Meet Isabella Loffredo, Sustainable Wellesley's summer intern. Bella is a senior at Connecticut College with a cellular and molecular biology major. Growing up in New Hampshire sustainability was a topic that was built into her curriculum, sparking an early interest and curiosity about all of the possible ways to give back to the Earth. Joining the Sustainability Club her freshman year at Connecticut College furthered her interest in the environment and introduced her to all of the easy ways that sustainability can be introduced into our lives, specifically through our diets.

"I am excited to be interning with Sustainable Wellesley for the summer of 2020," Loffredo said. "I look forward to seeing more sustainability in action and to connect with those who share similar interests."

​Welcome Bella!

There is no environmental justice without racial justice.  Too often marginalized communities around the world are disproportionately affected by environmental crises.   We know that if we want a healthier planet and life, environmental racism needs to be addressed.  EcoWatch.com has published many reports showing the intersection of environmental and racial injustice.

The disproportionate impact of fossil fuel infrastructure -- and other sources of pollution -- on communities of color will be discussed on the Sustainable Wellesley meeting. Here are a variety of actions YOU, our Wellesley community, can do to  make a difference. 

Wellesley's Town Election will now be on June 13th.
You can make your life easier by voting from home.
See below for more information on how easy it is to get your ballot.

One contested race we would like to draw your attention to is the important race for the Board of Public Works. Residents elected to the Board of Public Works also automatically serve on the board of the Municipal Light Plant. Both of these boards have jurisdiction over key environmental issues, including the Recycling & Disposal Facility and the Town’s electrical supply. Click here to read the views of both candidates. 

Read up on other contested race candidates here.
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All are encouraged to VOTE SAFE! VOTE FROM HOME!  Here is how:
1.) Click here to see the form
2.) Print it and fill it out
3.) Send it back via

• email to Elections@wellesleyma.gov,
• by mail or
• drop off at the Payment Drop Box at Town Hall

Return mail-in ballots to Town Hall no later than June 13, 2020 by noon.

In-person voting will be from 8 am to 12 noon on June 13th.  To support social distancing, ALL Precincts will be voting at the Babson Recreation and Athletic Complex at the Babson Campus.

Sustainable Wellesley invites you to join an online Zoom meeting tonight from 7:30-8:30pm. Moving to this online meeting format is an excellent opportunity for Wellesley residents of all ages to conveniently get updated on these and other topics:
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1. YOUR Summer + Activism + Meaningful Action + High School and College STUDENTS
2. FUTURE Act + update from MA legislature from Senator Cynthia Creem
3. Climate Injustice + COVID-19- Dr. Regina LaRocque, Infectious Disease Specialist 
4. Renovating? Building a New Home? Get short payback with high efficiency + performing technologies  - Ellen Watts, AIA, LEED AP
   

To Attend the Meeting:
Please fill out this google form. There is a spot to submit any additional questions or comments you want answered prior to the meeting.

Please feel free to share the link with others who may want to join the meeting. 

This one-hour online meeting is the perfect opportunity to learn about aspects and actions Wellesley can do to make a difference.

You are invited to participate in the Art in the Park -- now called "Art in the Home." Due to the Coronavirus, the committee is moving the amazing annual Art in the Park event onto a digital platform for the whole month of May.

All you need is:
• Paper or Cardboard - they suggest reusing the card board from deliveries in your home (Suggested size: 8x8, 10x 10 or 15x15)
• Any material that you can find at home: Markers, Paint, Pictures, Crayons, Mixed Media

How to Get Started:
Reflect for a moment on how you have experienced the last few weeks.
• Did you discover new hobbies?
• How has the virus affected you and your family?
• Have you enjoyed the slowness of life?
• Did you discover silver linings or develop super- powers?

Remember:
• These are unprecedented times and all feelings are allowed, art is an amazing tool to express them.
• This project is for everyone, you don’t need to be an artist to participate.
• You can create with your family or alone.

The Gallery
Normally our community gathers on the field next to the Library to share the process of art making. This year, create your art in the safety of your home and share your creations with our community online.

Visit the Instagram Gallery @art_in_the_park_wellesley for more information and inspiration.

Participating is easy:
During the month of May, you can upload your art piece onto your own Instagram account and use the hashtag: #artinthehomewellesley or tag @art_in_the_park_wellesley so others can see your creations. Many of the creations will be showcased on the Art in the Home Instagram Account. (By using the hashtag you give the committee permission to repost your image on their Art in the Park account.) You can also tape your creation on your window or door at your house if you wish.

Their hope is to create a public gallery show in the future that shows a tapestry of images how our community lived through this unprecedented time.

We all can’t wait to see what you create.
Remember, we are all in this together!

Thank you for creating and sharing this Olivia Gieger! Olivia is a Wellesley High School graduate now working in Amherst College's Office of Environmental Sustainability.

In the midst of a global crisis, those of us who can stay at home, need to. But, it's hard to sit idly by as the nation grapples with a crisis of colossal scale and as another awaits on our doorstep. There are  ways you can stay engaged and active on climate, from your couch or kitchen table. Now is as good a time as ever to pick up the phone, write an email, and start a conversation about climate. 

Show your support for the Green New Deal
Whether it's posting on social media, talking with friends and family, or asking questions, give the GND some buzz and keep it on people's minds; Check out the Sunrise Movement's comprehensive guide, and sign up to phone bank for candidates who champion the GND.

& take some time to read up on the GND
Through this pandemic, we've seen how our social safety nets have failed the people who need them the most and those who have been marginalized throughout U.S. history, The GND gives us the opportunity to make sure this doesn't happen with the next crisis we face (climate change).

Write to Congress about Carbon Pricing
The Citizen's Climate Lobby helps direct you: enter your zip code and they'll find your representatives and give you background on current bills, like the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.

Check our where your state is Carbon Pricing
Right now, the most promising breakthroughs on climate come from the local level. See what's up for consideration in your state, and make calls where you can.

Northeasterners: Tell your Governor that you care about TCI
TCI is a network of 12 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to put a cap on transportation emissions. Write or call your state's governor to encourage this network.

MA Voters: Call your representative for state carbon pricing
This helpful site asks you to enter your zip code, then finds your reps, and gives you a guide for calling their offices on essential carbon pricing bills

Take some time to remember why this all matters
These are trying times, across the board. Don't bear the burden of solving climate change on your back. If you can, get outside for a walk in your neighborhood or parks near you and think about the space you inhabit and what it means to protect it.

Also, remember that this isn’t a partisan issue! 
If you’re in favor of climate action but don’t support Democrats’ proposals, engage with these issues through any of the Republican-led approaches to a carbon tax and climate responsibility, like S4CD, a student-driven case for carbon dividends. 

  

Got extra food scraps/waste you want to do something with?
Ready to try something new and help the environment at the same time?

The Wellesley RDF not only offers recycling and trash disposal, but also an environmentally friendly way to dispose of food scraps. You can help decrease landfill waste and create biogas, a clean energy source!

Getting started is easy…
1) Buy compostable food waste bags
2) Find/buy something in your home to use in the kitchen as a food scrap/waste collector or 
3) Find/buy an airtight, leakproof bucket & lid for garage/outdoors
4) Fill it and bring it to the RDF- in the food waste area located near the final dumpsters

Wondering how to reduce the amount of trips to the grocery store?
Get creative with items in your pantry.

Big thanks to Kelly C. for her enlightening and inspiring Facebook live session on plant based pantry staples and meal ideas to go with them. She shared some great online resources, gave some meal swaps (bean burgers for beef burgers) and answered questions.

If you missed it and need some ideas, you can watch the video here.

Thank you Kelly!​