This spring the Easttown EAC wrapped up an exciting project: the creation of a greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the Township and recommendations for climate action. This project was done with the Penn State University Local Climate Action Program (LCAP). After completing a community-wide greenhouse gas emissions inventory earlier this year, two Penn State University students, guided by their faculty advisor, worked with an Easttown Twp EAC member and Township staff to draft a climate action plan to reduce emissions and pull together other case studies and resources for community education and outreach to support climate action.

The greenhouse gas emissions inventory finds that like many residential communities, Easttown Township’s biggest emissions sectors include Transportation (43%), Residential Energy (40%), and Commercial Energy (12%).   These areas therefore represent the biggest opportunities for emissions reductions and were a key focus of the spring LCAP work.

The draft climate action plan produced during this spring semester provides a set of recommendations for potential climate action that will not only reduce Easttown’s greenhouse gas emissions but also provide important and desirable co-benefits related to improving public health, reducing energy costs, and enhancing community resiliency. The plan includes both short- and long-term recommendations with varying degrees of emissions impact.  For the largest sector, Transportation, recommended actions included improving transportation efficiency, building out electric vehicle charging locations in the community, and integrating electric vehicle charging requirements into building codes.  For residential and commercial energy, opportunities to reduce energy demand in our buildings, incentivize building electrification, and increase energy efficiency were recommended.  There are opportunities available to residents to improve the weatherization of their homes, learn more about cost-effective ways to implement solar on their rooftops, and get rebates and discounts from PECO to reduce overall at home electricity demand.

The EAC’s participation in the LCAP has guided some strategic thinking about climate action and potential alignment with the existing and robust Chester County Climate Action Plan while developing tailor-made recommendations for Easttown Township.  The resulting draft document is intended to be a living document from which we can pull ideas to ensure a more thriving, resilient Eastttown.