Easton Receives 'Green Community' Award

The Massachusetts Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs awarded Easton with a "Green Communities" award Thursday for its work to improve the environment.

"It's been an incredible amount of work," Board of Selectmen Chair Colleen Corona said. "I'd like to thank all the committee on that work - particularly [DPW GIS Specialist] Adrienne Edwards."

The state's Director of Green Communities Division Meg Lusardi said Edwards was instrumental in Easton's application process, which won Easton a grant for $168,300.

To receive the designation Easton had to meet five benchmarks. Steps included:

• Adopting local zoning bylaw or oridnance that allows "as-of-right siting" for renewable and/or alternative energy R&D facilities, manufacturing facilities or generation units.
• Adopting an expedited permitting process related to the as-of-right facilities.
• Establishing a municipal energy use baseline and a program to reduce use by 20 percent within five years
• Purchasing only fuel-efficient vehicles for municipal use, whenever such vehicles are commercially available and practicable
• Requiring all new residential construction over 3,000 square feet and all new commercial and industruial real estate construction to reduce lifecycle energy costs

Easton, along with Scituate (which was also honored Thursay) became the 52nd and 53rd green communities in Massachusetts.

"It is staggering how many communities in the Commonwealth took the initiative," said Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Mark Sylvia.

Easton will use the grant money to fund a new energy efficient boiler at , high efficiency light replacements in the school parking lots, and a high efficiency light replacements in ' gymnasium.

Easton is on track to save 27 percent of its municipal energy over five years - equal to 200 households, Lusardi said.

"That's very, very impressive," she said.