Are you interested in joining the Orleans Climate Action Network? If so, please click here .
Focus on Climate Action: Individual, Neighborhood, and Community
What's your climate action focus?
Right Whales: Research and Stewardship at the Edge of Extinction
The right whale of the North Atlantic Ocean is the rarest of the world’s great whales and a seasonal visitor to Cape Cod waters. Having been hunted for centuries, right whales now cling to existence at the very brink of extinction–threatened by ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, they and all of us are now confronting the insidious effects of climate change. The whales’ story, along with efforts by scientists and conservationists to save them, speaks to the issues of the protection of biodiversity, protection of the oceans, and the conflict between the imperatives of conservation and economics. In this extensively illustrated presentation Dr. Mayo will describe the status of the whales and efforts to understand and protect them–posing the ultimate question: As stewards responsible for the vitality of the coastal waters of Cape Cod and the Islands, how shall we confront the issues that control the future?
Speaker: Charles "Stormy" Mayo, Ph.D.
Free and open to the public.
When? July 7 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Where? Truro Meeting House, 3 First Parish Lane, Truro
Climate Change Matters
What have we learned from Comprehensive Plan and CItizens Forums in the past six months? Our changing climate matters to many residents.
What matters most (about Orleans) for residents completing the survey? Access to water (both freshwater and saltwater), natural environment and open space. How important is the Town’s response to climate change? 57.17% of survey respondents emphasized climate change response – solar energy, electric vehicle charging stations, etc. as high need.
Recommended: An Orleans Climate Action Plan
As work on the Town Comprehensive Plan continues in 2024, is an Orleans Climate Action Plan needed?
Climate change will impact each of our community's core concerns: access to the environment, water, open space, housing affordability, diversity, recreation programming, and Main St.
A climate action plan assessing community strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated with accelerating climate change could be the thread that connects the dots for Orleans now and in the future. What do you think?
Send your comments to info.orleansclimateaction@gmail.com.
What's in a Climate Action Plan?
In 2020, Orleans joined 13 of the Cape’s 15 towns and many off-Cape communities in adopting a Climate Emergencies Declaration and committing to creating a climate action plan.
In 2024, with the funding of a Sustainability Coordinator and a twelve-month effort to create a 20-year Comprehensive Plan, the Town is positioned to move ahead with the creation of an Orleans Climate Action Plan.
Here’s what we learned from a close reading of action plans from a dozen Massachusetts communities where the 2020 Climate Emergencies Declaration sparked Town leaders to get to work on plans that are making a difference:
Whole community engagement in conversations, reflection, and analysis
Focus on social, environmental, and economic resilience
Town government and staff, and all civic groups, businesses, and residents committed to mobilization of resources
Specifics re opportunities for achieving Town emissions reduction goals with the available tools and resources we have today
Detailed strategies and actions that will address climate change rapidly
A dashboard: observable indicators that will help residents know if the plan is working – analytical tools for progress monitoring-at-a-glance
Telling the story together – what’s causing climate change in our town, why should I care, what can we do to make a positive difference? And…how’s that working out for us?
Fresh mindset – everyone has a voice in the planning and everyone plays a role in the success
Ongoing, no-cost coaching for residents and businesses in making energy decisions - from “I’ll think about it” to “I can do this…Done!”
Customized and grounded in knowledge of the community, Climate Action Plans (CAPs) are informed by historical knowledge, proven technology, and current climate science. Everyone in town has ownership.
CAPs take into account current state policy and funding initiatives, as well as barriers to action at the town, state and Federal level. Some plans list advocacy-oriented actions to address these barriers, e.g., increased incentives, more effective financing tools to support electrification retrofits and elimination of fossil fuel use, especially for low- and moderate-income households.
Interested in looking at sample plans from Massachusetts towns?
The links below may be of interest.
https://www.acton-ma.gov/732/Climate-Action-Plan (Acton)
https://gloucester-ma.gov/1182/Climate-Action-and-Resilience-Plan-CARP
https://www.thevineyardway.org/detailed-action-plan (Martha’s Vineyard)
https://www.cityofmelrose.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif3451/f/uploads/melrose_net_zero_action_plan_v4.pdf (Melrose)
https://resilient.watertown-ma.gov/ (Watertown)
https://wellesleyma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/27281/Climate-Action-Plan (Wellesley)
https://plymouth-ma.gov/1205/Priority-Plymouth--Climate-Action-and-Ad (Plymouth)
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/http://www.mapc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Scituate.CCVA_.ExecutiveSummary.MAPC_.3.2018.pdf (Scituate)
https://www.brooklinema.gov/702/Climate-Action-Plan (Brookline)
You also may want to take a look at the Cape Cod Commission Climate Action Plan. The Cape Cod Commission supports towns with policy development, planning, and data analysis. The Commission's regional plan informs town-specific plans across the Cape.
