Discussion Atypical Ideas for Carbon Neutrality 2015

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Oliver Sellers-garcia Mar 25, 2015 04:32 Advisor 1 \| Share via:	The City of Somerville and the contest team will be holding a question and answer session on April 7th. Looking for some feedback before submitting your proposal? If you're a Somerville resident, come and share your thoughts and comments! The event will be in-person and online. We'll be providing an update soon on how to participate remotely. Thank you to Greentown Labs for hosting. Tuesday April 7, 2015 6:00-8:00 PM (EDT) Greentown Labs, 28 Dane St, Somerville, MA 02143
Jamie Bemis Apr 1, 2015 12:01 Fellow 2 \| Share via:	For anyone who is unable to attend the in-person Q&A session on Tuesday April 7th, we invite you to join in the conversation online. You can submit your questions before and during the event using the following forums: - The comments section of this discussion page - Green Somerville Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GreenSomerville - City of Somerville Reddit (day-of only): http://www.reddit.com/user/somervillecity We will be posting a video the event, with all the questions and answers. Check back here on April 8th!
Stefanie Wnuck Apr 14, 2015 09:41 Member 3 \| Share via:	Hi Jamie, Thanks for posting this information about the meeting last week. I was unable to submit my questions before the event, but would it possible to get some feedback now on my questions (below)? I haven't submitted a proposal yet as I'm still in the information gathering stages and would like to post a thoughtfully formed proposal to be considered. Questions: - Where can I find more information about potential local regulations/other obstacles regarding choice of electricity provider for Somerville residents? I know that at the state level, MA has a deregulated electricity market, which is great. I'm trying to find out more about potential challenges in switching over to "green" electricity sources in Somerville. I'm also aware programs like Mass Energy which offer RECs, but I'm currently looking into flexibility in changing providers (away from Eversource), instead of paying an additional cost through a green power program. - Is the City of Somerville willing to consider ideas that require initial municipal funding for the first year, essentially to temporarily subsidize a program? Of course I will provide additional details about cost estimates, but first I wanted to see if this is something Somerville is open to considering, or if proposals should be cost neutral. Lastly, it would be great if you could post the video of the meeting last week. Many thanks, Stefanie
Jamie Bemis Apr 15, 2015 10:29 Fellow 4 \| Share via:	Hi Stefanie, Thank you for your questions! If you live in Somerville, Eversource will be your provider for electricity, but you still have options as to where your electricity comes from. More information on this topic can be found here: http://www.mass.gov/eea/energy-utilities-clean-tech/electric-power/electric-market-info/choose-supplier.html. If you have trouble finding the information you are looking for, it's totally fine to make assumptions as well (as long as you list your assumptions). Does that answer your question? With regards to your second question, absolutely! The City is open to funding energy efficiency and sustainability programs as long as they are appropriate and make sense. Sorry for the delay on posting the video-- it should be available in the next couple days. In the meantime, please keep the questions coming! Cheers, Jamie
Jamie Bemis Apr 16, 2015 11:29 Fellow 5 \| Share via:	Good Morning, Here is the link to the recording of last week's Q&A session: https://youtu.be/Huvxl6nPhew. Cheers, Jamie
Jan Kunnas Apr 17, 2015 03:12 Member 6 \| Share via:	Thanks for the representatives of the City of Somerville for answering my and all the other questions in this inspirational Q & A. I was happy to hear that the city is seriously about their carbon neutrality goal, and not afraid of showing example for other to follow!
Stefanie Wnuck Apr 29, 2015 08:27 Member 7 \| Share via:	Hi Jamie, I noticed that community choice aggregation was a topic of discussion based on recent meeting notes for the Somerville Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change. It's great to see that Somerville is considering or at least interested in this approach - are there additional materials or updates on exploring community choice aggregation that you could share with me, to help inform my proposal? Many thanks, Stefanie
Michaël Houle Apr 30, 2015 01:59 Contest Manager 8 \| Share via:	New contest submission deadline! Submit your project proposal by June 13, 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
Stefanie Wnuck May 10, 2015 12:59 Member 9 \| Share via:	Hi Jamie & Oliver - Checking in to see if you are able to answer the question I posted seeking more information about whether Somerville is considering a Community Choice Aggregation approach to electricity generation. Many thanks! Stefanie
Andrea Ranger May 13, 2015 12:55 Judge 10 \| Share via:	Hi Stephanie, Jumping in here on behalf of Oliver and Jamie to speak to aggregation. Somerville is in the early stages of considering Community Choice Aggregation but has made no formal decision regarding next steps. CCA aligns well with the City's goal of net zero energy by 2050, and speaking as a resident, it is encouraging that a number of nearby municipalities are moving down this path including, most recently, Natick, Melrose, and Lexington. We are watching these developments closely, working with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and planning to take next steps once budget season is over. Best regards, Andrea Ranger Somerville Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change
Oliver Sellers-garcia Jun 29, 2015 06:41 Advisor 11 \| Share via:	To all those interested and involved in the Atypical Ideas for Carbon Neutrality contest: Important updates for the timeline are below: -Semi-Finalist selection will extend until July 2 -Proposal revision: July 3 - July 16 -Finalist selection: July 17 - August 2 -Voting period: August 3 - September 12 Thank you again for your interest in this contest and we look forward to your contributions.
Michael Hayes Jul 17, 2015 04:53 Member 12 \| Share via:	Hello Annalyn, The problem of dropping text/revisions has happened again. In particular, the proposals at: https://www.climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans/-/plans/contestId/1301420/planId/1314310 https://www.climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans/-/plans/contestId/1301402/planId/1314411 omitted important text changes in multiple sectors. Please compare what I copied and pasted into a...final version.... Google Doc....(which I created as a last chore on that proposal after coordinating all info on both of the above proposals) as opposed to what ended up in the CoLab Docs. Final version of my work on both 'Waste Management' and 'Atypical Ideas for Carbon Neutrality' https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cJW-z8cBZ9akqcpLgLztaPQ6FX-zMtpz-0r2_Hc_oMg/edit#heading=h.p67pwkldmidp Further, I've referenced 'Global Scale: Chemosynthetic Management of the Water/Energy/Nutrient Nexus-WENN' within https://www.climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans/-/plans/contestId/1301402/planId/1314411 and the link takes it to 'Energy/Water Nexus' https://www.climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans/-/plans/contestId/1301501/planId/1315115 The numerous faults in accurately portraying my work are becoming almost too numerous for me to check. Please help me properly get the work I've accumulated to the judges on both contests. Please pass on the Final Version Google Doc https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cJW-z8cBZ9akqcpLgLztaPQ6FX-zMtpz-0r2_Hc_oMg/pub Warmest regards, Michael