We are glad to see you have joined Sustainable Medfield and created a profile on our ACTION portal.
Here are some quick ideas as you get familiar with the ACTION portal.
We hope that you find the site easy to navigate and helpful to you and your family as you learn and take action for our environment.
– Explore the ACTIONS and note which ACTIONS you have already completed and those you’d like to do.
– Read testimonials from your neighbors (write some too!)
– Join a team/Create a team(s) for any groups you belong to including informal groups like your neighborhood, soccer team or book club. You can belong to multiple teams.
– Suggest ideas for new ACTIONS
As you probably know, Sustainable Medfield does two things. You already know that Sustainable Medfield has a one-stop resource with Medfield-specific ACTIONS that residents can take to improve our environment. This resource is populated with ACTIONS developed by local groups and community members.
You may not know that the second thing Sustainable Medfield does is connect groups in town to network and collaborate on sustainability. This group gathers at quarterly meetings for local group leaders/liaisons. This interactive forum allows for information exchange, knowledge building and the identification of synergies and possibilities. Check out this graphic that portrays how Sustainable Medfield networks in our community.
You can see when the next meeting of the Sustainable Medfield Group Liaisons is here. All are welcome (you don’t have to be a Group Liaison). It’s a great way to learn what the community is working on.
You will soon be invited to join the email list of Medfield Environment Action (MEA). MEA has an informative monthly newsletter. We encourage you to accept the invitation and receive information directly from this group. By joining that email list, you will learn about other initiatives in our community.
· Tell your friends and neighbors about SM and encourage them to sign up.
· Say yes to the MEA newsletter.
We believe SM will play an important role in enhancing Medfield’s environment. To achieve this, we need additional volunteers to help us. Consider joining the SM leadership team to do such things as promote SM in the community, generate new ACTIONS and maintain our website. We would love your help in any of these activities and would be happy to have a conversation about them.
We can’t wait to see what ACTIONS you take and to watch your impact grow! Share your feedback and suggestions for the ACTION portal at sustainablemedfield@gmail.com.
DPW’s Drew Dauphinee at the tree and Joe Gorman running the machine
Today the DPW’s Drew Dauphinee and Joe Gorman are planting two good sized cherry trees on the berm in front of the post office. The Town of Medfield owns that site and leases it for the post office to use. North Street is starting to achieve a critical mass of cherry trees for the town to build on, starting with the large one at the Bank of America up through the cluster Bob Borrelli installed in front of his two buildings across from Deb’s and my office.
Jean Mineo was heard to think that once there are six more cherry trees along North Street that she will organize an annual Medfield cherry blossom festival.
As part of the celebration of Earth Day, I asked to have my signature as a Town of Medfield Select Board member added to the letter below, going to the MSBA tomorrow. Medfield Energy Committee members and other may join too. –
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April 22, 2021
Deborah Goldberg, Chair Anne Brockelman Sean R. Cronin Matt Deninger Terry Kwan Greg Sullivan Sheila Vanderhoef
Via email to ______
Dear Treasurer Goldberg and members of the MSBA Board,
We are writing to encourage the MSBA to require that all school building projects funded by MSBA be fully electrified, and climate resilient.
The MSBA is to be commended for its track record of helping cities and towns replace or renovate school buildings in an environmentally sustainable manner.
As your website notes,
The MSBA’s Green Schools Program provides incentives to a district to increase the energy efficiency and sustainability for new construction and major renovation/addition projects, by exceeding Massachusetts Energy base code by 20% for 2 additional reimbursement points. All projects are required to register for the most recent version of LEED-S or NE-CHPS and exceed Massachusetts Energy base code by 10%.
The MSBA’s updated Accelerated Repair Program provides a new opportunity to apply sustainable standards to specific building systems such as roofs, boilers and window systems. The MSBA’s green programs aim to encourage a high standard of sustainability for all MSBA-funded projects. The MSBA continues to monitor the effectiveness of its sustainable policies and make recommendations for improvement, with an emphasis on energy and cost savings, resulting in direct operational savings for school districts. [bold added]
As municipal leaders interested in speeding the transition away from fossil fuel dependency, we were particularly pleased to see the highlighted above, as it demonstrates an interest in continuous improvement in the area of sustainability and carbon emissions reduction. We are following up on your interest in improvement to encourage you to tie school building funding to the following requirements for all new or renovated schools:
Heat and cooling should be supplied by clean all-electric heating and cooling systems, not oil, propane, or gas-fueled systems.
Parking lots should offer electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for staff and/or visitors.
Schools built on or near historic wetlands or in floodplains should take into account precipitation modeling for 2070 and beyond; this may entail a raised structure or building in an alternate location.
How do these recommendations fit into the Commonwealth’s climate goals?
