 The MWRTA Catch Connect bus service is extending its service to 8.45pm plus the fees are waived now. The new hours will be Monday through Friday from 6:45 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. The later hours are in response to requests from riders for more night service.
Yes, right now the service is free! Catch Connect is a curb-to-curb ride share service similar to Uber and Lyft that is run by the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA). Service is first-come, first-served; trips can be booked whenever the customer is ready. All Catch Connect vehicles are fully accessible. Rides are booked using the using the MWRTA Catch App on a smartphone. Use the app anywhere in Wellesley to catch the bus to destinations including the following locations outside Wellesley:
For information on Catch Connect fares, visit the MWRTA Fare Information page.  Wellesley Green Schools is collaborative group of caregivers, students and staff working together to reduce Wellesley schools' ecological footprint and to inspire students to create a healthy sustainable world.
Join the Kick off Meeting on Thursday September 19th@10am at the Wellesley Free Library Commons Area. Share what is important to you/your school community this academic year. In order for Wellesley Green Schools to make a difference we need you! Maybe you have a child that just started school or maybe your kids have graduated; either way, if you have an extra hour each week, we would love to work with you! As the mission suggests, the power of WGS comes from us coming together to share ideas and leverage our knowledge! Save the date for the rest of the WGS meetings: 11/14, 1/16, 3/13 and 5/15 Email [email protected] for more information.  Due to vacancies, the Town is seeking to fill 2 Town Meeting Member spots - one in Precinct A and one in Precinct E.
If you are a registered voter in Precinct A or E (A is on the Weston/Natick side of Wellesley and E is on the Needham/Newton side) and interested, please consider running. If elected, you would serve until the next Town Election - March 4, 2025 and should be available to attend the October 21-23 (last day if needed) Special Town Meeting. Nominations are due to the Town Clerk by September 16th at 4 pm. Email us at [email protected] with any questions or contact the Town Clerk.  It all started when sculptor Rebecca Tuck began collecting debris. This sparked her passion for environmental protection. She will share about her transformative personal journey from creator to activist on October 9th at 7pm in the Wakelin Room at the Wellesley Free Library.
From picking up the traces of human made pollution, to the steps of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Rebecca's jouney will inspire you. This gifted artist -- and now change agent -- will encourage you to explore your own potential for personal change and offer ways your individual actions can have an impact on our shared environment. This talk is not just a narrative, it's an invitation for you to explore your own potential for positive change. The event is free and is co-sponsored with Sustainable Wellesley and Art Wellesley. Please register in advance here.  Are you tired of all the plastic that comes with your groceries?
Supply Bulk Foods now brings more than 200 plastic free products including, pasta, coffee, nuts, dried fruit, snacks, bakings needs and so much more to Dedham for pick up. Consider groceries without the waste. Consider getting local friends and neighbors to order online and take turns driving to Dedham for the pickup at Boston General Store. Love the ditching plastic idea and carpooling to get it is appealing! Plus, they are a local company. Thursday, Sept. 5th: Lower Your Energy Costs, Increase Comfort and Health, Capture Incentives & More8/27/2024
 Do you want to:
Wellesley residents aged 60 and above are invited to a presentation and Q&A session on Thursday, September 5th from 1:30-2.30 p.m. at Wellesley’s Tolles Parsons Center (500 Washington St.). Members of the Town of Wellesley’s Climate Action Committee and Sustainable Wellesley will share information on the Town’s no-cost Energy Coaching Program and how home energy upgrades can reduce your home energy costs, increase comfort, and make you eligible for rebates and tax incentives. Register by calling (781) 235-3961. This Wellesley Council of Aging (COA) event is open to residents aged 60+. Healthy snacks will be provided. About Climate Action in Wellesley The Climate Action Committee (CAC) fosters awareness and mobilizes the collective action of residents, businesses, educational institutions, and town employees in Wellesley to combat the existential crisis of climate change. Through education and advocacy, the CAC strives to reduce carbon emissions, promote renewable energy, and cultivate a resilient environment for present and future generations. The Town’s Climate Action Plan provides a roadmap for reaching the Town of Wellesley’s goal to reduce the town’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net-zero by 2050, in concert with the state of Massachusetts and the nation’s carbon neutrality goals. The Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (WMLP) delivers environmentally sustainable and highly reliable electricity and telecommunication services at competitive rates and provide financial and in-kind support to the Town. The WMLP leads many carbon reduction efforts including the Town’s Energy Coaching Program. Sustainable Wellesley, is a nonprofit organization that engages Wellesley residents, businesses, and the Town of Wellesley to take sustainable actions to protect our climate; reduce pollution of air, land and water; preserve biodiversity; minimize waste; and ensure environmental justice.  Wellesley resident and NCDS senior Fiona Jabson is probably similar to some of you. She often had conversations with friends, cousins, classmates about being “sustainable.” As the conversations evolved, those people close to her would ask her what that really means and how does that play out in a teenagers' life.
