Mayor Katjana Ballantyne has made Somerville a National Climate Leader
And she'll continue her leadership on combating climate change and restoring our urban ecosystem
Mayor Katjana's steady leadership on the environment has delivered meaningful results for Somerville
- She wrote the Somerville Green New Deal in 2019, serving as its sole council sponsor
- She co-authored the Climate Forward Plan, which is based on the Somerville Green New Deal
- Mayor Katjana is implimenting as mayor, the Native Species Ordinance that she sponsored as a city councilor
- Mayor Ballantyne developed a nationally acclaimed Pollinator Action Plan for an urban district, the first of its kind, aimed at protecting butterflies and honeybees. These plans have become models for similar dense urban cities across the country
- Mayor Ballantyne is implimenting the requirements for LEED certifiability for new large projects, that she introduced as a councilor. These requirements are creating sustainable and resilient buildings in Somerville
- Mayor Katjana created the Somerville Climate Forward 2024 dashboard
- She earned for Somerville the designation of a Certified Climate Leader Community by DOER in May 2025, in recognition of bold climate action
- Mayor Ballantyne's administration has opened or expanded four public green spaces and they have broken ground on the Dilboy Athletic Auxiliary Fields
- Mayor Katjana's administration has planted over 1,800 new trees in accordance with the native species ordinance
- Directed our Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) to implement networked geothermal in Somerville, to decarbonize heating and cooling of our buildings
Looking ahead
Ballantyne has raised Somerville's climate goals from targeting Net Zero to achieving Carbon Negative status by 2050. She also plans to implement networked geothermal systems in Somerville to decarbonize heating and cooling in buildings
