Lexington Green Network Newsletter April 2018
Lexington Field and Garden Club
http://lexgardenclub.org
Find out The Latest on Honey Bees with Noah Rich
On Wednesday April 5, Noah W. Rich, Ph.D., principal and founder of The
Best Bees Company, will present the latest research in honeybees to the
Lexington Field and Garden Club. The program takes place in Keilty Hall,
St. Brigid’s Church, lower level. Refreshments are served at 6:30 PM; the
program begins at 7:00.
The Best Bees Company is a full-service beekeeping operation based in Boston. Their team of beekeepers delivers, installs, and manages beehives for residences and businesses nationwide. They bring scientific and technical skills to their objective of connecting clients with the benefits of beekeeping as well as tracking data on every hive visit.
Missa Gaia at First Parish: Performance and Earth Fair
Apr 13, 2018 / Apr 14, 2018, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
First Parish in Lexington
First Parish in Lexington will present Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia: A Mass for the Earth on Friday and Saturday, April 13-14, 2018 at 7:30 PM. This profound work, under the musical direction of Rip Jackson and theatrical and dance direction of Maris Wolff, will be a collaboration between the First Parish sanctuary and children’s choirs, the Vermont Dance Collective and a world music ensemble of percussionists, guitar, piano, electric keyboards, soprano sax, oboe, cello and bass. Integrating world music with songs from the Wild to celebrate the whole earth as a sacred space, the Missa Gaia was commissioned by the Dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine as a contemporary ecumenical Mass for the Earth. Paul Winter has “achieved a distinguished triumph in combining divergent music styles and imaginatively wedding voices, instrumentation and recorded sounds of a tundra wolf, canyon and musical wrens, harp seals, a flight of loons and singing humpback whales.”
There will be an Earth Fair and reception featuring Lexington environmental organizations in Parish Hall after both performances. Tickets will be on sale through the office at First Parish and online.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 seniors and $15 for students. Reduced ticket prices are available for those in need.
LexFarm https://lexfarm.org
LexFarm’s CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, shares are now open to the public. To learn more about this opportunity to buy shares of Local and Organic food in the Summer and Fall of 2018 go to the following link: https://lexfarm.org/organic-csa/
Pre-order seedling sale: pre order your organic seedlings!
- Visit our online store:http://lexington-community-farm.mybigcommerce.com/.
- Complete your order on the online store by April 15. You may opt to send a check (which we’d prefer!) or to pay in person when you pick up your seedlings. At this time we are not offering online payment, to minimize credit card fees.
- Pick up your seedlings at the farm stand (52 Lowell St, Lexington, MA) May 18 between 9:00 and 4:00, May 19 between 9:00 and 4:00, or May 20 between 10:00 and 4:00.
- Questions? Email [email protected].
LexFarm Spring Festival and Open Greenhouse
April 28 (Saturday), 10am–1pm
Celebrate Spring at the Farm!
Enjoy music, crafts, and food. Check out our farm fields, start seeds, and peruse our extensive seedling sale. The greenhouse will be open to the public. Come in, take a tour of our 4,320 square foot growing space, and meet your farmers. All ages welcome.
Admission price/family: Members $7, Non-members $10
Citizens For Lexington Conservation (CLC) https://www.clclex.org
Annual Meeting/ Speaker – April 5, 2018
“Climate Change Comes to Thoreau’s Woods: Effects on Plants, Birds, and Insects.” Thursday, April 5, at 7:00 pm Cary Memorial Library
Our featured speaker will be Professor Richard Primack, Professor of Biology at Boston University. The topic of his talk will be “Climate Change Comes to Thoreau’s Woods: Effects on Plants, Birds, and Insects.”
For the past 16 years, Prof. Primack and his colleagues have been investigating the effects of a warming climate on the plants, birds, and insects of Massachusetts, with an emphasis on continuing the observations made 160 years ago by Henry David Thoreau in Concord. Prof. Primack also has been involved in educating the public about the effects of climate change through public talks, interviews, and popular writing, including a recent book about his work: Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau’s Woods.
• Sunday April 22, 2-4 pm – Lincoln Park Garlic Mustard Pull
Garlic mustard seeds can take up to 7 years to sprout, which requires repeated efforts to control and eradicate this aggressive invasive species. Come join CLC’s multi-year effort to pull this year’s progeny from along the pathways in Lincoln Park. Bring gardening gloves. Steady rain cancels. Meet at the Fitness Path Trail entrance on Worthen Road across from the LHS playing fields.
