Cooler Middleboro Fair displays the cool side of conservation
Apr 30, 2023
New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance’s 40-foot inflatable humpback whale was a major attraction at the Cooler Middleboro Fair on Saturday, April 29. Photos by Rusty Gorelick
Bill Howe of Sustainable Middleboro tells Christine Hoyle about the benefits of induction heating.
New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance brought whale bones and other ocean artifacts to the Cooler Middleboro Fair.
Middleboro High School students made small model houses with different types of nontraditional insulation.
Solar cookers created by fifth-graders in Middleboro Public Schools were on display.
Under the hood of an electric vehicle.
MIDDLEBORO — From induction heating to ocean conservation, a range of temperatures, topics, and tips for saving energy were on display at the Cooler Middleboro Fair.
Sustainability took the spotlight in the Middleboro High School gym on Saturday, April 29 when Sustainable Middleboro and the school’s Youth Environmental Social Society Club hosted the fair.
“I’m really excited to have so many people from the town here,” said Youth Environmental Social Society Club advisor Susan McGurk. “Some of them have never been inside the new high school so they’re also excited to see that, and we’re really happy with the turnout.”
New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance’s 40-foot inflatable humpback whale was the eye-catcher for children and families, who got to check out the inside of the replica ocean mammal.
Visitors could evaluate their own carbon use and pledge to reduce it with the help of sustainability-focused students, who displayed the combined amount of carbon pledged to be saved at the event on a screen at the entrance of the gym.
The high schoolers, in recognition of the inflatable whale and protecting the ocean, converted the weight of carbon pledged to be reduced into whales.
Less than an hour into the event, the display showed around 125,000 pounds of carbon saved. That converts to almost two humpback whales.
Student projects were also on display: high school students made small model homes with nontraditional forms of insulation, while fifth-graders created solar cooking devices.
Local groups including Soule Homestead, Middleboro Gas and Electric, and Energy New England talked people through sustainability practices and initiatives to save energy and money.
New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance brought whale bones and other ocean artifacts, which children got up close and personal with while parents talked about saving money.
Outside the gym, Local Motion food truck served lunch while electric vehicle owners displayed their cars for those curious or looking to make a switch.
“It’s a party,” said Kimberly French of Sustainable Middleboro. “And It’s been such a fun thing to work with the high school students and see their energy because they are the future. We’re just so happy to work with them.”
