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 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 April 2026:
🌿 WHAT’S BEEN DONE:
- MVP 2.0 is underway, with coordination happening across towns on seed project selection and community engagement efforts focused on priority populations.
- Submitted State Eco One Stop grant applications for a Salt Marsh Stewardship Planning project and a Vineyard Haven Harbor Resilience project (LNB.G1.O2 and TIW.G1.O1+O4)
- The Trash Task Force provided recommendations to town select boards and is finalizing MassDEP grant application for a waste reduction project. (TIW.G3.O3)
- The Organics Recovery Subcommittee is continuing to push for the adoption of food recyclers in all island towns. (TIW.G3.O1)
- Energy use projection modeling discussions are continuing, with follow-up conversations planned with Eversource and Vineyard Power. (ET.G3.O2)
- Completed a Regional Emergency Planning Workshop and the resulting preparedness plan has been drafted in collaboration with Dukes County. (PHS.G1.O2)
- Facilitated a Climate Resilience & Emergency Planning Panel at the Aquinnah Library in collaboration with the West Tisbury EMD, the Council on Aging, and the Aquinnah EMD. (PHS.G1.O2)
- Coordinating conversations with land use bylaw groups, town conservation committees, parks and open space committees about vegetation guidelines. (LNB.G2.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)
- Two interns will be joining the MVC Climate Team on a part-time basis this summer to focus on the Energy Transformation thematic area key actions and climate event planning. (Overarching.G3.O1)
- Exploring a MassDEP grant for the installation of air monitors in coordination with the Tisbury Board of Health, the Steamship Authority. (PHS.G2.O2)
- A supply chain study is in-progress in collaboration with Nantucket and Gosnold, coordinating with Island-wide efforts on Martha’s Vineyard. (TIW.G2.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.
