Sustainable MetroWest Gathering 2013 presentation by Jim Snyder Grant

1. Green Acton
Green Acton is a group of volunteers working to
conserve resources and encourage sustainability
in Acton, Massachusetts.

2. Three Recent Initiatives
1. Candidates night for Green Issues
2. Reusable water bottles donated to
officials at Town Meeting.
3. Staffing for Solarize Acton.
info@greenacton.orgJim Snyder-Grant

3. Three Successes and Best Practices
1. Events: Energy Fair and Drop and Swap
2. Campaigns: Sagewell Thermal Imaging + Solarize Acton
3. Eco shareware: PreserveWare / Water Bottles
• We work well when we support and advise
small groups of activists that want to get
something done.
• We work best when we stay open to
partnerships with other organizations.
info@greenacton.orgJim Snyder-Grant

4. Three Lessons Learned
1. Meetings are not for everyone: Green Acton
is much bigger than our monthly meetings.
2. We have had limited success breaking out of
our ~200 person circle in our town of 20,000.
Getting the schools involved is one key.
3. Town officials are very sympathetic to our
goals, but are often over-worked and stuck
in ruts. Some offers of help go a long way.
info@greenacton.orgJim Snyder-Grant

5. Two Plans for Upcoming Year
1. Focus on steps towards zero-waste vision:
• Finding a permanent location for Drop/
Swap
• Considering educational campaign
including another run at Pay As You
Throw.
2. Focus on internal structure and roles
• Retreat for strategic planning
• Follow-up on decisions made there.
info@greenacton.orgJim Snyder-Grant

6. Two Cross-Community
Collaboration Ideas
• Small (four to six person) monthly mutual
support groups for town environmental group
leaders (model is 'Mastermind Groups').
• Shared investment of time + money in
research, set-up and maintenance of
effective volunteer/member tracking
software.
info@greenacton.orgJim Snyder-Grant