city_hall

Official websites use .boston.gov

A .boston.gov website belongs to an official government organization in the City of Boston.

lock

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Last updated:

Boston's Green New Deal

Learn more about Boston's Green New Deal key priorities and metrics.

What is the Green New Deal?

Boston’s Green New Deal (GND) is a vision for tackling the climate crisis in Boston — with policies that address economic, social, and racial inequities, while advancing health, livability, and justice throughout our neighborhoods for all Boston residents. 

Dig into the data

Explore the Green New Deal's key metrics:

Desktop Dashboard
mobile dashboard 

Priority Areas

buildings

Building Decarbonization


The City is focused on decarbonizing and electrifying new and existing buildings to drastically reduce carbon emissions and promote healthy home and work environments.

LEARN MORE

MBTA Roslindale Bus Lane

Transportation


We’re committed to ensuring all residents have easy and affordable access to an efficient, carbon-free transportation network.

LEARN MORE

Solar panels

Clean Energy


We are expanding our role in the energy transition by supporting regional greening of the grid with new clean infrastructure, on-site generation, and clean energy procurement.

LEARN MORE

Trees in Boston

Resilience and Nature


From rising sea levels to hotter summer days, Boston is already experiencing the impacts of climate change. We are working to strengthen Boston’s 47-mile coast, while ensuring all residents benefit from trees, parks, and nature in our city.

LEARN MORE

powercorpbos 1

Workforce


 The City and our partners in education, labor, and the private sector are developing our green workforce to ensure a just transition to a green economy. 

LEARN MORE

Image for save energy, save money renew boston

Funding


To accomplish our climate and equity goals, the City is actively pursuing federal funding opportunities as they become available—including from the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

LEARN MORE

Progress Towards a Green New Deal

Through a series of ambitious policies and city-wide investments, Boston has been steadily advancing towards its climate and equity objectives, striving to achieve carbon neutrality in our built environment, promote economic vitality, and enhance climate resilience across the city for all our residents. As the urgency of climate action intensifies, the progress of the Boston Green New Deal stands as our all-of-government commitment to safeguarding our planet for current and future generations. Below is a snapshot of our achievements so far. 

Jumpstarting the Gnd with federal funding

The City of Boston utilized American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds to jumpstart transformative citywide and community projects to combat the climate crisis and revitalize local economies disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The chart below details how the City of Boston has allocated ARPA funds into various climate initiatives. By the end of 2024, all ARPA funds must be allocated, prompting the City of Boston to shift its focus towards pursuing federal funding opportunities such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to continue our efforts towards becoming a Green New Deal city. For details on BIL and IRA funding awards and opportunities, visit the GND Federal Funding Dashboard. Additional information regarding ARPA funding allocations can be found on the City's ARPA website

gnd arpa

  • Fare-free bus pilot (2022-2026): $16,400,000
  • Large Building Green Energy Retrofits Program: $10,000,000
  • S.P.A.C.E. Grants: $9,000,000
  • PowerCorps Boston: $9,000,000
  • America's Best Biking City Initiatives: $8,000,000
  • Healthy and Green Retrofit Pilot Program: $5,000,000
  • Electrification of BPS School Buses: $2,500,000
  • Urban Tree Canopy/Boston Tree Alliance Program: $2,500,000

Timeline of accomplishments

Stormwater utility fee

  • Topic: Resilient Stormwater Infrastructure
  • To fund the modernization of Boston's stormwater infrastructure, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission launched a new stormwater utility fee based on the amount of impervious surface on a property. Funds from this surcharge will go towards stormwater management systems, such as pipe replacement and upsizing and investments in green infrastructure, to proactively mitigate flooding and pollution runoff.

Boston supports offshore wind energy

  • Topic: Accelerate Decarbonization

  • The City of Boston expressed support for Avangrid's proposal for offshore wind energy. If it is selected by the state, Boston would become the first US city to contract for offshore wind. The energy generated from the project would partially be used to power our municipal buildings, contributing significantly to our 2030 goal of procuring 100% clean energy for municipal operations. 

Boston invests in esg funds

  • Topic: Divest/Reinvest in a Climate Just Future
  • Since 2021, Boston has invested $400M of public funds into environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds. This year, for the first time, the City of Boston will invest money from its trust fund into an ESG portfolio managed by a sustainable investments manager.