See https://www.capecodcommission.org/our-work/climate-action-plan/
And... for a closer look at the Cape Cod Commission's study of climate change impacts on Orleans, check out this snapshot of high priority road segments in Orleans, part of the Low-Lying Roads Project described in the column below and discussed in the final article on this webpage..
Advocating for More Energy Efficient and Affordable Housing on Cape Cod
At a July 19, 2023 State House briefing highlighting ways to improve housing affordability and reduce the state's carbon emissions, researchers from MIT and Wentworth Institute introduced findings from their most current study, entitled Public Policy for Net Zero Homes and Affordability.
Their findings confirm the affordability of building all-electric homes with the 2023 Stretch and Opt-In Specialized Codes in Massachusetts. In fact, all-electric homes are currently less expensive to build than those built with gas or as mixed-fuel (gas and electric) homes. Estimates of the cost of construction identify ductless, all-electric homes as the least expensive to build premiums compared to the 2022 Stretch Code can be fully offset by the MassSave all-electric incentive.
Initial cost estimates for construction under the 2022 Stretch Code requirements found that single family construction costs increased 1.8-3.0 percent, while multi-family Passive House construction was associated with a 2.8% overall increase. However, several large nonprofit builders of Passive House single-family and multi-family affordable housing note that as developers, engineers, and subcontractors become more familiar with Passive House construction requirements and techniques, incremental costs have declined and are expected to continue to decline.
Moreover, operational costs demonstrate a greater than 20% reduction in operational costs for single-family all-electric homes. Modeling energy savings for more energy efficient Passive House multi-family homes finds reductions in energy use of 40-60% or higher. However, increases in incremental costs for construction (dependent on local market supply and demand conditions) may impact the benefit of energy cost savings.
"Adoption of the opt-in specialized code is essential to helping Massachusetts achieve statutory emissions reductions by requiring prewiring of new mixed-fuel home and avoiding higher cost future electrification retrofits," says Justin Steil, one of the authors of the study. The opt-in specialized code requirement that new multifamily housing achieve Passive House standards will significantly reduce carbon emissions in those buildings, in addition to delivering health benefits to residents. Photo credit Marilyn Brodwick
For additional information, please see
http://cre.mit.edu/news-insights/advocating-for-more-energy-efficient-and-affordable-housing-in-ma/ or contact info.orleansclimateaction@gmail.com.
Water and Climate Change On Cape Cod - What You Should Know
Thank you to all participants in the Water and Climate Change on Cape Cod - What You Should Know program on June 14th at the Snow Library and via Zoom. We appreciate our terrific speakers, Rich Delaney and Katie Castagno (Center for Coastal Studies), Mark Riel (Town of Orleans) and moderator Shelly McComb (WHOI Sea Grant), who provided great information that should inspire us all to make a difference. We had over 80 attendees either in person or via Zoom, which is an amazing turnout for a beautiful summer Friday. This event was part of a series of events that happened across Cape Cod as part of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant Program Climate Resilience Week
Thank you to all program sponsors and to the Friends of Snow Library for technical support.
Zoom link to the program:
Town of Orleans Sponsors of the Program:
Orleans Marine and Fresh Water Quality Committee: Volunteer to be a local water quality sampler by speaking with any of our committee members! https://www.town.orleans.ma.us/630/Marine-Fresh-Water-Quality-Committee
Orleans Energy and Climate Action Committee: https://www.town.orleans.ma.us/703/Energy-Climate-Action-Committee
Orleans Shellfish & Waterways Improvement Advisory Committee: https://www.town.orleans.ma.us/764/Shellfish-Waterways-Improvement-Advisory
Nonprofit Sponsors of the Program or Affiliated With the Speakers
Center for Coastal Studies: https://coastalstudies.org/
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant Program climate resilience resources: https://seagrant.whoi.edu/cccrw-2024/
Orleans Climate Action Network: https://www.orleansclimateaction.org/. affiliated with the Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative: https://capecodclimate.org/
Orleans Pond Coalition: https://www.orleanspondcoalition.org/
Orleans Conservation Trust: https://orleansconservationtrust.org/
At Home With Nature: https://orleansconservationtrust.org/at-home-with-nature/
Planning for Climate Resiliency?
