Sign your building up for one of Cambridge Energy Alliance’s programs. The Energy Alliance offers
Check out MassSave for many more money-saving opportunities for residents, landlords, and business owners.
Stay up-to-date on energy use disclosure and green building requirements that may affect you or your building.
Also, buildings subject to the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) can take advantage of the Cambridge Building Energy Resource Hub to make building upgrades cheaper and easier.
Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) are produced when we use energy in our homes and offices, dispose of waste or sewage, and use vehicles. GHGs trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to lasting disruptions in our climate, such as higher temperatures, sea level rise, and more frequent extreme weather events that can cause flooding. Cambridge, along with many other cities, organizations, and businesses, both nationally and internationally, has committed to significantly reduce GHG emissions by 2050 to avoid severe impacts from climate change.
Learn MoreThroughout our daily lives, we all take actions that produce GHGs. Here are some actions you can take to reduce your contribution to the community's emissions:
Energy is a critical resource that we rely on to go about our daily activities. Unfortunately, our energy use and energy supply is currently unsustainable and causes climate change and environmental degradation. Innovations that allow us to use energy more efficiently and switch to cleaner, renewable fuel sources that can be stored will drastically improve the sustainability of our energy systems.
This page addresses community energy use from our homes, offices, and travel. It also addresses municipal energy use, which includes City-owned facilities, schools, and streets, as well as activities like water and wastewater pumping and solid waste pick-up.
Learn MorePrograms are available for residents and businesses to install solar panels on their homes or offices. If installing solar panels is not an option, you can purchase 100% renewable energy through the Cambridge Community Electricity Program, or invest in community solar!
There are a lot of opportunities to reduce energy use in your own home, such as switching to LED lights, adding insulation, and buying an Energy Star water heater.
The things we throw out have a large impact on our health and the health of the environment. All of the items we put in our waste bins are either sent to a landfill or incinerated, and both processes can pollute our air and water. We can reduce this impact by reducing the total amount of waste we generate, and by making sure that the waste we do generate is separated so that some of the waste can be reused or recycled.
Learn MoreComposting and recycling help to minimize the amount of trash that goes to incinerator/landfill, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and yield useful products.
In 2015, Cambridge adopted the Net Zero Action Plan (NZAP) to serve as a roadmap for achieving carbon neutrality in buildings by 2050. The plan includes strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improve energy efficiency, and support renewable energy development. In 2020, the City began a 5-year review to evaluate progress to date and developed an updated NZAP. Explore the page below to learn more about the parts of the NZAP Update and its role in helping Cambridge achieve carbon neutrality. Learn more about the actions in the NZAP 2021 Update below or by downloading the full NZAP 2021 Update Report. For more on the NZAP development process, see the NZAP Project webpage.
Learn MoreStay up-to-date on energy use disclosure and green building requirements that may affect you or your building.
Also, buildings subject to the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) can take advantage of the Cambridge Building Energy Resource Hub to make building upgrades cheaper and easier.
Sign your building up for one of Cambridge Energy Alliance’s programs. The Energy Alliance offers
Check out MassSave for many more money-saving opportunities for residents, landlords, and business owners.