Patricia
L. Barry
Director Energy & Environment Office
_____________________________________________________________
As
Director of the City of Medford's Energy and Environment Office
(E&E) Ms. Barry is responsible for overseeing and implementing
various environmentally sound programs in the City of Medford.
The main areas that she focuses on are energy efficiency,
air quality, climate change protection, renewable energy,
wetlands protection, open space conservation, and stormwater
management.
In
1999, Mayor J. McGlynn committed the City to reducing greenhouse
gas emissions by joining ICLEI's Cities for Climate Protection
Campaign, which led to the development of Medford's Municipal
Climate
Action Plan in 2001; the first in the state of Massachusetts.
The City has made great strides in implementing several of
the plan's challenging recommendations, including:
- Significantly
increasing the energy efficiency of its municipal buildings;
- Integrating
Biodiesel (B20) and electric cars into the municipal fleet;
- Converting
traffic signals to light emitting diodes (LEDs);
- Installing
photovoltaic panels at City Hall and Hormel Stadium;
- Retrofitting
the school bus fleet with diesel particulate filters and
converting to ultra low sulfur diesel to achieve up to a
90% reduction in criteria air pollutants;
- Retrofitting
the Department of Public Works fleet with diesel oxidation
catalysts; and
- Kicking
off the Medford Leads with Clean Energy Campaign with the
goal of encouraging residents and local businesses to support
clean energy.
Ms.
Barry is also responsible for the management and oversight
of the Medford Clean Energy Committee (MCEC), a 9-member
appointed board created by Mayor Michael J. McGlynn in January
2004 to analyze the opportunities for siting renewable energy
technologies in Medford, particularly a wind turbine. Since
then the MCEC has spent two years analyzing and determining
the best location for a wind turbine within the City (currently
the McGlynn Middle School) which included internal meteorological
studies, alternatives analyses, and environmental permitting.
The
MCEC has focused heavily on public outreach and education
where they were fortunate enough to receive a grant from Massachusetts
Technology Collaborative (MTC) to kick start the Medford
Leads with Clean Energy Campaign and promote the Clean Energy
Choice Program and the Massachusetts Electric's GreenUp
Program.
Additionally,
in December of 2006 Ms Barry participated in a Renewable Energy
Study Tour in Germany organized by CDS International, Inc.
(CDS) and InWEnt GmbH. During the study tour, Ms Barry met
her counterparts in Germany to discuss the drivers and impacts
of Germany's commitment to wind power, solar power, and biofuels.
The study tour included a preparatory workshop in Washington,
DC that featured US and German experts on renewable energy
markets and policies. She learned about the US program and
what types of things need to be accomplished here in the US
to achieve similar renewable energy successes as those achieved
in Germany.
Over the past two years Ms Barry has been the Grant Administrator/Project
Manager for the following state and federal grants, where
she was responsible for contract amendments, invoicing, procurement,
project task implementation and final report preparation:
EOEA/MA DEP Urban Brownfield Redevelopment Grant - $37,500;
MTC Public Outreach Grant - $15,000; 2006 MA DEP Climate Protection
Grant - $5,000; 2006 EOEA/CZM NPS Grant - $20,000 and 2004
US EPA Clean School Bus Grant - $483,000.
The
City of Medford's Energy & Environment Office has received
the following Awards:
- U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency 2004 Clean Air Excellence
Award for Regulatory/Policy Innovations for reducing greenhouse
gas emissions;
- U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency 2004 Energy Star Plaque
for energy efficient municipal building; and
- Commonwealth
of Massachusetts 2005 Municipal Environmental Purchasing
and Sustainability Award for outstanding performance in
the areas of recycling and sustainable purchasing practices;
- Larz
Anderson Museum Choice Award at the 2005 Altwheels Transportation
Festival for its efforts to encourage the use of alternative
fueled vehicles while showcasing General Motors 100% electric
sports car the EV1;
- 2006
Altwheels Transportation Festival Award for the City with
the Greatest Commitment to Alternative Transportation.
Prior
to her position as the Environmental Agent for the City of
Medford, Ms. Barry was a wetland biologist and permitting
specialist for a private consulting firm in Boston where she
conducted environmental assessments for wind developers such
as Florida Power and Light, Invenergy, Atlantic Renewable
Energy and Zilkha.
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