 Big thanks to George! He noticed that Amazon's new packaging, which claims to be 100% recyclable, is the same paper as supermarket paper bags on the outside, and chopped up paper on the inside. He wondered if Wellesley's Recycling and Disposal Facility (aka RDF or dump) would want this recycled. George went and spoke to the folks that run the RDF. After spending time thinking about it, they decided it should go where our brown paper bags go, which is currently with the corrugated cardboard.
 If you are embarking on a renovation and have building materials to donate, please contact the non profit organization, Boston Building Resources (BBR). Their home improvement store, called the Reuse Center (think: thrift store), sells lightly used and overstock donated materials.
The organization focuses on using principles of a circular economy to create long-term generational wealth. They are committed to providing low-cost solutions that improve a living environment for individuals and keeping building materials out of landfills. Plus, they offer workshops that show individuals how to repair things around the home. Check out bostonbuildingresources.com for information about their co-op products, and keep up with their events at bbrboston.eventbrite.com.  Sustainable Wellesley is looking for an event planner to help with some small events throughout the school year. This volunteer position is ideal for someone who likes to organize events, be part of our community, and do their thing to for climate action.
Join a team with a great group of fun loving, dedicated people. Interested persons, please email info@SustainableWellesley.com. Know someone who would be great for this position? Please share. Thanks!  Tom and his wife have a nearly 100 year old house here in Wellesley. Not only did their 100 year old home have an oil burning furnace and a big oil tank in the basement, it radiators throughout the house and very little insulation. Last winter the pipes in one of the bathrooms froze and burst which really pushed them "take the plunge" on their energy upgrade project.
Using what they learned from Sustainable Wellesley's webinars over the past few years, they went ahead and scheduled a no cost energy audit from Mass Save. After that, they contacted Abode Energy Management, also at no cost thanks to Welleslet's Municipal Light Plant, who provided them guidance throughout the entire process. Who did they use? They hired Rogers Insulation to insulate the whole house. Then they hired Rodenhiser Home Services to remove the old system and replace it with an electrical heat pump. After just a few weeks the ducted heat pumps are installed and they are thrilled with the difference!
Are you considering this too? Reach out to us and we can help get you started info@sustainablewellesley.com  We know you have mixed emotions about Facebooks What's Up Wellesley page but we have pulled some useful info from a recent back and forth about electric lawn equipment.
"I love my Greenworks!" wrote one Wellesley resident recently. "I have the mower, hedge trimmer and weed whacker—all battery powered and rechargeable. It is lightweight, the batteries seem to last forever, and customer service is fabulous (accessible, responsive and helpful)". Another wrote, "we got a self-propelled Ego at the start of the summer and have nothing but good things to say about it. It’s well designed IMHO. It’s quiet and powerful and folds up for storage easily. Been very pleased with the battery life, and have found that it charges quickly. I think ours is a middle of the road model, but it seems to have everything I need". The positivity goes on and on... "We have the Ego power + 21”. It is so easy to use that I actually enjoy cutting the lawn myself. It also has your choice of mulching, side discharge, or bagging your grass clippings. I really like the mulching feature." "I just bought the Ego Power* LM2102SP after a fair amount of research. So far so good, happy to talk more. Btw Wellesley has a $75 rebate on electric mowers." "Other Ryobi tools like Leaf Blower work great with the same batteries too." "I also have an Ego, and one charge lasts for one hour of "intense" mowing. The battery re-charges in 70 minutes. My daughter bought the mower for me at Needham Garden Center, and they were super helpful. They also service Ego under warranty if needed." "I bought a Ryobi without comparison shopping. Works fine…easy to use, light and quiet. One feature I like is that it has two batteries. When one wears down, you can switch to the fully charged one. You can also charge one battery while the mower is powered by the other." "We have had our Ego for three years and love it. Last year the self propelled part stopped working due to the break in a wire when you pull up the handle. We were pleasantly surprised to have the five year warranty cover it’s repair (replaced the entire wire set in the handle, left it in Arlington for 5 days at their warranty site at a True Value hardware). The mower is quiet, does a great job and the battery recharges in less than an hour. It is also nice to simply hit a button to start, no more pull cords or running out of gas."  3 National Drive Electric Week Webinars!
