From conserving water resources to adopting renewable energy in our homes, Acton residents are learning and acting. On Wednesday, April 26th, the Acton Water District led a “Water Wise Nature Walk” about Acton’s water supply while touring the key conservation land along Brook St and 459 Main St (see Acton’s Town Meeting Warrant Article 10). The kid-friendly walk explained how Acton gets its water and looked at future challenges, especially as we loose open lands and as climate change affects rainfall patterns.
Then, on Saturday, April 29th, Acton experienced a first-time event. Was it a garden tour or home design tour? No, it was a “Clean Energy Homes Tour,” sponsored by EnergizeActon.org. Nine Acton homeowners opened their homes to show the latest in high efficiency, low carbon home energy use. Visitors got to see houses with solar panels and solar battery storage that hardly ever draw electricity from Eversource. Other homes featured the latest generation of cold weather air source and ground source heat pumps that kept their homeowners nice and toasty during February’s arctic freeze. Plus, there were nifty appliances such as solar water heaters, super efficient heat pump clothes dryers, and electric garden mowers and tools. One visitor commented, “[The homeowners] were prepared! Seriously, we saw a slide show and got handouts with facts and data at multiple sites. Wonderful!” At the event’s starting point on Elm St., visitors enjoyed coffee, baked goods, and discussion. The hot topics? People heard about Acton Power Choice Green, an option for all renewable electricity contracted by the Town but billed through Eversource. Second, visitors got info on great state and federal incentives for “electrification” to help us move off of fossil fuels and onto renewable energy systems.
