Looking for ZNE Action Plan examples? On June 21, 2015, Cambridge’s City Council unanimously adopted Monday the Net Zero Action Plan, a 25-year plan that addresses both new and existing buildings and includes target dates for reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions from buildings in Cambridge.
In December 2013, the City of Cambridge had created the “Getting to Net Zero Task Force” charged with advancing the goal of putting Cambridge on the trajectory towards becoming a “net zero community”, with focus on carbon emissions from building operations. This includes reducing energy use intensity of buildings and taking advantage of opportunities to harvest energy from renewable sources.
Per local news source Wicked Local Cambridge:
Implementation activities are slated to start July 1. Each proposed ordinance will go through the regular process before becoming law.
“This is actually a great thing. We’re really leading the commonwealth and the country in terms of thinking about how we’re making sure that our buildings within the inevitable environment are energy friendly,” Councilor Leland Cheung said June 22.
Councilor Marc McGovern recently filed a policy order at a Health and Environment Committee meeting requesting the city go one step beyond just adopting the recommendations and also adopt LEED Gold Plus points later this year.
Recommendations include increasing LEED standards for large, new construction, which was proposed two years ago as part of the net-zero petition; a rooftop solar-ready requirement for all new construction so that buildings will be ready to accommodate solar panels; and a recommendation to raise the state’s renewable portfolio standard to match a bill filed by Sen. Benjamin Downing, D-Pittsfield.
Learn more and follow new developments on the City of Cambridge’s website here.