Thinking of filling some or all of your garden with native plants?

It's a good idea, said Robert Gegear, PhD, Professor, UMass Dartmouth during his presentation on how ecological data collected through his Beecology Citizen Science Project is being used. With that data, they are gaining insight into the causes of species loss from bee and butterfly pollination systems native to New England.  He highlighted the ‘eco-technology’ that has been developed to aid Beecologists. 

Dr Gegear is consulting with Wellesley’s Natural Resources Commission in the rewilding of the field adjacent to the library. To watch the recording of his presentation click here (starts at 2:30 min).

For more information on Native Plant and Pollinator Resources, click here.

BECAUSE POLLINATOR SYSTEMS MATTER!

Hear from a few Wellesley residents about why they love driving an electric vehicle. Many shared their enthusiasm at Wellesley's recent Electric Vehicle Test Drive and Owner's Showcase event, organized by the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant, Climate Action Committee and Sustainable Wellesley.

What wasn't captured here, and is very unique about driving electric in Wellesley, is that cars are powered with more than 60% non-emitting electricity. This is important as transportation is approximately 30% of Wellesley's emissions.  

Thank you Wellesley Media, and Wellesley volunteers for their time and sharing their stories at Wellesley's EV Test Drive and Showcase Event.

What a wonderful weekend it was. There were so many highlights including spotting the Wellesley Free Library's electric van with reusable decorations at the parade. The Chief of Police was also spotted driving an electric police cruiser.
 
The Library's van was purchased with capital funds, and the process was facilitated by the Department of Public Work's Brian Zabchuk who made sure to get the $7,500 reimbursement from the Mass EVIP grant, and installed the charging station.

This 2023 Ford E-transit T-350 BEV Cargo van is used primarily to make deliveries to and from the branches. 

​After a three year break, The Rotary Club of Wellesley is bringing back the Repair Café Event. It will be held on Saturday June 10th from 9:00 AM to Noon at the Wellesley Recreation Center Room 008.
 
What is a Repair Café?
 
Repair Cafés are free meeting places and they’re all about repairing things (together). At the Repair Café event, you’ll find tools and materials to help you make most repairs. Repairs can be made on clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, crockery, appliances, toys, et cetera. You’ll also find expert volunteers, with repair skills in all kinds of fields.
 
Visitors bring their broken items from home. Together with the specialists they start making their repairs in the Repair Café. It’s an ongoing learning process. If you have nothing to repair, you can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Or you can lend a hand with someone else’s repair job. You can also get inspired at the reading table – by leafing through books on repairs and DIY.
 
Please register on the Rotary Club of Wellesley’s website. If you have an item to repair, register as a guest to attend the Café. Please list the item you want to repair in the comments section of the registration form.
 
If you have questions, feel free to contact John Adams at johnfadamsjr@gmail.com or 617-817-0314. If we can talk before the event, then we can make sure to have the necessary parts for repair available.
 
If you have repair skills and want to help out, please register as a coach.
 
Repair Café House Rules
 

• The work carried out in the Repair Café is performed free of charge on a voluntary basis by the repair experts at hand.
• Visitors carry out the repairs themselves whenever possible, but repair experts on site can help if necessary.
• The fact that the repairs are being performed by unpaid volunteers reflects the allocation of risks and limitation of liability. Neither the organizers of the Repair Café nor the repair experts are liable for any loss that may result from advice or instructions concerning repairs, for the loss of items handed over for repair, for indirect or consequential loss or for any other kind of loss resulting from work performed in the Repair Café. The limitations set forth in these house rules shall not apply to claims declared justified on the basis of liability arising by virtue of applicable consumer protection legislation which cannot be lawfully superseded.
  
•  A voluntary donation is greatly appreciated.
  
• Any use of new materials such as leads, plugs, fuses, ready-made knee bends 
or applications will be paid for separately.
  
• Visitors offering broken items for repair do so at their own risk.
  
• Experts making repairs offer no guarantee for the repairs carried out with their help and are not liable if objects that are repaired in the Repair Café turn out not to work properly at home.
  
• Repair experts are entitled to refuse to repair certain objects.
  
• Repair experts are not obliged to reassemble disassembled appliances that cannot be repaired.
  
• Visitors to Repair Café are solely responsible for the tidy removal of broken objects that could not be repaired.
  
• To cut down on unnecessary waiting times during busy periods, a maximum of ONE broken item per person will be examined. The visitor will join the back of the queue if there is a second item for repair.

Why a Repair Café?
 
