Sherborn Achieves Green Community Status

As of Monday, the state of Massachusetts has added Sherborn to its ever growing list of green communities.

Town Planner Gino Carlucci learned of the news on Monday and announced through e-mail, "I am happy to inform you that Sherborn is now officially a Green Community!"

He also wrote in an e-mail that Governor Deval Patrick’s office will be sending out a press release on Tuesday announcing the new green communities. Carlucci said, "We are now eligible for $137,450 to be used for energy efficiency improvements subject to submission of a grant application due on August 27."

Carlucci said that the town will receive a "Big Belly" solar trash compactor with an optional recycling attachment and possibly signs indicating their Green Community status.

"Congratulations to the Energy Committee for all its hard work in making this happen," said Carlucci.

Selectmen Paul DeRensis said,"I would say that I have been working on Green Community status for Sherborn for at least two years, before even there was an Energy Committee."

DeRensis said, "I have been the guy on the BOS who had lead this initiative, working with the town planner and with the energy committee."

He noted that in his state of the town report he, "advocated strongly for the necessary measures at Advisory Committee hearings and at Town Meeting."

He also said, "Gino Carlucci also deserves a lot of credit too," adding that they have worked together on this project for over a year.

"And of course the Energy Committee that the BOS established and appointed has been wonderful. To get to this point, the voters had to vote three necessary articles at town meeting, which they did so vote," DeRensis said.

In order to become a green community the town needed to adopt five criteria. First was to have a site in the town dedicated in some way to renewable energy.

The second was for building projects using green energy standards to obtain expedited permitting processes. The third was a plan to reduce the town’s energy consumption by 20 percent over the next several years. The fourth was to buy only fuel-efficient vehicles for town business.

The last was to adopt the Stretch Code, which would change building codes for commercial and private homes above 3,000-square-feet.