We joined black earth just about as soon as we moved to Framingham. I love that compost lessens waste and literally helps mitigate and even reverse climate change. I'm a huge fan of regenerative agricultural practices, but was nervous about curbside composting. Black Earth made it so easy, and it's super affordable, and even more so with community discounts we can get in Framingham when more people sign up. And as an added bonus, we're throwing out a lot less stuff each week and are more aware of our food waste!

So Endless Energy will send someone to the house to check your insulation, energy use of all kinds (electric, gas, oil, etc.). You will at least get some free light bulbs (LEDs) and lots of advice on improving your energy footprint. They will hook you up with vendors and financing to make recommended changes to your home. Great service!

We had Mass Save come in to look at our home insulation, turns out we had very little wall insulation. We went through Mass Save and had a company come in and blow in insulation. This cut our heating bills in half and the added bonus, we no longer could hear the wind blowing

In 2013 I did a MassSave energy audit. The company (whose name I now forget) added several inches of insulation to my attic as well as additional venting for the roof. Since then my heating costs have certainly gone done. I only paid for a small fraction of the work because of the MassSave incentives.

In 2018, I received a mailer to have my free in-home energy assessment done by Endless Energy, a Mass Save partner. I noticed some condensation on my windows during the colder months so I decided to call and schedule the energy audit. What an interesting process that was! Since my home is under 1,000 sq ft, it was not terribly time-consuming (maybe 90 minutes) and rather non-invasive. On top of providing free LED light bulbs and smart powerstrips, they suggested insulating the attic since it is not used for storage. Aside from conserving energy, one huge perk of the powerstrips is safety. I use a hair straightener and curling iron so I know they are powered off when my master outlet is not in use. For the insulation, I got a high-level estimate which broke down the anticipated out-of-pocket expense after factoring in the Mass Save rebates. I went ahead with the insulation, which the Endless Energy auditor helped schedule for me, and have since noticed more comfortable temperatures (see my Testimonial for insulation, too)! The only downside I found is that Mass Save does not offer any rebates or programs for window insulation or replacements so I have yet to address that issue.

I am an avid gardener and composter! My husband and I spend many delightful hours outside in our perennial, annual, and vegetable beds taking happy care of our front, back, and side yards. We compost year-round. We feed the birds. In the fall I dehydrate herbs, put up jam and chutneys, and make pesto from our garden basil. I am never so happy as when I am knee deep in dirt!! All of it is a joy!

It took me years to finally get a Mass Save assessment (through ClearResult), that determined I needed insulation in my walls and my attic, and improved weather stripping around my doors. I chose Roger’s as a local company with good reviews, and I am glad I did. They were professional from the moment they pulled into my driveway, explaining their work each step of the way, and protecting my home with plastic sheeting and sweeping up every last bit of the cellulose insulation! In addition, in my attic they discovered some issues in some plumbing and electric wiring that could have created some serious problems later on, and suggested I get them taken care of (which I did!) They also sealed up the basement around the foundation, weather stripped my front door, and added a thermal cover for my attic pull down. I felt a difference in my house immediately: It is noticeably warmer and less drafty, and much more comfortable! I only wish I had done it sooner!

I have been composting in my back yard since 2008 and have really loved reducing my trash as well as providing nutrients for my garden. In 2018 when Black Earth Compost began to service Framingham I also joined this service as they take a number of things that I cannot compost in my back yard (meat, dairy, bones, etc.). Black Earth Compost has been extremely reliable and I have been very happy with the service.

I was so excited when I learned about Black Earth Compost, BEC, from a friend using the service! I am very aware of climate change and try to reduce my negative impact on the environment. We are avid recyclers in our home but realized that the majority of our weekly trash was food waste. It would either end up in the garbage bag or down the garbage disposal, using water and electricity. I have wanted to compost for some time but just couldn't seem to execute on my own. BEC is the perfect solution! We collect ALL food waste in their odor-free bin and wheel it to the curb each week. (There are many acceptable items beyond food and the list is entertaining!) BEC whisks the bag away to their facility, avoiding the landfill and turning the waste into useful compost. You can opt to receive an annual delivery of composted soil, but having absolutely no ability to garden, we opt to donate it to a local farm. There is a small fee to pay for their service as it is not yet part of our town's collection, but it is money well spent! Between what we compost and recycle, our family of three now has one bag of "trash" on average each week.

Until I switched to Black Earth Composting, I was dumping all veggie scraps in a hole in the back yard and shoveling dirt over it. Black Earth helped me expand the items I can compost and cut down landfill garbage to one bag a week. Even that is sometimes only 1/2 filled.

Black Earth Compost has been servicing Framingham since March of 2019 and has been picking up food scraps from my house since then. One of the many great things about Black Earth is that they pick up just about everything that can possibly be composted including meat, dairy. Their service is prompt and their prices are very reasonable. I highly recommend this quickly growing company!

I picked up trash around my neighborhood while walking my dog (wearing gloves of course). Not only did this task push me to go for a walk, but it also felt great to help my neighborhood be a cleaner place.

