Category Archives: Green

Styrofoam Saturday

Posted on May 28, 2015 | Comments Off on Styrofoam Saturday

From Medfield Green –

This Saturday is Week 5 of Medfield Green Month

9-1 at the Transfer Station

It’s the final week of MGM in May! 

Are you a darker shade of green because you’ve been recycling all month?

We will be collecting Styrofoam to be recycled.  Foam items DO NOT have to display the recycling symbol 6 in the triangle with the PS underneath it, but do need to be cleaned and rinsed.  Refoamit will accept packing blocks, produce and meat trays, take out containers (please rinse), hot cups such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Honey Dew and Cumberland Farms (without paper or cardboard infused), foam egg cartons, trays, white insulation sheets, #4 PE Polyethylene foam, #5 PP Polypro foam, bubble wrap and packing peanuts (bagged separately from your foam).  They WILL NOT accept:  plastic utensils, foam cups infused with cardboard or paper such as McDonald’s, Newman and Burger King (ice tea cup), biodegradable meat trays for example GenPak without the recycling symbol, cardboard egg cartons, soft foam pads, food containers with plastic film attached (some ground turkey comes in these containers), blue or pink insulation sheets.

 

** We could use some help on Saturday with collecting/sorting – please respond to this email if you have an hour or so to spare!

 

The next Styrofoam collection will be October 31, 2015 at the Transfer Station! 

 

Bikes Not Bombs will be at the American Legion 9-12 collecting bicycles – not rusted  (consider a $10 donation/bike to cover cost of bike to be sent overseas) – for more info visit bikesnotbombs.org

 

Remember to get your new stickers at the DPW –

the current stickers expire at the end of June $50/2 yrs

 

Hope to see you at the Transfer Station

the place to be in May!

Next Medfield Green Month will be in October!

 

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Posted in Green, Recycling & Solid Waste

Medfield Green Month

Posted on May 7, 2015 | Comments Off on Medfield Green Month

This from Medfield Green –

This Saturday, 5/9  will be the second Saturday of Medfield Green Month at the Transfer Station

Full Schedule of Collections attached

Do you have an old mattress that has just been hanging around taking up space somewhere in your house?  Bring it to the Transfer Station this Saturday, May 9th from 9-1.  New Life Home Refurnishing will be on hand to accept clean, usable mattresses.  All others will be dismantled and the parts will be recycled.  Along with the mattresses, New Life will be collecting clean, gently used sheets, blankets, quilts, towels and curtains to provide to their clients.  NLHR is a not-for-profit furniture bank which serves area communities. They serve individuals and families overcoming difficult circumstances such as fires or floods, homelessness, veterans of war and recent refugees.  They are in great need of mattresses, boxsprings and clean bedding.  More info at www.newlifehr.org

 

The Swap is open for the season!  Come check out their new shelter!  Thanks to all of the volunteers who spend many hours at the Swap!  It is a great example of the purpose of Medfield Green Month –  Donation, Reuse and Recycling and it is open May-October during Transfer Station hours.

 

See you at the Transfer Station, the place to be in May!

 

Please spread the word and pass on this email to family and friends!  We would also love to have some help with Medfield Green Month on Saturdays in May or anytime at the Swap!

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Posted in Green, Recycling & Solid Waste

Garage’s energy efficient incentives

Posted on October 31, 2014 | Comments Off on Garage’s energy efficient incentives

From Mike Sullivan this afternoon, the NSTAR mailings about its $10,630 of energy efficient incentives being paid to the town related to the construction of the new Highway Garage.  $8,400 was for the variable speed drives estimated to save 43,302 kWH/year, and $2,230 was for the commercial lighting estimated to save 29,116 kWH/year.   This email from Mike –

 

Energy incentive payment on town garage electricity attached. This is similar amount to the gas incentive rebate on the town garage project. Mike Sullivan

 

From: NSTAREnergyEfficiencyServices@nstar.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2014 8:19 AM
To: Mike Sullivan
Subject: RE: Project Number: NC140354 – TOWN OF MEDFIELD GARAGE

Thank you for participating in NSTAR’s Energy Efficiency Programs. An incentive payment has just been approved for your project. Please view the attached documentation for important details about this payment. Should you have any questions, please contact the program manager listed on the attached documentation. Again, thank you for including energy efficiency into your project.

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

Please do not reply to this automated email address.

 

October 28, 2014

MICHAEL SULLIVAN
TOWN OF MEDFIELD GARAGE

459 MAIN ST TOWN HALL

MEDFIELD, MA 02052

RE: Project Number: NC140354 – TOWN OF MEDFIELD GARAGE

Dear MICHAEL SULLIVAN:

I am pleased to inform you that your energy efficiency incentive in the amount of $10,630.00 has been approved for payment, which will be in the form of a check paid to the order of TOWN OF MEDFIELD. The mailing address is 55 NORTH MEADOWS RD, MEDFIELD, MA 02052. Please allow approximately 30 days for the payment to be processed and delivered.

