City of Boston

At a Glance

Industry

Government/Public Administration

Project Type

Financial Evaluation and Planning

Year

2014

Location

Boston, MA

Summary

Nicki McClung recommended a Green Revolving Fund for Boston Public Schools.

Goals 

Nicki McClung was partnered with Boston Public Schools (BPS) to help them reduce energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions through new measures to fulfill The City of Boston’s ambitious Climate Action Plan goals. While BPS has already achieved a 12 percent reduction in emissions since 2005, there is still opportunity for more savings.

Solutions

As is the case in most school districts, access to capital for building and technology upgrades is a challenge. McClung helped BPS work through this issue by designing a green revolving fund (GRF) program. McClung’s work relied heavily on modeling the BPS GRF on other successful funds. Historically, other GRFs have returned an average of 28 percent ROI and have been largely successful. To ensure successful implementation of the GRF, McClung wrote a comprehensive report with supporting documentation for an excited audience at the City of Boston. The GRF is also a pathway to potential careers for a generation of youth who understand energy efficiency and the energy auditing process.

Potential Impact

The successful implementation of a GRF at BPS will not only provide savings for Boston, it could provide a model for other k-12 districts that can be replicated throughout the Commonwealth and the rest of the U.S.


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