Looking for information on MAPC’s official meetings and legal notices? Find it here.
Join the Environmental League of Massachusetts, MAPC, and our partner organizations for our Gubernatorial Forum on Energy and the Environment. Governor Charlie Baker and Democratic nominee Jay Gonzalez will answer questions regarding their vision for the future of energy and environmental policy in Massachusetts. If you have a question you would like to submit for consideration, please tweet using the hashtag #gogreengovMA or submit them here.
Register to attend here.
Follow Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) on Facebook to watch the live stream of the event.
Sponsoring Organizations:
Acadia Center
Alliance for Business Leadership
Appalachian Mountain Club
350 Mass for a Better Future
Ceres
Clean Water Action
Charles River Watershed Association
Conservation Law Foundation
Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM)
ELM Action Fund
Environment Massachusetts
Green Energy Consumers Alliance
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)
Mass Audubon
Massachusetts Rivers Alliance
Mass Sierra Club
Mothers Out Front
The Trustees
MAPC and the City of Newton invite you to attend a Kick-Off Roundtable Discussion to learn more about City’s process for developing the Climate Action Plan and to share your ideas on how should we act to combat climate change, considering Newton’s many strengths and singular needs. Please RSVP with your name and affiliation to climateplanning@newtonma.gov.
The Climate Action Plan, on which the City of Newton is partnering with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), will establish community-wide climate mitigation goals and identify potential measures to achieve them. It will be an action-driven plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lay out the pathway toward a sustainable, resilient, and healthy community for all.
Council Members Register here for the Winter Council Meeting .
Drop-in community event! What do you want the region to be like, long-term? Please join us for a drop-in, interactive, expo-style listening session featuring remarks by Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh.
Some issues are bigger than any one neighborhood, city, or town: Transportation, housing, climate, jobs, equity, and more. That’s why your community is part of Greater Boston’s next long-term regional plan, MetroCommon 2050, which is now being developed.
Join us any time from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., and stay as long as you like. We’ll have displays and activities about the region, and interesting ways for you to tell us what you care about.
This Listening Session will include the MAPC Council Meeting, which will take place from 4 to 4:30.
A speaking portion of the event, featuring remarks by Mayor Martin J. Walsh will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Free of charge
Refreshments served
Families welcome
RSVPs are encouraged so we have a rough head count. RSVP here: https://mapc.ma/MarchListeningSession
Can’t make it to this listening session? Watch the MetroCommon 2050 event page to learn about more: https://metrocommon.mapc.org/events/
For interpretation and other accommodations, please contact Iolando Spinola at 617.933.0713.
Join the City of Cambridge, MAPC, our partners, and other members of the public for a forum on autonomous vehicles (AVs).
Pre-registration is appreciated, but not required.
The City of Cambridge has begun the process of creating a Future of Mobility Implementation Blueprint to help prepare for and shape new mobility options in a way that meets our community goals, meets the mobility needs of all people who live in, work in, and visit Cambridge, and is well integrated with our sustainable transportation system. This forum is an opportunity for you to:
- learn about the role of the Local, State, and Federal government in managing AVs,
- hear from researchers who are thinking about the interactions between AVs and people, and
- engage with the people behind the technology to gain a better understanding of the state of the technology, plans for the future, and challenges.
Confirmed speakers:
- Joseph E. Barr | Director | Cambridge Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department
- Susanne Rasmussen | Director of Environmental and Transportation Planning | Cambridge Community Development Department
- Alison Felix | Senior Transportation Planner and Emerging Technologies Specialist | Metropolitan Area Planning Commission
- Bryan Reimer | Research Scientist | MIT AgeLab
- Ryan Jacobs | Director, Boston Operations | nuTonomy
This event is hosted by the City of Cambridge in partnership with the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission.
On Tuesday, April 9, from 12:30 – 1:30 pm MAPC will host a pre-season planning webinar for our Peak Demand Management Program. This summer will be MAPC’s fifth year helping cities and towns reduce demand and capacity charges, and we are excited to work with returning veterans and new participants alike.