We throw away vast amounts of stuff. Even things with almost nothing wrong, and which could get a new lease on life after a simple repair. The trouble is, lots of people have forgotten that they can repair things themselves or they no longer know how. Knowing how to make repairs is a skill quickly lost. Society doesn’t always show much appreciation for the people who still have this practical knowledge, and against their will they are often left standing on the sidelines. Their experience is never used, or hardly ever.
 
The Repair Café changes all that! People who might otherwise be sidelined are getting involved again. Valuable practical knowledge is getting passed on. Things are being used for longer and don’t have to be thrown away. This reduces the volume of raw materials and energy needed to make new products. It cuts CO2 emissions, for example, because manufacturing new products and recycling old ones causes CO2 to be released.
 
The Repair Café teaches people to see their possessions in a new light and, once again, to appreciate their value. The Repair Café helps change people’s mindset. This is essential to kindle people’s enthusiasm for a sustainable society.
 
Most of all, the Repair Café wants to show how much fun repairing things can be, and how easy it often is. Why don’t you give it a go?
 
They are not competing with professional repair specialists
 
The Repair Café Foundation sometimes gets asked whether access to free repair get-togethers is competing with professional repair specialists. The answer is; quite the opposite. Organizers want to use Repair Cafés across the whole country to focus attention on the possibility of getting things repaired. Visitors are frequently advised to go to the few professionals still around.
​
Furthermore, people who visit Repair Cafés are not usually customers of repair specialists. They say that they normally throw away broken items because paying to have them repaired is, in general, too expensive. At the Repair Café they learn that you don’t have to throw things away; there are alternatives.
 

Look for a new twist at this year’s Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend (WWW) including a chance to win a $200 gift certificate to Papa Wheelies bike shop!

Take a tour of Wellesley’s climate action programs with the new WWW Climate Action Passport – your ticket to a fun sustainability journey for the whole family! Through a collaboration of The Town of Wellesley’s Climate Action Committee, Natural Resources Commission, Celebrations Committee, Friends of Wellesley Veterans, and Sustainable Wellesley, favorite WWW events will showcase an array of climate action opportunities. As you travel among participating WWW venues, learn what you and your family can do to lower your carbon footprint, save money, and enjoy a healthier lifestyle while discovering Wellesley resources to support your household’s climate action.

• Grab a passport
• ​Get your passport stamped at WWW climate action events 
• Show your passport at the climate action table at the WWW picnic (Hunnewell Field) on Sunday, May 21 from 4:30 p.m. to dusk. and qualify to win a $200 gift certificate generously donated by Papa Wheelies bike shop 

On your family’s climate action adventure…

• Check out electric vehicles (EVs) at the Department of Public Work’s Touch a Truck event where you can also learn the benefits of Wellesley’s residential food waste drop-off program, enjoy a sustainability-themed puppet show, and explore a watershed table 
• View solar power and induction stove demos at the Municipal Light Plant Open House where you can also ask an energy auditor your burning energy questions and inquire about Wellesley’s Clean Comfort heat pump consultations
• Discover the electronics, specialty baking pans, drill, and more you can borrow at Wellesley Free Library’s Library of Things 
• Donate your old eyeglasses at the Lions Club’s Free Eye Exam event 
• Appreciate masterpieces made from recycled materials at Art in the Park
• Treat your pooch to complimentary compostable bags at Pups in the Park
• Take a spin on Catch Connect and learn about more public transit options at the Bike Safety Rodeo 
• Bring your EV and hybrid questions to the Antique Car Show and ask an expert from the Wellesley Drives Electric program, a no cost resource to help residents navigate EV and hybrid incentives and selection
• Don’t forget to view hybrid cruisers and a new EV at the Police Department’s Open House
• Watch a climate action puppet show at Picnic in the Park!

 
Grab a passport at one of the following locations on Saturday, May 20th  

• Free Eye Exams/Eyeglass Donations - 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m, Wellesley High School
• Wellesley Free Library - 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., 530 Washington Street
• Department of Public Works Touch a Truck - 9:00 a.m. to noon, 20 Municipal Way
• Municipal Light Plant Open House - 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 4 Municipal Way
• Police Department Open House - 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 485 Washington Street

 Get your passport stamped at one or more events highlighting Climate Action. 

