Sudbury committee hears methodology for town's first greenhouse gas inventory

SUDBURY — January 8, 2024 — Sudbury sustainability committee hears greenhouse gas inventory methodology, defers votes for lack of quorum. Consultants from Kim Lundgren Associates and EcoData Lab walked the Energy and Sustainability Committee through the data sources for the town's first community-wide and consumption-based emissions inventories on Jan. 8, targeting end-of-January completion. The KLA consultant cited nearly 124 million fossil-fuel vehicle miles driven by residents in 2021 and estimated roughly 101,000 miles per year from five private trash haulers traversing Sudbury's 169 miles of roadway. Committee member Olga pressed for benchmarking Sudbury's gas-pipe methane leaks against an Acton study that found "significantly more leaks" than utility self-reporting. Audience member Kay Bell asked that school drop-off idling be counted, calling kids "great change agents when they nag their parents." With the town report due Jan. 26, staff will pursue email voting or an interim meeting.