Just in time for Christmas

When we upgraded the lighting in the sanctuary with dimmable LED bulbs we hit a snag, flickering lights.  To stop the flickering, we replaced all the dimmers with new modern LED certified dimmers which actually made the problem worse.  The electrician put in simple on-off switches until we could figure out something better.

Now we have.  We now have non-flickering dimmers that work beautifully with our LED lights and just in time for Christmas.  Why Christmas?  Well, that is the one service at which we really use the dimming of the lights during our worship.

While I would not go so far as to call this a Christmas miracle, it was much harder than it should be so we want to share our solution.  After trying numerous electricians and lighting retailers, we were finally put in touch with a senior engineer at Philips who recommended the dimmer that worked with our setup.  Months of various failed attempts all changed in one day with a few emails and a trip to the local hardware store.

Our setup is 8 hanging fixtures, each with 6 Philips 10W L-Prize winning A19 lamps, on 4 switches (2 fixtures per switch).

• 48 Philips 10W Dimmable LED A19 lamps bought from Energy Federation Incorporated (EFI) with MassSave discounts
• 4 Lutron MACL-153M-SW Maestro 150-Watt Multi-Location CFL/LED Digital Dimmer
• Custom lamp parts
• One historic H.H. Richardson's oldest standing church

We had tried several previous CFL/LED dimmer switches that did not work.  One was the Lutron CFL/LED Dimmer CTCL-153PDH-WH which flickered at every setting level.  A second was a Leviton vizia + #VPE04 which is an expensive ELV dimmer that should work with LEDs but requires 4 wires to work (2 hot, ground and neutral).  We only had the two hot wires and ground available and rewiring the fixtures given the ceiling height is out of the question.

Now we are waiting for the lighting audit to come back for the Wiles Hall (our parish hall) where we have the remaining 9 @ 300W incandescent bulbs to replace with something more efficient.

Peace & Joy!
Jon

Let there be light!

You may have noticed something different in the Sanctuary this summer.  The Building Committee upgraded the lighting to highly efficient dimmable LEDs that are brighter than the old energy hogging incandescent lamps we had.

We should save about 80% on our electricity bills for lighting the sanctuary and Wes should never need to replace a burnt out bulb again.  The LEDs should last 20-30 years or more.

Estimated savings:

• 8 X 300W = 2.4 kW is now 8 x 60W = 0.48 kW
• Saving 400kWh per year (assuming the lights are on 4 hours per week)
• or about the electricity that a typical home in New England uses in a month
• Avoid emitting 372 pounds of CO2.
• Save about $50 per year in electricity costs

Hear are some quotes:
James - Wow you painted the walls.  Why do you say that?  They are so much brighter.
someone else - The lights look awesome!

See how we did it:

New light switches were installed last week to complete the project, so that occasional flicker in one of lights we were experience should be fixed. 

Add in your own comments on the lights below.

Peace,
Jon

Changes to TerraCycle Collections at Grace

Our TerraCycle collections have been going very well.  We have earned over $275 for the church and recycled over 13,000 items that would have otherwise been trash.  Please continue to bring your cleaned items to church for TerraCycling with the following adjustments:

Any brand healthy
food snack pouch.

• No more coffee bags
• New Collections
• GoGo Squeeze Containers
• Wine Pouches
• Pairs of Shoes

Unfortunately, Starbuck stopped sponsoring the Coffee Bag Brigade so we are no longer able to recycle coffee bags.  Please dispose of those in the trash.

We are excited to be recycling pairs of shoes, wine pouches and Go-Go Squeeze containers.  Here are the details for each.

Go-Go Squeeze

We accept GoGo squeeZ or other healthy food snack pouches. Please try to rinse them out as much as practical before bringing them in to church.

Wine Pouches

We accept all individual wine pouches, including Clif Family Winery Climber wine pouches.  This includes those that come inside boxes of wine too.

