Category: Take Action

The Environmental Impact of Fashion

8/3/2019

The environmental impact of the fashion industry

We applaud all of you that came up with creative ways to reduce your plastic usage in July. Keep it up! This month, we thought we would start discussing something many of us don’t think about when it comes to plastic waste reduction (climate change and greenhouse gases too)…FASHION.

All of us, approximately 8 billion people globally, need fabrics. After water and food it is a top necessity but did you know that approximately 64% of our clothes are made from plastics (polyester, acrylic and nylon)? Plastics are byproducts of fossil fuel and to convert fossil fuel into fabrics, significant amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) are released. By sharing some facts about plastics in our clothing and best practices, we hope to encourage a discussion that helps reduce our carbon footprints.

Students - get ready for September 20th

7/24/2019

Global Climate Strike
Friday September 20th

Students, you may already know that there is a global, youth-led Climate Strike called by Greta Thunberg for September 20th.

Across the world, youth have been striking from their schools following the lead of Greta Thunberg. Greta and 42 other youth strike leaders have called for a global strike with adult support on 9/20 with a week of action to follow.

Milkweed for sale at July Jubilation

7/15/2019

Monarch Butterfly

Sustainable Wellesley will be selling Asclepias incarnata/ swamp milkweed plants this Saturday at July Jubilation.

By planting milkweed in your yard, you are helping the monarch butterfly population. They need to eat milkweed to survive, plus these beautiful pink plants attract even more beautiful butterflies to your home!

Find us at from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm in front of Bruegger’s Bagels. Come by and learn about new initiatives that the Natural Resources Commission and Sustainable Wellesley have going on.

Calling all Ocean Huggers!

6/10/2019

Kids playing in the ocean

Thank you Susan Z for this inspiration!

FIRST: What does the ocean mean to your kids? Ask them: whales, starfish, mermaids, underwater volcanoes, mysterious deep water creatures, scuba diving, sailing, swimming, sandcastles, tide pools, haunted shipwrecks…
NOW, WATCH THIS: Ble Planet II - Attenboros message for Worls Ocean's Day

The ocean means so much to the world, beyond the beauty and mystery, but it desperately needs preservation. Did you know that the equivalent of one giant truckload of trash (mostly plastics) is dumped into the ocean EVERY MINUTE? For this reason, from the Arctic to Zanzibar, millions of people will be celebrating World Oceans Day, this week. Your children (and you) can get involved by checking out the World Oceans Day Youth Advisory who collaborate with the Youth 4 the Oceans network.

Borrow THINGS from the Library

5/15/2019

Borrow this Karaoke machine from the library!

It has happened to all of us. You are home and in need of something but don’t really want to spend money on it, or go out and find one. Did you know you can borrow things easily from the Wellesley Free Library’s Library of Things? They have a wide collection of non-traditional library items and the collection is ever-expanding.

See full list here. Imagine, with the power of your library card you can borrow these and 100+ other items! Adapters of all kinds Binocular Birding kit Cake Pan Electronic Keyboard Games International Plugs Karaoke Machine Laptops Luggage Scale Save Memories Kit Tape to Digital Converter Tool kits and more!

Show Your Support For A Net Zero Energy Building & No Gas at The Hunnewell School Public Forum Thursday Night

5/14/2019

This is the future of education

As the plans get closer to completion, it is important for the community to show its support for the Net Zero Energy and no gas hook up designs that have been created for the future Hunnewell School building. Learn more and show your support at the 3rd Hunnewell School Feasibility Study Public Forum this Thursday, May 9 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Wellesley Middle School Auditorium. The forum is intended to give residents an update and an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the:

Feasibility study schedule and process
Building design and parking options
Sustainability approach
Swing space options

Additional information about the Hunnewell Feasibility Study is available on the School Building Committee (SBC) webpages on the Town of Wellesley website.SBC meetings can be viewed on demand on the Wellesley Media Government channel.Can’t make it or have questions or comments? Please Email the SBC here.

Summer is coming - lower your cooling costs!

5/14/2019

Lower your cooling costs

Worried about Summer Cooling costs? Want to cut your utility bills? Come to a Home Energy Savings Seminar at the Tolles Parsons Center on May 22nd at 1:30 PM to learn ways to reduce your energy usage and make your home more comfortable and efficient.

The seminar will review available programs that help you reduce energy usage. The Wellesley Municipal Light Plant and National Grid offer no-cost energy audits, free light bulbs and significant rebates and assistance on insulation, heating equipment and appliances. The seminar will familiarize you with the home audit process.

