May 2019

Written by volunteer at Wright-Locke Farm, Betsy Block

When the All-Seasons Barn goes up on the farm next fall, it will provide a comfortable indoor space for Wright Locke to offer programs, classes, demonstrations, music and more, all year long. The farm staff envisions the barn as a welcoming place where greater Bostonians of all ages can learn, connect and be inspired. An important part of this vision is continuing to expand the farm’s commitment to sustainability far beyond farming. But the All-Seasons Barn won’t just be a place to educate locals about carbon emissions and low-impact living; the barn itself will actually embody these ideals. In this way, the barn will be a living model of how to move toward a more sustainable and humane future for us all.

Susan McPhee, Energy Conservation Coordinator and farm board member, explains the beautiful synchrony that will power the building. First, the temperature inside will rely on geothermal heating and cooling. Very deep wells – descending up to 500 feet into the ground – call on the earth’s static temperature of around 55 – 65 degrees F to provide cool air in the summer and to bring relatively warm air (warmer than a Boston winter!) up in winter. The heat gap on cold winter days between the somewhat chilly “earth air” and a more comfortable temperature will be bridged by a motor, but even the small amount of energy needed to power it will come from electricity provided by rooftop solar panels. These panels will also light the building, run computers, keep the kitchen up and running for cooking classes and on and on. Speaking of lighting, the farm staff is looking into highly efficient LEDs.

Furthermore, notes Colleen Ryan Soden, LEED AP BDC, IDC, who is the sustainability advisor for the barn project, the farm is looking into the possibility of having the barn walls built offsite. Doing this provides several benefits: the walls are never out in any weather so there’s no concern about moisture, the project can be completed faster because it’s all done in one place by one coordinated team, and it promotes what she calls a “closed-loop system,” where you can get “an ultra-tight envelope,” greatly minimizing (if not practically eliminating) leaks around windows and doors. Finally, the walls will be super-insulated, thereby retaining all that cool air in summer and warm air in winter.

It’s a win-win-win-win any way you look at it.

What’s the downside to all of these earth-loving systems? They cost more upfront to purchase and install, there’s no doubt about it. However, not only do geothermal and other earth-friendly systems last much longer than boilers – up to 10 times longer, or even more – when you amortize the upfront costs and factor in governmental incentives, the return on investment shows that doing things the right way from the start makes the most sense environmentally, yes, but also financially.  

Still, building a low-impact, high-quality, earth-friendly barn is not cheap. There are always costs to any project. The question is, how much cost, in what form, and who will really be footing the bill in the end? Soden again: “If we make the right choices in the beginning, we reap the rewards in the long term. We save money and ameliorate climate change impacts. It’s the way we all need to go.”

Water’s another consideration, and the farm is looking at ways to use non-potable storm water for toilets or irrigation. This is a double positive because capturing rainwater can also mitigate flooding. Energy modeling exercises will help determine which features the farm wants to pursue when considering both energy footprint and cost; e.g., whether to fund superinsulation or triple pane windows, for example.

“First, people need to be healthy and happy in this space,” Soden asserts. “Then we want to make our impact as small as possible from a carbon standpoint. And finally, we want to use the barn as an educational tool – to show how we can make beautiful, vibrant spaces that are economically feasible and also enjoyable for people to use.”

After conversations around sustainability with committed farm supporters like you, we are excited to report that we’ve received a $75,000 match challenge earmarked to help Make the All Seasons Barn GREEN.  With your generous support, the campaign will cover nearly half of the cost to use geothermal, solar, and other energy efficient approaches. Make your donation by June 21st to be counted towards the GREEN Match and leave a lasting legacy.

Right now, your donation has 2x the power to do good!

February 2019

Written by Executive Director, Archie McIntyre

I’m trying to turn over a new leaf.  The beginning of the year is a great time for resolutions.  Usually, I shoot too high, but this year I’m starting with a modest resolution – one that I have a reasonable chance of meeting throughout the year.

I drink a lot of coffee.  Some are surprised with how much.  Let’s just say it’s more than a couple of cups a day.  And, no, my resolution is not to cut down the amount of coffee consumed.  So far it seems to be working for me.  What I need to do is cut down the number of disposable cups that I consume.  A frequent Starbucks’ visitor, I probably go through hundreds of cups and plastic lids per year.  Imagine Starbucks’ environmental footprint of single use cups and lids worldwide.

Do I really need to be a part of it?  I think not.  With a small effort and a bit of forethought, I don’t have to be part of this problem.  I can bring my own mug for coffee or bring my reusable shopping bag to the market.  It’s a small step that’s not going to solve all of our problems, probably no more than one drop in an ocean of water.  But I have to start somewhere and my small action can have important meaning to me and maybe someone around me.

So what has this to do with the Farm?