Pairs of Shoes

Recycle pairs of shoes

• Paired Shoes Brigade accepted waste: pairs of women’s, men’s, and children’s shoes, which may include athletic sneakers, cleats, flats, high heels, dress shoes, boots, and fashion or casual sneakers.
• Please Note: You must send in PAIRS of shoes. TerraCycle is unable to accept single shoes. Also, we will not accept any shoe that has even a single hole that you can put a pen through.
• The Paired Shoes Brigade does NOT accept: ski boots, roller skates, roller blades, ice skates, completely broken or ruined footwear, single shoes, rubber flip flops, or slippers

If you have questions or would like to help out, please talk to Alicia or Jonathan Hunt. 

New Items to TerraCycle at Grace

To date, Grace Church has earned over $300 from recycling our waste through TerraCycle, and we're still going and growing.

We're excited to add 3 more TerraCycle Brigades to our collection:

Any GoGo squeeZ or other
healthy food snack
pouches are accepted. 
PLEASE rinse out before
leaving at church.

• GoGo squeeZ
• Revolution Foods
• Wine Pouch

For the GoGo SqueeZ collection, all healthy food snack pouches are accepted.  Please RINSE the packages out before bringing them to the church so we can avoid any unwanted friends.

The Revolution Foods collection is limited to just Revolution Foods branded snacks, but the others can be included in the GoGo squeeZ above.

For the Wine Pouch collection, the bags in box wine count as well as wine pouches.  In Medford, you can recycle the Tetra-Pak bottle like boxes of wine along with juice boxes in our Single-Stream Recycling.

We also continue to collect the following items:

• Drink Pouches
• Chip Bags
• Cookie Packaging
• Candy Wrappers
• Energy Bar Wrappers (including Cereal Bars)
• Inkjet Cartridges (though we give those to the Roberts Elementary)

 Unfortunately, TerraCycle has cancelled the Coffee Bag Brigade, so please no more coffee bags.

If you are interested in helping sort, collect other items or find out more, please contact Alicia or Jonathan Hunt.

Welcome to the 2012 Green Up Clean Up season!

Green Up Clean Up is the award winning [2011 EPA Environmental Merit Award] program organized by Grace Episcopal Church in Medford, MA.  Through this program members of the church coordinate with members of the Medford Community,  the City of Medford, other local organizations and businesses to run Clean Ups of local parks and green spaces.  Past clean ups have included picking up trash, spreading mulch, pruning, weeding, painting, and more.  It is through this effort that we are able to stretch our tax dollars further by having the City provide the materials, while we provide the labor to improve our parks.

We are very excited to announce several upcoming Green Up Clean Up dates for 2012:

Saturday April 14, 1-3PM - Fells entrance at Winthrop St., Gate 1 - This is our first Clean Up at a DCR site!  We will be picking up trash around the trailhead that leads into the fells at this location.   

Saturday April 28 -  9:30 AM Earth Day Events in Medford Sq, 10:30 AM Mystic River at the Condon Shell.  Green Up Clean Up will be participating in Medford's Earth Day festivities this year, come meet us at our table at 1 City Hall Mall, the new site of the Medford Farmers Market.  Sign up for our email list, learn about upcoming Clean Ups and participate in the activities and clean up in Medford Square.   At 10:30 we will have a group joining the Friends of the Mystic River for their annual cleanup.  Our group will meet at the Condon Shell at 10:30 to do our part!  http://www.fomr.org/

Saturday May 5, 9AM - Noon -   Wright's Pond and Trails - Join us for our annual Wright's Pond Clean Up!  This is our biggest event,  organized by Rev. Noah Evans.   This year we're going to venture onto the trails next to the pond as well as the public swimming areas.  Please join us, there is always a lot to do here!

Saturday May 5 - 10AM - 1PM Brooks Estate - As is our tradition, we will be sending a group to help at the Brooks Estate annual clean up.   http://www.brooksestate.org/ 

Other Clean Ups that are still being organized for this Spring include Magoun Park, Victory Park & Logan Park.

