<br>Hi Climate Action allies,<br><br>Did you see the outrageous ad that GBREB ran in today's Metro? It's using the threat of rent increases to drum up calls to City Council against the proposed Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance. I don't know if you've been following the recent coverage about BERDO, but it's the first piece of the City's Climate Action Plan that's come up for approval by the City Council and it's supposed to be voted on next Wednesday. We're not sure we have the votes so the Green Justice Coalition and BostonCAN are reaching out to sustainability and justice organizations throughout the City to ask for support in generating calls to the City Council.<br>
<br>If you live in the City, own property here, or just have friends who live here, here's my ask: read our template email action alert below, make a call to your Councilors, and then, most importantly, send it out to folks who might also be willing to make a few calls in support of the proposed Ordinance.<br>
<br>Support from tenants rights advocates is especially important in countering the claims of GBREB.<br><br>Thanks in advance for considering,<br>Loie<br><br><br>template<br><br>subject<br>action alert: call Boston City Council before Wednesday noon<br>
<br><br>Next Wednesday, May 8th, Boston's City Council is likely to vote on BERDO, the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance. We support of BERDO because it will improve our environment, shrink residents' utility bills, and create jobs.<br>
<br>Please call your district City Councillor and the at-large Councillors to request that they support the Ordinance. Call before Wednesday noon. And reply to this email to share what you learn about the Councilor's position. So far only Councillors O'Malley, Connolly and Ross have indicated that they will definitely support the proposal.<br>
<br>Why BERDO is a good idea:<br><br>1) Good for public health and the environment. Our neighborhoods are already plagued by high asthma rates and other illnesses associated with environmental exposures. More insulation means reduced demand for energy generated from dirty power plants -- and that means we'll have cleaner air and improved health. This is a crucial step in the City's Climate Action Plan. If we can't win this proposal, it doesn't bode well for the other parts of the plan.<br>
<br>2) Tenants' right to know. Without BERDO prospective tenants and buyers can't get comparable information about the utility costs of buildings they're considering moving into. BERDO will help us avoid being stuck in cold, costly apartments.<br>
<br>3) More building owners will be motivated to improve their buildings. We have had years of a voluntary benchmarking program for building owners to know how efficient their buildings are, and many owners and managers have benchmarked their buildings. Now we need a mandatory program to make sure that all tenants and prospective owners have the option of living in buildings that are as energy efficient as financially possible.<br>
<br>4) More jobs. When owners insulate their buildings, they need to hire people HERE. These are jobs that can't be outsourced.<br><br><br>What BERDO is NOT:<br><br>1) No tenants or condo or coop owners will be forced to share their utility use information.<br>
<br>2) No tenant or condo or coop owners will be fined.<br><br>3) Does not apply to small buildings. Only the 1200 largest buildings in Boston will be required to measure their energy efficiency (25,000 square feet or larger).<br>
<br>4) We do not expect that building owners will have to spend a lot of time to do the energy reporting<br><br>5) City buildings are not exempt and will be the first to be measured.<br><br>More details can be found at:<br>
<br><a href="http://www.bostoncan.org/">http://www.bostoncan.org/</a><br><br><a href="http://www.cityofboston.gov/environmentalandenergy/conservation/BERDO.asp">http://www.cityofboston.gov/environmentalandenergy/conservation/BERDO.asp</a><br>
