Climate Call to Action from Mothers Out Front

Submitted by Karen Willson (Member of the MOF Chapter Leadership Team)

Although Bedford has not experienced a major climate-related disaster, we witness climate chaos daily. We can no longer ignore this threat if our children are to have good lives on a hospitable planet. Rather than despair, let’s act to mitigate climate change locally, where we have the greatest impact. We are strongest when we act collectively.

These Bedford Mothers Out Front initiatives deserve your support:

• The MassPort plan to expand infrastructure for super-greenhouse-gas-emitting private luxury jets is a major climate threat. Mothers Out Front is part of a coalition working with national environmental activist Bill McKibben to stop private jet expansion at Hanscom or ANY airport. Sign and circulate this petition to MA residents. Join our public stand-outs to oppose private jet expansion. Learn more at www.stopprivatejetexpansion.org.

• The Bedford Select Board is considering sponsoring a warrant article at the fall town meeting to adopt a new energy code that goes a bit beyond our current energy code to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and discourage (but not ban) fossil fuels from new construction. Tell the Select Board you support the Specialized Energy Code by signing this petition. Join us to watch a presentation by the Energy and Sustainability Committee on the Specialized Energy Code at the July 24th Select Board meeting at 6:30pm.

These individual actions will make a meaningful difference:

• Power your home with 100% renewably-sourced electricity, currently priced at 13.87 cents/kWh through Community Choice Aggregation at BedfordCCA.org. (Eversource rate without CCA: 16.078 cents/kWh)

• Schedule a no-cost home energy assessment. Save money on your energy bills and reduce GHG emissions.

• If your gas-powered hot water heater is nearing the end of its life, plan to replace it now with a high-efficiency electric heat pump model. The upfront cost is higher, but rebates through MassSave are available and you’ll save on energy bills and GHG emissions.

• Thinking about installing central air conditioning? Consider replacing your fossil-fueled heating system with a heat pump HVAC system that does both. Significant rebates are available through MassSave. 

• Sign-up for Bedford’s no-cost food waste drop-off composting program to divert your food waste from the trash to create compost that replenishes the soil and to reduce GHG emissions.

• Join our movement. Sign-up for the Bedford Mothers Out Front newsletter by emailing us here. We welcome everyone, mothers and others who want future generations to inherit a livable climate.