If you are interested in helping with this effort, we could use a few more park leaders, donations of clean up supplies and snacks for the workers!  

For more details on the roles, and the type of work we can typically do at the clean ups,  please see the Team Leaders link on the Green Up Clean Up webpage: http://gracemedford.org/greenupcleanup/

We are also interested in hearing from you about which parks need attention or should have a Clean Up this year.   Please email us at greenupcleanup@gracemedford.org to let us know which parks you would like to see a Clean Up at.  We cannot do every park and green space in Medford, so we will try to focus our efforts where people see the greatest need.  

Clean Up Summary:

• Saturday April 14, 1-3PM - Fells entrance at Winthrop St., Gate 1 - Lydia Coty Gay

• Saturday April 28 -  9:30 AM Earth Day Events in Medford Sq  - Alicia Hunt

• Saturday April 28 - 10:30 AM Mystic River River Cleanup - Margaret Smist

• Saturday May 5, 9AM-Noon -   Wright's Pond and Trails - Rev. Noah Evans

• Saturday May 5 -  Brooks Estate - Allison Andrews 

• TBD Logan Park - The Hamel Family

TBD Magoun Park

• TBD Victory Park 

The 2012 Green Up Clean Up Organizing Committee

Alicia Hunt

Margaret Smist

Vin Maganzini

Lydia Cotty Gay

Daniel Smith

Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1,000 Showing in Arlington

In case you missed it, or just want to see it again, Marion Stoddart's The Work of 1,000 is showing at the Capitol Theater in Arlington on Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 7pm.  We really enjoyed having Marion join us during our Lenten Green Faith Series last year.


Mystic River Watershed Association invites you to Get Energized & Inspired with Marion Stoddart.

Join a lively discussion with acclaimed Massachusetts environmental pioneer, Marion Stoddart, preceded by the award-winning film about her, "Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1,000".

Thursday, March 22, 2012
Capitol Theater
204 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA
7 p.m. (doors open at 6:45)

$10 Suggested Donation, $35 Join MyRWA plus Admission

Purchase tickets here:
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/218263

Co-Sponsors
Friends of Spy Pond Park, Ocean River Institute, Ecological Landscaping Association, Friends of Alewife Reservation, Charles River Canoe and Kayak, Woburn Residents' Environmental Network, Green Medford, Somerville Climate Action, Sustainable Arlington, Friends of the Mystic River and East Arlington Liveable Streets Coalition.

Corporate Sponsor
Boreal Renewable Energy Development

Green Up Clean Up: Park Leader Role

To coordinate so many park cleanups around town, we have found it helpful to clearly lay out what is expected from our volunteer Park Leaders and what they can expect from the GreenUp CleanUp Organizing Team.

Usually we divide the work as follows:

Park leader

• Picks a date
• Decides what work needs to be done at the park and lets the organizers know what your recommendations are for the park (email to greenupcleanup@gracemedford.org)
• Does local outreach to people who use the park or live/work nearby. (If at a special location, coordinate with that location, e.g., Brooks Estate Trustees, Friends of the Mystic River)
• Is in charge the day of the cleanup
• Sets up at the beginning and cleans up at the end of that cleanup.

Green Up Clean Up Organizing Committee

• Coordinates all the dates
• Communicates with the City about what materials and tools are needed on each date for each park cleanup; they make any special arrangements that might be necessary (e.g., getting bathrooms opened out of season for volunteers, unlocking parking lot gates for the clean up, etc)
• Does central & city-wide outreach, including email, press releases (but Park Leaders are welcome to do this as well)
• Maintains the webpage:   http://gracemedford.org/greenupcleanup
• Brings the large lemonade cooler, cups
• Brings work gloves, garbage, recycling & yard waste bags

Snacks and Beverages
Some year we have a volunteer who is able to solicit donations of food and beverages (coffee, water) for the cleanups.  Sometimes the Park Leader organizes snack, either through donations or bringing something on their own.   For 2012 we don't yet have a volunteer (yet) to organize this, and we'd be happy to have someone volunteer, or for businesses to contact us directly.