Members of the Wright-Locke Farm Board and staff have spent the last couple of months working on our 5-year strategic plan.  We’ll be doing many of the things we currently do – it seems to be working pretty well – but we’ll start consciously evaluating what it is we do through the lens of sustainability. I take the liberty of quoting from a section of the Plan:

“Now in its second decade, Wright-Locke Farm is a thriving organization garnering strong interest and enthusiasm from surrounding communities. We see many opportunities to further increase our beneficial impact across many segments of the community, leveraging and expanding ongoing farm facilities and activities. We seek to ensure that Wright-Locke Farm remains a healthy, fiscally sound, vibrant resource, broadening its contributions to the community well into the future.

The farm also finds itself at an inflection point, not only in its own history — having now turned uncertain beginnings into an established and valued center of community life — but also in a historic moment of opportunity, as a local agricultural enterprise in a wider society increasingly unsettled by the threat of climate change and by growing inequality, including unequal access to nature and rural or farm experiences. We believe that by taking action to address each of these issues, we are in a unique position to demonstrate to a broader community the positive, key values of

• Environmental Stewardship
• Social Responsibility
• Financial Sustainability”

Let’s use the perspective of a “Triple Bottom Line” to evaluate all that we do and measure our impact – both positive and negative.  Like my disposable cups, our undertakings will have a modest impact on our global issues, but an impact nonetheless.  We all have to start trying.  Wright-Locke Farm is just 20 acres out of a total of 4,032 acres in Winchester.  Just a drop in an ocean.  But if we add up all our small, individual efforts we can start to make a dent.  Here are some of the things were undertaking at the farm and how they fit into our new model of a Triple Bottom Line evaluation:

Farm-wide Environmental Audit

To better understand where were going, it’s good to have a handle on where we are.  This year, we will undertake a complete farm-wide environmental audit.  What is our gas and diesel consumption for our tractors, mowers and other farm vehicles and implements? How much electricity do we use on farm, fuel oil to heat the farmhouse, and water to irrigate our fields and wash our vegetables?  What a great project for an environmental intern from one of our universities or graduate schools.  (If anyone comes to mind, please let us know.)

 

Use of Disposables, Recyclables, Reusables

Speaking of environmental audits, how about our use of disposables and plastics?  All of us on staff know we can, and need, to do a better job.  Areas that we’ll start to explore include how do we reduce single use containers for our Farm Stand and for our many public and private events?  What alternatives do we have for plastic produce bags that are a great convenience to our customers at our farmers markets? Winchester has implemented a town-wide single-use plastic bag ban. Due to our size, the Farm is probably exempt, but we will voluntarily comply because it’s not only the right thing to do, but we feel reflects our persona as an organization.

There are many other things we’d like to do to become more sustainable as a farm and organization.  Too many to explore in this short blog.  Suffice it to say that we will start taking the necessary steps to make sure we’re doing our part to help our fragile ecosystem and to become more a part of the solution and less a part of the problem.  If we all do our small part to become the solution– here in Winchester and at the State and regional level – pretty soon what was just a drop in the ocean might become a wave.

All Seasons Barn

Many of you have seen our plans.  A heated barn will allow us to extend our programming to 12 months per year, strengthening our financial sustainability as an organization by becoming a year-round operation.  Through careful design, use of materials and green technology, we are working to make this a “net zero” project, one that generates more clean energy than it uses.  Central to this goal will be a geothermal heating and cooling system and a solar array to power all of our electric power at the Farm.

Solar Power Project 

For a while now, we have felt that the farm should generate electricity with its own solar array.  The logical place for an array is on our south facing roofs of the 1827 Barn and Squash House.  Due to the buildings’ historic status, we have avoided pursuing this option in the past and sought other options, including ground mount locations around the Farm.  After lengthy soul searching, we have come to the conclusion that a ground mount option would have far greater visual impact (and cost) on our historic farmscape.  So we are back to pursuing solar panels on our two main barns.  This is a tough decision, but many of us feel that the time is right to make the difficult choices but reasonable sacrifices to mitigate negative climate impacts.

The Wright-Locke Conservancy Board, Winchester Historical Commission and the Winchester Select Board have all voted unanimously to support this option.  Now we must convince the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) and our numerous visitors and constituents that this is the right approach. For those of you interested in learning more, here’s a link to a detailed explanation of the project and some photos of what the panels would look like.  I think you’ll agree that the plan makes every effort to minimize the visual impact on the buildings and farm.

December 2018

Written by Volunteer, Betsy Block

I remember a long time ago, when my kids were still young, seeing a pop-up sign for raspberry picking in a funny little field in Winchester. Organic raspberries in Winchester? At the time it was surprising, and delightful, but it also felt, if I’m being honest, like this was “tax break land.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m just saying, that’s how it felt. Still, my family of four picked raspberries because, how could we not?

Several years later, my son worked as a counselor at the Wright-Locke summer camp before going on to major in Environmental Studies in college, and my daughter, now a high school senior seemingly headed down the same path, was his CIT for a week, so I knew even back then that things were changing up on the Farm.

It wasn’t until my husband and I drove over for a walk through the trails on a late fall day in 2016, though, that I saw for myself what Wright-Locke Farm had become. The day was cold, and the vista was a still life in late season grays and browns, but it was starkly beautiful, and clean, and fresh. Meandering through the farm’s different landscapes soothed our souls, frayed beyond repair (or so I thought) from my yearlong battle with a life-threatening illness.

