Letter: Building a More Sustainable North Adams

To the Editor:

Last week, the North Adams City Council voted unanimously to expand the scope of our existing Tree Commission and create a new Sustainability & Tree Commission. I think this is an important move towards building a more sustainable city, for our future and the future of our children.

This wasn't the work of any one person. A lot of people put time and thought into getting us here. I want to thank my fellow councilors, who worked together to make the commission stronger; Mayor Macksey and her administration, who supported this change from the beginning; Tree Commission Chair Stephen Betti, who gave the proposal his blessing and spoke up in support of it; the members of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Commission, whose review helped make the language more inclusive; and the members of Green NA, who provided encouragement, guidance, and advocacy throughout this process.

The new commission will continue the important work of caring for and planting North Adams' trees while taking on a much broader role in thinking about our city's environmental future. It will advise the City on issues including energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate resilience, natural resource conservation, recycling and waste reduction, water management, biodiversity, sustainable development, and more. And importantly, the commission will have a role in public education, community engagement, pursuing grants and partnerships, and working with other boards, departments, and regional organizations.

The next step is to build the commission.

Assuming all three members of our current Tree Commission stay on, and I certainly hope they do, we will need four new members appointed by the mayor. The ordinance encourages the appointment of at least one young person under the age of 25, because we all believe young people should have a seat at the table when we talk about the future of their community.

If you are interested in helping build a more sustainable North Adams, I encourage you to consider applying by filling out the city's Boards & Commissions application and selecting "Tree Commission" here: 

Whether you join this commission or simply find another way to get involved, I hope you will participate. North Adams needs people who care enough to roll up their sleeves and help build the future, one tree planting at a time.