Fossil Fuel-Free Municipal Buildings Executive Order signed

  • Topic: Accelerate Decarbonization
  • The Executive Order requires all new construction and major renovation projects in the City's building portfolio are fossil-fuel free.

 

SPACE Program launched

  • Topic: Equitable Small Business Recovery

  • The Supporting Pandemic Affected Community Enterprises (SPACE) Grant Program provides grants of up to $200,000 to small businesses looking to open a new storefront, or expand their existing store, in vacant commercial space. 

 

Boston joined the C40 Divest/Invest Accelerator

  • Topic: Divest/Reinvest in a Climate Just Accelerator

  • C40 Cities is a global network of cities calling on united action to confront the climate crisis. The Divest/Invest Accelerator program is a coalition of C40 cities that champion fossil fuel divestment of city assets.

 

Good food purchasing program at boston public schools

  • Topic: Food Justice

  • The Boston Public School system will be the first to implement the Good Food Purchasing Program framework to ensure healthy, locally sourced food is accessible to all BPS students.  

 

SCALE Program launched

  • Topic: Equitable Small Business Recovery

  • The Supplying Capital And Leveraging Education (SCALE) program will assist small businesses, with a focus on Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE), with industry-specific technical assistance, programming, and consulting services. The program aims to prepare these small businesses in their attempt to compete for public and private contracts. 

Urban Forestry Division created

  • Topic: Urban Tree Canopy

  • The Urban Forestry Division sits within the Parks and Recreation Department and is tasked with executing the Urban Forestry Plan. The Division will proactively and equitably expand our urban tree canopy, focusing on under-canopied and environmental justice neighborhoods, as well as support workforce development opportunities.

 

stormwater infiltration requirements for city projects

  • Topic: Resilient Stormwater Infrastructure
  • A new policy requires qualified City projects include stormwater mitigation through the use of green infrastructure to reduce stormwater flooding and filter pollutants from runoff before it reaches our waterways. Green infrastructure also increases our urban tree canopy, mitigates the urban heat island effect, and enhances ecological diversity.

 

PowerCorpsBOS launched

  • Topic: Urban Climate Corps

  • This program provides career pathways through job training essential to our green workforce. PowerCorpsBOS pays its members to participate in hands-on training in fields such as building operations, urban forestry, and urban greening. Since its start, the program has graduated three cohorts totaling 80 participants.

Small business relief and restaurant revitalization funds

  • Topic: Equitable Small Business Recovery
  • These relief funds were launched to assist small businesses in their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Divestment passes for City of Boston investments

  • Topic: Divest/Reinvest in a Climate Just Future
  • At her first bill signing, Mayor Michelle Wu signed an ordinance requiring the City of Boston divest all public funds from fossil fuel, tobacco, and private prison industries by the end of 2025.

 

Three fare-free bus routes start

  • Topic: Transportation Justice
  • In an effort to make public transit more convenient, accessible, and affordable for all residents, bus routes 23, 28, and 29 will be free to use for all riders from March 1, 2022 through February 28, 2026.

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing passed

  • Topic: Clean Energy Financing
  • The City of Boston submitted an Order authorizing building owners in Boston to participate in the statewide PACE financing program. This program, overseen by MassDevelopment, provides low-cost and long-term funding for energy efficiency projects in large buildings. This critical financing tool can be used by building owners subject to the emissions reduction requirements outlined in the  Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO)  for their building decarbonization and electrification projects.

Current Green New Deal Projects

Boston is pioneering innovative solutions to combat climate change while fostering equitable growth and resilience. From renewable energy initiatives to green infrastructure projects and sustainable transportation developments, each project embodies our dedication to creating a more vibrant, healthy, and inclusive city for all. Below is a snapshot of Green New Deal projects with dedicated budget and staff happening across City departments.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

More Info

A description of each of the GND metrics can be reviewed in the Metrics Glossary, found below:

GND Metrics Glossary

Boston’s Climate Action Plan and Climate Ready Boston reports have laid the foundation for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and building climate resilience. We report on the progress of the recommendations in these plans through annual progress reports. We also conduct annual GHG tracking to measure trends toward our 2050 carbon neutrality goals. 

Back to top