QCAN was started 10 years ago by concerned citizens who recognized that we could not wait for others to fight bad climate policies and practices in Quincy. The climate emergency is global, but many of the solutions are local. Over the years, our all-volunteer organization has:

• convinced the city to hire a qualified energy manager, resulting in substantial reductions of energy use;
• successfully lobbied the city to install two megawatts of solar panels on 14 city-owned buildings;
• helped the city secure several Solarize Mass grants and provided most of the volunteer hours to get more than 600 kilowatts of solar energy under contract;
• successfully lobbied the city to apply for green municipal aggregation, which will likely reduce residents’ electricity costs even as it increases the share of renewable energy in our grid; 
• advocated for and participated in the mayor’s task force on curbside food waste pickup;
• organized the first Quincy Environmental Fair with regional partner organizations and participated in numerous other community events;
• partnered with the library to host dozens of film screenings and presentations on composting, heat pumps, fracking, and other subjects.

For our 10-year anniversary, we were honored to receive a proclamation from Quincy’s City Council on September 19. Councillor Mahoney, who always answers QCAN’s call when we need the ear of our city’s leadership, gave a moving speech that reminded those present of the various initiatives we have worked on over the years. It was a wonderful moment for QCAN.

We want to thank the City Council as a whole, Councilors Liang, Dibona, and Phelan individually for their supportive remarks, and especially Councilor Mahoney for her kind words and for helping to make this proclamation happen.

We look forward to collaborating with our leaders to strengthen Quincy’s response to the existential threat of climate change in the years to come, and we invite our friends and neighbors to join us in this endeavor. With the stakes so high, we value our alliances with partner groups, including Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station, the Blue Hills Climate Coalition, the Quincy Tree Alliance, Quincy Asian Resources, Inc., and more.

We ask our fellow citizens to get involved. We meet on the second Wednesday of each month at 7pm. Come to our meetings and bring your passion, your energy, and maybe even a friend. You’re sure to make more friends, too. Get involved – the time is now!