CASPR Catch-Up: A Snapshot of Recent Climate Action and Resilience Progress

The Climate Action, Sustainability, Preservation, and Resiliency (CASPR) Plan is Danvers’ roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while preparing the community for the impacts of climate change. The plan organizes goals and actions across six focus areas: Buildings, Transportation & Land Use, Energy, Natural Resources, Solid Waste, and Public Health & Safety. Together, these actions are intended to strengthen community resilience and support a healthier and more sustainable Danvers.

This blog summarizes some of the recent CASPR work led by the Resilient Danvers municipal champions, who are helping move individual actions forward across Town departments. It provides a snapshot of recent projects, policy updates, programs, and planning efforts that are advancing CASPR implementation.

Over the past year, Danvers has continued moving CASPR from planning into implementation, with several visible examples of progress. The Town updated its Floodplain Bylaw to align with new FEMA regulations, preserve residents’ access to flood insurance, and strengthen local flood prevention standards. The CASPR Action Roadmap now identifies the related flood-prevention action as complete, demonstrating how policy changes can directly advance the Town’s long-term resilience goals.

Danvers has also continued investing in water conservation and natural resource resilience. Through the Community Rain Barrel Program, residents have received 629 rebated rain barrels since 2019, collectively diverting an estimated 459,170 gallons of stormwater. The program reduces reliance on treated drinking water for outdoor use while helping Danvers manage pressure on its water supply during hotter, drier periods.

In the solid waste sector, the Town reached another CASPR milestone with the launch of a residential curbside composting pilot. Open to up to 1,000 households, the program gives residents a new way to divert food scraps from the waste stream while helping reduce disposal costs and emissions associated with trash. Participation and food-waste diversion will be tracked as the pilot continues, providing data that can inform future decisions about the program.

Danvers has advanced the Public Health & Safety focus area through the launch of its new online Neighborhood Resilience Hub, completing a CASPR action focused on improving neighborhood-level preparedness. Developed by the Health Department, the hub brings local and regional resources for mental and physical health, food access, housing assistance, transportation, evacuation, and emergency alerts together in one place. By making these services easier to find both during everyday challenges and before an emergency occurs, the hub helps strengthen community preparedness and connects residents with the support they may need when disruptions happen. 

The Town is exploring Massachusetts Green Communities designation as a way to accelerate municipal energy improvements identified in CASPR. Green Communities funding can support projects such as HVAC and heat pump upgrades, building weatherization, LED lighting, building energy-management systems, EV infrastructure, and other municipal efficiency projects. Danvers has begun building awareness around the opportunity through public information and engagement. As of April 2026, the Town had not yet applied for designation, but achieving it could provide an estimated $170,000–$190,000 initial designation grant and eligibility for future competitive funding.

Behind these individual projects, the Resilient Danvers team is strengthening the process for implementing CASPR as a whole. The team has been convening municipal staff who serve as champions for different CASPR actions, documenting progress and next steps, and regularly updating the online Action Roadmap so residents and Town leaders can see where implementation stands. The roadmap tracks the goals, strategies, individual actions, updates, and percent completion across all six focus areas.

Taken together, the past year reflects a shift from setting goals to building a consistent system for delivering, tracking, and communicating progress. From stronger flood protections and expanded conservation programs to composting and municipal energy planning, Danvers is steadily turning the CASPR framework into tangible local action.