green weekend

So it’s been awhile. What can I say? Summer is in full force and I’m doing my best to enjoy it, to savor the sunshine and cram as many swimming hours into each week as possible. Needless to say, extra blogging time in front of the monitor doesn’t fit into my plans for summer fun.

But I don’t want to drop off the radar completely, so let’s talk a little about the extremely green weekend we’re having here within our almost-done Deep Energy Retrofit adventure. As the work on the house itself stands still for awhile (waiting for windows), we decided to finally put some of the long-procrastinated outdoor plans in place.

First, the compost! I know, right? Why haven’t we done this yet? It’s a combination of finding the right compost plan for us, plus plenty of regular old laziness. But in the height of our current heat wave in the beating hot sun, my husband built a beautiful compost container from recycled palates. Now we can dump all of our vegetarian food scraps at the back end of our yard and enjoy the benefits of reduced waste and earthly symbiosis.

Second, the clothesline! This was also something we put off while trying to come up the most efficient plan. So we decided on a simple pulley system that runs from one deck post to another post that Sam placed in the ground behind some our evergreens. It’s a safe height and good length, plus one end can be detached when not in use. I can’t tell you how pleasurable it was for me to hang a load of laundry in the fresh July air yesterday. Some many of my little dreams have come true this weekend.

Next on the green weekend agenda… we’re headed over to the Hampshire Bike Exchange to look for a nice commuter-style bicycle with a kids seat for Sam and Lucy to ride to work and school. Reduce reduce reduce! The bike paths here in the Pioneer valley have had a renaissance this past year as work continues to connect all the towns via old rail trails. It’s exciting and the time has come for us to take advantage.

After the bike search we’ll be heading up to the Green River Fest in Greenfield (double green). It’s a local music festival, but notoriously attended by the green-minded, earth-loving, local-shopping, waste-conscious, energy-conserving population from all over Western Mass. I’d say it’ll be the perfect finale to our hard work (well, mostly Sam’s hard work) and environmental dedication. We can bask in the knowledge that here on our little 1/3-acre of the planet, there are few stones left to be unturned in terms of sustainable living.

And what are the next set of plans brewing at our HERS 30 or Bust! site? Sometime soon a greenhouse and maybe a chicken coop! We’ve talked to our neighbors about doing a homegrown veggie and egg share. Share the work, share the bounty.

And of course, we’re gearing up for our next Open House: This coming Saturday, July 24th, 11-2. So don’t miss the chance to tour the Deep Energy retrofit and talk with experts in green building, waste reduction, transition towns and more. Details at hers30orbust.com.

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