 If only you were capturing all that rain today!
With water costs on the rise, capturing rainwater runoff provides a free source of water that can be used to water gardens and green spaces around your home. Are you interested in purchasing a rain barrel at a discount? Wellesley's Natural Resources Commission (NRC) is partnering again with The Great American Rain Barrel Company to provide rain barrels made from repurposed olive barrels at a reduced price of $89.00. Note: Due to high demand in other communities, delivery is not expected until the end of June. Sign up and delivery information is pending. Interested parties can email the NRC Here.  Wednesday, March 8, 2023 7 to 8:30 p.m.Register here Wellesley Annual Town Meeting 2023 will consider adoption of the Municipal Opt-in Specialized Energy Code (Opt-in Code). Join us on March 8 for a presentation and roundtable discussion with building and sustainability experts. Panelists: Tom Catalano, AIA, Principal, Catalano Architects Mark Doughty, Principal, Thoughtforms Nick Falkoff, Owner and General Manager, Auburndale Builders Allen Hebert, Operations Manager, Facilities Management Department, Town of Wellesley Hank Keating, AIA, President, Passive House Massachusetts Marybeth Martello, Sustainability Director, Town of Wellesley Ellen Watts, FAIA, LEED AP Topics:
Learn more here. Questions? Contact Wellesley's Sustainability Director, Marybeth Martello, mmartello@wellesleyma.gov Sponsored by the Town of Wellesley Select Board and Climate Action Committee Wednesday, March 8, 2023 7 to 8:30 p.m.Register here Wellesley Annual Town Meeting 2023 will consider adoption of the Municipal Opt-in Specialized Energy Code (Opt-in Code). Join us on March 8 for a presentation and roundtable discussion with building and sustainability experts. Panelists: Tom Catalano, AIA, Principal, Catalano Architects Mark Doughty, Principal, Thoughtforms Nick Falkoff, Owner and General Manager, Auburndale Builders Allen Hebert, Operations Manager, Facilities Management Department, Town of Wellesley Hank Keating, AIA, President, Passive House Massachusetts Marybeth Martello, Sustainability Director, Town of Wellesley Ellen Watts, FAIA, LEED AP Topics:
Learn more here. Questions? Contact Wellesley's Sustainability Director, Marybeth Martello, mmartello@wellesleyma.gov Sponsored by the Town of Wellesley Select Board and Climate Action Committee  With half of the candidates for Town-wide offices in contested races, your vote will count so make sure you know who will work on things you care about.
As you get ready to vote tomorrow, please read what the candidates have said they would do for our climate on a local level. Please, encourage your local friends and family to have their voice heard by voting tomorrow. Not sure where to vote, click here. **Please note, Sustainable Wellesley is a 501c3 non profit organization that does not endorse any candidates.  Spring into Action on the First Day of Spring - Join the Bank Day of Action - Tuesday, 3/21/23
Our banks – where we have our credit cards, our checking and savings accounts, our mortgages, our home equity loans – our banks are financing the fossil fuel industry. As their customers, we must tell them to stop enabling climate destruction and, instead, finance a livable future. Across the country, Third Act and so many of our allies are speaking out to JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citi, the top four US banks financing the fossil fuel industry and the damage they inflict. How to join?
Local planned actions are: Boston: Tuesday, March 21 at 12:00 – 1:30pm Downtown Crossing 425 Washington St Intersection with Winter St. Boston, MA Newton: Tuesday, March 21 at 12 – 1:30pm Newton Center, intersection of Beacon and Center Streets - southeast corner Newton, MA  Protecting birds and their habitats can be as simple as changing your morning coffee. A young Wellesley birder has created a conservation campaign to encourage neighbors and businesses to switch to shade-grown coffee, which is better for the environment and birds.
