Somerville Reaches for Carbon Neutrality by 2050

Two miles northwest of Boston, the city of Somerville, Massachusetts, has determined to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. While many cities, states, and countries have set targets for drastically reducing their carbon footprint, few have set such an ambitious goal. Bordering Cambridge, and surrounded by world-class universities, the small but densely packed city is "home to the largest green tech incubator in the country," Elizabeth Daigneau reports. "Somerville figured that if it was going to be carbon-neutral by 2050, it was going to need the help and cooperation of the business community."

The recently launched Green Tech Program will initially focus on pilot projects and facilitating information exchange through green tech networking events. The stated goal of the first event "is to raise the profile of municipal-ready technologies while providing a forum for city and industry officials to exchange opportunities and challenges." The first event was held in June in partnership with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

The first pilot program will be launched in partnership with Understory, a weather intelligence firm that caters to the insurance industry. According to their website, the startup provides "hyper-local data to power advanced damage analytics." The firm will install solar-powered weather stations at two local schools in order to share weather data with the city and the public. Daigneau writes, "Ultimately, Somerville has three broad goals with its pilot projects: They must help with climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation and quality of life."