Press Release
The Fairhaven Sustainability Committee is pleased to share our new logo, designed by local residents Caitlyn Foster and Lauren Crowley and in collaboration with Christine Neville’s graphic design class at Fairhaven High School. The logo will now be used by the Sustainability Committee to promote various events and projects that support sustainable living in our town.
Now that Fairhaven has been designated a Green Community by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Town is eligible for new sources of funding and grant monies. Recent funding provided new lights at the Council on Aging and Recreation Center, which have been replaced and are now exclusively LED. LED lights are up to 80 percent more efficient than traditional lighting, and this project will reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of these buildings by 67.2 tons annually — that’s the same amount of emissions as 10.6 homes’ electricity use in one year.
The recent Special Town Meeting welcomed the approval of the PILOT agreements for the rooftop solar arrays at East Fairhaven Elementary School and LeRoy L. Wood Elementary School. The project will include an educational outreach component for the respective schools’ students to learn more about solar panels and their importance in practicing sustainability.
Most recently, the town received a $12,500 grant from the MassDEP Electric Vehicle Incentive Program Fleets grant for electric charging equipment and two (2) electric vehicles for Town use. As the grant does not cover the full cost of this project, approximately $10,000 will be needed to fund it in completion. Our sustainability coordinator, Whitney McClees, is actively working to secure this remaining amount.
We are pleased that these new incentives and programs are available to the Town, and as a Green Community we look forward to additional opportunities in years to come.
For any questions please contact Whitney McClees at sustainability@fairhaven-ma.gov or 508-979-4023, ext. 128.
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