Fiona took those discussions seriously and created a sustainable clothing resource website called Earthos. Earthos is there to empower consumers like you - and her community - to shop for attractive, timeless, and quality products that you can feel good about in terms of their environmental impact. This year long project is now ready for YOU. You can shop for anything from Jeans + Pants to makeup and everything in between. She is not getting any financial cut from this but offering a way to shop with an environmental impact in mind. Way to go Fiona for making it that much easier to do the right thing.  Sustainable Wellesley shares a variety of ways you can make an impact.
Using pre-loved items is one small way you can do something. Re-using items circumvents the need for manufacturing new items (they have already gone through the resource-intensive stages of production making the product's carbon footprint substantially lower than something new). Plus, re-used items are not ending up in a landfill or incinerators where items release harmful greenhouse gasses, and other pollutants. One item you may have not considered to put into recirculation are bras! A local non profit organization called Dignity Matters collects, purchases and supplies bras, menstrual products, and underwear to women and girls who are homeless or disadvantaged, in order to help them stay healthy, regain self-confidence, and live with basic dignity. They accept new or like-new bras in all sizes, styles and brands (including sports bras and maternity bras). Cup sizes D and up and band sizes 38 and up are needed most. While you are at it, consider donating pads, tampons, pantyliners, menstrual cups, and incontinence underwear. If items are individually wrapped, THEY CAN ACCEPT OPEN PACKAGES. Sanitary pads and incontinence underwear are their most requested items. In addition, feel free to donate new underwear (in original packaging), and new reusable “period underwear” in all sizes, styles and brands. Why is this important? People commonly associate period poverty with developing countries, but it is a significant, hidden and local issue here in US, and, in Ma. Did you know that 1 in 5 college students can't afford menstrual care? A degree and work are out of reach if you miss class or work every time you have your period. There is a donation drop off bin right here in Wellesley at 18 MacArthur Rd! Thanks for all you do to lessen your impact including donating pre loved bras and more to Dignity Matters.  Register for ‘Understanding the Massachusetts MOR-EV Rebate for Electric Cars’ on August 14 & 15
Maybe you know Massachusetts has a rebate for electric cars and trucks called MOR-EV. What you might not know:
Register for August 14 at 7:30pm Register for August 15 at 10am  Habit to Habitat: Lawn to Diversity in WellesleyTake an Eco-Tour in WellesleySat, August 10 @ 10:00am - 12:00 pm
Join Landscape Interactions Principal Evan Abramson for a walking tour of the new Simons Park landscape design in downtown Wellesley. What was once a half-acre lawn is now a highly diverse, highly designed community space to support at-risk bees and butterflies in Eastern Massachusetts. The project features seven unique areas, including a native flowering grassland, bee and butterfly lawn, meadow, woodland edge, reading nook, shaded understory and circular gathering space. Learn about Landscape Interactions’ hands on collaboration with the Wellesley Natural Resources Commission and DPW to restore this landscape to higher levels of biodiversity. Evan Abramson, MSc, is Founder and Principal of Landscape Interactions. A former Land Use and Natural Resources Planner at the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, Evan designed a climate resiliency plan for the Deerfield River Watershed, the first of its kind in the Commonwealth. Prior to earning a Master of Science in Ecological Design from the Conway School of Landscape Design, Evan worked as a community organizer, farmer, environmental filmmaker and photojournalist and author of Pollinate Now: Bioregional Strategy for Habitat Restoration in the Hudson River Estuary Watershed, Lincoln Pollinator Action Plan and Farming for Biodiversity, among other publications. NOTE: There is plenty of free parking at the Wellesley Free Library on Washington Street. The library address is 530 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA. Please park behind the library and meet at the benches between the library parking lot and the adjacent park. NOTE: Maximum number of people is 50; any more and it becomes difficult for people to follow! Please note: Registration for this event is now free for Ecological Landscape Alliance members and $10 for nonmembers.  Inspiration comes in a variety of ways.