• Massachusetts has a greenhouse gas reduction mandate of 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and a commitment to be net zero by 2050; many cities and towns have more aggressive goals. The IPCC issued a report in 2018 noting that to keep global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius — a goal of the Paris climate agreement — anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions would have to be on a path to fall by about 45 percent by around 2030. • Massachusetts also has a goal of 300,000 EVs on the road by 2025.œ As HVAC systems are built to last for at least 20-30 years, that means we must act now to eliminate this significant source of fossil fuel energy. • The National Climate Assessment projects that the Northeast will see dramatic increases in precipitation and flooding.
Why is all-electric the more environmentally beneficial choice? Under state law, the electric grid is powered by an increasing amount of renewable energy every year. In contrast, an oil or gas boiler is running on fossil fuels from day one until the day it is retired.
School building electrification is not a new concept. In fact, schools across the state are converting to 100% clean electricity to save money, improve air quality for students, teachers and staff, and advance climate goals. • Lincoln is about to break ground on a Net Zero K-8 renovation school project. • Wellesley has one net zero ready elementary school in the design phase and is in the feasibility phase of a second. • Brookline passed a Warrant Article in May 2019 requiring that all new school buildings be fossil fuel free. • Westborough has approved and is moving forward with a net-positive energy elementary school. • Arlington is about to break ground on a new all-electric high school where heating and cooling systems will utilize heat pumps. • Several Cambridge schools have been rebuilt all-electric: Martin Luther King School, King Open School and the Cambridge Street Upper School, as well as the Valente Branch Library and a new administrative building for the entire school department; the Tobin/Vassal-lane school will be rebuilt all-electric. • Construction is underway on the new Belmont Middle and High School which will be net zero and all-electric with heating and cooling by a geothermal heat pump system. • Amherst passed a bylaw in 2017 requiring zero energy new municipal and school buildings. • Concord is at the end of Feasibility for a net zero design for a new middle school and expects to start Schematic Design in the next few months (there was a CV-related delay). • Lexington’s Select Board and School Committee adopted a building policy calling for construction of all-electric buildings, maximizing onsite renewable energy, and setting high standards for indoor air quality. Lexington’s Hastings Elementary School and Lexington Children’s Place pre-school are both expected to be net positive buildings when the solar energy systems that have been approved are completed later this year.
Energy efficient all electric schools are cost-effective to build and operate, while providing a healthier and safer learning environment for students and teachers alike.
Schools built on wetlands are more likely to suffer from mold and poor air quality, and need expensive repairs, especially as our region sees more frequent and intense rainfall.
Thank you for your consideration of our views. From the Green Communities Program to the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program to the Complete Streets grants and more, we are so appreciative of the Commonwealth’s partnership in supporting cities and towns efforts to advance our transition to a clean economy and make our communities more resilient as we face a changing climate. We would welcome the opportunity to speak with you in more detail about these recommendations and help you build support to enact them.
Sincerely,
Amherst Darcy Dumont, Town Council, District 5 Dorothy S. Pam, Town Council, District 3 Patricia De Angelis, Town Councilor
Andover Maria Bartlett, Member of Green Advisory Board
Arlington Joseph A. Curro, Jr., Select Board Member Adam Chapdelaine, Town Manager
Ashland Robert Scherer, Select Board Member
Barnstable Gordon Starr, Town Councilor, Precinct 1
Becket Alvin Blake, Planning Board
Bolton Jonathan Keep, Select Board Member
Boston Kenzie Bok, City Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George, City Councilor (At-Large) Ed Flynn, City Councilor Matt O’Malley, City Councilor
Braintree Julia Flaherty, Town Council, District 1 Kelly J. Cobb-Lemire, School Committee Member
Brookline Raul Fernandez, Select Board Member Werner Lohe, Climate Action Committee (co-chair)
Burlington Martha Simon, School Committee Member
Cambridge Patricia Nolan, City Councilor Quinton Zondervan, City Councilor
Concord Charles Parker, Middle School Building Committee Member
Dalton Robert Bishop, Select Board Chair Cheryl Rose, Conservation Commission Henry Rose, Commissioner, Conservation Commission Joseph Fish, Chair, Green Dalton Committee
Dedham Jessica Portee, Planning Board Member
Framingham Geoff Epstein, School Committee Member, District 6
Gloucester Jennifer Holmgren, Councilor-at-Large
Hopkinton Jeffrey S Barnes, Conservation Commission (Chair) Lakeville Jesse L. Medford, Open Space Committee (Chair)
Lawrence Jonathan Guzman, School Committee Member – District F
