An institution’s decarbonization options can depend heavily on location. Boston and its neighboring cities Cambridge and Newton have some of the most progressive climate initiatives and legislation in the country, requiring building owners to invest in decarbonization measures to meet building ordinances. We understand that decarbonization is a complex topic made even more complicated by location-specific opportunities and regulations and used our experience working on decarbonization in Boston to provide a stripped-down explanation of what decarbonization is and how to make progress.