In the past year, there have been many good steps for the environment in Westford.  From solar panels to upcycling to less trash on the streets, take a look at some of the highlights from 2011.

Solar Panels on Stony Brook Middle School Go Live

On April 22, Earth Day, Westford’s first town building went solar.  The 176 panel system is expected to generate about 40,000 kilowatt hours annually.  Since the beginning of April 2011, the array has generated almost 35,000 kilowatt hours.  Well on its way to reaching the estimate.

More Solar Coming to Westford

A 4.5 Megawatt system, announced earlier this year, will be located near Route. 3 in Westford. In comparison, the Stony Brook system is rated at 36 kilowatts.  This is 125 times greater in terms of energy generation!

Upcycle It! Turns One Year Old

In May, Upcycle It! celebrated its first birthday.  The program, run by Sustainable Westford, collects non-recyclables such as chip bags, energy bar wrappers and pens to be upcycled into new products.  In the process, 2 cents per item is generated for the Westford Schools.  In July, the program was #2 in the country for most items upcycled.  Since its inception, the Upcycle It! program has saved over 210,000 pieces of trash weighing over a ton, generating over $4300 for Westford School’s.

First Winter’s Farmers Market 

In addition to the summer farmers market, the Westford Farmers Market ran the first winter market starting in January 2011 running through March.  This year, the winter market is on Saturdays at Eric's Garden Center.

Reduction in Trash

The Westford Recycling Commission reports that we decreased our trash by almost 5 percent by the end of fiscal 2011.  This is in addition to a similar reduction the year before!  The Recycling Commission is focusing on composting to reduce trash even further in 2012.

Westford’s Litter League Green Team Debuted

The Litter League Green Team, started by Carmen Chiungos, meet every Saturday from April through October, picking up trash in various parts of town.  Carmen, a Passionate Westford Resident, start the group because she didn’t like seeing all the trash around town.

Composter at Westford Road Race – The Westford Road Race not only had recycling, but they also provided composting for banana peels and orange rinds!  Absolutely awesome to see.

Happy New Year Everyone!