Events
Upcoming Events
Calendar/Events
Please be kind and respectful!
Every organization and everyone can submit to Rate It Green's green building calendar! Simply click register, verify your email address, and create a username and password. You can then decide if you'd like to engage more fully as a community member, but you'll be able to post events.
Please make sure to be respectful of the organizations and companies, and other Rate It Green members that make up our community. We welcome praise and advice and even criticism but all posted content and ratings should be constructive in nature. For guidance on what constitutes suitable content on the Rate It Green site, please refer to the User Agreement and Site Rules.
The opinions, comments, ratings and all content posted by member on the Rate It Green website are the comments and opinions of the individual members who posts them only and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies or policies of Rate It Green. Rate It Green Team Members will monitor posted content for unsuitable content, but we also ask for the participation of community members in helping to keep the site a comfortable and open public forum of ideas. Please email all questions and concerns to admin@rateitgreen.com
Sustainability Forum Luncheon: - Planning for Greener, Climate Resilient North Shore Communities, Nov 7, Beverly MA
Event Description
Matt Coogan, an experienced municipal planner will give an update on how North Shore communities are addressing climate change. Rising sea level and increasingly severe storms are forcing communities to identify vulnerabilities and adopt strategies to make their communities more resilient. Local municipalities have taken advantage of the various programs and resources offered by the Commonwealth to help assess neighborhoods and critical infrastructure susceptible to coastal flooding and storm surges. To mitigate the root causes of climate change, North Shore communities are also playing a role in reducing our carbon footprint locally. This includes reducing energy consumption for municipal facilities with capital improvements funded through the Commonwealth’s Green Communities Program, as well as adopting policies and partnering with local utilities to help residents and businesses take advantage of efficiency programs to reduce their energy use and save money. Finally, North Shore communities are embracing green energy by pursuing projects and encouraging private investment in renewable energy.
Matt Coogan is a certified planner who has made significant impacts in planning for Massachusetts communities and public and private decision makers. Matt helped make Gloucester one of the leading municipalities in clean energy and energy efficiency. Under his leadership, the City completed over $3 million of energy projects that significantly reduced the municipality’s energy consumption and reduced CO2 emissions by 35 percent. This includes lighting upgrades in 17 municipal facilities, HVAC upgrades in several facilities, a city-wide LED streetlight conversion, and the creation of the City’s Electric Vehicle (EV) fleet and public electric vehicle charging stations. Gloucester received a Fast Fleet Award in 2017 from the Center for Sustainable Energy for having one of the top performing EV fleets in the nation. Matt also led efforts to help businesses and residents reduce their carbon footprint, launching Gloucester Green to help residents reduce energy consumption by investing in local renewable energy through a collaboration with the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce to create Cape Ann Saves Energy (CASE). In addition to his focus on reducing carbon emissions, Matt was part of the Gloucester Climate Vulnerability Study that helped the City identify areas vulnerable to storm surges and flooding, factoring in climate change in future time horizons. Matt received the 2016 Massachusetts Leading by Example Award from the Baker-Polito administration in recognition of his efforts to implement policies and programs that have led to significant and measurable environmental and energy benefits.
Matt is in the process of transitioning to a new role as Chief of Staff for the City of Newburyport from his current role as Principal Planner for the City of Salem. He also serves as the part time Town Planner for the Town of Essex. He earned a Master of Urban Planning degree from the City University of New York, Hunter College and a bachelor degree in anthropology and philosophy from the University of Maryland. Matt is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and is Congress for the New Urbanism Accredited (CNU-A). Matt also earned a LEED Green Associate credential and is a member of the Placemaking Leadership Council. He was awarded the APA Massachusetts Chapter Young Planner Award in 2017.
$15 for non-member
Reply/Leave a Comment (You must be logged in to leave a comment)
Not a Member Yet? Register and Join the Community | Log in