WellesleyWeston Magazine

FALL 2015

Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.

Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/553574

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issue and reward voluntary compliance with Thank You for Not Idling cards. The cards start a conversation with people not in compliance who ask —'Why didn't I get a card?' They give us a chance to explain the law in a positive fashion." Grow Your Own Vegetables, in the Fall or Winter As summer gardens' bounty and daylight hours wane, don't give up on growing your own vegetables. Weston Road Garden Club President John Spencer extends the outdoor growing season using raised beds with cold-frame plastic sheeting in his yard. Jeremy Dick, Superintendent of the Boston Management Unit for The Trustees of the Reservation, recommends building raised beds from rot-resistant cedar with walls slightly below waist level so you can sit on the edges to work the soil, or choosing pots made from materials that won't freeze or crack. In the coldest winter months Spencer grows his salad greens indoors. "Choose non-flowering loose-leaf lettuces, arugula, and mustard greens. Recycle clementine boxes, fill them with soil, plant the seeds, and place them under four-foot fluorescent lights on a timer. That's how I grow my lunch in the coldest months of the year." extremes take a toll on food supply and prices, employment, and health. The lead scientist, Erich M. Fischer, commented to the The New York Times, "People can argue that we had these kinds of extremes well before human influence on the climate — we had them centuries ago. And that's correct. But the odds have changed and we get more of them." Fortunately, going green is not an all or nothing proposition. And there are many ways, including simple ones, that can work for you and your family to protect our planet — and humanity — for generations to come. Stop Idling Your Car Did you know that Massachusetts's law prohibits idling your car for more than five minutes to reduce health and environmental hazards? If you have children in the Wellesley Public Schools, you may have received an Anti-Idling Campaign card from a Green School team member. Wellesley Police Officer Evan Rosenberg explains the very successful joint initiative between the police and the schools, "Our goal is to bring positive attention to the Choosing a More Sustainable Lifestyle 74 W e l l e s l e y W e s t o n M a g a z i n e | f a l l 2 0 1 5 Meet Weston resident Nina Danforth, former environmental educator for the Massachusetts Watershed Initiative. She and her husband, Henry Stone, adapted their 1910 farmhouse facing Land's Sake Farm in order to "save a little piece of history" and "transform it into a more eco-friendly property." On their roof, they added a solar hot water system as well as installed a five- kilowatt solar photovoltaic system that eliminates their electric bills seven months of the year. To cut down on winter heat loss, they use a wood stove, several thermal windows, and insulated curtains. Outdoors, they collect rain in barrels to water their flowerbeds of perennials. A small flock of sheep mows their lawn while enriching the soil, and they raise chickens for the eggs. But in the end, the green initiative that the Danforth/Stone family is most proud of is how they "increased their home's shade in the summer, reducing the need for air conditioning by training one enormous grape vine over the porch and trans- forming it into an edible green roof." Sustainable Super Star Profile

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