Autumn 2009 Edition

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IN THIS ISSUE:

• Building and living green in the Berkshires
• Walking the Talk
• Energy Savings Seminars
• Greening your Community... Leading by Example
• ReStore Deconstruction has banner year
• Welcome new CET staff

Building and living green in the Berkshires

Bruce Harley talks to attendees about efficiency at the Berkshire Museum.

The annual Green Buildings Open House Tour began with a special presentation at the Berkshire Museum by Bruce Harley of Conservation Services Group on Friday evening October 2. In Greening our Homes and Lives: Priorities and Practices, Bruce engaged the audience in a discussion of energy efficient, green and sustainable building, remodeling and living. Following the talk, hosts of the tour sites described highlights of their homes and businesses in a sneak preview of the next day's tour. The conversation continued in the museum's Crane Room, where participants enjoyed delicious and locally produced refreshments.

Stu Besnoff in front of his Windsor home. The array of vacuum tube solar hot water collectors heat an indoor pool and his home. A wood-fired boiler provides supplemental heat.

Rainy weather on October 3 did little to dampen the spirits of hundreds of people curious to learn about energy efficient building practices and renewable energy technologies in Berkshire County. The 2009 Green Buildings Open House Tour once again sparked interest in learning first-hand about ways to renovate or build in an environmentally respectful way. Fifteen tour sites from Williamstown to Great Barrington opened their doors to share and show what they have done to save energy and invest in clean energy technologies. CET works in partnership with the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association each year to promote this regional event locally. For more information contact Cynthia Grippaldi at 413-445-4556 ext. 25.

Walking the Talk

Taking small and big steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions add up! We want to share recent steps CET has taken to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

A Techno metal post is screwed into the ground at CET's office on Elm Street, Pittsfield, for a new accessibility ramp. This type of support has much less impact on the environment than does pouring cement footers.

• A few months ago we tested 100% recycled content copy paper. It works great, and now we use it for all in-house printing and copying.
• We are thrilled with our used conference table and chairs in Pittsfield, donated to CET by Berkshire Bank. In Northampton we purchased used office dividers and refurbished chairs for the conference room.
• The worn carpets in our Pittsfield office desperately needed replacement; and then we realized that we could sand and restore the hardwood floors beneath them. We used OSMO One Coat, a low-VOC product made from renewable, natural ingredients, with beautiful results.
• We celebrated the move from downtown Northampton to our new Riverside Drive office in Florence with a zero waste open house. We used neighborhood caterers and china for the event. Our Greening Your Community Workshops in Amherst and Pittsfield were zero waste (or darn close.)
• In Northampton, we added our empty air sealing spray foam cannisters to the paper and containers that we already recycle through the Pedal People (zero emissions!)
• We've added a Green Moment at staff meetings to share information on our electricity consumption and other ways that CET is endeavoring to be greener in our workaday lives.

Energy Savings Seminars

Town Energy Committees are hosting seminars on saving energy at home. In an informal setting, residents learn about low- and no-cost options to save energy and money. They also listen, question and discuss how their homes lose heat and use electricity; and learn about strategies, costs, rebates and incentives to make home energy improvements more affordable. This fall, CET presented in Amherst, Ashfield, Gill, Lenox, New Salem, Northampton, Stockbridge, and Tyringham. These seminars are sponsored by the Massachusetts Municipal Association. To request a free seminar for your town, contact Tomasin Whitaker at 413-586-7350 ext. 225.

Greening your Community... Leading by Example

Two fall Greening Your Community: Leading By Example workshops in the Berkshires and the Valley brought together western Massachusetts community leaders and informed speakers from grassroots groups, regional planning agencies, DOER, and CET. In the Valley, Mass Climate Action Network's Rob Garrity framed the morning with a 'call to action' and community leaders and members of the Valley's energy committees offered practical advice and shared recent success in building greener communities. Everyone was inspired by Micki Darling's presentation about the student green teams in Northampton schools. Many thanks to our co-hosts PVPC, FRCOG and MCAN, as well as the US Fish and Wildlife in Hadley, our gracious host. We also thank Whole Foods for donating the refreshments.

In the Berkshires, representatives from 15 different municipalities gathered at CET's third annual Greening Your Community: Leading By Example workshop on November 5 at Lenox Town Hall. Participants learned from in-depth presentations about the Green Communities Act, shared their towns' experiences, and discussed what's happening at the grassroots level to save energy and address climate change across the Berkshires. Special thanks to Berkshire Co-op Market and Wild Oats Community Market for providing delicious, locally sourced refreshments. The event highlighted services to municipalities and grassroots groups available through CET's Climate Action Circuit Rider initiative and technical assistance offered in partnership with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to 14 Berkshire communities working to become Green Communities. For more information contact Nancy Nylen.

ReStore Deconstruction has banner year

It's been a banner year for ReStore Deconstruction! We completely dismantled five whole houses right down to the foundation. More than 75 tons of materials were diverted from the landfill, and recycled or brought back into the market for reuse in people's homes. Chestnut beams, flooring, doors, windows, insulation and lumber are among the materials reclaimed. We are especially excited about three local homes that were deconstructed in partnership with the Pecoy Companies, Dan Roulier and Associates and R.J. Chapdelaine Builders as a green alternative to wasteful crunch and dump demolition. For more information, contact John Grossman at 413-788-6900.

Welcome new CET staff

We have been busy hiring and training 29 talented new employees at CET.

Training Staff
Stan Swiercz, Training Manager
Bill Porter, Insulation Contractor Trainer

Fiscal and HR Staff
Kim Dudley, Fiscal/HR Administration Assistant

Berkshire Energy Advisors
David Reardon, Jr. and Joe Nawazelski

Northampton Energy Advisors
Dan Iles, Anthony Giarratano, Joan Simonelli, Laura Biddulph, CJ Hanley and Tom Sullivan

Northampton Quality Assurance Inspectors
Jeanne Comeau and Justin Cleare

Berkshire Air Sealing Technicians
Bill Gross, Justin Brown, Rick Genzabella and Lee Roy

Northampton Air Sealing Technicians
Chris Pletcher, David Molnar, Don Tinney, James Love, Jesse Poutasse, Joe Massarone, Ken Dempsey, Michael Suter, Collins Heavener, Kyle Galindo, Tyler Mount and Klye Stocks