Doing Our Part to
Address Climate
Change
Nashua must do its part to combat
climate change as a member of
a regional and global community
dedicated to making the world
a more sustainable and better
place to live. As we write this plan,
the City of Nashua has already
set several larger resilience and
sustainability goals and has
undertaken many actions and
initiatives to advance these goals.
In 2017, Nashua’s Environment
and Energy Committee, EEC, was
formed after Mayor Jim Donchess
pledged allegiance to the Mayor
National Climate Action Agenda,
in which he and 273 other mayors
across the country agreed to
uphold the values and goals of the
Paris Climate Agreement.
The EEC set sustainability-
focused recommendations,
including goals to cut municipal
greenhouse gas emissions by 25
percent by 2025 and to power
municipal buildings with 100
percent clean energy sources by
2025. Since then, the City has
invested in solar panels on its fire
and transit facilities totalling 230
kW of solar generation capacity,
and the City’s two hydroelectric
facilities produced 20,297 MWhrs
of power in 2019. The city used
260,000 kWh of electricity in 2020
that was generated from solar
power.
Embracing
Inclusivity and
Diversity
Nashua’s population is diversifying
and with it comes income disparity.
Findings from the 2020 Nashua
Housing Study showed that
White and Asian households in
Nashua have significantly higher
household incomes than Black,
Hispanic and Latino households.
This greatly impacts their ability to
pay rents and mortgages, contain
cost burdening as prices escalate,
and find affordable housing
options in the city. It may also be
impacting their ability to enter the
homeownership market over time
as prices continue to rise. While
Nashua remains largely white, the
shift over the past few years is
indicative of a larger trend that is
expected to continue.
Alongside the generational
shifts, Nashua will need to consider
the types of shifts in policy,
housing and job creation, unit size,
and approaches to public space
that will best meet the needs of its
changing population. As we plan
redevelopment in the city, we must
be cognizant of how new growth
impacts different groups in the city
and ensure access to opportunities
for all residents to succeed.
Comprehensive Master Plan
Nashua’s Energy and
Environment Committee
The Environment and Energy
Committee’s purpose is
to further sustainability
and livability in Nashua by
promoting environmental
stewardship and renewable
energy, encouraging
energy conservation and
energy efficiency, reducing
environmental impacts and
encouraging green initiatives
both within the municipality
and beyond to reach
businesses and residents.
The Committee is encouraged
to recommend municipal
energy and energy efficiency
projects that would result in
cost savings for the City. The
Committee will advise the
Mayor and Board of Aldermen
on environmental and energy
Sle locse