SATURDAY MAY 20
Free Eye Exams/Eyeglass Donations - 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. - Wellesley High School
Morses Pond Trail Guided Walk - 9-10 a.m. - Turner Road Gate
Touch a Truck, Dept. of Public Works - 9am - noon - 20 Municipal Way 
Wellesley Free Library's Library of Things & Children’s Area - 9-5 @ Main Library
Bike Safety Rodeo - 10:00 a.m. – noon - Tailby Lot (Linden & Crest Roads)
Police Dept. Open House - 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. -485 Washington Street 
Municipal Light Plant Open House - 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. -4 Municipal Way 
Art in the Park - Noon – 2:30 p.m. -Simons Park 
Pups in the Park - 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.- Hunnewell Field 
Build Your Own Nancy’s Troll & Fairy House - 1– 3pm-Pickle Point on Morses Pond 

SUNDAY MAY 21
Antique Car Show - Wellesley Drives Electric Table- 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.- along
Central Street from Juniper Restaurant to Fire Station #1

Picnic in the Park-4:30 p.m. – dusk -Hunnewell Field 

Show your passport at the climate action table at the WWW picnic (Hunnewell Field) on Sunday, May 21 between 4:30 p.m. and dusk and qualify to win a $200 gift certificate from Papa Wheelies bike shop! 

Want to minimize your carbon footprint on your way around Wellesley Wonderful Weekend? Consider carpooling, walking, biking, or taking public transit to events to reduce traffic and emissions. Transportation makes up nearly 40% of greenhouse emissions in Wellesley. 

Try Catch Connect, Wellesley’s microtransit public transportation option, at no cost to visit open houses and other events on Saturday, May 20th between 10:00 a.m. and 3.30 p.m.  Catch Connect is a microtransit service provided by the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) in Wellesley that regularly charges a small fee and is available on weekdays in our area. Complimentary Catch Connect rides during Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend will allow residents to try out this resource!

If you would like to use the Catch Connect service on Saturday, please email info@sustainableWellesley.com or visit https://givebutter.com/FreeRide to RSVP.  In your email, make sure to share that you/family/friends would like to try Catch Connect so we can accommodate your travel plans.

Minimize waste by bringing your own water bottles and utensils. Use the recycling and food waste bins where available. Waste contributes approximately 4% of Wellesley’s emissions.

WWW’s Climate Action Passport is part of the Town of Wellesley’s effort to educate the community about its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal and the Climate Action Plan. Be part of the action!

Thank you to Troop 73505 for sharing this story

Middle school Girl Scouts have labeled 83 public trees along Central Street, Kingsbury Street, and Washington Street to show estimates of how much carbon dioxide is removed by each tree. The tree tags for Wellesley Wonderful Weekend were created by Cadette Troop 73505 and Lisa Moore, the Environmental Education and Outreach Coordinator for Wellesley Natural Resources Commission.

The Girl Scouts' goal is to highlight the impact of trees upon air quality. "When we breathe out, trees take in carbon dioxide and trees give oxygen back to us," explained troop members. The label for each tree shows an estimate of the amount of carbon dioxide stored annually and to date. 

The Girl Scouts measured the circumference of 42 public trees along Central Street in Wellesley Square. 

This label (above) is for the tree growing on the traffic island at the intersection of Central Street and Weston Road. The estimates of carbon dioxide were created by entering tree data into MyTree, a tool developed by the USDA Forest Service.

The estimated amount of carbon dioxide stored by 42 trees on Central Street in Wellesley Square is 3,787 pounds for this year. The total amount of carbon dioxide stored by these trees to date is estimated to be 67,148 pounds.

The troop labeled 22 trees at Wellesley Middle School along Kingsbury Street. This year, the estimated amount of carbon dioxide stored by these trees is 1,828 pounds and the total amount of carbon dioxide stored to date is estimated to be 69,304 pounds.

The scouts also labeled larger trees by the ball fields along Washington Street. The estimated amount of carbon dioxide stored by 19 trees this year is 5,002 pounds. To date, these trees have stored an estimated 284,370 pounds of carbon dioxide.

Town government relies heavily on volunteers, and we are fortunate to have so many citizens serving our community. There are a number of Town boards and commissions with vacancies or members with term expirations. To volunteer for a Town Board or Committee, please complete the online volunteer form here. Two we are highlighting are below. Thanks for considering.

Climate Action Committee: The Committee works with municipal departments, residents, businesses, institutions, and civic organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainability. The Climate Action Committee consists of seven members. The Select Board, the Municipal Light Board and the School Committee each appoint one member. The Select Board also appoint the remaining four members from residents active in the Town's volunteer sustainable energy initiatives or others who bring relevant expertise, such as knowledge about sustainable energy practices, marketing, or community engagement.

Municipal Light Board: The five-person, Municipal Light Board oversees the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant. The board consists of three elected Board of Public Works Commissioners and two members appointed by the Select Board. The Wellesley Municipal Light Plant ("WMLP") implements best business practices to protect the safety of our employees and the public, deliver environmentally sustainable and highly reliable electricity and telecommunication services at competitive rates and provide financial and in-kind support to the Town. The WMLP conducts its affairs in a socially responsible and ethical manner, with respect for our many stakeholders

To learn about other Boards and Committees, please click here: