Repair Cafe this Saturday, Electricity You Can Trust, Sustainability Speaker Series, Draft Transportation Plan, Farmers Market, Tesla Chargers Opening to All, New Net Zero Bathhouse

Welcome to the June 15 issue of Winchester Sustainability News. This issue has stories about the recently completed Sustainable Landscaping Workshop series, this Saturday’s Repair Cafe, why green municipal electricity supply programs like WinPower are the best option, a sustainability speaker series at Wright-Locke Farm, a draft Winchester Transportation Plan, a sustainability quiz about an important native tree species, the opening up of Tesla’s electric vehicle charging network to other vehicle brands, and the newly-opened and net zero Shannon Beach Bathhouse on the Mystic Lakes. Drop me a note with any questions or with topics you’d like to see in a future newsletter at Kpruitt@winchester.us. (Note that replies to this newsletter are routed to an unmonitored mailbox).

Sustainable Landscaping Workshop Series Video and Slides Available

It’s a wrap! Over the last three months Winchester, in collaboration with Arlington and Stoneham, held three sustainable landscaping workshops for residents, landscapers, and others. The workshops taught how to maintain properties more sustainably: saving water, reducing pesticides, improving wildlife and pollinator habitat, and reducing soil erosion, all while creating beautiful landscapes. Slides from all three workshops, and a video of the first workshop, are available here. Videos from the second two workshops will be posted by the end of June. This project, funded by a grant from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, includes creation of a Sustainable Landscape Handbook which will be available by December.

WinPower, Winchester’s Electricity Program: Power You Can Trust

WinPower, Winchester’s electricity supply program since 2017, is an example of “green municipal aggregation,” which is electricity supply administered by a city or town to save money and increase renewable power. Private electricity suppliers, those not bound by a municipal aggregation contract, are often in the news, and not in a good way. Many engage in misleading and predatory practices like signing up customers at an initially low rate but jacking up rates later. In contrast, WinPower, and other green municipal aggregation programs, are administered by local governments to benefit residents. A recent blog post by the respected organization Green Energy Consumers Alliance explains why green municipal aggregation programs like WinPower are superior to private suppliers.

Winchester Sustainability Quiz

Question: Trees native to our region provide valuable food and shelter to a wide range of animal species. White oak (Quercus alba) is one such species. How many species of caterpillar use white oak as a host plant?

Answer:
a) 7
b) 61
c) 23
d) 436

The answer is located near the end of this newsletter.

Winchester Farmers Market Now Open

Winchester’s Farmers Market runs every Saturday from June 10 through October 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Winchester Common. Note that again this year, 9:30 to 10 a.m. is reserved for Seniors and Vulnerable Populations. Details available here.

Sustainability Talks at Wright-Locke Farm

Wright-Locke Farm will host three sustainability panel discussions this summer as part of its free Farm Talks program. The first is next Tuesday night, June 20, 7 p.m.: Going Green - how to make your home and community energy efficient while preserving our planet. Additional talks are on July 26 – Heat Smart: Clean Heating and Cooling – and August 22 – Electric Vehicles. For more information, visit the Wright-Locke Farm website.

Winchester Transportation Plan Will Reduce Carbon Pollution, Improve Safety and Mobility

Last night Town Manager Beth Rudolph and consultants from Toole Design virtually presented a draft Winchester Transportation Plan. The draft plan includes 121 recommendations to improve mobility. Many of those recommendations would help Winchester achieve its climate goals, by encouraging walking, bicycling and use of public transportation. To see the draft plan and offer comments, visit this page. Comments will be accepted until June 28.

Electric Vehicle Charging on Road Trips About to Become Easier

Tesla is known to have the most extensive and reliable fast charger network in the U.S. However, the relatively high cost of Tesla vehicles, coupled with the fact that Tesla Superchargers are only compatible with Tesla vehicles, has meant non-Tesla EV owners are not able to benefit from the Tesla charger network. Fortunately, thanks to a deal between Tesla and the U.S. government, Tesla will make its charging stations available to other vehicle brands. The Green Energy Consumers Alliance has a good summary here.

Winchester’s New Shannon Beach Bathhouse is Net Zero

As noted in the Updates newsletter from the Town Manager’s Office, on June 12 Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper and Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Brian Arrigo joined local officials and the family of the late State Senator Charles E. Shannon to announce the completion of the the new fully accessible and net-zero Shannon Beach Bathhouse on the Mystic Lakes in Winchester. Click here to read the press release from The Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Winchester Sustainability Quiz Answer

d) White oak trees, native to our region, provide food and shelter to an amazing 436 species of caterpillar.

Information about native plants and the role they play in supporting wildlife is available from the National Wildlife Federation.

Sustainability Resources for Winchester Residents and Businesses

Sustainability Department Website
WinPower - Winchester's Community Electricity Program (sign-up for 100% carbon-free electricity and green your home!)
Climate Action Plan and Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Sign-up for this newsletter (if someone forwarded it to you)

Ken Pruitt
Sustainability Director
781-265-9730
Kpruitt@winchester.us
Town Hall, 71 Mt. Vernon St., Winchester MA 01890

June 15, 2023