About Us
Melrose Energy and Climate is a group of Melrose citizens who volunteer their time and expertise to help the City of Melrose, its residents, businesses and non-profits save energy and address the climate crisis. By reducing energy consumption and educating the public, the committee is contributing tangible and positive steps toward lessening the harmful effects of global warming and climate change.
Stay in-the-know
Keep informed of the latest meetings and green living and sustainability events.
Climate Agreement
In 2015, 14 mayors in the greater Boston area – including Melrose’s Rob Dolan and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh – convened at the Metro Mayors Climate Preparedness Summit, committing to collaborate in mitigating the progress of climate change. This regional partnership continued to gain momentum at a subsequent meeting held in November 2016 when the Metro Boston Climate Preparedness Commitment was created and signed. The long-term goal for the 14 Climate Preparedness Summit communities is to achieve net zero/carbon-free status by 2050. This means the amount of renewable energy produced by the community equals its energy consumption. As a first step, each municipality has committed to develop or update a local climate mitigation plan and implement at least three climate mitigation actions by 2020. A list of climate mitigation actions was generated at the last summit meeting.
In support of this effort, the Melrose Energy Commission spent time in 2017 working with the community to identify and plan strategies that will help Melrose move toward the 2020 goals and interim steps toward reaching the 2050 goals. The first step in this process was to conduct a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory to better understand our impact on health and on the environment and to inform our carbon reduction strategy. Learn more about the GHG Inventory.
We welcome your involvement in shaping the creation of the net zero plan and encourage you to join our monthly meetings to act locally in making a difference against climate change.
Get involved
Find out how you can help
By signing onto the agreement, member municipalities agree to:
- Sharing information, assessments, plans and identifying crucial gaps
- Integrating climate change in policies and programs
- Coordinating preparedness action
- Identifying regional priorities
- Identifying opportunities for coordination and collaboration and acting on those opportunities
Net Zero Buildings
Help promote building design, renovation and construction choices that help us meet our net zero goals by joining the Green Building Subcommittee.
Energy Efficiency
To help us promote energy efficiency to residents, businesses and non-profits, contact the Melrose Energy Challenge team.
Transportation
To help promote electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles as well as the benefits of walking, biking, and carpooling, contact the Transportation Subcommittee.
Green Communities Grant
In May 2010, Melrose was among the first 35 Massachusetts communities designated as a Green Community by the Department of Energy Resources.
Melrose met five program criteria in order to become a Green Community:
- Provided as-of-right siting in designated locations for renewable energy research and development on Washington Street
- Adopted expedited application and permitting for renewable energy facilities
- Established benchmark energy use and plan to reduce the baseline by 20% within five years
- Adopted fuel-efficient vehicle purchase and replacement policy
- Adopted the new Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) Stretch Code that went into effect in January 2011
Since 2010 Melrose has been awarded $1,086,233 in Green Communities grants for the following projects:
- White roof and added roof insulation at Melrose High School
- Conversion of Main Street Victorian lights to LED
- Upgraded interior lighting at the Melrose Public Library and the Police Station; lighting controls at the West Knoll Soccer Fields
- HVAC upgrade at Melrose High School
- City-wide LED streetlight conversion
- HVAC and building controls upgrades at Lincoln Elementary School, Milano Center, and Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School
- A third Ford Focus electric vehicle for the municipal fleet
MEC Officers
Dave Bliss, Co-Chair
As an architect and LEED AP at Simpson Gumpertz and Heger, David specializes in sustainability, preservation, and design of new and existing building enclosures. He is active in volunteer activities at Melrose UU Church and serves on the Advocacy Committee of the USGBC-MA.
Gary Lamothe, Co-Chair
Ian Moriarty,
Communications Coordinator
Martha Grover,
City of Melrose Sustainability Manager
MEC Members
Tyler Ballew
Energy Attorney at Rubin and Rudman LLP. Tyler first got involved with clean energy as a teenager, helping to build his family's off-grid home in rural Montana, and now counsels renewable energy companies on all facets of financing and development of renewable projects.
