The Town of Stow has been recognized for its sustainability efforts with a 2025 Leading By Example Recognition Award. From left, Adam Baacke, Commissioner, Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance; Elizabeth Mahony, Commissioner, Department of Energy Resources; Stow Town Administrator Denise Dembkoski; Stow Green Advisory Chair Arnie Epstein; Rebecca Tepper, Secretary, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs; and Joanne Bisetta, Director, Green Communities Division, DOER, Department of Energy Resources. (Photo Courtesy Town of Stow)
STOW – For the second time in 2025, the Town of Stow has been honored by the state for its long-standing commitment to creating a sustainable future for the community.
Town leaders accepted the 2025 Leading By Example Recognition Awards in a State House ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 9. The Department of Energy Resources (DER) recognizes outstanding decarbonization, clean energy, and other environmental efforts among Commonwealth agencies, public colleges/universities, municipalities and individuals.
Stow was one of two communities to win the Municipal Award, along with the Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department.
“Being recognized by the Commonwealth with a Leading by Example Award is a tremendous honor and a testament to our community’s commitment to sustainability,” Select Board Chair Megan Burch-McMichael said. “This award reflects the hard work, collaboration, and forward-thinking efforts of our staff, volunteers, and residents who continue to make environmental stewardship a priority.”
Town officials and community members have spent more than a decade working toward and implementing sustainability initiatives. Stow was designated as a Green Community in 2015. Initiatives have included:
- Retrofitting the Town Building, police station, and Highway Department office with new heat pumps, aggressively pursuing grant funding to reduce the cost for Stow taxpayers.
- Pursuing and receiving a $500,000 Green Communities Building Decarbonization grant in 2024 to support the renovation of Randall Library.
- Completing a Municipal Decarbonization Roadmap, a blueprint toward eliminating the use of onsite fossil fuels in municipal buildings and vehicles.
These efforts have led to a 20 percent reduction municipal energy consumption.
“We are grateful to the Commonwealth for highlighting the efforts of communities like ours that are committed to meaningful, long-term climate, and energy solutions,” Town Administrator Denise Dembkoski said. “I’d like to thank everyone in Stow who helped make this achievement possible, whose passion, creativity, and drive truly set our community apart. I’d especially like to recognize our Energy Manager and Chair of the Green Advisory Committee, Arnie Epstein, whose leadership and commitment to sustainability have been instrumental in guiding Stow’s progress.”
In May, DER named the Town as a Climate Leader Community, similarly honoring Stow’s significant efforts to reduce the government’s carbon footprint.
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