In this newsletter we’ll be introducing Caren Tackett, licensed falconer! She is currently working towards a general wildlife rehabilitation license. She is also wife to Jeremy, our resident Director of Sustainable Agriculture, who we’ve featured in the past.

Hillside Open House is this this weekend and open to the public on Friday the 11th, and Saturday the 12th. (Sunday by appointment only). Homes in our 12-unit Hempcrete building are coming online. It is the largest multi-unit hempcrete structure in North America. We sequestered 35,000 tons of CO2 in the walls. Living at Hillside with no utility costs can be a part of something really positive. You can rent with the benefits of ownership stability.

If you’ve been around the Hillside community lately, you may have noticed some new residents! The Hillside chickens have moved into their new habitat, and are settling in quite nicely.

Check out the latest progress at Hillside Center for Sustainable Living our on Southrise units, including beautiful interiors and patios, an outdoor walkway, and chicken coop! This sustainable building is set to be finished this month, February 2025! Stay tuned for open house dates.

Construction mats made from cross-laminated timber, or CLT, are used for road construction in environmentally sensitive areas and access over soft soils. To create a more permeable road surface that is especially inviting to pedestrians, we are swapping out asphalt and concrete for clamshells and wood planks along the 12-unit Southrise building, which will be ready for move-ins this Winter of 2025.

12-unit Southrise building exceeding Passive House standards for airtightness. The fact that Southrise is a multifamily hempcrete structure makes this particularly exciting news: Very few hempcrete structures have ever hit these super low values. 

Many big ideas exist behind the practice of growing food locally. The global agriculture industry is one of the main consumers of fossil fuels in the world. Food that is sold in grocery stores has undergone various processes, many of which are energy-intensive. The industry uses pounds and pounds of packaging. It requires trucking, flying, or shipping food hundreds of miles. It requires mass producing food in harmful ways, such as through monocropping and factory farming.

If you live in New England, chances are you live in an older house. These charming homes are full of history and character. However, you may have noticed a draft while passing a closed window, or made efforts to seal the edges of your front door. You may have also noticed large heating and energy bills. The problem of keeping temperature-regulated air inside homes is one that is currently being solved in the Southrise units at Hillside.

Unique views of our water feature here at Hillside! The fountain was designed by David Hall and constructed by the crew here at Hillside. The stone blocks were salvaged from the demo of the Whittier Bridge and the water feeding the fountain is supplied by a natural spring. Video by Jason Novak #ruebenfilmz

Our biocomposite wall panels are made of hemp fiber and lime binder cast in a wood frame with a steel lifting skeleton. Lime-based plasters (natural plasters) are applied directly to the interior and exterior hempcrete as the finished skin. It's a very simple assembly.  Once tilted up, these 48 Wall panels will create a PHIUS compliant net zero envelope for 12 market-rate rental units.   We can sequester 10.5 lbs of CO2 per cu ft of placed hempcrete*.  The walls of the 12-unit building will sequester approximately 75 tons of CO2.

Our Cottage Court units have come to life and are now available for viewing. These units will be used as models for those interested in living at Hillside until tenants occupy them. I

Cork is a naturally occurring material as it grows on Quercus suber (an evergreen oak tree native to Southwest Europe and Northwest Africa). Cork is a secondary tissue found in the bark of Quercus suber and can regenerate within a harvesting season.

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are the smallest plant in the onion family. Native to Asia and Europe, this plant grows 2-3 feet tall in clumps, much like grasses. Chives are self-seeding and will attract butterflies to your garden. A somewhat unknown fact about chives is that contrasting to its green stalky leaves, purple tuft flowers sprout in the late spring, which are edible and make a great addition to any salad.

This month Hillside was proud to partner with the Newburyport High School's Environmental Club (a.k.a. E-Club) to monitor composting at the Grog's 12th Annual Charity Chili Cook-Off & Craft Beer Fest.

“Progress is not only our favorite thing to see at Hillside, but it's also our favorite thing to share with those who have been keeping a close eye on our project. In the month of October we have been able to install the kitchen cabinets and appliances, lighting fixtures, bathroom appliances and accessories, wardrobes, windows, doors, roof decks, loft ladders, exterior landscaping, flooring, wall paint, and Zehnder units for Cottage Court 5 and 6, all while continuing work on the remaining Cottage Court units and preparing to break ground on Cottage Court Extension.”

There are over 30 different species of mint, with the three chief species being Spearmint (Mentha spicata), Peppermint (M. piperita), and Pennyroyal (M. pulegium). Mint is native to the Mediterranean region and can be found naturally growing along stream banks. The Romans first introduced this plant to the British who then brought it to America 200 years ago. Since then, mint can be found growing in most gardens around the world with the United States being the world’s largest producer of Spearmint and Peppermint.