Look Ahead to Electric School Buses
Last year, the Nauset Regional Schools submitted a proposal for electric school bus funding under the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Bus Program, a new Federal program that provides funds to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, as well as infrastructure to support bus use. Five Massachusetts districts, including our neighbors at Upper Cape Regional Technical High School, were funded for 2023. Nauset was placed on a wait list for 2023 and has submitted a proposal for 2024.
Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the EPA's Clean School Bus (CSB) Program for electric school buses will provide 45 billion dollars in funding over five years, FY22-FY26, to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models. The Program's multiple grant and rebate funding opportunities already have awarded almost $2 billion to fund approximately 5,000 school bus replacements (including infrastructure) at over 600 schools.
Why Electric School Buses?
Cleaner air: Electric-powered vehicles are zero-emission. Gasoline-powered buses contribute heavily to greenhouse gas emissions, feeding climate change. Propane-powered buses, currently in use in many Cape towns, demonstrate a lower, but still significant emission level.
Resiliency: Vehicle-to-Grid capable buses can provide power to the grid to Orleans buildings during power shutdowns. When the vehicles are not in use transporting students, they are plugged in, giving back to the town.
Cost-savings: Reduced maintenance and fuel costs
Reduced health risks, particularly impactful for children, whose lungs are developing, and seniors
Cleaner air: reduction or elimination of school bus exhaust, associated with high rates of asthma
What's your climate action focus?
Explore the Orleans Conservation Trust 'At Home with Nature' initiative, a resource-rich source of information and tools to practice nature-friendly landscaping. You’ll learn about native plants—a vital component of healthy home landscapes that provide food and nesting habitats for our beautiful local birds and critters. By cultivating native trees, shrubs, and perennials, and removing invasive, non-native species, we can avoid using pesticides and thus help pollinators thrive. Smaller lawns that can be mowed and watered less often are part of the solution, and ideally homeowners will come to appreciate the benefits of a true Cape Cod lawn. All these practices will help you save time and money and reduce the use of water—our most precious shared resource.” Learn more here: https://orleansconservationtrust.org/at-home-with-nature/
Check out these Town of Orleans Conservation Commission resources:
Plants Native to Orleans. https://www.town.orleans.ma.us/215/List-of-Native-Plants
A Guide to Orleans Wetlands Bylaw and Regulations, accessible on the Town of Orleans website, https://www.town.orleans.ma.us/614/Conservation-Commission. Freshwater wetlands serve many beneficial functions to the community. By channeling runoff away from nearby roads and buildings, wetlands protect structures from flood damage. Wetlands provide temporary storage for floodwaters, allowing the water to slowly recede and recharge the groundwater aquifer. And the wetland may help purify the water it receives. Saltwater beaches, dunes, coastal banks, and salt marshes are dynamic systems. Construction and maintenance activities must be planned carefully in these areas to allow natural shifting to occur. Wetlands Bylaw and Regulations provide critical guidance for individual action that will sustain beaches, bays, dunes, marshes, ponds, and bogs, minimizing the need for engineered seawalls and providing wildlife with important food, shelter, breeding areas and sources of fresh water.
Mark Your Calendar: Climate Actions You Can Take!
11x17 2024 Poster_EasthamOrleans.pdf
Orleans Dehumidifier Turn-In, August 3
Do you have an old, working dehumidifier that you’d like to upgrade or clean out? Recycle it with the Cape Light Compact and you can receive a $30 rebate!
Here’s how it works.
Bring an old, working dehumidifier to the event.
Drop off your dehumidifier and receive a rebate form from the event staff.
Complete the rebate form and submit it through one of the following methods:
Complete the rebate form at the event and leave it with the event staff.
Fill out the rebate form at home and send it in through mail to the address listed on the rebate form.
Receive your $30 recycling rebate by mail 6 – 8 weeks after the form is submitted.
