“Shortsighted” is one word that describes the Parks and Recreation Commission’s vote last week to reject a town resolution signing Harvard on to statewide efforts to curb carbon emissions and, by 2050, attain net-zero status. Its reasons for rejecting the resolution ring hollow, especially when viewed against the eight other town committees that have embraced the resolution as a vital first step. If the resolution is too vague to be particularly useful, as one commission member said, then why—at the same time—cite fears that the policy would delay plans for new athletic facilities as another reason to vote against it?
Granted, the resolution committing Harvard to a goal as daunting as saving the planet contains some aspirational language. The resolution itself states that the Select Board will create a reasonable process for achieving Harvard’s climate goals, including evaluating the large-scale projects Parks and Rec has in mind. But if the Select Board has the courage to take a stand and commit to working through the policy, shouldn’t a committee as powerful as Parks and Rec do the same? The Capital Planning and Investment Committee has already added an environmental impact question to the forms it uses to evaluate big-money projects. Parks and Rec should understand that the town of Harvard can and must walk and chew gum at the same time: Adopting a resolution, imperfect though it may be, is a vital first step to lasting change. The town is capable of refining the process as it goes along.
Residents themselves will have a chance to give a thumbs up or down at Town Meeting on Oct. 16. We hope they will choose to join the towns of Acton, Concord, Wayland, and Natick (just to name a few) across the commonwealth, in adopting new policies. We hope, too, for a change of heart from Parks and Rec. Their position on this resolution matters.
