Wisdom Way Solar Village Green Buildings Open House Tour Near Zero Net Homes on September 27, 2010 in Greenfield, MA

Wisdom Way Solar Village in Greenfield, MA offers tour of affordable Near Zero Net homes. Meet homeowners and project engineer.

“What more could I want? I live in a beautiful environmentally friendly home in a village with friends. This is what home feels like.” – Mary

Greenfield, MA (PRWEB) September 27, 2010

The Wisdom Way Solar Village green homes tour open house will be held on Saturday October 2, 2010.

Wisdom Way Solar Village will be open from 10 to 4 and has several zero net energy homes for sale.

Tours of available homes will be led by Rural Development, Inc staff and by mechanical engineer Robb Aldrich, who designed the energy-saving systems. Current home owners will offer tours of their occupied homes. There will be a community picnic that visitors can join to talk to the owners.

Available three bedroom models priced from $180,000 to $240,000 are perfect for first-time homeowners. Financial assistance is available for qualified buyers. Buyers home-shopping in this price range are no longer limited to older homes, with their inherent problems and remodeling needs. Wisdom Way Solar Village offers prospective home-owners an opportunity to purchase a brand new home with warranty. Combined with practically no energy bills, Wisdom Way Solar Village offers an affordable way for homeowners to live their dreams and their values.

What is Near Zero Net Energy?
Near Zero Net Energy is a term that refers to buildings that produce almost as much energy as they use. Each Wisdom Way home is “zero net energy.” That means the house produces nearly all of its own power, virtually eliminating monthly utility bills. And designed with a spacious open floor plan on a small footprint—blending economy with human comfort.

“The house produces nearly all of its own power, virtually eliminating monthly utility bills.”

Designed by award-winning, industry leaders in ENERGY STAR™ and LEED PLATINUM™ certified construction, each Wisdom Way Solar Village home has foot-thick walls to retain the sun’s energy so the living rooms’ small natural gas heater won’t get much use. Hassle-free, solar-powered water and electric systems mean you get reliable hot water, lighting and energy at near zero cost. Homes were constructed as much as possible with local, sustainable, chemical-free materials.

More than a development, Wisdom Way Solar Village is a community, a place where residents, developers, political leaders, local agencies and businesses work together for a more sustainable future. Not just a place to live, but a community with common values on a local scale. We are modeled after a traditional New England village. Wisdom Way is almost carbon neutral, adding practically nothing to the earth’s global warming. It is a place where we conserve land and value open spaces—for recreation, for gardens, for cultivation and for growth.

Wisdom Way Solar Village is located at the corner of Wisdom Way and Petty Plain Road, Greenfield, MA

For more information about Wisdom Way Solar Village:

Contact
Cynthia Bleil
Outreach and Education Coordinator
Rural Development, Inc. Home Ownership Program
Phone: 800-859-7120
Email: cbleil(at)fcrhra(dot)org
www.ruraldevelopmentinc.org

Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4554364.htm

Checkout: http://franklin-ma.countyonline.us/

Across New England, 180 communities take leadership role on energy issues (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)

Greenfield and Warwick MA are the Two Participants from Franklin County MA in the EPA New England Community Energy Challenge. What's interesting is that is Two of the four communities here in Western MA involved. The other two being Northampton in Hampshire County MA and Holyoke which is in Hampden County MA. It's great to see Franklin County MA taking the lead on this initiative. We know that Greenfield, MA has made "Going Green" an ongoing initiative and it shows. It's great to see the small, but focused town of Warwick right in the forefront of this Western MA energy initiative by the EPA.

The details from the EPA are as follows:

As more New England communities seek cost savings in a tight economy, many are looking to expand energy efficiency in schools and other municipal buildings, saving money and helping the environment. Today EPA New England’s Community Energy Challenge program has announced its 180th member. The program challenges communities to reduce their energy use from municipal buildings by 10% or greater. These 180 communities represent approximately 35% of New England’s population.

Communities across New England are working with EPA, regional utilities, non-profits, and businesses through a variety of programs to find and promote cost effective energy efficiency measures. Through the Community Energy Challenge, cities and towns can take advantage of free EPA ENERGY STAR tools and resources to assess, or benchmark building energy use in schools, municipal buildings, wastewater and drinking water facilities. Participants also have access to a network of organizations, professionals and funding opportunities that can help them improve energy efficiency and take advantage of renewable energy resources in their community. A 10% savings in energy use can translate into thousands of dollars that municipalities can use for public safety, education and other municipal expenses.

