Several local farms are committed to participating in the market, including the Needham Community Farm , MacArthur Farm of Holliston (owned byNeedham natives Peter and Helen MacArthur), and the Neighborhood Farm (operated by Kate Canney). Globe Fish Company of Fish Pier in Boston will sell locally landed fish, Lawton’s Farm in Foxborough will sell cheese, and the John Crow Farm in Groton will sell eggs, grass fed beef, lamb, poultry, and humanely raised pork. Baked goods such as challah, granola, and healthy muffins will come from Susie’s Baking, a Needham home kitchen.

Local artists will have a booth, musicians will play, and Needham non-profits will be offered a table to distribute literature. The hope is that theNeedham Farmers Market will create a source of wholesome local food forNeedham residents, support local farmers and artisans, and foster a sense of community in Needham.

Although the market will be self supporting soon, there are significant start-up costs involved. Several businesses have stepped up to help, including The Needham Bank, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Wingate Healthcare, Dedham Medical Associates, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, and Louise Condon Realty. Many Needham residents have signed up as “seedlings” by contributing financially and with their time.

You can learn more about the market plans and contribute at www.needhamfarmersmarket.org. See you at the market!

We’d also like you to be among the over 300 Needham homeowners who’ve already taken advantage of a no-cost Mass Save energy assessment to save energy and money. So, if you still haven’t had that energy assessment, here’s some extra incentive.

We’ll give a free pair of tickets to the Boosters’ Celebrity Basketball game to the first four people who want to sign up for a no-cost Mass Save energy assessment. Just send a note to mgreis@greenneedham.org with your name, address and phone number. We’ll send a pair of free tickets to the game to the first four people who respond and are eligible for a no-cost assessment (you’re eligible if you haven’t had an energy assessment in at least a year).

And if you aren’t among the first four or have already bought tickets to the game, you can sign up for a no-cost assessment at the game. Green Needham and our partner Next Step Living, an authorized Mass Save Home Performance Contractor, will be there and can sign you up on the spot.

Needham residents at Heal the Earth Dinner & Vigil

Captured in the photo were:

• Left to right in rear: Mike Stern, Carol Brown, Lisa Bond, Deborah Baldwin, Paul Brown, Donna Vello, Bill Vello
• In front: Beth Shulman, Susan McGarvey, Pat Tholl, Jim Glickman

Front row (l-r) - Eleanor Rosellini, Jim Glickman, Kevin Ruddy Second row (l-r) - Isabell Wells, Dave Nikolajczyk, Vicki Krupp, Debbie Schmill, Bob Dunning Top row (l-r) - Michael Greis, Beth Shulman

Members of the faith organizations, meeting over the past two years as an Interfaith Environmental Network to share ideas and coordinate environmental activities, have partnered with the Town of Needham and Green Needham to introduce the recycling pilot at the DeFazio complex and Memorial Park. Christ Episcopal Church, the Congregational Church of Needham, First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist, Grace Lutheran Church, St. Joseph Parish, Temple Aliyah and Temple Beth Shalom are jointly funding four bottle and can recycling containers to be piloted at the fields.

The initiative is being implemented with the support of the Needham Department of Public Works, the Needham Park and Recreation Commission and the Trustees of Memorial Park. The Department of Public Works will assume responsibility for collecting the bottles and cans from the containers.

“With the spring sports season commencing, we felt that this was an opportune time to follow the lead of neighboring communities and extend Needham’s recycling efforts. I know that many people are bothered by the sight of trash barrels filled with bottles and cans that could be recycled,” said Michael Bailit, who initiated the project.

The Green Needham Collaborative and Green Needham members are active participants and supporters of the Interfaith Environmental Network. Green Needham has been involved with this project since its inception, helping organizers make connections with appropriate town officials and advancing money for the containers.

The recycling containers are shaped as bottles, are easy to use, and are wind and rain- resistant. Should the pilot prove successful, the interfaith network and Green Needham hope to expand the pilot to other parks and fields, and potentially to the downtown area.

Spread the word about this town-wide event in which Needham schools, community leaders, and “celebrity” walkers will walk, bike, or scooter to school. Each school is encouraged to wear their “spirit-wear” to share their school pride.

Please check our Walk to School information page for the most up to date information.

McKibben, whose latest book is “Eaarth” and who in 1989 wrote the first book on climate change for the general pubic, is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College, and the founder of 350.org. The speech was sponsored by the Weston Congregational Church, and was held at Weston High School, with the crowd filling a large auditorium.

