The Chatham Climate Action Network recently catalogued nearly 70 climate-focused actions the Town has taken over the past decade. From that list, we identified the 25 most impactful — spanning everything from protecting our coastline to reducing the Town’s own carbon footprint and energy costs. Here is what we learned.
Cutting Our Carbon Footprint
Chatham is leading by example to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through smarter energy choices and a modern municipal fleet.
• A Greener Fleet: Since 2021, the Town has mandated hybrid or electric vehicles (EV) as a first choice for municipal use. It has already installed EV charging stations at the Town Annex and is now expanding infrastructure town-wide.
• Building for the Future: Town Meeting adopted the Energy Stretch Code and mandated net-zero design evaluations for all new public buildings.
• Efficiency in Action: The Town is upgrading HVAC and LED lighting at the Water Pollution Control Facility, the DPW, and the Center for Active Living to slash energy waste.
Building Resilience
Resiliency is about making sure Chatham stands strong against rising sea levels and erosion. The focus is on protecting our most vulnerable “choke points.”
• Coastal Defense: Following the successful Muddy Creek restoration, the Town is now permitting a “living shoreline” at Jackknife Beach and continuing vital dune stabilization and beach nourishment. In 2025, the Town elevated its commitment by creating the Coastal Resilience Director role to oversee this multi-front effort.
• Securing Our Water: The Town upgraded drinking water wells to protect against contamination and is currently seeking state approval for two new wells to ensure long-term water security.
• Infrastructure & Safety: From fortifying the Fish Pier to studying flood-vulnerable “low-lying roads,” the Town is working to identify exactly where the water will go so we can stay ahead of it. This includes an updated Emergency Management Plan with real-time storm alerts for all residents.
Chatham’s climate strategy is an effective mix of legal tools, engineering, and institutional growth. Nearly half of these 25 priority actions are already complete — with the rest actively underway. Chatham CAN supports and applauds the Town’s proactive agenda in addressing the threats posed by climate change and looks forward to continuing to work to complete these actions – and plan for future ones!
Read a summary of the 25 high-impact actions here.
See a chart of all 25 actions here.
