News, reports, speeches, and more from Barr staff, Fellows, grantees, and others to illustrate the challenges we are focused on and what we are learning.
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Active, Healthy, Ready to Learn (and Fighting Climate Change) with Safe Routes to School
Posted by Mary Skelton RobertsIn 1969, about half of all American children walked or biked to school. Of those living within a mile from school, 87% walked or biked. Today, less than 15% do. This has enormous implications not only for morning gridlock and vehicle emissions (a significant factor in climate change), but also for children’s health and readiness to learn. In greater Boston, this trend is being reversed by a program called Safe Routes to School. A new short film featuring a successful effort in Revere, Massachusetts shows why.
Date Posted: May 21, 2013 | Categories: Barr Grantees
Topics: biking, climate change, revere, safe routes to school, transportation, walkboston, walking -
Celebrating a Disruptive Innovation in the Heart of Boston
Posted by Mariella PuertoIn early spring, Barr Senior Program Officer Mariella Puerto was invited to speak at a 10th anniversary celebration for the Boston Nature Center - a project she had been involved with from its earliest days. In her remarks, she recounts BNC's story of disruptive innovation that catalyzed big change in two very complex and (in different ways) stuck systems.
Date Posted: April 08, 2013 | Categories: Barr Grantees, Presentations & Speeches
Topics: boston nature center, boston public schools, disruptive innovation, environmental education, green design, mass audu, systems thinking -
A Leadership Pipeline for Philanthropy
Posted by Kimberly HaskinsApplications for the 2013-14 Class of Proteus Diversity Fellows are now open. Learn more about this unique program dedicated to identifying, recruiting and cultivating emerging practitioners of color who represent the next generation of leaders in philanthropy.
Date Posted: March 28, 2013 | Categories: Barr Grantees
Topics: diversity, leadership, pipeline, proteus -
The Invisible Elephant in the Room: Gas Leaks and Climate
Posted by Mariella PuertoFor two years, Massachusetts has been ranked number one in the country for energy efficiency. In 2010 alone, reductions in energy use prevented over a billion cubic feet of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. Two recent reports, however, shine a spotlight on an until-recently unaccounted for source of GHG emissions – methane that leaks from old and leaky pipes that, by the authors’ estimates, mean the state is losing more ground than it’s gaining. Read on…
Date Posted: January 28, 2013 | Categories: Barr Grantees, Reports & Case Studies
Topics: boston, boston university, conservation law foundation, energy efficiency, massachusetts, methane, natural gas, natural gas leaks -
Doors Open
Posted by Melinda MarbleDoors Open is a new short film featuring three schools that opened their doors for the very first time in Boston this fall. On their own, each school is a compelling story – of vision, mission, and bright hopes for kids. Yet, looked at together in this film, they are also part of an even bigger story about breakthroughs in old debates about public education. Read on…
Date Posted: January 08, 2013 | Categories: Barr Grantees, Barr News
Topics: boston public schools, district-charter compact, dudley street neighborhood charter school, education, kipp boston academy, margarita muniz academy, portfolio district, public education, unrendered films -
Lessons from a New Effort to Scale Energy Efficiency in Boston
Posted by Mariella PuertoOne of the most difficult groups to engage in energy efficiency is low- and moderate-income families – even though the potential cost savings are significant, and even though their participation is crucial for cities like Boston with aggressive targets for emissions reductions. Into this gap steps Renew Boston, a one-stop shop to help Boston residents and businesses get into the energy-saving game at no cost. Between August 2010 and April 2012 Renew Boston conducted energy assessments in 6,500 income-eligible households (60%-120% of the state median income) – in addition to its work with businesses. Roughly half of those households receiving energy assessments implemented some or all of the recommendations using utility rebates and federal stimulus funds to pay for the upgrades. To get a better understanding of what worked and what didn’t, Barr commissioned an independent assessment. For some of the major findings and to download the full report, read on…
Date Posted: January 07, 2013 | Categories: Barr Grantees, Reports & Case Studies
Topics: boston, climate change, energy efficiency, evaluation, renew boston -
Networks, Fun, and Healthy Competition Spur Boston Businesses on Sustainability
Posted by Mariella PuertoIn Boston and most cities, the majority of GHG emissions come from buildings (in Boston, they are responsible for 74% of the city’s carbon footprint). This means that, without the support and participation of businesses that own and manage buildings, there is little hope of Boston or any city hitting the kind of GHG reduction targets necessary to curb climate change. What can be done? A new program in Boston is showing the power of peer networks, fun, and healthy competition to do right by the environment and their companies’ bottom lines. For videos featuring participants' work and highlights of an independent evaluation, read on…
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Massachusetts Named Most Energy Efficient State (Again)
Posted by Mariella PuertoFor the second year in a row, Massachusetts nabbed the number spot on a list ranking states by their energy efficiency initiatives. In this post, Senior Program Officer Mariella Puerto talks to Ian Bowles, former Secretary of Energy and Environment for Massachusetts, and Jeremy McDiarmid, Massachusetts Director at Environment Northeast, to find out what this designation means, how Massachusetts got it, and what it will take to keep the momentum going.
Date Posted: October 30, 2012 | Categories: Barr Grantees, Reports & Case Studies
Topics: aceee, climate change, energy efficiency, environment northeast, ian bowles, jeremy mcdiarmid, massachusetts -
The Little Cities that Could (and Did and Are…)
Posted by Mariella PuertoWe often hear what cities like New York, San Francisco, or Boston are doing in response to climate change. But what about smaller cities and towns that are every bit as interested in saving money and reducing their carbon footprint? A new approach in greater Boston is showing early promise accelerating such efforts.
Date Posted: October 02, 2012 | Categories: Barr Grantees
Topics: climate change, energy efficiency, mapc, small cities, sustainability -
A Double Bottom Line Win in Massachusetts
Posted by Mariella Puerto10% of housing in Massachusetts is affordable housing. Many of these units are highly inefficient. This means some low-income residents can spend up to 40% of their incomes on energy and that building emissions are unnecessarily high. Yet until recently very little was being done to improve energy efficiency in this sector. In 2009, Boston LISC and New Ecology piloted a new approach that brought energy upgrades to 2,000 units of affordable housing – where energy use is already down by 19%, leading to a federal grant to bring the model statewide. To learn more and see a new video about the program, read on…
Date Posted: September 18, 2012 | Categories: Barr Grantees
Topics: climate change, energy efficiency, lisc, low-income housing, multi-family affordable housing, new ecology