Beverly Mayor Joins Mayors National Climate Action Agenda

BEVERLY, MA – Mayor Michael Cahill joined the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda last week, committing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions on a local level.

According to the MNCAA website, the organization is calling for binding emission reductions agreements, both nationally and internationally, and working to mitigating greenhouse gases at the city level.

"I am very excited to continue the legacy of many leaders in Beverly by helping to make Beverly a progressively minded, green and sustainable community." Cahill said in a statement. "Among our greatest responsibilities in life is to respect our earth and hand it the next generation in better shape than we found it. The sustainable efforts we make today will make all the difference for our kids and grandchildren. I am honored to join with Mayors from around the country in making this commitment."

Cahill said he is also committed to buying and creating more demand for electric cars and trucks, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, creating a clean energy economy, and taking a stand for environmental justice.

Joining the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda complements years of adopting green and sustainable initiatives. Beginning in 1980 Beverly High School was one of eight sites in the United States that then President Jimmy Carter chose for a solar panel installation. Now called the Dr. John W. Coleman Greenergy Park, the site is the only remaining one from that era and also includes a wind turbine.

In 2011, Beverly sought and received a Green Community designation. As a result the city has received a number of state grants that have led to retrofitting and improving the efficiency of building equipment at our elementary schools and library. The city's most recent capital building projects, specifically the 6-year-old High School and the currently under construction Middle School both have state-of- the-art efficiencies. Fifteen percent of the high school’s electricity comes directly from solar, while the Middle School expects to be designated a LEED Silver building.

At the airport, a 2 Mega Watt solar array was commissioned in 2014 and currently the city is working with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and other partners on a number of additional potential solar array sites including the former Otis Road Landfill off Brimbal Avenue. In addition, this summer the city will be considering additional sustainability initiatives such as an LED street light conversion, additional solar arrays, energy aggregation, reducing solid waste and increasing recycling, incorporating electric vehicles into the city fleet and more.

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