Environment

Marblehead Light Dept. targets shortfalls with monthly rate increases
27 Oct

Marblehead Light Dept. targets shortfalls with monthly rate increases

Will Dowd2 CommentsEnvironment, Local News, Municipal Matters
Increases to electricity rates are becoming a routine occurrence in Marblehead - with the average residential electricity bill to increase $23.83 in November. And ratepayers should expect monthly hikes though at least March, the Marblehead Municipal Light Department General Manager Joseph Kowalick recently told the Marblehead Municipal Light Commission. Forecasts and actual costs are not balancing from month to month, he continued. Marblehead electricity ratepayers should expect monthly hikes though at least March, the Marblehead Municipal Light Department General Manager Joseph Kowalick recently told the…
Read More
Joe Brown’s Puddle? Are droughts speeding up the disappearance of Marblehead’s ponds
24 Oct

Joe Brown’s Puddle? Are droughts speeding up the disappearance of Marblehead’s ponds

Will Dowd1 CommentEnvironment, Local News, Science, Top Stories
Marblehead resident Bette Keva walks her neighbor's dogs a lot through the town's conservation lands. Over the past couple of months (especially during the summer), she noticed the shallow water levels in Marblehead ponds and bodies of water.  Photos from resident Bette Keva depicting Joe Brown’s Pond, showing just how low water reached during the summertime drought. To convey just how bad the water level had gotten, she once suggested Joe Brown's Pond should be renamed “Joe Brown's Puddle.” She shared photos depicting the pond's…
Read More
Sustainable Marblehead, UU Church to educate public on ways to save energy, money
21 Oct

Sustainable Marblehead, UU Church to educate public on ways to save energy, money

Will Dowd0 CommentsEnvironment, Local News, Municipal Matters, Press releases
As winter approaches, please join Sustainable Marblehead and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead on Sunday, Nov. 13, at 3 p.m. for a Meetinghouse Series program on ways to save energy and reduce your home energy costs. This will be conducted both in person at the Unitarian Church at 28 Mugford St. and on Zoom (https://tinyurl.com/SaveEnergyTalk ). The program is free and open to all.  Marblehead Light Commissioner Lisa Wolf and Mark Adam the winter – while also reducing your home’s carbon emissions.   The program…
Read More
‘The planet is on fire.’ Learn about Marblehead’s sole net-negative home
20 Oct

‘The planet is on fire.’ Learn about Marblehead’s sole net-negative home

Leigh Blander0 CommentsCommunity Resources, Environment, Life Style, Local News, Municipal Matters, Science, Top Stories
Lisa Wolf outside her net negative home PHOTO: Leigh Blander Walk past Lisa and Steve Wolf’s home on Pitman Road and you might notice a peace sign, four feet in diameter and outlined in lights, on the front slope of their roof.  What’s harder to notice, surprisingly, are the 44 solar panels lining the roof’s southeast side. The panels deliver enough power to make the home the only net-negative residence in town, according to the Wolfs. Net negative means the Wolfs produce more electricity than…
Read More
Marblehead Museum exhibit pivots spotlight on bygone shipyard era
14 Oct

Marblehead Museum exhibit pivots spotlight on bygone shipyard era

Will Dowd0 CommentsCommunity Resources, Culture, Environment, Local History, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories
“Marblehead is a place that is full of lore,” said amateur historian, fine artist and proud Marbleheader Kristen Nyberg, who singlehandedly curated the Marblehead Museum’s new exhibit, "Growing Up in the Shipyard," opening Friday, Oct. 14. This multi-media show will introduce viewers to the once-vibrant Shipyard neighborhood seen through the eyes of the Nybergs, a family of Swedish immigrants who came to America in the early 20th century. “There’s rich history in this small neighborhood and I don’t want it to be forgotten,” she stresses.…
Read More
BBC Radio 5 drops Rhod Sharp’s epic new series: ‘The Song of the Right Whale’
05 Oct

BBC Radio 5 drops Rhod Sharp’s epic new series: ‘The Song of the Right Whale’

Will Dowd0 CommentsEnvironment, Local News, Top Stories
On Friday, BBC Radio 5 dropped a truly epic series - "The Song of the Right Whale," a longform journalism project that Marbleheader and British ex-pat Rhod Sharp produced, wrote and reported on over the last two years. Via BBC Sounds: North Atlantic Right Whales are no longer hunted but they still die because of human activity. Rhod Sharp finds out the threats, and talks to the scientists trying to save it. The six-hour series spans a half-dozen episodes as Sharp comprehensively covers the plight…
Read More
Marblehead fire chief briefs light commission on lithium-ion battery hazards
02 Oct

Marblehead fire chief briefs light commission on lithium-ion battery hazards

Will Dowd0 CommentsEnvironment, Local News, Public safety, Top Stories
Lithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous, powering everything form electric vehicles and electric toothbrushes to laptops and iPhones. Demand for lithium-ion energy storage systems is on the rise even in Marblehead.  Many residential lithium-ion battery systems are installed in homes and store electrical energy generated by a household’s solar panels. These energy-storage systems' benefits include: Less dependency on the grid  Long life and fast charging Mitigate a household’s carbon footprint  Lower electric bills Store more power with less space and use it during peak periods “Battery storage…
Read More
The Marblehead Farmers’ Market Sept. 17
15 Sep

The Marblehead Farmers’ Market Sept. 17

Will Dowd0 CommentsBusiness, Community Resources, Environment, Local News
Late season crops are arriving at the market, while many summer crops continue at the Marblehead Farmers’ Market.  Shoppers can expect to find winter squash, apples, carrots, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, beans, beets, and brussels sprouts.  Farms will also have mushrooms, eggs, beef, chicken, pork, eggs, cheese, cut flowers, maple products, a wide variety of salad and cooking greens, potted plants and much more. Farms this season are: Grant Family Farm will be offering fresh eggs, cut flowers, and vegetables.  Bear Hill Farm will…
Read More
Google executive picked to fill Marblehead Light Commission vacancy
14 Sep

Google executive picked to fill Marblehead Light Commission vacancy

Will Dowd0 CommentsEnvironment, Local News, Municipal Matters, Politics, Top Stories
A Google business executive will fill a Marblehead Municipal Light Commission vacancy, members of the Marblehead Select Board and Light Commission decided on Wednesday night. Adam Smith's selection arrived around 8:45 p.m. after officials interviewed eight candidates. After Marblehead Town Clerk Robin Michaud swears him in, he will step into the vacancy created when Karl Johnson resigned, citing health reasons, two weeks after the 2022 municipal election in June. Marblehead Select Board and Municipal Light Commission selected Adam Smith, a Google business executive, on Wednesday…
Read More