Mayor Gary Christenson is eager to announce Green Malden, a new City initiative that will take an all-of-government, all-hands-on-deck approach to combating climate change. Malden will approach all its work, from creating new parks to repaving roads, with the sustainability and climate resilience impacts of that work in front of mind.
“Green Malden is our boldest step yet in responding to climate change,” said Mayor Gary Christenson. “We know that our community will face major challenges over the next decades, and we have to act now and use all the resources available to us if we are going to succeed. Climate change will impact everything we do, so our response to it must be just as urgent and all-encompassing.”
“The challenges of the climate crisis impact every aspect of our community, from public health and emergency response to capital planning and development policy,” said Carey McDonald, City Councillor-At-Large and Chair of the Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Commission. “As we work towards a city-wide climate action plan, Green Malden will be a great foundation for coordinating and communicating about our environmental work.”
Over the next year, the City of Malden will work internally to determine how every City department can make City operations and our communities more sustainable and resilient. Some, like the Public Facilities Department, will be straightforward—they can install solar panels and efficient heaters in municipal buildings, and buy electric vehicles where possible. Others, like the Inspectional Services Department, will play a less public but still significant role by making sure new buildings are built sustainably, that will withstand the extreme weather we will see in the coming decades. The initiative will be led by a working group of department heads and City staff, which has been meeting since June.
Residents can learn more about Green Malden and what the City is already doing to address climate change at www.cityofmalden.org/greenmalden and reach out with any questions to GreenMalden@cityofmalden.org.