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1. Connected Mobility

• Everyone has access to low-carbon or zero-carbon multi-modal transportation options to commute and get around Weston
• Future developments in Weston prioritizes walkability, bikeability, accessibility, and connectivity, while fostering affordability and inclusivity

What can you do?

How you travel can also make a big difference in your carbon footprint. Thirty percent of Weston’s GHG emissions come from transportation. Consider the following strategies.

• Walk or bike for short trips. Leave the car at home, and explore safe walking and biking routes, like the Mass Central Rail Trail, the Bay Circuit Trail and Greenway, and other town trails.
• Take the Commuter Rail. Take advantage of the extra time to work or relax on the train instead of driving to work.
• Carpool. Sometimes you simply have too much to carry or too far to go to walk or bike. You can still reduce car trips by carpooling with neighbors!
• Consider an electric vehicle. Electric vehicles are a great way to reduce emissions if limiting car trips is not feasible. Rebates and tax incentives are available in Massachusetts, and online resources and apps can tell you where to find nearby charging stations. Never buy gas again!

Measuring Success

Tracking our progress is essential to successful achievement of Weston Ahead's goals for Connected Mobility. We have identified several metrics and associated targets, listed below. We anticipate this list will continue to evolve as data tracking improves. The Town will report on progress against these metrics at least every two years.

METRIC	BASELINE	2035 TARGET	2050 TARGET
GHG emissions from transportation	45,181 MTCO2e (2018)1	50% reduction (22,590 MTCO2e)	Zero emissions
Percent of registered private vehicles that are electric	<1% (26 vehicles in 2014)2	45%	100%
Total Commuter Rail passenger miles	761,834 (2018)3	Upward Trend
Percent of municipal fleet that is electric	0%	100%
Miles of bike paths	3.1	Upward Trend

Notes:

1. Weston Community and Municipal 2018 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, Town of Weston, 2020
2. Mass. Vehicle Census: Municipal Summary 2009-2014, MAPC. Recommendation to track this target in the future via Town excise records.
3. Commuter Rail Counts: Franklin Line 2018, MassDOT, 2018

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2. Healthy Natural Ecosystems

• Natural resources are preserved and enhanced through sustainable management practices and regulations
• Trails and protected open space create a connected network of healthy habitats and accessible recreation options
• Air and water quality meet or exceed state and federal standards

What can you do?

Residents can play a role in protecting Weston’s ecosystems by conserving water and maintaining more sustainable landscapes. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Reduce water use. The EPA’s WaterSense program has a number of tips to reduce outdoor water use, including landscaping tips, drought-tolerant plant suggestions, watering tips, sprinkler maintenance recommendations, and connections to professional irrigation services.
• Promote native species. Invasive species are non-native plants that spread to a new area and quickly become dominant, stifling the growth of native plants and eliminating important habitat for native insects, birds, mammals, and other animals. Consult the Massachusetts Invasive Plants Advisory Group for a list of common invasive species, or the Native Plant Trust and Grow Native Massachusetts to help you find native species that benefit your yard.
• Reduce impervious surfaces. Impervious surfaces, such as concrete and asphalt, block rain from infiltrating into the soil. Instead, rain runs off these surfaces, often carrying salts and other pollutants into our local waterways. You can reduce impervious surface around your home by reducing the surface area of your driveway or using alternative driveway materials (e.g. grass pavers, mulch, gravel, swept sand pavers, uncemented brick, or pervious concrete).

Measuring Success

Tracking our progress is essential to successful achievement of Weston Ahead's goals for Healthy Natural Ecosystems. We have identified several metrics and associated targets, listed below. We anticipate this list will continue to evolve as data tracking improves. The Town will report on progress against these metrics at least every two years.

METRIC	BASELINE	2035 TARGET	2050 TARGET
Acres of conservation land	2,000 (2017)1	Upward Trend
Miles of trails/fire roads for public use	90 (2017)1	Upward Trend
Percent of tree canopy that is protected	34% (2016)2	42%	50%
No. of trees on public land	15,437 (2019)3	Upward Trend
Percent of trees in "good," "very good," or "excellent health"	28%3	38%	50%

Notes:

1. Weston Open Space and Recreation Plan, Town of Weston, 2017
2. Land Cover/Land use data layer, MassGIS, 2016: Carbon Sequestration Analysis of Tree Cover in Weston, Mass., KLA, 2020
3. Weston Tree Inventory, Town of Weston, 2019

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3. Resilient Infrastructure and Services

• Weston's critical infrastructure and services are resilient to the impacts of climate change
• All future projects incorporate green infrastructure and low impact development best practices where appropriate
• Weston is equipped with efficient and well-maintained utilities

What can you do?

Sign up for Weston Power Choice, and electricity aggregation program that will offer electricity supply options with more renewable energy than currently offered by Eversource. Renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, have much smaller carbon footprints than natural gas and other fossil fuels.

Measuring Success

Tracking our progress is essential to successful achievement of Weston Ahead's goals for Resilient Infrastructure and Services. We have identified several metrics and associated targets, listed below. We anticipate this list will continue to evolve as data tracking improves. The Town will report on progress against these metrics at least every two years.

