Style. Fashion. Inspiration. All in a conscientious way.
Join the Zoom chat this Thursday, March 4th, at 7. Learn more about who is really paying the price for fast fashion. We will be looking at not only the sustainable factors but the ethical and societal as well. After offering some solutions, we will be opening it up to questions and answers. 
To Attend: Please fill out this form and submit your questions or comments.

Be part of Mass Power Forward's Virtual Lobby Day on Thursday March 4th from 3pm-6pm to advocate for a suite of Environmental Justice legislative priorities, 100% Renewable Energy, and the Mass Renews Build Jobs and Justice Act.

DEADLINE TO RSVP is March 1st at 12pm
It’s time to build some momentum behind our environmental justice and climate action legislative priorities. Sign up today  here or on Facebook and share with friends, family, colleagues in Mass.
  
WHY?: New state-wide laws are one of many critical actions we must take to transform our state for climate and environmental justice.

WHAT?: For the new legislative session, Mass Power Forward will be advocating for 3 main groups of bills.
1. First, we are supporting the Environmental Justice Table’s priorities. We will be working to reform the Energy Facility Siting Board, Improve Air Quality for pollution hot spot communities, restore the ability to sue the government for unequal impact and clarify the definitions of environmental justice
2. Second, we are supporting the MA Renews Alliance work to rapidly retrofit homes to be affordable, efficient, electric and climate healing- with priority to environmental justice neighborhoods.
3. Third, we expect to be continuing our work from last session to get Massachusetts to 100% renewable energy.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Meetings Thursday, March 4th between 3 and 6pm The Mass Power Forward Planning team is setting up Zoom meetings with State Legislators.
Optional Educational Webinars the week before
Lobby Day Trainings
Option 1: Monday March 1st 1pm - 2:30pm
Option 2: Tuesday March 2nd 6pm -7:30pm
Participants will have an opportunity to meet ahead of time and organize their meetings. The lobby day guide and meeting logistics/instructions will be provided.

SUSTAINABLE WELLESLEY IS SHARING AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE SIERRA CLUB MA:
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We’re approaching the end of this legislative tug of war between House/Senate and Governor and we need your help.

On Sunday, February 7, Baker (to no one’s surprise) vetoed the bill AGAIN. In the second veto he scaled back a few of his earlier criticisms and instead proposed a series of amendments that would weaken and water down key aspects of the bill, specifically...

• The 2030 and 2040 emissions targets: S.9 calls for a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 and a 75% reduction in emissions by 2040. Baker’s amendments would weaken these targets to 45% and 65% respectively.
• The sector emissions sublimits: S.9 establishes sector sublimits for different sectors of the economy (electric power, transportation, heating, and cooling, etc). Baker’s amendments would severely weaken the accountability power of these sublimits.
• The net zero stretch building code: S.9 requires the state quickly move to develop a “net zero energy building code” for new construction. Baker’s amendments would severely weaken this provision by removing the “net zero energy” definition, slow down the timeline for adoption, and make it easier for communities to opt-out.

The Governor also proposed many smaller edits to the bill, many small technical changes to the language. And on a positive note, he also proposed a couple minor changes that would slightly strengthen the existing environmental justice protections in the bill.

Tell Your Legislator: Don't Water Down The Climate Roadmap Bill!
The legislature now must choose one of three options to move forward and they have no timeline in which they are required to act:

1. Reject the Governor’s amendments and override his veto (requires ⅔ votes in both House and Senate).
2. Vote to adopt the Governor’s amendments as written.
3. Negotiation further and perhaps adopt some amendments, but not others… this path is the least clear, but perhaps the most likely.

Please email your legislator to ask them to reject any amendments that weaken the bill. The climate crisis requires urgent action and every day wasted is another missed opportunity to address carbon pollution and existing environmental injustices.

After you've sent your message, please also take a moment to call your legislator's office. You can use the following phone script: 
 
Hello, this is {ADD YOUR NAME HERE} calling from {ADD YOUR TOWN/CITY HERE}. I am calling today to thank you for your leadership on climate and environmental justice issues this past year. I am calling today to ask you to request that [House/Senate] leadership move urgently to reject any of the Governor’s amendments to the climate bill (S.9) that would weaken the legislation. It is critical that the legislature preserves the following parts as originally passed:

• The 2030 and 2040 emissions targets
• The sector emissions sublimits
• The net zero stretch building code

Climate science tells us we have only 9 years left to significantly address carbon emissions to escape the worst impacts of climate change. Please talk to your colleagues and ask them to bring the bill back for a floor vote as soon as possible with no amendments that weaken the bill. Thank you for all you do!
Thank you for your action!

Sincerely,

Jacob Stern
Deputy Director, Sierra Club Massachusetts Chapter

Wellesley's Annual Election is Tuesday, March 2, 2021. Residents will vote on Town-wide officials, Town Meeting members, and a referendum on Indigenous Peoples Day. 
The deadline to register to vote in this election is Wednesday, February 10 at 8:00 p.m. 

Residents who are 18-years-old and older may register online or may drop off a voter registration form in-person at Town Hall by appointment only. Appointments can be scheduled by email or by calling 781-431-1019 ext. 2252. 

Voters may request a Vote by Mail ballot by completing the application and returning it to the Town Clerk's office by email or by using the Town Hall ballot and payment drop box. The last day to request a Vote by Mail ballot is Wednesday, February 24. To allow time for mail processing, voters should request ballots as early as possible. 

