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In Lexington the month of March is known for two things: Town Meeting and, at least on the calendar, the beginning of spring. Both of these momentous events are reflected in this month’s newsletter.
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Lexington Town Meeting is proof that representative democracy is alive and well here in Lexington. Our elected Town Meeting Members gather starting on March 22nd at 7:30pm and continue for as many evenings as it takes to conclude the business of voting on warrant articles. If you are interested in contributing, you can offer your questions and comments through the Town’s website. If you would like to email your Town Meeting Members you can look them up here and email them.
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Several articles are environmentally sensitive this year. Read on to learn more about Clean Heat Article 29, and Articles 32, 33 and 34 from the Tree Committee. On the state level, our Legislature is grappling with legislating ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Come to learn more from our own State Senator Mike Barrett, State Representative Tami Gouveia and other community leaders at Sustainable Middlesex’s Carbon Countdown event, March 13th.
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On March 2nd get some food for thought with local author, Dr. Rae André, discussing her book “Lead for the Planet: Five Practices for Confronting Climate Change”. Dr. André asks how “team humanity” can tackle climate change even when it isn’t automatically part of our nature. Spoiler alert: political leadership matters!
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Warmer spring weather coaxes us out to bike, run or walk around town. Check out a curb-side event “Lex Lights the Night” to sign up for free reflective gear, lights and more to keep you safe while on the road.
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For many homeowners spring brings yard work as their lawn emerges from under the blanket of snow. Did you know that how you treat your lawn can be a danger to people and the environment or a boon to pollinators and other creatures? Come learn more at a program on “Organic Lawn Care” with lawn expert Chip Osborne, sponsored by Lexington Living Landscapes and Cary Library.
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Speaking of pollinators, we are pleased to have a contribution from a President of Lexington High School's Bee Club, Waka Okuda, on Lexington becoming a “Bee City”.
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In This Issue – March 2021:
- Lex GWAC & Cary Library: Local Author Rae André March 2nd
- Town Transportation Division: "Lex Lights the Night" March 12th
- Sustainable Middlesex: "Carbon Countdown Summit" March 13th
- Town Conservation Dept: "Natural History of Vernal Pools" March 18th
- Clean Heat for Lexington: "Questions About Article 29?" March 18th
- Lex Living Landscapes, Cary Library: "Organic Lawn Care" March 25th
- Lexington Tree Committee: Three Town Meeting Articles to Support
- Lexington High School Bee Club: We're Now a "Bee City"!
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Local Author Rae André Speaks About Her New Book: Lead for the Planet
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Join us for an interactive session on creating global climate solutions.
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Tuesday, March 2, 2021, 7:00-8:30PM
Zoom sign up here
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In her new book Lead for the Planet: Five Practices for Confronting Climate Change, organizational psychologist Rae André examines how Team Humanity can organize to save the planet. She argues that to move forward effectively, humanity must first look inward, and she shares what social science research tells us about who we really are as decision makers. Join the discussion about how this knowledge should shape climate change policy.
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Dr. André consults internationally on teaching climate leadership. She is Professor Emeritus of Leadership and Sustainability in the D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University.
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Please register to get the Zoom link and password, which will be sent to you via email immediately upon registering and again the day before the event. Both messages will come from [email protected]. Please check your Spam and Junk folders if you do not see the messages in your Inbox.
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Sponsored by the Cary Library Foundation and GWAC (Global Warming Action Coalition).
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"Lex Light the Night" Grab & Go Event
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Friday, March 21, 2021, 3:00-6:00PM
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#BeSafeBeSeen as you Walk, Run, Bike & Roll with this FREE Grab & Go event!
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Select either a Pedestrian Pack, Bike Pack, or Combo Pack. Each kit will have either bike lights or lights to wear,
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reflective material, and related safety and information resources for people of all ages and abilities. Get ready for spring riding, running, walking and rolling and sign-up today! Kits are free to Lexington residents, and registration is required for each person in a household.
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Have fun decorating bikes, bags, and more at home with included reflective tape - we'd love to see what you come up with!
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This event was developed in partnership with the Town of Lexington Transportation Division, the Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee and Safe Routes To School.
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Special thank you to the Friends of Lexington Bikeway for their financial sponsorship!
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Register for free on MyREC.
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On the registration page you will select which kit you want and where you want to pick it up: Lexington Community Center or the back side of the Depot. Prior to March 12, we will contact you with more specific pick-up instructions to ensure COVID-safety.
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Questions? Call 781-861-1210
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Sustainable Middlesex
Middlesex County-wide Carbon Countdown Summit
Featuring State Senator Mike Barrett and State Rep. Tami Gouveia
Saturday, March 13, 2021, 9:30-11:30AM
Sign up on Eventbrite
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Massachusetts climate groups and key legislators will share successful climate actions and discuss how to advance critical climate legislation.
