The Vineyard Way — Martha’s Vineyard’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) — was created in 2022 by all six Island towns, the Wampanoag Tribe, and more than 100 community partners. With over 190 actions across six thematic areas, the CAP outlines how we can protect our people, ecosystems, and infrastructure from rising seas, flooding, extreme weather, and drought—always with equity at the center.
As our Island faces challenges brought on by climate change, this plan provides a roadmap for resilience. We keep our community engaged by sharing monthly updates in the ICAN newsletter and here on our blog. View the full CAP here.
Across Martha’s Vineyard, climate action continues to move from planning to practice — through partnerships, pilot projects, policy development, and community collaboration. From harbor resilience to land protection, waste reduction to public health preparedness, Island leaders and volunteers are steadily advancing the goals of the Climate Action Plan. Here’s a snapshot of the meaningful progress underway and what’s on the horizon, as of January 2026:
🌿 WHAT’S BEEN DONE:
- Preparing the State’s grant applications for a Salt Marsh Stewardship Planning project that includes data sharing, planning with local partners, and organizing an educational event. (LNB.G1.O2)
- Preparing a grant application for a Vineyard Haven Harbor Resilience project that would compile existing studies and create a Coastal Resilience Advisory Committee. (TIW.G1.O1+O4)
- Strategic Planning continues with The Trash Task Force with the next area of focus on quantifying waste cost data and understanding our reliance on off-island facilities. (TIW.G3.O3)
- The Organics Recovery Subcommittee of the Trash Task Force is evaluating the future of commercial composting sites, compiling resources and studies on a “Waste on MV” subpage, and exploring grant opportunities. (TIW.G3.O1)
- West Tisbury has made advances in establishing a Floodplain Bylaw which would raise standards and introduce a coastal resilience article. (LNB.G1.O3)
- Met with Eversource for updates on the construction of two new undersea electric transmission cables to improve energy capacity and reliability. (ET.G3.O2)
🌱 WHAT’S COMING UP:
- Ongoing collaboration with Island Grown Initiative on a food system assessment that will run through June as a part of MVP 2.0 resilience planning project. (FS.G2.O1-5)
- SNEP Network training with the Gosnold Climate Action Network will continue through October. (Overarching.G3.O1)
- An engineering master student will be joining the MVC Climate Team on a part-time basis through June to focus on the Energy Transformation thematic area key actions. (Overarching.G3.O1)
*Parenthesis indicate the Thematic Area, Goal, and Objective listed in Climate Action Plan
Each of these efforts reflects a shared commitment to safeguarding the Island’s land, water, health, and communities — not just for today, but for generations to come. Together, we’re building a more resilient Martha’s Vineyard, one action at a time.
