SUSTAINABILITY & RESILIENCE NEWSLETTER

May 2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lexington HeatSmart Now Offering Solar Coaching

Lexington HeatSmart is now offering solar coaching! By talking to a HeatSmart Energy Advisor, you will get the guidance you need to go solar and install battery backup systems. Advisors can discuss system sizing to meet your home electrification or energy saving goals, different ownership models to consider, what credits and rebates you can expect, and how adding batteries can deliver resilience benefits and additional savings.

Join the couple hundred Lexington residents who have benefited from conversations with the program's excellent Energy Advisors.

See below for the "Go Solar with Lexington HeatSmart" virtual event today (5/1) at 6:30.

Enrollment Now Open for Free Curbside Compost Service

Enrollment opened today for 2,000 additional spots in the Town's curbside compost pilot. Don't miss your chance to get free weekly curbside compost service!

Service for new customers begins July 1, 2024, and all new composters can pick up a starter kit from the Public Services Building (201 Bedford St) starting June 10th. Starter kits include a green curbside bin, a countertop bin, and a roll of compostable liners for each bin.

With 35% 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!

Please spread the word to neighbors who don't compost yet!

Town Meeting Outcomes

Town Meeting adjourned on April 24th. Below are the outcomes of the sustainability-related articles.

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)

Article 31: Prohibition of single-use plastic water bottles

Town Meeting approve the prohibition of the sale of single-use plastic water bottles in town after January 1, 2025. (Yes: 127, No: 33, Abstain: 8)

Article 34-36: Strengthen the Tree Bylaw

Town Meeting voted to approve all proposed changes to the tree bylaw to strengthen tree protections.

Article 37: Importance of Trees Resolution

Town Meeting voted to adopt a resolution to underscore a commitment to preserving trees and the myriad benefits they provide to the community. (Yes: 131, No: 24, Abstain: 6)

Article 38: Amend Fossil Fuel Free Bylaw

Town Meeting voted to adopt two amendment to the Fossil Fuel Free Bylaw, including removing an exemption for gas cooking and fire places starting January 1, 2025. (Yes: 125, No: 26, Abstain: 7)

Article 40: Integrated Pest Management Resolution

Town Meeting voted to approve a resolution to reduce the use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides and promote Integrated Pest Management strategies. (Yes: 157, No: 1, Abstain: 1)

CHaRM Program Offers Solution for Hard to Recycle Items

Black Earth Compost recently announced the start of its Collection of Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) program, which provides recycling and reuse options for items typically destined for the landfill. Arrange for disposal of the following items:

• Plastic packaging
• Clothing and textiles
• Electronics
• Coffee pods
• Toy donations
• Styrofoam
• Cartons
• Pet food packaging
• And more!

Sign up for one-time pickups or a subscription plan.

Public Facilities Department Adds Four Electric Vans to Fleet

The Lexington Department of Public Facilities recently added four electric transit vans to their fleet. The vans are used primarily as maintenance vehicles to support our town and school buildings.

With two Nissan Leafs and one Mustang Mach-E used as administrative vehicles, the Facilities Department is well on it's way to be the Town's first all-electric fleet!

Lexington Named a Tree City USA for 35th Year

The Town of Lexington has been named a 2023 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management. This is the 35th consecutive year the Town has been recognized as a Tree City USA. 

In order to be considered for Tree City USA status, a community must maintain a tree board or department, have a tree care ordinance, dedicate at least $2 per capita to an annual community forestry budget, and host an annual Arbor day observance and proclamation. The Town's annual Arbor Day ceremony was hosted by the Tree Committee, in Antony Park, on Friday, April 26.

See the full list of Tree City USA communities. 

EVENTS

Go Solar with Lexington HeatSmart

Join the Lexington HeatSmart Team and Revision Energy for a virtual event that will give you the information you need to get started. Maggie Peard, the Town’s Sustainability Officer, will explain how solar fits into the Town’s broader climate goals; John Murphy from Revision Energy will provide an overview of solar and battery systems; and the Lexington HeatSmart Solar Advisors will introduce themselves. Bring questions!

 Wednesday, May 1

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Virtual

This event is sponsored by the Town of Lexington, the Town of Wellesley, Lexington Climate Action Network, Citizens for Lexington Conservation, and Sustainable Wellesley.

Make the Shift to Cleaner, Quieter Landscaping

The Town's Bylaw on the Use of Landscape Maintenance Equipment is driving a local transition away from gas-powered leaf blowers.

Join Quiet Communities and the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA) for a discussion about how residents can support a healthy transition away from fossil fuel-powered equipment to improve the health of workers, children, the public, and the environment.

Thursday, May 9th

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Virtual

Community members of both towns are also invited to attend a hands-on electric equipment demonstration on May 8th at 12:15 pm outside Cary Memorial Hall in Lexington.