Susan Gitelle Baron
Susan is a support analyst in the healthcare industry. She participated in placing a non-binding carbon reduction resolution on the November 2008 Melrose ballot.
Lori Timmermann
As a sustainability and marketing consultant, Lori has developed and implemented programs driving solar PV adoption and energy efficiency improvements. She also is a Solar Coach and has helped many in our community capture their own little piece of the sun.
June Cuttino
June is a retired hospital dietitian. She is the past president of the League of Women Voters of Melrose, the chair of League of Women Voters Transportation Study (Arlington County, VA.), a Church Moderator, and the chair of her Church Trustee Board.
Doug Dick
A LEED-accredited architect and partner in the Cambridge firm, LDA Architecture and Interiors, specializes in sustainable design and construction for new and renovated homes, affordable housing and adaptive re-use projects throughout New England.
Jeff Doody
Jeff is a mechanical engineer currently working in energy research at MIT. He previously worked in graduate school on developing methods for solar cell manufacturing.
Kristi Heiman
Kristi became involved in environmental issues while taking classes in International Relations at the Harvard Extension School. She has pursued her interests in sustainability and policy interning at small non-profit organizations in the Greater Boston Area.
Ellen Katz
As Fiscal Director for the Cambridge Dept. of Public Works, Ellen has been actively involved with energy-efficiency projects for the City of Cambridge. She has more than 20 years of experience in environmental programs and policies.
Cassandra Koutalidis
Cassandra is a registered professional civil engineer with 30 years experience in public works projects of various kinds, both as a consultant and as a municipal employee; and recently she was involved in advancing emissions reductions projects for municipally-owned buildings. Passionate about reducing greenhouse gas emissions as a measure to combat climate change, she brings substantial experience from serving on other environmental boards.
Susan Murphy
Lisa Montouri Trimble
David Fink
David and his wife Barbara recently renovated their 70-year-old Melrose home, making it into the first net-zero electric home in Melrose.
Sunil Sainis
Sunil is a physicist working on the power sipping electronic paper displays. He has a keen interest in sustainability and climate issues
Barbara Simko
Barbara and her husband David recently renovated her 70-year-old Melrose home, making it into the first net-zero electric home in Melrose.
Howie Newman
Howie worked for the Consortium for Energy Efficiency for nine years and has more than 30 years of experience in journalism and public relations.
Great Organizations MEC Supports
Sustainable Melrose
Melrose organizations working together to raise awareness and support for our shared community responsibilities in environmental stewardship, social wellbeing, and economic prosperity over the long term. www.sustainablemelrose.org
Green Energy Consumers Alliance
An easy way to green your energy with local renewable resources. www.greenenergyconsumers.org
Melrose Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Committee
The Melrose Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee, re-established by the City of Melrose in 2012, works to improve conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists in the City and promote walking and bicycling as means of transportation. www.melrosepedbike.org
Zero Waste Melrose (Melrose Recycling Committee)
Zero Waste Melrose is group of resident volunteers whose goals are to reduce waste, increase recycling, and educate the public. https://www.zerowastemelrose.org/
Melrose Farmers’ Market
The mission of the Melrose Farmers’ Market, a non-profit organization, is to provide all Melrose-area residents with the opportunity to buy and learn about nutritious, locally grown and produced foods. www.melrosefarmersmarket.org
Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN)
MCAN empowers communities by enhancing communication, promoting town-level projects that improve communities, decreasing climate change-causing pollution, and reducing development time for those projects. The Melrose Energy Commission is a participating member of MCAN. http://www.massclimateaction.org/
350.org
350 uses online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions to oppose new coal, oil and gas projects, take money out of the companies that are heating up the planet, and build 100% clean energy solutions that work for all. Melrose is part of the Mystic Valley Node. www.350.org