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Browse our Energize Framingham back issues:

Path opens for a Chief Climate and Sustainability Officer (December 2025)
High energy bills? Help is available
New City Charter passes, with a new Chief Climate Officer
Energize partners with middle schoolers on trees
Specialized Building Code vote set for Dec. 2
New CPC grants in the pipeline
Revamped Logan Express terminal sports solar panels 
Share your experience with energy upgrades

What to know before you vote November 4 (November 2025)

Vote on the City Charter Nov. 4!
Takeaways from the Candidates Climate Forum
Specialized Code: Mixed views, hearing continues Nov. 18
Kudos for Framingham and Shawn Luz 
Help lowering energy bills and adopting heat pumps and solar
Curbside composting gains 100+ new subscribers 
More funding for Carol Getchell accessible trail 
Phosphorus study at Waushakum Pond

The action issue (September/October 2025)

Act soon to get these expiring federal tax credits
Candidates Climate Forum – October 18
Specialized Code public hearing – October 20
Vote on the new City Charter – and a new climate position – November 4
Imagining a sustainable Shopper’s World
Will we ever get electric school buses?
Three nominations from the Northeast Renewable Energy Coalition
Community electricity update
Electric bill check-ups
Curbside EV charging update

Electricity discount for heat pumps, curbside composting expands (August 2025)
Electricity discount for heat pumps
City Council gets educated on the Specialized Code
At last! City expands curbside composting
Coming in October: Candidates Climate Forum
Framingham residents make progress on climate goals
EV charging survey
'Walk audits’ in Framingham heat areas
Making trails accessible to all

City Council to take up the Specialized Building Code (June/July 2025)
Alert: The ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ and clean energy tax credits
Specialized Building Code goes to City Council
Tree planting project teams form
On-street EV charging coming to Framingham
FPS school sustainability policy still holds
Brophy, Potter Road composting programs funded for fall
Dealing with abandoned shopping carts
Cooler Communities kudos
Drilling down on Framingham’s geothermal data
Community notes

Stop building obsolete buildings (May 2025)
Stop building obsolete buildings: Pass the Specialized Code, make Framingham a Climate Leader
City’s FY26 budget omits sustainability positions, solar
Trees and trails updates
FHS students take sustainability lessons to middle schools


Frustrated with U.S. climate news? Act locally! (April 2025)
Trees for heat islands: Laying out a vision
Food waste pickup set to expand; Potter Road to be next participating school
Trails, splash play area: Proposed new recreation projects
A floating boardwalk for Farm Pond?
Briefs: Shoutouts, energy incentives, Solar Para Todos, Farley solar update, FSU’s new solar canopy, EV charging in Natick

Choose your electricity option (February 2025)
Framingham Community Electricity: Choose your option this month!
Climate Optimism: Hope for the future
Watch: Climate featured on ‘The Frame’
FHS wins silver in international climate art competition
Briefs: New golf course, public works requests, get trained in heat pump coaching

Tour Framingham's geothermal district and more (November 2024)
Recap: Everyone can do something about climate change
Geothermal update
Flood mitigation begins at Walnut Street
Spotted lanternfly spotted in Framingham

No more school solar until 2027? (October 2024)
Setting our 2024-25 agenda
Solar left out of school budget…!?  7-year plan needed
Tracking climate impacts in MetroWest
Measuring Framingham’s air quality
KFB highlighted as a WBZ Change Maker
Setback tree planting update
General Chemical site update

Chief Climate Officer, Solar Para Todos, sewage leak (September 2024)
Council approves a Chief Climate & Sustainability Officer in the City Charter
Solar Para Todos launches in Framingham
Setback tree planting: Growing the urban canopy
Composting progress
Guest column: Help register pro-environmental voters!
Raw sewage leak befouls the Sudbury River
Trails update

