The Sponsors of Mass Save® recognize Acton-Boxborough as a 2024 Climate Leader in State House ceremony

February 1, 2025

The Acton-Boxborough School District was one of nineteen entities honored at the Massachusetts State House on January 21 for their commitment and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in support of the Commonwealth’s ambitious goal of achieving a net zero future.

A man holding a plaque is flanked by other people.
(L to R) Peter Light, ABRSD Superintendent, Sheri Matthews, Director of Finance and Operations, Adam Klein, School Committee Chair, Mark Hamel, Facilities Coordinator, and Kate Crosby, ABRSD Energy Manager. Photo: Diane Baum

Tilak Subrahmanian, Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Electric Mobility at Eversource, who spoke at the ceremony, noted that through their collective energy-saving projects, the nineteen honorees have avoided 47,500 metric tons of CO2. “That is equivalent to the energy use of more than 6,300 homes for one year.”

Elizabeth Mahoney, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, expressed her appreciation to the honorees for “undertaking impressive projects including electrification, energy efficient upgrades, sustainable building projects, energy conservation, net zero buildings, and two all-electric, geothermal schools.”

The Sponsors of Mass Save® recognized Acton-Boxborough for its new all-electric, geothermal Boardwalk campus building which houses the Douglas and Gates Elementary Schools and the Carol Huebner Early Childhood Program. The building, which opened in 2022 and has drawn national attention, includes a fully electric, commercial-scale kitchen, enhanced insulation, ground-source heat pumps, demand-control ventilation, and energy recovery. Energy Use Intensity (EUI) goals for the building have exceeded state targets.

The building was named  Green Building of the Year last year by the non-profit Built Environment Plus (BE+). In 2023, the Boston-based architecture and design firm, Arrowstreet was awarded New Construction Design of the Year Energy Excellence Award by Eversource for their design of the building.

The Sponsors of Mass Save® also commended the District for being an exemplar of sustainability within the educational sector for its interdisciplinary educational program that incorporates STEM education, civic skills, and green career paths.

The District has a long history of integrating energy efficiency and waste reduction efforts with academic learning and health and wellness largely due to the work of the District’s Energy Manager, Kate Crosby. Since 2010, Crosby’s educational initiatives have engaged the entire K-12 school community in conservation advocacy, starting with a District-wide initiative called Power Down. Her advocacy work has resulted in significant savings for the District.

“We are fortunate in AB because not many school districts have a dedicated Energy Manager,” said Superintendent of Schools, Peter Light. “It was foresight a long time ago by the school district to think of a position like this. She saves the District hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.”

At the State House ceremony, State Representative Jeffrey N. Roy, Chairperson of the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Telecommunication, Utilities, and Energy pressed upon attendees that “in order to meet the goals that the state has established, we need buy-in and adoption of clean energy and decarbonization technologies from every corner of the Commonwealth. You all serve as ambassadors for our net zero future, and the initiatives you’ve pursued tell a story to us and others in your field that a green Commonwealth is not only possible, it’s advantageous, and it’s already getting started.”

Mass Save® is a collaborative of Massachusetts’ electric and natural gas utilities and energy efficiency service providers including Berkshire Gas, Cape Light Compact, Eversource, Liberty, National Grid, and Unitil.

Diane Baum is the School Committee Beat reporter for the Acton Exchange and a former member of the Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee.

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