Please bring your oil, gas and electric bills with you. Volunteers will help you calculate your benchmark energy rating and assist with the audit process. Sign-up with the COA 781-235-3961. Walk-ins are welcome.

This program is sponsored by the Wellesley Sustainable Energy Committee.

Green Collaborative Meeting to Highlight Emissions Reduction Opportunities

5/2/2019

You are invited...

The featured topic at Wellesley’s Green Collaborative will be “Electricity as a Pathway to Emissions Reductions in Wellesley”. Thursday May 9, 2019, in the Wakelin Room at Wellesley Free Library. Networking will begin at 9 a.m. and the program will begin promptly at 9:15 a.m.

As of June 30, 2019, electricity from the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant will contain 31% fewer emissions than in 2007. WMLP Board Member Jeff Wechsler will discuss the contributions to this success and the foundation that has been set for continued emission reductions. Looking to the future, guest speaker David Farnsworth will discuss what must be accomplished to reliably manage the growing amount of variable generation from renewable sources and how “beneficial electrification” is part of the equation.Wellesley’s Green Collaborative is facilitated by the Town’s Sustainable Energy Committee (SEC).

Green Home & Living Tour

5/1/2019

Tour green homes

A recent NY Times Op Ed: Your Gas Stove Is Bad for You and the Planet

Want to do something about your gas stove? your gas heat? your fossil fuel car?

Experience everyday life without gas or gas leaks. Mothers Out Front teams in Jamaica Plain are hosting a Green Tour where you can see the future happening today.

JAMAICA PLAIN: Sunday May 19th, 2-4pm
Take a self-guided tour in central JP, showcasing green living– from solar panels to electric cars, composting, beekeeping, edible gardens, etc. in about 15 homes (and a few businesses and community sites). Neighbors can learn from neighbors and help us all envision what a clean-energy future could look like. Online map and event page are here.

See You Sunday at Sustainable Wellesley ACTION Meeting April 28th 12-1.30pm

4/23/2019

You're invited to an Action meeting

Please join us THIS SUNDAY April 28th, for the Sustainable Wellesley ACTION meeting from 12:00 – 1:30pm at 161 Oakland Street, Wellesley – the studio above the garage. Get ready for good folks and conversations, some snacks and ACTION on issues you care about.

Some topics on the agenda include:

Transportation

Pesticide Reduction Plan
Plastic Reduction Progress!
Parade Planning

Let us know if there are topics you would like to see on the agenda. Feel free to share this invite with others. All are welcome. RSVP via email

“It’s Vital Not To Idle,” Says Wellesley Girl Scout Troop 73505

4/23/2019

It's vital not to idle flyer

Town departments across Wellesley, Girl Scout Troop 73505 and Wellesley Green Schools are proud to launch the Earth Day 2019 No Idling Campaign. Commencing on Earth Day, Monday, April 22, Girl Scouts have been out at a variety of schools thanking drivers for NOT IDLING with handmade car fresheners with a no idling message.

The Girl Scouts are sharing the message that not only is idling against the law and there are costs associated with idling, but it’s unhealthy, especially for children around school car lines.

Thanks to a coordinated campaign with Wellesley’s Board of Selectmen, Health, Police, Public Works, Recreation, and School Departments, as well as Wellesley’s Housing Authority, Natural Resources Commission, the Municipal Light Plant, Sustainable Energy Committee, Trails Committee, Wellesley Free Library, and Youth Commission, in conjunction with Dana Hall School, Friends of Brookside, Friends of Morses Pond, Sustainable Wellesley, Temple Beth Elohim Green Team, UU Wellesley, Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project, Wellesley Village Church, Wellesley Conservation Council, Wellesley Council on Aging, Wellesley Green Schools, Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, Wellesley United Soccer Club, Wellesley Weston Chabad House, Wellesley Youth Baseball & Softball, Wellesley Youth Lacrosse Club, and the inspirational Girl Scout Troop 73505, it will be hard to ignore the town-wide no idling messaging.

Stretch Code Needs Updating

4/11/2019

The orange on this map represents every town or city in MA that has adopted the stretch code - over 2/3 of the state.

According to the most recent report of the Sustainable Energy Committee, 53% of Wellesley’s carbon emissions come from buildings, through inefficient design and construction. But our town’s green building requirements can’t exceed those of the state’s “stretch code” and, right now, that “stretch code” is in bad need of updating.

Advocates of a Net Zero Stretch Code are urged to either write or attend the next meeting of the BBRS on this issue.

