Posted by Kerry on Apr 25, 2009
Recycling, reusing the fallen trees
How green is my Vineyard? The full picture is elusive, but I know that we have to start somewhere. As we proceed with the development of the first LEED certified residential home in Oak Bluffs, the enthusiasm and well wishes are heart warming. And the reality of building a green house in the middle of a neighborhood of established older family homes is complex. I’m sure we will talk more about this issue as we progress.
The Vineyard has always prided itself on being a community of earth loving humanitarians. We are exposed to diverse and environmentally sensitive habitats and wildlife, and we have commissions that are manned by very passionate volunteers. But like everywhere else, we still wear blinders to the impact of our existence on the environment. Global warming, our carbon footprints, the oil crisis and the age of consumerism leading up to the present economic crisis are all puzzle pieces. There is also ignorance as to how to begin on something that seems so overwhelming. A feeling that one person can’t make a difference.
First thing I just want to take this opportunity to remind you all of whom won the election in January this year, if you have any sense that one man cannot make a difference, then that man has most certainly proven you wrong. Next, when my husband and I bought the land on Green Ave. (that’s right, Green on Green!), we had not planned on going in this direction, owning it for as long as we have, and worrying about the real estate market’s effect on us and our future. We now see this as an opportunity to learn and educate. We have met and are working with some of the most well informed green building consultants available in New England. When we decided to build a LEED certified house, we knew it was the right thing to do for our company, the environment and our daughter.
The team at Squash Meadow Construction has been nothing short of enthusiastic and open minded, despite this being a new avenue for them to grow into. I’ve been away all week and was excited to get back to the island to be a part of this project and share in the enthusiasm. I went to the site to document the beginning of the excavation process. When I arrived a neighbor had stopped over and was loading his car up with some trees that had been cleared. He was going to use them in his fireplace for heat next winter. Reduce, reuse, recycle and recover… the 4 R’s of sustainability. A great place to start.
Posted by Kerry on Apr 19, 2009
Oak Bluffs Harbor
Welcome to Martha’s Vineyard! What a relief to finally see those words as you exit the ferry and land on the Vineyard from lands near or far. Everyone has the same feeling of excitement and anticipation as their vacations are about to begin. Also of relief, that the steamship experience is behind you and you don’t have to worry about it for another week… If you are lucky it’s 2 weeks or a month until it’s time to leave. Who needs the stress? The looks of exasperation and the head shaking in disbelief because you don’t understand the arm flapping and apparent airplane directions coming at you? But that is a post for another day. So, whew, you made it, you are here! Woohoo!.
If you’ve arrived in Oak Bluffs, you may find yourself looking around for a recycling container to dispose of your soda can or water bottle. This is, after all, an island, so you know we have them. Well, believe it or not, we don’t. Due to circumstances beyond my comprehension, Martha’s Vineyard is critically under equipped to manage recycling. At the height of the summer traffic, you will find the trash cans in town full of things that should be recycled. Plastics, cans, cardboard and other products that would otherwise have second lives are going into the trash because people don’t know where to put them. Also noted, these people are on vacation and don’t want to have to look for the proper disposal methods. In a perfect world they would be readily available. Vacation and effort generally negate each other, but I am appealing to you here to make your Vineyard vacation a mindful one.
The only town on Martha’s Vineyard that has curbside pickup is Tisbury, so to get recyclables properly disposed of, they have to be brought to the dump and sorted by hand. For most of us who live here making that trip a part of our routine is not too much to ask. As a visitor, and presumably someone who loves the Vineyard and is vested in seeing it remain a beautiful island, does making that trip have value to you? How about for the earth and for your children? There are many ways to show respect for the environment and honor what mother nature has given us, recycling is the begining of the process. It is the simplest way to have the most impact in the short time that you are here. Recycling is a way to give back something to an island that gives so much of herself. Be mindful this year, take care of your island.
Please feel free to write to the www.mvtimes.com with suggestions on how Martha’s Vineyard can get it’s recycling system up to speed.
