Local Action Plan Recommendations: Cambridge, Massachusetts

• Improve efficiency of electricity use by 12.5%
• Reduce natural gas and fuel cell use by 10%
• Reduce emissions associated with electricity generation by 40%
• Purchase 20% of electricity from green power sources
• Increase average fuel economy to 40 miles per gallon
• Reduce vehicle miles traveled by 10%
• Increase recycling rate to 60%

Agriculture and Forestry Sector

Strategy: Foster Mixed Use, Transit-Oriented Development and Redevelopment and Public Open Space through Zoning and Incentives
The City’s Green Ribbon Committee recommendations on open space provide a blueprint for open space preservation and acquisition. In addition, existing natural areas should be conserved, and restored where damaged. Open space should maximize tree canopy cover compatible with proposed uses and be maintained with energy- and water-efficient practices and vegetation. Having access to wilder nature—woods, fields, and beaches—is also important for people who live in the city. If access is difficult, it encourages more out-of-town travel and, for those who can afford them, second homes, creating a negative spiral of more sprawl, less access, more desire for vacation homes, etc.

Possible Actions
Ongoing
• Conduct consistent open space review during the permitting process for development projects to incorporate public open space into project design.
• Provide incentives for planting trees and creating additional green space open to the public as part of new development and major renovations.
• Carry out the recommendations in the Green Ribbon Report.
• Create appealing small-scale public gathering spaces with well-adapted vegetation as part of development and redevelopment projects.

Strategy: Optimize Use of Vegetation to Shade Buildings and Reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect
The tree canopy reduces the urban heat island effect, sequesters carbon, reduces gasoline evaporation from parked motor vehicles, and makes the city more visually attractive. Preserving existing trees is the key to increasing the canopy since mature trees provide significantly more canopy than recently-planted ones. Vines and arbors can also be used in constrained spaces. Removal of CO₂ from the air by trees is on the order of 25 tons/tree/year. There are about 13,000 to 15,000 City-owned trees and an unknown number of privately owned trees. It is important to boost maintenance of old trees, as well as to add trees wherever possible. Selection of species adapted to the local environment, and minimizing lawns, keep maintenance and energy costs low. There are multiple benefits to good vegetation maintenance and on-site water management, including avoidance of costs of storm damage and loss of vegetation from droughts, energy savings for building owners, and a pleasant summer environment.

Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Use GIS or other computer imaging, such as the CITYgreen software developed by American Forests, to accurately determine current canopy cover, assess environmental benefits, and plan plantings.
• Increase public education efforts on stormwater management practices, particularly those that complement GHG emission reductions.
• Increase public education on the benefits and proper care of trees.

Medium and Long-term
• Develop and carry out policies and programs to maximize the canopy cover, with special attention to parking lots and other heat-absorbing locations and to shading air-conditioning units. This should include attention to soils, water retention, and appropriate species.

Cross-Sectoral or Other Sector

Madison's Local Action Plan calls for increased public education regarding climate change. Encouraging individuals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through education campaigns will help reduce emissions across multiple sectors.

Climate Change Education
In addition to local newspaper articles and radio airtime, several articles on the Climate Protection Plan have been printed in local newsletters. Under the Plan, these educational efforts will continue and increase, including the city of Madison Engineering staff speaking to the public about the impacts of fossil-fuel combustion and greenhouse gas emissions. The city's web page and list server also promote our programs.

Earth Day Education Effort
Many of the education efforts regarding the Climate Protection Plan and greenhouse gas emissions have surrounded Earth Day. The city is proposing to continue to host this event and approximately five others during the course of the year. We expect to continue to partner on these promotions with the local utilities and environmental groups.

Madison Gas and Electric (MG&E)
MG&E has proposed about a dozen measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many of the measures are educational or marketing based. Some of the educational measures could be implemented in conjunction with the city's efforts.

Power Generation Sector

Strategy: Improve Energy Efficiency
Improvements in energy efficiency are the most cost-effective way to reduce GHG emissions. These include heating and cooling equipment upgrades, replacement of refrigerators, installation of heat pump systems, insulation, replacement of incandescent lights with compact fluorescents, energy management system controls, and many other measures. Additional building insulation, upgrades to more efficient boilers and furnaces, and other measures reduce the use of natural gas and fuel oil

Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Establish a municipal working group on energy management with representatives from the public works, electrical, school, library, community development, and other departments to track energy use in City buildings. Based on the use data, set a municipal goal on reducing energy use.
• Replace incandescent traffic signals with light emitting diode (LED) lights, which are 80 to 90% more efficient and rated to last 100,000 hours compared to 8,000 hours for incandescents. Take advantage of available utility rebates.
• Recruit businesses and organizations into the federal ENERGY STAR program with the goal of reducing energy use. Utilize pledges, peer exchanges, and public recognition programs to sustain involvement.
• Work with local stores to promote products and educate consumers about the ENERGY STAR label.
• Organize “green teams” to promote household practices that reduce GHG emissions.
• Organize “green teams” within City departments to promote more sustainable practices in municipal operations.
• Assess the condition of existing buildings to understand the inefficiencies prevalent in the building stock and design appropriate programs to address them.
• Publicize utility energy efficiency programs.
• Promote the use of ESCOs and performance contracting, where appropriate, to facilitate energy efficiency improvements when initial financial costs are a barrier.
• Implement a City purchasing policy favoring ENERGY STAR products.
• Explore options to increase the efficiency of City street lighting.

Medium-term
• Implement an energy management program for municipal facilities to evaluate use patterns, identify opportunities for energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy installations, pursue utility and other outside funding sources, manage contract work, and evaluate options for the energy supply. Consider establishment of an energy management position.
• Integrate energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy installations into the City capital planning process.

Strategy: Promote Cleaner and Greener Electricity
While the City does not control how electricity is made, it can have some influence by supporting local renewable energy installations and green power purchasing choices. This strategy assumes that deregulation will bring cleaner gas-fired generation facilities and renewable energy sources will displace generation based on coal and oil. The transition to cleaner fuels appears to be underway with the construction beginning on new gas-fired facilities in Massachusetts. The emission of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour of electricity is estimated to
decrease from 1.54 pounds per year in 1990 to 1.23 pounds per year in 2010.

Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Join Solar Boston, a partnership of the U.S. Department of Energy, solar energy businesses, and local community organizations, to promote and facilitate solar energy installations.
• Pursue funding of solar energy installations through the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust.
• Install solar energy systems on City facilities.

Medium-term
• Develop funding sources for solar energy installations in partnership with NSTAR to address distribution system bottlenecks and RPS requirements.
• Develop one or more projects with schools to install solar energy systems and conduct associated classroom activities.
• Support implementation of the Clean Air Act regulations on older power plants. Advocate for a federal renewable portfolio standards.

Long-term
• Support federal action on lowering power plant emissions of CO₂ and conventional air pollutants.

Strategy: Increase Use of East Cambridge District Steam
Cogeneration facilities, such as the ones at Kendall Square Station and MIT, increase the efficiency of power plants by recovering the waste heat from the electric generators and using it to heat and cool buildings and provide chilled water for various processes. This prevents GHG emissions by avoiding the use of natural gas and oil to heat and electricity to cool buildings. The Cambridge Action Plan estimates that steam from the new generator at Kendall Square Station will involve 0.15 pounds less CO₂ emissions per pound of steam than steam produced by individual boilers typically found in commercial buildings. Existing buildings can be converted to the district system and new buildings can be tied in from the start. Currently AES supplies approximately 400 million pounds of steam annually to its East Cambridge customers from the Kendall Square power plant. AES estimates that there is a reasonable potential to increase the demand with the existing distribution system to 600 million pounds of steam annually.

Proposed Actions
Medium-term
• Add additional customers to the East Cambridge steam system and increase steam use by 200 million pounds annually.
• Extend the steam distribution system to the North Point area, which is slated for development.

Transportation Sector

Strategy: Reduce Commuting by Single-Occupancy Vehicles
Commuting accounts for about 10% of motor vehicle trips in Cambridge. Traffic generated by new commercial development has been a particular concern of residents, and reducing commuter trips has been a major focus for the City.

Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Expand City outreach to other businesses to increase participation in voluntary Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs.
• Expand incentives and increase participation in the City TDM program for municipal employees.
• Undertake aggressive TDM measures and monitor the results.
• If driving alone to work, discuss with employer ways to make it easier to ride-share, take transit, walk, or bike.
Medium-term
• Monitor results of TDM program and investigate increasing the requirements.
• Investigate lowering further the minimum parking standards for new development, especially near T stations.
Long-term
• Continue aggressive TDM measures and monitoring.

Strategy: Improve Facilities for Walking and Cycling
For an American city, Cambridge has exceptional pedestrian and bicycle facilities. For pedestrians, it has sidewalks on both sides of virtually all its streets, and all city roads have speed limits of 30 MPH or lower. Most people live within a comfortable walking distance of a variety of destinations. Making intersections safe and comfortable for pedestrians and making the pedestrian environment appealing, through urban design, short blocks, vegetation, and other means are vital for encouraging people to walk. Ensuring that sidewalks are kept free of snow and ice is important to make sidewalks accessible to everyone throughout the year. Pedestrian facility standards and conditions are described in detail in the Cambridge Pedestrian Plan.

Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Expand the pedestrian program to further improve intersections and increase year-round sidewalk maintenance, provide public restroom access and benches, and make aesthetic improvements, e.g., trees, flowers, buildings with windows, fences that are low and transparent.
• Install additional bicycle parking and look for new opportunities to install bicycle lanes or guidelines and improve intersections for cyclists.

Medium-term
• Create and improve off-road bicycle and pedestrian paths, e.g., a new path along the Grand Junction railroad right-of-way, improvements along the Charles River, and paths connecting to Belmont and Watertown.
• Consider creating a bicycle commuter station, possibly at Kendall Square.

Long-term
• Continue pedestrian and bicycle programs.
• Investigate possible shared-use very low-speed neighborhood streets.

Strategy: Reduce the Amount of Motor Vehicle Travel through Parking Incentives and Restrictions, Car-Sharing, Promotion, and Education
Studies indicate that parking restrictions are by far the most effective way to reduce driving, but they tend to be unpopular and therefore difficult to implement. Because most residents do not have off-street parking and very little space is available to create more parking, there are built-in constraints on residential parking. An early successful effort to reduce the amount of parking for new commercial development was the City’s work with the developer of the
Galleria Mall to reduce parking and institute a shuttle bus that runs from the mall to the Kendall Square Red Line station.

Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Install signs with schedule and route information at bus stops in Cambridge.
• Install shelters or benches at busy bus stops where there is room on the sidewalk.
• Investigate traffic measures to expedite bus travel.
• Continue to develop and distribute promotional material and hold promotional events.
• Continue the work of Cambridge Walks, including Walk Your Child to School Day. • When giving directions to businesses, events, and institutions, include directions by T.
• Work with community groups to promote walking and biking for health.

Medium-term
• Investigate measures to expedite bus travel.
• Establish a “walking bus” program in 3 schools.
• Publicize proximity to transit as a reason to shop in local stores, distribute free subway tokens to customers where parking vouchers are provided, and offer discounts to cyclists.
• Use zoning to continue to encourage pedestrian-scaled mixed-use development, with residential infill throughout the city. Strengthen orientation toward denser development near public transportation.

Long-term
• Examine the feasibility and logistics of establishing a city-wide bicycle-sharing program.
• Establish car-free celebrations in Cambridge.

Strategy: Reduce Motor Vehicle Emissions
In the United States, motor vehicle fuel efficiency has decreased because of the proliferation of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and light trucks. Locally, this can be countered primarily by buying alternative fuel vehicles and by using the most fuel-efficient vehicle possible to complete the task. The way that vehicles are driven affects emissions. Driving speed, tire pressure, and braking habits all affect mileage. Idling is a significant source of GHG emissions as well as local air pollution. Installing emission controls on heavy-duty trucks and construction vehicles is an inexpensive measure that removes significant amounts of air pollutants. This was done on vehicles working on the Central Artery project. While this measure does not appreciably affect GHG emissions, it is included here because of its high level of benefits, especially given the quantity of construction in Cambridge.

Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Adopt a City green fleets policy that incorporates energy efficiency criteria for acquiring municipal vehicles, including sizing of vehicles appropriate to their tasks and giving preferences to alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles where possible and promotion of using the smallest vehicle necessary for jobs (including City bikes).
• Establish a municipal work group to coordinate implementation of alternative fuel vehicle acquisition and infrastructure installation.
• Switch to alternative fuel and minimum-sized vehicles.
• Provide a program on driving and maintenance practices that reduce fuel use and emissions for employees who use City vehicles and for the community.
• Publicize the health and environmental costs of motor vehicle emissions.
• Reduce the number of nonresident citywide stickers.

Medium-term
• Undertake an anti-idling campaign. Do education about idling through signs, targeted mailings to schools, parents, bus companies, shipping destinations; follow up with enforcement. Make sure vehicles engaged in business do not idle unnecessarily.
• Work with the city’s congressional delegation to advocate for higher CAFE standards.
• Work with state agencies to develop a system to more closely tie vehicle insurance costs to vehicle miles traveled.
• Develop stickers on tire pressure for optimum energy efficiency to install at service station air pumps.

Long-term
• Establish infrastructure for AFVs, including a CNG fueling station for City vehicles, free public access refueling stations, partly solar-powered, for electric vehicles; and reserved spaces for zero and super low-emission vehicles in municipal garages and parking lots.
• Install emission controls on heavy-duty City trucks and construction vehicles; investigate requiring emissions mechanicals on trucks doing business with the City.
• Investigate possible programs to encourage taxis to switch to CNG.
• Link parking sticker fees to engine size and put a cap on the tonnage of vehicles eligible for residential parking permits. Increase fees for second, third cars.
• Establish a parking maximum for residential units.
• Study possible creation of neighborhood-zoned parking.

