2005 Issues of EcoBytes

Welcome to Volume 7, Issue 1 of EcoBytes,the Center for Ecological Technology's (CET) email newsletter. EcoBytes updates you on CET's activities in waste, energy, environmental education and sustainable development. Visit us at http://www.cetonline.org to learn more about our programs. For mailing list changes or deletions, please contact Ruth Dinerman.

IN THIS ISSUE:

• A Solar Riddle
• Nurses Nurture New Behavior
• Cracking the Energy Code
• Where Did All Those Computers Come From?
• Extra Rewards for Greening Up
• Out of Closets and Back in the Game
• Make it Click
• Efficiency Products

Solar Riddle

Question: What produces pollution free electricity, was manufactured in Massachusetts, designed and installed by a local contractor, serves as a research, teaching and learning tool, and is the first of 50 kW of photovoltaics coming to Berkshire County through grant administered by CET? Answer: A 7.2 kW photovoltaic (PV) array, installed on the roof of the Morely Science Center at Williams College. The 24-panel system was designed and installed by Berkshire Photovoltaic Services and were manufactured by RWE Schott Solar of Billerica, Mass.CET worked with students, faculty and administration to get this demonstration project off the ground and onto the roof. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) Renewable Energy Trust and U.S. Department of Energy provided financial incentives. Coming soon: PV at Gould Farm, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, McCann Vocational Technical School, Conte Community School and Simon’s Rock College of Bard. For more information, visit: Berkshire Renewables.org or contact Nancy Nylen.

Nurses Nurture New Behavior

Since February, nurses from Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association (BVNA) have educated more than 250 families with newborns about ways to protect their infants from common toxins in and around the home. Thanks to a partnership between CET, BVNA and Sprout, nurses who check on mother and infant just days after birth now discuss alternatives to pesticides, safer cleaning products and avoiding fish with high levels of mercury. Best of all, parents are taking these lessons to heart. Through a phone survey, CET learned that almost all mothers we reached had changed habits as a result of their conversations with the visiting nurse. Some ventilate rooms after cleaning or switched to less toxic cleansers. A mom who used to eat local fish that could be contaminated with mercury or PCBs, now says ‘No more’, and several mothers eat less tuna fish, which is moderately high in mercury. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Berkshire Environmental Fund and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region provided funding for this project. For more information, contact Ruth Dinerman or visit: www.cetonline.org/Home/HealthyBeginnings.php

Cracking the Energy Code

In December thirty-five building inspectors, builders, trades people and architects attended a seminar in Pittsfield about Energy Codes Rating. Alan Hezekiah, from Conservation Services Group, described how the Energy Code applies to all new construction and renovation projects across the state. Participants learned about the Energy Code and how to use software that calculates a project’s compliance. They also gained a better understanding of the latest building science information that is helpful in building comfortable, healthy and energy efficient homes. CET staff are available to assist building inspectors in western Massachusetts. When a residential project needs a building permit, CET can review construction documents to ensure that the Energy Code is met. For more information, contact Jay Walsh.

Where Did All Those Computers Come From?

On a sunny Saturday in November, CET collected over 53,000 pounds of computers, monitors, keyboards, and mice for recycling. More than 430 households from Pittsfield and the southern Berkshires brought computers and various computer components to the Pittsfield DPW yard. CET is one of 20 community partners from across the country selected to work with Dell Inc., and the National Recycling Coalition to address the challenge of electronic waste. Both attendance and tonnage surpassed expectations. Some residents clearly seized the chance to recycle very old computers, including some of the very first personal computers from the 1980s. America Retroworks, a Vermont recycling vendor, will test all the machines, reuse those that work and recycle those that do not. CET provided education about the importance of electronics recycling, including information about ongoing local options. The City of Pittsfield, Lenox Environmental Committee, Lee Recycling Committee and Southern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District partnered with CET on this collection. For more information, contact Amy Johns.

Extra Rewards for Greening Up

It’s not often that CET sponsors competitions with large prizes. CET will award $5,000 to four communities in western Massachusetts with the highest percentage of residents that enroll in GreenerWatts New England, CET’s renewable energy offering. The award can be used to help a town install a solar energy system. Shutesbury, Lenox, Great Barrington, Williamstown and Northampton are a few of the towns already excited about the competition. Funding for CET’s contest comes from the U.S. Department of Energy. Residents and small businesses served by Massachusetts Electric Company can sign up for GreenerWatts New England and support clean, renewable electricity directly on their monthly electric bill. Communities also receive matching funds from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Choice program, sponsored by the MTC, administrator of the Renewable Energy Trust. The MTC will match 30% of the monthly GreenerWatts New England premium for renewable energy projects. Towns that achieve at least 3% participation by March 31, 2005 will receive an additional $50 per participant. Talk about a chance to think globally and act locally! For a community with just 5,000 households, 3% participation will be enough to install a small renewable energy system. Winning CET’s contest gives towns an additional $5,000. This will help small rural communities afford to purchase a solar energy system to help power one of their buildings. Future EcoBytes will report on the winning towns. To learn more, contact Peggy MacLeod or visit: GreenerWatts.

Out of Closets and Back in the Game

This fall, CET’s sneaker collections took off on a run and we’ve been sprinting ever since. Starting with the Great Josh Billings Triathlon and followed by the Berkshire Community College Thanksgiving Harvest Run, CET has been taking old sneakers from athletes for recycling. Our goal: 5,000 pairs of athletic sneakers in less than a year. Adventure shops and other retailers have set up collections as well. Students from Conte Community School, Herberg Middle School in Pittsfield, and from Granby Junior and High School, stepped up to the plate (wearing sneaks, of course) and encouraged classmates and teachers to recycle old tennies. Students from Williams College, Berkshire Community College, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Suffolk University are collecting shoes at gymnasiums, through athletic departments and in classroom buildings. As part of a partnership between Nike and the National Recycling Coalition, the sneakers will be ground and recycled into new running tracks, basketball courts and playgrounds. When it comes to recycling, at last the shoe fits. For more information, contact Ezra Small. Find out more.

Make it Click

With your help, Horizon Organic will donate to EarthShare New England, of which CET is a member. All you need to do is to “give a click for the environment - on the right side of their home page: Horizon Organic.

A simple act, lasting benefits.

Efficiency Products

Purchasing energy efficient products is good for the budget, for the air we breathe and the water we depend on. Now you can also get a discount and support CET. To find lighting, garden, weatherization and small appliances and receive a 10% discount, visit our storefront.