►
Description
While our country looks to catch up with the rest of the world on climate change policy, Boston aims to lead America in climate change activism. Mayor Walsh joins local climate change activists and city officials to sign an Executive Order establishing a policy that requires that all new municipal construction is zero net carbon or zero net carbon-ready.
A
A
Today
we
take
a
bold
step
forward
in
reducing
those
emissions.
After
Mayor
Walsh
signs
today's
executive
order,
all
new
municipal
buildings
will
be
targeting
carbon
neutral.
That
means
our
buildings
will
be
designed
to
be
highly
energy.
Efficient,
they'll,
optimize
on-site,
renewable
energy,
you'll,
prioritize,
fossil
fuel,
free
combustion
and
they'll
also
be
designed
to
be
resilient
and
adapted
to
a
changing
climate.
A
Zero
net
carbon
buildings
are
a
responsible
use
of
taxpayer
dollars
because
they
pay
for
themselves
over
time,
I'm
extremely
proud
that
our
public
facilities,
Department
and
our
partners
at
the
Environment
Department
are
paving
the
way
in
addressing
this
global
challenge.
Right
here
in
Boston,
I
take
great
pleasure
in
knowing
that
our
municipal
yone
buildings
will
be
at
the
forefront
of
this
effort,
and
we
have
one
man
who's
responsible
for
us
being
here
today
without
his
leadership
on
this
issue.
We
would
not
be
taking
this
giant
leap
forward
in
protecting
our
city
and,
frankly,
our
planet.
B
Thank
date,
nutrition.
Thank
you
for
that
introduction.
But
honestly
it's
a
lot
of
you
in
this
room.
The
advocates
who
have
been
fighting
for
years.
You
know,
met
councilman
O'malley.
You
know
I
I,
it's
an
honor
to
stand
here
and
get
the
accolades
like
that.
But
this
this
this
conversation
on
climate,
resiliency
and
change
sided
a
long
time
ago
and
I
know
there
are
a
lot
of
advocates
in
this
room
that
have
in
this
fight
for
a
long
time.
So
thank
you
for
your
work
and
thank
you
for
your
consistent
pressure
on
us.
B
B
Quite
honestly,
in
understanding
the
importance
of
where
we
are
as
a
society,
I
was
just
in
Copenhagen
a
couple
weeks
ago
with
the
with
the
c40
mission
c40,
and
it's
it's
that
out
as
40
minutes
from
around
the
world
that
were
talking
about
climate
resiliency
in
different
aspects
around
the
world
and
we
were
in,
we
were
involved
in
the
Paris
Accord
and
when
the
president
pulled
out
a
Paris
Accord,
what
happened?
The
United
States
of
America
Mia's
from
America,
got
together.
They
created
an
organization
called
u.s.
B
climate,
Mears
I'm,
one
of
the
founding
members,
and
we
have
over
400
means
in
that
organization
from
around
the
country
that
have
been
part
of
a
compatible
movement
and-
and
we
have
49
states
represented.
So
if
you
had
know
anyone
I
think
it's
North
Dakota.
We
need
a
mayor
in
North
Dakota
to
make
it
50,
but
but
honestly,
but
so
in
that
conversation
and
woodsy
40,
the
international
organization,
you
know
I'm
honored,
to
serve
as
a
steering
committee,
an
advisory
board
member,
where
there's
only
a
handful
of
us
from
the
United
States
on
that
board.
B
And
when
you
get
a
chance
to
go
to
that
meeting
and
see
what
other
other
cities
around
the
world
are
doing
and
where
we
are
I
mean
we're
found
behind
in
a
lot
of
cases,
the
United
States
of
America
in
most
cases
but
in
Boston,
were
ahead
of
other
cities.
So
I
want
to
thank
everyone
who
made
today
possible.
I
do
want
to
give
Matt
O'malley
a
shout-out
who's
been
working
this
on
this
dundies
issue,
since
he
became
a
city.
B
Councilor
I
want
to
thank
Chris
Cook
and
in
Alison
and
the
Ryan
Kath
in
the
environmental
department,
for
the
great
work
that
they
have
done
in
here
in
the
city.
I
want
to
thank
Trisha
and
Pat
Brophy
and
Paul
and
Evan,
and
all
the
folks
in
public
facilities,
because
this
is
about
our
public
buildings
and
what
we're
doing.
Most
importantly,
I
want
to
give
a
shout
out
to
the
Boston
Student
Advisory
Council
that
are
here
with
us
today.
B
These
young
leaders
helped
us
with
the
community
partners,
help
us
develop
this
policy,
and
you
know
I
was
so
impressed
a
few
months
ago,
but
a
month
ago,
when
the
students
took
an
action
and
we
had
7,000
over
7,000
young
people
on
City
Hall
plaza
fighting
for
the
climate
fighting
for
the
earth.
