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CityStories / City Profiles / Small Cities / Nashua, New Hampshire

City to Watch

Population: 86,605

 


 

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  • Clocktower Place, Nashua, New Hampshire
  • Biodiesel Fleet, Nashua, New Hampshire
  • Millyard Rehabilitation, Nashua, New Hampshire


Nashua, New Hampshire

Map showing this city's location

Founded as an industrial mill town, Nashua is refashioning its older structures into new ones that embrace the culture and history of the locale. Its brownfield remediation program is the second most successful in the state (after that of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services) and the city has received more than $1 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to acquire and redevelop properties including former industrial sites.

Already, Nashua has turned vacant urban land into a public park, a senior center and a bike shop. It was also awarded $2.2 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to clean up and rehabilitate a portion of the former Nashua Manufacturing Company's millyard—once one of the largest textile mills on the East Coast—now on the National Register of Historic Places.

The City of Nashua is going a long way toward greening its schools. In 2000, it implemented a district-wide energy conservation program that has saved the city more than $2.2 million. Since idling buses and cars expose children to hazardous particulates, the city has made the largest order statewide for anti-idling signs—148 of them that were placed at all 18 school buildings—and educational tools to deter idling in carpool lines.

The city has also worked to develop a 20 percent biodiesel bus fleet, implement a recycled paper policy and recover methane for energy from wastewater. The Nashua Green Team was created in 2006 to advise the city on environmental policies and decisions.

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Switch to Green Power in NYC

This website allows New York City residents and small businesses to sign up for green power in 3 easy steps.

Portland Municipal Resources

Download the City of Portland and Multnomah County Climate Action Plan 2009 (pdf), which details the cities conservation and climate change preparation initiatives.

Visit Clean Energy Works: Portland for information on financing for residential energy effiency upgrades.

See the Portland Ecoroof program for information on the city's living roof projects.

Click here for information on Portland's sustainable stormwater management efforts.

See the Portland Brownfield Program to learn about how the city is reclaiming contaminated sites for development.

El Paso Municipal Resources

Download the City of El Paso's Livable City Sustainability Plan (pdf) for the city's overall strategy to improve quality of life in El Paso.

The El Paso Solar Energy Association (EPSEA) supports the development of solar installations in West Texas, Southern New Mexico and Northern Mexico.

Visit the El Paso Department of Sustainability for information on local sustainabiltiy initiatives.

Seattle Municipal Resources

Download the Seattle Climate Protection Initiative Progress Report 2009 (pdf) for a report on recent initiatives.

Download the 2008 Seattle Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory (pdf) for details on the city's most recent energy audit.

See the Seattle Office of Housing HomeWise program for weatherization services available to homeowners.

See the Powerful Neighborhoods program to learn about free retrofits available to South Seattle residents.

Fort Collins Municipal Resources

Download the City of Fort Collins Utilities 2009 Energy Policy (pdf), which details the utilities goals and vision for 2050.

Download the City of For Collins Utilities Electric Energy Supply Policy 2008 Annual Update (pdf), which details the city's activities and progress since the Energy Policy.

Download the 2008 Fort Collins Climate Action Plan (pdf), which outlines the city's strategic plan to meet it's 2020 goal.

Click here for information on rebates and programs available to Fort Collins residents.

Community Solar Project

The resource manager in Ellensburg, WA came up with a plan to bring solar power to the whole community. In this Q&A he provides some useful advice on everything from financing to choosing the right solar panels.

Berkeley, California Municipal Resources

To read about Berkeley's clean energy initiatives, check out the City of Berkeley official website.

San Francisco Municipal Resources

Visit San Francisco's environment department at SFenvironment.org to learn about the city's environmental programs and policies.

See GoSolarSF for information on solar installation incentives and a map of solar activity in the city of San Francisco.

San Francisco Energy Watch provides energy assessments and discounts on efficiency installations and equipment.


Dallas Municipal Resources

Download the City of Dallas Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory (pdf) for details on the city's most recent energy audit.

See the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for information on how the state is working to preserve the air, land and water in Texas.

The Dallas Office of Environmental Quality works with the city toward environmental improvements in Dallas.

Green Dallas is the city's hub for local green initiatives and information.

 

Boston Municipal Resources

Download the Boston Municipal Greenhouse Gas Inventories (pdf) for details on the city's energy audits.

See Sparking Boston's Climate Revolution Summary Report (pdf) for Climate Action Leadership Committee and Community Advisory Committee recommendations.

Read Boston's Solar America Cities profile to learn about Boston's efforts to increase local solar energy capacity.