Posted by Kerry on Apr 06, 2009
Building Green for a Better World
In this age of recession, bordering on depression, what is foremost on peoples minds is conservation. Conservation of property,conservation of monies, and conservation of time. We are consumed with the fear of running out of money, and many of us have already done just that. It is not pretty out there and the idea of paying premium for what we don’t have seems superfluous. Does going green cost more money?
Going green has a reputation of being cost prohibitive. In my town, Oak Bluffs, we pay to recycle. At the town dump, you buy a sticker for your car that allows you to bring your recyclables to the dump. How does that make sense? We live on an island, and conserving our resources should be part of the package, but nobody has figured out that recycling should be rolled into our taxes? We pay land bank fees when we buy property, paying to recycle should not be that much of a stretch. People will continue to throw away their bottles and cans as long as it costs money to get rid of them. That is not taking into consideration the inconvenience of having to get the recyclables to the dump.
In the building business, waste is part of the package. In order to move along efficiently on a job, huge gray containers are set up and filled with debris. The vast amounts of leftover wood, shingles, and other construction filler is enormous. There are whole buildings being demolished and hauled to the dump. The urgency for new and newer is evident in the rising costs of construction and home ownership. What can be done, and more importantly, why do it?
Here’s the point. Not only is the land on Martha’s Vineyard finite, but the earth is finite. This is it. This is what we have to offer our children, this is what we will be leaving behind beyond any monetary wealth. Are we proud of what we have to offer? We could be, we should be. So far we have been wasteful. Today we have access to better techniques for caring for the environment and the dwellings that we put on the earth’s surface. We can build homes, schools, churches and offices in a way that energy is conserved, not wasted. We can actually enhance buildings to create electricity. We have the technology today to conserve and create a world where we offer the safest air quality available for our children and their children.
Why not do it? Now is the time to invest in your future, and the future of your children. If you are going to build, build green. It is the only way to bring around the changes that we all need to survive and thrive both economically and physically. Green building is about optimal health as well as the future of the environment. The irony here, is that though green products and green building may be slightly more costly on the front end, they save money down the road. And, if we all made an effort to buy energy efficient products, they would come down in price. Conservation is, ultimately, priceless.
Posted by Kerry on Mar 14, 2009
I have been coming to Martha’s Vineyard since I was 12. I met my husband when we were 13, and we have known each other for more than 30 years. We have mutual friends that we have known for the same length of time, and in the summertime you could pull out photos of any summer over those 30 years and see many of the same faces smiling back at you.
This place is magical. Not only do we have the glorious scenery, weather and community, but we get to know each other intimately without prejudice.
One of the bonuses to city living that I had not identified until I actually moved here was being able to circulate anonymously and selectively choose when and where I wanted to interact. It had not occurred to me that I used this as a tool, a way to keep people a arms length and myself safe. When you live in a small community, you don’t have the option of not engaging. You don’t get to not speak with the person who delivers the mail, because you actually have to pick it up and ask for it yourself.
Your doctor or you child’s doctor may be sitting next to you at dinner and with a nod, the recognition is acknowledged and confirmed for all to see. There are a number of hairdressers on the Vineyard, but the sanctity of those relationships are compromised by the fact that everybody knows everybody, and they either saw you go in, saw you come out, or were actually there to witness you with the foil in your hair. If you need some professional services of a more intimate nature, don’t despair, you will run into someone you know!
It takes some getting used to, and my cautious city ways are slowly leaving me. Though I am blessed with many new friends and am learning about people whom I may not otherwise have been exposed to, I find myself grappling with a feeling of complete exposure. Of life in a small town, where everybody knows me and I feel openly vulnerable and transparent. I have never felt the need to hide anything about myself , what I stand for, value, or who I am, but, there remains an inherent instinct to protect myself. I’d start a self-help group for people with my condition, but there is not a chance of anonymity. So, I am here learning to live and let go, and enjoying the process of allowing new experiences and people in my life. Its not for everyone, and I didn’t think it was for me but we surprise ourselves.
So ultimately, this fishbowl has all the components of a thriving, self sustained environment, without any of the polution, noise or overpopulation of city life. I am so lucky.
Friends At The Beach
