Boston Mayor Tom Menino recently announced a new initiative to use $6.5 million in federal stimulus funding for the "Renew Boston" project designed to help fund energy efficiency across the city. Al Gore was on hand with the Mayor when the project was announced.
Along with the project, the Mayor announced the formation of his Climate Action Leadership Committee, which will give direction and perform oversight for this and related climate protection efforts in the city.
This Committee will be co-chaired by Mindy Lubber, President of CERES, and Jim Hunt, the City's Chief of Energy and Environment, and includes a very impressive array of other people from the private, government, and nonprofit sectors --
James McCarthy, Harvard University and Board Member, Union of Concerned Scientists
Theodore Landsmark, President, Boston Architectural College
Timothy Healy, Chief Executive Officer, EnerNOC
Bud Ris, President and Chief Executive Officer, New England Aquarium
Kalila Barnett, Executive Director, Alternatives for Community & Environment
Bryan Koop, Senior Vice President, Boston Properties
Honorable John Connolly, At-Large Boston City Councilor
Tedd Saunders, Executive Vice President Hotel Lenox, and President, Eco-Logical Solutions
James Coyle, General Agent, Boston Building Trades
Richard Dimino, President, A Better City
Judith Nitsch, President, Nitsch Engineering
Mark Buckley, Vice President, Staples
Charles McDermott, General Partner, Rockport Properties
Margaret Williams, Executive Director, The Food Project
Stephanie Pollack, Associate Director, Center for Urban and Regional Policy, Northeastern University
David Queely, Program Director, Trust for Public Land
Viki Bok, Jamaica Plain resident
Reverend Raymond Hammond, Pastor, Bethel AME Church and Chair, Ten Point Coalition
Rebecca Park, Boston Latin School, Youth Climate Action Network
This project resembles one that was established over a year ago in Cambridge, MA, the Cambridge Energy Alliance, that was funded by the Kendall Foundation (go to my Our Green Cities web site for a description of this effort). Of course, the Cambridge initiative was established with $100 million. So it will be interesting to see how Boston can leverage the $6.5 million to develop a project that will really impact the city and its residents.