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Medford Clean Energy Committee Members

Patricia L. Barry
Director Energy & Environment Office
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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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Kids Corner

Check out some Fun Facts about Medford and Clean Energy - click here.

Are you a middle school student? We're working to get new equipment for the technology labs- has your household signed up yet? - click here.

Check out the pictures from the last field trip to the Hull Wind Turbine!! - click here.