Michael T. Roberts found his creative inspiration in a Mitsubishi heat pump, sparking the idea for an R&B ballad that not only entertains, but also educates about the real-life benefits of heat pump technology. Central to the song's success is the collaboration between Mike and his good friend, renowned recording artist, Will Hammond Jr. Their shared vision and commitment to climate action infused the "(I'm Your) Heat Pump" song with an audacious combination of funk, humor, and purpose. The song has now been transformed into an “electrifying” music video that you can watch here. Email us at [email protected]: 1) Let us know what inspires you 2) Ask about how you can get a heat pump 3) Learn about other ways to reduce your home/car's energy usage and costs 4) How you can access all the local, state and federal rebates and incentives  The Massachusetts Senate just passed sweeping climate legislation. This is the third cutting-edge bill that will enable us to build up the clean power supply without taking a big toll on the household budget. Thank you Senator Creem for your pivotal roll in the Clean Heat parts of the Senate bill #S.2829. Now it is the House's turn.
Specifically, this bill will allow Massachusetts to install new solar, wind, and storage as well as charging electric vehicles and powering heat pumps. The bill qualifies moderate-income customers for discounted utility rates and delivers financial relief by curbing the current biases in state law that favor extending the natural gas system beyond its useful life. If signed into law, the legislation will also help us decarbonize buildings and our transit by expanding the mission of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to include carbon removal, embodied carbon, and nuclear power. In other good news, the Senate unanimously passed the Affordable Homes Act (a Housing Bond bill) offering $150 million allocated for public housing decarbonization and $275 million allocated for green and sustainable housing initiatives.  If you are curious about:
Register for David Green's free "Zero Carbon, Zero Bills" webinar on July 9th at 7PM (Eastern time). Sherborn resident David Green has cut his own home's carbon emissions and bills to zero (making a 15% return on investment) and loves driving his Tesla Model S and Ford F150 Lightning for far less than their gas-powered equivalents, and without range anxiety. The F150 has also powered my house for 24 hours during a grid outage. He has authored two books on cutting carbon emissions (endorsed by both Bill McKibben and Paul Hawken) and has created this webinar that thousands of people have seen seen. David is an energy geek with a BA in physics from Oxford University and a finance nerd with an MBA from Harvard Business School. David has retired from a career in biotechnology (he founded two companies, was CEO of both and took both public on NASDAQ) and does not work for any installer or manufacturer of energy products - his advice is completely independent. The presentation part of the webinar lasts about 45 minutes and then David will stay on the call until the last person's question gets answered.  Wellesley's Municipal Light Plant (WMLP) will be offering a rebate to qualifying residential solar installations starting Monday, July 8th. The rebate amount will be $1,200 per installed kW of solar generation capacity to a maximum rebate of $12,000. WMLP will pay participating residential customers the wholesale rate for excess solar generation.
Solar energy is the most cost-effective way for homes and businesses in Wellesley to lower their energy bills and lock in reliable energy costs from a proven clean energy solution: the sun. Ready to investigate solar electricity for your home? Here is the Process: Step 1: (optional) Estimate your property's potential for solar energy production with this tool. Step 2: Get competing solar quotes from EnergySage, or other local solar installers. Solar installers known to more recently work in our Town but for whom the WMLP does not endorse or sponsor include SunBug/ReVision Energy, Devlin Energy, Trinity Solar, Great Skye, and DeFreitas Enterprises. Step 3: Choose an installer. Step 4: On behalf of the Project Owner, the Installer completes the WMLP Net Metering / Interconnection Service Agreement. The WMLP ISA, along with the Installer's online diagram, and technical specifications for the inverters, must be submitted to the WMLP. Do not install upon WMLP interconnection approval; rebate approval occurs after WMLP approval via this portal. Rebate approvals are issued via a Rebate Reservation email. Any project installed without a Rebate Reservation letter is at the project owner’s risk. Step 5: Submit a rebate application through this portal. Monitor your emails for notifications. Once submitted, your rebate application will await sign-off from WMLP that confirms an approved interconnection. All communication regarding the rebate application is via ENE portal notifications, including requests for additional information and rebate approval, and detailed directions & forms for the completion process. Step 6: Install an ALSO ENERGY Locus Meter. To qualify for the MLP Solar rebate program, you must install an Also Energy Locus Meter. Please contact Also Energy to order your meter and data package: 866-303-5668 / [email protected] Step 7: Rebate Reservation/Installation Approval. Await portal application validation. Provide additional documents, as requested via portal auto-notifcations. The Rebate Reservation letter is approval to install the system. Step 8: Install system and receive a Permission to Operate letter/ document from WMLP. Arrange for inspections by wire inspector; get building permit. WMLP inspects facility and performs witness test. WMLP provides written authorization to operate. Step 9: Submit completion documents to portal application. Await payment. Please note: Customers must apply for the rebate and will not be given the option of enrolling in the full (retail) net metering program. If the customer’s application is denied, the customer would only then become eligible to enroll in the WMLP’s full net metering program without the rebate, provided the customer: 1) submitted the application before the WMLP grants permission to operate the solar system and within 180 calendar days of the new program’s launch date; and 2) the solar system complies with the requirements stipulated in the Interconnection Service Agreement and Approval to Install. After the WMLP’s new solar rebate program has been in place for 180 calendar days, there will be no new enrollments of solar customers in the full net metering program. Resources and Document Links
Federal and State Residential Solar and Battery Storage Incentives
Solar in Wellesley Learn more about the Town of Wellesley's commitment to maximizing solar in town.  “What‘s happening is a crime – a crime against all of our citizens, young and old, and a crime against our planet,” said Wellesley's Chief of Police Jack Pilecki in regards to the environmental crisis in his PSA a few years ago.
