Two Dartmouth businesses reach 100% renewable energy milestone

Two Dartmouth business have met a key environmental goal early: Round the Bend Farm and Little Moss are the latest on the South Coast to run solely on renewable energy.

According to a press release from the South Coast chapter of the Climate Reality Project, both Dartmouth businesses initially committed to reaching 100% renewable use by 2030.

A big reason for achieving the sustainability level, the release noted, is that in addition to installing solar panels, the two opted into one of the green options through the town’s electricity aggregation program.

“By modeling nature and observing how plants can thrive, we want to harness the suns’ gifts and power our farm and community as much as we can by mimicking that,” Round the Bend Farm Executive Director Desa Van Laarhoven said. “Even our heating and cooling systems in our Learning Center are powered by 100% renewable electricity.”

Little Moss owner Lisa Lofberg agreed.

“We’re proud to join forces in support of the long-term health of our vulnerable coastal community,” she said. “We recognize that we face the combined risks of sea level rise, ocean warming, and increased severity of storms, and we’re ready to undertake the collective task of preserving our precious local environment.

Dartmouth began its Community Aggregation Program in 2016. The program allows Dartmouth and neighboring cities and towns to bulk purchase electricity and secure a fixed rate for the contract period.