Our History

Green Cambridge has been addressing climate change and environmental justice on the municipal level since its founding as Green Decade in 2004. In 2006, the organization became a non-profit corporation in Massachusetts. Under the successful leadership of Presidents Alison Field-Juma, Sue Butler, Keren Schlomy, and Michele Sprengnether, the organization advocated for sustainability in Cambridge. In 2011, the organization, previously known as Green Decade, became Green Cambridge and elected Quinton Zondervan as President. 

In 2013, Green Cambridge launched the Net Zero petition, which resulted in the 25-year Net Zero Action Plan unanimously adopted by the City Council in 2015. In 2017, Green Cambridge started the Hurley Street Neighborhood Farm as a prototype for future communal gardens in Cambridge and since has partnered with the City and private organizations on other community gardens. In that same year, the organization successfully petitioned the city for tree canopy protection, which led to the Urban Forest Master Plan released by the City in 2019. In 2018, the Cambridge Wildlife Puppetry Project merged into Green Cambridge to become the Wildlife Arts program for school-aged children. In 2019, Green Cambridge brought in the work of the Friends of Alewife Reservation, and took on its mission as their Alewife Urban Wilds program. In 2021, Green Cambridge, in partnership with Groundwork Somerville, spearheaded the Canopy Crew, a tree planting program to train youth in urban forestry, increasing and preserving the tree canopy across both cities.