The Greenest Thumbs in Westwood

At Westwood Patch, we know a thing or two about being green - we deliver fresh news not to your doorstep each morning, but to your computer.

But we also know that there are some great residents and groups in Westwood that are also staying green whenever possible.

As part of this week's Patch Picks, we would like to recognize those who are committed to helping the environment. Here is a roundup of various groups and figures in town who have recently created a green vision for Westwood's future.

Last November 15 was proclaimed to be Westwood Recycles Day, shortly after the Westwood Environmental Action Committee looked to bolster the town's recycling efforts with a new mixed-recycling program. The new program allowed for residents to throw all recyclable items into one large container for collection each week, provided the containers bore a specialized "Recycling" sticker.

Kane was a key figure in trying to get Westwood to adopt a Stretch Energy Code this past year. The Stretch Code was one of a handful of criteria the town needed to comply with in order to be designated as a "Green Community." The adoption of the Stretch Code, however, at Town Meeting in May.

As part of his Eagle Scout project, Somers came up with the idea to help clean up various public areas in town, such as . "When I found out about Earth Week Cleanup, I thought this would be a good thing to do every other week," Somers told the Westwood Board of Selectmen last April.

You've heard of recycling, now try "upcycling." Students at Sheehan Elementary have been doing just that, by collecting old juice packets and donating them to a company called Terracycle, which turns used, recyclable items into new, usable products.

In April, Thurston held its second annual Earth Day Fair, where more than 100 students were involved in various experiments and information session about the environment.

As part of our Whiz Kids feature, these scouts received a crash course last spring about what it meant to be environmentally-conscious, as well as how and what to recycle.

Before earlier this year, and even before the took place last December, designs for the new building were organized as such to consider the environment. The plans help ensure the building is as energy-efficient and technologically-advanced as possible, and as such the building has been LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.