That was the day I realized: this was no longer tax break land. It had somehow, while I hadn’t been paying attention, morphed into a sanctuary. It was as though elves had swooped in and magically transformed this once-forgotten spot into something truly unique, a center brimming with programs and walking trails and, amazingly, even a real working organic farm producing all sorts of crops, not just raspberries (although, thankfully, still those tiny red gems too). Of course, there were no elves, only humans deeply committed to reclaiming and restoring this gorgeous piece of unsullied property that was at one point so very close to being lost to development. Those devoted people somehow managed to find the resources the land needed, and together, they saved it. Now, thanks to the hard work of so many people, both staff and volunteers, it has become a refuge for plants, animals, and humans alike. It is a robust host for education and cultural events. It serves us, is served by us, and belongs to us.

Two years after taking that calming walk on the farm’s trails, I am well and my family’s soul has been restored. And now, with once-again clear eyes, I am able to see Wright-Locke as it is, not as I remember it from a decade ago. Wright-Locke Farm is now a place where life thrives, curiosity is sated, and we are given the opportunity to connect with each other and ourselves.

I am not a religious person, but in a place like this I find what I imagine temple or church provides to others: solace, awe, and inspiration, all at a farm devoted as much to our collective spirit as it is to food. (But oh, the food!) How many places just outside of Boston city limits offer us this much space to breathe and reclaim a sense of both purpose and ease? It may not be wrapped in gold paper and adorned with a bow, but this December we can give thanks for this special spot tucked away in Winchester, because Wright-Locke Farm is a gift to us all.

Thank you Betsy for your beautiful words and thoughts. This post in itself is truly a gift to us!

Wishing everyone a peaceful, happy, and healthy holiday season.

December 2018

Written by Communication Intern, Audrey DiBuono

My name is Audrey DiBuono and I was the 2018 Communication Intern here at Wright-Locke Farm! I would like to take a little bit of time to introduce myself, and give a little background on the path I took to end up here at the Farm!

I have always been a firm believer in a holistic approach to life and am constantly trying to find my own personal balance. This idea first became an important part of my daily routine during high school. At the age of 15, my older brother was diagnosed with ALL, or acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and our family’s entire world felt as though it had been flipped upside down. The only thing that we knew at this point was that we would do everything we could to support Alex in his fight. Part of this was changing all of our lifestyles.

We had already been a very active family, but our nutrition had taken a backseat over the years. The first thing that we did was a sweep of our kitchen and cut out as much added sugar and processed foods as possible and replaced them with organic, whole, nutritious real foods.  The whole family stayed healthy during this time, and slowly but surely our diet helped healed our minds, our bodies, and our spirits. 

I carried these healthy habits with me throughout my high school career, but entering college I started to lose my focus on my own health and well being. Like many young adults, the change to college shook me. I felt a disconnect between my passion and my forming career path, as well as a disconnect between my health and happiness. It scared me deeply. I lost my passion and started entering into a toxic routine. I was not exercising or staying active, and it seemed like the only foods that I craved were processed and packed with sugar. Along with my physical health, my mental health began to waiver…I wasn’t sure if my degree in Communication was what I could see myself doing and this seemed to only manifest even more over time.

During my Sophomore Year my brother relapsed and had to undergo a bone marrow transplant, reigniting that flame in me once again. I realized how much of my time was being wasted with a negative mindset and living my toxic routine, and finally knew I needed to make change for myself. Watching my brother’s continuous example of strength and bravery really changed my entire outlook on how I should be living my own life- I realized I needed to change my perspective. I started adding back those things that made me feel happy, curious, and whole (classes, good foods, learning about holistic living). I began reading more and more about holistic practices, food policies, sustainability, and most importantly- the Organic Food Movement. I felt more like myself than I had in a long time. I realized I could and would try my hardest to merge passion/interest with my career path upon graduation, and that’s when I happened to find this communication internship at Wright-Locke Farm.

Wright-Locke Farm has helped me find my perfect balance that I am always striving to find. Some days I spend my entire day outside ranging in activities from aiding in education programs, to arranging flowers, or even harvesting in the fields. On other days you can find me greeting attendees at the Speaker Series or working behind the register in the Farm Stand. And sometimes I may just be inside the farm house working with Kim on our computers, honing in on my Communication skills and expanding my education. No matter what I am doing here or where I am, I feel a harmony with myself and with all that surrounds me. Wright-Locke has given me the opportunity to be who I am and, more importantly, find who I am.

I would never have expected to be here when I entered college, and now I am so happy and grateful I was. Being a part of the WLF crew and community is irreplaceable, and so special. I will always carry these memories and lessons with me no matter where I go.  Not only am I excited about the opportunities that WLF has given to me to explore and learn, but I feel hopeful about the future and the other opportunities that I see WLF and other farms offering to people, like me, who need these safe, encouraging, and healthy environments. So, Wright-Locke, I leave with a heavy heart knowing I will miss every part of my experience, but with a sense of peace and brightness knowing that I will always have a place here.

 Thank You.