Why We Exist
Our climate is changing fast. We need swift and immediate action to preserve our planet for future generations.
North Shore communities, leaders, and coastal landowners can no longer postpone climate-facing emergency planning and decision making… Time is running out to take actions that will protect our coast. Boston Globe
According to data from a report by the Trustees of Reservations, unchecked climate changing factors could result in the submerging of Beverly’s coastal marshes and tidal flats by 2050. Furthermore, flooding would become a constant risk in developed areas of Beverly.
Individual households in Beverly are responsible for 65-85% of the city’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
If just one in every four households were to increase their sustainability efforts and reduce their “environmental footprints,” Beverly could achieve a 10% reduction in GHG emissions! We envision a future where every Beverly household lives more sustainably, enabling us to collectively make a large-scale impact to benefit the future of our city and of our region.
LOCAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE BY 2050
EROSION
Beach erosion will continue to significantly threaten oceanfront homes and neighborhoods.HABITAT LOSS
44% of the city’s 84 acres of estuarine beach/tidal flats could become open water, and we could lose about 5% of our high marsh.FLOODED RESIDENTIAL AREAS
Ten-year storm flooding may occur near Water, River, and West Streets.
Our Story
Beverly Block Party 2019
In October of 2017, a group of Beverly residents came together to start dismantling the barriers that keep many people from practicing more sustainable living habits. The nascent Green Beverly team - led by Sean Leach and Jim Bauer, joined shortly by Dean Berg, Wayne Miller, Tom Keeley, Amy Smith, Chris Nihan, and Julia Quigley Long - set up a website and began circulating at public events with the aim of promoting simple conversation and forming a larger community.
Over the next several years, and on a zero dollar budget, we worked with individuals, small businesses, environmental organizations, and city representatives to plan creative community-based Earth Day celebrations. Online, we shared events and ideas that introduced new ways to protect the planet in our community.
During the summer of 2021 Green Beverly leveled up. We received a generous three-year lease from Cummings Center, redesigned our logo and website to achieve a more unified and scalable online presence, and obtained 501(c)(3) non-profit status. We grew our team of volunteers, including the coaches who generously use their expertise to answer questions for fellow community members and help connect them with the right resources to take the next step on their sustainability journey.
Green Beverly’s goal of supporting sustainable actions at the ground level is more critical than ever to the long-term health of our region. As we grow, our strength will continue to be in fostering community conversation and connection.
Supporting the City
In Beverly and Salem’s joint “Resilient Together” climate action plan, one third of the proposals relate to inspiring residents and businesses to act.
Four key stakeholders (the municipality, businesses, schools, and residents) have been operating in “silos” to tackle carbon emissions. Working separately but parallel is inefficient.
The challenge is to break out of our silos and implement a coordinated, integrated solution, with strong, committed sponsors, and a multidisciplinary team able to move the needle in the right direction quickly. Green Beverly is that team.