In May 2010, Melrose was among the first 35 Massachusetts communities designated as a Green Community by the Department of Energy Resources. Melrose met five program criteria in order to become a Green Community: 

1. Provided as-of-right siting in designated locations for renewable energy research and development on Washington Street
2. Adopted expedited application and permitting for as-of-right energy facilities
3. Established benchmark energy use and plan to reduce the baseline by 20% within five years  
4. Adopted fuel-efficient vehicle policy
5. Adopted the new Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) Stretch Code that went into effect in January 2011 

Our Green Community Grant funded: 

   Energy-efficient High School Roof 
   LED Upgrade of Main Street Victorian lights 
   Portion of Energy Efficiency Manager salary

 18kW solar PV panels added to the existing 32kW on Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School which will supply about 6% of the building’s energy. Interested students and residents can monitor the solar energy production in real-time HERE.

 Solar demonstration project to be mounted on Lincoln Elementary School funded by the portions of Melrose residents energy bills when they chose the Green-Up charges through the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. 

 Wind turbine at Mount Hood - the Melrose Park Commission is exploring a feasibility study. The study will determine if there is sufficient wind to support a wind turbine and examine other factors of the project.