Green planet – Committee looks at recycling, energy usage

Bow Editor — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 21:40:00 GMT

Sixteen members of the Hopkinton community have formed a green committee, which hopes to help the community become more aware, helping to preserve the planet.

Selectman Don Lane, a member of the green initiative, said the group is not there simply to make sure citizens are throwing their garbage away properly.

“This isn’t just about recycling, but looking at energy usage. We want to bring Hopkinton into the 21st century in terms of environmental awareness,” said Lane.

The environmental awareness began at the top as the Town Hall is on its way to being more energy friendly.

“The Town Hall was one of the first things we looked at. We put in energy-efficient windows that keep the building cooler when it’s hot out and warmer when it’s cool out,” he said. “We only put those on one side of the building and it’s already paying off because the electricity has been down.”

Susan Covert is also a member of the committee, and she said her goals for the group are two-fold.

“My goal is for the citizens to think how they can individually do more to conserve energy, to recycle more, to reuse things. We have to have a smaller footprint on the planet,” said Covert. “Secondly, for the schools, the Parks and Recreation Department, the road crews and the town itself to see how they can do things in a more responsible manner and be more energy conscious and use fuels that are going to be safer for our kids.”

The group has already met with Hopkinton High School Principal Steve Chamberlin to discuss what the high school may be able to do in order to be more environmentally conscious.

Covert and her fellow committee members plan on meeting with the school’s leadership group to discuss ideas, such as better bottle and can recycling, biodiesel in school buses and how to make the buildings more energy efficient.

Janet Ward, another member of the committee, has been thrilled with the initial support the town has given.

“It really is so encouraging. Even individuals who might ordinarily be negative we have found that when we sit down to talk with them, people see what the situation is. They understand what they can do,” said Ward.

“We’re at the point where people are ready to take action. They just need, as all of us on the committee need, to know what action is useful, effective and possible. That’s exactly what our job is, is to explore.”

Ward said another of the group’s goals is to lower, if not eventually eliminate, the use of plastic bags in town. The first step to this process will come in September when the green committee begins selling canvas bags with a new student-designed logo.

On Sept. 16 from 2 to 4 p.m., Green Hopkinton will host a kick-off event, which will include guest speaker Jim Merkel, who has been an environmental activist and currently heads the sustainability effort at Dartmouth College.

Although preserving the environment is a global issue, Covert said it starts at a much smaller level.

“The most important thing is to be more energy efficient – reuse more and use less. We need to realize that this isn’t someone else’s problem. It’s not a government fix that’s going to happen,” said Covert. “We’ll make a difference and hopefully back off from the cliff if everyone figures out that we’re all part of the problem.

Hopefully people can figure out what we can do as individuals and as families and as communities to be responsible.”

Hopkinton News : environment

Green planet – Committee looks at recycling, energy usage