Next week is National Drive Electric Week and Green Energy Consumers Alliance is offering a few webinars that can help answer any questions you may have: Webinar: Electric Cars 101 Monday, Sept 25th @ 12PM Curious about getting an electric vehicle (EV), but not sure where to start? Register for the popular Electric Vehicles 101 webinar to learn the basics:
Webinar: Charged Up - Everything You Need To Know About EV Charging Wednesday, Sept 27th @ 12PM Making the switch to an electric car can be intimidating if you're used to refueling with gasoline. Where will you charge? How much will it cost? How can you make sure you're always charged up? The good news is that charging an electric vehicle (EV) is easier than you think once. Join this hour-long webinar presented by Drive Green to learn everything you need to know about EV charging so that you feel ready and confident to make your next car electric. There will be plenty of time to ask questions. Webinar: Ask An Electric Vehicle Driver Thursday, Sept 28th @ 7PM Come hear from a panel of awesome people who drive electric vehicles! They'll share their experiences and more. Ask your questions about charging, road trips, costs, and everything in between.  EXTREME WEATHER AND WEATHERIZING YOUR HOME- IN PERSON
Thursday, September 28, 6:30-7:30pm, free, at Natick Community Senior Center, 117 East Central St, please call to register 508-647-6540. Join Harvey Leonard, Chief Meteorologist Emeritus | WCVB-TV in this talk about some of the extreme weather conditions we have been experiencing, how meteorologists predict them and how to respond to them. The Office of Sustainability in Natick will talk about weatherizing your home through programs offered with Mass Save. You can learn how to get 75-100% off the cost of an insulation upgrade, and no-cost air sealing to close off drafty air leaks and make your home more comfortable. CLIMATE PREPAREDNESS- IN PERSON Tuesday, October 17, 1:00-2:00pm, free, at Natick Community Senior Center, 117 East Central St, please call to register 508-647-6540. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) will share resources about climate preparedness that were developed by residents of the Town of Natick, and the City of Framingham in summer of 2023. These resources include steps that residents should consider taking to prepare for climate emergencies, such as extreme heat and severe storms.  Food Waste Recycling Outreach
We are looking for a few volunteers to meet us at the Wellesley RDF ("dump") as we talk to people & ask them to sign up for the Town's Food Waste Recycling Program. We have a flyer to handout on the benefits; some show and tell items on how they can do it at their home; plus large blue buckets to give away for those who sign up (provided by Wellesley RDF). Please RSVP to let us know you can help out on one of these Saturday's from 8:30-11:30am: October 7, 14, 21. RSVP to sharonkirby3@gmail.com. Your efforts to share the news with residents about this simple change in their home will help us get more food out of Wellesley's waste stream, and thus help meet our greenhouse gas reduction goal.  The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is expanding commuter rail service this fall. Beginning on Monday, October 2, new schedules will give riders more late night trains from Boston, and more trains during peak travel times.
The changes will help accommodate individuals with unconventional work schedules and those attending late-night events in Boston. For the Framingham-Worcester line, on weekdays and weekends the last train from Boston will depart at 11:55 p.m. For the Needham line, the last train will leave at 10:15 p.m. The T is also adding trains in the morning and evening peak hours, shifting service from hourly "clock face" scheduling to every 45-minutes during busy commuting times. The schedules will be posted on the MBTA website. For the T, these changes are an opportunity for growth by capturing new riders who want other modes of transportation and recouping passenger traffic that dropped off significantly during the COVID pandemic.  Find a new home for your pre loved treasures.
Hold a yard sale at your own home and Wellesley Recreation will advertise and distribute a town-wide map to funnel eager buyers your way. Register online at Wellesley Recreation's website using activity #444388. This year's Wellesley Yard Sale dates are Saturday, Sept. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 1 (you don’t have to do both dates). The suggested time frame is 8am- 5pm (but its OK to set your own hours). |
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