The
earth-
quite
honestly,
that
many
of
us
as
adults
have
have
have
added
to
the
to
the
pollution
and
then
the
bad
air
and
sea
level
rise,
and
then
the
changes
that
we're
seeing
and
these
young
people
you
were
the
leader.
B
So
the
future.
You
know
many
of
you
are
in
high
school
I,
know
that
and
you're
thinking.
Well,
how
can
I
make
a
difference?
You
actually
make
any
difference
today
and
you
made
a
difference
by
the
work
you've
done
and
the
work
you're
gonna
continue
to
do
so.
I
want
to
thank
you
for
that
as
much
as
some
of
the
older
folks
in
the
room
have
done
this
work
for
a
long
time.
B
There's
a
couple
people
in
this
room
that
we're
at
a
pipeline
and
when
it's
Roxbury
and
they
got
arrested
at
it
and
I,
see
them
here
and
they
were
fight.
They
were
fighting
for
that
and
they
here
today
on
a
celebration.
So
again,
I
want
to
thank.
Thank
all
of
you.
This.
This
executive
order
is
probably
the
biggest
boldest
step
we've
taken
today,
as
Trish
mentioned.
B
It's
gonna
require
all
new
municipal
buildings
to
achieve
carbon
neutrality,
and
when
you
think
about
that
over
the
last
40
years,
there
really
weren't
a
lot
of
municipal
buildings
being
built,
but
right
now,
they're
on
we're
building
a
lot
were
building
libraries
and
we're
building
police
stations
and
we're
building
fire
houses
and
we're
building
and
we're
modeling
we're
building
new
schools
and
we're
building
a
whole
bunch
of
new
buildings
here
in
the
city
and
that
capital
plan
reflects
that
and
to
be
able
to
do.
What
we're
doing
here
today
is
really
really
important.
B
All
of
them
all
the
buildings
we
have
will
be
held
to
a
high
standard
of
sustainability,
sustainability
and
energy
efficiency.
You
know,
but
I'm
proud
to
say:
Boston
is
ranked
the
most
energy-efficient
city
in
the
United
States
of
America.
We
should
celebrate
that,
but
we
also
know
there's
so
much
more.
We
have
to
do
and
could
do
to
move
forward
we're
taking
we're
going
in
further
we've
committed
to
becoming
carbon
neutral
by
2050
and
when
I
was
in
Copenhagen.
B
Their
goal
was
2030
and
I'm
not
ready
to
move
on
number
down
yet,
but
what
we
have
to
do
is
build
up
towards
some
some,
some
really
momentum
here
that
we're
getting
here
and
then
we'll
be
able
to
have
a
conversation
a
couple
years
about
moving
that
number
we're
making
historical
investments
and
capital
investments,
as
I
mention
in
a
lot
of
our
public
buildings.
We
want
to
make
sure
these
buildings
are
highly
efficient
and
will
make
a
big
dent
in
the
total
emissions
moving
forward,
something
that
is
important.
B
In
the
coming
years,
we're
going
to
be
issuing
a
new
carbon
performance
standards
for
all
new
all
new
private
buildings
as
well,
so
we're
gonna
be
changing
the
way
we
do
things
and
I
know
that
people
are
worried
about
it.
But
you
know,
all
you
have
to
do
is
go
visit,
a
country
in
a
country
in
Europe
one
of
the
countries
and
see
what
they're
doing
there.
It's
amazing
stuff
that
they're
doing
and
it
hasn't
stopped
development
and
hasn't
stopped
building
and
hasn't
stopped
anything.
B
It's
continued
to
move
forward,
so
we're
going
to
continue
to
take
educate
people
I.
Think
that's
one
of
the
biggest
things
we
have
to
do.
We
need
to
make
sure
that
government
is
walking,
is
not
just
not
just
talking
about
it,
but
taking
the
lead
all
over
the
city.
Landowners
are
rising,
raising
up
to
the
challenge.
Last
week
in
Boston
University,
we
had
this
groundbreaking
of
their
new
center
for
computer
and
computing
in
data
science.
It's
a
19
story.
B
Building
with
a
hundred
percent
renewable
energy
and
president
Bob
Brown
is
very
excited
about
that
and
what
he's
doing
there
they're
actually
driving
the
piles
right
now,
and
it's
a
little
bit
of
different
construction
that
they're
doing
preparing
for
the
future.
It's
gonna
be
the
most
energy-efficient
large
building
in
Boston's
history,
and
it's
in
Boston
University
is
leading
the
way.
So,
as
we
know,
big
change
is
possible
and
it's
already
happening
we're
also
showing
how
much
there
is
to
be
gained
by
building
highly
efficient
buildings.