For more from McKibben’s talk, read on…

THE CURRENT CLIMATE CHANGE SITUATION

For the first portion of the speech, McKibben, a self-described “Professional Bummer Outer of People,” summarized the current climate change situation. Scientists going back 20 years or more knew of the effects of adding more and more carbon to the atmosphere, but had a hard time imagining that the environment could change as much as it has in such a short period. The Earth’s temperature has been raised 1 degree Celsius since pre-industrial levels. There is 40% less ice in the Arctic region than the average ice measurements during the 1979-2000 period. The Oceans, which are hard to imagine changing since they are so vast, are 30% more acidic than 40 years ago. The earth’s hydrology has changed, with warmer air holding more moisture, resulting in our atmosphere being substantially wetter than a century ago. This results in serious and more frequent droughts (Russia in 2010 for example) and also floods (Pakistan in 2010 and Hurricane Irene and its aftermath in the Northeast U.S., for example). He stated that it seems as if it shouldn’t be possible, but that in fact we are a “different planet,” which has begun to shift. McKibben referred to late March’s unusually warm weather, which shattered many records by a large margin. Chicago broke heat records ten days in a row, something that is “off the charts, and off the wall that the charts are tacked to.” And all this creates to a global temperature rise of 1 degree. Scientists say that there could be a rise in global temperatures of 4 to 5 degrees by century’s end, something which “there is no reason to think we can cope with.” For example, for every 1 degree increase, there is a 10% decrease in grain yields. McKibben stated that “this is the biggest thing that humans ever stumbled into” and we’ve got to stop it and stop it quickly.

THE NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICAL ACTION

The second part of his speech was devoted to solutions to the challenges of climate change. McKibben stated that those in the environmental movement think mostly of technological options. But that is the easy part, the part that we are good at. The question is before us now is not technology, but political will to do the things we need to do, in a timely way. Environmentalists thought that, if we could just get scientists to talk to politicians, the necessary energy legislation would pass. The fossil fuel lobby was formidable, however. With a combination of threats and promises, and backed up by a huge amount of money, they bought the votes they needed to stop legislation addressing climate change. McKibben stated that we have to figure out how to confront the fossil fuel industry directly, and weaken it and blunt its effect. While they have huge amounts of money to spend on lobbying, and giving to politicians, we have to counter that with passion, spirit and creativity, to build a movement. It’s an art, not a science, to succeed in the political arena. Although it is hard to organize around the world, with different peoples speaking different languages, it is possible. McKibben recounted the successes of his 350.org movement, which relies on a number, 350, which translates across political boundaries, and derives from scientists’ pronouncement that we need to get back below 350 ppm of CO2, to avoid the worst effects of global warming. (Today, we are at 393 ppm of CO2 and rising. The strong momentum built up from 350.org’s first climate action day in 2009 was soon followed, unfortunately, by disappointments in Copenhagen and then the U.S. Senate refusing to even take a vote on a climate change bill. But 350.org carries on. The group is planning its next big day of action on May 5th, called “Connect the Dots,” designed to show people that climate change “is not a future problem but a present crisis.” He stated that while local action is very important and should continue, we need large scale national and international change soon. He stated that he is not becoming more militant, but rather more real.

THE TAR SANDS PROJECT: AN EXAMPLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICAL ACTION

McKibben discussed the effort to stop the Tar Sands pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, which would unleash the second biggest pool of carbon on earth. We should not make it easier to get carbon out of the ground, and he decided to draw attention to this project. Many people demonstrated and were arrested in Washington, and activists encircled the White House, after which President Obama delayed the project. McKibben feels that the victory is encouraging for now, and shows that we can “get in the face” of big oil. Big oil “never loses,” but this time they did. We may not be able to stop the Tar Sands project for good, but we showed that we can figure out how to combat big oil, a learning process that he has gone through. In the course of discussing Tar Sands, McKibben referenced the huge amounts of political contributions that politicians deciding the fate of energy legislation take from big oil. He stated that one can predict how they’ll vote by the contributions they take. He also stated that we must take away the subsidies from big oil, who do not need them.

CONCLUSION AND CALL TO ACTION

As a final thought, McKibben stated that environmentalists are not radical. They are trying to preserve the status quo. The “oil guys” are the ones who are radical, because they are altering the chemical composition of the atmosphere for all time, to make a profit. McKibben stated that he does not know if we can stop global warming, but we can stop it from getting as bad as it can get. He has learned that he put too much stock in President Obama’s wining the election, and that we must push and probe towards our goal every day, and not assume that electing the right person to do what you want him or her to do will lead to the right result. Many noble and courageous people are engaged in this struggle, and he appreciates everyone’s contribution. He ended “with so much money on the other side, success sometimes seems almost impossible, but I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with you and working on it.”

