Wellesley Police Chief Jack Pilecki Urges Residents to Do Their Part on Climate -Use Less Home Energy, Walk, and Recycle

Several years ago, Wellesley Chief of Police Jack Pilecki had a conversation that “opened his eyes” to the environmental crisis facing our planet. “Since then,” he wrote in an email, “I have tried to make a concerted effort to ‘do my part’ as everyone should.” This week, Chief Pilecki did his part by releasing this recorded public statement. 

Why is the police chief speaking out now? Because as he says in the video: “What‘s happening is a crime – against all of our citizens, young and old, and a crime against our planet.” 

“I have been thinking about making a PSA about this for a while now, but life sometimes gets in the way of things we want to do. I just thought it couldn’t wait any longer and I asked James Joyce (Executive Director at Wellesley Media) for help.” In the brief recorded message, Chief Pilecki urges residents to read the Town of Wellesley’s Climate Action Plan, published earlier this year, to learn about town climate goals and the roadmap over 70 stakeholders developed for reaching these goals. The Climate Action Plan outlines strategies and actions in six pathways: governance, energy, buildings, mobility, natural resources, and waste.  

To help individuals understand how they can address climate change, Pilecki points to some changes he made in his own life. He now refills a reusable water bottle and encourages others to do the same. He also brings reusable bags when food shopping. “We keep the thermostat a little higher in the summer and vice versa in winter,” he says, adding that his household also tries to do laundry and run the dishwasher at night when there is less energy demand. 

At work, the Wellesley Police Department installed a water bottle filling station and gave each employee a reusable water bottle. The Department is replacing all its police cruisers with hybrid vehicles and is purchasing an electric vehicle to test for future use. The Police Station also has a bike repair station for all to use.

Buildings and transportation are the two largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Wellesley. Buildings contribute 61% of town-wide emissions and on-road vehicles emit 34%. 

For more on how to do your part, visit Sustainable Wellesley to view a checklist with actions you can start today. 

In April 2021, the Town of Wellesley approved a goal to reduce the town’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net-zero by 2050, in concert with the state of Massachusetts and the nation’s carbon neutrality goals.