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

"FLOW" Showing at Unitarian Universalist Church on Friday

Given the interest in social justice and water we have at Grace, I thought everyone should be aware of this opportunity to see this film.  I haven't see it myself, but based on the description I want to see it.

Peace,
Jon

Nov. 18: Film in Medford about water and the environment

The Social Justice Committees of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford and the First Parish Church of Malden will hold a screening of the award-winning documentary, "FLOW", produced by Irena Salina.

Come learn about what experts and scientists are calling the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st century: the world water crisis.

Beyond identifying the problem, "FLOW" also gives viewers a look at practical solutions to the water crisis.

The film will be followed by a discussion led by Nick Cohen, a local expert in fresh water conservation, and an Environmental Justice Coordinator. Nick is also
with Tri-City Community Action Program, Inc. (Tri-Cap) and the Mystic River Watershed Collaborative.

The event takes place Friday, November 18, at 7 p.m. in Benker Hall, Unitarian Universalist Church, 147 High St., Medford. There will be refreshments served. All are welcome.

For further information contact: Michael Glen, 781-396-6424 or Karen Lynch,
781-420-6186.

Upcoming Green Events In and Around Medford

Malden River Festival, Sat Sept 17, 10 am - 4 pm, River's Edge
Alicia Hunt will be there representing the City of Medford and will have the Toyota Plug-In Prius on display.

Flyer - for download
and printing

Moving Planet Ride to Boston and Rally for Climate Action: Sat, Sept 24, 1-5 pm, starting at the West Medford Commuter Rail Station, directly following the Great Women of Medford Bike Tour



Harvest Your Energy Festival & First Patriots Revolutionary War Re-enactment, Sat October 1, 1-4 pm, behind the McGlynn Elementary & Middle School

Print the flyer and post
at office and elsewhere

Grace Church will have a table sharing the things we have been doing to go green.  Talk to Jonathan Hunt if you would like to help out at the table.  Alicia Hunt and the Medford Energy Committee (Jonathan Hunt & John Rogers also serve on it) are hosting this exciting and educational event.







Medford Farmers Market, every Thursday, 3-7 pm through mid-October, Whole Foods on Route 16.

Peace!

Tread Lightly for Lent - Lenten Green Calendar of Activities

On Sunday, copies of the "Tread Lightly for Lent" calendar of environmentally conscience activities for each day in Lent were made available in the Parish Hall.  This wonderful calendar was put together by the Presbyterian Church (USA) Environmental Ministries and is the best "green" Lenten calendar we found so the Greening Grace Team decided we should reflect on it at Grace Church.

You can pick up a copy in the Parish Hall or download it from the web:

http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/environment/pdf/lentcalendarnew.pdf

The activities include a good mix of reflection, action and ideas. 

My favorite action is to

Collect your personal trash and recyclables throughout the day. At the end of the day, survey your waste and think of ways to reduce. On average, Americans create 4.6 pounds of waste a day.
Saturday, March 12th from Tread Lightly for Lent

Please take a look and consider these actions during Lent.  The Episcopal Church has similar resources for many of the programs linked to within the Presbyterian Church.  Please ask us if you need help finding local contact information or have a question about .

Genesis 2:15 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ¹⁵ The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Energy/Water Saving Parts and Materials used for HEET

The following companies and organizations helped by providing us with materials for the HEET Barn-Raising.

Hillside Hardware (325 Boston Ave, Medford)

Our local hardware store that has been very good to Grace Church over the years.
Parts/Materials used

• Weather Stripping Kits for doors
• Caulk for around windows (Siliconized Latex in brown, white and clear)
• Misc Nails

Advanced Energy Panels - Albany, NY

Interior Storm Window

Jim Devine went to extraordinary lengths to get us the interior storm windows in time for the event.  They do custom fit interior storm windows as well as DIY kits.  We installed 4 AEP interior storms at the back of the stage to eliminate the cold draft that has been coming through those very leaky stained glass windows.  Installation was a breeze.  Check out their site for video instructions on measuring and assembling kits.

Parts/Materials

• 4 AEP Interior Storm Windows custom built to fit

Energy Federation Incorporated (EFI) - Westbourough, MA

Q-lon weather stripping kits being
installed on double doors

EFI is the go to supplier for other HEET events as well as for many energy auditors in the New England area.  They have a wide range of good quality affordable products for saving energy and water including CFLs, faucet aerators, insulation and more.  They even sell the AEP interior storm window kits.  They environmentally friendly packaging and are great all around to work with.

Parts/Materials used (EFI Part# Description)

Toilet Tank Bank

• 5000.58 AUBE TH 140-28-01-B millivolt
• 6560.052 TAYL Refrigerator Therm. #3507
• 7005.149 BITS SmartSurge 7-Outlet SCG3
• 3540.13 Q-lon White w/Metal Carrier
• 3540.18 Q-lon White w/Wood Carrier
• 5010.16 Intermatic TN311C Timer 120v
• 3020.10 NIAG N3137 Toilet Tank Bank
• 1100.324 20w Earthmate T-2 Spiral 27k
• 1100.322 13w Earthmate T-2 Spiral 27k
• 1100.325 23w Earthmate T-2 Spiral 27k
• 4000.031 MD 3/4" Pipe Ins. 4x3' pieces
• 3000.422 WHE UA1C Ultra Saver Aerator

MA Water Resource Authority (MWRA)

low flow shower head, faucet aerators
and toilet leak detection dye pack

MWRA supplies water for most of the Metro-Boston area.  They are big into water conservation and will provide home owners with free low flow water fixtures:

• low flow 2.0 gpm shower heads
• 1.5 gpm faucet aerators
• toilet leak detection (dye packets)

MWRA provided us these materials for free and we handed out the shower heads, faucet aerators and dye packets at the HEET and have some left over.  Talk to Jonathan if you would use these in your homes or apartments.  You can request more from the MWRA site.

Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) - Cambridge, MA

Without help from HEET to identify the projects to tackle and help organize the event, it would not have been as successful as it was.  A special thanks to Audrey Schulman for her assistance, coaching and support.  They can always use more volunteers and have several barn-raisings planned already for this fall.

HEET Barn-Raising Big Success!

Congratulations and Thank You to all the volunteers that came out to help on Monday.  What a great event and we made a difference. We had over 30 volunteers from Tufts, Grace Church, Medford and beyond.

A longer post with more details will be coming out, but for now here are the preliminary numbers from Monday. Our work should result in the following annual savings for Grace Church:

• 6,400 pounds of CO2 emissions avoided per year
• 34,000 gallons of water saved per year
• $1,300 saved on energy and water bills per year

Check out the slide show of some photos from the event.  If you have some photos, please contact me at jmhunt@mit.edu.

May God be with you!

Join Grace Church for a Weatherization Barn-Raising Party

Are you interested in learning how to save energy and money at home?  Come learn new skills while helping to weatherize Grace Church in Medford.

When: Monday, August 30th 4-8PM
Where: Grace Church, 160 High St, Medford, MA

Please sign up in advance

We will have experienced energy savers on hand to teach you techniques to save energy and conserve water. Learn hands on by applying these techniques on our church and then take your new skills home and apply them there.

Projects to be undertaken include:

• window & door air sealing
• water conservation
• programmable thermostats
• and more.

We can also use more leaders who are already skilled in these areas to help teach and coordinate others.

We will be joined by a group of incoming freshmen from the CAFE group at Tufts. After the afternoon of working together, we will all celebrate with some pizza in the common room.  Even if you cannot join us at the start, please sign up and come by after work on Monday.

On site childcare is available for those who request it in advance (through the registration system).

This barn-raising is organized in part by HEET Cambridge.  

Thanks,
Jonathan, Alicia and Rachael

Discounted Rain Barrels Available in Medford

If you've ever considered a rain barrel to collect rain water and water plants and garden, now is a great time.  The Mystic River Watershed Association has teamed up with the New England Rain Barrel Company to offer 55 gallon rain barrels for $75.  Orders must be placed by May 27, 2010 and pickup for all orders will be Thursday, June 3rd between 4-7pm at the WholeFoods in Medford (2151 Mystic Valley Parkway).

We [The Hunts] have a pair of these rain barrels from the New England Rain Barrel Company and love them.  Rain water is better for the plants than the chlorine treated tap water and good for the environment by savings treated drinking water and lessening the runoff that goes into the sewer system. Here are some more photos - the blue ones are the NE Rain Barrel ones. - Jonathan Hunt

 To get more details or order your own for pickup on June 3rd, visit the MyRWA site or the New England Rain Barrel Company.

Here is a little video about rain water collection featuring a couple of our youth:



And you only need a few minutes of rain to fill these, not 40 days.

Drip, Drip, Drip - Saving The Planet, One Faucet at a Time

Many of you have probably noticed the dripping faucet in the Parish Hall bathroom and realized that it is very difficult to turn the hot water completely off. I often found it trickling hot water because a kid or an adult didn't manage to turn it completely off.  Did you know that a dripping faucet typically wastes 1,000 gallons per year at the rate shown in the video below.  A slightly running toilet can waste even more.

The week before Easter we installed a new faucet that is easier to turn off and uses less water. We hope to see a noticable savings in the water bill, both by stopping the dripping and because it uses about 50% less water than the old faucet.

Some comments since the faucet was installed:

It is so easy to use.  I really like it.

I can't even tell the difference [in how the water feels].

Check out the new faucet with the easy to use handles:

The new faucet uses almost 50% less water when in use than the old faucet (1.2 gpm vs 2.2 gpm).

To save water, be sure to always turn off faucets all the way, especially when brushing your teeth. If you have a dripping faucet or toilet, be sure to get that fixed right away.  If you are replacing a faucet or toilet, be sure to look for the EPA WaterSense label (equivalent of EnergyStar). 

Happy Easter!  The Lord is Risen!
Jonathan

Save Water at Home with Free Water Conservation Kits

(Update 3/11/2010 - DPW no longer has the water conservation kits)

I was visiting the Medford Department of Public Works in regards to the GreenUp CleanUp project when I noticed they were giving away free low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators.   I picked up a bag to see what was included and was pleasantly surprised to find the same massaging shower head we installed in our own home, though with a slightly higher flow rate (2.0 gallons per minute - gpm).  We love this shower and installed one in my mother-in-law's bathroom.  She loves it too. You can literally save thousands of gallons of water per year with a low flow shower head.

The shower head and faucet aerators (one for a kitchen faucet at 2.2 gpm and one for a bathroom faucet at 1.5 gpm) came in a bag that you can use to measure your current showers' and faucets' flow rate, i.e., how many gpm they use.  Basically, you put the bag over your shower head and run the water for 5 seconds and then read on the side of the bag how much water it uses.  Included in the bag were little dye tablets to test your toilets for leaks because leaky faucets and toilets waste tens of thousands of gallons of water per year.  I also picked up some brochures on composting, indoor and outdoor water conservation, recycling and hazardous waste disposal for Medford.

If you have not already switched all your shower heads and installed aerators on your faucets, stop by Medford City Hall and pick up your free water conservation kits from our local Department of Public Works, Room 304.  You can also drop off button batteries and old cell phones for recycling while you are there.

Have a Blessed Day!
Jon