BROOKLINE — Town Administrator Chas Carey is pleased to announce that the Town of Brookline’s Sustainability Division, headed by Thomas Barrasso, has been awarded a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
This $75,000 grant will help fund a Climate Crisis Action and Resiliency Plan Update, creating a comprehensive actionable framework for the Town of Brookline to achieve zero emissions by 2040. The project will begin in late fall, dovetailing with the Brookline Emergency Management Team’s update to the town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan, and will include a tree-planting pilot that engages the community, sequesters carbon, and provides heat mitigation in a climate-impacted neighborhood.
“Brookline has a longstanding commitment to pursuing sustainability and climate-friendly initiatives, and this grant is just the latest example,” Carey said. “Congratulations to all of the staff and community partners who made this possible. I know they will continue developing and achieving meaningful climate goals.”
Select Board Chair Heather Hamilton noted, “Thanks to Sustainability Director Tom Barrasso, this grant will give the Town of Brookline an opportunity to transition into a phase of defining specific, actionable items to address our climate crisis.”
The Town also appreciates the grant support provided by Representative Tommy Vitolo, Director of Planning & Community Development Kara Brewton, Public Works Commissioner Erin Chute Gallentine, Recreation Director Leigh Jackson, Fire Chief John F. Sullivan, Parks & Open Space Director Alexandra Vecchio, the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, the Zero Emissions Advisory Board, the Brookline Chamber of Commerce, the Charles River Watershed Association, Climate Action Brookline, Climate Is Everybody’s Business, and the Charles River Watershed Association.
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