<br>Thanks for taking time to make these calls this week!<br>Here's contact info for all Councilors:<br><br> At-Large City Councillors (elected by voters throughout the city):<br><br> <br><br>Name <br>
Phone Email<br><br>Felix G. Arroyo (617) 635-4205 <a href="mailto:Felix.Arroyo@cityofboston.gov">Felix.Arroyo@cityofboston.gov</a><br><br>
John R. Connolly (617) 635-3115 <a href="mailto:John.R.Connolly@cityofboston.gov">John.R.Connolly@cityofboston.gov</a><br><br>Stephen J. Murphy (617) 635-4376 <a href="mailto:Stephen.Murphy@cityofboston.gov">Stephen.Murphy@cityofboston.gov</a><br>
<br>Ayanna Pressley (617) 635-4217 <a href="mailto:Ayanna.Pressley@cityofboston.gov">Ayanna.Pressley@cityofboston.gov</a> <br>
<br>District City Councillors (elected by voters in the district indicated):<br><br>District Councillor Phone Email<br><br>District 1. Salvatore LaMattina (617) 635-3200 <a href="mailto:Salvatore.LaMattina@cityofboston.gov">Salvatore.LaMattina@cityofboston.gov</a> <br>
<br>East Boston: Ward 1, Pcts 1-14 Charlestown: Ward 2, Pcts 1-7 North End/Waterfront: Ward 3, Pcts 1-4<br><br>City Hall/Beacon Hill/Islands: Ward 3, Pct 6*<br><br> <br><br>District 2. Bill Linehan (617) 635-3203 <a href="mailto:Bill.Linehan@cityofboston.gov">Bill.Linehan@cityofboston.gov</a><br>
<br>Chinatown: Ward 3, Pcts 7-8 South Boston: Ward 6, Pcts 1-9; Ward 7, Pcts 1-7 South End: Ward 4, Pcts 1-3; Ward 5, Pct 1; Ward 8, Pct 1; Ward 9, Pct 1 Roxbury/South Bay: Ward 8, Pct 2 Dorchester: Ward 7, Pcts 8-9.<br>
<br> <br><br>District 3. Frank Baker (617) 635-3455 <a href="mailto:Frank.Baker@cityofboston.gov">Frank.Baker@cityofboston.gov</a><br><br>Dorchester: Ward 13, Pcts 3, 6-10; Ward 15, Pcts 1, 3-4, 6-9; Ward 16, Pcts 1-12; Ward 17, Pcts 4, 12-14 Harbor Islands: Ward 1, Pct 15*<br>
<br> <br><br>District 4. Charles C. Yancey (617) 635-3131 <a href="mailto:Charles.Yancey@cityofboston.gov">Charles.Yancey@cityofboston.gov</a><br><br>Dorchester: Ward 14 Pcts 1-4, 6-7, 9-13; Ward 15 Pcts 2, 5; Ward 17, Pcts 1-3, 5-11 Mattapan: Ward 14, Pcts 5, 8, 14; Ward 18, Pcts 1-2, 4<br>
<br> <br><br>District 5. Rob Consalvo (617) 635-4210 <a href="mailto:Rob.Consalvo@cityofboston.gov">Rob.Consalvo@cityofboston.gov</a><br><br>Hyde Park: Ward 18, Pcts 5-6, 8, 12-20, 23 Roslindale: Ward 18 Pcts 7, 9-11, 22; Ward 19, Pcts 10-11, 13; Ward 20, Pcts 1-2, 4, 8-9 Mattapan: Ward 18, Pct 3, 21<br>
<br> <br><br>District 6. Matt O’Malley (617) 635-4220 Matt.O’<a href="mailto:Malley@cityofboston.gov">Malley@cityofboston.gov</a><br><br>Jamaica Plain: Ward 10, Pcts 6, 7, 9; Ward 11, Pcts 4, 6-10; Ward 19, Pcts 1-9, 12 West Roxbury: Ward 20, Pcts 3, 5-7,10-20<br>
<br> <br><br>District 7: Tito Jackson (617) 635-3510 <a href="mailto:Tito.Jackson@cityofboston.gov">Tito.Jackson@cityofboston.gov</a><br><br>Roxbury: Ward 8, Pcts 3-4, 7; Ward 9, Pcts 3-5; Ward 11, Pcts 1-3, 5; Ward 12, Pcts 1-9 Dorchester: Ward 7, Pct 10; Ward 8, Pcts 5-6; Ward 13, Pcts 1-2, 4-5 South End Ward 4, Pct 4; Ward 9, Pct 2 Fenway: Ward 4, Pct 5, 8-9<br>
<br> <br><br>District 8: Michael P. Ross (617) 635-4225 <a href="mailto:Michael.Ross@cityofboston.gov">Michael.Ross@cityofboston.gov</a><br><br>Back Bay/Beacon Hill: Ward 5, Pcts 3-11 Fenway/Kenmore: Ward 4, Pcts 6-7, 10; Ward 5, Pct 2 Mission Hill: Ward 10, Pcts 1-5, 8 West End: Ward 3, Pct 5 Allston: Ward 21, Pcts 1-2 <br>
<br> <br><br>District 9: Mark S. Ciommo (617) 635-3113 <a href="mailto:Mark.Ciommo@cityofboston.gov">Mark.Ciommo@cityofboston.gov</a><br><br>Allston: Ward 21, Pcts 3-8; Ward 22, Pcts 1-2 Brighton: Ward 21, Pcts 9-16; Ward 22, Pcts 3-13<br>
<br>--<br><br><br><br>--<br>Loie Hayes<br>Coordinator<br>Boston Climate Action Network<br>617-278-1885<br>c 857-544-6846<br><a href="http://BostonCAN.org">http://BostonCAN.org</a><br><br><br>-- <br>Sent from Gmail Mobile<br>