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SUSTAINABILITY & RESILIENCE NEWSLETTER
April 2024
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The survey was designed by a team of Tufts University graduate students in the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning. The team is conducting a semester-long research project for the Town that will culminate in recommendations on changes to the collection system to achieve waste reductions. | |
Weigh in on the Future of Lexington's Waste Collection System | |
The Town is seeking your input on the future of our waste collection system as we strive to achieve a 90% diversion rate by 2050. Take the survey to weigh in.
Last year, the Town approved its Zero Waste Plan which proposed the following short-term actions, which have proven to significantly decrease waste in other communities:
- Expand curbside compost collection town-wide
- Convert to automated curbside collection with wheeled carts
- Evaluate every other week trash collection
- Evaluate rate structure incentives for curbside collection
- Provide more reuse collection
The survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete and will allow you to share your thoughts on the topics above. The survey will be open until April 12th.
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Town Curbside Compost Program to Expand This Summer | |
The Town is happy to announce the expansion of its curbside compost program! The program launched in July 2023, providing free curbside collection to 2,000 households. Starting July 1, 2024, the program will be expanded to up to 4,000 households.
This is a key step in meeting the Town goal of providing town wide compost collection. With 38% of our waste stream made up of compostable materials, composting is a cost-effective strategy to avoid sending waste to the incinerator. All while contributing to the creation of nutrient-rich soil!
Key Dates
- May 1, 2024: Enrollment opens (details coming soon)
- July 1, 2024: Service begins for households new to the program
Please spread the word to neighbors who don't compost yet!
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Article 7: Sustainable Capital Projects
Town Meeting approved the appropriation of $65,000 for the installation of additional electric vehicle chargers for the municipal fleet, and a solar assessment at Lincoln Park. (Yes: 163, No: 1, Abstain: 1)
Article 29b: Gas-powered leaf blowers
Town meeting rejected the proposal to delay the prohibition of gas-powered leaf blowers by commercial landscapers from March 2025 to March 2026. (Yes: 69, No: 96, Abstain: 3)
Sustainability-related articles still to come:
- Article 31: Prohibition of single-serve plastic water bottles
- Article 34-36: Strengthen the Tree Bylaw
- Article 37: Importance of Trees Resolution
- Article 38: Amend Fossil Fuel Free Bylaw
- Article 40: Integrated Pest Management Resolution
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Select Board and School Committee Pass High Performance Building Policy | |
In February, the Town adopted a High Performance Building Policy after affirmative votes from both the Select Board and School Committee.
The policy establishes a process to monitor the performance of Lexington's existing Town and school buildings with the goal of maximizing the health and well-being of building occupants and the public at large, while also minimizing negative impacts on the environment and the climate.
Town staff will compile annual reports tracking various building performance metrics across each building, and after two years of data collection, will work with stakeholder groups to set goals and corrective action plans, as needed.
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Show Your Support for Networked Geothermal | |
If you are a frequent reader of this newsletter, you know Lexington has been awarded a grant to explore the feasibility of a networked geothermal system in town. While that project is focused on a few specific sites in Lexington, networked geothermal is a promising technology to transition away from gas on a much larger scale.
Would you sign up for geothermal service if it were available on your street?
While this technology is not yet available at that scale, you can add your address to HEET's Want Geo Map. The more people who show their support, the faster legislators and utilities will adopt these systems, which means billions of dollars not spent replacing our aging gas infrastructure and burning more fossil fuel!
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4th Annual Native Pollinator Plant Sale | |
The Town of Lexington Conservation Department's 4th annual Native Pollinator Plant sale is now open to everyone!
The sale includes a Sun Kit with plants that thrive in sun to partial sun and a Shade Kit with plants that prefer filtered light to shade. Each kit will include three plants of four different species for a total of twelve beautiful and healthy plants. There are also six plants being sold individually, all of which are included on the flyer.
