Taking Local Climate Action – SAU 70’s Climate Action Plan 2025
On Thursday, May 22, the Montshire Museum of Science and Hanover High School (HHS) Environmental Club co-hosted a “Taking Local Climate Action” event where student leaders of the Environmental Club presented their district-wide Climate Action Plan (CAP) recently adopted by SAU 70. In addition, students from Marion Cross Elementary School described steps they have been taking to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG). They also treated attendees to a dinner of locally sourced soup and salad that they had prepared and served!
Inching Forward with LEAP!
Dartmouth Students associated with the Cook Engineering Design Center’s LEAP Program (Learn Engineering Through Applied Projects) recently completed a two-term project looking at the feasibility of decarbonizing residential energy use through geo-exchange microgrids. Under the supervision of Professor Emily Monroe, freshmen Eden Gray, Caleb Frank, and Declan Schilling and senior Nathan McAllister concluded that this form of low emissions heating could be a viable alternative to furnaces fueled by oil or propane.
Hanover Kicks Off Shared Streets Vision Planning
On May 12th, Hanover kicked off Shared Streets Vision Planning to design a multimodal network for all ages and abilities. How we design our streets, intersections and paths determines who can get where they need to go and how. And our choices have a massive impact on our community’s carbon footprint...
But how do our choices in street design impact the community’s emissions and health? What does it mean to envision Hanover streets that are inviting and accessible to people of all ages and abilities? How can we do it?
SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPING
Sustainable landscaping is an innovative and environmentally responsible way to think about yards, gardens, outdoor areas. Adopting this approach, you’ll create beautiful, functional yards and gardens while reducing water usage, supporting local pollinators and wildlife minimizing maintenance.
Earth Day Fair
“Aye, ’twas a cold and rainy day” or at least the threat of one for the Earth Day Fair and celebration sponsored by Sustainable Hanover and Dartmouth College’s Sustainability Department on Saturday, April 26. Nevertheless, seventeen exhibitor and vendor tables were crowded together, receiving between 60 and 70 attendees in Richmond Middle School gymnasium.
A Promising New Initiative for Hanover’s Large Energy Users
Sustainable Hanover is excited to have launched a new initiative to bring together the largest energy users in Hanover to share ideas and solutions for a more sustainable future. This group includes representation from Dartmouth College, Kendal at Hanover, the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), Hypertherm, Sheridan Printing, the Coop Food Stores, and the Town.
Hanover Hygiene Heroes
There are many clubs at Hanover High School that focus on helping to save our environment. One of the more notable clubs is the Hanover Hygiene Heroes, who have made it their goal to “relieve Hanover of its pollution, one week at a time.” The club began when students were on a lunch trip to the Co-op.
Successful Styrofoam Collection!
Thanks to everyone for contributing to the successful Hanover/Norwich Styrofoam/Lights collection on Saturday, January 25, 2025!
Intrepid volunteers including teens from Youth in Action and the Hanover High School Environmental Club, nonagenarians from Kendal, and all ages in-between braved the frigid temperature to get the job done! Through their efforts, they took in 253 loads brought by car and walk-ins.
Gail Gentes Appointed to Sustainable Hanover
At the February 10, 2025 meeting of the Town of Hanover’s Selectboard, Gail Gentes was appointed to a three year term on the Sustainable Hanover Committee.
Community Power Outperforms Expectations
Recent news from the Community Power Coalition of NH (CPCNH) contained some surprises. Community power programs, including our own Hanover Community Power (HCP), are surpassing expectations held in April 2023 when Hanover launched as one of ten communities in the first wave of CPCNH programs. Over the first 16 months, HCP customers saved $643,000 compared to what they would have spent for utility supplied electricity.
WHO KNEW Y-O-U Might NOT Know About Sustainable Hanover’s Many Interesting Articles With Info You Can Use?
One of Sustainable Hanover’s initiatives is to publish a short piece called a WHO KNEW every Tuesday in the Hanover listserv focusing on a wide range of topics that might be useful to you. Sustainable Hanover archives all these pieces accompanied by photos on its website.
Dartmouth Leads & Hanover Supports
Anyone driving through Hanover this summer has surely noticed the construction along East Wheelock, especially the once very deep and huge holes in front of the New Hampshire and Topliff dorms. “It looks like the College is building a subway system,” my husband commented.
Prominently displayed signs suggest otherwise. “Turning the corner from steam to hot water,” says one. “In the trenches to reach our goal,” says another. This construction is the initial stage of a $500m effort by Dartmouth to decarbonize.
Sustainable Hanover’s 15th Anniversary Celebration!
Hanover’s July 4th Independence Day Parade provided the perfect opportunity for the Sustainable Hanover Committee to celebrate the accomplishments achieved over the past 15 years.
Yard Sale 2024!
For the 13th year, dozens of local residents, having paid a small fee, gathered in the Dewey Lot to sell their excess stuff. In spite of an ominous weather forecast, the weather stayed fine. Many wonderful volunteers came together to help throughout the month, the few days before and especially on the big day.
Sustainable Hanover is Celebrating its 15th Anniversary!
Sustainable Hanover (SH) began in 2009 when the Hanover Select Board, citing “a growing body of evidence (that) suggests communities like Hanover must pay increasingly close attention to issues associated with climate change, peak oil consumption and sustainability”, decided to address this need by creating the Sustainable Hanover Committee (later renamed as SH). Hanover’s existing Recycling Committee was re-organized to become SH’s first task force. SH has grown tremendously over these 15 years.
The Co-op Has Big Goals for Reducing Its Carbon Footprint
Sustainable Hanover is always eager to hear about sustainability measures that local residents and businesses are planning and implementing.
Recently Nate Osheyack, Facilities Manager, and April Harkness, ESG Manager, for the Co-op Food Stores, spoke to the Sustainable Hanover Committee about the Co-op’s activities and plans to reduce consumption of fossil fuels, increase access to renewable energy, and reduce waste.
Center for Ecotechnology
At the April 4, 2024 meeting of the Sustainable Hanover Committee Abbey Massaro, Senior Waste Reduction Consultant representing the Center for Ecotechnology (CET), gave a presentation about a program developing sustainable practices for rural businesses and schools. CET, a non profit was founded in 1976 in Massachusetts with a focus on energy conservation. It has expanded its expertise and services to include waste related to food and deconstruction due to building projects and its geographical outreach to New England states.
Composting in Hanover
Hanover households have several options to avoid sending food waste to produce polluting gases in landfill. For residents with the space, backyard composting is an excellent way to recycle food scraps into a valuable soil resource. Interested in learning how to do this successfully?
Hanover’s First Director of Sustainability and Beloved Colleague Departs
It is with great sadness and gratitude that Sustainable Hanover bids farewell to April Salas as the first Director of Sustainability for the Town of Hanover.
Styrofoam Recycling
In collaboration with the The Norwich Solid Waste Committee, Sustainable Hanover’s Waste Reduction/Recycling Team held its second annual Styrofoam Collection on January 27, 2024 at the Richmond Middle School. It was, by many measures, a great success.