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PREPARING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE IN EAST BOSTON

By October 21, 2019 No Comments

This post was collaboratively written by Mia Goldwasser, Climate Preparedness Program Manager for the City of Boston, and Magdalena Ayed, Community Organizer with Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) in East Boston.

NOAH (Neighborhood of Affordable Housing) in East Boston is leading an innovative effort to bring community, City, and State representatives together to plan for climate change.

As the City of Boston continues to plan and prepare for climate change through its Imagine Boston 2030 and Climate Ready Boston initiatives, groups like NOAH in East Boston are stepping up to show how climate preparedness can benefit local communities right now — not just a goal for the future when Boston experiences more significant changes in the climate and coast.

Earlier this year, NOAH was awarded a major grant by the Kresge Foundation to develop climate adaptation solutions rooted in deep community benefits and cross-sector partnerships; a program called ClimateCARE. The ClimateCARE program consists of neighborhood community members, as well as an Adaptation Planning Working Group. This group consists of City, State, and community representatives who will meet regularly to discuss strategies that will prepare East Boston for the impacts of climate change, such as flooding and storm surges, while also providing additional benefits to the neighborhood.

NOAH’s work is closely tied to the Climate Ready Boston initiative, which shares technical data, recommendations, and advisory group members with the ClimateCARE project team. Climate Ready Boston highlights East Boston as a climate adaptation focus area, and NOAH will help to implement these recommendations and facilitate community partnerships that will enable the community to develop successful solutions.

The ClimateCARE program will also leverage NOAH’s deep trust within the East Boston community to promote and support household action to reduce energy use and prepare for future climate impacts. These tangible solutions are all about empowering people to take action today. Greenovate will continue to work with and learn from NOAH as they document these different approaches, ranging from basement cleanouts and supported home efficiency audits, to a more detailed neighborhood tree cover census. The ClimateCARE pilots will be extremely valuable in helping the City identify how solutions can be applied across Boston communities, and we are grateful for the work that NOAH is doing to advance the goals of the Climate Action Plan in partnership with Greenovate and the City of Boston.

Stay tuned for more information on NOAH and how their ClimateCARE pilots will help to inform both Climate Action Plan implementation and next steps for Climate Ready Boston.

About NOAH
NOAH, the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, is an East Boston-based community development corporation structured to collaborate with and support residents and communities in their pursuit of affordable housing strategies, environmental justice, community planning, leadership development, and economic development opportunities. NOAH’s goals and programs are built on a commitment to equality, fairness, diversity and respect for all people.