Will Framingham get a climate chief? (Double issue July/Aug 2024)
Progress toward a new Chief Climate & Sustainability Officer
Farley solar design study approved; we want more!
Climate Action Plan coming soon
Future geothermal projects eyed
First person: Attending a U.N. climate conference
FHS students urge banning black plastic | Adding teeth to the recycling ordinance
Dunning’s composting pilot a big success | Reducing food waste at McCarthy
Questioning artificial turf for Mary Dennison Park 
General Chemical clean-up

Gearing up for a clean energy future (June 2024)
Solar project may return to budget
Charter review: Support long-range climate planning!
Updates on Municipal composting, Specialized Code
De-paving around Beaver Dam Brook Geothermal network coming online
New trees in Framingham

Rescuing a city solar project (May 2024)
City Council environmental subcommittee pursues Specialized Code
The Specialized Code: Myth vs. Fact part 3
Updates on Climate Action Plan, curbside and school composting, networked geothermal project, Community Preservation Act Projects, MBTA zoning 

The advocacy issue (April 2024)
Climate activism matters!
Charter Review Committee to recommend a new chief climate officer
Save city solar and electric vehicles from the budget ax!
What is community solar?
Electric school buses: An opportunity for Framingham

The Specialized Building Code: Myth vs Fact  (March 2024)
The Specialized Building Code, Part 2
FHS climate art exhibit
Community garden planning
Framingham Community Electricity
Climate ideas wall

Setting goals for 2024  (February 2024)
plugIN Metrowest plugs heat pumps and solar
Baking climate and sustainability into Framingham’s charter
What to know about the Specialized Building Code
Hear, hear! Students’ climate suggestions for Framingham
Funding available, Community Preservation proposals, and more

Resolve to get involved! (January 2024)
PlugIN MetroWest: Take the survey!
Ringing in the New Year on the Cochituate Rail Trail
Geothermal update
McAuliffe 8th graders take on climate
Solar pays off for a Framingham church

Catching up with composting and solar (December 2023)
2023: A year of composting successes
Framingham’s City Charter: Can it incorporate sustainability?
Solar: Can Framingham Public Schools catch up?
Briefs: December regifting: A holiday tradition?

City Council candidates weigh in on climate actions (November 2023)
Mayor creates a Composting Task Force
Climate Forum recap: Are candidates ready for action?
FSC makes recommendations to the city

Holding our elected officials accountable (October 2023)
Framingham begins climate action planning
City considers food waste composting, sort of
Haunted house teaching lessons on energy efficiency
Climate March recap  l  Geothermal update
Pushing for ADA-compliant charging stations
New grants and tax incentives

Gearing up for a great year! (September 2023)
Dunning launches composting of cafeteria waste
Discussions begin on citywide composting
City Council Candidates Climate Forum Oct. 21
FSU summer interns explore environmental challenges
A spotlight on south side vegetable gardens
Volunteer of the quarter: Another EF intern steps up to city government
Bringing energy savings to all: Meet Nirasha Kumar

A net zero building code for Framingham?  (Summer 2023)
The Opt-in Stretch Code: A stretch for Framingham?
Composting household waste at Eastleigh Farm
Climate People: A Framingham-based business

Nature-based solutions, geothermal & composting updates (June 2023)
SuAsCo project explores nature-based solutions to climate change
Geothermal project gets $715K grant
Curbside composting pilot
Next round of Community Preservation projects
Cool sustainability projects at Cooler Communities Fair

Moving ahead! (May 2023)
Framingham Community Electricity taking comments
7 open space/recreation projects get the nod from CPC
Climate Action Plan kickoff
Curbside composting update
FSU to map heat islands
Briefs: FSC’s new youth member, No Mow May, garden plots, video series
FHS students take on Costa Rica

Get your climate action on! (April 2023)
Earth Day: Framinghammers take action!
YMCA and Temple Beth Am go solar to make ends meet
Third Act: An interview with Larry Stoodt
BRIEFS: Community garden plots, Geothermal update, Main Streets Small Business Program returns

