On Saturday, April 22, Harvard will celebrate Earth Day with house tours hosted throughout town and demonstrations at Hildreth Elementary School. This is the second townwide event organized by the Climate Initiative Committee. Kicking off at 11 a.m., the event will continue until 4 p.m.
At different sites around Harvard, homeowners and farmers will be sharing information about their energy-efficient systems. Attendees can move throughout four clusters of houses to learn about their solar installations, photovoltaic battery storage, and rainwater harvesting systems.
At Good Spirits Farm on East Bare Hill Road, there will be a seed swap and organic plants and wildflowers for sale from the greenhouse. At 11 a.m. visitors to Old Frog Pond Farm and Studio on Eldridge Road can learn about growing organic fruit trees.
To stretch their legs before stopping by HES, groups can join the walks, hosted by the American Chestnut Restoration Project, through the Reed-Powell chestnut orchard. Participants will learn about the invasive fungus that has severely damaged chestnut trees throughout North America, as well as conservation efforts at the Harvard orchard.
The Saturday event has options for the whole family. A kids-centered day could include visits to Good Spirits Farm, where families can learn about beekeeping and composting systems with hands-on activities. There will be a medicinal plant scavenger hunt for kids 8 years and older.
Porchside Farmstand on Mass. Ave. will be showcasing their mobile chicken coop, within which the spring chicks will be wandering. At HES, kids can play a matching game, trace their carbon footprints, or listen to books being read by the Bromfield Green Team.
Vendors stationed at HES will host equipment demonstrations and answer questions throughout the afternoon. A variety of food and drinks will be offered by Alltown Fresh’s food truck for the entire day.
Stations will feature topics ranging from organic gardening to energy-efficient systems. At the electric vehicle “petting zoo,” attendees can check out electric cars, trucks, and bikes owned by fellow residents.
Vendors will be displaying their solar systems, ground source heat pumps, and electric equipment for lawn care. Mass Save representatives will be there speaking about energy audits. Members of the Harvard Conservation Trust can pick up their yearly “tree-for-all” gift.
The Climate Initiative Committee, in collaboration with the Energy Advisory Committee and HeartSmart Alliance, will also be presenting their energy coach program. This growing initiative pairs air-source and ground-source heating and cooling systems experts with residents.
The coaches suggest options and help interpret external vendors’ quotes. Harvard is still increasing the capacity of the program, but its six volunteer coaches have already done work with homeowners.
Register in advance, via harvardsclimateinitiative.org, to receive an interactive map with specific locations and the climate solutions they are presenting. The rain date is Sunday, April 23.
A net-zero house with active and passive solar power, triple-glazed windows, lithium ion storage batteries, and other features will be available to tour April 22. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
