Visit Green Decade at the Farmer's Market
All are welcome to visit and/or volunteer at our booth at Newton’s Farmers Market during the fall, where you will find environmental resources, ride our “Magic Energy Bike” and enjoy a colorful collection of live caterpillars. You may also bring cork to be recycled.
Tuesdays, 1-6 pm in Cold Spring Park on Beacon St. & Fridays 12:30-5pm at Post 44, California St. in Nonantum. To volunteer, please contact Margaret Ford at mford@greendecade.org
Events and updates
August 28 (Sun) 4 pm - City Mission Society & PeaceWorks present an Interfaith Gathering for Justice & Peace on the Anniversary of the March on Washington at the Newton Highlands Congregational Church, UCC, 54 Lincoln St Newton. Keynote Address by Rev. Brandon T. Crowley, Myrtle Baptist Church with a Performance by the Lovetones. This event is open to the public without charge. A donation will support the Louis D Brown Peace Institute. For info contact 617-969-6378.
Sept 10 (Sat) 9am-4pm Open House- A day of celebrating with activities for kids and families
Newton Cultural Center, 225 Nevada St. 02460
Green Decade Activities 11am-noon
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Magic recycled Box Workshop
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Recycled Obstacle Race Course
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Magic Energy Bike: light up the world
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And more - all FREE!
Sept. 11 (Sun) 10am First official "Senior Bike Ride" meet at Senior Center, Walnut St. 345 Newtonville.
Many seniors have said they would like to bike but don't feel safe on Newton's streets. We will start the day helping people to feel comfortable on a bike and teach basic rules of the road for bicyclists. We will proceed as a group to the Charles River path in a 'no rider left behind' event.
Sept. 12 (Mon) 7pm Performance of A Sense of Wonder at the Shapiro Center on the Brandeis University campus. Written and performed by Kaiulani Lee, the play depicts the extraordinary life and struggle of Rachel Carson, advocate and poet of the natural world. She was a marine biologist and zoologist best known for her book Silent Spring, which alerted the world to the dangers of chemical pesticides and launched our modern environmental movement.
A Question & Answer session with the artist will follow the performance. Live performance. Free. The play has been made into the movie, A Sense of Wonder, recently shown on PBS www.asenseofwonderfilm.com
A few reminders:
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Do not pour chemicals down the drain or on the ground, take to hazardous waste collection
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Take used motor oil to a recycling center
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Do not flush medications or personal care items down the toilet, mix with coffee grounds and put in trash
Sept. 16 (Fri) 4-7pm, Make your own rain barrel workshop!
If you would like to collect rain water for your garden, Whole Foods Market on Walnut St. in Newton is donating the materials for you to make your own rain barrel for a $20 donation to Green Decade. Call 617-965-1995 to register (limited to 12 participants)
Sept. 18 (Sun) 4-5pm, Solar Turn On Party (rain date Mon. Sept. 19 5:30-6:30pm) The owners of a Waban residence recently installed a 9.45 kilowatt solar electric system on their home. Over 30 years their system will offset more than 215 tons of C02, that's the equivalent of planting more than 80 acres of trees OR not driving more than 64.5 million miles. Celebrate this addition to their Platinum LEED Certified home! Enjoy food, drink, and solar. RSVP: karensmiller@me.com *please include number of attendees and someone will get back to you with additional details.
Sept. 24 (Sat) "Moving Planet" Climate Action Rally in Boston – 3:50 pm
Join Green Decade by walking, riding your bike or taking the T into Boston to take part in a world-wide event at Christopher Columbus Park. New England organizers, under the big umbrella of 350.org, want to pack a few thousand people into downtown Boston. Every nation on earth will show that we’re moving the planet beyond fossil fuels. We want a world based on bikes, not cars and renewable energy, not fossil fuels. To create a world that cares more about the health of our planet than the profits of polluters, we'll need a massive movement built by people like you.
Before heading downtown to attend the rally, you are invited to join GDN at 1:30 pm in the Newton Centre garden (near the parking lot) to participate in a letter writing activity aimed at legislative action to achieve a stable and sustainable climate. From there we will take the T into Boston at around 3pm. And some might want to get off the T and rent a HUBWAY bike, perhaps at Auditorium, Arlington or Copley, to ride to the rally by bike.