Lexington Mark Sandeen, Select Board Member
Marlborough Samantha Perlman, City Councilor
Medford Zac Bears, City Councilor Nicole Morell, City Councilor Paul Ruseau, School Committee Member Jenny Graham, School Committee
Newton Susan Albright, City Council President Alicia Bowman, City Councilor Deb Crossley, City Councilor Andreae Downs, City Councilor Maria Scibelli Greenberg, City Councilor Bill Humphrey, City Councilor David Kalis, City Councilor Josh Krintzman, City Councilor Marc Laredo, City Councilor Rick Lipof, City Council Vice President Julia Malakie, City Councilor Chris Markiewicz, City Councilor Emily Norton, City Councilor John Oliver, City Councilor Holly Ryan, City Councilor
Northampton Bill Dwight, City Councilor at Large Alex Jarrett, City Councilor Karen Foster, City Councilor, Ward 2 Susan Voss, School Committee Member Chris Mason, Energy & Sustainability Officer
Pittsfield Mary Stucklen, Commissioner – Green Commission
Reading Vanessa Alvarado, Select Board Member
Somerville Will Mbah, City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne, City Councilor Kristen Strezo, City Councilor-at-Large
Taunton Phillip Duarte, City Councilor
Wakefield Mehreen N. Butt, Town Councilor Julie Smith-Galvin, Town Councilor Susan Veilleux, School Committee Member Rob Darnell, Environmental Sustainability Committee (Chair) Mary Hajjar, Environmental Sustainability Committee (Vice Chair) Robin Greenberg, Environmental Sustainability Committee Jennifer Kallay, Gas & Light Board Commissioner Elizabeth Sheridan, ESC Student Liaison
Watertown Caroline Bays, Town Councilor Angeline B. Kounelis, Town Councilor Tony Palomba, Councilor-at-Large
Wellesley Lise Olney, Select Board Member
Williamstown Anne O’Connor, Select Board Member
Winchester Michael Bettencourt, Select Board (Chair)
https://medfield-net.zoom.us/j/83347163639?pwd=N0phSWk0ZlViS3BPQlQ2TlhkdXBrdz09Hear from Arrowstreet, the new Elementary School Project architect, about the design considerations to be made over the next two months related to energy efficiency and net zero emissions:What is it?Why do it?Where is MA headed?Case StudiesOther Agenda Items:Utility incentives New Elementary School ProcessOther Building Types & Net Zero/Energy Efficiency Incentives for residential users Q&A/Break-out discussions A net zero building uses only as much energy as it can generate and being able to achieve that is a function of the building design. Please join us to learn more on Thursday! Sponsored by the the Sustainability Subcommittee of the Dale Street School Building Committee and the Medfield Energy Committee.
Medfield Environmental Action is a relatively new group that meets monthly to share and disseminate information about savings energy, climate change and all things green. They recently circulated a survey and below are the results of 504 submissions.
Posted onNovember 14, 2020|Comments Off on MEA – MEDFIELD DECARBONIZERS – 7:30PM Monday
MEA was founded in June and has quickly gained momentum. We are committed to helping Medfield and Medfield residents learn how to reduce their impact on the environment. We plan to hold at least one educational program a month.
We have some great ideas and plans for the future and would welcome more. Please get involved in a small or big (or medium) way. Feel free to reach out to meamedfield@gmail.com and/or consider attending the Steering Committee meeting in December. Details below.
Monday, November 16th Learn from Your NeighborsMonday November 16th 7:30 – 8:30 pm on Zoom MEDFIELD DECARBONIZERS
Are you thinking of installing solar panels or heat pumps but don’t know where to start? Are you curious about the logistics of driving an electric car? We thought it would be great to have a session about these carbon-reducing products where you can talk to other Medfield residents who have already adopted them.
Hear from these Medfield residents about their experiences: Jim James will talk about his solar panels. Kirsten & Glen D’Abate will discuss their electric vehicles. Jim Nail will tell us about how he installed a heat pump system for his home.
Also, we will share how to calculate your own carbon footprint. There will be plenty of time for questions. Register in advance for this webinar: https://tinyurl.com/meamedfield-Nov16 Have you taken our survey? Please do! We hope to learn what you and other Medfield residents think about environmental issues. Please take our survey and then share the link with your friends and family. If you include your email, you will be registered for a raffle to win a $50 gift certificate to a Medfield store. Find the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J7NFCHW
The next meeting of the Medfield Environment Action Steering Committee will be Wednesday December 2nd at 7:30pm via Zoom. Please join us at a meeting– we welcome everyone and anyone — and see what we’re about.
Meeting ID: 850 1726 6125 Passcode: 388020 It’s Easy to Calculate Your Household Carbon Footprint! • Use the EPA Carbon Footprint Calculator • Fill in just these two sections: Home Energy (electricity, gas/oil), and Transportation (your vehicles). • Save your work and bring in the number– your household carbon footprint in lbs of annual CO2 emissions– to the Nov. 16 forum. • This is a starter approach to carbon-footprint; we can always go deeper later. Please contact Fred Davis with any questions at fred@freddaviscorp.com.
