Volume 9, Issue 1 of EcoBytes

EcoBytes updates you on CET's accomplishments in waste, energy, environmental education and sustainable development.

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Benefits by the numbers
• Green LEEDership sprouts in Amherst
• It grows! It grows!
• Cool bins, 60% less garbage
• New Service -- Transfer Station Inspections
• Well-informed moms benefit babydom
• Did you miss the glorious green homes tour?
• Staff and board announcements

Benefits by the numbers

CET collected more than 440 tons of office paper from 150 businesses last year! That is the equivalent of saving: 10,560 trees; 172,224 gallons of oil; 3,091,200 gallons of water; or 530 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling those 440 tons has the same benefit as taking 437 cars off the road, or saving enough electricity to power 86 homes for a year!

To sign up for office paper recycling, contact Jamie Cahillane.

Green LEEDership sprouts in Amherst

We are proud to announce Jef Sharp and Becca Matthews of Amherst are the owners of CET's first soon-to-be-certified LEED home!

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a green building certification program created by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). In partnership with USGBC, CET is piloting the LEED for Homes program to certify new residential buildings. The Sharp-Matthews home is an inspiring example of both green building and green living.The home incorporates everything from solar electricity and solar hot water to a low-mow grass lawn -- more like a natural prairie than a putting green. They conserve water with low-flow automatic faucets and dual flush toilets--with two separate flush buttons: one for one, two for two.

Sharp and Matthews have taken many other measures -- installing reclaimed counter tops and flooring, sustainable bamboo flooring, compact fluorescent lamps everywhere, and LED lights under the kitchen cabinets. Their commitment to using less water and less energy, caring for the land on which their home was built, and using recycled or renewable products when possible is what makes the Sharp-Matthews a star example of green LEEDership.

For more information on LEED for Homes, contact Megan McDonough.

It grows! It grows!

Solar electricity from our rooftops is growing thanks to enthusiastic New England GreenStart households and small businesses. GreenStart enrollments continue to climb--sixteen western MA towns have surpassed 3% participation and earned bonus awards for community clean energy projects. Shutesbury has one of the highest levels of participation--more than 10% of households have signed up (right on their National Grid bill) to support clean electricity. They earned enough to install a new 2 kW photovoltaic system on the Shutesbury elementary school.

Funding for the Shutesbury project is from Clean Energy Choice, a Small Renewables grant from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust, and a MA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Climate Protection grant. CET also awarded the town $5,000 for being one of the top six GreenStart towns in western Massachusetts, made possible through a US Department of Energy grant to CET.

For more information about a renewable energy project for your town and New England GreenStart contact Peggy MacLeod.

Cool bins, 60% less garbage!

Since September, the town of Great Barrington's collection of trash from Main Street's sidewalks has plummeted by nearly 60 percent, thanks to some really cool recycling bins that double as street art. The Art of Recycling demonstrates the potential for creativity and community involvement and was recently highlighted by the EPA's Recycle on the Go campaign. The 15 bins are strategically placed in downtown Great Barrington to collect cans and bottles. Former CET staffer Raya Ariella formed a committee to recruit local artists to design the bins, each of which is itself made from at least 90% recycled content. For more information contact Jamie Cahillane.

New Service -- Transfer Station Inspections

Is your transfer station up to snuff? Starting this year, the Massachusetts DEP began requiring annual inspections of transfer stations by a third party. CET has helped eleven communities meet this requirement. For more information, contact Jamie Cahillane.

Well-informed moms benefit babydom

At-risk pregnant women can take easy steps to protect their baby's health, once they understand the importance of reducing the use of and exposure to toxic and polluting chemicals. Through Healthy Beginnings, at-risk pregnant women receive counseling from a trained nurse about ways to reduce their exposure to pesticides, lead, mercury, PCBs and tobacco smoke. In the follow-up survey, 72% of the mothers said that they are more aware of the connection between mercury and PCBs and their baby's developing brain. The women received information to make safer fish choices, and their understanding about lead in tap water and safer pesticide practices was strengthened as well.

Healthy Beginnings, a collaboration of CET, Operation BetterStart WIC, Berkshire Visiting Nurses Association and Sprout-A Children's Environmental Health Initiative, was funded by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust and US EPA.

Did you miss the glorious green homes tour?

It was one gorgeous early fall day--blue sky, puffy clouds, a nice breeze. Perfect for tooling around the Berkshires, visiting people you don't know, but who were happy to see you nonetheless. It happens every October--the Green Buildings Open House event, and this year 15 green homes and public buildings participated. Visitors were treated to tours and mini-workshops on solar photovoltaic systems and bio-fuel.

Increasing concern over home-heating costs, imported oil supplies, global climate change, along with new opportunities through state and federal financial incentives, drew big crowds to the tour this year. They learned about solar technologies for producing hot water and electricity. They saw water-saving fixtures and appliances, learned about passive solar heating techniques, and received information about health-sensitive building materials, including paints, insulation, carpeting and bamboo flooring.

"Many people feel that our country's energy problems, global warming, and fuel costs are beyond our control," says Nancy Nylen, associate director of CET. "The Green Buildings Open House shows specific steps we all can take to make a difference."

CET coordinated the Green Buildings Open House Tour in Berkshire County through grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.. The event is part of the American Solar Energy Society's and Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's (NESEA) Solar Tour.

Staff & Board Announcements

CET Associate Director John Majercak has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA) -- the national association for used building materials stores and deconstruction operations. BMRA facilitates building deconstruction and the reuse/recycling of recovered building materials. John brings significant experience in reuse and economic development through his leadership in establishing and managing the ReStore, CET's innovative non-profit reuse store that accepts donations of used and surplus cabinets, windows, doors and more, and sells them at low cost to the public. Congratulations, John!

A warm welcome to new staff members Lisa Kohler, who is providing administrative support for our energy programs, and to Chris Nichols busily at work on energy efficiency rating and air sealing. Thanks and good luck to the ReStore's departing AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer, Staysee Bogan; and to former CET staffers Johnathan Scofield and Mandie Bull.

And a special farewell to our departing board member Rita Kasky, who retired earlier this year from her position as Development Director at Gould Farm. Rita has served on our Board of Directors for five years, and we are especially grateful to her for her help in developing CET's fundraising capacity. We are sure she will continue to be a great friend and supporter of CET.

For 30 years, CET, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has worked to improve the economy, ecology and health of western Massachusetts.  Visit www.cetonline.org to find out more about our programs and to make a secure online donation to CET. Your tax-deductible contribution will help sustain our community work. Or send your contribution to CET, 112 Elm Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201.

The Center for Ecological Technology is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. CET is a proud member of Earth Share of New England, leading environmental organizations working together to protect and preserve our natural resources and public health.  Find us at 112 Elm Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Phone: (413) 445-4556. Fax: (413) 443-8123.  In Northampton, we are at 26 Market Street, Northampton, MA 01060. Phone: (413) 586-7350. Fax: (413) 586-7351. Or visit the ReStore Home Improvement Center, 250 Albany Street - Rear, Springfield, MA 01105. Phone: (413) 788-6900.