Buildings have significant impacts on human health, natural resources, and ecosystems. To minimize these impacts, it is essential to practice smart siting, design, material selection, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal with respect to the following key components:

• Energy: To increase resilience and reduce fossil fuel use, it is critical to maximize energy efficiency measures and integrate renewable energy sources. Heating for buildings has a major impact on Island life as it makes up over a third of the Island's energy usage as of 2024.
• Materials: Salvage and reuse are essential, in concert with minimal demolition and the selection of materials with less toxicity and smaller carbon footprints. This is in part to reduce construction and demolition waste, which comprises one third of solid waste shipped off-Island by weight as of 2023. See also the 2026 MVC Materials Guidance Document. 
• Light and Noise Pollution: Building design, material selection, construction, and maintenance should account for planned lighting periods, how much light is necessary, and how much energy it will require. Similarly, projects should avoid loud or unnecessary noise that is unnecessary, loud, or otherwise excessive.

Useful Links

• 2025 Technical Guidance: A reference and instructional guide for the Massachusetts Energy Stretch and Specialized Codes (DOER 2025)
  • Attachment A: Envelope Performance and Thermal Bridge Derating
  • Attachment B: ASHRAE Appendix G: Relative Performance Simulation Guideline
  • Attachment C: Targeted Performance Simulation Guidelines
• DarkSky Massachusetts
• MVC Materials Guidance Document (2026)
• MVC DRI Costal Flood Risk Policy (2024)
• MVC DRI Energy Policy (updated 2023)
• Martha’s Vineyard Climate Action Plan (2022)
• MVC DRI Built Environment Policy (2015)