Beverly Named State Environmental 'Leading by Example' Award Winner

BEVERLY, MA — A commitment to solar energy, residential and business energy conservation initiatives and participation in a comprehensive regional plan to combat the climate crisis contributed to Beverly being named a state "Leading By Example" award winner for 2022.

The Baker-Polito administration named Beverly as one of two communities across the state to be honored for decarbonization and clean energy efforts on Tuesday.

"I am proud of the significant contributions public sector leaders at the state and local level have made to Massachusetts' ambitious climate and clean energy goals," Gov. Charlie Baker said. "Today, we celebrated the achievements of these individuals and municipal and state entities who are on the ground doing hard work to combat climate change, lower energy use and costs and attain a clean energy future."

Beverly, designated as a state "Green Community" in 2011, was celebrated for a 33 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 2008. The city was credited with installing solar panels on municipal buildings in 2022 and the new energy-efficient police station heated and cooled by ground-source heat pumps.

Beverly was also recognized for its "Resilient Together" partnership with Salem, increasing business and residential energy assessments by more than 400 percent year over year, and for its energy conservation measures in municipal buildings and utilities.

"I am proud to represent the City of Beverly and am honored to congratulate it on receiving this prestigious award," State Sen. Joan B. Lovely (D-Salem). "Leading by example means making the conscious choice to create positive change in the world. For years, Mayor Mike Cahill, the City Council and residents have been doing just that.

"They continue to work together to reduce emissions and remedy their energy use, while also fostering positive working relationships with surrounding municipalities, including Salem. Beverly and all the cities and towns, organizations and individuals honored here today continue to remind us that to preserve and protect our climate and environment for future generations, we must make real, impactful changes now."

The Leading by Example Program is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and works with state agencies and public colleges and universities to advance clean energy and sustainable practices that reduce the environmental impacts of government operations.

Cities and towns across the Commonwealth receive similar support and grant funding through the Green Communities Division.

"State agencies, municipalities, and public higher education campuses have made significant progress in clean energy and decarbonization, which is due to the efforts of so many dedicated state and local officials across the Commonwealth," Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Beth Card said. "The Leading by Example Program serves as an important network for our state and local officials as they undertake clean energy projects from conception to development to implementation."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)