8/29/19

Dear Editor,

The proposed ban on single-use plastic bags, which will soon come before the city council, can be a big win for the environment—if the councilors make a small but important tweak.

Single-use plastic shopping bags have a bad name, which they richly deserve. They contribute to unsightly litter; end up in the ocean, where they harm marine life; and contaminate our city’s recycling stream, leading to heavy surcharges from our recycling contractor. Quincy Climate Action Network enthusiastically supports their banning. Continue reading →

QCAN organized the first Quincy Environmental Fair on July 27, 2019, in collaboration with the Thomas Crane Public Library. Hundreds of people came to participate in green activities, enjoy local entertainment, and learn what they can do to fight climate change and protect the environment.

It was also a wonderful opportunity from a range of different groups to meet each other and find out about each other’s work. We appreciate the support of the library and the City of Quincy and hope to make this an annual event! Continue reading →

• Free green activities for all ages
• Electric vehicle ride-alongs
• Live local entertainment
• Free bike valet

Sat. July 27, 2019, 11 am – 2 pm
Rain Date: Sat. Aug. 3, 2019, 11 am – 2 pm
Thomas Crane Library lawn
40 Washington St, Quincy, MA

Co-sponsored by Quincy Climate Action Network and the Thomas Crane Public Library

Participating Organizations: Black Earth Compost, Boston Harbor Now, City Compost, City of Quincy, ENC Environmental Science Department, Energy Sage, Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station, Green Energy Consumers Alliance, Harbor Islands Rangers, Quincy Asian Resources Inc., Quincy Climate Action Network, Save The Harbor/Save the Bay, United First Parish Church, Wollaston Garden Club, and more

QCAN members brought some special guests to our meeting with Mayor Thomas Koch on February 19: young people from Quincy’s elementary, middle, and high schools. Evelyn Dawson, Gaetano Belfort, and Maya Dijkstra spoke eloquently about the changes they have seen in the local climate even in their short lifespans and the imperative for government leaders to act to ensure a safe and healthy future for coming generations.

Mayor Koch listened attentively and agreed to look into replacing the thousands of styrofoam lunch trays used and discarded each day in the Quincy Public Schools. QCAN members also discussed Green Municipal Aggregation, curbside composting, a single-use plastic bag ban, wetlands protection, electric vehicles for the city fleet, efficiency standards for public buildings, and the need to hire an assistant for the city’s energy manager.

After the meeting, QCAN board member Julie Mallozzi showed Mayor Koch the standardized composting bins used by the City of Cambridge in their successful curbside composting program.

The year is getting off to a promising start! On January 28, 2019, Mayor Tom Koch mentioned several green initiatives in his “State of the City” address. They include issues that QCAN has been advocating for, including a plan to increase the fraction of our electricity sourced from wind and solar, called green municipal aggregation, and the creation of a group to study the feasibility of collecting food waste in a separate bin on trash day. He also wants to ban plastic bags in Quincy, plant more trees, protect marshland as a hedge against sea level rise, and improve the energy efficiency of city buildings and vehicles. Read his full comments below: Continue reading →

December 28, 2018

Can David still beat Goliath, even in a day when Goliath has acquired wealth and power far beyond the imaginings of the Biblical villain? That question lies at the heart of the documentary film Unfractured, which will be shown at two Quincy libraries in January. The 2017 film, cosponsored by Quincy Climate Action Network, Fore River Residents Against Compressor Station (FRRACS), and the Thomas Crane Public Library, will screen at the Adams Shore library branch, 519 Sea Street, at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 7. It will also screen at the main branch, 40 Washington Street, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 16. Admission is free, and all are welcome.
Continue reading →

11/20/18

Dear Editor,

Quincy city government has substantially increased the energy efficiency of city buildings and operations and its use of renewable energy. Now, as the Sun reports (“City Eyes More Renewable Energy,” Oct. 25, 2018), the city is considering a move that would do even more to reduce the greenhouse gases that, by fueling increasingly violent weather and sea level rise, are threatening life and property here.
Continue reading →

About 120 skeptical citizens, including four QCAN members, packed the cafeteria of Quincy High School on the snowy night of November 15, 2018. They were there to hear officials from the state health and environmental protection departments and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council unveil the first results of a study predicting the effects of the proposed Fore River Compressor Station on public health in Quincy, Weymouth, Braintree, and beyond. The station is intended to increase the capacity of a system of natural-gas pipelines stretching from New Jersey to Nova Scotia. The station would be powered by a natural-gas fired engine that would produce exhaust.

Continue reading →