RSVP to join us at the May 7th BBRS Hearing - click here
Sample letter is here.
Click for the Net Zero Stretch Code fact sheet.pdf

For more information, email Mary.

Way to Go Wellesley!

4/11/2019

Way to go Wellesley!

Post by Kelly Caiazzo

We’re grateful to everyone who joined us for Sustainable Wellesley and the NRC’s screening of Before the Flood. I’m all about what’s possible. We saw that it was possible to fill a room with people who wanted to watch a documentary about the environment while serving a plant-based meal with no single-use plastics and entirely compostable or reusable serving ware. Facing the reality of climate change and thinking about the way it impacts human and animal life on the planet is a heavy topic, but there are ways we can shift our behavior so that we contribute less to the problem. And when others see us making changes and prioritizing the environment when we vote, eat, consume, drive or entertain, public awareness increases and our efforts can compound. Click read more below for resources

Thanks so much for joining us last night, and we hope to see you again in the future! Our next film is Stink! on May 21st and we’re serving burritos. RSVP here

Inspiring Sisters

4/11/2019

Project Plastic, USA

Two sisters, Ayesha & Vaani, are hoping to reduce plastic in local communities by elimination, education and prevention. These Wellesley Public School students have learned how plastic is destroying the Earth but are frustrated that not many people are doing anything about it. They want to make a change.

They believe the first step to doing so is by picking plastic up from the streets of our own town. Please join them on Saturday, April 27th from 2-3pm to pick up plastic, and other litter from the sidewalk of Route 9 that stretches from Cliff road to Kingsbury street. Meet at the bottom of Cliff road, at the intersection with Route 16, where they will provide the trash collection bags and gloves.

“We would just like people to come with a positive attitude, and be ready to help, and if they cannot join us, we would love for people to go out to their backyards and streets and help remove plastic from their community,” said Ayesha & Vaani. “Thank you so much for all you help!”

Dont Miss The Friends of Brookside Annual Clean-Up This Saturday, April 13th

4/11/2019

Family participating in clean up day

The Friends of Brookside is hosting its annual Spring Clean-up this Saturday, April 13, at 9 am. Feel free to bring family, friends and neighbors to the meeting spot at Longfellow Pond (off of Oakland St).

Friends of Brookside is a community association of Wellesley residents dedicated to protecting and preserving Scenic Brookside Road, Longfellow Pond, Town Forest, Rosemary Brook and Brookside Community Gardens. The Brookside area boasts natural beauty in all seasons.

Repair Cafe returns to Wellesley

3/28/2019

Repair Cafe. Toss it - no way!

Wondering what do you do with:

a broken lamp?
a clock?
pants with a split seam?
a dull knife?
a chair that is unglued?
a broken vacuum?

Fix it at the Repair Cafe!

After many successful Repair Café events, the Rotary Club of Wellesley is holding a forth Café at the Wellesley Recreation Center on April 6th from 10:00 AM to 1PM.

Click on read more below for repair cafe rules and to register for the event.

Another Opportunity for You! Wellesley NRC is looking for candidates

3/26/2019

Wellesley Natural Resource Commission Logo

The Wellesley Natural Resources Commission (NRC) is seeking applications from Wellesley residents to fill a one-year appointed position on the Commission.

Residents may apply by submitting a letter or resume stating qualifications and reasons for desiring to serve to NRC Director Brandon Schmitt at [email protected] by end of day April 5, 2019.

Applicants should include relevant and specific experience in town activities and/or town government involvement supportive of the NRC’s purview and mission. Read more below.

Lise Olney Stepping Down from Sustainable Wellesley Leadership

3/18/2019

Lise Olney

We are very proud that Sustainable Wellesley’s Leadership Team member Lise Olney was elected to the Wellesley Board of Selectmen on March 5th. After eight years on the leadership team of Sustainable Wellesley, Olney will be stepping down to focus on her new role in town government. She will no longer have a voting position on the Sustainable Wellesley team but plans to remain involved in our activities.

A revolution in Wellesley?

3/1/2019

Graph of Wellesley plug in car sales

Post by Scott Bender

Is there a transportation revolution in Wellesley? Last year Plug-in car sales increased by 58% bringing the total number to more than 200 cars. Plug-in cars include Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV).

Facebook users check this out

2/25/2019

Way to go Wellesley!

For those of you on Facebook looking for an easy way to interact with the Wellesley community, consider joining the Sustainable Living Wellesley Facebook group. Folks are talking about leaf blowers, gardening ideas, toilet paper, potential electric vehicle purchases, gifting items they don’t use anymore, and much more! You can ask questions, share ideas and have more of an exchange of ideas then simply reading the newsletter.

