House: Built in 2002, 4247 square feet plus 1700 finished basement System Description: Vacuum tubes on the roof contain copper rods filled with glycol. As the rods heat up from the sun, the glycol boils and bubbles to the top.
Green Homes Tour: Older home energy retrofit
House: 100 years old 1800 square feet Household size: 2 adults System Description: Radiant heating was installed under the kitchen and back hall floor to replace an old radiator in the cabinet under the sink. For more information about radiant
Green Homes Tour: Sustainable Yard
Saving energy and reducing the carbon footprint in your sustainable yard 1. Plant trees strategically to use less energy to heat or cool your house. Evergreen trees on the northeast side of a house buffer cold winter winds. Deciduous trees
Green Homes Tour: Solar Photovoltaic
House: Built in 2004; 2,992 square feet System Description: 30-panel photovoltaic array producing electricity (not hot water) of about 8,500 kWh per year. It is a grid-connected system, meaning that the unused electricity is fed into the electrical grid, making
Green Homes Tour: Electricity/Heat Co-generation
House: Built in 1950’s, remodeled multiple times most recent addition 2008. 2800 square feet System Description: The co-generation system produces electricity and heat at the same time. When the heat is turned on, a small generator (MCHP — micro combined
Green Homes Tour: Residential Geothermal Heating and Cooling
House: 90 years old System Description: In a closed loop piping system, water is pumped 300 feet underground, where it takes on the 55 degree underground temperature. It is pumped back into the basement to a heat pump unit with
Green Homes Tour: Sustainable Gardening and Low-Impact House
Garden Philosophy – Create a small, beautiful and bountiful, local eco-system using as little input from outside as possible. This includes feeding the soil, watering and our choice of plants. We have a large flowerbed and grow about $500 of
Cruising into summer! Driving tips for fuel economy.
Summer is (nearly) upon us. Many of us will be spending a lot of time in the car, traveling to vacation spots, or getting the kids to and from camp. Keeping an eye on efficient fuel consumption is important for
66 Needham Realtors Take Green Needham’s 10% Energy Challenge
Realtor groups in Needham have enthusiastically responded to Green Needham’s challenge to reduce their home energy use. A total of 66 individuals from Condon Realty, Coldwell Banker, Century 21 and Prudential Advantage have completed Green Needham’s 10% Energy Challenge. One
We can almost taste the Needham Farmers Market
Much planning, discussing, dreaming, convincing, and tasting has led up to the real possibility that Needham will have its own farmers market next year. It now comes down to a crucial vote at Town Meeting on May 2 when the
Food, Inc. Showing
Audience reaction was strong at the March 13, 2011 showing of the film Food, Inc. at First Parish Church in Needham. The film, difficult to watch at times, is meant to “lift the veil” from the American food industry, showing
It’s All Local – Energy Efficiency and Home Energy Audits
An energy audit is the first step to saving energy and money at home, and you are eligible for a free energy audit yearly. Michael Greis of Green Needham joined Gabe Shapiro of Next Step Living on The Needham Channel’s
Recycling results for school and town buildings
How are we doing in recycling at our schools and our municipal buildings? See the results from the first year of the single-stream recycling program.
Interested in Taking Greener Trips? Check out NuRide
NuRide, from MassRIDES. NuRide is the nation’s largest rewards program for individuals who take greener trips. “Greener trip takers” can earn points for tracking their trips and can redeem those points for rewards, like restaurant coupons or discounts at local and
Olin College Composting Project
In 2009 Olin College decided to initiate a composting program to see if it could reduce its waste stream. This fall, Olin has already composted more than all of last year and is on pace to compost over 9,000 lbs by the end of the academic year.
Work Begins for a Needham Farmers Market
Things are looking good for a farmers market in Needham. On November 29, fourteen enthusiastic people met at First Parish Church to begin the rather long planning process that will include finding a site, applying for permits, contracting with farmers
For a Greener Holiday Season: Think Paper and Packaging!
[Guest blog post by Amy Winslow) Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, we generate 25 percent more landfill waste than during the rest of the year, and buy enough greeting cards to fill a football stadium 10 stories high!* When
Farmers’ Markets Build Community
I am a big fan of local food. I live only a few blocks from Volante Farm, and right outside my office door in Union Square, Somerville there is a Saturday farmers’ market, so I have the best of both
2011 Vehicle Fuel Economy Guide
Thinking of buying a new car? Want to learn more about what those fuel economy numbers really mean? The US EPA has recently released its 2011 Fuel Economy Guide for vehicles.
Farmers Markets
Winter Farmers Markets – 2010/2011 Ongoing Winter Markets: Sunday: Dedham, Sunday, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, Year Round, 626 High Street Fairhaven, Sunday, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, October 24, November 21 and December 19th, Nemasket Building on the corner