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There are so many things going on in November! The month kicks off with voting on November 3rd. Remember the environment when making your choices! Sustainability Director Stella Carr’s report highlights a win for the town’s car fleet and an opportunity for residents from Mass Save®. In an exciting development, the newsletter is happy to announce the launch of a new groupLexington Living Landscapes”. Read all about it and visit their new website! The LWV is hosting a First Friday event on Solar energy in Lexington, easy for everyone to attend via Zoom! Finally, what would November be without local food? Check out the Lexington Farmers Market “FEASTival” and LexFarm’s every other week online preorder farm stand ... you will be glad you did!

In This Issue–November 2020:

  • Lexington Sustainability Director's Report
  • Lexington Living Landscapes - new!
  • LPS Green Teams
  • Lexington League of Women Voters
  • Lexington Farmers’ Market
  • Lexington Community Farm
  • Lexington Residential Curbside Composting

Lexington Sustainability Director’s Report

Stella Carr, Director of Sustainability


Electric Vehicles

The Town of Lexington is excited to announce the arrival of two all-Electric Vehicles (EV) to the Town’s municipal fleet. These are the first all-electric vehicles to be added to the Town’s inventory. These vehicles, as well as a charging station, were paid for in-part through grant funding under the Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Incentive Program (MassEVIP)--a grant program administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

The Town’s Department of Public Facilities had two vehicles due for replacement, presenting an opportunity to replace them with vehicles that would reduce the Town’s carbon footprint. The charging station will be dedicated to charging municipal vehicles only. Adding these vehicles is an important step towards further electrification of the Town’s vehicle inventory.

HomeWorks Energy and Mass Save®

The town of Lexington is committed to helping residents reduce their carbon footprint and save money on their utility bills. One way to take action is through a home energy assessment performed at no-cost through the Mass Save® program.

Homeowners and renters are eligible to participate every three years. Appointments may now be performed virtually or in person. Program benefits include:
  • Air-sealing selected areas of your home at no-cost
  • 75% off the cost of approved insulation for single family homes
  • Rebates of up to $2,750 on qualify heating and cooling system upgrades
  • No-cost energy-saving LED light bulbs, thermostats, showerheads, and power strips
For the next year, Mass Save® has also increased rebates for landlords and residents of multi-family houses.
  • Renter-occupied units are now eligible for a 100% incentive
  • Multi-family homes up to 4 units are now eligible for a 100% incentive if every unit moves ahead with recommended insulation measures
To confirm that you qualify and set up an appointment, please visit: https://www.homeworksenergy.com/neighbors/lexington
Or Call: 781-528-0822

New Initiative on Sustainable Landscaping Launched: “Lexington Living Landscapes”


Our nature is at risk. A UN report concludes that one million species of plants and animals are now threatened with extinction. Scientists have documented precipitous declines in the populations of birds (30% in North America) and insects (45% worldwide) since the 1970’s. As nature loses numbers and entire species, ecosystems become less robust, less resilient, and the “ecosystem services” they provide – clean air, clean water, protection from flooding and weather extremes – begin to degrade. What can one person do?

Plenty! And it can start at home. Four organizations – Sustainable Lexington, the Lexington Field and Garden Club, the Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition, and Citizens for Lexington Conservation – have teamed up to launch a new initiative to promote sustainable landscaping in Lexington.

The goal of Lexington Living Landscapes, is to encourage both private and public landowners to adopt practices that protect our health and environment. The initiative will focus on what Lexington residents can do in three areas:
  • How we can make our tended landscapes more wildlife-friendly by planting native plants, controlling invasive species, and tending our gardens in ways that benefit wildlife. This will prevent our natural areas from becoming isolated refuges, but rather hubs in an interconnected web of nature.
  • How we can reduce or eliminate the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and other toxins that threaten both our health and the natural world.
  • How we can strengthen our tree canopy by reducing the loss of existing trees and planting new ones. Trees filter our air and water, keep us cooler in summer, and host a wide variety of wildlife.
We are just getting underway, and invite your interest and help. Over the coming months we will be working to educate landowners about the value of wildlife-friendly practices and to provide them with the tools they need. Programs, events, demonstration projects, and simple how-to instructions are all on the drawing board.

Take a couple of minutes to explore our new website, www.lexingtonlivinglandscapes.org. It’s rather lean at the moment, but we have lots of ideas for how to make it better, and we would welcome your suggestions. Is there information that would help you? Do you have any pictures of native plants, or pollinators or other wildlife in your garden, that we could use?

If you’d like to learn more, and to receive news and updates, please email us at [email protected] and ask us to put you on our mailing list.

We also need volunteers in lots of areas, from organizing programs to researching and writing to facilitating neighborhood projects. No special skills are needed, just an enthusiasm to help. And if you do have a special skill, like website design, that you could lend to this effort, let us know that too. Come join us on this journey!

LPS Green Teams


"Green" Your Halloween

We are all enjoying the beautiful fall decor popping up all over town, including our favorite pumpkins and assorted colorful gourds. After those decorations start to get a little mushy and it's time to clean up, consider composting them instead of throwing them in the curbside trash. If they are composted, the pumpkins will be converted into nutrient-rich soil that will fuel new crops in the spring!

