We started composting in earnest when we started having to buy the green trash bags for the town transfer station. It's been kind of a game to see how much we can compost rather than throw away. We keep a small bucket from Oxo on the kitchen counter for plant food scraps, as well as egg shells, coffee grounds, used coffee filters, tea bags and used paper napkins. We added the paper scraps when we realized our compost pile would work better with some "brown" materials. We fill the bucket daily - and because we are lazy and it was a pain to take the bucket out to the compost pile every day - we keep a 5-gallon bucket in the garage to empty it into. To this bucket we add plain egg cartons and toilet paper rolls, torn into pieces. Every week or so we empty the big bucket into the compost pile and mix it in with a pitchfork.  We also add grass clippings and other plant materials to this pile. Our weekly trip to the transfer station includes just one small green bag - everything else is composted or recycled.

After 9 years of heating/cooling with Mini-splits, we decided to switch to geothermal heating and cooling. Massachusetts Geothermal was excellent to work with, throughout the process and communicated well. We have been very happy with the installation and performance of the Climatemaster systems, and are enjoying the quality of the climate control. Smooth, consistent heating and cooling that moves the air gently throughout the house and keeps us comfortable all the time.

Earlier this year our heating system failed on one of the coldest days!  We met with Dave an amazing energy coach who jumped into action, helping us evaluate and understand our situation by analyzing our consumption and energy use and then evaluating our proposals. Christie Cooling and heating installed our new heat pump quickly and we were able to get the Mass Save Rebate to cover one third of the cost!

This is not a testimonial but a query.  I've heard that indoor storm windows can greatly improve the efficiency of your windows (especially in winter) without having to replace the window.   Has anyone used these?   Pros and Cons?   They look great on the web but I have to wonder if in a larger window (say 30" x 60") if they are rigid enough?  Do they impact the light coming into the room?

I think I have an ideal application for indoor storm windows but would appreciate any first hand experience with them.

Also, I'm wondering if I can build these myself, perhaps making them blend into the trim of the existing windows a little better. Has anyone out there tried to do this?

You can contact me at: michael.kilian@gmail.com

I really appreciate the hard work the Harvard Climate Initiative has been doing! Happy to include connecting my neighbors to this incredible resource as part of my advocacy.

On that note…I understand that part of the hesitancy to start composting on our own properties has to do with attracting wildlife. I know this is a concern I have! That said, it is hard to get compost pickup in Harvard because we are more remote. To that end: I have been in touch with Black Earth Compost. If we have enough residents preregister, we’ll be able to get access to their services. We only need 100 folks for them to commit to adding us to their route. Here is the link!

https://blackearthcompost.com/

In 2018, under the HeatSmart program, we installed a Ground-Source Heat Pump system for heating and cooling.  One unit in the basement, with new ductwork, handles the first floor,  A second compressor in the basement with air handler in the attic covers the second floor through pre-existing A/C ductwork.  Cooling is much more efficient than our old central A/C.  Heating uses a lot more electrical power, but is still cheaper to run than our old oil-fired baseboard heating (even with more comfortable thermostat settings).

We used Bill Wenzel Heating and A/C for the installation, and Skillings & Sons for drilling the ground-source wells.  Both were highly professional, and we are happy with the results.