​Ballots for the Annual Election will be mailed by February 16 to all voters who have requested them. 

Join Sustainable Wellesley’s Conversation with the Candidates on Wednesday, February 24 from 7:30 – 9:00pm. 

Meet the candidates running for the many important town positions and hear where candidates stand on issues specifically related to sustainability. 

Send in questions in advance to info@SustainableWellesley.com.

Mark your calendars for this event and make sure to get your ballots and vote in this election.

Get your spot on the Zoom call by clicking here.

In the spirit of Martin Luther King Day, our community needs environmental justice. Below, please find some words from Sarah Dooling, Executive Director, Mass Climate Action Network about the Governor's recent veto of the Next Generation Roadmap Bill (S2995).

Get out there, make a change, make your voice heard. Reach out to us to learn more info@sustainablewellesley.com.
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FROM MCAN 1/15/21 NEWSLETTER

Governor Baker’s veto of the Next Generation Roadmap Bill (S 2995) is deeply disappointing. The bill had overwhelming legislative support, the result of the leadership of Rep Tom Golden, Sen Mike Barrett, a broad coalition of legislators and the work of grassroots advocates who laid the groundwork for popular support.  
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The bill was the most comprehensive climate legislation put forth in Massachusetts in over a decade. Statewide greenhouse gas reductions were established, with interim emissions reduction targets, to get the Commonwealth to net zero by 2050. The bill also directed investments in clean energy and workforce development, prioritizing minority and women owned businesses. 

The Governor’s veto perpetuates the burdens Environmental Justice communities have endured that benefited white, affluent communities for generations. Protecting EJ communities is the first step in supporting a holistic recovery from the overlapping impacts of  the Covid pandemic, climate crisis and longstanding housing unaffordability. This past year revealed how suffering from the disproportionate effects of climate change makes Black and Brown communities more vulnerable to COVID-related deaths, because they live in neighborhoods and housing that are more toxic and more polluted compared to white neighborhoods.  

The bill gave communities three years to opt-in to the net zero stretch code for all new buildings, ensuring new construction is energy efficient, comfortable, and safe, and responding to the calls of municipal leaders across the state. The Governor mistakenly assumes the cost of these upgrades would hinder the construction of urgently needed affordable housing. Quite the opposite: Net zero upgrades constitute a small part of a typical project’s construction costs. The money invested upfront for upgrades is recouped in dramatically lower operating costs. 

This is not a cost problem – this is a political problem.  

The Governor’s veto is a temporary setback. The Next Generation Roadmap Bill is crucial to  ensuring a just transition that protects Environmental Justice communities, transforms our building sector, and advances statewide climate solutions. 

We thank the advocates who worked so hard to get this bill to the Governor’s desk. MCAN looks forward to the leadership of Speaker Moriano and Senate President Karen Spilka in promptly refiling the bill. 

With gratitude, 
Sarah Dooling
MCAN

​Ready to dip your toe into politics with an important, but limited commitment role?

The Town Meeting is the legislative body for the Town of Wellesley. 240 voting town meeting members are elected by precincts. Each precinct has 30 members elected to three year staggered terms. 

The Annual Town Meeting begins on the last Monday in March and meets Monday and Tuesday nights until the business of the meeting is concluded. The length of the town meeting is dependent on the number of articles on the Warrant and the complexity of the issues to be discussed.

Get your papers to be a Town Meeting Member by January 22, 2021, 5 pm and turn them in (with 10+ signatures in precinct) by January 26, 2021, 5 pm.

What You Need To Know:

• You must be a resident of Wellesley to run for an elected Town office  
• For an appointment to get the papers, please email Elections@wellesleyma.gov or call 781-431-1019, ext. 2258 or 2252
• 10 signatures from registered voters in the precinct are required, although it is recommended that more be obtained in the event that any of the signatures cannot be certified.

There are seats in your district (As of 12/1/2020): 
Precinct A 10-3 year terms 
Precinct B 10-3 year terms 
Precinct C 10-3 year terms, 1-2 year term 
Precinct D 10-3 year terms 
Precinct E 10-3 year terms, 1-2 year term 
Precinct F 10-3 year terms 
Precinct G 10-3 year terms 
Precinct H 10-3 year terms

For more information on how to run, click here.

DATE EXTENDED
Please Call the Governor’s office at (617)725-4005 and email him.**

GREAT NEWS: The Mass. Legislature is poised to approve a dramatic revision of our state climate laws.  An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy (S.2995) is the strongest effort of its kind in the country.  

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO HELP THIS BILL CROSS THE FINISH LINE: The Governor may want to weaken it or veto it outright.  Thus, he needs to hear from YOU. Please urge the Governor to sign S.2995, the new climate bill, by emailing him here or calling his office at (617) 725-4005. Let him know you want him to pass this and why it is important to you. Once you do, please share this request with friends and family in the Commonwealth via social media or anyway you can. 

Governor Baker has until Thursday, Jan. 14th to sign this bill, so make reaching out to him a priority.

This legislation moves us forward in some important ways:

1. Including environmental justice into Massachusetts law and provides new tools and protections for effected neighborhoods.
2. Creating for the first-time greenhouse gas emissions standard for municipal lighting plants and imposes a five-year moratorium on biomass. 
3. Allowing for a local option "net-zero stretch energy code" and adds 4 energy efficiency seats to the Board of Building Regulations & Standards.

We thank the work of legislators and advocates who have gotten us this far.

Advocates at Mass Climate Action have some talking points here.

Thank you!