METRIC	BASELINE	2035 TARGET	2050 TARGET
Percent of eligible customers in Town enrolled in Weston Power Choice	New metric	100%
Percent of municipal electricity from renewable sources	19% (2017)1	100%
Percent of community electricity from renewable sources	19% (2017)1	100%
Percent of critical facilities with backup power redundancy	New metric	100%
No. of power outages per year	224 (2020)2	Downward Trend
No. of Significant Environmental Impact (SEI) gas leaks	103 (2019)3	0

Notes:

1. 2017 ISO New England Electric Generator Air Emissions Report, ISO new England Inc. System Planning, 2019. Municipal and community baselines reflect percentage of renewable energy on the grid as documented in Weston 2018 GHG Inventory. Community baseline reflects lack of community choice aggregation program in 2018.
2. Mass. Outage Report, Eversource, 2020
3. Weston Gas Audit, 2019

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4. Smart and Efficient Buildings

• Existing buildings are energy efficient and utilize renewable energy, while preserving historic features
• All new buildings meet net zero energy building standards
• New development minimizes negative impacts on the environment
• Both municipal and community energy use prioritizes the significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

What can you do?

There are many ways to save energy at home.

• Conserve energy. Start simple by picking a few concrete ways to reduce your energy use at home: turn off the lights, unplug electronics, wash clothes in cold water, and adjust the thermostat when you leave the house. Many more energy saving tips are available!
• Make upgrades to your home. Schedule a free MassSave home energy assessment to get started and see what upgrades will have the biggest bang for your buck.
• Explore energy-efficiency rebates. Check out the full list of MassSave rebates and incentives to upgrade your home.

Measuring Success

Tracking our progress is essential to successful achievement of Weston Ahead's goals for Smart and Efficient Buildings. We have identified several metrics and associated targets, listed below. We anticipate this list will continue to evolve as data tracking improves. The Town will report on progress against these metrics at least every two years.

METRIC	BASELINE*	2035 TARGET	2050 TARGET
Total GHG emissions from municipal buildings (MTCO2e)	4,469 (2018)	2,234 (50% reduction)	Net Zero
Average annual emissions per household (MTCO2e)	40.87 (2018)	20.4 (50% reduction)	10.2 (75% reduction)
Residential Natural Gas Use (therms)	6,371,667	4,465,0002	0
Commercial Natural Gas Use (therms)	2,113,263	1,760,0002	880,000
Installed solar capacity	3,400 kW (2021)1	7,500 kW	12,000 kW3
Percentage of new buildings meeting net zero energy building standards	New metric	100%
Percentage of homes that are all-electric	1% (44 of 3,706) (2020)4	50% (~130 homes electrified per year)	100% (~130 homes electrified per year)

Notes:

*Source for all baseline data, unless otherwise specified: Weston Community and Municipal 2018 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, Town of Weston, 2020

1. Production Tracking System, MassCEC
2. Values selected to achieve total 50% reduction in building related GHGs while using 100% clean electricty
3. Maximum Capacity estimated with Google Project Sunroof using viable roof % from Wellesley, applied to Weston structures
4. Assessor's Database, Town of Weston

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5. Sustainable Resource Consumption

• Efficient systems and consumption practices minimize indoor and outdoor water use
• Weston implements and promotes resource conservation, waste reduction, and elimination of toxic products
• All residents have access to locally produced food and products

What can you do?

Much of the waste we throw away ends up in incinerators, which emit toxic pollutants, or in landfills where waste decomposes and releases methane emissions that contribute to climate change. Here are some ideas to reduce your household waste.

• Reduce consumption. The simplest way to keep waste out of the landfill is to consume less. Reduce packaging and single use plastic, buy local, trade with neighbors, buy secondhand.
• Recycle. Weston has its own Transfer Station that allows residents to recycle a vast amount of materials, keeping recyclables and reusables out of the incinerator/landfill. Not sure what can be recycled at the Transfer Station? Weston Recycling-at-a-Glance (PDF) has you covered.
• Compost. Composting can divert as much as a third of household waste away from landfills and incinerators. To make composting easier for residents, Weston has initiated a pilot composting program at the Transfer Station. You can bring a wide range of food scraps, including many items (like dairy and meat scraps) that often cannot go in backyard composting systems.
• Buy local food. Buying local food cuts out the emissions that result from the transportation of the food. It is also a great way to support local farmers, and our local economy. Visit Land’s Sake Farm’s farm stand or join their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

Measuring Success

Tracking our progress is essential to successful achievement of Weston Ahead's goals for Sustainable Resource Consumption. We have identified several metrics and associated targets, listed below. we anticipate this list will continue to evolve as data tracking improves. The Town will report on progress against these metrics at least every two years.

METRIC	BASELINE	2035 TARGET	2050 TARGET
Diversion rate (tons recycled/total waste)	53% (2019)1	80%	100%
Waste generation per household (tons/household)	1.76 (2019)1	0.94	0.47
Potable water used per capita (gallons/capita)	49,473 (2018)2	36,595	23,725 (2015 state average)3

Notes:

1. Recycling and Solid Waste Data for Mass. Cities and Towns, MassDEP, 2019. Includes recycled material and trash.
2. Weston Community and Municipal 2018 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, Town of Weston, 2020
3. Water Demand Analysis and Forecast 2013-2019, MassDEP, 2021

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