Established in 2013 by the Dalton Select Board, the Green Dalton Committee’s mission is to identify, investigate and recommend initiatives that protect the community’s natural resources and enhance environmental health and sustainability in Dalton. The Committee consists of up to seven community members appointed by the Select Board.

The Green Dalton Committee meeting times, agenda, and minutes are posted to mytowngovernment.org/01226.

There is currently one vacant position on the committee. Please use the committee’s contact email or phone to inquire about volunteering.

**NEW** Please join us for the  2024 Climate Solutions Fair at the Stationery Factory from 1 pm – 5 pm on October 13th. Schedule of events:

1:00 Stu Besnoff – How Solar Hot Water and Off-Grid Battery Power Storage Work

1:30 Tony Pagliarulo – Electric Vehicle Ownership Advantages and Strategies

2:00 Dan Britton – The Benefits of Grid-Tied Solar Power for Your Home

2:30 Todd Logan – How to Select Contractors for Any Project

3:00 Blue Strike Environmental – Overview of Dalton’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) with an Introduction to our CAP Community Survey

3:40 David Wasielewski – Panel Discussion (includes Q&A with Blue Strike Environmental and all other presenters who wish to participate)

4:00 CAP Survey Workshop – Opportunity to complete Climate Action Plan survey with experts available to answer questions

5:00 Adjourn

Please RSVP if you plan to attend at green@dalton-ma.gov.

Other Green Dalton Committee (GDC) projects and priorities for 2024 include:

• Ongoing work with the community to complete Dalton’s Climate Action Plan (please see the 2024 Blue Strike CAP Proposal)
  
• Dalton Library thermal camera checkout program to help residents asses their home energy efficiency
• Community composting recommendations
  
• Continued electric vehicle and charging projects for the Town
  
• Ongoing municipal building projects
  
• Town green power generation
• Tree planting opportunities and resources
  
• Ongoing education and communication around targeted GDC projects

Additional detail for these objectives is available here: GDC vision for 2024

Climate Change Preparedness Forum, August 2023

• Helped improve Dalton’s Community Choice Aggregation
  
• Secured $385K in grants for municipal energy-saving projects
  
• Active participation in developing 2019 Municipal Vulnerability Plan

Dalton is a Massachusetts designated Green Community.

As such, Dalton is eligible for state green grants intended to support projects that reduce energy use in municipal facilities.  Since its inception in 2014, The committee has secured over $385K in grants to finance these municipal energy saving efforts. These include installation of LED lighting in Town Hall, Library, Senior Center, the conversion of over 700 town streetlights from HPS to LED bulbs, the acquisition of two electric vehicles, insulation of municipal buildings and conversion of heating units from gas or oil to electric heat pumps.  These efforts have reduced town energy use by approximately 25% and utility expenses by $75K/year.

The committee continues to pursue annual grants of up to $200K to support efforts that promote community sustainability, including Massachusetts goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 85% by 2050 and achieve net-zero emissions.

You can make a difference. In addition to learning more about climate-friendly practices and technologies and using this worksheet to implement them in your home, there are currently many federal, state, and industry-sponsored incentives to assist Dalton residents in transitioning to many of those options. For example:

The Residential Green Energy Credit

Massachusetts Energy Rebates & Incentives

State and Federal Electric Vehicle Funding Programs

Industry-Sponsored Energy Efficiency Programs (Mass Save)

The Green Dalton Committee has also introduced a thermal camera checkout program at the Dalton Library to help residents assess their home’s energy efficiency.