The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources designated Wellesley a Green Community in December 2017. To qualify as a Green Community, Wellesley developed a five-year Energy Reduction Plan and a Fuel Efficient Vehicle Policy, and amended the zoning bylaws to include a solar overlay district. In 2011, Wellesley adopted the Stretch Energy Code.
Its Green Community status makes the Town of Wellesley eligible to apply for grants to fund municipal energy conservation projects. The Town is using its initial Green Communities grant, of $137,250, to fund an energy audit of the Town's water and wastewater systems, and a light-emitting diode retrofit of exterior lights on the Department of Public Works Campus.
You can read about elements of Wellesley's Green Communities application, below.