When more than 200 communities across the state take small steps to become more energy efficient, the cumulative impact can be significant. As a Green Community, Brookline is contributing to that impact.

In December, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources accepted 25 new cities and towns into the state’s Green Communities program, an initiative that provides grants to municipalities that adopt a series of energy efficiency policies and set a goal of reducing their energy consumption by 20 percent within five years.

“Communities all across the state will use these grant funds for innovative programs to reduce energy usage and invest in renewable energy projects, and the benefits will flow to taxpayers and the environment,” Massachusetts Municipal Association Executive Director Geoff Beckwith said.

The program’s 2015 progress report, the most recent available, found Green Communities had saved enough energy to power and heat 17,100 homes over seven years. The program is projected to result in reductions in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking 37,000 cars off the road for a year.

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