Examples of Clean Up Activities
We are happy to report to the City Park's Department whatever you want them to hear about the park.  Typical activities they are able to support us doing include:

• Raking
• Sweeping sand
• Picking up trash and recycling
• Spreading mulch (they have provided mulch, shovels, wheel barrows)
• Spreading safety wood chips (they have provided wood chips, shovels, wheel barrows)
• Spreading sand (they provided sand, shovels, wheel barrows, rakes)
• Pulling weeds
• Removing graffiti (the City has special graffiti removal cleaner)
• Painting (the City has provided paint, brushes)
• Pruning (sometimes the City will send one of their staff with power tools)
• Planting flowers and sprucing up local gardens

The City is happy to supply the tools and supplies we need, within their budget, provided we make the request in a timely manner and it is something they have available.

If you are interested in organizing a Clean Up, but you're not sure where, or what to do,  members of the organizing committee and the Medford Parks Department have recommendations on locations that could use volunteer help.


Thank you for volunteering!
Green Up Clean Up Committee
Grace Medford
greenupcleanup@gracemedford.org

Treading Lightly for Lent 2012

Tread Lightly for Lent 2012

The Presbyterians have done it again creating a wonderful environmentally focused Lenten calendar for 2012: Tread Lighting for Lent 2012.  The calendar take individuals on a journey of reflection and action that anyone of us can and should do. 

When we care for God’s good earth, we do so through both action and reflection. We are called to engage in intentional and thoughtful “doing” as well as “being.” As we anticipate the lengthening of daylight during Lent, we are invited to long, deep reflection. This reflection will shape our action. Likewise, our actions shape how we reflect—on ourselves, our world and our Creator.

In what spirit might we enter a season of reflection and action? I propose that we enter Lent in a spirit of fasting and feasting. We fast, refraining from things that do not foster life. Yet we also feast, remembering God’s grace and power in the world. Echoing Sabbath and Jubilee themes in the Torah and other parts of Holy Scripture, we feast on God’s liberating goodness even as we fast from the harmful things we do to the earth.

So I invite you, then, to reflect and to act, to fast and to feast. This simple calendar will serve as a daily Lenten reminder of this invitation. Most reflections and actions can be done in less than 10 minutes, or they can take as long as you like. Guiding themes for the weeks in this calendar are: creation, water, land, air, people, diverse species, and lifestyle commitment.

From the introduction to the Tread Lighting for Lent 2012 from the Presbyterian Church (USA) Environmental Ministries.

If you are interested in another faith based environmental path for Lent, there is the 2012 Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast which will send you email with daily actions for Lent.  The Lenten Carbon Fast is developed and run by the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ.

What ever you path you choose, do something for yourself and the world the Lord has entrusted to us.

Peace!
Jon

Being Good Stewards by Changing a few Light Bulb

Grace Church has been working for several years to make our lighting more efficient and better quality.  Throughout most of our parish building we have upgraded to electronic ballast fluorescent T-8 fixtures, but have been struggling replacing the remain high wattage incandescent lights in our parish hall because they need to be dimmable and are 150W flood lights.


One afternoon, with my daughter helping, we replaced all 26 of our 150W spot lights with high-efficiency 17W dimmable LEDs.  We were able to get a $40 rebate on each bulb through a MassSave Commercial Lighting Rebate, bringing down the cost to $13 each.


I'm excited by the reactions we go during the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, which was the first evening event since we changed the bulbs:

"I love the new lights!"
"They will really help the older members of the parish."
"They're really bright in a good way."

Here is what we replaced:

• 9 @ 150W incandescent flood lights
• 3 @ 75W incandescent flood lights
• 5 @ 100W halogen flood lights

Burnt out or missing:

• 6 @ 150W incandescent flood lights
• 2 @ 100W halogen flood lights
• 1 missing entirely

with 22 Philips 17W EnduraLED PAR38 22° Flood and 4 Sylvania 18W UltraLED PAR38 40°.  Both are 75W flood light equivalents.

