 Bring your family, neighbors and friends to march with us in the Wellesley Parade Sunday from 1-2.30pm.
Enjoy the shout outs and cheers from friendly spectators along the route. You can feel the environmental enthusiasm in town. Two incredible Olin College students Suki and Daniel built us a model high performance house we will show off. As you may know, 63% of Wellesley's emissions come from buildngs and nearly 40% of that is from homes. Thus, this is an effort to encourage actions that will make our homes more comfortable, less expensive to heat and cool, and help us meet the Town wide goal of being Net Zero by 2050. Help us get the word out THIS Sunday. Think you can join us? Please email info@sustainablewellesley.com so we can get a count of folks who will be there. We will be lining up at 12.45pm on the corner of Elm and Washington Streets and should be done downtown shortly after 2. Strollers welcome! THANK YOU SUKI & DANIEL! At last week's Electric Vehicle (EV) event, more than 115 Wellesley residents were able to test drive an EV in just 3 hours. Plus, attendees had the opportunity to learn firsthand about EV ownership from fellow residents and speak to EV coaches about the Wellesley Drives Electric Program. If you missed this fun community event, you can see some highlights here and below is information you may find helpful.
An EV is increasingly affordable, thanks to a federal tax credit (up to $7,500), a MA state rebate (up to $2,500), a charging equipment rebate (up to $1,000), and an annual $96 electric bill credit offered by the Town of Wellesley when you charge your EV off-peak at home. Plus, an EV costs less to fuel and maintain, too. According to AAA, the average cost for a gallon of gas is $4.48 today in MA, while the average rate per kilowatt hour for residential electricity customers in Wellesley is $.16. That means if you drive an average of 1,000 miles a month, and charge your EV off-peak, you will save $1,150 per year on fuel alone. Some maintenance, such as regular oil changes, are eliminated with an EV, so you can save $8,000 or more over the life of an EV in maintenance costs compared to a gas-powered car. Federal regulation mandates that automakers guarantee EV batteries for a minimum of eight years. Are you concerned about climate change? Deciding to make your next car an EV is a terrific way to reduce your personal climate impact, because electric cars produce little to no pollution. For a cheat sheet on even more things you can do to be part of climate action in Wellesley, click here.  Got skills you want to use? Interests you would like to explore? The Select Board is recruiting candidates for a variety of boards, committees, and commissions. Town government relies on the dedication of many volunteers. Maybe this is your moment!
Some are listed below but more information is here. Municipal Light Plant Board: The five-member Municipal Light Board oversees the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant. The board consists of the three elected Board of Public Works Commissioners and two members appointed by the Select Board. Wellesley Housing Development Corp.: The Wellesley Housing Development Corporation's mission is to sponsor and assist in the development of affordable housing opportunities for persons of low and moderate income in the Town of Wellesley, Massachusetts in order to implement the Town's Affordable Housing Policy. Zoning Board of Appeals: The ZBA is a quasi-judicial board which interprets and enforces the town Zoning Bylaw, hears and decides on petitions for appeals of town officer or board orders, Chapter 40B comprehensive permits, site plan approvals, special permits and variances. Youth Commission: The Wellesley Youth Commission provides programs and services designed to ensure that Wellesley's youth feel they are a valued part of the Wellesley community. Zoning Board of Appeals: The Zoning Board of Appeals is a quasi-judicial board which interprets and enforces the town Zoning Bylaw by hearing and deciding on petitions for appeals of town officer or board decisions, Chapter 40B comprehensive permits, site plan approvals, special permits and variances. To volunteer for any Town Board or Committee, please complete this online volunteer form.  Fares are still being waived on the Metro West Rapid Transit Authority's Catch Connect door to door bus service in Wellesley. Riders 12 and older can ride unaccompanied. More information is here on this curb-to-curb MicroTransit system. Use the app to book a ride when you are ready. Rides are provided on a first come first served basis and service any address within the Town of Wellesley, as well as: Newton Wellesley Hospital, Natick Community Center, Woodland MBTA Station, Waban MBTA Station.