Visit Solar Boston for a map of solar installations in the city.

Oakland Municipal Resources

The Oakland Green Jobs Corps provides green jobs training and employment services for low-income adults in Oakland.

See the Oakland Green Building Resource Center (GBRC) for local green building support.

See Energy Upgrade California in Alameda County to learn about the program's goals and projects.

See the Oakland Sustainability Program, through the City of Oakland Public Works Program, for information on upcoming local sustainability events, recent sustainability inititatives and programs and to download Oakland Sustainable Community Development progress reports.

Columbus Municipal Resources

See Get Green Columbus for a summary of the city's sustainability efforts from 2005-2009.

Download the Columbus Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Project List (pdf) for details on how the city is using the grant.

Download the Get Green 2010 Memo (pdf) for Columbus' green action plan.

The Columbus Green Forum promotes energy efficient and environmentally sustainable building in Central Ohio.

Download the Ten Year Reform and Efficiency and Action Plan (pdf) for the city's plan reduce municipal spending.

The Ecomony, Energy and Environment (E3) program is a collaboration between local and federal governments, manufacturers and utilites working toward greener industry.

 

New York City Municipal Resources

Download the Inventory of New York City Greenhouse Gas Emissions (pdf) for information on the city's latest energy audit.

Download the PlanNYC Progress Report 2010 for a summary of the city's green acheivements to date.

See New York City's Greener, Greater Buildings Plan for details on the city's strategies for improving energy efficiency in existing buildings.

See New York City's Solar America Cities profile to learn about what New York is doing to increase solar energy capacity in the city.

Austin Municipal Resources

Download the Austin Climate Protection Plan 2009 Annual Report for details on the city's progress.

Visit CoolAustin.org to learn about the city's efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Click here to learn about the Urban Heat Island Mitigation Project in Austin.

Click here to learn about Austin's Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure (ECAD) Ordinance.

Chicago Municipal Resources

See the Chicago Climate Action Plan for comprehensive details on the city's carbon reduction initiatives and for information on what businesses and residents can do to help.

Chicago's Climate Action Plan Progress Report 2008-2009 provides an update on the the first two years of city's efforts.

The Chicago Green Office Challenge is a friendly competition designed to inspire office tenants and property managers to conserve energy in office buildings.

The City of Chicago Environment Department liasons with other city departments, state agencies and nonprofits to develop and enforce environmental codes and regulations.

Long Beach Municipal Resources

Download the Sustainable Long Beach Sustainable City Action Plan for details on the city's conservation goals and strategies.

Visit the Long Beach Office of Sustainability to read about the city's efforts to implement renewable energy.

See the 5th District Solar & Sustainability Task Force for information on the group's activity including meeting dates and agendas.

Berkeley Municipal Resources

Berkeley FIRST provides financing for local solar installations.

See berkeleyclimateaction.org for a pdf of the Berkeley Climate Action Plan and an executive summary of the city's progress.

See the Berkeley Office of Energy and Sustainable Development for information on energy efficiency programs, rebates and resources.

Huntington Beach Municipal Resources

Click here for information on rebates for upgrading to water-saving fixtures and appliances in Huntington Beach.

Click here for building energy efficiency standards in Hungtington Beach.

Springfield Municipal Resources

Click here for information on efficiency rebates in Springfield.

Santa Clarita Municipal Resources

Click here for information on the Community Energy Partnership (CEP), a coalition working toward effective energy efficiency programs in the seven participating Southern California cities.

Click here for information on energy efficiency rebates available to Southern California residents.

Santa Cruz Municipal Resources

Click here for information on the Climate Action Program in Santa Cruz.

Click here for the City of Santa Cruz Green Building Program.

Visit 30x20.org to join a Climate Action Team in Santa Cruz and pledge to reduce your carbon emissions.

Beaverton Municipal Resources

Click here for a map of green projects underway in Beaverton.

Click here for information on the launch of Solar Beaverton, a pilot program providing solar incentives to 50 homeowners in Beaverton.

Sustainable Beaverton provides information on the city's most recent conservation initiatives.

Denton Municipal Resources

Click here for information on energy efficiency rebates in Denton.

Download the final report of the Texas REConnect project, which considered how Texas utlities respond to requests for net metering and interconnecting small renewable energy generators.

Green Space: Pesticide Bans

Text of New York's Child Safe Playing Fields Act

Text of Connecticut's ban on pesticide use on school grounds 

 

Comments

hi i would like to know how is the best way to get to nashua. i live in huntington station long island.

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