The environment is the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the ground we walk on, our homes, and the changing the weather and seasons. It is also what we can’t see: pollutants and toxins in the air; the water supply underground; and gases produced by industrial processes and vehicle emissions that affect public health and change the earth’s atmosphere. The earth’s population has doubled since 1950 and is projected to increase by 50% again by 2050, with most growth in developing nations. Most scientists agree on the need to improve the efficiency of renewable energy sources to support the Earth’s population without overwhelming its natural systems.

OVERVIEW

Boston’s environmental inventory includes the nation’s first public open space, the Boston Common, dating to 1630; the famed  “Emerald Necklace” park system designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 19th century and other parks, playgrounds and tot lots totaling 2,200 acres managed by the Boston Parks Department; another 2,200 acres of parks and recreational areas managed by the Commonwealth; urban wilds and marshes, and 175 community gardens throughout the city’s neighborhoods serving more than 10,000 gardens managed by the Boston Natural Areas Network. 

Likewise, Boston contains a diverse “ecosystem” of organizational assets. These include regional resources such as the Arnold Arboretum, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the New England Aquarium, Zoo New England, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Conservation Law Foundation and the Appalachian Mountain Club.

Closer to home, Boston is fortunate to have a strong and dedicated network of citywide and community-based environmental groups. They have worked tirelessly for the past two decades and more to restore the city’s parks and urban wilds and to create new parks and gardens along its shorelines and in its neighborhoods for the pleasure and health of residents and visitors alike. These include the Boston GreenSpace Alliance, the Boston Natural Area Network, Boston Harbor Associates, Save the Harbor Save the Bay, the Island Alliance, the Chelsea Creek Action Group, Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH), the Allston Brighton CDC, the South End Lower Roxbury Land Trust, the Watershed Institute, the Charles River Watershed Association and many more.

Strong advocacy groups, armed with research, such as Alternatives for Community and Environment  (ACE) — at the core of a coalition of organizations —are focusing attention on environmental justice issues such  as ailments caused by environmental toxins and pollution, the clean up and development of brownfields, and the disproportionate siting of environmental hazards in low-income and communities of color.

A 2001 report by ACE and the Environmental League of Massachusetts, Unequal Exposure, found that communities with more than 25% residents of color averaged nearly five times as many pounds of chemical emissions from polluting industrial facilities per square miles as those with less than 5%. They also found that  communities with an average median income of less than $40,000 —51% of all communities in the state —received 78% of all chemical emissions. These findings have been bolstered by EPA’s Urban Environmental Initiative and Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA). The EOEA, with the support of local advocacy groups, spearheaded passage of environmental justice legislation in 2002.

Scientific confirmation of global and local climate changes combined with the news that the average Greater Boston driver spent 42 hours stuck in traffic  in 2000 – up from 28 hours in 1990 —  attracted the attention of Metro Boston residents. In a poll conducted for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council in early 2002, “sprawl” reached the short list of residents’ concerns for the first time.  Data from a variety of research institutes confirm its negative impacts, including a sharp increase in car ownership, a rise in vehicular sources of air pollution, pressure on water supplies, rising rates of obesity, a spacial mismatch between jobs and homes, long commutes that detract from family time and a sense that Massachusetts is at risk of losing its historic character.

These documented impacts are leading to new initiatives to raise public awareness. In 2000, the Boston Society of Architects kicked off its Civic Initiative for a Livable New England. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council organized a major Boston College Citizen’s Seminar in the spring of 2002 attended by more than 400 people, marking the initiation of planning for a new regional growth strategy. The Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities released a report, “A Scan of Smart Growth Issues in New England,” in June 2002, and PolicyLink, a West-Coast-based organization, is sponsoring local forums on regional equity. And planning in a number of sectors and communities is converging to address the related issues of transportation, housing, environmental and public health and urban design.  

WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE 2000?

The downturn in the economy and the subsequent decline in state tax revenues has reduced public investment in environmental resources. Steep cuts are affecting a range of programs from the Franklin Park Zoo in Roxbury to statewide environmental improvement programs. One consequence of the decline in revenues is a push by the Romney Administration to reorganize state government to achieve cost savings and greater efficiency. A new office — Chief of Development  — was created to integrate state plans and funding for housing, transportation and the environment. The century-old Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) is targeted for consolidation.

Boston mobilized to envision its future through a series of public convenings  — Beyond the Big Dig — sponsored by the Boston Globe , MIT, and WCVB-TV Channel 5, and funded by the Boston Foundation and the State Street Foundation. Participants gathered for a final televised forum at Faneuil Hall in the spring of 2002. Since then, contracts have been issued to three sets of designers by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority for the 25 acres of new open space that will become available. An exciting series of public design sessions have been undertaken to infuse innovation and excitement into the design process.
 
The past two summers in Metro Boston were among the hottest on record, continuing an upward trend, and generating record levels of ozone. In the summer of 2002, New Englanders set a record for energy consumption at more than 25,000 megawatts on one day in August. The previous record was set a year before, in August of 2001.

The summer of 2002 marked the high point in the trend toward cleaner beaches along Boston Harbor thanks to the continued operation of the Deer Island Sewage Treatment Plant, completed and opened by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) in 2000. The plant has reduced solid waste discharges into Boston Harbor from 160 to 30 tons per day, or more than 80%. Combined sewer overflow discharges, still necessary during major rain storms when the runoff from street drains overflow into the sewer system, have been cut by two-thirds.

Boston added new parkland with the reclamation of new landfills, as well as new parkland adjacent to the Neponset River and Chelsea Creek. The restoration of the Muddy River in the Fens is underway, and a number of brownfield sites throughout the city have been reclaimed for productive use.

In May 2000, the City of Boston joined 100 other US cities pledging to conduct an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, to set a target for emissions reductions, and create and implement a plan to meet that target. In 2001, Mayor Menino announced the formation of an Energy Advisory Committee and City Hall Working Group to address issues of affordability, availability, conservation and public health. One of the first goals will be to reduce city government energy consumption by 10% in 2005. Boston also joined with other cities in the region to create Cities for Climate Protection to promote clean energy transportation and energy-efficient buildings, street lighting and recycling.

Six New England governors and the premiers of Canada’s seven Eastern Provinces all signed a joint Climate Action Plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The EOEA participated with the New England Governors’ and Eastern Canadian Premiers’ climate change conference in March, 2001, releasing a Climate Change Action Plan later that year.

In 2002, Outward Bound and the Trust for Public Land announced a $4 million conservation restriction guaranteeing that Thompson Island will be left at least 80% undeveloped. Thompson Island, one of the largest islands in Boston Harbor at about 240 acres, also contains the harbor islands’ largest salt marsh. It has now joined the other 33 islands in Boston Harbor as part of the Harbor Islands National Park Area, established by the federal government in 1996.  According to the Island Alliance, more than 100,000 people annually are visiting the six staffed islands by ferry.

A new tool to promote smart growth, the state's Community Preservation Act (CPA), was enacted in late 2000. It gives cities and towns that vote to assess taxpayers a surcharge of between 1% - 3% on property taxes the ability to invest in a combination of open space, affordable housing and historic preservation. Following the 2002 election, 58 of the states' 351 cities and towns had voted to adopt it. 

In 2001, state agencies and municipalities spent $65 million on products and materials made with recycled content, up from $2.8 million in 1992. The Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency now requires all projects at state facilities to consider “green” building technologies as part of its environmental review process.

Since 2000, the Commonwealth has protected 44 miles of land along rivers and eight miles of habitat along lakes and ponds. More than 70% of rare and endangered species in Massachusetts utilize land along the state’s rivers and other water resources during some or all of their lives. The Commonwealth is increasing the number of fish in its freshwater streams, lakes, rivers and ponds through the breaching of old dams and construction of runs to allow fish to again migrate upstream to spawn. As a result, alewife levels are up in the Charles, Mystic and Neponset rivers, and levels of native marine animals and shellfish are increasing.

In 2002, the state completed an analysis of areas in Massachusetts rich in biodiversity, and has begun the process of creating a network of bioreserves to protect large ecosystems that contribute to both water quality and the preservation of the state’s biodiversity. Biodiversity Days attracted more than 15,000 adults and children over one weekend in 2000. They counted more than 2,8010 species in their own neighborhoods.

A new Environmental Justice Policy for the state was passed in 2002.   It promotes sustainable development in communities bearing environmental burdens and protects low-income communities that have been forced unknowingly to accept environmentally harmful facilities. It also promotes access to environmental amenities and environmentally clean public services such as efficient public transportation. 
 

With reduced state revenues and reductions in foundation assets and grant making, many non-profit and public environmental and recreational programs are at risk.   Capital campaigns, regular maintenance, programming and safety may all face setbacks in recent progress as a  result of reduced funding. Most environmental groups lack endowments, it is difficult for environmental groups to secure funding in tough economic times.
 
Massachusetts public health officials are warning pregnant women and children under the age of 12 of the dangers of mercury in fish caught in the state’s lakes and streams, as well as seafood such as shark, tuna, swordfish and king mackerel. Scientists now understand that even small amounts of mercury can create lasting health problems.

Authorities are pushing for tighter restrictions on ocean fishing to encourage a full recovery of fish stocks while fishermen seek to relax restrictions. Debate centers on the timing and degree of restrictions on New England’s ocean fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, but all agree that fish stocks have declined significantly from their highs and that some degree of management is needed to sustain stocks in the future.

Massachusetts’ engineers are doing their part to assist some of the smallest inhabitants of the Commonwealth —  toads, frogs, turtles and alewives — to survive their seasonal migrations. The new Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge has diamond cuts in its surface to let the sun through so that alewives can navigate in their spring migration up the Mystic River. Engineers also have created perforated culvert covers to allow the migrating toads to navigate by the light of the stars. Likewise, they are raising the height of roadside barriers and fences to allow small creatures through in their seasonal migrations.  

