Opinion: Regarding the Green Communities Program

To the Editor:

A small group of our residents is once again attempting to extricate Marion from the Green Communities Program, which since 2018 has provided over $750,000 in grant funding to make town buildings and infrastructure more energy-efficient. Those improvements are saving the town thousands of dollars each year through reduced energy costs.

Out of the 351 municipalities in Massachusetts, 297 (85%) have joined the Green Community Program. One of the conditions for joining is to comply with the so-called “stretch” building code, which applies ONLY to new home construction and to additions larger than 1000 sq. ft. to existing homes.

The stretch code requires new construction to be more energy efficient than the “base” building code (which applies to non-Green Communities), thereby reducing energy costs to the homeowner. The stretch and base codes were nearly identical until January 2023, when an update to the stretch code was implemented by the state. As a Green Community, we are required to adhere to these updates. A further update in February 2025 relaxed some of the code requirements, notably for historic buildings.

It is crucial for all residents to understand that since the update to the stretch code in January 2023, only two homes in Marion have been affected. While initial building costs of these homes increased by a few percent (after incentives and rebates), those costs will be recovered within a few years owing to the more energy-saving construction.
Thereafter, owners of those homes will continue to save money. Meanwhile, ALL the town’s residents will continue to benefit from the grant money afforded by our membership in the Green Communities Program. Not only is our town saving many thousands of dollars, we’re also reducing carbon pollution.

Please demonstrate your love of this town by attending the upcoming Town Meeting on May 12th, and please vote NO on Article 31, keeping Marion in the Green Communities Program. For further information, go to the EMC page on marionma.gov or reach out to your Energy Management Committee.

Jennifer Francis, EMC member