Wellesley's Green Collaborative Update
October 2018

Mark Your Calendars - Next Meeting on Thursday January 24, 2019

Hello Green Collaborative participants,

We had a very informative September meeting. Summaries from many of our participants about the work they are doing are below. In an effort to streamline our communications, we're using a new email program offered through the Town of Wellesley website and would welcome your feedback.

Please mark your calendars for our winter Green Collaborative meeting on Thursday, January 24, 2019.

Warmly,

Ellen Korpi, Chair

Town of Wellesley Sustainable Energy Committee

781 772-2045

Congratulations to Dr. Regina LaRocque, new NRC board chair for 2019!

Gas Leaks

The NRC continues to work on the issue of gas leaks in Wellesley. On Oct. 3, Wellesley representatives joined 12 other towns at a meeting in Arlington, convened and lead by Mothers Out Front and HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team), to discuss common — and largely unsuccessful — efforts to address gas leaks in our towns, and to consider how we might combine those efforts and meet as a group with National Grid.

At the end of the meeting, the group agreed to form a task force made of up of one representative from each town to develop an agenda for the proposed meeting with National Grid. The group will also reach out to local legislators inviting them to be part of the task force. Note: This meeting took place before the Dept. of Public Utilities imposed a moratorium on all non-emergency and non-compliance work by National Grid due to safety concerns and an over-pressurization incident in Woburn on
Oct. 8.

Pond Health Forum on Oct. 18

The NRC is hosting a public forum on Wellesley's ponds and how to protect them on Thursday October 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the Kingsbury Room at the Wellesley Police Station.
Join us to learn the importance of pond health, threats to our ponds, current and planned pond preservation activities, and most important, ways residents can become involved in protecting our ponds. Free and open to the public. More information on the NRC website.

Volunteer Builders Needed for Vernal Pool Boardwalk

Help construct a new boardwalk at the North 40 vernal pool. Sign up for a 4-hour supervised shift - weekday and weekend opportunities available - no experience required. Grab a friend or neighbor and participate in this important project which will enhance and protect this critical resource, as well as provide educational opportunities for all of us. To sign up, email the NRC or sign up through the Wellesley Rotary website.

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Forum

The WMLP hosted a public forum on Sept. 24 to gather feedback on its recent greenhouse gas emission study. At the forum, the WMLP reported on its current purchases of electricity generated by wind and hydro, and projects in the works to add solar, wind and nuclear energy to its portfolio. The Analysis Group, which conducted the study, summarized the outlook for further opportunities between now period to 2030 to shift to electricity generated from carbon-free resources. Detailed study information is available on the WMLP website.

Recycling and Disposal Facility

Jeff Azano-Brown, Superintendent of the Recycling and Disposal Facility, spoke on the challenges surrounding recycling glass and cartons, explained the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s new RecycleSmart educational initiative, and updated the group on food waste diversion. Wellesley's Food Waste Drop-Off program will be moving out of the pilot phase and will soon be open to all Wellesley residents. More details to come.

Food Rescue

Wellesley area schools are participating in the Food Rescue Initiative schools for the second year. There are some bumps to iron out in some of the colleges, but it otherwise looks like it will be a solid year of donating, continuing on the track to donate 20,000 meals. The distribution of prepared meals to Mass Bay Community College was piloted at two days a week this past spring, and will be expanded to four days/week this year.

On October 24th, the 3R Working Group will host a Food Waste and Rescue Workshop - to be co-sponsored by the EPA and Food For Free - with surrounding communities in the hopes that they will follow our lead. Highlights include food collection and storage demonstrations, food waste and food rescue presentations, and discussion and networking sessions.

Sustainable Wellesley Kicks Off Year

Members of Sustainable Wellesley continue to be involved in initiating, researching and advocating for many Green Collaborative projects. One main project is the Wellesley Farmers Market continues to operate through the fall and winter months with an online order system and local pickup at Wellesley UU Church parking lot. Details about this program and others are on the Sustainable Wellesley website.

Banquet in a Box and More

The Banquet in a Box concept debuted this fall. Green Schools haswater dispensers and 50 black and red table cloths for teams and school events to borrow. Schoold are encouraged to refer to the new and improved SMART Event Guide when planning activities. Reminders: The cage at Fiske Elementary has party decorations that events can borrow. And the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) mobile water fountain cart is great for larger outdoor events like school fairs.

Come to...

Wellesley Rotary's Repair Cafe on Sat., Oct. 13 from 10 am - Noon @ Warren Recreation Building, Room 308
Wellesley School Building Committee Eco-Charette on Mon.,Oct. 15 from 5:30 - 9:30 pm @ Hunnewell School Gym. Light dinner included.

Wellesley's Green Collaborative UpdateOctober 2018