The Zero Carbon Home forum from last month was terrific. Lots of good information about how to get started on insulating your home, installing solar panels, choosing replacement windows and considering heat pumps. The recording is now on the MEA website, meamedfield.org. Check it out! Want to save money? Want to know more about home energy assessments, rebates, incentives, and more? Go toMass Saveand check out the possibilities.
Our MissionMedfield Environment Action (MEA) is a grassroots organization of residents. We share information about the accelerating environmental destruction and climate emergency to empower local action. We seek to build a movement of informed citizens, dedicated to the preservation of a living environment in Medfield and beyond. Our goal is that those informed citizens support each other and work together for solutions.
MEA will work to:initiate and support measures by our town and state governments that will positively impact our environment;help reduce energy consumption and render the consumed energy renewable/sustainablereduce other environmental impacts in our community. Adopted July 9, 2020
The Green Communities Act requires the town to submit an annual report of what energy conservation measures (ECM’s) have been done and what are planned to be done. Yesterday I reviewed and signed off on the final report for this year. Filing the annual report is a prerequisite to getting the generous Department of Energy Resources (DOER) annual grants, so an important annual step. The Medfield Energy Committee and Amy Colleran, Facilities Director have championed getting the report prepared and filed, this year with the assistance of an Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) consultant obtained with grant monies.
I found this spreadsheet (partial copy below) listing about 100 ECM’s the most interesting (lots has already been accomplished and lots is still planned). Note how much of what is planned will be paid for by the DOER grant monies.
Posted onSeptember 16, 2020|Comments Off on Small businesses get energy saving opportunity
Eversource press release announces energy saving assistance for our town’s businesses –
Eversource Energy : Partners with Medfield to Launch Energy Efficiency Campaign for Small Businesses
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09/15/2020 | 02:55pm EDT
Energy company helps business owners identify specific ways to save on building’s operating costs now and in the future
BOSTON September 14, 2020 – Eversource is working with Medfield next month on the Main Streets energy efficiency initiative to help local, small businesses reduce their energy costs, save money and have a positive impact on the environment. From September 14th until September 18th, energy experts from Eversource-approved contractor, Rise, will be in the community meeting with businesses, scheduling no-cost energy assessments and answering questions about energy-efficient equipment upgrades and improvements.
‘Energy efficiency provides businesses of all sizes with a competitive edge and directly impacts their bottom line through energy savings,’ said Eversource Vice President of Energy Efficiency Tilak Subrahmanian, ‘Many small businesses are facing financial hardships right now, and this effort will help connect small business owners with ways to save on their energy costs.’
Medfield is one of 15 communities chosen for this initiative in 2020. In 2019, Eversource visited nine communities and helped small business owners reduce their energy use by more than 2.7 million kWh and save more than $400,000 as a result of this initiative.
The Main Streets energy efficiency program begins with a no-cost, no-obligation energy assessment identifying energy-saving opportunities for small businesses, such as new lighting, occupancy sensors, programmable thermostats, refrigeration controls, insulation and more. Some of the improvements, such as installing aerators and spray valves, happen on the spot at no cost to the customer. Larger improvement projects, like HVAC equipment upgrades or the installation of energy-efficient motor controls, are scheduled for a future date. For a limited time, Eversource has increased incentives for a range of energy-efficiency improvements to further offset the cost of upgrades, and interest-free financing is available for any remaining costs.
Local, licensed electricians contracted by Eversource will complete approved projects, ensuring minimal disruption to daily business operations. All contractors are required to follow state-of-the-art health and safety guidelines to minimize the spread of COVID-19, and all high-efficiency products installed as part of the program will include warranties for both materials and labor.
Eversource has delivered postcards with more information about the program to Medfield businesses. For more information about the program and to schedule a free assessment at a convenient time, businesses should contact Eversource’s contractor, Rise, directly at 401-784-3700 x 6158.
Comments Off on Small businesses get energy saving opportunity
I started this blog to share the interesting and useful information that I saw while doing my job as a Medfield select board member. I thought that my fellow Medfield residents would also find that information interesting and useful as well. This blog is my effort to assist in creating a system to push the information out from the Town House to residents. Let me know if you have any thoughts on how it can be done better.
For information on my other job as an attorney (personal injury, civil litigation, estate planning and administration, and real estate), please feel free to contact me at 617-969-1500 or Osler.Peterson@OslerPeterson.com.
Want to save money? Want to know more about home energy assessments, rebates, incentives, and more? Go to 
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