For additional project details, please see the attached customer report. Thank you for participating in NSTAR’s New Construction Program.

At NSTAR, we’re committed to delivering great service. You may be receiving a survey asking you to evaluate your experience with this program. I hope that you will take the time to complete it so that we may use your feedback to continuously improve our programs. If you have questions regarding this incentive, please call me at 781-441-3733.

Sincerely,

Kathy Wislocky
Program Manager, Energy Efficiency Services
CC: Mark Rooney

 

 

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Posted in Buildings, DPW, Green

Medfield Green reminders

Posted on October 24, 2014 | Comments Off on Medfield Green reminders
This Saturday, 10/25 9-1 is the fourth Saturday of Medfield Green Month
We will be collecting clean/rinsed Styrofoam including foam hot cups (without paper or cardboard infused), packing blocks, food trays and containers with the PS#6 symbol, Styrofoam peanuts (separately bagged), foam egg cartons, white insulation sheets, bubblewrap, #4 (PE) Polyethylene foam, #5 (PP) Polyfoam – any foam that has the recycling symbol 6 in the triangle with PS underneath it.  Look for the Refoamit truck near the Goodwill trailer.
Please keep in mind and mark your calendar for Saturday, January 3, 2015.
We will be collecting Styrofoam again at the transfer station after the holidays.
Thank you for all of the linens/bedding that were donated last Saturday.  We delivered two huge loads (a Jeep and an Element both filled to the brim)  and the shelter was extremely appreciative and grateful for all of the donations.
Reminder – The Swap will end Nov 2nd!
Check out Medfieldgreen.org for the full schedule of collections
and websites (in case you missed a week)
Hope to see you at the Transfer Station – the place to be in October!

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Posted in Green, Recycling & Solid Waste

Climate change video & website

Posted on October 10, 2014 | Comments Off on Climate change video & website

Medfield’s Mike Barta has been working on the climate change issue by creating a funny video with kids quoting Congressmen and a website that lets each voter know about his or her candidates’ stated position on climate change.

This was the email from Mike –

The campaign explains itself through the two very short videos we made (2
min long). Here’s one of them

We built a web site (OnlyOneClimate.org <http://onlyoneclimate.org/> ) that
enables a voter to type in their mailing address, see the candidates running
for the House and Senate in their district, and see the positions of those
candidates with regard to supporting climate change legislation. The
campaign asks young voters to make support for climate change legislation a
litmus test issue, and to turn out to vote in November.

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Posted in Environmental, Green

Environmental Tax Reform panel 10/20

Posted on October 8, 2014 | Comments Off on Environmental Tax Reform panel 10/20

First Parish to Host Panel on Environmental Tax Reform

As part of its Monthly Monday conversation series in the parish vestry, First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Medfield will host a panel on environmental tax reform in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts bill for a revenue-neutral carbon tax, currently before the legislature, seeks to reduce carbon emissions and slow down climate change and, if passed, will also stimulate the economy and create benefits for households and businesses.

Panelists:

Economist and consultant Marc Breslow, Ph.D. is an expert on energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate change, and government budgets and taxes.

Jessica Langerman is co-founder of Environmental Tax Reform Massachusetts. In 2012, she organized the first public forum on environmental tax reform in Massachusetts, moderated at Babson College by NPR’s Steve Curwood.

Xinghua Li, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of media studies at Babson College, where she has supervised student media projects to promote environmental tax reform.

Steven Bushnell, Ph.D. is a Climate Leader with the Climate Reality Project, and founder and CEO of the ClimateStore, a Massachusetts start-up working to build a national retail brand focused on low carbon living.

The panel will be moderated by Fritz Fleischmann, a professor of English at Babson College and chair of the Green Sanctuary Committee at First Parish, which hosts this event.

Time: Monday, Oct. 20, 2014, 7:30-9:00

Place: First Parish Vestry (entrance from the parking lot behind the church), 26 North Street, Medfield.

Please come and bring your friends!

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Posted in Environmental, Green

Solar Coaches needed

Posted on September 15, 2014 | Comments Off on Solar Coaches needed

From Medfield Green, for the Medfield Energy Committee –

Are you interested in Solar Energy?  Do you want to help bring Solar Energy to Medfield?  If so, read on for a great opportunity to make a difference!  Marie Nolan, Chair of the Medfield Energy Committee forwarded the following email about the Solarize Mass Program looking for “Solar Coaches” to spearhead the effort in various communities.  Please contact Marie at (508) 361-8766 or mznolan@comcast.net if you are interested or would like to discuss further details.  Proposals are due Oct. 15th.

 

2015 Solarize Mass – Community RFP

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and DOER are seeking proposals from Massachusetts cities and towns to demonstrate local interest and engagement in the 2015 Solarize Massachusetts program.

This program will drive community adoption of solar PV projects through a partnership focused on localized marketing and installation efforts, which help to drive down the installation cost of small-scale solar electricity within the selected communities. The MassCEC and DOER plan to select a minimum of ten (10) communities (or groups of communities) to participate.

