9 College Students Help Towns Go Green in New Fellowship

College students across Massachusetts just proved that fighting climate change doesn't require waiting until after graduation.

Nine students worked alongside local governments for six months through the new Clean Energy and Environment Legacy Transition Municipal Fellowship Program. They tackled real projects like planning solar installations, mapping energy needs for 19,000 new homes, and researching electric vehicle costs for town fleets.

Amy Bickford, an environmental science major from Framingham State University, spent her fellowship with the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments near her hometown of Billerica. She helped estimate the power needed to support affordable housing development in Greater Lowell over the next decade, directly addressing both the housing and climate crises at once.

"By helping individual municipalities get the ball rolling on their clean energy initiatives, I knew that I'd be contributing to positive changes in communities that need it most," Bickford said.

The program launched through a collaboration between the Healey-Driscoll administration, UMass Lowell, and Boston University. Students earned pay while gaining hands-on experience, and towns got much-needed help advancing their sustainability goals.

For UMass Lowell mechanical engineering student Elias Rodriguez, working with the town of Athol opened his eyes to the real-world challenges of implementing clean energy. Learning about funding and equitable adoption gave him insight that textbooks couldn't provide.

UMass Boston's Ashanti Mclean discovered her career path through the fellowship with Needham. She realized urban planning was her calling after seeing how local government actually works.

The Ripple Effect

The impact flows both ways in this partnership. Towns like Athol, Needham, Salem, Springfield, and others received vital support for projects they lacked staff to tackle alone.

Kelly Lynema, deputy director of the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments, praised how fellows brought fresh ideas and strong research skills. The partnership enriched her team's capacity to approach regional challenges with new perspectives.

Eric Smith, Athol's director of planning and community development, called the work invaluable. The help understanding electric vehicle costs and planning municipal solar installations moved projects forward that otherwise would have stalled.

Joanne Bissetta from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources told the fellows their projects positively impacted real residents. Having local impact where people live and work creates meaning that goes beyond global climate goals.

The fellowship proves that addressing climate change works best when it connects student energy with community needs, creating career pathways while building a cleaner future one town at a time.