Peabody Completes Long Road To 'Green' Community Status

PEABODY, MA — A long, meandering and occasionally contentious road to Peabody becoming a state-designated "green community" is now complete.

The city now joins 90 percent of the state's cities and towns in a commitment to reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions through clean energy and energy efficiency initiatives. Because of the designation, Peabody is also now eligible for an additional $271,530 in state grant funding.

"Climate change knows no boundaries," state Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper said. "It is going to take all of us to collectively decrease our carbon footprint, reduce energy use, and advance clean energy technologies. Massachusetts is a national leader in energy efficiency because we have forward-thinking municipalities taking climate action.

"The Green Communities program does a tremendous job fostering partnerships with our cities and towns that boost local economies and create healthier communities. I applaud Gosnold, Leyden, Newbury, and Peabody for making a commitment to advance clean energy solutions to deliver emissions-free, affordable, and equitable renewable energy to our residents and businesses."

Proposed projects for the new Green Communities include weatherization improvements in schools and municipal buildings, electric vehicles for town and school fleets, and renewable thermal technologies like air-source heat pumps.

Peabody's attempts to become a "green community" date back to at least 2011 when Chairman of Green Peabody Russ Eckel told the City Council's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Committee "If we don’t get on this bus we will be stuck in the 20th century forever."

At that time, 53 of the state's 351 cities and towns had achieved the designation.

Efforts to advance the initiative stalled in the years ahead, however, partly due to concerns that the city would be subject to state mandates that limit local control.

But a breakthrough in the quest came in August 2023 when the City Council approved plans for a stretch code for energy-efficient buildings and new construction that was required to achieve the designation.

Additional requirements were a baseline energy audit of all municipal buildings and putting together a five-year energy reduction plan.

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