Strategy: Promote Local and Regional Transit Improvements

Proposed Actions
Short and medium-term
• Advocate for additional federal and state transit funding.
• Work with other communities to create new MBTA services, including an Orange Line stop at Assembly Square, Somerville; a Green Line extension from Lechmere to Medford, and the Urban Ring line.
• Advocate for low-emissions buses.
• As the federal transportation funding reauthorization process unfolds, advocate with state and federal elected officials to shift federal funds from highways to transit.

Long-term
• Advocate that federal and state officials begin planning an interstate transportation system that does not include large trucks on roadways other than limited access highways.

Strategy: Work for Transit-Oriented Regional Land Use Planning
Currently, the mechanisms for doing regional land use planning in the Boston area are weak. The metropolitan area includes 101 cities and towns, many of them quite small geographically. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council is advisory, and there is no governing regional body. While sprawl is not an issue within Cambridge, which is already very densely developed, it directly affects the city in important ways as it promotes increased traffic to and from the city. In addition, the loss of open space outside Cambridge is a loss to Cambridge residents who seek access to forests, beaches, other natural areas, and farms.

Regional concerns may sometimes conflict with local concerns: People looking at transportation issues in the region may want to concentrate new jobs near places easily reached by public transportation, e.g., Cambridge, while many Cambridge residents, concerned about traffic on their streets, may not. In addition, new jobs draw people to Cambridge at the same time that the high cost of housing makes it impossible for many of them to live in or near the city, which induces further sprawl and more driving. It is important for the entire Boston metropolitan area that there be a regional land-use plan that includes powerful incentives to stop sprawl and shift to in-fill development. While there is growing agreement among planners that in-fill development is often preferable to sprawl, there seems to be a lack of consensus on what kind of in-fill development is desirable or on how to make it happen.

Proposed Actions
Ongoing
• Increase support for and involvement in regional land use planning activities.
• Work with legislators and other public officials toward creating a regional land use plan with teeth.

Waste Sector

Strategy: Prevent Waste
The most effective way to reduce greenhouse gases from waste is to prevent the generation of waste in the first place. Not only are the impacts of disposal prevented, but the cost and impacts of producing and transporting products and transporting materials for recycling are also avoided.

Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Implement a waste prevention program for City government.

Medium and Long-term
• Promote waste prevention measures in the commercial sector, after having implemented a waste prevention program in City government.
• Promote residential waste prevention.

Strategy: Increase Recycling
The Commonwealth has raised the goal for recycling. To meet these goals, Cambridge—the City, businesses, institutions, and residents—will need to consider new initiatives to increase the rate of recycling.

Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Carry out projects to increase participation in existing recycling programs using community-based social marketing techniques, starting with a pilot project.
• Facilitate construction and demolition waste recycling. The state is planning to implement a construction and demolition debris disposal ban by 2003. The City can help contractors prepare for it by requiring a construction and demolition debris recycling plan as a condition of receiving a building permit.

Medium-term
• Conduct waste composition studies every two years to develop information about which new portions of the waste stream to target for recycling or reduction and to evaluate the success of the current program. The study should examine the waste streams from residences, City government buildings, schools, and the commercial sector across all the seasons of the year.
• Expand electronics recycling to include printers and other computer peripherals, as well as old phones, VCRs, stereos, and other electronic equipment.

Long-term
• Develop a program to ensure that commercial waste paper is being recycled. Since 67% of Cambridge businesses provide professional, business, real estate, or insurance services, commercial waste paper is undoubtedly the largest portion of the commercial waste stream by far. The program should be based on a monitoring program and application of the Recycling Ordinance requirements.
• Facilitate commercial food waste collection. This would help Cambridge businesses and institutions prepare for a state ban on food waste disposal that should go into effect soon under the Solid Waste Master Plan. Large institutions with food services have opportunities to efficiently divert food waste to composting facilities. Appropriate disposal facilities need to
be identified.
• Conduct a thorough composition study of the residential waste stream to assess the feasibility of a residential food waste collection program. Picking up food waste, yard waste, and cardboard in the same packer trucks should be considered.
• Develop a program to pick up used clothing for recycling at the curb. Used clothing can comprise up to 6% of the waste stream.

Strategy: Implement Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
Purchasing products with recycled content is essential to support a market
for recycled waste material.

Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Reevaluate the City’s system for tracking recycled and non-recycled paper and plastic purchases to ensure accurate recording of the quantities purchased and set goals for increasing the percentage. Work with the school department to accomplish the same steps.
• Work with stores to develop and use point-of-sale reminders to customers to purchase recycled products.