According to Bicycling Magazine, Boston is among the 10 worst major cities for its miles of striped bikeways. With increasing rates of obesity among adults and children, access to safe and well- maintained places to exercise has become a growing priority, prompting advocates of the "new urbanism" to advocate for safe, well-lit sidewalks and bike paths.  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a national foundation, is developing new standards for  “activity-friendly” communities.

The leadership of environmental organizations at the neighborhood, citywide, regional, state and national levels remains solidly white. This is changing slowly, with new leadership emerging on issues of environmental justice and the cultivation of new young leaders who are breaking the racial mold.

The Earth’s atmosphere is getting warmer, trapping heat at the surface, causing severe weather patterns and threatening to transform long-stable environmental systems such as ocean currents. This warming trend reflects the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, particularly CO2 from vehicular emissions. Trees can help to extract carbon dioxide by “breathing” it in and “exhaling” oxygen. But they will not be able to absorb all of the carbon dioxide projected as a result of developing countries' increasing use of fossil fuels as they industrialize in the 21st century.

INNOVATION

In 1998, the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust was created by the state legislature to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and promote the development of renewable energy in the Commonwealth. An investment in a “greener” economy, this initiative, coordinated by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, strengthens the ability of Massachusetts companies to develop new “green” products that can compete in the global marketplace. The Trust has created a Green Buildings Program, a Green Schools Program and Green Power Program, which includes investments in energy created by wind, wave/tidal, hydro, biomas, and solar photovoltiaics.

A new company, Cape Wind, has proposed building about 170 wind turbines off the coast of Cape Cod, which would generate enough power for 250,000 homes annually. Another wind-energy company is exploring the feasibility of 22 other sites in the East Coast. While wind-energy projects are raising concern about their impacts on birds, animals and marine life, as well as on community aesthetics, they represent a sustainable form of energy that would reduce greenhouse emissions and are already in use in a number of regions in the US. 
 
The first-in-the-nation Product Stewardship Institute has opened at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, supported in part by the Commonwealth’s EOEA . The institute is working with manufacturers to “support the shift from disposable products to long-lasting, non-toxic, reusable, sustainable products. EOEA and Umass also kicked off a “Green Chemistry “ initiative “to promote the design of environmentally benign products and processes.”
 

Japan, with a population of only 127 million people, is leading the US, Europe and the rest of the world in the generation of solar energy. Japan generated more than 150 kilowatts of solar energy in 2001 (up from only about 15 megawatts in 1994).  The US, which led the world in 1994, now lags Japan, generating about 100 megawatts of solar energy, while Europe’s solar capacity is growing at a faster rate than and is almost equal to the current US output.

The 15-nation European Union (EU) has established a goal of obtaining 22% of its electricity and 12 % of all energy from renewable sources by 2010, and allocated about $2 billion for research over the five years with a particular focus on hydrogen fuel cell technology.

LINKS

City of Boston
Official website of the City of Boston. See Boston’s Parks Department and Environmental Services Department  for a list of programs and other information.

Boston Greenspace Alliance
A private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection, creation, care and use of Boston’s parks and open spaces and a "watchdog and voice" on policy and planning matters affecting open space in the City. Website provides pdf and html versions of their quarterly newsletter, ordering information for their calendar, and information on projects and events.

Metropolitan Area Planning Council
The MAPC is the regional planning agency representing 101 cities and towns in Eastern Massachusetts, including Boston. Their Online Metro Data Center offers a broad range of demographic, environmental and economic information on this region. Website also provides information on the MAPC’s programs and initiatives.

Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
The state’s environmental regulations and preservations agency. Website provides press releases, links to weekly newsletter, other offices and agencies presided over by the Mass EOEA, pdf fact sheets and information, and events, programs, and initiative information.

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management
Dedicated to conserving natural resources through stewardship, connecting people to resources through recreation and education, and well as partnering with others who share this common purpose. Website offers information about state forests and parks, press releases, and program information.

US Environmental Protection Agency — New England Region
Provides general, regulations, and research information with some publications in pdf format, links to each state EPA office, press releases and news clips, listservs, a calendar, and information on events and programs.

Population Reference Bureau
A non-profit organization that provides objective information on US and international population trends. Website provides searchable population and health data, educator and journalist resource guides, ordering information on PRB publications, and information on events and programs.  Some information in French and Spanish. 

BP — Statistical Review of US and World Energy
A yearly report put out by British Petroleum surveying several types of energy in various countries.

World Resources Institute
An independent non-profit think that analyzes data for use in creating sustainable partnerships to protect the Earth. Website contains an information portal with world and national environmental statistics, press releases, pdf reports and publications, online bookstore, and information on events and programs.

United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the UN’s principal provider of development advice, advocacy, and grant support. Website provides pdf publications on issues such as human development, poverty reduction, crisis prevention, and the environment, and others.