What worries or excites you about the future of clean energy coming to the Town of Barnstable?

 

The MIT Renewable Energy Siting Clinic wants to hear from as many community members as possible, particularly how the town should engage facility developers and regulators when future projects arise. Clinic staff will share a detailed summary of anonymous feedback.

 

The goal is to make sure that the Town of Barnstable is ready when new energy projects are proposed. The town should have a clear list of the kinds of community benefits that are important to Barnstable residents. The MIT Renewable Energy Clinic is a non-partisan effort and does not advocate for specific projects or community benefits.

 

While the clinic has a formal letter of engagement with the Town of Barnstable, the Clinic works for the whole community to:

  • Conduct a comprehensive stakeholder assessment (i.e. understanding the range of views that exist in Barnstable).
  • Reach out to stakeholder groups that have not previously participated in community-wide discussions, especially youth.
  • Establish multiple face-to-face channels for community members to express their views (such as the Zoom sessions).
  • Help stakeholders jointly explore possible rules of engagement the Town could impose on new, clean energy developers.
  • Explore new ways of enabling joint fact finding and collaborative problem-solving regarding possible future projects.

 

MIT Clinic staff are eager to hear how local residents think about public engagement. As young researchers ourselves, we are excited to hear from young professionals and families with young children residing in the Town. 

 

The Clinic is continuing its “drop in” Zoom sessions for individual community members to share their ideas with the Clinic staff.

 

When: Every Thursday evening from 6:30-7:30 PM

Format: 15-minute individual sessions

Registration: Visit https://forms.gle/edKELL3V3Xs1kWgu6 to sign up and be emailed a link to book a meeting subsequently

Eligibility: Open to all Town of Barnstable community members and stakeholders (18+)

Confidentiality: Conversations with the MIT team will remain confidential. Comments will be anonymized in a final report, unless explicit permission is granted.

 

The MIT Renewable Energy Clinic is a public service center in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. The Clinic does not receive financial compensation of any kind for their efforts to serve the Town of Barnstable.

Contact mit.reclinic.barnstable@mit.edu for more information.