Sept. 25 (Sun) 11 am-3pm, 3rd Annual Newton Touch-A-Truck Event – Newton South High School parking lot – sponsored by The Newton Partnership and other organizations. Green Decade will feature its Magic Energy Bike.
Sept. 25 (Sun) 11am-3pm (rain or shine) Celebrate Fall at Newton Community Farm's Annual Harvest Festival!
Newton Community Farm, 303 Nahanton St, Newton 02459
Free to attend, food for sale, live music, children’s activities, pumpkin decorating, delicious food, and more!
Oct. 16 (Sun) 11am-5pm, Green Solutions Expo
A Green Decade and Newton/Needham Chamber of Commerce Expo with solutions you need to reduce your carbon footprint. There will be over 60 exhibitors under a big tent next to Newton’s Harvest Fair in Newton Centre. Get tips on how to live a more environmentally friendly and see exhibitors with green services, products and ideas.
Sign up for no-cost Mass Save's home energy assessment!
Call 866-867-8729 and mention Newton Eco-teams or sign up here! You may be eligible for insulation rebates, as well as a O% loan offer that will help you save money and reduce your carbon emissions. The Newton Eco-team project promotes conservation to reduce the carbon footprint of our households by 25%. Groups of 5-8 people meet only 4 times to learn ways to save energy and money. For more info on joining an eco team, call Jay Walter at 617-527-8383 or entasis@rcn.com
Bottle Bill:
In mid-July, over 100 citizens participated in a rally and legislative hearing in support of “An Act Updating the Bottle bill” (HB 890,/SB 1650). The next step is to move the Bottle Bill out of the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee with a favorable recommendation. You can help by contacting your Representative and Senator (contact information is at http:www.malegislature.gov/People/Search) and ask them to contact the Committee Co-Chairs Senator Benjamin Downing and Representative John Keenan to urge them to schedule a vote on House Bill 890 and Senate Bill 1650 before October. Bottle Bill supporters have also filed the paper work to begin the process of adding the question to the 2012 statewide ballot, but thousands of signatures will be needed to do so. If you would like to help in this effort please contact info@greendecade.org
Notification to residents about spraying
The MBTA, the Turnpike, the Highway Department, DCR Urban Parks and CSX Railway plan to spray herbicides in Newton this summer. The Green Decade believes that residents have a right to know where and when herbicides are sprayed, especially near homes, gardens, yards, and children's play areas, etc. next to the MBTA tracks and other spray zones including public parkways, roads, sidewalks, paths, and trails. The chemical products they use are Roundup-Pro or Razor-Pro alone or in combination with Arsenal, Escort XP, Oust Extra or Oust XP.
If you would like the Green Decade to put your email on the notification list, send your name and email to info@greendecade.org
BikeNewton Volunteer Opportunities
Weekly Rides:
A Weekly Ride Organizer is needed to pick bike routes, publicize the rides and make sure there is a ride leader and a sweep for every ride. Bike Newton can provide you with routes previously used, maps and instructions for publicizing the rides in the TAB and other media.
Farmers Market Bike Valet Parking
Bike Newton needs volunteers for the free bike valet parking service at the farmers' market at Cold Springs Park (1200 Beacon St) Tuesdays 1:30 - 6:00 p.m. through October 25. If you can spare a few hours to help email: bikenewton@gmail.com with your contact information. BikeNewton's founding members would greatly appreciate any assistance.
Please Join/Renew Your Green Decade Membership
Become a Green Decade/Newton member for as little as $25 for an individual/family membership, $50 for a business membership or for students, only $10 for the year!
Join or renew on-line and pay by credit card or visit our membership page to download the membership form and mail with your check made out to GD/N, to PO Box 590242, Newton, MA 02466. Membership forms are also available in each issue of the Green News. For more information, contact 617-965-1995or e-mail membership@greendecade.org.
As always, members receive discounts at GD/N events and sponsoring businesses, plus the Green News newsletter, published 6 times each year and mailed to our members. If you prefer to receive it on-line, you will help save paper and postage costs. E-mail us at contact@greendecade.org and be sure to include your name and e-mail, along with Green News Online in the subject line. Remember, ONLY Green Decade members get the Green News sent to them! |
