From Gas Pumps to Charging Stations: EV Basics for Everyday Drivers
2026-06-17 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Now Is the Time to Go Electric!
With local gas prices climbing toward $4.50 a gallon, the financial case for making the switch to an electric vehicle has never been stronger. Charging an EV at home on Eversource East costs the equivalent of just $2.80 per gallon – saving drivers roughly 38% per mile. And the savings don’t stop at the pump. Because EVs eliminate oil changes, spark plugs, and complex exhaust systems, they cost 30–50% less to maintain over their lifespan than gas-powered cars. All told, drivers can expect around $4,000 in total cost-of-ownership savings over the first five years.
Although the supply of new EV models is a bit unpredictable at the moment, there are still great options out there. And do not forget the used EV market, where most vehicles are also eligible for the Massachusetts MOR-EV incentives ($3500). The volunteer inputting this information just turned in a 2023 Kia EV6 with only 17,000 miles. A wonderful vehicle at a HUGE savings. We bought a 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5 to replace the leased car and got a very good deal on the new vehicle. Please do not let our topsy-turvy market circumstances prevent you from finding a vehicle that you will love!
Whether you’re looking to purchase or lease, now is a great time to lock in immediate, predictable savings. Hear directly from EV drivers, get your questions answered, and take the next step to going electric. Register for the MassEnergize online webinar on June 17, 2026, 7–8pm: www.bit.ly/EV-101.
And stay tuned for the EnergizeActon.org EV Petting Zoo coming up in July. This is a wonderful yearly event for EV drives to meet up, plus potential EV drivers can check out the cars and ask lots of questions!

It's Electric! EVs, Your Home & More
2026-07-14 17:00 - 19:00 | Acton Memorial Library, 586 Main Street, Room Main Meeting Room, Acton, Massachusetts, US
Apologies, this event is POSTPONED due to the heat emergency. Please stay tuned for a new date!
Electric vehicle ownership is surging internationally. Talk with local EV drives about why!
Worldwide, households are going electric. Visit the Eversource “Energy Efficiency Experience” truck and find out how electric home heating, cooling, and appliances are healthier, more efficient, and more renewable.
OK, a lot of EV hype has disappeared from the U.S. marketplace, but electric vehicle owners still love their vehicles! With zero emissions, high performance, and low maintenance costs, EVs are fun to own. And, of course, they are critical to the effort to address our warming climate. Here in Massachusetts, there are good rebates for both new and used electric cars and trucks, plus the new managed home charging saves folks even more money compared to the gas pumps.
And this year, our EV Meet-Up will be joined by the Eversource “Energy Efficiency Experience” truck, where you can learn about other electric advances that can save you money at home, from smart thermostats to battery storage.
This celebration of EVs and all things electric is a chance for you to talk with local EV drivers and other experts, see a variety of electric vehicles—passenger models from Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet, Subaru, Kia, Hyundai, and more–along with electric vehicles purchased by the Town of Acton. We welcome all of you who are thinking about an electric vehicle. Plus, we welcome current EV drivers and folks who have recently purchased an EV. Please come and share your experiences. You can sign up to join us or simply come by!
Register HERE.
Resources will also be available addressing the following topics.

2026 EV pricing
Massachusetts incentives for new and used EVs
Increasing range of electric vehicles
Battery updates
Cost and incentives for home charging
Maintenance savings
Regenerative breaking
Vehicle handling

Look for special tips about the growing used EV market and other helpful organizations, such as the Drive Green program.
One Michigan car aficionado and EV driver, Jamie Racklyeft, wrote earlier this year, “I’m on my fourth EV now and I’m not going back: A 2025 international survey of 27,000+ EV drivers found 93% would choose another battery-electric EV, while only 1% would return to gas or diesel. . . So yes, 2026 may feel quieter than the hype years. But quieter isn’t weaker. It’s steadier. And steadiness is how lasting change actually takes hold.”
Thank you so much for your interest and expertise!
This event is part of our 2026 Climate Café summer series. The Climate Cafés aim to be an informal, helpful gathering place where Acton residents can discuss a fossil fuel free future, share experiences with clean energy technologies, and look at lifestyle choices that make a difference for our planet. Our next Climate Café is the “Celebration of Plant-Based Foods” community potluck picnic at the NARA Park Picnic Pavilion on Wednesday, July 22nd, from 6:00-8:00pm.
EnergizeActon.org is a joint effort of the Acton Climate Coalition and the Town of Acton Sustainability Office. Interested in lending a skill? Contact us HERE. We meet the 1st Wednesday of each month.

