As Newton’s Climate Action Coordinator, Caroline Weiss plays a key role in shaping the city’s sustainability efforts. From implementing new policies to reduce Newton’s carbon footprint to engaging with local climate organizations like Green Newton, Caroline Weiss’s work is at the forefront of local environmental action. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to Caroline about her role in leading Newton’s climate initiatives, the city’s sustainability goals, and the actionable steps we can all take to build a greener community.
What inspired you to get involved in climate action, and how has your journey led you to this role in Newton?
I got involved in climate action for the first time in high school. I did something called the Governor’s School for Global and International Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, which is where I ended up going for undergrad. Gov School, as we called it, was where I was first exposed to climate change. I became really interested in climate change, and what I could do to mitigate the effects of climate change. From there, I was motivated to go back to University of Pittsburgh and study environmental studies and political science. COVID-19 slightly derailed my course of career from there, but I ended up getting to attend a study abroad program in Iceland on renewable energy. In Iceland, I learned about geothermal energy, environmental concerns related to the country’s aluminum smelters, and sustainable energy policy. This program led me to complete a fellowship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where I worked on climate profiles for military installations. It wasn’t exactly the path I had envisioned with my interest in renewables, but it was still a valuable experience in climate planning and natural resource management. When that fellowship ended a few months ago, I knew I wanted to get my feet on the ground with local government. This position with the city of Newton seemed fantastic as it was a local job, and involved local policy. Specifically, I was really interested in working on the city’s climate action plan update.
What are Newton’s top climate action priorities right now, and what progress has been made toward them?
Newton has a lot of climate action priorities across different categories. One major focus is decarbonizing existing buildings. We have the Take Action 4 our Future program, where we recommend residents take four actions to decarbonize their homes: weatherization and insulation, installing heat pumps, going solar, and considering their transportation with either active transportation options or an EV. The city is encouraging these actions because residential greenhouse gas emissions constitute about 60% of Newton’s greenhouse gas emissions, as we found through the Newton Citizens’ Commission on Energy’s greenhouse gas inventory (based on 2019 data). Another way that we’re focusing on building decarbonization is through BERDO, which stands for the building emissions reduction and disclosure ordinance. The ordinance requires residential buildings over 20,000 square feet to report emissions. Over time, it requires building owners to achieve progressively stricter emission standards. We’re also aiming to advance green building practices in new construction. So one way the city is doing that is with an electrification ordinance that requires all new construction and major renovations to be all electric. This ordinance allows there to be no new fossil fuel structures from the get go. As the grid gets cleaner with more offshore wind and solar energy, the electricity in these new buildings will also be cleaner. Another big bucket for our priorities is increasing clean energy in the city. Municipal solar is something that the city has already made great progress on. There are 19 solar projects throughout the city, and there’s eight more planned for the summer. So that’s saving the city a lot of money and increasing renewable energy generation right here in Newton. Overall, those are our main priorities, but there is still a lot else going on.
What does your role as Newton’s Climate Action Coordinator entail on a day-to-day basis, and what are the most rewarding and challenging parts of your job?
One of the most rewarding parts of my job off the bat is how varied it is. It’s not boring. There’s constantly evolving priorities with the policies we’re working on or the people I’m meeting with. I really like how much my day-to-day work changes and how much I get to interact with different advocacy groups and different departments within the city. It’s a very interdisciplinary job. One day I’ll be talking about sustainable materials management, and the next day I’m going on a walk through the high school for Earth Day planning. The big category I work on is climate action plan planning. Currently, I’m working on a climate action plan that will cover 2025 – 2030, and outlines the new strategies and actions the city would like to take to reach our climate goal, carbon neutrality by 2050. Another thing I’ve been working on is managing our volunteer energy coach program. The city connects residents with this program, where volunteer experts on anything home energy related – from solar to EVs to insulation – can answer resident’s questions. So my job includes making sure everything works smoothly for coaches on our scheduling side, tracking the consults we get, and surveying how people are doing with their home energy projects. Additionally, there’s a lot of outreach and education, so I’ve been writing our climate newsletter, meeting with residents, and working to plan tabling events. The biggest challenge I foresee is reaching residents who may not be as interested in climate action. Ultimately, my first few months on the job have been very rewarding and I look forward to further advancing climate action in Newton. Every day looks different, but it’s been really interesting.
What are some key local policies or regulations Newton has implemented to promote sustainability, and are there any new laws in the works to further climate action?
The ordinances that I already briefly mentioned are probably the ones that I would touch on again here. I had mentioned BERDO, which is the main ordinance – targeting large buildings – which just got passed. We are currently working to expand upon the ordinance to include regulatory topics like reporting and hardship compliance. Additionally, the electrification ordinance, which requires all new major construction to be electric, reduces reliance on fossil fuels and promotes sustainability. Finally, our sustainability ordinance requires major projects over 20,000 square feet that require a special permit to follow sustainable design and construction practices, including an embodied carbon analysis.
How can residents and students get more involved in local climate action efforts?
I love this question. The first I would say to do is to take the 4 Our Future actions which I mentioned earlier: weatherization and insulation, installing heat pumps, going solar, and considering your transportation with either active transportation options or an EV. Those are the big ticket items to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We have the Energy Coach program if residents have questions. One thing students could do is encourage their parents to think about how they could save money by making their home more energy efficient. Another great thing anyone could do is make sustainable lifestyle changes. Whether that’s eating a plant-based diet one day a week, biking to school or work, or shopping at sustainable and/or thrift stores, our everyday actions make a difference. Finally, residents and students can come to local events and sign up for newsletters to learn more about our local climate action efforts. There are plenty of ways to get involved, and we always love to hear from residents. They can always reach out to me directly with any questions.
Caroline Weiss’s leadership in Newton’s climate action efforts shows that lasting change starts within the community, and by working together, we can build a more sustainable and resilient future for all.
Two newsletters recommended by Caroline:
Subscribe to the Mayor’s Newsletter
Subscribe to the City of Newton Climate Action Newsletter
Devan Kathiresan is a Junior at Milton Academy and a Green Newton Intern.
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