Panel members are:

• Michael Greis – Chair, Green Needham
• Nancy Hazard – Greening Greenfield Energy Committee member; previous director of NESEA and Tour de Sol
• Joel Wool – Green Dorchester Community Advocate; Clean Water Action organizer

Join your neighbors and friends at the Needham Community Farm this spring and summer for either our Beginning or Intermediate Organic Gardening classes. You will learn all you need to know to start, grow and harvest your own vegetables during the 6-month growing season. We will begin with classes on planning your garden and preparing the soil, followed by seed starting and planting, organic pest control, harvesting, seed saving, season extension, and many other exciting topics! These classes are designed so that you will leave with the confidence and skills to create your own backyard garden in the future. The class includes the use of one 4’x12‘ raised bed at the Farm, seeds and transplants to get you started, and at least 20 organic gardening classes.

Classes run from the week of April 30th – Oct 25th.

The Beginners Class – one year or less gardening experience.

- Session B1: Mondays from 6:30pm – 8:00pm.
- Session B2: Wednesdays from 6:00pm – 7:30pm

The Intermediate Class – One or more years of gardening experience.

- Session I1: Tuesdays from 6:00pm – 7:30pm.
- Session I2: Thursdays from 9:00am – 10:30am

To register fill out the attached form NCF Class Registration. Feel free to share your garden bed and sign up with another friend/family to share laughs.

We look forward to seeing you at the Farm…Come Grow With Us!

Launched in 2010, the NSTAR Community Energy Challenge aims to boost participation in Mass Save’s Home Energy Savings program by partnering with local community organizations. NSTAR offers community groups a set of energy reduction targets, and then helps groups promote Mass Save’s no-cost Home Energy Assessments. Those communities that meet their energy reduction targets receive progress awards that support their energy-related projects.

Green Needham’s efforts were so successful that in less than four months we reached 150% of our initial energy reduction target. As a result, Green Needham received a $10,800 payment from NStar to support its work in the community. Added to the initial grant provided when Green Needham initially joined the program, Green Needham has earned over $13,500 through the Community Challenge.

The idea of using local networks to promote energy efficiency was a perfect fit for Green Needham, whose focus is community-wide collaboration to make Needham a more sustainable community. Needham is just one of seven communities participating in the NSTAR Community Energy Challenge, joined by Brookline, Winchester, Cambridge, Newton, Dartmouth, and Lincoln.

The improved Mass Save Home Energy Services Program offers homeowners a wide range of energy savings services no matter what kind of fuel homeowners use for heating. Homeowners start with a complete no-cost energy assessment followed by a set of detailed energy-saving recommendations. For homeowners who choose to move forward, Mass Save will pay 75% of the cost of insulation and other approved energy efficiency improvements up to $2,000, along with no-cost air sealing in targeted areas. Mass Save offers a number of other rebates and incentives, including heating system improvements.

This past fall, Green Needham launched an ambitious community-wide campaign to promote these home energy assessments. Joining forces with Next Step Living, a participating Mass Save Home Performance Contractor, and working through extensive local networks, Green Needham was able to quickly generate awareness and enthusiasm for the program– through meetings with houses of worship, civic groups, and by creating a strong presence at dozens of fall community events, including Back to School Nights, the Needham Craft Fair, Harvest Fair, and other PTA activities. In just four short months, over 150 Needham homes had received no-cost home energy assessments and over 2,500 energy efficient light bulbs and nearly 100 programmable thermostats were installed.

Many homeowners immediately moved ahead with air-sealing, insulation, and heating system upgrades—with many more energy improvement projects in the pipeline to be completed in the coming months. The energy efficiency improvements taken by Needham homeowners this fall have already resulted in reductions of over 170,000 kWh of electricity. Translated into dollars — these energy reductions could represent as much as $30,000 in cost savings for Needham homeowners. Needham’s early success in the program placed Needham among other top performing communities in the NSTAR Community Energy Challenge, and provided Green Needham with NSTAR grant funds that can be used to expand other local energy and sustainability projects.

“The response from the Needham community has been amazing—there has been so much enthusiasm and support. Our early success validates what we at Green Needham have believed all along–that true change happens one community at a time, and that local networks are the key to creating a more sustainable community. “ – Michael Greis, Chair of Green Needham

Bolstered by its early success, Green Needham is now busy planning its next round of outreach to build even more momentum for this exciting program. Green Needham is looking for additional houses of worship, community groups, and other local organizations interested in getting involved and spreading the word among their members. Green Needham hopes that many more homeowners will take advantage of this program in 2012, joining their friends and neighbors in saving money, energy and making their homes more comfortable.