What's in your wine?

2/13/2019

What's really in your wine?

Many of us care about the what we eat and how our food is sourced, but have you considered what is in your wine?

Wellesley resident, mom, chef and the friendly face at the Wellesley Farmers’ Market pick up spot for Farmers’ to You, Janine Malone, wondered the same. After doing some research, she learned and loved the idea of drinking clean-crafted wine that is organic or biodynamic, vegan and bottled consciously, with no chemicals or added sugar. She now sells a variety of these wines, all from small family vineyards that hand picked their grapes.

Contact her for more information. These are the wines folks have tasted at two recent Sustainable Wellesley events – Taste the Future; and Conversation with The Candidates and Community Dinner.

Cheers!

Local Environmental Action Conference

2/13/2019

Local Environmental Action Conference flyer

Mass Climate Action Network’s annual Local Environmental Action conference this year will be on Saturday, April 27th in Worcester, MA.

Registration is open! Register today to reserve your spot.

For the past 32 years, they have brought hundreds of community leaders and activists together for a day of learning and skill sharing. This is the biggest gathering of environmental and public health activists in our region, and you don’t want to miss it.What: Local Environmental Action 2019

Be proud of your Toxin-Feee Lawn!

2/13/2019

Free Toxin-Free yardsigns available

Be proud that your lawn isn’t treated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Wellesley’s Natural Resources Commission is offering, as part of it continued Grow Green Wellesley Campaign, these free lawn signs to highlight your healthy lawn this spring. They will even come install it for you.

Email them for more information.Want an organic lawn and looking for assistance?

Try giving some of these organic landscapers a call.

WHAT?? Imagine Filling Fenway Park With Trash 30 Times In A Year! That’s the projected exported #s for MA by 2025!

2/13/2019

Fenway Park

“We have a ‘waste’ problem,” said Jeff Azano-Brown, RDF Superintendent at a recent presentation in Wellesley. If you missed it, watch it here thanks to Wellesley Media.

The good new is that the current crisis in recycling gives us the opportunity to take a look at how we handle waste. The United States generates 30% of the world’s waste and only comprises 4% of the world’s population.Massachusetts is projected to export 40% of our trash out of state by 2025. That’s enough trash to fill Fenway Park 30 times per year. We need to clean up our recycling and reduce our waste. Wellesley has several programs to assist in this effort and the RDF is one of them. The food waste program at the RDF is a new initiative to increase recycling and is now open to all residents.

To learn more about the program click here or call 781-235-7600 extension 3345. Thanks to Wellesley’s League of Women Voters, the UU Church in Wellesley for sponsoring this event.

Make time to Vote Tuesday

2/9/2019

**Make sure you have time on your calendar on Tuesday, March 5th to vote!**

Want to learn more about the candidates running and their thoughts on responsible, sustainable issues? Click here to see what they had to say at Sustainable Wellesley’s Conversations With The Candidates before election day on Tuesday.

In addition, click on the Board names in the read more below section to read the thoughtful responses (and more detailed than the video above) that most candidates offered to Sustainable Wellesley’s questions.

Your Vote Counts

<<Previous

Forward>>

The Environmental Impact of Fashion

Students - get ready for September 20th

Milkweed for sale at July Jubilation

Calling all Ocean Huggers!

Borrow THINGS from the Library

Show Your Support For A Net Zero Energy Building & No Gas at The Hunnewell School Public Forum Thursday Night

Summer is coming - lower your cooling costs!

Green Collaborative Meeting to Highlight Emissions Reduction Opportunities

Green Home & Living Tour

See You Sunday at Sustainable Wellesley ACTION Meeting April 28th 12-1.30pm

“It’s Vital Not To Idle,” Says Wellesley Girl Scout Troop 73505

Stretch Code Needs Updating

Way to Go Wellesley!

Inspiring Sisters

Dont Miss The Friends of Brookside Annual Clean-Up This Saturday, April 13th

Repair Cafe returns to Wellesley

Another Opportunity for You! Wellesley NRC is looking for candidates

Lise Olney Stepping Down from Sustainable Wellesley Leadership

A revolution in Wellesley?

Facebook users check this out

What's in your wine?

Local Environmental Action Conference

Be proud of your Toxin-Feee Lawn!

WHAT?? Imagine Filling Fenway Park With Trash 30 Times In A Year! That’s the projected exported #s for MA by 2025!

Make time to Vote Tuesday

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