Four different varieties of flood lights that were in our parish hall.

Two styles of LED PAR38 lights we installed and one of
the track light flood fixtures with an old incandescent bulb

	# of Bulbs	Wattage (W)	Annual electricity usage* (kWh)	ElectricityCost per year at 15.5¢/kWh
Functioning Lights	17	150	2,652	$411
With all bulbs functioning	26	150	4,056	$629
Going forward with LEDs	26	17	460	$71

* at 20 hours of usage per week

So, we should actually save about $340 per year on our electric bill and not consuming 2,200 kWh which will reduce our annual green house gas CO2 emissions by about 2,000 pounds per year.

Even better than the electricity savings and emissions reductions each year, will be not having to replace the bulbs.  With a 45,000 hour life, these LEDs should last over 40 years. I won't have to go up that ladder to replace burnt out bulbs.  I do not know how many bulbs we were replacing each year, but that should be a nice savings as well.


You may have noticed that we replaced mostly 150W bulbs with 75W equivalent LEDs.  Now that we have all 26 fixtures working again (9 were burnt out or missing their bulb) our effective illumination is only down a few percent.  We may come back and add some additional fixtures to the existing tracks, but may not need to given that all of the LED's light is directed where we want it while only a portion of the incandescent lights was.  I was really glad that the existing dimmers functioned without any flicker or problems so we did not need to rewire anything.

Funding for this project came in part from the Green Grant Program from the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and is part of a larger project that is also looking to upgrade the remaining 300W incandescent bulbs in our historic sanctuary to high-efficiency LEDs while pleasantly increasing the light quality.

Peace,
Jon

Faith in Action - MBTA

This past Sunday, Greening Grace organized a letter writing protest against the proposed MBTA service reductions and fair increases.  The proposed changes would have a devastating effect on the most vulnerable including seniors and low income in Medford and other effected communities.  They would also take Massachusetts backwards in the fight against Climate Change and increase traffic on our already crowded roads in and around Boston.

We wrote over a dozen letters to the MBTA, local and state officials with signatures from dozens of members of Grace Church.  Some letters were written by hand, while others typed.  The kids joined in too, decorating the envelopes with environmentally and public transit themed art.

Everyone that attended was glad they could do their part and show support for legislators opposing the proposals and encourage other legislators to do the same.

If you would like more information on setting up your own letter writing campaign, contact us at GreeningGrace@gracemedford.org.  It was fun and easy and makes a difference.

Peace!
Jon

TAKE ACTION FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND TRANSPORTATION EQUITY

On Sunday, February 12, Greening Grace will host a letter-writing campaign to protest MBTA’s proposed fare increases and service cuts and urge legislators to change the funding formula for the MBTA. Please join us in Grace Church's Wiles Hall at 11:45 am! 

Years of borrowing for – instead of paying for – repairs and improvements to the states’ roads and transit systems have left the state without enough money to fund basic transportation operations. Also, the funding mechanism that the legislature put in place for the MBTA (a portion of the state sales tax) failed to produce the anticipated revenue. As a result, the MBTA is proposing grave fare hikes and service reductions to pay the bills. For example, the MBTA plans to cut all commuter rail service on weekends, and one of the proposals would eliminate four bus routes that service Medford. Service cuts and fare hikes will urban poor families the hardest because of their dependence on public transit and their limited ability to afford the fare increases. Also, it is wrong to cut public transit when we need to take serious steps to tackle climate change.

Come with your laptops, pens, friends, and kids. There will be chocolate snacks to help bring out your inner environmentalist.

To learn more about the proposed service reductions and fare hikes, go to http://www.mbta.com.

Question about the event should be directed to Jonathan Hunt or Catherine Smith at greeninggrace@gracemedford.org.