 You don't need to really celebrate Energy Star's 'holiday', but we want you to be aware of the savings potential out there when you switch to an ENERGY STAR® certified heat pump water heater.
Heat pump technology is high-performing and super-efficient, so you’ll save on lower utility bills. Energy Star says "a family of four can save up to $550 annually and more than $5,600 over the product’s lifetime. Add tax credits of up to $2,000 and available utility rebates and the payback is almost instantaneous."* information from Energy Star Program If you currently have an old electric resistance water heater, you are just throwing away money on energy bills every month. If you have a gas water heater, just think how making the switch will help contribute to a clean energy future. Email info@SustainableWellesley for more information.  We want you to be able to see all the good stuff we have here. If the links that say READ MORE below don't go anywhere or give you an error, please reply to this email and let us know that you are having trouble accessing it. Also, please let us know if the issue is happening on your phone or computer, and what browser you are using (Chrome, Safari, IE. Edge, etc.).
Thank you!  Thank you to the Town for this great news!
Wellesley is marking a leafy milestone! At 40 years this year, Wellesley is the longest running active Tree City USA community in Massachusetts. Started in 1976, Tree City USA is one of the Arbor Day Foundation’s oldest programs. Program founders had a vision for a greener, healthier America, and hoped this initiative would inspire change on a nationwide level. Wellesley is recognized as Tree City USA community by meeting the following standards:
Through the Town's tree planting program, Wellesley homeowners may request to have shade trees planted on their property. An inspection is performed for each tree request to determine that the site meets the following requirements:
Learn about the Town’s Tree Canopy here, and contact the Natural Resources Commission to request a tree on your property.  For their Silver Award, Wellesley Girl Scouts Elise McDonough, Hadley Grover, and Vivi Dublin worked with Wellesley's Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF) to create this information pamphlet to pass out to new families moving into town, informing them of all that the RDF offers.
"We wanted to create awareness of the benefits of recycling in our town," the Scouts said. "The RDF takes our recycled items and sells them, making money that they give back to our community. Wellesley also has a Reusables Area, known as the 'Give and Take' area. Here you can drop off items in good condition, and then other residents can then take them, for free. All of these efforts reduces landfill," the Scouts said. Kudos to these students for making this 'Creating Simple Steps for a Greener Life' pamphlet that realtors can hand out to new homeowners. They are obviously proud to show off the benefits of recycling and using our town’s RDF. Although the pamphlet is targeted to new and existing residents, they also want folks to know that any Wellesley business with surplus cardboard and plastic, should bring it to the RDF as well as it is very valuable to Wellesley. Please share this and use it, so that we can keep things out of landfill. Thank you to Elise, Hadley Grover, and Vivi.  Thanks to Wellesley's Natural Resources Commission (NRC) for this article!
Autumn is upon us and that means leaves are falling. While alive, leaves were the factories where sunlight, carbon dioxide and water get converted to food for the tree. When the leaves fall, they have lots of stored energy and nutrients trapped inside. They provide food and shelter for so many living things. When leaves are left to decompose, they return the extra sugar and nutrients stored in the leaves back into the soil, recycling them for use later. In addition, leaf litter provides critical habitat for many plants and animals to use to overwinter, keeping them warm and protected from the harsh winter weather. The NRC would like to encourage residents to leave the leaves! Click here to learn more.  Make sure to swing by Wellesley Village Church's 80th annual rummage sale on Saturday, November 4th, from 9-1pm.
Come see the thousands of gently used items for sale at bargain prices. Items are organized into departments, with dedicated spaces for women’s clothing, accessories and shoes, small furniture, men’s wear, kitchen and home goods, antiques and treasures, toys and more. The Chic Boutique is a perennial favorite, specializing in higher-end women’s designer clothing, purses and shoes. More than 100 volunteers work together to make the sale the “best one day thrifting event in the Boston area,” said Cherie Hoffman, Co-Chair of the sale. “For more than 80 years, this sale has brought the community together, saved lots of volume from the landfill, and generated about $400,000 that has been deployed to charities helping children and families nearby and farther away,” Hoffman said. Come find your treasure on November 4th from 9am-1pm. For more information contact wvcrummage@gmail.com.  You are invited to join in and enjoy a fun evening of making art on October 17th at 7pm at the Wellesley Free Library. Laura Robert, a local artist, will bring a wide range of salvaged material to be transformed into unexpected sculptures.
Art Wellesley offered this workshop in the spring and it was a big hit, so dont miss out. This FREE event is offered in partnership with the Wellesley Free Library.  George, a Wellesley High School class of 2024 student, is organizing a sale of gently used ski equipment and clothing in support of a non profit called Protect Our Winters. Their mission is to help passionate outdoor people protect the places they live and the lifestyles they love from climate change.
As a competitive freeride skier, he is interested in the environment, reducing waste and making sure there is enough snow for winter athletes to do their sports. George is organizing this sale not only to help people get new-to-them ski gear, but to reduce waste by upcycling unneeded gear and equipment, and to raise money for the cause close to his heart. Please consider donating any ski gear or equipment you are no longer using, or no longer need by emailing him at recycleskiswellesely@gmail.com to arrange a time to collect it from you. Many thanks for your support!  A good first step when considering how to make changes that are good for you and good for the planet is to get to know the plants, insects and wildlife in outdoor areas around you. Take a break during work hours at home to walk around. Look and listen. As you add native plants and move away from chemical fertilizers and use of gas-powered equipment, there will be more to look at.
A good rule of thumb – "let it be":
 Thank you to Recyclingworks for this information from their website. RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts is a recycling assistance program funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and delivered under contract by the Center for EcoTechnology that helps businesses and institutions reduce waste and maximize recycling, reuse, and food recovery opportunities.
Johnny’s Luncheonette, an iconic Newton diner with robust recycling and food waste diversion programs, continues to push the envelope in sustainability. The diner now offers a reusable takeout container program! Customers who choose to join the program can order menu items for takeout in containers that won’t end up in any waste, recycling, or composting bins, but rather be returned, thoroughly sanitized, and re-used in a continuous cycle. Through a collaboration with Recirclable, Johnny’s Luncheonette now provides a selection of its breakfast and lunch menu items in easily recognizable green-hued reusable to-go containers. The containers are manufactured by Preserve and Ozzi, and are composed of readily available and recyclable BPA-free polypropylene (#5 Plastic). These containers can be used up to 1,000 times, and at their end-of-life, Preserve and Ozzi take the containers back to have them recycled. As evidenced, this initiative is helping to reduce both the disposal and purchasing of single-use takeout items. Johnny’s Luncheonette remains committed to actively participating in and promoting eco-friendly practices. In addition to their commendable composting program, they are now part of a network of local restaurants with reusable takeout container programs, further enhancing their positive impact within the Newton community. Here are extra details on how the program works in real-time, adapted from Green Newton’s recent article:
If you are a business rethinking your waste and recycling practices, give RecyclingWorks a call at 888-254-5525 or email them at Info@RecyclingWorksMA.com. They are here to help you reach your goals. |
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
×
Sign up for updates! |
Contactinfo@sustainablewellesley.com
75 Emerson Road Tel: 508-353-6964 |
Support us! |
Follow us!Copyright © 2023 By Sustainable Wellesley
|