Payment is accepted by credit card only. Plants will be available for pickup starting Saturday, May 11, at the Lexington Public Services Building, at 201 Bedford Street.
Anyone interest in buying a kit will need to use an existing MyRec account or set one up. Once logged in, scroll down the programs page to find "Conservation."
Contact Amber Carr or Lexington Living Landscapes if you have any questions.
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Need some inspiration to get biking this spring? Join one of the many upcoming bike events. You can learn new skills and build community through getting out of your car and opting for a bike.
- Friday, April 5: Transit Explorers (Grades 6-12)
- Wednesday, May 1: Massachusetts Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day (register)
- Friday, May 3: Transit Explorers (Grades 6-12)
- Monday, May 6: Intro to Bike Maintenance
- Saturday, May 11: Bike Rodeo (Grades K-8)
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Climate change on your mind? Come talk about it!
Join LexCAN for their monthly meeting where community members will spend time sharing what’s on their minds as well as discussing tips on how to talk about climate change and how those conversations can be motivators for change.
Tuesday, April 9
7:00 - 8:30 PM
In-person
Details to come
Click here for a great resource on talking about climate change.
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Got torn pockets, lost buttons, or ripped seams?
Join Center Goods, fresh cercle, and LexZeroWaste for "Mend In Public Day," where you can stitch in protest against disposable fast fashion. In a world inundated with fashion waste, you can be part of a global creative action resisting the cycle of excess through repair and reuse.
Saturday, April 20
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Center Goods
30 Waltham St
Come ready to stich and discuss how we all can make a difference by wearing our clothes more than we do now, donating what no longer interests us to wear or use, and taking advantage of local textile recycling options for worn out items.
All skill levels are welcome!
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Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World | |
Join author Henry Grabar for a talk about how the search for parking has shaped our world, from architecture and affordable housing to policing and the environment.
Named as one of the best books of the year by the New Yorker, Paved Paradise is an entertaining, enlightening, and utterly original investigation into one of the most quietly influential forces in modern American life—the humble parking spot.
Thursday, April 25
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Estabrook Auditorium
Cary Memorial Hall
Sponsored by Lexington's League of Women Voters and Transportation Services.
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Presented by Cary Library and the Lexington Zero Waste Collaborative. | |
Recycling Lies and Plastic Problems: What I Learned from a Year of No Garbage | |
Internationally published author and humorist Eve Schaub challenged her family to attempt the seemingly impossible: to live in the modern world, for an entire year, without creating any trash at all. The resulting memoir, Year of No Garbage, has been featured in the New Yorker, and was described by Bill McKibben as filled with “humor and grace.” Schaub reveals shocking truths she learned along the way about garbage, plastics, and the recycling industry.
This talk will trace the high and low points of Schaub’s family's Zero Waste journey, focusing on lessons learned and where we go from here.
Tuesday, April 30
7:00 - 8:30 PM
Cary Library
Following Eve’s talk, LexZeroWaste has invited Maggie Peard, the Town's Sustainability & Resilience Officer, and Erica Bouchard Rabins, owner of Center Goods, to help lead the conversation about Lexington’s zero waste future.
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Growing Up in a Climate Crisis: How Are Young People Responding? | |
How are young people driving change, staying resilient, and keeping hope alive in the face of climate crisis?
Join this interactive conversation, hosted by Lexington Lyceum, and hear high school students and young college graduates talk about how they feel, what they think, and what they’re doing about climate change.
Tuesday, April 30
6:30 - 9:00 PM
Follen Church Community Center
755 Massachusetts Ave
Arrive at 6:30 pm for a special opening program offered by Roaming Buffalo Wabanaki who will guide us towards connecting to all living things that depend on a stable climate to thrive and survive. They will draw on Indigenous teachings to help us prepare for our community conversation.
Moderator
Panelists
- Atreyi Basu, Sustainable Lexington Youth
- Dora Liao, Sustainable Lexington Youth
- Isaiah Johnson, LHS graduate, Mystic River Watershed Association
- And others
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