October - November  2011   

Click to Subscribe In This Issue Local Inspiration Top Tip Calendar Organization Profile Did you know?  By turning your thermostat back 10°-15° for 8 hours, you can save about 5%-15% a year on your heating bill  -more-

Welcome Greetings, We had a great Expo and Home tour event! Hundreds of Wellesley residents turned out to the Sustainability Expo, Tour and Rally on September 24th.  At the EXPO dozens of vendors of all different types demonstrated their offerings - from ways to save on water heating, to home automation, energy audits and home farming.  Visitors were also able to see a hybrid and all-electric car up close. Many went on the bike TOUR of local sites of sustainability interest which included ultra-low impact LEED buildings, backyard farms, sustainable all 'native' yards, and solar power systems at Wellesley College and residents' houses.  Riders were assisted by a free ice-cream from White Mountain Creamery and other goodies from Whole Foods! Many residents also took the important and concrete step of signing up for the Voluntary Renewable Energy Program - electing to have a portion or all of their home electricity come from renewable sources.  The Selectmen declared the day to be "Wellesley Sustainable Energy Day" and there was extensive coverage in the press and on Wellesley Access Cable. Townsman article : Sustainable energy expo: A day of green in Wellesley: Patch article : Wellesley Celebrates 'Sustainable Energy Day' There truly is a lot happening in Wellesley and we are often each others' best resource for what's possible and how to get started so do let Sustainable Wellesley know how we can help you make a difference. Quentin Prideaux Member, Sustainable Wellesley

Local Inspiration...

Robert Cooper of Tennyson Road has implemented a number of sustainability features at his home over the years.  Those who visited the Sustainability Expo and Tour may have met Robert or seen information on his house.  His actions range from the simple (clothesline) to the relatively sophisticated (solar hot water) and all of them pay back.  So as well as reducing emissions Robert is also saving money. 

 Top tip...

This tip is easy, pays you back immediately and most people won't even notice that they've made a change:

Raise your house temperature a degree or two in the summer from what it is now, and reduce it a degree or two in the winter. 

Every degree you move your thermostat towards the temperature outside the less energy you are using to heat or cool your house.  Call us traditionalists it seems natural that summer is warmer than winter - inside as well as out.  In some modern houses and stores the opposite is true, and the energy cost is astronomical.  If you've ever needed a sweater in a freezing movie theater in August you've experienced a truly backwards waste of energy!

The average Wellesley House can expect to save at least $100 per year for every degree you adjust your thermostat.

 Calendar...

Wellesley Reads Together is a key initiative of the Wellesley Free Library.

Tuesday, November 1, 7pm - 8:30pm, Wakelin Room

Wellesley Reads Together: Be a Backyard Farmer--The Joy of Joining the Sustainable Food Movement

Join Wellesley Natural Resources Commission board member Ursula King and her special guests to consider all the wonderful aspects of growing your own food! Learn how to improve your family's health, teach your children the science of the soil and plants, save money on groceries, reduce your environmental impact, get outdoor exercise, and enjoy better-tasting, more nutritious food. Wellesley's community gardens have long waiting lists, but you can have your own backyard food garden with a few square feet, a water source, and a little ti

me.Gardeners at all experience levels are welcome. Free and open to the public. This program is sponsored by the Wellesley Natural Resources Commission for Wellesley Reads Together.

Speaker Panelists/Guests:

· Joan Newton, farmer Natick Community Organic Farm

· Rob Fenton, homesteader and soil mineralization aficionado

· Dr John Halamka , Brookside Community and home gardener

· Lemonia Fotiadis , Brookside Community gardener

Thursday, November 3, 10am - 11am, Arnold Room

Wellesley Reads Together Book Discussion

All are welcome to join a discussion of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, and Steven L. Hopp.

Thursday, November 3, 6:30pm - 8pm, Wakelin Room

Wellesley Reads Together: Food for Thought

The Food Project (TFP) is a Boston-area organization that has built a national model of engaging young people in personal and social change through sustainable agriculture.

Friday, November 4, 6pm - 8:30pm, Wakelin Room

Wellesley Reads Together Film Series: What's On Your Plate?

What's on Your Plate?(2009) is a documentary film directed by Catherine Gund that follows two eleven-year-old girls through New York City as they explore their place in the food chain.

-More information about the above programs-

Organization profile...

The main force behind the Moving Planet day was 350.org.  They are focused on the climate crisis and have organized the largest rallies the world has ever seen to raise awareness and promote action.  In 2008, 2010 and now on September 24^th 2011 they have led hundreds of thousands of people in thousands of simultaneous events in almost every country on earth.  Wellesley's event was focused on reducing emissions, saving money, local resources and local action.  The global event covered everything from these issues to political action.  The organization takes their name from the level of CO2 in the atmosphere that scientists say will avoid the most catastrophic climate change.  That level is measured in parts per million - and the goal is 350.  For all of human history the earth's atmosphere has been below 280ppm but in the last few decades we have pushed it to today's level of over 390ppm.

Sustainable Wellesley - residents and organizations working together to achieve a more sustainable community