Sustainable Hanover is Celebrating its 15th Anniversary!
Sustainable Hanover (SH) began in 2009 when the Hanover Select Board, citing “a growing body of evidence (that) suggests communities like Hanover must pay increasingly close attention to issues associated with climate change, peak oil consumption and sustainability”, decided to address this need by creating the Sustainable Hanover Committee (later renamed as SH). Hanover’s existing Recycling Committee was re-organized to become SH’s first task force.
SH has grown tremendously over these 15 years. From a membership of eight volunteers plus one task force, it has expanded to include 10 teams with more than 30 committed volunteers, who engage monthly, and well over one hundred others who volunteer for specific events. They and the invaluable support SH receives from town staff account for the many successes SH has achieved.
This anniversary celebrates past accomplishments, some of which are highlighted. It also is a moment to anticipate positively about the next 15 years, when more progress will be achieved on the community level using improving technologies, higher public awareness and support, and the goals and strategies defined in Hanover’s 2024 Sustainability Master Plan. Back at SH’s beginning, the Select Board envisioned SH working “to ensure that Hanover remains a resilient eco-municipality, in which residents thrive in challenging and ever-changing economic and environmental circumstances”. This is pretty much still the mission. The only change since 2009 (and consistent with the mission expressed in the new Master Plan), is that the sustainability vision should apply to all who live and work in this community.
For more information about Sustainable Hanover, please visit sustainablehanovernh.org.
Selected Highlights
2009
HANOVER SELECT BOARD CREATES THE SUSTAINABLE HANOVER COMMITTEE, later renamed as Sustainable Hanover (SH). Existing Recycling Committee joins SH as its first task force.
2010
HANOVER/DARTMOUTH COMMUNITY YARD SALE. Popular Labor Day weekend event where households sell useful goods for re-use by others. 13th Annual Sale to be held Saturday, Aug 31, 2024
2014
EPA recognizes Hanover as an EPA GREEN POWER COMMUNITY. SH coordinates 6 of Hanover's largest electricity users (Dartmouth, Hypertherm, Dartmouth Printing, Kendal, the school district, and the Town) to participate in the EPA's Green Power Program.
SH also launches SOLARIZE HANOVER to encourage the installation of PV Solar on rooftops and backyards. The first SOLARIZE campaign was a huge success, increasing PV installations from 18 to 74. Today more than 300 households (roughly 10%) have some or all of their electricity supplied by local solar. A later SOLARIZE campaign raises funds to help install the PV systems serving the Senior Affordable Housing apartments on Summer Street.
2015
SH establishes its second task force, SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPING (SL) to address sustainability in landscape policies, design and practices. In 2017 the SL team identifies a site and raises funding from private donations to design and construct the SUSTAINABILITY SOUTH STREET PARK to demonstrate best landscaping practices for challenging times.
2017
SH joins the Upper Valley Sierra Club on the READY FOR 100 campaign, developing local support for Hanover to commit to 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% renewable energy for heating/cooling and transportation by 2050. Voters overwhelmingly approve the commitment at the 2017 Town Meeting.
2018
SH launches 2 energy efficiency initiatives: (1) A partnership with Liberty Utilities for an energy consultant to develop commercial efficiency projects in Hanover and surrounding towns. This project has helped businesses and non-profits use more than $1M investment from NHSaves to achieve energy savings in costs and emissions. (2) WEATHERIZE HANOVER helps residents identify resources for home audits and weatherizing.
2019
The SUSTAINABLE HANOVER NEWSLETTER begins publishing on a quarterly schedule. SH welcomes a group of volunteers who eventually become the 3Cs (COMMUNITY CLIMATE CONNECTIONS). They post weekly WHO KNEW articles focusing on SH initiatives and information to help community members lead more sustainable lives.
2020
SH develops a SUSTAINABLE HANOVER WEBSITE overseen by a dedicated COMMUNICATIONS TEAM. The website now counts several hundred unique visitors monthly.
SH sponsors the UV E-BIKE LENDING LIBRARY to introduce electric bicycles as a healthy low emission mode of transportation. The E-Bike Library will be in Hanover for a 5th time June 26 to July 10, 2024
2021
SH and the Norwich Energy Committee team up to co-sponsor a WINDOW DRESSERS COMMUNITY BUILD to provide affordable, custom-made insulating inserts to help reduce heating costs and lower emissions associated with heating. This community project will be held for the 4th time in September 2024
2022
SH members serve on the HANOVER MASTER PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE. In 2024 following 2 years of research and community engagement, Hanover adopts the HANOVER SUSTAINABILITY MASTER PLAN to provide a policy basis for decision making and conveying the intentions of the community about its vision for a sustainable future.
2023
HANOVER COMMUNITY POWER (HCP) is launched. HCP and its parent organization Community Power Coalition of NH (CPCNH) begin supplying electricity to 2,800 residential and small business electricity consumers. All but a handful now use electricity with a higher renewable content than is supplied by their utilities. As of the latest report (through Nov 2023), Hanover had the highest enrollment in CPCNH's "Opt Up" CLEAN options statewide.
