On December 7, the Quincy City Council unanimously approved a plan that will increase the proportion of our electricity that comes from renewable sources. The plan, called Quincy Community Electricity (QCE), enables the city to engage a new default supplier of electricity for residents and small businesses, using our pooled buying power to secure bulk pricing that will be more stable, and possibly lower, than current rates. While Massachusetts currently requires 16% of electricity to come from renewable sources such as hydropower, wind, or solar, Quincy will seek a supplier that generates a higher proportion from renewables. The default offering will be 10% additional renewably sourced electricity; residents will also be able to opt up to 50 or 100%, or opt down to the state-mandated amount.

Several QCAN members met with Massachusetts Senator John Keenan (Norfolk and Plymouth District) during his office hours on December 7 to discuss some of our organization’s priorities and learn about how we might help him advance climate-friendly legislation.

Board member Joe Murphy described our work to convince the Quincy City Council to transition away from single-use plastic bags; to raise public awareness about climate change through co-hosting an environmental fair, lectures, and film nights at the library; to present on climate change to every sixth-grade classroom in Quincy public schools; and to work with Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station to fight the construction of the fracked-gas compressor station in North Weymouth.