There is an associated workshop the day before for land care professionals. Encourage your landscaper to attend!

Celebrate Bike Month with Local Events

May is Bike Month! Find ways to consistently opt out of car trips with these local events.

• 5/1: MA Bike, Walk, & Roll to School Day
• 5/3: Transit Explorers (grades 6-12)
• 5/5: Bikeway Cleanup & Garlic Mustard Pull
• 5/6: Intro to Bike Maintenance
• 5/8: National Bike & Roll to School Day
• 5/10: MBTA Reduced Fare CharlieCard Sign Up
• 5/11: Bike Rodeo (K-8)
• 5/14: Lexpress Walk
• 5/17: Breakfast on the Bikeway
• 5/18: Bike Smart of Youth (grades 4-8)
• 5/20: Bicycle Flat Tire Clinic
• 5/29: Kids & Bikes: Wheeling towards Independence

Find all event details at www.LexBikeWalkBus.org.

Stewardship Saturdays: May Workday

Volunteer your time to be a steward of the Daisy Wilson Conservation Area! At this workday, stewards will pull non-native invasive Garlic Mustard along the trail into the meadow from Moreland Avenue.

Saturday, May 11

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Daisy Wilson Conservation Area

Meet and park along Moreland Avenue at the trailhead. You should be comfortable walking on uneven terrain around thorny vegetation, ticks, and poison ivy. Trash bags will be provided.

Email landstewards@lexingtonma.gov to register.

Breakfast on the Bikeway

Join Friends of Lexington Bikeways, Lexington Transportation, and many others for the annual Breakfast on the Bikeway! Whether you are biking to work as part of Bike to Work Day or riding to school, catching your bus at the Depot, or going for a stroll, join us and grab a bite, get some info and freebies, get a bike maintenance check, and enjoy a great start to your day! 

Friday, May 17

6:30 AM - 9:30 AM

13 Depot Square

Stop by for details about Lexington HeatSmart, the curbside compost pilot, Lexington's Community Choice program, and more from Lexington Sustainability.

Join LexCAN to Change the 250th Countdown Clock to 350

In a climate-changing world, 350 is a very big number. At 350ppm (parts per million), we had a stable climate. As we have accelerated up to 424ppm, the climate is disrupted and we can see the effects now.

Saturday, May 4

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Outside the Town Office Building

Lexington is counting down to our 250th celebration of the start of the American Revolution on the Lexington Green. Join LexCAN as they turn the change the clock to 350 to demonstrate the action they want now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

LexCAN: Pickup for the Planet

Join LexCAN in cleaning up your neighborhood or another special place between May 4th and May 12th!

Step one: Choose a time to pick up trash in your neighborhood or a favorite place, like the beach.   

Step two:

Take a trash inventory! Count it by the bag or by individual pieces so we know how much plastic and cans and paper you are taking out of nature. 

Step three: Send in a summary/pictures of how it went. Bonus points for making recycled art! Send photos and summary to info@lexcan.org. 

Step four:

Recycle what you can, and safely dispose of the rest.  

LexCAN: Food and the Climate

Join LexCAN for a viewing of a Project Drawdown webinar: "Food Matters: Why Climate Change May Hinge on What We Eat and How We Grow it." This webinar focuses on the importance of our food system to solving climate change. Dr. Jonathan Foley, Executive Director of Project Drawdown, presents six pillars of challenges and opportunities, globally, for meaningful change in our food system. 

Tuesday, May 14

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Virtual

After the viewing, there will be time for questions and discussion. The event is free and open to the public.

This program is co-sponsored by Cary Library and Lexington Living Landscapes.

Mosquito and Tick Control: How to Keep your Family Safe without Poisoning Your Yard

Mosquitos and ticks are a nuisance at best and health risk at worst. Though spraying insecticides may seem like a quick and easy way to deal with mosquitos and ticks, it’s often an ineffective control strategy. Worse, these insecticides are toxic to pollinators and other beneficial insects. Join us to learn about the risks that mosquito spraying poses and discuss practical, alternative methods of mosquito and tick control in residential landscapes.

Thursday, May 30

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Virtual

Speaker Aaron Anderson works with the public and Xerces Society staff to reduce pesticide use in residential landscapes, including promoting alternative pest control measures and pollinator-friendly gardening practices. 

QUICK LINKS

Questions? 

Maggie Peard

Sustainability & Resilience Officer

(781) 698-4538

mpeard@lexingtonma.gov

You received this message because you're subscribed to the Town of Lexington's Sustainability newsletter. To unsubscribe from these messages, choose the 'Unsubscribe' option below.

Was this email forwarded to you? You can sign up for the sustainability newsletter on our website.