By Luke Canavan
***
FRAMINGHAM – The City of Framingham is creating its first-ever Framingham Sustainability Committee, and almost three dozen individuals applied to serve on the Committee.
The Committee will be nine members with the purpose of advising the Mayor on how to improve the sustainability of municipal operations as well as support residents and local businesses in reducing waste, improving energy efficiency, adopting renewables, conserving water, and much more.
The application deadline was January 8.
Applicants are having interviews with the City’s Citizen Participation Officer, the City’s Sustainability Coordinator, and the City’s Recycling Coordinator.
There were 35 applicants in total.
They were: Brendan Andersen, David F. Anderson, Laura Beck, Sean Bilodeau, Robert B. Bois, James Bossange, Foster S. Cleveland, Larry D. Decker, Erin Ellsworth, David Garrity, Donald L. Grose, Jaime S. Haber, Emma Hargraves, Frank Hays, Rebecca L. Kahn, Donna Kramer Merrit, Macy Lipkin, John McCarthy, James A. Neal, Courtney Pfluger, Isabella Petroni, Jim Pillsbury, Aimee M. Powelka, Natasha N. Rausch, Sylvia Rodrigues, Emma C. Rothwell, Stephen Shuman, Shannon B. Souaibou, Jordan M. Spaman, Larry E. Stoodt, Elina Uriaev, Kenneth Weiss, Rowan D. Wilson, Eleanor Yeomans, and Melissa Yu.
One member of the Committee must be between the ages of 16-25.
[broadstreet zone=”59984″]
The Committee was created by the City Council to assist the Mayor and the Sustainability Coordinator on various issues in order to improve operations and support Framingham residents in environmental initiatives, including waste reduction, energy efficiency, adoption of renewables, and the conservation of water.
The Committee is expected to establish a set of both short-term and long-term goals that are reviewed and updated annually to ensure progress ensues. They must provide written recommendations by October 1 of every year proposing potential programs and policies before the municipal budget process of the following year.
Mayor Yvonne Spicer will appoint the Committee members.
The 11-member City Council will get a chance to approve or reject the nominees.
[broadstreet zone=”70106″]
[broadstreet zone=”70107″]
Earlier in 2020, two proposals for a Framingham Sustainability Committee (FSC) were submitted – one by District 8 City Councilor John Stefanini and one by Mayor Yvonne Spicer.
The Framingham City Council approved on October 20, a comprised Framingham Sustainability Committee proposal worked out by the Council’s Environment and Sustainability Subcommittee.
Source Notifications 
MetroWest Medical Center