Leader: Elaine Quinlan (978-995-5794, [email protected]), Judy Mello (781-861-7744, [email protected])
• Saturday April 28, 7-9 am – Birding at Wright Farm
Wright Farm is Lexington’s newest Conservation property that has not been previously birded by the public. Let’s see what gems are hidden away on this bucolic former farm. The address is 241 Grove St,, where parking is limited, so carpooling is encouraged. Parking is permitted on Carriage Drive opposite the farm.
Walk Leaders: Keith Ohmart ([email protected], 781-862-6216), Bobbie Hodson ([email protected], 781-861-8421)
• Saturday, April 28, 12 – 3 pm, Wright Farm Open Field
(Sponsored by the Lexington Conservation Commission and Conservation Stewards)
Celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day by exploring Lexington’s newest Conservation property. Enjoy crafts, plant information and demonstration sessions, walk the newly marked trail – we will have nature crafts, seed plantings, invasive identification and eradication experts, a tree care demonstration, and a guided walk around the property (self-guided walkers are also welcome).
Location: 241 Grove St. Parking is limited, so please carpool or bike if possible. Parking is allowed on Carriage Drive opposite the farm.
Contact: Alex Dohan (781-863-5882, [email protected])
2018 LFM Small Yet Mighty Winter Market
www.lexingtonfarmersmarket.org
• Saturday April 14th &18, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
The Waldorf School
739 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, April 14 & 28
Delicious, local food from your favorite LFM farmers and vendors.
Entrance & Parking: The entrance to the market will be around back (follow the signs); parking is available on Mass Ave, in the Waldorf School parking areas and across the street at Follen Church.
Sustainable Lexington Committee:
Patriots Day Parade: The Electric Cars are Coming! April 16th, 2:00pm
Sustainable Lexington Committee and Mass Energy will be showing off a number of electric cars in the parade! Look out for us on the parade route and learn more about the program at our table out front of Hancock Church on the Green. Mass Energy will be on hand to answer your questions about rebates and program discounts on electric cars. (for more information on the program see below)
Act Locally!
There are a number of ways that each of us can take action to reduce our carbon footprint in 2018, check out the following initiatives.
Residential Curbside Compost Pick-Up.
Black Earth Compost http://blackearthcompost.com
You may know that Black Earth Compost is picking up food waste in most of Lexington’s schools; leftovers from kitchen food prep, the cafeteria, or both. Arlington’s schools have followed suit and now both towns are eligible for Black Earth’s residential curbside pick up.
With little effort households can collect all food waste, including bones, meat, soiled napkins paper towels and oil, to be collected once a week and composted by Black Earth. This keeps food waste out of the trash and creates rich soil that can then be used by farmers, a “win-win” in every sense. Fields enriched by compost retain more water in dry times and resist erosion during storms. The microbial activity in the soil helps feed plants and sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) in the soil.
Want to learn more? Go to http://blackearthcompost.com/lexington/
LexDrives Electric! https://www.massenergy.org/drivegreen
The Sustainable Lexington Committee has teamed up with the Local Nonprofit, MassEnergy, to promote an electric car buying pool for Lexington Drivers. What does that mean for you?
First you should know that plug-in electric vehicles are currently eligible for both a State rebate of up to $2,500 and a Federal tax credit of up to $7,500. This can take up to $10,000 or the sticker price of an EV!
The Mass Energy Drive Green program goes beyond these discounts to negotiate with local dealerships for monthly deals off of the sticker price of their electric vehicles. These deals can be found on the Mass Energy website. Right now you can get an additional $7,500 off of the price of a Chevy Bolt! **Note, you must go through the MassEnergy Web site in order to secure the “drive green” discount. **
Get a no-cost MassSave Home Energy Audit
Massachusetts residents all pay for the MassSave program in our energy bill. That entitles us to a no-cost energy audit and the following benefits:
- Instant savings measures that can include energy-efficient (LED) light bulbs, water-saving shower heads and faucet aerators, smart power strips;
- An assessment of opportunities for free air sealing and discounts on the installation of insulation
- A health and safety check for carbon monoxide, identification of knob and tube wiring, and a visual assessment of risks related to mold, mildew and asbestos
By completing a Home Energy Assessment, you will also gain access to:
- 75% off the installation of approved insulation improvements
- No-cost, targeted air sealing
- Rebates on qualifying energy-efficient heating and water heating equipment (e.g., 30+ year old boiler = up to $3,500 rebate)
- The opportunity to apply for 0% financing for eligible measures through the HEAT loan program (of up to $25,000 for up to 7 years)
Sign up on the Town Website: https://www.lexingtonma.gov/home/news/lexington-energy-challenge-incentives-rebates-and-zero-loans
- Or call our partner, HomeWorks, at (781) 305-3319