Riders can make transfers to other transit systems: - MWRTA Route 1 at Woodland - MWRTA Routes 10 & 11 at Natick Community Center - MBTA Fram/Worc Commuter Rail Line via Wellesley Square, Wellesley Hills, or Wellesley Farms Commuter Rail Stations - MBTA GreenLine via Woodland or Waban T Station Please click here to view a service map. Service Hours: 6:45AM - 6:45PM, Monday-Friday  Help support our important insect populations while attracting
beautiful butterflies and birds to your yard. Sustainable Wellesley is excited to partner with Native Plant Trust, the nation’s first plant conservation organization, to offer residents carefully-chosen plant collections. Don’t miss this opportunity to conveniently obtain these premiere seed-grown species at a 15% discount! >> Planting pollinators is the perfect Father's Day activity! << Sale Details Order plants now through May 22 (or until kits sell out). Limit of one kit per household. Prices are listed below. Plant Kits This year we are offering two collections: Summer Kit - more info here Three pollinator powerhouse plants that will bloom Spring through Fall. $106 +tax Fall Kit (Pre-order) - more info here A combination of three asters whose blooms will nourish pollinators in the late season. $95 +tax Each Plant Kit includes 3 plants from each of the three species* - enough plants for an approximately 10 square-foot garden. Planting instructions, design suggestions, and plant care advice will be provided. Plant a 3x3 corner, a 5x2, or 9x1 border, or add plants to your established garden. Nine plants too much? Share with a neighbor and expand the pollinator corridor! *Native Plant Trust may substitute similar plant varieties at their discretion based on growing conditions and plant availability. Pick-Up Summer Kits will be available for pick-up on Saturday June 18 in Wellesley between 3-5 pm. You will receive an email or call with additional information about pick-up. Kits must be picked up on this day. If you cannot pick up on June 18th, please arrange for another person to pick up on your behalf. Kits that are not collected will be donated to the Town. Fall Kits will be available for pick-up in September 2022. We'll contact you in August with more info. Help pollinate Wellesley and be(e) a part of Wellesley's Pollinator Corridor! 10% of proceeds will go towards establishing and sustaining pollinator gardens throughout the Town of Wellesley!  HOW TO CONNECT & TALK TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE CLIMATE ACTIVIST BUBBLE
Wondering how to connect with people outside your climate activist bubble and spread the word? The Wellesley Democratic Town Committee Climate Group will be watching a TED talk called "The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it" by climate scientist Dr Katherine Hayhoe. Dr. Hayhoe's message of hope and action is very inspiring. Feel free to email Climate Action Group Chair, Auli Batts (aulibatts@gmail.com) with your ideas, questions and comments. Monday, May 16th at 7pm on Zoom Register here  Wondering why Wellesley is delaying mowing part of the lawn at Simons Park (by the Wellesley Free Library) during May? Its No Mow May!
By waiting until June to mow, they are allowing the grass to grow taller, clover to bloom, and other plants to flower and feed the pollinators. Citizen scientists where do you see more pollinators on un-mowed or mowed lawns? Download the Naturalist app, then go to project area and select join Wellesley, MA: No Mow Project. Then observe the pollinators on mowed and un-mowed laws. Post photos of the visiting pollinators to the Naturalist App to let us know what you see. Email any questions to NRC@wellesleyma.gov. Thanks to the Department of Public Works and Natural Resources for this campaign!  Spring is here and its a good time to remind our community that idling is against the law, wastes fuel, and is bad for our health.
 Want the Town to plant a tree on your property?
Wellesley's Natural Resources Commission is accepting tree requests from homeowners. There are numerous types of trees available including shrubs and they will be planted by Wellesley's Public Works Park & Tree Division. You just need to take care of it. Email the NRC to learn more.  Who: Middle Schoolers (grade 5 and up) that live or go to school in town
What: Fun, smart cycling event Where: Hunnewell School parking lot When: Saturday, June 4th from 10-11.30am (rain date June 11) How: Register here To support middle school students to ride more independently on our busy streets, Safe Routes to School (SRTS) and the Wellesley Police Dept (WPD) are spearheading this event with Wellesley’s Natural Resources Commission, Sustainable Wellesley and Wellesley Green Schools. The goal is to create a mindset that bikes should be treated as a vehicle, and to build overall skills and confidence for riding safely and legally to school and throughout town. Meet at the Hunnewell School parking lot to learn some “rules of the road” before enjoying a guided bike train along Wellesley’s beautiful Brook Path and some on-street riding. Safe Routes To Schools will offer some giveaways and Winnie the WPD community resource service dog will be there to greet the kids as they embark upon the ride! The first 25 registrants will get a free Truly Yogurt coupon and all participants can win a raffle item from Pappa Wheelies! Register here Rain date is June 11th. |
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
×
Sign up for updates! |
Contactinfo@sustainablewellesley.com
75 Emerson Road Tel: 781-772-1188 |
Support us! |
Follow us!Copyright © 2019 By Sustainable Wellesley
|