Council updates – climate crisis, zoning, LEED Platinum

All:

An odd week. News from much of the country, especially Texas confirms once again that the climate crisis will continue to cause chaos and pain. Wind turbines and solar panels are the parts of the grid in Texas outperforming expectations – while gas and oil are disproportionately out of commission…. Do we need more reminders that we must urgently move to change our patterns of energy use? Here in Cambridge we also have to move more urgently towards renewable energy and mitigation of climate effects. Yesterday I attended the Climate Resiliency Task Force meeting where recommendations were discussed. They are on point, logical and necessary. AND not bold enough, not strong enough and not impactful enough. Climate change is already upon us and hurting the most marginalized. I hope the task force pushes us to do all we can to mitigate the effects of the present day crisis. 

An especially odd week for me since I’m WFA – Working From Away. I drove down to Richmond VA for a week with my husband to accompany our son and save him from driving the entire way alone. The pictures above are from Monument Avenue in Richmond. My own appreciation of history was enhanced by witnessing the scale of the monuments to Confederate Leaders – far grander than the statues on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. Five of the six statues have been removed – only the pedestals remain. The final, Robert E. Lee remains since it is on land owned by Virginia, not the city of Richmond. They were taken down only in the last year, after the George Floyd protests. Only in 2020 did the city remove monuments to leaders of a sedition; leaders who lost a war; leaders who fought a war to keep African Americans enslaved. And others remain across the country. Stunning – imagine being Jewish, or LGBTQ, or Roma and walking along a magnificent street in your city with large statues praising Hitler and Mengele and Eichmann. History matters. Monuments matter. What you honor matters.  

I also learned/was reminded this week that the Revolutionary War was only won since the colonists were righteous in their cause and scrappy. And the Boston area was not the only place the Revolutionary spirit prevailed. Here in Yorktown, VA, where I write this note, the final naval battle of the war was fought. Cornwallis was trapped, the battle lost and the USA effectively won its war…. And almost certainly the fledgling democratic republic would not have prevailed without major help from France. In case you’re wondering, turns out winter is still winter even this far south…. And upon return we’ll follow state guidelines – and quarantine until cleared by negative test results. 

There are still ongoing drives and efforts to help folks suffering from the pandemic. Don’t forget to check city and state information hubs – on covid vaccines (more below), on testing, on what’s open, on safety protocols. Encourage masking, hope and/or pray that our numbers as a city continue to show progress.  

There are many incredible offerings online- from webinars to music to panel discussions. One of great interest to me are Harvard’s offerings – I recently attended one on political reform. And the Boston Foundation has one coming up on March 11 Mobilizing for Opportunity – on a critically important question – recent research of the labor market experience of recent college graduates from the Boston Public Schools. I encourage you to snoop around the internet, ask friends, scour the paper and participate in one. Cambridge is hosting a number of events as well – including an event at the library with authors Danielle Evans and Kimberly McLarin, celebrating Black History Month.  

Stay safe, 

Patty