The town plays a major role in reducing emissions and responding to climate change and WE3C is the effective and important citizens advisory committee to these efforts. While Watertown Faces Climate Change advocates and agitates from the outside, WE3C works within the town to enact positive policy changes.
All Watertown residents are welcome to attend meetings and to get involved in projects. Both official and unofficial members contribute in areas as diverse as school building projects, transportation, trees and urban forestry, composting, home energy assessments, and transitioning to renewable energy, among others.
For more information:Contact Ed Lewis, Town Energy/Project Manager on 617-972-4250, or at edward.lewis@watertown.k12.ma.us
Watertown has a proud commitment to sustainability in areas that encompass energy, environmental stewardship, and climate change. For example, Watertown was the first municipality on the East Coast to adopt a solar ordinance requiring solar on large buildings. In addition, Watertown launched a residential electricity aggregation program (Watertown Electricity Choice) with 51% local renewable energy (2nd highest % in Mass.), and is currently in the process of building two new schools that are expected to be the first operational net-zero energy schools in the State. Other projects have included changing out all of our streetlights to LEDs, saving the Town $100,000 a year in electricity costs, and saving tons of CO2 emissions.
Efforts like these would not have been possible without the hard work and support of Watertown residents. One way residents can participate in these types of projects is to join Watertown’s Environment and Energy Efficiency Committee, known as WE3C.
WE3C was chartered in 2003 to research, advise, and implement projects to help the Town and residents in matters of energy conservation, renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and environmental management improvements for the benefit of the Town’s inhabitants. The Committee makes recommendations to the Town Council, consults with various Town officials, and works most closely with the Town Energy Manager, Ed Lewis, and the Town Environmental Planner, Laurel Schwab. WE3C meetings are typically held at 7PM on the third Monday of the month and are posted on the Town’s calendar at https://www.ci.watertown.ma.us/ (currently held remotely).
All Watertown residents are welcome to attend meetings and to get involved in projects. Both official and unofficial members contribute in areas as diverse as school building projects, transportation, trees and urban forestry, composting, home energy assessments, and transitioning to renewable energy, among others.
Besides advising the Town Council, the Committee also consults with local and regional groups and sponsors public information events such as “Trees and Climate Change in Watertown” and “Composting,” both of which were enthusiastically attended in 2019. Attending WE3C meetings is a great way to see if you wish to get more involved in supporting our community and improving our environment.
Take a look at the Town’s Resilient Watertown Dashboard for a great overview on all the areas the Town is working on to ensure the safety and well-being of the community in the face of climate change: https://resilient.watertown-ma.gov/home