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Planning for the Future

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Conservation Staff are involved in a wide range of "green" efforts such as stormwater management, floodplain protection, climate mitigation and resiliency, open space and recreation planning, trail development, and native/invasive species education.

Climate Action

Conservation staff are helping the City of Newton update its Climate Action Plan for the next five years.

Since the first Plan was written in 2019, the City has made significant progress:

  • Adoption of the Fossil Fuel-Free ordinance and specialized code
  • 25 City-owned, publicly available EV chargers (50 ports)
  • Adoption of the Buildings Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO)
  • 19 municipal solar projects, with seven more in the final stages of construction. In total, these projects will general the equivalent of 37% of the City’s electricity usage
  • 810 recorded Energy Coach consults since 2021
  • 1,943 heat pump installations in Newton from 2019-2025 (Mass Save)
  • Passage of the Village Center Overlay District zoning amendment
  • Maintenance of 52 miles of bike lanes (counting both directions of travel), 20,000+ street trees, and numerous native landscapes across the City

The draft Climate Action Plan 2.0 provides a roadmap for our climate work from 2026-2030. The plan integrates with existing sustainability-related plans, focuses on high-leverage actions, and incorporates climate resilience.

Climate Action Plan 2.0 (CAP 2.0) has been drafted as is available in the following formats:

Next steps include presenting the Plan and dashboard to City Council.

CAP 2.0 integrates action items and recommendations from the following related plans:

If you have questions or comments, please reach out the City's Climate Action Coordinator at cweiss@newtonma.gov

Visit Newton's Climate and Sustainability web page.

Sign up for Newton Climate News here.

Open Space and Recreation Plan

Conservation staff contributed to Newton's Open Space and Recreation Plan, which can be found here. The 2020-2027 plan has been extended and is now valid through 2030.