Climate copycats

Also: Another hotel strike begins; Harvard reports drop in new Black students [❤️ Donate]( [View in Browser](   September 12, 2024  ☀️ Sunny, with a high near 81. Good Morning Boston, OK, [this morning's space walk looked cool]( but I still don't know if it can compare to this run of September weather we're having. Here's what to know before you head out into another gorgeous day: - Et tu? Boston appointed [its first chief climate officer this past spring]( - and the city across the river apparently liked the concept so much that they got one, too. Cambridge [announced]( former nonprofit leader Julie Wormser yesterday as its first-ever chief climate officer. - What will she do? Wormser will report directly to Cambridge's city manager and lead the city's [Office of Sustainability]( - focusing on working with other city agencies to update policies related to climate resiliency and decarbonization. "Our laws are purposely designed to be slow moving, which is terrible when our weather is getting more and more unpredictable," she told WBUR's Fausto Menard, adding that her job will be "to understand where the regulations and policies and investments need to change." - Back up: Some change is already in the works. This year, [a new rule took effect]( in Cambridge restricting fossil fuel use in new construction or major renovations. The city also recently required large, non-residential buildings (like labs and offices) to [be net-zero by 2035](. "This position builds on a tremendous bench strength of both people and policies," Wormser said. - The big picture: Despite all that, Wormser knows that "what we do here to decrease our carbon emissions will have almost no impact on climate change worldwide." But she hopes to help the city use "its integrity and intellect and resources" to amplify its impact: "Just as it would have been a fail had Moderna invented the COVID vaccine and only vaccinated the residents of Cambridge, the city of Cambridge can do a lot more both to protect ourselves and lower the bar for other communities to protect themselves." - What's next: Wormser's first day on the job is Oct. 1. - Round two: Another wave of hotel strikes have begun. More than 400 workers at four Boston hotels - Moxy Boston Downtown, The Newbury Boston, W Boston Hotel and The Dagny - are walking off the job today in protest of low wages and "arduous workloads," according to their union, UNITE HERE Local 26. - This strike comes after [roughly 900 workers walked off the job at four other Boston hotels over Labor Day weekend]( as part of [a national three-day strike]( organized by UNITE HERE. The Boston Globe [reports]( this new strike will run through Saturday. - In other news from the picket line: Resident assistants at Boston University say they've ended their strike. According to the BU ResLife Union, the strike ended Friday, [less than a week after it began]( after the university ended free room and board benefits for striking RAs. (BU holds the broadcast license for WBUR.) - FYI: The RA strike was separate from the [months-long strike]( BU graduate assistants, which is [still ongoing](. - Meanwhile: You don't have to worry about [a potential nurses strike]( at Brigham and Women's Hospital anytime soon. Their union says its roughly 4,000 members voted overwhelmingly to approve a new two-and-a-half year contract this week. The deal includes pay hikes for salaried and on-call nurses, safety improvements and mental health support for nurses. - Pump the brakes: Worcester plans to lower the default speed limit on city streets from 30 mph to 25 mph. Worcester's City Council [approved the measure this week]( following several serious crashes in which pedestrians were hit by cars. (The city still needs to notify the state before the new speed limit takes effect.) The decision comes nearly eight years [after Boston dropped its speed limit to 25 mph](. P.S.- It's that time of year again. WBUR's fall arts guides kick off today, with [a roundup of 14 albums by New England musicians](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters The Rundown [Harvard enrolls fewer Black students in first snapshot of impact of Supreme Court's ban on race conscious admissions]( The school's numbers show a drop in new Black student enrollment to 14% from 18% last year, with little or no fluctuation in other race categories. [Read more.]( [Harvard enrolls fewer Black students in first snapshot of impact of Supreme Court's ban on race conscious admissions]( The school's numbers show a drop in new Black student enrollment to 14% from 18% last year, with little or no fluctuation in other race categories. [Read more.]