Wellesley's very own "Green Police Chief" Jack Pilecki will retire on June 30. His commitment to sustainability went well beyond the station's water hydration station and reusable water bottles. Chief Pilecki added hybrid and electric cruisers to the fleet; installed an electric charging station; took on idling at the schools; installed a bike repair station at the police station; and encouraged his officers to participate in the Rules of the Ride youth biking event. We wish the Chief all the best in retirement and congratulate the new Chief of Police, Scott Whittemore. We look forward to more emissions reduction opportunities with Chief Whittemore, a Wellesley native and 28-year veteran of WPD.  Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (WMLP) is anticipating a peak in the demand for electricity on June 19 and June 20 due to predicted high temperatures.
Electricity use is expected to peak between the hours of 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on both days. Customers are asked to voluntarily cut back on energy use during this time, to help shave the peak and save the planet. This does not mean there is a shortage of electricity. Reducing demand during this period will help reduce both energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Cut back electric use by turning up your air conditioner thermostat a few degrees, turning off car chargers, dehumidifiers, pool filters, clothes dryers, and other unnecessary appliances. By 8:00 p.m. the peak should pass and you can resume regular use. Please share this information with friends and neighbors.  From the Town of Wellesley:Electric Vehicle (EV) owners can now use two new Level 3 fast charging stations recently installed at the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (WMLP).
The charging stations are located at 4 Municipal Way. Each station has two different charging cords and is designed to charge at 100 Kilowatts (KW). Payments must be made using the FLO EV Charging app which can be downloaded from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. As approved by the WMLP Board, the charging per kilowatt hour fees are based on the time of day: Time Days Hours $/kWh Off Peak Saturday - Sunday All Day $0.25 Off Peak Monday - Friday 9 PM - 6 AM $0.25 Mid Peak Monday - Friday 6 AM - 4 PM $0.50 Peak Monday - Friday 4 PM - 9 PM $0.75 Each station has a maximum charging rate of 100 kW. There is an idle fee of $1.00 per minute after a 10-minute grace period for a vehicle that has been parked at a station for more than 2 hours. These stations can be used by anyone with the FLO app and will show up on public charging station maps like Plug Share.  From the Town of Wellesley:
Mandatory outdoor watering restrictions are in effect for all Wellesley citizens and business owners for Summer 2024. The requirements include alternate day outdoor watering schedules for homes and businesses, a ban on outdoor watering between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and a request to reduce the amount of outdoor watering time by 20 percent. These efforts are needed to ensure that Wellesley’s water supply is sufficient to protect the health and safety of residents, including providing enough water necessary to fight fires. This is a preventative measure to ensure adequate water supply throughout Town while the PFAS filter media is being replaced at the Morses Pond Groundwater Treatment Plant. Typically, this treatment plant supplies over 750,000 gallons of water per day to homes and businesses. We anticipate that the plant will be down between 1 to 3 weeks. If our region experiences drought conditions in the coming months, additional restrictions may be required. Outdoor Water Use Alternate Day RestrictionsBased upon street address numbers, essential and nonessential outdoor water use IS ALLOWED according to the following schedule:
Essential uses of water are:
To help maintain appropriate water levels in Town storage tanks, the DPW is also asking residents to reduce the amount outdoor watering time by 20%. For example, if you have an automated irrigation system with a 15-minute watering time in each zone, you should reduce each zone’s watering duration by at least 3 minutes. Additional water conservation recommendations include checking for and repairing any water leaks in irrigation systems, faucets, showerheads, and toilets.  The Wellesley Housing Task Force and Barrett Planning Group will hold an in-person community meeting on Tuesday, June 18 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Wellesley High School (50 Rice Street).
