Green is back - not just the leaves in the trees, but the attitude of a growing number of people toward the environment.
Whether it's a symposium on energy-saving ideas or a plan to use fewer plastic bags, two local groups are trying to make Westwood a place more friendly to the environment.
Saturday's energy fair at the First Parish Church Hall was a prime example. Organizers estimated about 500 people attended an event that featured regional companies demonstrating energy-saving ideas.
The fair - held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - was organized by the Westwood Environmental Action Committee, a group formed late last year by residents concerned about global warming.
Boch Automotive displayed a hybrid car that gets up to 45 miles per gallon; Poirier Sales and Service showed off energy-efficient windows; Climate Energy presented its free-watt product, a home heating system that produces electricity by using fuel twice.
The idea behind holding an energy fair, organizers said, was to explain to those in attendance "how (their) energy choices affect the environment" and to teach them how they can make better choices, said Mike Brier, a committee member.
Over the past couple of months the action committee has staged several similar events.
At one recent event, committee members built a 1,000-cubic-foot "carbon cube" - a block that shows how much carbon dioxide is emitted by a car that gets 15 miles per gallon when it travels 72 miles. At another event, committee members parked a sport utility vehicle in front of a stack of 55-gallon drums to get passersby to "consider your carbon footprint," said committee member Peter Kane.
Brier said the committee wanted the energy fair to educate people. Beyond that, the panel wanted it to attract people to the cause, to "get them involved and excited."
Among the exhibits, Brier said, was a Volkswagen that had been modified to run on vegetable oil. Brier said he was skeptical at first because "it's not feasible." The car's owner explained it wasn't a solution to global warning; it was a statement.
It's a way for him to say he's not going to give his money to foreign oil, Brier explained.
"People have new ideas about how to aspire to sustainable living. There's so many ideas," Brier said. "Ideas produce more ideas."
Another local group has an idea to get residents to use fewer plastic bags. The Westwood Young Women's Club is selling reusable, multi-purpose tote bags. The price is $10 for one bag, two for $18 or up to six for $50.
One recommended use: shopping.
"Small everyday changes can add up to a big impact," said Mary Ellen LaRose, president of the Young Women's Club. "If every Westwood resident used one less plastic bag a week for a year we would save over 728,000 plastic bags."
According to the group, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year.
The tote bags are printed with the Westwood town seal and the slogan, "Keep Westwood Green." The natural cotton bags are large enough to hold as much as a full grocery bag. Proceeds will go toward environmentally friendly initiatives in town.
Jeb Bobseine can be reached at jeb@walpoletimes.com or 508-668-0243, ext. 13.
