forum for elected officials 
More to come; read our recap of the October 2023 Climate Forum.

IN THE NEWS

Massachusetts/Region

Regulators slash Mass Save energy efficiency plan to trim customers' utility bills (WCVB)
State regulators pare $500 million from Mass Save budget, in response to outcry over energy bills (Boston Globe) 
Timeline: How outrage over high bills brought Massachusetts policy change (WCVB)
Responding to consumer outrage over skyrocketing gas and electric bills, the Mass. Department of Public Utilities has curbed funding for the Mass Save expansion plan, a major driver of recent rate hikes. Rather than increasing from $4 billion to $5 billion, Mass Save will now have a $4.5 billion price tag. The trim means gas and electric customers will be getting money back — likely through reduced rates. 

With federal funding under threat, state leaders launch effort to boost climate tech (Boston Globe) 
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center unveiled its “roadmap” for strengthening the state’s position as a climate-tech leader. 

'You're looking over your shoulder." Inside New England’s EPA office amid Trump’s layoffs (Boston Globe)
EPA employees in New England said the new administration’s actions —  including layoffs, orders to abolish climate change policies, and attempts to block distribution of climate funding — have paralyzed agency work.

For Mass. environmental groups, federal funding is now 'a gamble' (WBUR)
Includes the Native Plant Trust who own Framingham’s own Garden in the Woods. 

What to know about the federal freeze on environmental grants in Mass. (WBUR) 
Seven grants from the U.S. EPA, worth over $168 million, have been suspended. A public database shows more than $371 million in frozen grant money to Massachusetts state agencies, cities and nonprofits. 

National/General interest

Analysis: As Trump slashes climate action, can states and cities pick up the slack? (Reuters)
The answer is mixed, but the U.S. Climate Alliance of 24 state governments has pledged to hold course. By one estimate, states and cities could together cut 54 to 62 percent of carbon emissions with stronger policies.

Hundreds fired at NOAA as federal cuts hit weather forecasters (Boston Globe) 
Francis Tarasiewicz had landed his dream job as a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Norton, Mass. Then an email arrived.

Americans may face greater direct costs from climate change (Boston Globe)
Getting rid of a measure called the “social cost of carbon” would upend energy and environmental regulations meant to address climate change. It could have the long-term effect of shifting costs from polluting industries directly onto Americans.

Biden’s EPA issued $20 billion in green grants. Now Trump’s administration wants that money back (Associated Press)
New EPA head Lee Zeldin said he will try to rescind $20 billion in grants for climate and clean energy projects and revoke contracts for a still-emerging “green bank” (the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund), set to fund tens of thousands of climate change and environmental justice projects. Clean energy advocates pledged to challenge this in court.

Trump funding freeze could leave communities on their own as climate threats grow (NPR)
Removing lead paint and pipes. Cleaning up contaminated land. Monitoring pollution. Making houses more energy efficient. Installing solar panels in low-income neighborhoods. Those are some of the projects cut off from federal funding approved earlier by Congress.

Trump Administration Moves to Fast-Track Hundreds of Fossil Fuel Projects (New York Times) 
Citing an energy “emergency,” the move could reduce opportunities for the public and local officials to weigh in on the effects of proposed projects.

Trump wants to halt the buildout of EV charging stations. Experts say it’s not so simple (PBS News) 
The administration may need an act of Congress for this, and it’s unclear there will be one. 

Why some EV buyers are getting their tax returns rejected this year (NPR)
Some customers who bought electric vehicles in 2024 are not able to access an EV tax credit now, because their dealers did not report the sale to the IRS using a new system.

$75 million was awarded to plant trees in places that badly need them. In anti-DEI push, that’s over (AP)
The U.S. Forest Service terminated a $75 million grant to the Arbor Day Foundation, which was working to plant trees in neighborhoods that might not otherwise be able to afford them. 

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