Celebration of Plant-Based Meals!
2026-07-22 18:00 - 20:00 | NARA Park Pavilions, Acton, NARA Park Pavilions, Unit 25 Ledge Rock Way, Acton, Massachusetts, US
You can do something about our climate!
Eat more plant-based meals!

We all share one activity that can have a significant impact on climate change—the food we eat! Eating more plant-based meals is an immediate and DELICIOUS way to put less CO2 into the atmosphere. Making changes to your eating habits can be done at your own pace and with little financial investment. Plus, you get to celebrate the amazing bounty of the plant world!
Please join Energize Acton and the Town of Acton Sustainability Office for our 4th Annual Celebration of Plant-Based Meals. Everyone is asked to contribute to this potluck picnic, so please bring a dish based on veggies, fruit, grains, beans, or nuts. Your contribution can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Are you on the run between soccer games? Bring a bag of cashews! Are you a vegan chef? We look forward to a non-dairy extravaganza! Any vegetarian or vegan dish is welcome. The idea is to sample favorite plant-based recipes from across the community and to give thanks for the miracle of plants.
Besides food, if possible, we ask you might bring a few other items.

Two copies of your recipe;
Your favorite veggie cookbook or name of a favorite cooking website (just to share for the evening);
A napkin and cup.

We are trying to make this a low-waste event and the Church of the Good Shepherd has generously offered to let us borrow plates and cutlery from their plastics-free kitchen. We will have back-up cups and napkins, so no worries, but we thank you for helping keep trash to a minimum.
We hope to have at least one food demo to entertain us. Plus, inspired by the book, Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, our theme will be “Plants as Teachers.” We will have 2-3 special displays about edible plants that make a difference in the world today.
Registration is helpful but not required.
Register HERE.

EnergizeActon.org is a joint effort of the Acton Climate Coalition and the Town of Acton Sustainability Office.

Biosphere Book Club - July Title: Here Comes the Sun
2026-07-29 18:00 - 20:00 | Address shared upon registration, Strawberry Hill Rd, Acton, MA
Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization
By Bill McKibben

“No one has done more to raise the alarm about climate change or to address the problem than Bill McKibben. In Here Comes the Sun, he shows that we all have the technologies we need to move forward. If any book could make a thinking person hopeful about the future, this is it.”
― Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
“Compelling… A paean to the emerging dominance of renewable energy.”
― Kirkus Reviews

If you are a clean energy advocate in the U.S., it is easy to feel discouraged in the present moment. The current administration has been extraordinarily successful in undermining forward progress on renewable energy. The powers-that-be seem determined to squeeze every last penny of profit from fossil fuels, no matter the costs to our economy, our health, or our climate.
And yet one of the country’s major voices in the fight to address climate warming, Bill McKibben, sees reasons to be hopeful. In much of the rest of the world, the adoption of solar power is surging ahead. From China to Pakistan to Egypt, solar projects are generating significant energy. This year, one very small country—Vatican City—will be the first country to more entirely off fossil fuels. When Bill McKibben was at the Vatican to mark the 10th anniversary of St. Francis’s encyclical on climate change, Laudato ‘Si (On Care for Our Common Home), McKibben quipped “Let’s henceforth concentrate on energy from Heaven, not from Hell.”
In Here Comes the Sun, will we find inspiration from the rest of the world? Can we find ways, both at the grassroots and institutional levels, to recover the solar momentum for this country? Please join the July edition of the Biosphere Book Club and share your thoughts on Bill McKibben’s latest book. As with every Book Club choice, it is great if you can read the book, but it is not required. The host will prepare a brief outline of the text with key quotes and discussion points constructed in such a way that all can participate.
For the July session, facilitator Karen invites you to an in-person picnic version of the Biosphere Book Club. Come enjoy cool beverages and summer bounty to spark our brain power. We will start at 6:00pm to facilitate both eating and reflecting. The address will be sent when you register. We plan to be outdoors if the weather cooperates.
Register HERE.