There are a few different choices for composting your pumpkins:
  • Black Earth curbside bin
  • Backyard compost bin
  • Yard waste bags for curbside pick-up or bring them to Hartwell Ave. (You can mix the pumpkins with the leaves.)
Questions? Email [email protected] and we'll help make it happen!

Lexington League of Women Voters

Jeanne Canale, LLWV


First Friday: “Solar Energy in Lexington”
Friday November 6th at 9:30AM

Please join us virtually on Friday, November 6th at 9:30AM for the LWV Lexington’s First Friday Forum as Charles Hornig hosts a panel discussion on current and future opportunities for solar energy in Lexington, including the zoning changes now before Town Meeting.

The Planning Board is bringing a complete overhaul of zoning regulations for solar energy systems to Town Meeting. The new regulations provide a clear path for residents and landowners to build a variety of types of systems.

The panel will include:
  • Stella Carr, Sustainability Director, Town of Lexington. Stella Carr is the first Sustainability Director in Lexington and has been here since this past Spring. Her role includes helping to make solar install more accessible and easier to understand, and to bring new solar projects to our municipal buildings. The Sustainable Lexington Committee and this proposed bylaw have helped facilitate her work to help the town increase our renewable footprint both in residential and municipal buildings.
  • Amanda Loomis, Planning Director, Town of Lexington, started working here in January 2020. Amanda Loomis had crafted solar zoning in a previous professional position. Amanda encouraged the Planning Board to work on this and helped draft and refine the proposed bylaw.
  • Alan Sherman, Template Emunah. Temple Emunah is nearing completion of a 336kW solar field, installed on solar canopies above the parking lot. The project, which will be operational in November, will provide shared benefits to the temple as well as to low-income families in Greater Boston.
  • Dan Voss, Co-Chair, Sustainable Lexington Committee. Dan has strongly supported this bylaw and has repeatedly shared information/talks about solar structures. "Sustainable Lexington is a Town committee appointed by the Select Board to enhance Lexington’s long-term sustainability and resilience in response to environmental resource and energy challenges.” https://www.lexingtonma.gov/sustainable-lexington-committee
Due to the closing of Cary Memorial Library and restrictions on group meetings, this First Friday forum will be offered as a Zoom meeting, hosted by the Lexington League of Women Voters.

This is the 2nd First Friday public forum in the 2020-2021 season. All League forums are free and open to the public.

For more information about the webinar, assistance using Zoom, or more information about the League, go to: http://www.lwvlexington.org/FirstFriday.html

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan organization dedicated to the principles of self-government established in the Constitution of the United States. The League works to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government. For more information, contact our League convener Margaret Coppe at [email protected].

Lexington Farmers' Market


Thanksgiving FEASTival

Fabulous items from your favorite farmers and vendors for your Thanksgiving table! You'll find everything you need to enjoy a tasty Thanksgiving meal from fresh produce to turkey (must be preordered) to breads and baked goods. Add in dry-aged beef, freshly-caught fish, and local specialty foods and you’ll keep your family well fed for the weeks to come! Visit www.lexingtonfarmersmarket.org for ways to pre order, safer shopping, and what to expect.

The market's hours and location have changed this year. Take note below before attending:

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24
12 - 4 PM (See below for special entry times)
Summer Market Site
Corner of Massachusetts Ave & Fletcher Ave

UPDATED HOURS:
12 - 1 PM: Preorder Required for Entry
Shoppers will need to have placed a preorder to enter the market. We encourage shoppers attending during this hour to place preorders for all items on their list for a quick in and out with minimal contact. Shoppers can purchase additional items onsite if they forgot an item or want to add to their order.

1 - 4 PM: General Entry
All shoppers, preorder or not, are allowed for entry during this time.

Pre-order your Thanksgiving Turkey or Holiday Ham from Copicut Farm's to pick up at the FEASTival HERE. Keep an eye out on our website, where additional pre-order information for farmers and vendors will be added as the FEASTival draws near! The LFM accepts SNAP and HIP and doubles SNAP dollars up to $15 per week.

Lexington Community Farm


LexFarm’s farm stand will still be open every other week, on Fridays and Saturdays through December 19th: Pre orders only; preorder Monday-Thursday for Friday or Saturday pickup.

CSA DISTRIBUTION AND ONLINE SALE PICK-UP DATES

Pick-up time is Friday 1-5 pm and Saturday 10 am – 4 pm on the following days:
  • November 6 & 7
  • November 20 & 21
  • December 4 & 5
  • December 18 & 19
52 Lowell St, Lexington, www.lexfarm.org

Family groups are welcome to visit the farm and the private animal farm behind us, Silk Fields Farm, following our safety guidelines. Print out your scavenger hunt map first!

Lexington Residential Curbside Composting


Help us get to 1,000 households!


Lexington has been making great progress in taking food waste out of the trash and and turning it into compost, a product that feeds the soil on farms and our backyards and reduces pesticide use. There are a few residential compost pick up companies out there; however, Lexington has earned a group price discount of only $99/year for weekly pick up with Black Earth Compost, Lexington DPW and LPS Green Teams have partnered to deliver a free, curbside bin and countertop container to your door when you start the service! Black Earth now has 975 Lexington customers that divert > 4.2 Tons of food waste a week!! That is a lot of waste kept out of the incinerator and diverted for use as a soil amendment.

Visit the Black Earth residential service page to learn more and sign up.

Would you like to submit an environmental event or activity?
Email us at [email protected]

Please forward to your network!