Electric vehicle sales are at an all-time high in the United States – and with available rebates and incentives, many EVs are cheaper than the average new car.

Since January 1, 2023, plug-in electric and fuel-cell vehicles have qualified for a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500, if the cars and their batteries are mostly produced in the US. (Leased EVs can qualify for the credit even if they’re not manufactured here.) This tax credit, part of the Inflation Reduction Act, is valid through 2032.

Massachusetts residents may also qualify for state rebates of $3,500 on all-electric or fuel-cell vehicles, regardless of where the car is made. This summer, some important changes are taking place in the Massachusetts program:

• Plug-in hybrids will no longer qualify for rebates as of July 1, 2023.
• Used electric cars will qualify for a new rebate.
• Low-income residents who meet certain income qualifications can receive an additional $1,500 rebate.
• Rebates will come directly off the purchase price at the point of sale at certain dealerships.

The Green Energy Consumers alliance has a helpful summary of federal and state EV rebates and incentives here.

The food waste diversion pilot program at Quincy High School had a soft launch just after February vacation. Finbar Heaslip, who recently graduated from UMass Boston with a focus on sustainability, is the Program Director and is advised by volunteer Ruth Davis, a QCAN member who recently retired from managing MIT’s solid waste program. Finbar and Ruth did an interview with QATV to explain how the program works.

With the help of school staff, students are separating all food waste, recycling, and garbage, diverting about 100 pounds of food waste per day – over a ton per month. This includes the compostable lunch trays that Quincy Public Schools switched to in 2020 (from styrofoam) after QCAN members suggested it in a meeting with Mayor Koch.

Black Earth Compost is picking up the food waste from the school (Black Earth also offers weekly curbside compost pickups from Quincy homes for about $21 per month, or biweekly for about $16/month; Bootstrap Compost also serves Quincy for $11 per weekly pickup or $15 per biweekly pickup.) The food waste is mixed with yard waste and other organic materials in a big yard to break down, and is eventually distributed as compost for use in agriculture and gardens.

QCAN has advocated for food waste collection in Quincy for years. Several of our members served on the mayor’s task force to research curbside food waste pickup, which presented its report to the city council in November 2022. Their report supports collecting food waste not only in the schools, but city-wide, as is done in several other Massachusetts towns and cities.

Food rotting in landfills represents the third-largest source of the greenhouse gas methane in the US. Quincy incinerates its trash — about 30,000 tons of it per year — to generate energy. Still, since food waste is so water-rich, burning it consumes almost as much energy as it generates. So removing the 6,600 tons of food scraps that end up in our waste stream would improve the energy production of the remaining trash – and produce compost that improves soils and helps remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

QCAN members enjoyed the beautiful weather and the chance to clean up Quincy’s marshes last Saturday at the annual Cleaner, Greener Quincy event. We cleaned our regular area between Caddy Memorial Park and Sailor’s Home Park.

This year we not only removed the usual garbage but also pulled a lot of wild garlic mustard – an invasive (and edible) plant that has been spreading quickly in the area.

QCAN represented at Cleaner, Greener Quincy this year, gathering trash and debris at our usual stretch of marsh from the corner of Quincy Shore Drive and Fenno Street to Beechwood Knoll. This is always a great chance for members old and new to get to know each other (and our friends at Quincy Tree Alliance)!

Learn from experts from Quincy Climate Action Network, Massachusetts Green Energy Alliance, and Mass Save program implementer ICF how a heat pump can help you decarbonize your home. The panelists will cover details about heat pump types, cost (including incentive programs), pros and cons, and green energy sourcing.