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August in Lexington tends to be slow, however there is still a lot of work being done for the environment! Local food is hopping, with National Farmers Market Week festivities at the Lexington Farmers' Market and the bounty of summer produce coming into season at LexFarm. Don’t miss the chance to relish the freshest food of the season right here in Lexington.

Other organizations are planning for fall programs and walks, coming out with a new name and mission (thinking of you, LexGWAC) and prepping for a busy fall.

As I write this, we are experiencing a smoky haze associated with massive wildfires on the west coast. This is another clarion call to live our lives more sustainably. Although we can’t change everything on our own, we most assuredly can do it together. Check out Energize Lexington for great ideas on things that we can all do to make a difference.

In This Issue – August 2021:

  • Lex Farmers' Market celebrates National Farmers Market Week with fun on August 3rd
  • LexFarm's Farm Stand Is Open; Farm Volunteering Opportunities Available
  • Lexington Living Landscape's Pollinator Meadow Near the Center
  • Resources to Plan Safe Routes to School this Fall
  • Love to Bike? Take MassDOT's Statewide Bike Survey
  • Check Out Recording of Last Month's "Water: the Blue Gold" Webinar
  • Composting Returns to Lexington Public School Lunches
  • Get Ready for LexGWAC's Next Chapter - Coming Soon!
  • Check out "Energize Lexington", a Tool for Your Family's Climate Action Plan
  • Citizens for Lexington Conservation Nature Walks Resume in September

Lexington Farmers' Market

Tuesdays 2:00-6:30PM
Worthen Road Practice Field

Farmers Market scenes

Celebrating National Farmers Market Week with Fun on August 3rd

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This year, the Lexington Farmers’ Market joins markets across the country in celebrating National Farmers Market Week August 1-7, 2021.

Tuesday, August 3 from 2 pm - 6:30 pm, the LFM will have a market full of fun, including information highlighting the importance of farmers’ markets, a “Know Your Farmer” scavenger hunt for kids with fun prizes, a veggie mask craft for the young and young at heart, fun facts about the LFM farmers and vendors, not to mention the best in healthy, local food around.

At the LFM, "know your farmer, know your food" takes on even more importance as we celebrate all that farmers’ markets do for their local community. A few basic facts demonstrate the value of farmers' markets: produce purchased at a farmers’ market has greater nutritional value due to a shorter time from harvest to shopper, travels 27 times less distance than conventionally sourced produce, and is grown with more responsible, sustainable methods than large scale agricultural production. As communities learned around the country last year in the midst of a pandemic, farmers’ markets are essential.

Stop by the LFM Tuesday, August 3 to learn more about why the LFM is such a valued (and delicious) community institution!

Lexington Community Farm (LexFarm)

Come Visit LexFarm's Farm Stand!

LexFarm
Retail sales at LexFarm (52 Lowell St.) with local organic produce and more!

New Retail Hours for 2021:
Wednesday, 1 – 7pm
Thursday, 1 – 7pm
Friday, 1 – 7pm
Saturday, 9 am – 3 pm
We accept SNAP/EBT, cash, card, check, and Apple/Google pay.

Please bring your own bags!

Fresh organic produce, local eggs, cheeses, bread, milk, meats, ice cream and other grocery and pantry items from New England are available for sale!



Sign Up to Volunteer at LexFarm on Wednesdays This Summer!

LexFarm Volunteers
One of the best ways to learn what it takes to grow the local food we all love, is to volunteer at your local community farm.

We are looking for volunteers who can work independently after minimal training with the farm crew. Volunteers walk on uneven ground, kneel, bend, and squat to pick weeks crops.
The work can definitely be challenging. It's also exceptionally satisfying. You must be at least 16.

To volunteer, follow this link: https://lexfarm.org/get-involved/volunteer/

We'll be so grateful, and you'll feel very satisfied at the end of the 2-hour block!

Lexington Living Landscapes

A Pollinator Meadow Near Lexington Center

LexLivingLandscape
Lexington Living Landscapes, with a crew of dedicated volunteers, has embarked on a project to establish a pollinator meadow of native plants on the Minuteman Bikeway.
The site is located just east of Woburn Street, adjacent to town conservation land. The location has great visibility (better to interest and educate the public) and good sun exposure. It also comes with the challenge and reward of needing to bring under control (dare one say eliminate?) a vigorous stand of knotweed that has occupied the site for a number of years.
Lex Living Landscapes
Living Landscapes volunteers have already been at work, pulling knotweed in two rounds in June and July, and planting a cover crop of native, bee-friendly buckwheat where bare ground appeared. Anyone who has fought knotweed in their own backyard, though, knows what a vigorous, tenacious plant it is, with underground crowns and rhizomes that can sprout new shoots for years. The strategy is to drain its underground energy reserves by repeatedly removing the above-ground shoots, in the hopes of starting the transition to native plant meadow in the fall of 2022. Another round of knotweed pulling is planned for August.