The School Issue (March 2023)
Keefe Tech: Training the next generation in clean energy technologies
FHS students school elementary kids in recycling
McAuliffe students share climate ideas with city officials
Framingham schools: The next frontier in food waste composting?
In Brief: Trails, Lake Waushakum, solar access bill

Taming Your Energy Bills (Feb 2023)
Mayor's State of the City address flags climate
Climate action planning begins
Community electricity plan being finalized
Never say never: Recycling the hard-to-recycle
Curbside composting: Your concerns addressed

10 Climate Wins, State Award for Sustainability Coordinator (Jan 2023)
Meet Framingham Sustainability Coordinator Shawn Luz
Hazard Mitigation and Climate Equity discussions wrap up
School sustainability updates
How to pick the right solar provider

Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, Buy Nothing and City grants (Dec 2022)
Electricity prices are rising -- are you ready?
Bruce Freeman Rail Trail to extend into Framingham
'Green Community' grants pay off
Main Streets Small Business Program a huge success
Table to Farm campaign pitched to City Council subcommittee
Buy Nothing: ‘Gifting’ communities keep items from the landfill
Shopping for toys? Mind the plastics
In the News: Is Mass. meeting its clean energy goals?

CPA projects and Table to Farm (Nov 2022)
Open space, outdoor recreation proposals reviewed
Table to Farm: Curbside composting tops 300 subscribers
Framingham Sustainability Committee’s 2023 agenda
School clean energy updates
Go vegan this Thanksgiving

Solar and community gardening (Oct. 2022)
Now is an ideal time to check out solar
Electricity aggregation moves ahead
FSC makes recommendations to the city
Urban agriculture: the St. Lo family garden

Climate equity survey (Sept 2022)
Small businesses: Save up to 90% on energy solutions
Framingham climate equity survey flags areas for action
New solar carports at Fuller and Brophy schools
Preserving a wetland in South Framingham
What this summer’s landmark climate legislation means

Climate emergency declaration (July/Aug 2022)
Climate Emergency declared by City Council
Opportunities in the Community Preservation Act
Grants for Bruce Freeman and Carol Getchell trails
Green zoning for Framingham? It’s complicated
Dashboard: The difference solar panels make

Kids' climate projects, repair cafe success (June 2022)
Kids’ climate projects at the Cooler Communities Fair
Walnut St. flood mitigation project to restore natural wetland
Repair Café a huge hit
Citizen cleanups restore natural areas
Framingham awarded grant for Lake Washakum pollution control 
School Committee approves Climate Change, Environment and Sustainability Policy

FPS 1st on climate policy, Framingham chemical clean-ups (May 2022)
Framingham soon to be state's first school district with a climate policy
Mixed progress on chemical cleanups
Eversource geothermal project
Earth Day wrap-up and post-Earth-Day actions

Three simple actions for you (April 2022)
How green is Framingham?
Electrifying lawn equipment
Meatless Mondays
Compost your food waste

Gearing up for bulk electricity purchasing (March 2022)
Keep Framingham Beautiful awards
Framingham Sustainability Committee calls for solar for city buildings
Framingham gears up for Community Choice Aggregation
New Mass Save program will reach more city residents
Rep. Robinson goes to Washington
School Committee names sustainability chair

Heat pumps and geothermal energy (February 2022)
Framingham Sustainability Committee calls for electric vehicles
City Council forms Environment and Sustainability Subcommittee
Discounts through the Metrowest Solar + Clean Heat Challenge
Framingham pilots a geothermal heating/cooling district
A Campanelli ranch goes geothermal
More on geothermal and heat pumps

Controlling energy costs (January 2022)
Local environmental leaders to advise Mayor on priorities
Framingham plans for extreme weather events
Framingham sustainability successes
Energy prices are rising this winter: What can you do?

Deep Dive

Steps to Take