Keep in mind that Wellesley has a goal adopted by Town Meeting in 2021 to reduce town-wide greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 (with interim targets to reduce these emissions 50% below a 2007 baseline by 2030 and 75% below the 2007 baseline by 2040) and dense housing can help us meet this goal. The public, and especially residents, developers, business owners, and service providers are encouraged to attend. The meeting will include a presentation on the current state of housing in Wellesley and the opportunity for all participants to provide insight on a new Strategic Housing Plan for our community. Wellesley's existing Housing Production Plan was approved in 2018 and was intended to guide the Town for five years. Despite meeting many of the recommendations in the 2018 plan, the housing market in Wellesley has evolved and Massachusetts has passed new regulations, such as the MBTA Communities Law, that impact housing. As a result, the Town has determined it needs to develop new strategies to create the varied housing needed to support our community. This meeting is part of a planned community engagement program to gather input and feedback as the Town develops its new Strategic Housing Plan.  Do you need to upgrade your heating system? It might be a good time to consider heat pumps, a super-efficient heating option that also provides cooling in summer. There are big rebates & incentives to install heat pumps, but not every HVAC technician knows how to install them correctly. Hear from EnergySage about trusted installers and advice when it comes time to compare their quotes. They’ll get you oriented so you can ask the right questions and find the best answers to suit your home.
Join the popular and informative Heat Pumps webinar for a conversation with Caleb Pulliam from EnergySage and Loie Hayes, Energy Efficiency Coordinator at Green Energy Consumers, and plenty of time for questions after the presentation. Wednesday, June 5 from 12-1pm. Register here for this online event. Register even if you can't attend, and they'll send you a link to the recording afterwards.  Navigating the Metro West using Public Transportation: An MWRTA Travel Training Program for Increasing Independent Mobility
Register for this event on Tuesday June 4th 2-3pm The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority proudly offers a comprehensive travel training program to empower individuals with the skills and knowledge to navigate public transportation confidently and independently. Join us for an informal session where you will learn about our personalized training sessions, accessibility options, route planning tools, and more. Whether you are a first-time rider or looking to enhance your skills, this program is tailored to meet individual needs and support your journey towards greater mobility and freedom.  You may have heard or have been part of one of the three contentious housing submissions and zoning proposals in Wellesley over the past 12 months.
If you are interested in how other communities have internally collaborated to produce successful housing and land conservation projects, watch this recording. Examples from three communities were presented followed by respondents from Wellesley leaders at last week's panel discussion: "Housing and Land Conservation – It Does Not Have to Be Either/Or." Watch the recording here. Great food for thought.  Does the noise of the spring landscaping equipment have you a bit rattled?
Sustainable Wellesley co-sponsored an event earlier this month that offered options for making the shift to cleaner, quieter land care practices that are healthier for you, your neighbors and your landcare professionals. For ideas and inspiration, watch the recording here.  The Wellesley Food Waste Outreach Program has begun.
Help out on Saturday, May May 18 or Saturday, May 25th from 8:30-11:00am at the RDF ("dump"). We are looking for a few volunteers to share the news about the Town's Food Waste Program. Organizers will be there to help and offer you the easy 'show & tell' kit ahead of time. You will simply be asking residents at the RDF if they know about the Town's food waste program and if they have not you can share a quick overview and offer them a no cost blue composting bucket and some material about the new partnership with Black Earth Composting. Why should you help out? Recycling food waste means:
Here is how to get started:
 Bring your family, neighbors and friends to walk with us in the Wellesley Parade this Sunday from 1-3pm.
Enjoy the shout outs and cheers from friendly spectators along the route. You can feel the environmental enthusiasm in town. We will be encouraging actions that will help us meet the Town-wide goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Help us get the word out on fighting pollution on Sunday. We will be lining up at 12.45pm on the corner of Elm and Washington Streets (Pole #16). Should be fun. Strollers welcome. Email us at [email protected] or RSVP here docs.google.com/forms/d/1IRLZLOn9BOURn7sIPjloVwQztp5pZB6KFLRAABFNg7g/edit?ts=6639654a |
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