On December 7, Andrea Becerra and Lauren West of the Acton sustainability department spoke with residents of the Acton Housing Authority at Windsor Green about extreme weather-related disasters and residents’ concerns about recovering from such events. The event, which took place in the neighborhood’s community room, was one of many public outreach efforts organized through the Acton Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Update (called MVP 2.0) to connect with populations in Acton who may be vulnerable to impacts of climate change.
Through this update, the Town has $50,000 to use towards a seed project to address some of the concerns raised by the public. The Town is still accepting feedback on drafted updated resilience priorities and actions that will be used to develop this seed project. Residents are encouraged to visit bit.ly/ActonMVP to review the updated draft priorities, take our survey on climate vulnerability, or learn more about the process.
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant program was created in 2017 to help communities like Acton identify climate hazards, assess vulnerabilities, and develop action plans to improve resilience to climate change. The Acton Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Update (called MVP 2.0) aims to revisit the priorities in the Town’s 2018 MVP Plan through a community engagement process, and to translate those priorities into action. This process is fully funded by a grant through the MVP 2.0 program, including hiring community liaisons to assist with public outreach and seed project planning.
Lisa Franklin is a resident of Windsor Green.