Ahead of Shrewsbury’s Town Meeting on May 20th, let’s look at all the ways the Town has taken the lead on climate action!
Our Town is committed to going all in on climate action, starting with the All In Shrewsbury Municipal Climate Action and Resiliency Plan.
Through the plan, the Town works collaboratively across municipal departments to meet the challenges of climate change head-on.
The Town seeks to achieve the following overarching goals:
- Reduce the Town of Shrewsbury’s contribution to climate change
- Integrate sustainability and climate action principles across all Town departments
- Ensure that municipal operations are resilient and efficient
- Save money, time, and resources
- Preserve the Town’s history, culture, and quality of life
- Prepare for the current and coming impacts of climate change
There is resident support to create a community-wide climate action plan on the heels of the All In Shrewsbury Municipal Plan. By developing a municipal-focused plan first, the Town will lay a foundation for local climate action and lead by example.
Since releasing the plan, we’ve made strides in energy efficiency, clean transportation, and waste reduction:
1. Capital Improvements
As some of the largest municipal buildings, the Town of Shrewsbury’s public schools are also the largest energy users. In 2021, natural gas and electricity consumption in public schools accounted for 84% of municipal building related emissions.
The Town has already been working to implement energy efficiency projects—including weatherstripping, LED lighting upgrades, and HVAC replacements—to decrease the impact of these facilities. A big recent project included replacing the windows in Oak Middle School with treated windows that decrease heat and increase indoor energy efficiency.
In addition, the Town partnered with SELCO to install solar panels on the roof of the police station, making it the FIRST public building with solar power!
2. Electrifying the Town Vehicle Fleet
The Town's vehicle fleet is responsible for 14% of municipal GHG emissions. In 2022, the municipal vehicle fleet used 87,581 gallons of gasoline, emitting 772 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e). Replacing the Town's gasoline-powered vehicles with EVs or other zero-emission vehicles would require 539,500 kWh of electricity, equivalent to only 142 MT CO2e - an 82% reduction in emissions!
Currently, Shrewsbury has 3 carpool EVs shared between departments, with more on the way!
3. Smart Stormwater Management
Lastly, the Town has worked to improve our street sweeping and catch basin management. Improving these municipal processes is vital for ensuring stormwater is managed effectively.
While it may not seem like such an important climate action, stormwater management is crucial to our climate resilience. We manage just shy of 4,700 catch basins (!), and collect about 400 tons of sediment per year, on average. Stormwater pollutants can seriously impact the water quality of our streams, ponds and wetlands, harming public health and local wildlife. Stormwater pollution can even affect our groundwater, which is used for private and community drinking water wells. Plugged catch basins can also lead to flooding, which can damage properties and cause harm.
Read more about our Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP).
Learn more about how Shrewsbury is working to create a climate-ready town
Visit the various sections of our dashboard and learn more about our progress in each focus area.
Thank you for reading! Stay tuned every month for new posts all about Shrewsbury’s climate action initiatives and progress.