Black Earth Compost has been a great way to deal with unused vegetable scraps or old food while helping the environment. I put those items in a compostable bag and keep it in the freezer until it's time to take it out to the sidewalk on Fridays to be picked up. The company uses this material to mix with other compostable material and soil to create a great blend of matter that helps local farmers. It helps reduce garbage, and it helps the local farmers! I highly recommend them!

I've been enjoying participating in Black Earth Composting's curbside service. In addition to the green bin BEC provides with a subscription, I purchased this small countertop bin which is super convenient as I'm cooking.  (Got it at the Container Store.) When full, I simply put the biodegradable bags (provided by BEC) in the green BEC bin. The bins aren't smelly and are easy to clean (for the most part, just wipe out).

I hadn't realized before how much of my trash was organic material! We also recycled our pumpkins and gourds that didn't "keep." Between this and recycling, we send very little to the landfill now. BEC's fee is modest and will go even lower as more people sign up!

Hi! Welcome to the Energize Framingham community! My name is Aimee Powelka and I am the community lead for this wonderful group. The content on Energize Framingham has been developed through conversations with many Framingham community groups, the help of FHS Environmental Club interns and sharing best practices amongst MetroWest communities. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or suggestions - send email to info@energizeframingham.org

Composting reduces landfill waste. Our trash has reduced by over 100%, we average just 1 bag/week for a family of 4 and a large dog. We used to fill our trash barrel. The impact is evident weekly. In addition, we can use the compost to grow grass & as fertilizer for our plants. With minimal effort & no cost, we are realizing major benefits for us personally and for the environment overall. Composting is so important to me & our family because it’s something we can all do daily, so we are making an impact to the environment every single day.

Hi - I'm Aimee Powelka from Framingham and I plugIN by subscribing to community solar. Its allowed me to save around $200 over the course of the last year on my electricity bills. I encourage everyone to plugIN to community solar.

Hi, I just heard a presentation on community solar from plugINMetrowest and left feeling informed and ready to sign up.  I followed the directions on this website and easily navigated the sign-up process. I'm now waiting to hear back from Nexamp.  I do have a heat pump, mini splits, and solar panels but still pay about $4500.00/year. I live in an all electric house.

After seeing a number of solar panels being installed throughout the neighborhood, we thought it was time to join the bandwagon. We wanted to switch to clean energy and eventually install heat pumps to reduce our reliance on oil to heat our home. After getting several quotes from solar companies and talking to all our neighbors about their experiences, we met with a Coach. He informed us of the tax rebate and zero interest loans available for heat pump installation, and he recommended we start there and access community solar before outfitting out home with additional solar panels based on projectec costs of adding heat pumps. We are not meeting with contractors regarding heat pumps and feel confident that this will be a sound economic and environmental path for us to take. 

We embraced more sustainable living by installing solar panels on our forever-home just over a year ago. Motivated by financial incentives, long-term savings, and a hug to our mother earth, we easily made the transition to solar energy. After carefully evaluating numerous solar panel companies in our area, we ultimately chose Tesla for their reputation and quality.

Though the process from research to installation was thorough and required patience – comparing companies, choosing the best fit for us, overseeing the installation of panels, securing approval from our electric provider – the rewards have outweighed the effort. The satisfaction of consistently generating surplus solar power, resulting in a $0 electric bill, is truly enjoyable.

Fortunately, our experience with Tesla’s solar panels has been seamless, with no issues encountered within the first year. We look forward to many more years of trouble-free operation.

I would recommend solar panels to anyone considering them. While it’s not the right fit for everyone, if your home has ample sunlight exposure, the decision is a no-brainer! Making the transition to solar energy was straightforward, and given the change, I would make the same choice again!

I have signed up with NexAmp for community solar, and saved over $380/year on my electric bill. I was on a wait list for a year -- but its worth it. One caution, you can build up credits during the summer when the commuity solar project is producing more energy credits than we use, I then use up the credits in the winter. 

Team Solar was very knowledgeable and easy to work with.

I could not LOVE this movement any more than I do. It's such a small ask/task that, when completed as a community, amounts to BIG change and a cleaner Framingham! Stay safe, my friends.

I highly recommend Green Abundance By Design for your ecologically mindful native landscaping! Professional, prompt, and friendly; their expertise, depth of knowledge and skill are apparent in each step of the process. I feel comfortable and confident that I have hired the best people to transform my front lawn into a garden of pollinator-supporting plants, edible fruit and nut woody plants, and raised bed garden veggies at a fair cost for the high-quality materials, plants and labor received. Andrew does extremely thorough work - analyzing the soil, the solar pattern of your yard, your budget and your envisioned outcome, and incorporates all of those factors to provide you with a beautiful layout sketch of the proposed work. He listens to you in terms of what you envision, and helps you understand what will work and what will not, and why. He demonstrates deep knowledge of which plants will work best in each area of your yard, both in terms of science and in terms of aesthetics. He is happy to answer any questions you have as you move forward with your garden into the future. Green Abundance By Design is a valuable resource for our community and you will be extremely pleased to hire them for your ecological landscaping needs.

I purchased a 13.8 MWh solar system from Sunlight Solar in 2016 and have been very happy with my purchase. We have electric heat so this has saved me a ton on electric costs and the additional SREC credits have been an added financial boost. I had a couple of panels that were acting up a couple of years ago and they were promptly replaced by the installers and I have had no issues since.