B
B
What
we're
doing
here
needs
to
make
us
less
resilient
on
fossil
fuels
and
more
resilient
in
the
face
of
storms
and
power
outages.
We
have
to
do
that.
We
have
to
continue
to
move
forward,
so
I
know
a
lot
of
people
going
to
be
speaking
here
today.
Recently
we
built
several
new
energy-efficient
schools
as
well.
The
DAO
on
school
and
very
the
Elliott
School
in
the
North
End
is
some
of
the
more
beautiful
modern
buildings
that
we
have
and
we're
thinking
about.
B
B
They
understand
with
sea
level
rises
and
they
understand
when
it's
storm
like
sandy
hits
New,
York,
City
or
storm
hits
Houston
or
one
of
those
storms,
but
they
need
to
understand
what
we're
trying
to
do
here
and
the
impacts.
What
we're
doing
here
in
Boston
in
this
country,
so
I'd,
ask
the
the
young
people
in
some
of
the
folks
have
been
in
this
space
for
a
long
time
go
up,
get
outside
your
comfort
level.
Go
to
the
other
circles.
Talk
to
other
people,
explain
to
people
what's
going
on,
because
not
everyone
understands
it.
B
It's
something
that
that
I
think
is
really
important.
For
us.
Climate
action
is
one
one
of
the
most
powerful
investments
we
can
make
in
our
community
today
and
in
the
future.
Sustainability
is
a
value
that,
in
that's,
embedded
into
everything
we
do
as
a
city.
This
executive
order
is
that
next
big
step
again
I
want
to
thank
the
C
departments.
I
want
to
thank
public
facilities.
The
Environment
Department
for
working
on
this
I
want
to
thank
all
the
other
city
departments
who
are
invested
in
this
as
well.
Thank
you
to
end
with
this.
B
Our
community
partners,
Boston
Climate,
Action
Network,
all
the
different
organizations.
Thank
you,
mothers
out
front.
Thank
you
without
your
advocacy
and
quite
honestly,
just
staying
on
top
of
not
just
us
here
in
the
city,
but
the
government
we
wouldn't
be
as
far
along
as
we
have
been
so
to
all
the
advocates
in
the
room.
This
is
a
happy
day.
We
can
celebrate
it
for
as
long
as
I
put
the
ink
on
the
paper
and
then
we
have
to
go
to
work
and
do
do
our
work.
So
thank
you
very
much.
A
Thank
You
mayor
I'd,
now
like
to
introduce
Aria
Elias,
who
is
the
former
vice
president
of
the
Boston
Student
Advisory
Council
or
B
sack
now
in
her
freshman
year
at
Suffolk,
University
Aria
and
the
other
members
of
B
sack
have
been
tireless
in
their
work,
supporting
the
development
of
the
climate
action
update
and
in
the
greening
of
Boston
Public
Schools.
So
Aria.
If
you'd
like
to
speak
to
that.
C
Jenny
I
would
like
to
thank
everyone
involved
in
bringing
us
together
today
over
the
past
year
or
so
be
sock
has
been
motivating
thousands
of
young
people
to
support
immediate
climate
action,
not
only
due
to
the
extreme
weather
changes
within
the
past
few
years
or
even
today
was
60
degrees
yesterday
and
now
it's
snowing,
but
due
to
the
intersectional
issues
that
connect
the
environmental
justice
movement.
With
that
in
mind,
we
have
been
involved
and
invested
in
developing
new
the
new
climate
action
plan.
C
The
attack
has
been
advocating
for
more
energy,
efficient
and
solar
panels
in
our
schools
and
we're
very
excited
about
the
generations
upon
generations
of
future
students
at
bps
that
will
benefit
from
Net
Zero
buildings.
This
executive
order
expresses
that
City
Hall
is
listening
to
the
neighborhood's,
the
families
and
especially
the
young
people
of
Boston.
C
A
D
Good
morning,
friends,
it
is,
it
is
great
to
be
with
all
of
you.
You
know
it's
it's
easy
to
say
the
right
things
as
it
relates
to
climate
policy,
and
it's
it's
a
heck
of
a
lot
harder
to
actually
do
the
right
things
and
that's
why
I
am
so
incredibly
proud
of
our
mayor
and
his
team
for
again
leading
the
way-
and
this
isn't
just
one
off
you
know-
I
was
thinking-
is
I
was
sort
of
thinking
to
preparing
what
I
was
gonna
say.
D
We
sat
here
with
mothers
out
front
signing
the
gas
lease
ordinance
four
years
ago,
the
year
after
that
we
did
the
plastic
bag
ban
we're
doing
this.
The
mayor
has
done
remarkable
things
as
it
relates
to
getting
to
zero
waste,
as
it
relates
to
better
infrastructure,
a
very
wise
man,
a
friend
to
many
of
us
once
said:
let's
make
bean
town
green
town
well,
this
guy
is
actually
doing
it.
