Healey, Wu Will Attend Vatican Climate Conference
Healey will discuss “governing in the age of climate change” and Wu will talk about “governance, health and energy.”
Suffolk Names Executives at New Sustainability Group
Two executives are joining Boston-based Suffolk’s new sustainability group which is focusing on green building projects.
Citizens Bank sets $50B Sustainable Finance Goal
Citizens Bank is setting a $50 billion target to finance both “green” and “social” initiatives and projects by 2030.
Builders Predict More Pain for Housing Production
Homebuilders say the latest energy efficiency standards being adopted in many Massachusetts communities will wipe out recent progress the state has made toward spurring housing production.
The City Where Skyscrapers Are Turning to Carbon Capture
The goal is to stop that climate-warming gas from entering the atmosphere. And there’s a dire need for reducing emissions from skyscrapers like these in such a vertical city: New York state’s buildings also emit more air pollution than any other state’s.
Boston Seeks to Join Fossil Fuel Ban Pilot
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says the city will be filing a home rule petition today to join the state’s new pilot program for communities seeking to ban natural gas hookups in new construction and major renovations.
Heat Pump Water Heaters Have Not Frozen My Basement
As part of the ongoing saga to retrofit my Worcester three-decker to be zero-emission, I recently replaced two gas water heaters with heat pump water heaters. If you haven’t heard of these, grab your loofah, you’re in for some fun.
These Real Estate Turkeys Should Be Toast
State and local officials have been kind to us this year, producing a bumper crop of overcooked ideas, from sitting on billions of federal relief dollars to pushing for a return of rent control.
How Architects Are Fighting Urban Heat Islands
The way we build and regulate our cities has been multiplying the effects of hotter days and longer summers for decades and it is time we take a holistic view. The good news is: Buildings can help.
Cutting Carbon Footprints and Costs in Real Estate
Chris Gray looks at commercial properties through an energy efficiency lens to help Boston-based Taurus Investment Holdings evaluate potential acquisitions, at a time when landlords are creating efficiencies through operational upgrades, and reducing their exposure for capital upgrades.
Baker: Climate Challenges Build While Federal Funds Sits Idle
As the Baker administration continues to make the case for its proposal to swiftly spend about $2.9 billion of American Rescue Plan Act money, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs had a message for the legislature on Friday – the longer the state goes without making investments, the risk posed by climate change grows greater.
Big Biz Urge Biden to Make Big Emissions Cut by 2030
More than 300 businesses and investors, including such giants as Apple, Google, Microsoft and Coca-Cola, are calling on the Biden administration to set an ambitious climate change goal.
Multifamily Housing Providers Grapple with Heat Pump Retrofits
In our mission to create better, low-carbon rental housing, MassLandlords staff and members are evaluating heat pumps retrofits in multifamily properties. While heat pumps show promise, it’s not clear how and when housing providers should retrofit.
Baker Sends Climate Bill Back, with CRE Compromise
Gov. Charlie Baker still is not on board with the climate policy bill overwhelmingly passed by the Legislature twice in about a month, but this time he has sent it back with proposed amendments he says would make the legislation more palatable.
The All-Electric House Makes a Comeback
The reason? Climate change: The heating and cooling of buildings accounts for roughly 10 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Veto-Proof Majorities Send Climate Bill Back to Baker
Sweeping climate policy legislation is back on Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk two weeks after he rejected a previous iteration of the same bill.
Legislative Leaders Refile Vetoed Mass. Climate Change Bill
The climate and emissions reduction bill opposed by real estate industry groups and vetoed by Gov. Charlie Baker last week has been refiled by House and Senate leaders in the hopes of quickly returning the legislation to the governor, only this time with the opportunity to override a veto if it comes.
Baker Vetoes Climate, Emissions Reduction Bill Amid Developer Opposition
Scuttling what looked to be a major session-ending accomplishment for the legislature, Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed ambitious climate legislation on Thursday over his concerns that key pieces of the bill could stymie housing construction, and that the legislature did nothing in the bill to help cities and town adapt to the effects of climate change.
Commercial Buildings Would Face Pressure to Decarbonize Under New ‘Roadmap’
The Baker administration plans to ramp up efforts to combat climate change in the next two years in a push that aims to see widespread adoption of passive-house building techniques and green HVAC technologies.
‘All-Out Offensive’ Planned on Climate Bill to Regulate CRE, Other Sectors
With the time left to make a deal ticking away and other matters jockeying for attention, climate policy advocates are mounting an effort – one group declared it “an all-out offensive” – to keep pressure on the group of lawmakers negotiating a climate bill to produce a final product soon.