The following restrictions apply to this limited-time offer:
Limit two dehumidifier turn-in rebates per Mass Save Sponsor residential electric account per calendar year (commercial accounts are not eligible).
Eligible dehumidifiers must be sized appropriately for residential applications (20 to 70 pints).
Eligible dehumidifiers must be in working condition
When? August 3, 10-2
Where? Crane Appliance, 136 Route 6A, Orleans
How Green is Orleans?
Green Communities are a select group of Massachusetts cities and towns committed to reducing municipal energy use and costs through clean energy projects in municipal buildings, facilities, and schools.
Why? Buildings – both municipal and privately-owned residential – are the source of 40% of Orleans’ greenhouse gas emissions. Cleaner – and greener – municipal buildings are essential to a resilient Orleans.
A $134,709 Green Communities grant, awarded in 2018 when Orleans was designated a Green Community, has funded these cost-saving energy decisions:
Purchase of two hybrid Prius sedans, replacing two existing gasoline-fueled town vehicles
Installation of a staff vehicle Level 2 dual port EV charging station behind the Town Hall
Introduction of LED lighting at the Council on Aging (COA), the Elementary School Fire Station, Town Hall, 350 South Orleans Road Water Treatment Plant, 44 Main Street Community Building, and Snow Library
Supplemental funding for the Depot Square public Level 2 dual port EV charging station.
Additional grant-funded projects are now underway:
Hot water heating and chilled water-cooling pumps supporting Town Hall air conditioning and
Replacement of the COA’s three gas-fired attic air handlers with air-sourced heat units.
Completion of Designation Grant funded-projects will position the Town to pursue important future projects - expansion of Hybrid/EV vehicles for staff use and a significant upgrade of energy intensive components at the Water Treatment Plant – that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and invest in Orleans’ future.
Protecting Orleans’ Environment And Projecting Savings
Participants in Orleans’ recent visioning workshops for the 2026 Town Comprehensive Plan cited the environment as one of the most compelling reasons to live in Orleans. Green Community policies and practices protect our environment for the present and our shared future.
Currently, many Massachusetts Green Communities are considering adopting a zero-emissions-first policy for municipal vehicle purchases. Why? They recognize that the initial purchase cost is outweighed by cost-savings for the life of the vehicle. It makes cost sense. And they know that continuing to release greenhouse gas at the current rate is not the future we seek.
Plus, adoption of a zero-emissions-first policy opens the door to certification as a Massachusetts Climate Leader Community.
Climate Leader Communities are eligible for significant funding for rooftop solar PV, battery electric storage, electric vehicles, and community engagement activities, as well as seed funding for municipal sustainability coordinators to Climate Leader Communities. Additional requirements for Climate Leader certification are the adoption of the Opt-In Specialized Building Code, narrowly defeated at October 2023 Orleans Town Meeting, and a commitment to eliminate the use of on-site fossil fuel in municipal buildings and fleets by 2050 – two commitments for which there is significant support in Orleans.
Is a zero-emissions-first policy a prudent move for Orleans to consider?
Email orleansclimateaction.org to add your voice to the conversation.
Network Impact on Climate Resiliency
In January 2024 the Orleans Climate Action Network set a six-month goal of forming a network of Orleans environment non-profits and groups. This initiative is a response to the risk that what is already being done to ensure Orleans' climate-resiliency may not be enough. For the sake of current and future generations, that's a risk "we" can't take. We can do together what no one organization can do alone.
Orleans Climate Action Network is recruiting Orleans-specific organizations as members of the network and Cape-wide organizations as network advisors to work together toward the common purpose of creating Orleans climate resiliency.
The Network is relying on the book Impact Networks, by David Ehrlichman, as a guidebook. Designed to "create connection, spark collaboration, and catalyze systemic change," the book speaks to the promise of network formation. Orleans resident Carole Combs knows the power of Impact Networks from her experience in developing an Impact Network of environmental organizations in California's Central Valley/Southern Sierra Tulare Basin Watershed. She will join current and future Network participants others as co-creators of the Orleans impact Network. Currently, the Orleans Conservation Trust and the Orleans Citizen Forum have committed to participating in an initial meeting, to be convened in late summer/early fall.
The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, the Cape Light Compact Board Chair, and the Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative have agreed to act as advisors. Conversations with additional organizations regarding membership are ongoing.
