The heat is on and some of our organizations slow down for the summer. The opposite is true for LexFarm and the Lexington Farmers Market not to mention the summer allure of walking Across Lexington. This summer edition of The Lexington Green Network will start with their offerings and move on to a list of information on how you can be more sustainable this summer, and throughout the year.
LexFarm: LexFarm.org
Organic Gardening Series
Tuesdays, 5:30pm–7:30pm
July 3rd: Intro to Organic Gardening 102 – Fertilizer, Planting, and Crop Selection
August 7: Advanced Organic Gardening 201 – Pest and Disease Identification and Controls
September 4: Advanced Organic Gardening 202 – Season Extension, Intensive Planting, and Succession Plans
Admission price/person, per date: Members $20, Non-members $35
Sustainable Agriculture, Environment, and Community 1-Week Intensive Summer Program
Mon-Fri 9:00am-1:00pm
Session 1: July 9-13
Session 2: July 16-20
Session 3: July 23-27
This week-long summer program is designed for teens with an interest in sustainability, environmental science, horticulture, and/or agriculture. Students will get a hands-on introduction to organic farm techniques. Students will learn through a combination of activities and guided discussions. Topics covered will include the economics of a sustainable organic farm, issues in environmental and food justice, technology and agriculture, local food movements, and a look at forces shaping historical and current policy around food and farming.
LexFarm Summer Exploration Series: Farming with Nature
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30am–12:00pm
July 10th–August 2nd 2018
Ages 5–8
In hands-on explorations, students will help plant, water, weed, and work on the farm to investigate how farms work and compare farm systems to systems in nature.
Students will discuss elements of plant physiology, ecological systems, adn organic farming techniques to investigate the question, “Is the farm a part of nature?”
Insect Walks on the Farm for Families
Tuesdays, 10:30am–11:30am
July 17, or August 14
Come explore the world of bees, moths, dragonflies, and pollinators. Learn about the role of both pest and beneficial insects on the farm. Get hands-on, learning how to use collection nets to conduct insect sweeps and specimen jars to get an up-close look at insects around the farm.
Birding on the Farm for Families
July 23 (Monday), 10:00–11:30am
Join an experienced bird guide on a walk through Lexington Community Farm’s fields, trees, and field edges. Explore how the unique habitat of our organic farm hosts active bird populations that have behaviors unique to our farm. Come learn about nature’s great opportunists. Activities for children and access to bird guides.
Edible Weed Walk
July 22 (Sunday) 10am–11am, or
August 19 (Sunday) 10am–11am
Join an experienced herbalist to identify common edible weeds. Learn about nutritional and medicinal applications that trace back centuries. What if weeds in your garden were just as nutritionally dense as the crops growing alongside them.
Join us for a walk at LexFarm and learn how to identify common farm and garden weeds as well as edible native and invasive plants growing in the wooded borders of our farm!
Lexington Farmers Market
http://www.lexingtonfarmersmarket.org
2018 Summer Market Is Open!
The Market will be open:
Every Tuesday
May 29th – October 30th
2:00 – 6:30 pm
Corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Fletcher Avenue, Lexington
Bike to Market Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Grab your bike and pedal on over to the LFM for July’s Bike to Market Day! Park your bike with Friends of Lexington Bikeways in the middle of the market and receive a $2 coupon – good with any farm or food vendor.
Check out ACROSS Lexington! Citizens For Lexington Conservation. https://www.clclex.org
Route H is up and ready to go!
Are you looking for a new route to walk, run or bike?
ACROSS Lexington is waiting for you – try it!
ACROSS Lexington stands for Accessing Conservation land, Recreation areas, Open space, Schools and Streets in Lexington. https://www.lexingtonma.gov/across-lexington
Save the Dates!!!
LexGWAC hosts Lexplore Sustainability 2.0 – September 29, 2018 10 am – 3 pm.
It’s back! Lexplore Sustainability will take place again on September 29. In 2016 we hosted the first inclusive Sustainability Fair in Lexington. It was very successful because of all of the local organizations that participated and spread the word on the great work that they are doing every day with their membership, events, and education. In addition, we will host businesses that support renewable energy, composting, food choices, etc. We hope to have at least as many groups at this year’s fair and to duplicate the success of the event in 2016. We are calling it “Lexplore Sustainability 2.0.”
Much more will be coming out over the summer as this event comes in early fall, just after the school year begins. Please spread the word to your members to save the date to attend the Fair.
Please sign up your group to table at our event at no cost for local community groups and bring your expertise to Lexplore Sustainability. To sign up, click on this link: https://goo.gl/forms/F35ybFeaykqEBio83 or please send an email to [email protected] to let us know you will be able to table at our event.
Minuteman Commuter Bikeway 25th Anniversary. September 29th , 2018 11:00-3:00
Come celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway on Saturday, September 29, 2018, when Arlington, Lexington, and Bedford will host a tri-town celebration of the popular rail-trail. The bikeway was completed and dedicated by the three towns during 1992-93, and its success has inspired countless rail-trail and pathway projects in New England and beyond.
Actions for Sustainability
Here we list a few ways that you can green your life. Feel free to contact us with more ways that you make your life more sustainable.
MassEnergy. “Shave the Peak”: lower your energy use at peak energy demand this summer! http://bit.ly/2KRFAFL
The hottest days of summer bring online the dirtiest sources of electricity as the grid strains to keep up with demand. The organization MassEnergy has come up with an alert mechanism to let residents know when to nudge their thermostat up a smidge or wait on running the next load of laundry to “shave the peak” demand for electricity in the late afternoon. Want to help keep dirty backup fuels off the grid? Join the alert network at http://bit.ly/2KRFAFL
“Shave the Peak empowers residential energy consumers to reduce energy demand on the most important days of the year. On peak days—usually the hottest or coldest days of the year—electricity demand soars, and the high electric demand is met by the most expensive, dirty fuels. Shave the Peak helps New Englanders take collective action to make an impact on our electric grid.
With Shave the Peak, you can receive text alerts on peak days, learn more about demand and the electrical grid, and support our advocacy efforts to clean up the New England power system.”
BLACK EARTH COMPOST: Don’t trash your food scraps! http://blackearthcompost.com
Congratulations Lexington and Arlington!
On Saturday, June 2nd you reached 300 residents enrolled in compost pick-ups!
An awesome benefit to reaching 300 residents is that the yearly cost of composting has been cut in half to $99 for a full year of pick-ups!
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 join the curbside compost pick up program at $99.00 for the whole year? Contact Black Earth Compost
https://blackearthcompost.com/ or call (978) 290-4610.
Plastic Free July, The story of Stuff: http://bit.ly/2tXMcfb
Did you know that as of 2014 more than 5 trillion plastic pieces of plastic, weighing over 250,000 Tons polluted our oceans? http://bit.ly/2MOvXIo
Find out ways that you can help by signing up for “Save that Stuffs, Plastic Free July”.
LexDrives Electric!
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! http://massenergywebservices.com/drivegreen/table-all.php#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