Read more about the project on our website. And, if you’re looking for some exercise and the satisfaction that comes from trying to turn the tide of invasives on one small patch of ground, volunteers are welcome!

Town of Lexington Transportation Services

Susan Barrett, Transportation Manager

Plan Ahead! August Is a Great Time to Plan Your Safe Routes to School!

Transportation
Traffic congestion around schools is no fun for anyone! To help reduce traffic around schools, please consider planning over the summer to use some of the many ways to get to school besides driving!

MassDOT prepared Safe Routes to School maps for each of the K-8 schools in Lexington. For high school routes, view both of the middle school maps. Check them out and consider taking some time over the summer to test out walking and biking to school via these routes. You can also map walking and biking directions with Google maps.

Talk with families in your neighborhood about setting up walking school buses and bike trains. You can also register for the school bus. Older students may also want to consider riding Lexpress and/or the MBTA for flexible transportation options. Both have youth fares. The MBTA Student Charlie Cards are available to all middle school and high school youth at their schools. There are many options for getting to school that don’t involve driving!

Bike Survey - Please Give Your Input

MassDOT
Love to Bike?

Be sure to take the Mass Department of Transportation Statewide Bike Survey.

Lexington's Sustainability Director - "Sustaining Lexington"

Check Out the Online Recording of the "Water: the Blue Gold" Webinar

Lexington Office of Sustainability
If you couldn’t join us for the live webinar with the Town of Lexington Sustainability Director and other municipal staff last month, don’t worry.
Tune in here to learn about Water: the Blue Gold. This precious resource which we have been lucky to see in record rainfall this summer should be conserved and protected to not only save natural resources but our money too.

If you have any questions after viewing feel free to contact Stella Carr ([email protected]) and if she cannot answer it, she will connect you with a staff person who can.

https://videoplayer.telvue.com/player/c0gKv9ZUF0uiidDafFfESDZA5EkkJp7L/media/655429?autostart=true&showtabssearch=true&fullscreen=false&jwsource=cl

Lexington Public Schools (LPS) Green Teams

Composting Returns to Lunch at LPS This Fall

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The Lexington Public Schools has signed a three year contract for organic waste pick-up at all nine public schools in Lexington starting this fall. This news is fantastic because it signals the school administration’s continued support for the closed loop system for food waste. Our children will be learning “on the job” to separate their food waste from lunch to a bin that will be sent to a compost facility and create rich soil to grow more food more productively and naturally.
If you are a parent with children in the Lexington Public Schools, consider volunteering your time to help guide the food waste diversion in school. Not sure if your school has a program? Send a note to your PTO and/or school administration and ask. Already planning to volunteer? Talk to your friends about joining you to volunteer. It takes lots of voices to spread the good word about composting food waste. We’ve made a lot of progress, but we also have a long way to go. Thank you for your consideration and support!

Lexington Global Warming Coalition: LexGWAC

GWAC
LexGWAC is gearing up for an active year with a new name!

LexGWAC is in the final phases of an organization building grant that came from our friends at the Community Endowment of Lexington.
The ambitious redesign will be rolled out in September with a new board structure, new name and website, and a revitalized mission and purpose!

SAVE the DATE for our first event of the fall, a conversation with Selectboard Member Mark Sandeen, and State Senator Mike Barrett on their vision of the path toward a healthy, clean energy, future and how to get there. September 14th at 7:00pm on Zoom. Link to follow.

Energize Lexington

Taking On the Climate Challenge, One Lexington Household at a Time!

Energize_Lexington
Check out “Energize Lexington”, a tool to identify things you can do to fight climate change and get reviews from other residents who have tried them. Visit the site for information, create an account to add your progress to what your neighbors are accomplishing, one household at a time.

Citizens for Lexington Conservation

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Citizens for Lexington Conservation will be holding in-person walks during the fall.

Check the CLC website (CLCLex.org) at the beginning of September for details!

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

Please forward to your network!