The initial meeting is scheduled for September 5. For more information, please email orleansclimateaction.org.
Low-Lying Roads in Your Neighborhood?
Have heavy rains and higher tides flooded roads in your neighborhood? How might an old-fashioned nor'easter, arriving at a full moon high tide impact your access to work, school, or help from emergency vehicles?
The Summary of Low-Lying Road Segments on the left lists high priority road segments identified in the Cape Cod Commission Low-Lying Roads Report Report for Orleans. As the table indicates, the risk of flooding in multiple neighborhoods is real. To see the full list, please go to https://www.capecodcommission.org/our-work/low-lying-roads-orleans/
Orleans is one of 15 towns working with the Cape Commission to shape town-specific answers to those questions. Initiated in 2021, the Low-Lying Roads Project takes a hard look at vulnerabilities in the roadway network.
With funding support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program, the Commission contracted with the Woods Hole Group (WHG) to conduct vulnerability assessments of roadway segments, bridges, and culverts due to flooding from the combined effects of sea level rise and storm surge.
What's next? As the table suggests, the risk of flooding in multiple neighborhoods is real.
Options range from gray/built infrastructure (drains, pipes, basins) to green infrastructure to managed retreat. Residents recognize that no action is not an option.
Initial Action Steps
Orleans' participation in the Low-Lying Roads Project afforded the town the opportunity to identify two sections of road for which WHG would develop conceptual design plans and associated adaptation solutions.
Public meetings discussing the findings acknowledged the challenge of selecting two road sections for immediate study when multiple sites cited as High Priority represented the sole access to year-round residences. Skaket Road at Gull Lane and at Seabreeze Lane were selected. In April 2023, the Town received conceptual design plans drafted by the Woods Hole Group The Town is now positioned to act on the these plans.
The first of the two photos below was taken at high tide on January 10, 2024. Arey's Lane, South Orleans (near the Arey's Pond Boat Yard), was underwater due to heavy rains, storm surge, and a King Tide. The road was impassable for some vehicles for part of the day. The second photo was taken at high tide on a day without storm surge or astronomically high tide.
When conditions cause an extraordinarilly high tide, as was the case on January 10, residents in this area have the option of using another exit route, via Kescayoganset Road and Herring Brook Way. However, flooding at the lowest point on that route is typically as deep as or deeper than flooding at Arey's Pond Boat Yard.
In case of emergency, Orleans is one of two Cape towns whose emergency facilities have battery backup. Chatham is the other!
Photo credit below: Kerry Buckley
ORLEANS is one of 21 Cape towns that benefit from renewable energy: 36.4 MW Plus annually
Important Update from the Energy and Climate Committees of the Cape and Islands (ECCCI)
The Energy and Climate Committees of the Cape and Islands just published a June 2024 snapshot of town advances (Green Communities, EV Integration, PV installed, et al.).
Have a look to see successes of Orleans and other towns!
TOTAL COUNTS
Town's Fleet includes EVs?
Orleans is one of 8 reporting Yes,
while 8 towns currently report No.
Town has town-funded public EV?
Orleans is one of 12 reporting Yes,
Only 4 towns currently report No.
Charger total for all Cape towns is
8 Level 2 and 27 Level 3 chargers
Town has performed energy assessments on all municipal facilities? 9 towns have done so. Orleans is one of 2 towns that had not yet completed assessments as of Spring 2023.
Town buildings converted to electric heat pumps? Orleans has not done so. Falmouth has completed conversion of Town building.
Three other towns are in process.
Adopted Stretch Code? Yes. Orleans is one of 16.
Adopted Opt-In Specialized Code? Eastham, Wellfleet and Truro have done so. Orleans has not.
Adopted as-of-right siting or renewable facilities?
Yes: Orleans is one of 16 towns adopting as-of right siting or renewable facilities.
Energy Reduction Plan adopted?
Yes: Orleans is one of 14 Cape towns adopting an Energy Reduction Plan. Four others are in process.
Green Community Designation?
Orleans is one of 14 designated Green Communities on the Cape.
Did you know?
Orleans is one of 21 Cape towns benefiting from renewable energy: 36.4 MW across all towns.
Orleans one of two Cape towns whose emergency facilities have battery back-up.
For a look at the comprehensive report, please visit https://eccciwebsite.wordpress.com/home/town-sponsor-reports-spring-2023/
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