In March 2023 we replaced the our water system that was fired by a zone from our oil-fired boiler with a heat pump hot water heater. The transition was seamless outside an easy adjustment to our boiler control (to shut off that heating zone). We get hot water and not burn oil in the process! And added benefit in the summertime is the dehumidifying element of its operation in our damp utility area. The unit operates more quietly than I expect and I get notifications via my phone should anything go wrong (the one instance being a loose connection to the condensate pump that was easily remedied by the homeowner). An easy recommendation.

Our farm has been certifed organic with Baystate Organic Certifiers since 2006. We're one of the few organic orchards in the state. We also go beyond organic standards to grow nutrient dense food and promote habitat for native pollinators.

I've added driplines to many of the plantings in my yard (flowers, herb beds, raspberries and blueberries).  The driplines allow me to target water to the plant roots.  I also mulch so that less water evaporates.  

I started doing composting in May 2022 because it seemed like a pretty sensible way to reduce the volume of outgoing trash and keep food from decomposing in sealed bags.  I keep a smaller jar in the kitchen, then bring that down to the big outdoor drum when it fills up, maybe a couple times a week.  The factor by which everything reduces down is insane.   After a year and a half I still haven't had to empty it, and at this point it's kind of fun to see how far it can go.

Over the last few years, we have added several heat pumps, a couple as mini-splits, and the final one using existing ducts that were attached to an ancient and innefficient cooling only system.  We are now heated, and cooled, 100% by air-source heat pumps!  The $10,000 MassSave rebate was great too.  Signed up for a share in a Nexamp local solar farm, which also gives us a 12.5% discount on our electricity costs (until we get our own solar).

Our family planted a pollinator garden. We have seen many bees and butterflys and it has been nice to see them.