Henry, age 10, has been birding for most of his life and drawing birds for the past few years. He was looking for opportunities for environmentally-minded volunteer projects, but because of his age there were limited options. Henry decided to combine his passions for art and birds and launch a public awareness campaign to share the benefits of bird-friendly coffee grown under the canopy of forests. Why drink shade-grown, bird-friendly coffee? • Increases density and diversity of bird species • Sustains wintering areas for migration • Improves bird health and habitats Coffee grown in shaded-areas also has larger environmental benefits: supports sustainable farms, protects rainforests, wastes less water, and grows slower, which makes a richer flavor. To find shade grown coffee, look for Bird-friendly or Rainforest Alliance symbols. For more information, visit http://parkerbirds.com/coffee or follow @parkerbirds on Instagram. If you would like to promote this campaign, stickers and posters are available for sharing. Please email coffee@parkerbirds.com. Artwork by Henry Malec-Scott © 2022  A Zoom Webinar
Wednesday, March 8, 2023 7 to 8:30 p.m. Register here Wellesley Annual Town Meeting 2023 will consider adoption of the Municipal Opt-in Specialized Energy Code (Opt-in Code). Join us on March 8 for a presentation and roundtable discussion with building and sustainability experts. Panelists: Tom Catalano, AIA, Principal, Catalano Architects Mark Doughty, Principal, Thoughtforms Nick Falkoff, Owner and General Manager, Auburndale Builders Allen Hebert, Operations Manager, Facilities Management Department, Town of Wellesley Hank Keating, AIA, President, Passive House Massachusetts Marybeth Martello, Sustainability Director, Town of Wellesley Ellen Watts, FAIA, LEED AP Topics:
Click here to read webinar press release. Learn more here. Questions? Contact Wellesley's Sustainability Director, Marybeth Martello, mmartello@wellesleyma.gov Sponsored by the Town of Wellesley Select Board and Climate Action Committee  A conversation with Jamie Manzolini, Wellesley DPW, jmanzolini@wellesleyma.gov
The Wellesley RDF Food Waste Recycling program started 6 years ago. About 300 households adopted the program using our free ‘starter kit’ including a blue food waste storage bucket and counter-top collector. More recently, we have given out about 250 blue food waste storage bucket and compost bags as our ‘starter kit’. Recycling food waste makes sense from an environmental and economic standpoint. About 25%-30% of all household trash is food waste in our trash. And food waste is HEAVY! The more weight we can get out of the trash the more we save. Wellesley pays $112 per ton for trash disposal and $75 a ton for food waste disposal. We recycled approximately 160 tons of food waste 2022 for a savings of $6,000. But we feel like we’re just scratching the surface. If the majority of Wellesley residents did food waste recycling, we could save $75,000 annually. Our trash disposal costs are predicted to increase as much as 40% in the next 2-5 years and as landfill capacity diminishes this easy to do program could help reduce our costs and reduce trash going to landfill. So where does the food waste go? Once you have collected your food waste in a biobag, (Click HERE for the program flyer for a list of accepted waste, where to buy program supplies and frequently asked questions), you then drop your food waste off in the designated containers near the trash compactors at the Wellesley RDF. From here, your food waste goes through a de-packing process/cleaning unwanted items before it is delivered to an anaerobic digester which then converts it into electricity, heat, liquid fertilizer, bio char/animal bedding or as ingredients to produce high grade compost. Wellesley RDF is working with the Wellesley Middle School to educate them in the process of food waste recycling. Currently the Wellesley RDF picks up their pre-consumer food waste (originates in the kitchen) for food waste recycling. The school is implementing food waste recycling for elementary students as they dispose of their lunch trash. We are monitoring how well they are doing with that and will implement both pre and post-consumer food waste recycling. Once the program is well established, they may sign on with Black Earth for pick-up. We have also supported WHS and Dana Hall School as they have adopted food waste recycling. Other sites that are doing food waste recycling- Wellesley Country Club, Babson College and Linden Square Restaurants who use Black Earth, a food waste composting company that offers food waste pick up and curbside bins to residents and businesses. Black Earth offers tiered pricing with the more adopters in a specific geographic area, leading to reduced pricing. Wellesley RDF Food Waste Recycling program future plans include better communication with getting people to adopt this program. Getting feedback from those that use the program. Click HERE to sign up and can then pick up your blue bucket and biobags from the RDF office. We will be improving the ease of depositing food waste bags with more accessible bins. Our signage will be updated as well with more details and readability. Continuing to work with Sustainable Wellesley for one-on-one outreach at the RDF to encourage adoption of this program and answer questions. With half of the candidates for Town-wide offices in contested races, your vote will count so make sure you know who will work on things you care about.
As you get ready to vote tomorrow, please read what the candidates have said they would do for our climate on a local level. Please, encourage your local friends and family to have their voice heard by voting tomorrow. Not sure where to vote, click here. **Please note, Sustainable Wellesley is a 501c3 non profit organization that does not endorse any candidates.  Meet Vaani Kapoor, a senior at Wellesley High School, the leader of the Climate Club, and a captain of the Girl's Swim & Dive team. She is running her first Boston Marathon and raising money for Sustainable Wellesley.
Her passion for sustainability started in the 7th grade when she began hosting plastic cleanups around town. Over the years she has worked closely with Sustainable Wellesley, researching, and advocating for a solar installation in the Wellesley High School parking lot and speaking up to support several greenhouse gas emission reduction initiatives at town meetings. Vaani's passionate work around climate action has led her to consider majoring in Environmental Studies in college next year. Running the marathon has been one of her lifelong dreams and she hopes you will support her in making this dream into a reality. Plus, you will help the town we live in create a more sustainable future. Thank you!  Wellesley is developing a Hazard Mitigation Plan to better prepare for natural hazards and climate change impacts, and public participation is essential.
Residents are invited to a virtual public meeting on Thursday, February 16 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to hear updates on the plan, asks questions, and give additional input. Please register in advance to attend this zoom meeting. Examples of natural hazards include high winds and extreme temperatures like those we recently experienced! Meeting participants will have the opportunity to contribute ideas for making the Town more resilient. The plan is being developed by a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee comprised of Town leaders and local stakeholders, along with consultants from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). Approval and adoption of this plan will allow the Town to apply for pre- and post-disaster hazard mitigation grant funds. |
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