Research
Recent In-House Research
In 2008, as part of our Climate Initiative, Sustainable Nantucket completed a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory (pdf) for the island on behalf of the Town of Nantucket.
As the project’s facilitator /researcher on behalf of the town, Sustainable Nantucket has been working to complete the ICLEI’s Climate Protection Campaign (CCP) milestones. This inventory represents completion of the first milestone in the ICLEI Campaign process.
Agricultural Commission
In 2007 Sustainable Nantucket spent a significant amount of time researching, educating and gathering consensus among town boards and departments, as well as island nonprofits, to create an Agricultural Commission.
Based on the positive feedback from that effort, Sustainable Nantucket brought forth a warrant article for the 2008 Annual Town Meeting which sought to establish an Agricultural Commission on Nantucket. The article passed and Sustainable Nantucket is represented on the Agricultural Commission by a member of the board.
As part of our Community Agriculture Initiative ongoing research about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA’s), local food production, small-business development and student apprenticeship will continue to be part of our focus.
Full Studies and Reports Commissioned
- Jonathan Rose Affordable Housing Study
- Nantucket Community Housing Needs Assessment and Action Plan
- Optimum Transportation Carrying Capacity for Nantucket
- A Compass for Sustainability-Community Indicators Report
Sustainable Preservation Guidelines
In 2009, in order to assist residential homeowners and commercial business owners in their quest to green their buildings with wind and solar installations, Sustainable Nantucket, in partnership with Clean Air‐Cool Planet and funded by the 11th Hour Project, collaborated with the Nantucket Historic District Commission to facilitate the drafting of a set of “green building” guidelines, entitled Sustainable Preservation Guidelines which are an addendum to their longstanding publication ”Building With Nantucket in Mind”. These guidelines delineate the HDC’s approach to renewable energy and energy efficiency inside and outside of the Old Historic District, in new and existing buildings. The Sustainable Preservation Guidelines were formally adopted in October of 2009 and are among the first of their kind in the nation.
The Guidelines address the HDC’s approach to energy efficiency & renewable energy as they relate to: windows and storms; solar-thermal and solar-photovoltaics (PV), wind energy, alternative materials, green roofs, rain-barrels, and strategies related to energy-efficiency.
An example of language from the Guidelines regarding Solar and Photovoltaic Installations:
Under Existing Buildings and New Construction:
- Photovoltaic and solar thermal installations need to be designed carefully and positioned to be in scale with the structure’s roofline, while maintaining a balance, scale, proportion, and rhythm with other features of that elevation.
- Systems should be on the same plane as the roof with the color of the panels in keeping with the surrounding roofing materials.
Recommended Materials:
Applications should include materials adequate to describe the proposed equipment, the structure, and the surrounding area. These may often include:
- A sample of the product and supporting documentation if available.
- Photographs of the installation site and surrounding area.
- A scaled drawing of the proposed system including all supplementary equipment.
The full copy of the approved Guidelines are available at the HDC Office and by clicking here.
Background on the Guidelines
The creation of these guidelines was facilitated during the Summer of 2009 by Sustainable Nantucket (SN) in order to get a jump on one of the major goals of the Climate Protection Action Plan for Nantucket.
The guidelines were drafted with the input and review of representatives of the HDC via an ad hoc “Historic/Green” work group. The group consisted of representatives from the Historic District Commission and staff; several Sustainable Nantucket representatives including SN’s Historic/Green Fellow, Ginny Way; Nantucket Energy Study Committee representative, Mike Burns; and several members of the building community. The meetings of the Historic/Green Work Group were open to the public.
After the drafting process was completed, the guidelines went through a public comment and review by the Commission for a period of almost 6 weeks prior to adoption.
Funding provided in part by our generous partners:
