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Sustainability Committee
New Climate Action Plan Survey
Click here for the latest Climate Action Survey!
Agendas & Minutes
Agendas are available prior to the meetings, usually the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm. Minutes are available following approval.
View Most Recent Agendas and Minutes
Members
| Name | Term Expires |
|---|---|
| Kate Davies, Chair | 2026 |
| Jay Krishasamy, Clerk | 2026 |
| Johanna Choo | 2026 |
| Richard Garrison | 2027 |
| Suresh Jasrasaria | 2026 |
| Palmer Moore | 2028 |
| Barbara Salzman | 2027 |
| Connor Reardon, LELWD Representative | |
| Priya Sundaram, Select Board liaison |
Overview
Welcome! We are the Boxborough Sustainability Committee: an all-volunteer committee appointed by the Select Board to help the Town promote a culture of sustainability fully integrated into our community for the benefit of present and future generations. A sustainable community means shifting to non-carbon emitting power sources, building and maintaining homes and businesses that conserve energy, and making smart choices in the things we buy and dispose of. It also includes finding a more benign mode of transportation to reduce carbon emissions.
Combat Climate Change Vulnerabilities
Are you concerned about access to safe drinking water? Do you worry our weather is getting more extreme and putting lives at risk? Would you like to know what we can do in our community to address these and other vulnerabilities created by climate change? Join Emily DiFranco of Comprehensive Environmental Inc. and the Boxborough Sustainability Committee for this free virtual event to review key takeaways from our town’s participation in the Municipal Vulnerabilities Preparedness (MVP) program.
Climate Change Survey
Our Climate Change Survey of 2020-2021 asked what our community currently knows, what it thinks it needs to know, and what should be done about climate change and by whom. The survey also assessed the community’s willingness to commit to action to mitigate climate change. The key takeaways were the majority of Boxborough residents believe climate change is real, they want to learn more, and take action. They believe Government, Business, and Community partnerships should lead the way to mitigate the harmful effects that make us vulnerable. Summary of results is here.
Click here for our new Climate Action survey!
Boxborough Sustainability Policy
Read more about the details of this policy!
Select Board Climate Change Declaration
We, the Boxborough Select Board, are committed to raising awareness about the importance of mitigating Climate Change. We are convinced Climate Change is caused largely by human activities, and the need to take action is urgent. The responsibility belongs to all of us to be vigilant about ways to contain this growing threat to human survival. Read more here!
Bay State Textile Recycling
The Boxborough Sustainability Committee has brought Bay State Textile Recycling to two convenient locations in town: Sargent Library and Transfer Station. For every ton of recycled textiles, the town earns $100. These centrally located depositories take our unwanted textiles to prevent them from going into the trash. Visit Acceptable Items for Recycling on the Bay State Textile website (PDF).
Contact Information
Other Resources
Sustainability Committee Documents
Boxborough Climate Survey Documents and Materials
Composting Documents for Residents
Sustainability Committee Charter
Boxborough's Climate Action Plan
Boxborough's Energy Assessment
Let’s Talk Trash!
We have already saved the Town almost $20,000 per year by implementing changes at the Transfer Station (installation of compactors for recycling). Although this initially helped reduce our solid waste (aka trash) and increase recycling, we have not seen any additional increase in recycling. We need to explore additional ways to reduce solid waste (trash).
More than 520 million pounds of usable textiles were sent to landfills and incinerators in Massachusetts in the last year, of which 95 % can be reused or recycled including:
- Clothing
- Footwear
- Household Linens
- Towels
- Other Fabric-Based Products