The Arlington Conservation Commission is comprised of seven volunteer voting Commissioners and one or more volunteer nonvoting Associate Commissioners, who are appointed by the Town Manager with the approval of the Select Board. Conservation Commissioners work to ensure that all construction and development projects (residential, municipal, and commercial) that may alter any wetlands, floodplains, rivers, streams, ponds and/or lakes are in permitted compliance with state and local wetland regulations. The Conservation Commission also protects and manages the Town’s Conservation Lands.

AHRC focuses on eliminating prejudice, intolerance, bigotry, unlawful discrimination, threats, coercion, and intimidation. Founded in 1993, the Arlington Human Rights Commission (AHRC) exists to advance issues related to the fair and equal treatment of Arlington residents and to address complaints arising out of these issues. Central to the AHRC's mission is to work collaboratively with other Arlington community groups to celebrate the ever-changing makeup of Arlington, to emphasize through educational outreach the dangers of intolerance, and to encourage and bring about mutual understanding and respect among all people within the Town.

The Open Space Committee (OSC) is a volunteer committee appointed by the Town Manager, with approval by the Select Board. The OSC is responsible for preparing and monitoring the Town’s Open Space and Recreation Plan. The Open Space and Recreation Plan is required to include climate change, environmental justice, and equity considerations.

The Arlington Tree Committee’s mission is to promote the protection, planting, and care of trees in Arlington. They strive to preserve and expand the town tree canopy by increasing tree planting, and by promoting community awareness of trees and their benefits. They provide a website about trees and town services related to trees, provide information about tree selection, planting, and care, and maintain a town-wide street tree inventory view map.

The Zero Waste Committee’s mission is to foster greater participation in all forms of waste reduction to improve health and restore the environment. ZWA conducts outreach efforts to help the Town of Arlington reduce generation of waste overall, while increasing the options for recycling. They focus their efforts on solid waste reduction, and the diversion of materials out of the conventional waste stream. ZWA has a subcommittee focused on single-use plastics, the production of which requires fossil fuels.

East Arlington Livable Streets promotes walkable/bikeable streets, improved transit, and an enhanced public realm in Arlington. They aim to create more infrastructure for walking and biking while reducing car dependency.

Emergency Arlington is a local coalition of climate organizations and individuals concerned with the warming planet as an existential threat. The group encouraged the Town of Arlington to declare a Climate Emergency and take suitable steps consistent with that declaration. The Select Board approved the declaration in March and the Town Meeting approved it in June, 2021. This project contributes to the Emergency Everywhere campaign of Extinction Rebellion Massachusetts, the regional chapter of the global climate action organization.

Extinction Rebellion is a decentralized, international and politically non-partisan movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency. Extinction Rebellion has a local chapter in Boston, MA.

The Friends of Spy Pond Park is a nonprofit organization which supports the preservation, enhancement, and enjoyment of Spy Pond Park and Spy Pond as natural and community resources. FSPP supports the ongoing protection and beautification of the park, preservation of open green space and wildlife, prevention and reduction of pond pollution, and the use of the park as a community and cultural resource. 

Food Link is a community organization that rescues fresh food, alleviates hunger, and contributes to environmental sustainability as food waste generates seven percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Food Link's vision is a food system without waste, in which everyone has enough. Food Links saved over one million pounds of food from being wasted in 2020.

Green Cambridge works to create a more sustainable city and to protect the environment for the health and safety of all. The organization uses Cambridge as an outdoor classroom for all ages to engage in place-based environmental programming using art and science that centers on neighborhoods, communities, and individual empowerment. Green Cambridge includes the former Friends of Alewife Reservation.

The Arlington Community Team is a group of mothers, grandmothers and caretakers who have come together to make climate change an issue that our leaders can no longer ignore. Along with a growing number of Mothers Out Front local groups in states around the country, they are building a powerful grassroots movement to ensure that children have a livable future in the age of climate change.

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) was founded in 1972 with a mission to protect and restore the Mystic River, its tributaries and watershed lands for the benefit of present and future generations and to celebrate the value, importance and great beauty of these natural resources. Their vision is a vibrant, healthy and resilient Mystic River watershed for the benefit of all community members. To achieve this, the Mystic River Watershed Association is protecting water quality, restoring important habitat, building climate resilience, transforming parks and paths, and inspiring youth and community members.

The Mystic Charles Pollinator Pathways Group is a volunteer coalition of gardeners and native plant enthusiasts that have come together to promote and create more pollinator habitats in the Mystic & Metrowest Charles River Watersheds in eastern Massachusetts. They are working to identify, map, and increase habitat for native pollinators along a series of continuous corridors. 

The Sunrise Movement is a nationwide youth movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process. Sunrise Arlington is a local chapter of the Sunrise Movement that advocates for a clean future by campaigning for climate champions, organizing actions and rallies to build community, and putting on trainings to bring people into the movement. 

Sustainable Arlington acts on a local level to promote climate stabilization and other important environmental goals. Since its founding in 1998, Sustainable Arlington has held public events to bring attention to climate issues for residents, businesses and Town departments. Arlington became a Massachusetts Green Community, 2010, with support from Sustainable Arlington.

The Unitarian Universalist Church Climate Working Group is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Church in Arlington. The group uses its influence to combat climate change in the community.