When a big item wears out, we are trying to give thought to our carbon footprint and how best to replace the item.  Our hot water heater started to leak after 20 years, so we decided to replace it with an on-demand hot water heater which doesn't have to keep a 60 to 80-gallon tank of water always hot.  When a car was ready to replace, electric vehicles were too expensive to consider, so we purchased a hybrid, with signifricant help from federal and state tax credits.  With a charge on a household outlet giving us over 30 miles of electric driving, we can do our local errands without gasoline.  We usually buy gas only for occasional long trips.  We run one hybrid at 135 miles per gallon, another at 80 mpg.  And our small solar array offsets hybrid energy needs.  When we need to replace a hybrid, we expect new and used all-electric vehicles will be more affordable.   We live in a very old house, so as energy wasters wear out, we'll do our best to find energy-saving replacements.    

Participated in the 2040 CREW book group in September 2021. Learned more about ways to decrease my carbon footprint and take action to decrease climate harm. By developing plans I am more focused on my targets for change. It's not easy to change but with the help of the group I have become more engaged. My successes include; purchasing energy efficient apppliances, utilizing composting at transfer station, reducing consumption of beef, to name a few. These may seem like small changes but they're a beginning!

We switched out our HVAC system over 10 years ago to geothermal. Not only is it the most energy efficient and environmentally clean heating/cooling system, but we also learned it is very comfortable and healthy. Chronic winter coughs from dry winter fossil fuel heat have vanished with the gentle geothermal heating system. No longer do we turn back the heat at night-- we keep the temperature constant. If you are considering going this route, make sure your home is adequately weatherized. We insulated and put in triple pane windows (which gives us solar gain and amazing comfort). Together, geothermal, triple pane windows, insulation, and solar have brought our fossil fuel consumption way down, reduced our heating/cooling bills to a minimal amount, and provided comfortable healthy living. Highly recommend Bill Wenzel Heating & Airconditioing for geothermal and helping you evaluate whether geothermal makes sense for you and your home. For affordable, modern, stylish, tilt 'n turn triple pane windows, we used local (Acton based) European Architectural Supply.

We took the plunge with rooftop solar and a Pika/Generac battery in January 2018. Through high energy costs, blackouts on the grid and approaching storms we power through it all. When the sun is shining, we rely on our panels....when it's not we draw on our batteries. A key motivator for the battery is to serve as a generator when the electric grid is down--- peace of mind for us when we're away from home. We've converted our home to heat pumps and the cost savings from solar is significant. ReVision Energy (an employee owned B corp) is a great company to work with! Their staff is very knowledgeable, supportive, and responsive. https://www.revisionenergy.com/

I took the CREW, I lead the CREW, I changed some habits!  I'm hoping the planet notices.

We decided to take the challenge. So, January through March with crampons and sticks, we orienteered through the beautiful snowy Boxborough Conservation Lands, then proudly collected our coveted "Boxborough 30" buttons. The  trail markers and maps were good. The surprises were: waterfalls, nesting ospreys, an esker, Thoreau's footsteps, beaver huts, boardwalks, bridges, trains and tracks, yellow trails, blue trails, and red trails- "Oh, have we been here before?".

No bugs or poison ivy - Imagine that!