Tune into our Program Kick-Off Webinar to learn more about:
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- National Grid and Eversource’s new demand management offerings and incentives that were formalized in the state’s new 2019-2021 Energy Efficiency Plan.
- MAPC’s Peak Demand Management Program – we will provide data about the scope and impact of last year’s participants, and cover the basics of capacity charges.
- Current participants – we will from several municipal staff on their experiences and best practices with demand reduction, with a highlight of one community’s plans to integrate battery storage.
MAPC’s daily notifications won’t start until June 2019, but now is the time to start planning for process improvements and potential hardware upgrades to maximize your demand reduction potential this summer. We hope you can join us on April 9!
Register for this upcoming webinar at this link.
The next deadline for the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) voting cycle is coming up on September 23rd and we want to make sure you have the tools and information you need to complete your voter validation and to get ready for the vote itself. MAPC is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, August 20th from 12:30 to 1:30 PM. Please join us to hear about the next steps in the voting process and other updates on Codes for Climate efforts locally and nation-wide!
MAPC is working to make our building code better for the climate, healthy and safe for the people living and working in buildings, and more energy-efficient. Buildings account for approximately one-third of our GHG emissions as a state. By constructing and retrofitting these structures in a more energy-efficient manner, we will not only improve our climate, but also enhance the quality of life of our residents. To learn more about how MAPC is supporting our municipalities to improve the building code, visit our Codes for Climate page.
Don’t miss the second event in MAPC’s MetroCommon speaker series! Join us for a riveting keynote by the transportation thinker David Zipper on the interplay between urban and transportation policy and new mobility technologies, followed by an interactive panel discussion with local transportation planners, advocates, and administrators.
David Zipper is a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government, where he focuses on the interplay between urban policy and new mobility technologies. David advises numerous startups and urban officials about the future of cities and mobility. His writing about urban innovation has been published in The Atlantic, WIRED, Slate, and Fast Company. Learn more on his website, www.davidzipper.com.
Registration and networking will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the speaking portion of the event will begin at 6 p.m. Light appetizers will be served.
Stay tuned — we’ll announce our panelists soon!
To preserve our communities and create opportunity for future generations, we must eliminate carbon emissions and green our cities and towns. We also must advance equity, resilience, public health, and economic growth.
How do we align those critical needs for mutual benefit? That’s the question the MAPC Clean Energy Forum will dig into on December 11. Join us!
Light breakfast and beverages will be served. Further event details to come!
Learn more about MetroCommon 2050, Greater Boston’s next regional plan: https://metrocommon.mapc.org.
NOTICE OF POSTPONEMENT
Dear Friends of MAPC:
Out of an abundance of caution, MAPC has decided to postpone the Winter Council Meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday, March 10) in Framingham. Over the next few days, we will assess the situation and decide how to reschedule the Council Meeting and Legislative Panel on Housing, Transportation, and Climate. We will consider rescheduling as a virtual event, which will provide Council members and allies the opportunity to learn the latest about what is going on at the State House, without having to participate in a crowded event that might make some people uncomfortable.
I realize we sent out a note earlier this morning reminding people about the Council Meeting, and I apologize if this update causes any confusion. Still, we feel the wisest course is to postpone the meeting, and to reschedule in a different format.
Please stay tuned, and stay safe!
Best regards,
Marc Draisen
Executive Director
MAPC and Groundwork USA invite municipal and agency staff, community organizations and members, and renewable energy developers to join a virtual workshop on the potential of Brownfields to Brightfields (B2B) to advance equitable community development. B2B projects repurpose brownfields sites – land with known or potential hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants – with solar energy installations on ground-mounted arrays, building rooftops, or canopy structures.
This workshop will share findings on models for B2B projects that advance equity and community benefits, highlighting real-world examples, challenges, and opportunities. Participants will learn about a new mapping tool for identifying potential B2B sites in Massachusetts and have the opportunity to lay the groundwork for future B2B project partnerships.
Download Agenda
This project was made possible with support from EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization. The event is free and preregistration is required. Register here and contact Julie Curti (jcurti@mapc.org) or Adi Nochur (adi@groundworkusa.org) with any questions.