Green Newton

Alan Gordon, a 30-year resident of Newton and member of the Newton Sustainable Materials Management Commission, was appointed president of Green Newton in September 2024. This past week, I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Gordon to hear about his leadership journey, the organization’s goals, and the tangible steps we can all take to create a greener, healthier planet.

Can you share a bit about the experiences that led you to become President of Green Newton?

I joined and became a member of the Sierra Club and the Appalachian Mountain Club close to 40 years ago, but was never really an active participant or advocate in any way. However, seven years ago, I found myself having more time as my kids were grown, and I became involved in some advocacy work in the Sierra Club. I then also joined Newton’s Sustainable Materials Management Commission, which is a mayor-appointed commission that advises the city, the mayor, and the city council on issues related to mostly residential solid waste. From the commission, I got to know people involved in issues related to the environment of Newton – several of whom were on the board of Green Newton. I was asked to join the board of Green Newton two or so years ago, which I did. As a Board member, I became more active in the work that the organization was doing. Last Fall, as Green Newton went through a leadership transition, I was asked if I would be interested in being the President. I said yes and so that’s how I came into this role.

What are your goals for increasing environmental sustainability?

Encouraging building electrification and transitioning away from the use of fossil fuels are my goals for increasing environmental sustainability. I think that is also a goal for Newton and even the state of Massachusetts. I have also focused on plastic reduction, in particular the reduction of single-use plastics. Composting is something else I encourage, as getting more people to compost helps food scraps to turn into healthy additives for soil. Benefitting soil health is a lot more positive for the environment than food scraps being thrown into the trash and being burned. Overall, increased encouragement of electrification, reduction of plastics, more adoption of composting, and transitioning away from fossil fuels are all ways we can increase sustainability. This process will happen through education and awareness. Most people in Newton want to make a difference for the environment. It’s about helping to bring awareness and understanding of the actions our residents can take to do that.

You’ve lived in Newton for 30 years. In your experience, what progress have you observed in the city toward becoming more energy-efficient and adopting greener measures?

The City Council has passed a couple of ordinance, one that went into effect January 1, which requires all new construction and major renovations to be all electric – that will have a big impact:
The Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) is mandating buildings over 20,000 square feet to report their electric and fossil fuel use. There are certain reduction targets where the buildings have to reduce their fossil fuel use over time until they are fossil fuel free by 2050. With the assumption that heating systems have a life of 10 to 20 years, fossil fuel systems will most likely need to be replaced at that time, and those buildings can move over to electric and off of fossil fuels.
Last year a new ordinance went into effect to reduce the use of single-use plastics. Takeout containers are now supposed to be reusable, and restaurants are not supposed to automatically provide you with condiments like ketchup and mustard packets. Then if you eat in a dine-in restaurant, they are supposed to use a hundred percent reusable dishware instead of plastic. These are some of the initiatives that are helping to move Newton in a positive direction.

What would you like Newton Green to be known for in the community?

I want Green Newton to be known broadly as a local advocate for a greener, healthier, safer environment for human and animal life.

What are some tips you have for Newton residents to be more energy efficient as we kick off the new year?

A simple tip to be more energy efficient is to have a Mass Save energy audit. They can make suggestions for you like ways to make your home more sustainable – it’s free to do and I highly recommend you get it done. Some of the recommendations may have a little cost but these actions will have a big impact on the environment.And it’s good to do these audits every two or three years so if you’ve done one in the past, it doesn’t mean you can’t get another audit again. Also, as I shared earlier, if you are not composting, it’s a relatively inexpensive way to make a difference. I also say heat pumps, and water heat pumps are very sustainable and are a great way to reduce emissions. They’re very efficient these days and they’re relative to the cost of replacing a gas hot water heater. These actions are definitely something to consider for community members as they start the year.

As part of the Newton Sustainable Materials Management Commission, what are the things you advocate for?

Green Newton is a nonprofit and is completely independent of the city, whereas the Commission is appointed by the mayor and by the City Council. However, there’s a lot of overlap in what we do. On the commission, we advocate for city policies and action that will reduce the amount of waste that’s going on. In Newton, the trash goes to an incinerator, not the landfill. So the Commission works to reduce the amount of waste that goes to the incinerator. Whether that’s through composting or, again, reducing the amount of single-use plastics, the Commission wants to limit the waste in Newton.

Anything else you would like to share?

For people that are interested in what Green Newton does, become a Green Newton member – sign up, get our newsletter, or volunteer with Green Newton. There are an endless number of volunteer opportunities with us. We’d like to engage with folks, and bring more people into the discussion. Overall, I would just encourage people to get involved, and know that when you get involved, your actions at an individual level can make a difference.

Devan Kathiresan is a Green Newton intern and a student at Milton Academy.