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During Black History Month and beyond, Climate Justice stands as a key focus of the Climate Collaborative's mission. In 2022, we appointed a small group of passionate individuals to assist the Climate Collaborative in applying a lens of Climate Justice to all that we do. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Climate Justice Special Committee for their indispensable contributions. The Climate Collaborative works every day in its commitment to fostering an inclusive organization that embraces people from all walks of life, working tirelessly each day towards this goal.
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Beacon Research Poll: MA Voters Favor Offshore Wind Projects
A recent Cape Cod Times article highlights strong voter support for offshore wind projects in Massachusetts, as revealed by a recent Beacon Research poll. With a focus on sustainable energy and economic growth, constituents express backing for wind power.
At the Climate Collaborative, we support and advocate offshore wind projects to enhance Cape Cod and Massachusetts resilience and promote renewable energy.
Read the Cape Cod Time article here.
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Climate Conversations: Offshore Wind
Join the National Academies for a discussion about the opportunities and challenges facing offshore wind energy:
Feb 29, 2024 | 3PM - 4:15PM ET
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We regularly collect good ideas for individual actions and will use this newsletter to feature some of the best. To organize them, we adapted our own collaborative verbs to what this means for individuals. These are our suggestions:
Educate and Communicate: Educate yourself. Learn something new. Then help educate others - your family, friends and neighbors.
Act: Take a concrete step.
Convene and Collaborate: Gather some friends or neighbors for a conversation. Or organize a local group. We’ve got ideas about how to do this.
Advocate: Show up, figuratively and literally. Write letters to your representatives or to your local newspaper.
For this month’s newsletter, in addition to seeking host families for the MassHCIC Climate All-Stars, we are featuring information on one of the leading resources in climate change mitigation; Project Drawdown. Their mission is to help the world stop climate change—as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible.
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Interested in housing a student who is doing real, impactful work to support sustainable and affordable housing on Cape Cod? The Massachusetts Housing and Climate Innovation Center is looking for residents to host Housing and Climate All-Stars for 8 weeks this summer while they undertake projects to improve climate resilience, environmental sustainability and affordability in our Cape Cod communities.
Starting in mid-June and running to mid-August, MassHCIC’s All-Stars program takes talented graduate and undergraduate students and provides them with the funding, contacts and knowledge necessary to develop a project of their own design while working with local government to further our common housing goals. Host families will receive a stipend of $150/week to offset costs.
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Project Drawdown is a non-profit organization dedicated to reversing global warming. Through extensive research, education and collaboration, they identify and promote the top 100 solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Join them (and us!) in the fight against climate change and explore actionable strategies for a sustainable future.
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Advocacy
Why Advocacy is Important - a Big Win!
We normally try to focus our newsletter on local, regional and state climate matters, unless they directly impact our region (and we will continue to give you links to information that can enable you to stay on top of national and global climate developments). But in this issue, we thought that since we continue to “advocate for advocacy”, we should provide a case in point where it had a dramatic outcome.
As you may have read, on January 26, 2024, the White House issued a Statement from President Joe Biden on Decision to Pause Pending Approvals of Liquified Natural Gas Exports. Bill McKibben and many climate organizations, including Third Act, took on organizing advocacy on this issue, to the extent that a sit-in was planned for this month. Bill, who spoke to our “It’s Time for Climate Collaboration” event in June, 2023, details the significance of this win in his substack article, A Massive Win, and What It Means.
The lesson continues to be the importance of our collective efforts on an individual, regional, state and national level that are so important to addressing the contributors to climate change and measures that will help strengthen resilience to its impacts.
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Partner Spotlight
Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority
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The strength of the Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative is the engagement of our Board of Directors, Advisory Committee and other partners to accomplish our mission of catalyzing people and organizations to mitigate the ways in which we contribute to climate change as well as to adapt to and build resiliency to the impacts that are already emerging and are inevitable. The Climate Collaborative delivers on this mission through convening, collaborating, advocating, activating and communicating.
One of these critical partners is the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA), which has led the way in embedding climate priorities into its planning and operations. We have been privileged to have Tom Cahir, CCRTA, as a member of our Advisory Council and to share this timely message from Tom.

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From Tom Cahir | CCRTA Administrator
In recognition of the importance of Black History Month, I am pleased to convey the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority’s (CCRTA) plans to improve the quality of life for the Cape’s residents and visitors through the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG), with a strategic focus on Environmental Justice areas that include communities of color.
Beginning In January of 2023, the CCRTA engaged in a comprehensive effort with a nationally renowned consulting firm to provide consultant services to develop a detailed plan for the migration from its fleet of fossil fuel vehicles to zero emission vehicles and supporting infrastructure. The final consultant deliverable was issued in October of 2023 and implementation plans are underway. A major component of this undertaking included an in-depth evaluation of Environmental Justice communities to help inform development of an equitable transition strategy for the CCRTA. The need for Environmental Justice is most widely recognized in communities of color and low-income communities, defined as densely populated neighborhoods that are more prone to environmental and health risks, affecting their quality of life.
ZEV transition planning and implementation supports Environmental Justice communities through the improvement of air quality with reduced particle matter, encouragement of community participation, reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and improvement of overall transit service through cleaner transit facilities and infrastructure.
Additional information regarding the CCRTA’s journey to a Zero Emission Fleet and supporting infrastructure can be found by clicking this link: ZEV Journey - Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority
Tom Cahir
CCRTA Administrator
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Not a Homeowner? No Problem! | |
Renters are still able to receive a no-cost energy assessment from the Cape Light Compact. Participants may receive no-cost low flow shower heads and Advanced Power strips, access to 100% recommended weatherization upgrades and a custom report detailing recommended energy efficiency upgrades and rebates to share with your landlord.
Renters may also qualify for the Compact's income-based programs for even more savings.
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Online Series
Conserving Nature Close to Home
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Until March, the Mass Audubon will hold these FREE webinars that will explore “what you can do in your community to address climate change by supporting nature.”
January 23
Massachusetts Climate Impacts & Solutions
February 27
Nature by the Yard
March 26
Conservation in Your Community
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This is a terrific opportunity to learn how to transform your local patch of earth into a more climate-resilient space while helping to protect biodiversity at the same time! | |
WOW! Did You See That Water? | FalCAN members Lyn Schad and Liz Beardsley were recently featured on Falmouth TV. They showed viewers the impact of recent storms on Falmouth’s coast, discussed climate change and weather, and encouraged viewers to get involved with the Falmouth Climate Action Network. | |
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We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is reduce the Cape & Islands' contributions to climate change and protect our region from its potentially devastating impacts.
We depend upon the generosity of our stakeholders to conduct our work. All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
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We welcome climate news from your home, school, business, town, faith community, or organization. Please submit your news, events, or article ideas to info@capecodclimate.org. | | | | |