( [Mass. tourism destinations had a strong summer, despite ongoing labor challenges]( The Berkshires saw a 13% increase in short-term rentals this summer compared to the previous year. Over on Cape Cod, short-term rentals were also up year over year. The state's travel hot spots are also trying to boost tourism year-round, though the labor supply remains a challenge. [Read more.]( [Mass. tourism destinations had a strong summer, despite ongoing labor challenges]( The Berkshires saw a 13% increase in short-term rentals this summer compared to the previous year. Over on Cape Cod, short-term rentals were also up year over year. The state's travel hot spots are also trying to boost tourism year-round, though the labor supply remains a challenge. [Read more.]( [Inflation falls to its lowest level in more than 3 years. Here's what that means]( Consumer prices in August were up 2.5% from a year ago - the smallest annual increase since February 2021. Falling inflation clears the way for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates next week - likely by a quarter percentage point. [Read more.]( [Inflation falls to its lowest level in more than 3 years. Here's what that means]( Consumer prices in August were up 2.5% from a year ago - the smallest annual increase since February 2021. Falling inflation clears the way for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates next week - likely by a quarter percentage point. [Read more.]( [Mass. environmental group sues Greyhound over idling buses at South Station]( The Conservation Law Foundation sued Greyhound in federal court this week, saying it is violating the Clean Air Act by allowing their coaches to idle and belch noxious gases into the air, creating pollution that contributes to climate change. [Read more.]( [Mass. environmental group sues Greyhound over idling buses at South Station]( The Conservation Law Foundation sued Greyhound in federal court this week, saying it is violating the Clean Air Act by allowing their coaches to idle and belch noxious gases into the air, creating pollution that contributes to climate change. [Read more.]( [Francine weakens to a tropical storm as it moves across Louisiana]( The National Hurricane Center said Wednesday night that Francine is no longer a hurricane and now is a tropical storm. Francine has sustained winds of 70 mph as it moves across southern Louisiana. [Read more.]( [Francine weakens to a tropical storm as it moves across Louisiana]( The National Hurricane Center said Wednesday night that Francine is no longer a hurricane and now is a tropical storm. Francine has sustained winds of 70 mph as it moves across southern Louisiana. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - There's a downtown block party in New Bedford, a festival of Celtic music in Rockport and much more happening around Boston this weekend. [Check out all the events we're penciling into our plans here](. - Ceres CEO Mindy Lubber [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( that Massachusetts Legislature shouldn't squander the state's "golden opportunity" to experience to clean energy booms at once. - In related news: Gov. Maura Healey [moved yesterday to tuck stalled energy permitting reforms]( into a routine spending bill. - Boston's most adventurous movie enthusiasts have joined forces to present [a 35mm screening of the eco-satire "Fresh Kill" this Friday at the Brattle Theatre]( with director Shu Lea Cheang in attendance. It's the first stop on a monthlong, 20-city barnstorming tour for Cheang and this new restoration of her eerily prophetic 1994 film. - With the ongoing shortage of physicians and mental health workers, many people are turning to life coaching services for a more personalized alternative. But is coaching the same as therapy? (Short answer: no.) [Learn what differentiates the two.]( What We're Reading 📚 - The secret history of Robert Kraft's Hall of Fame quest ([ESPN]( - The FCC has been cracking down on unlicensed radio stations in Mass. The majority of them cater to Haitians. ([The Boston Globe]( - The New York Apartment That Has Sheltered One Family for 86 Years ([The New York Times](   Tell Me Something Good [A Cape Cod lifeguard reflects on 40 years in the tall white chair (CAI)]( After 40 years, and some 15,000 hours watching the skies, monitoring for dark fins, and rescuing children from riptides, Gordon Miller has become an expert at the art of keeping beachgoers safe. [Read more.]( [A Cape Cod lifeguard reflects on 40 years in the tall white chair (CAI)]( After 40 years, and some 15,000 hours watching the skies, monitoring for dark fins, and rescuing children from riptides, Gordon Miller has become an expert at the art of keeping beachgoers safe. [Read more.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Take a Rhode Island troll stroll.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. 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