My Priority for Needham 2020 is: Statements from Summit participants

When participants chose break-out groups at the Summit, they received colored index cards that corresponded to their group topics. Each card had a sticker with a statement and then space to write a response. The statement was: My Priority for Needham 2020 is:. Below are the responses collected from the cards. Please add your own priorities!

• Every household plant a tree to cool and reduce air conditioning. Anonymous
• Learn more about local food. Beth
• To become a more “green” community. Elizabeth
• Make Needham homes the most efficient in the state. Clayton
• Mass transit to NEBC. Devra
• 10% demand reduction by 2015, 20% reduction by 2020, state-wide goal by 2020: 25% energy reduction. Margaret
• Increase awareness of options & benefits, perhaps through stretch code. David
• Reduce municipal energy consumption by 33%. Jerry
• Encourage the town and its residents to replace lawns and exotic plants with native grasses and other plants that support local insects, birds, and wildlife. Lise
• 50% reduction in residential electricity consumption. Len
• All green businesses, each one reduce energy use by 5-109. Marisa
• Helping middle schoolers commute by bike. High schoolers as role models. Jay
• Pass the stretch code. Anonymous
• Drive energy efficiency measures to reduce what the town spends on electricity. Lighting – LED; use solar and wind. Matthew
• Adopt the stretch code. Be the most energy-efficient per-household town in Massachusetts. Jeanne
• To have the town become herbicide and pesticide free. Organic permaculture projects sprouting up at every house! Ellen
• Reduce energy consumption by 30%. Isabell
• To see energy and environmental policy still being a focus in society, and that it hasn’t been forgotten. Carys
• Green energy use / innovation. Irwin
• “Energy technology hub” such that startups & new businesses are based here because of incentives & knowledge base. Tyson
• To have a very high level of community awareness and recognition of individual successes in energy reduction. Moe
• Pass the stretch code at town meeting. Get data conversant. Ross
• Evaluate solar panels for Town Hall & all schools. Evaluate geothermal for all new town buildings. Cliff
• Electrify the train. Extend train to Millis. Bring Green Line to Needham Junction. Steve
• All back yards have a clothes line in use. Claire
• More walking, biking; less car driving. Joel
• Electric energy independence, “grid neutral.” Ambitious goal to rally around and achieve. Ira
• Generate significant power from waste into energy such as landfill gas. Fred
• Foster a sense of integration across generations that allows us all to see Needham as a collective community which serves us more as a whole than as fractional interests. Anonymous
• To emphasize the importance of creating a comprehensive plan between local towns to clean and maintain water supply. Kevin
• Better access to transit, better biking infrastructure and awareness of bikes. Anonymous
• Recycling containers at Town fields and Needham Common. Jim
• Integrated efficient transportation. Bob
• Energy efficacy to help deal more easily with the economic budget. Aurelie
• Preservation and rehabilitation of older homes to increase efficiency & reduce need for new construction/materials. Especially, learn the lessons of antique historic homes for their passive use of solar & wind for heat and ventilation and to reduce power needs. Gloria
• Get people out of their cars. Change behavior. Incentivize. Phyllis
• Conservation of energy needed for the water purification process. Achieve energy conservation by utilizing new technology – replacing old energy generators with new, more energy efficient generators. Raise awareness about water conservation. Preserve wetlands. Plant more trees. Cynthia
• To decrease energy use and increase reusable energy for Needham residential & municipal buildings. Beth
• To see a more energy independent Needham dedicated to future improvements. Harrison
• Active transportation infrastructure and equal representation of modes in a “systems” approach to transportation in Needham. Anne