Click here to access the Community RFP documents. All inquiries should be submitted by email to Solarize@MassCEC.com and must contain “RFP for Communities” in the email subject line.

Community applications are due October 15, 2014.

Energy Efficiency from Coast-to-Coast:  New Blog Post

Read the new Energy Smarts blog post, “Building Efficiency Gurus Exchange Ideas on Just About Everything,” from DOER’s Municipal Efficiency Coordinator, Aimee Powelka. The blog is based on her exchange of ideas with other states and the presentation of her paper, Massachusetts Green Communities: A Model Program for Energy Efficiency, at the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) summer study on energy efficiency in buildings.
NSTAR’s Distributed Generation Interconnection Workshop

The interconnection process is complex and being improved. Utility-hosted “Distributed Generation Workshops” are helpful for anyone seeking to get more familiar with the process. They are free and sponsored by the Massachusetts utility companies as part of their agreement filed with DPU in October 2013. To register for the September 10 seminar, attendees can emailElaine.Zimmerman@NU.com no later than Sept 9th, 2014. Please include your full name and company name along with your e-mail and telephone number.

If you are registering more than one person, please include their contact information, too. Due to limited space NSTAR will not be able to accommodate on-site registration, so pre-registration is required.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014 at 8:30 a.m.
One NSTAR Way Westwood, MA 02090

Are Your Neighbors Saving More Than You?

DOER is pleased to offer two municipal meetings focused on energy efficiency opportunities through the Mass Save® program:

  • Tuesday, Sep. 30 in Dartmouth – this meeting will bring together municipalities in the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) to discuss energy efficiency in the region. Agenda and registration.
  • Thursday, Oct. 2 in Hudson – this meeting will bring together municipalities with municipal lighting plant electric service to highlight gas efficiency opportunities available through Mass Save. Agenda and registration.

Please contact your Regional Coordinator with questions.

 

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Posted in Energy Committee, Green

Medfield Green

Posted on September 8, 2014 | Comments Off on Medfield Green

This email from Helen Dewey of Medfield Green –

It’s time to gear up for fall and the cooler weather! Roll up your sleeves and start cleaning, de-cluttering and saving styrofoam!  We will be hosting another Medfield Green Month, Saturdays in October at the Transfer Station….more details coming soon… Electronics (10/4), Reusable Building Materials for Resale (10/4), Furniture/Household Items for Resale (10/11) and Styrofoam (10/25).
Come visit us on Medfield Day, Saturday, 9/20 at our new location on North St (Booth #92).   We’ll have a free raffle of “green items”, a trivia game and an opportunity to ask your “green/recycling” questions and get some answers. Stop by and write down your questions and we’ll be sure to find someone who has the answer.  We’ll then compile all of the questions and answers and send them out to the membership.   Just another way to spread the green….
Do you or someone you know, own a green business or green service?   Would you like to donate an item/service for the raffle basket?  Reply to this email if you are interested.  We would appreciate it.
Have you been meaning to get more involved in the community and volunteer some time?  Now is your opportunity!  We currently have two open positions on the very friendly, Medfield Green Board, Vice President and Treasurer.  Please respond to this email if interested.

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Posted in Green

Solarize coach needed

Posted on June 23, 2014 | Comments Off on Solarize coach needed

Medfield residents could all benefit from a coordinated effort to install solar photovoltaic electrical generation panels on residences.  There are systematic efforts already available to towns to group its residents together to enable savings for each separate homeowner by virtue of the group buying power.

For Medfield residents to get those reduced cost benefits, some resident(s) would need to be the town coach(es) to make it happen.

This would be a great time limited volunteer opportunity for an individual or two with an interest in green energy, solar PV, and/or just saving people money.  The volunteer would coordinate what is needed to be done with the extremely knowledgeable individuals on the Energy Committee.

The Energy Committee is also interested in a few new committee members who  would be interested in working with them to reduce the town’s carbon footprint, and to also save the town money on its energy bills.  Interested parties should contact the Chair, Marie Nolan, or me and I will funnel the information along.

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Posted in Energy Committee, Green

WWTP gets $180K PV grant

Posted on June 19, 2014 | Comments Off on WWTP gets $180K PV grant

Bob MacDonald, the operator of the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), attended the Energy Committee last night and explained to them that he has obtained a $180,000 DOER grant towards the cost of  installation of a solar PV array at the WWTP.  Bob indicated that he needs to get hard cost and payback numbers.

The Energy Committee already has a $12,000 DOER grant to analyze three potential solar PV sites in town, including the WWTP, so once that survey is complete, the WWTP should have the hard numbers Bob is seeking before he will bring the proposal to the town meeting to see if the town wants to install a solar PV system at the WWTP.

Kudos to Bob MacDonald for getting the grant monies for the town.

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Posted in Energy Committee, Green, Water & Sewer