“Making municipal buildings energy efficient can save communities 30 percent or more on their energy bills each year,’ said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “These measures make sense economically and environmentally to reduce greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.”

Participants in the EPA New England’s Community Energy Challenge include 180 communities from all six New England states. They are:

Connecticut: Ashford, Bethany, Bridgeport, Burlington, Canton, Chaplin, Colchester, Cornwall, Coventry, Cromwell, Danbury, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Haven, East Lyme, Enfield, Fairfield, Farmington, Greenwich, Haddam, Hamden, Hampton, Harwinton, Kent, Killingworth, Lebanon, Manchester, Middlefield, Milford, New Haven, New London, Norfolk, North Haven, Norwalk, Orange, Portland, Redding, Ridgefield, Seymour, Simsbury, South Windsor, Southington, Sprague, Stafford, Stamford, Torrington ,West Hartford, West Haven , Weston, Wethersfield, Willimantic, Wilton, Windsor, Woodbury, Woodstock

Maine: Berwick, Denmark, Falmouth, Kennebec Sanitary Sewer District, Kingfield, Kittery, Madison, Mechanics Falls, Stockton Springs

Massachusetts: Acton, Acushnet, Arlington, Billerica, Boston, Boxford, Brockton, Cambridge, Canton, Charles River Pollution Control District, Chelmsford, Cohasset, Dartmouth, Dedham, Easton, Easton Public Schools, Fall River, Greenfield, Groton, Halifax, Hanson, Haverhill, Holyoke, Hull, Ipswich, Lancaster, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Malden, Mansfield, Marlborough, Martha’s Vineyard Schools, Maynard, Medfield, Medford, Melrose, Methuen, Milton, Needham, New Bedford, Newburyport, Newton, Norfolk, Northampton, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Salem, Sandwich, Sharon, Somerville, Southeastern Regional School District, Springfield, Tisbury, Wales, Waltham, Warwick, Westwood, Woburn

New Hampshire: Acworth, Alstead, Alton, Antrim, Barrington, Bedford, Bedford School District, Brookline, Chester, Colebrook, Concord, Dover, Enfield, Fitzwilliam, Gilmanton, Hampton, Hancock, Hanover, Hillsborough, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lee, Lincoln, Manchester, Marlborough, Nashua, New Boston, Peterborough, Plainfield, Raymond, Richmond, Rochester, Rollinsford, Rye,
Sanbornton, Shelburne, Somersworth, Tuftonboro

Rhode Island: East Greenwich, North Providence, South Kingston, Warwick

Vermont: Brattleboro, Burlington, Chelsea, Essex Junction, Hartford, Hinesburg, Putney, Richmond, South Burlington, South Hero

For more information on ENERGY STAR go to: www.ENERGYSTAR.gov

For more information on the EPA Region 1 New England Community Energy Challenge go to:www.epa.gov/ne/eco/energy/energy-challenge.html

Source: www.epa.gov/ne/eco/energy/energy-challenge.html

Checkout: http://franklin-ma.countyonline.us/

OK Go - White Knuckles - Official Video

Bigfoot After Being Driven Into It's Tractor Trailer On Thursday September 2nd In Greenfield MA

Bigfoot was on Main Street Greenfield MA on Thursday and when I'd arrived they were just taking off the last Monster Truck Tire and were replacing it with the much smaller truck tires to drive it up the ramps to put it away. The process of putting the four huge tires into the trailer with a forklift was time consuming, but efficient.

There were spectators on both sides of the street enjoying the site and having fun. Many good things happen here in Greenfield MA 01301and all of the rest of Franklin County continues to prove to be a great place to live, work, and play!

The Heath Fair in Heath MA Which IS IN Franklin County, MA Last Weekend

As you turn into the Heath Fair the first sight you'll see. Hopefully you'll be able to make it next year if you missed it this year. It was a good time with many things to see, watch, and enjoy! The food, people, booths, truck pulls, horse draw, livestock shows and exhibits all yield a great experience.