So
one
more
round
of
applause
for
our
mayor,
Marty,
Walsh,.
D
And
to
to
our
young
people
here,
thank
you
for
what
you
do.
I,
don't
know
if
you
saw
this
yet,
but
this
morning
Time
magazine
announced
their
Person
of
the
Year
and
I
was
sort
of
bracing
that
it
may
be
that
orange
cheeto
in
Washington
it
wasn't,
it
was
Greta.
Thun
Berg
was
named
Person
of
the
Year
and
the
the
under
her
title.
It
said
the
power
of
youth,
and
you
all
are
changing
the
world
not
only
on
issues
around
climate,
on
issues
around
gun,
control,
on
issues
around
safety,
on
issues
around
equity
and
intersectionality.
D
D
D
This
day
would
not
have
happened,
but
for
you,
Ania
Camargo,
with
mothers
out
front
and
e-beam
with
B
can
Carole
Oldham
with
Oldham,
with
mkn
Michele
Brooks,
with
the
Sierra
Club
Meredith,
album
with
the
US
GBC
marks
and
en
masse
solar,
Chris,
Schaffner
green
engineer
and
two
of
our
friends
from
Cambridge
Seth
fetish
bill
and
Henrietta
Davis.
Congratulations.
It
was
these
people
who
came
together
with
me,
Ricky
Harvey
as
well
who's,
not
here,
but
it's
been
a
great
leader
in
this
fight.
We
had
a
number
of
working
sessions.
D
We
had
as
ecumenical
process
as
possible,
where
we,
you
know,
brought
in
folks
from
the
real
estate
industry,
legal
academics,
environmentalist
to
figure
out
how
we
could
get
to
net
zero
carbon
construction
and
what
that
means.
You
all
know
the
statistics
and
the
mayor
is
absolutely
right.
We
need
to
make
sure
that
people
outside
of
our
group
know
this.
That
two-thirds
of
all
greenhouse
gas
emissions
come
from
buildings.
We
have
an
opportunity
now
to
address
that
and
is
a
coastal
city.
D
We
are
uniquely
situated
to
not
only
lead,
but
we
have
to
do
this
to
combat
the
negative
effects
of
climate
change.
Now,
I
always
say
anytime,
I
speak
about
anything
environmentally
related.
Is
every
fiscal
conservative
ought
to
be
an
environmentalist
as
well,
because
what
we've
seen
with
Net
Zero
Carbon
buildings,
they
typically
pay
for
themselves
within
two
years,
three
years,
five
years
at
the
latest
there's
an
all
NetZero
carbon
school
in
Lexington
is
called
the
Hastings
elementary
school.
They
they
debt
zero
carbon
construction.
D
They
generate
an
extra
quarter
of
a
million
kilowatt
hours
every
year,
so
it
literally
turns
a
profit
for
the
town
of
Lexington
as
well.
It's
a
remarkable
thing.
This
is
a
really
important
step.
Mayor
chief
cook,
commissioner
Lyons.
You
guys
have
done
some
great
work
here
and
I'm
just
so
glad
to
be
with
all
of
you.
So
congratulations.
A
A
A
E
Dennis
thinks
it's
a
great
question,
so
the
quick
answer
is
no
but
we're
starting
to
develop.
You
know
our
methodologies
for
determining
how
to
take
that
into
account
and
it's
a
great
goal,
but
in
a
few
years
maybe
we'll
be
back
and
and
and
and
include
that
and
in
the
executive
order
that
the
mayor
has.
But
thank
you.
B
We're
gonna
continue
to
branch
out.
City
Council
is
voting
on
something
today.
The
wetlands
ordinance
that
were
working
on
and
so
I
think
this
is
truly
a
collaboration
and
in
to
some
degree,
we're
going
to
need
help
from
the
city
to
set
the
state
government,
as
well
as
the
federal
government
on
some
things.
So
we're
kind
of
battling
this.
If
you
will
on
all
fronts,
you
know
our
our
resilient
Boston
Harbor
plan
is
something
that's
important
as
well.
Obviously,
that's
kind
of
responding
to
the
the
sea
level
rise.
B
And
how
do
we
move
forward
so
we're
looking
at
all
that
stuff
all
right,
let
me
just
thank
again.
Thank
you.
I
wanna
thank
the
press,
as
they
always
try
to
do
for
covering
today.
Today
is
an
important
conversation
an
important
day
into
the
advocates.
I
didn't
mention
every
group
as
Matt
did,
but
thank
you
for
what
you
do
honestly
I
know
that
sometimes
it's
a
long,
slow,
steady
move
and
I
think
that
we're
going
to
continue
this
get
the
momentum
moving
even
in
a
faster
way.
So
thank
you
very
much.