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Hear from Massachusetts leaders, Senator Mike Barrett and Rep. Tami Gouveia, about the status and future of climate legislation.
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Learn about local initiatives to combat climate change as revealed by the 2021 community climate action survey.
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Share in discussions about powerful local solutions and successes.
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Breakout sessions on Tools for Tackling Climate Change:
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- Electrify Everything
- Geothermal Micro-grids
- Net Zero Local Plan
- Soil, climate, biodiversity and human health
- The Gas Story: health aspects of cooking with gas
- The Future of Mass Save
- Environmental/Energy Justice
- Heat Smart Alliance
- Tools for Community Organizers
- High School Environmental Groups
- Introduction to the Drawdown Project
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Wicked Neat: Natural History of Vernal Pools with Matt Burne
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Join BSC Group's Senior Ecologist, Matt Burne, for an in-depth exploration of one of New England's neatest natural history stories - vernal pools.
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Discover some of the fascinating creatures that rely entirely on these small, temporary ponds and learn about the ecological interactions that make them so important to wildlife in the New England landscape.
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Article 29: Clean Heat for Lexington... Still Have Questions?
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This spring, Town Meeting will vote on the Home Rule for Clean Heat Article 29 that petitions the State to allow Lexington to regulate fossil fuel infrastructure in new construction and gut rehab renovations. This is an important step toward the Town’s goal of ending greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
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On March 18 we will have a "Question and Answer" session about Article 29 for Town Meeting members, residents, builders, and realtors. The session will answer "What Does Article 29 Do and What Doesn't It Do?", "Top Five Questions about Article 29" and we will answer participants' questions.
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Organic Lawn Care with Chip Osborne
Thursday, March 25, 2021, 7:00PM
Register here to get Zoom link and password
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Did you know that healthier lawns make for healthier people, pets and waterways? Come to this presentation and learn how to quit toxic pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers. Learn from Chip Osborne, an expert in lawn and turf management, who has developed effective strategies for taking care of your lawn organically.
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Please register to get the Zoom link and password, which will be
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sent to you via email immediately upon registering and again the day before the event. Both messages will come from [email protected]. Please check your Spam and Junk folders if you do not see the messages in your Inbox.
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Please Support These Town Meeting Articles
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The Lexington Tree Committee has submitted three articles that will come up at Annual Town Meeting in March.
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They all work toward the goal of maintaining and growing Lexington's tree canopy.
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Article 32: This article will ensure that the Town receives a fair value for a Town owned tree if the Select Board approves its removal.
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Article 33: This article provides for the collection of additional information on sites where the Tree Bylaw applies and also for sites on which it does not. This additional information will be used to better understand the effectiveness of the bylaw and inform decisions about future changes to the bylaw. Additionally, on sites where the bylaw does not currently apply, the article provides an opportunity for education of the property owner who is considering cutting down a tree on the benefits of trees and on options other than removal -- encouraging property owners to "think before they cut".
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Article 34: This article will increase the fees and mitigation payments under the Tree Bylaw to better reflect the cost associated with administering the bylaw and the cost of planting trees with mitigation funds, and will make it more attractive for applicants to replant versus making payments to the Lexington Tree Fund, and will better protect large trees.
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Did You Know Lexington Is Now a "Bee City"?
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This month we are pleased to have a contribution from a President of Lexington High School's Bee Club, Waka Okuda, on Lexington becoming a “Bee City”.
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Bee City: How can we do our part?
by Waka Okuda, Lexington High School
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I never imagined that I would become so invested in the well-being of those tiny, six-legged pollinators we call bees. When I first joined Lexington High School’s Bee Club, I was just a curious freshman casually signing up for as many clubs as my schedule could handle, and was honestly a bit afraid of bees, as many of us are taught to be. Besides hearing of the “Save the Bees” slogan, I had no idea how indispensable a role bees play in our everyday lives. As I immersed myself in Bee Club’s activities, however, I opened a new door to learning about and advocating for pollinator health and conservation. Now, as a senior and one of the presidents of the Bee Club, I strive to educate and involve more of my peers in beekeeping.
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Bee Club offers our members community service opportunities with our local certified Master Beekeeper Alexandra Bartsch, whether it be hands-on beekeeping, honey extracting, planting flowers, or hosting the Lexington Bee Company’s pop-up sales and farmer’s markets. In non-pandemic years, we host “hive excursions” for high schoolers to visit a local Lexington hive, and hold workshops for activities such as beeswax candle making and making hive insulators out of repurposed freezer bags. During our weekly meetings, we learn about the importance of bees and the various threats to pollinator survival such as the components of colony collapse disorder. In the past year or two, a large focus during Bee Club’s meetings has also been our involvement in the push for Lexington to become a Bee City Affiliate.
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The Bee City Project is an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, urging for cities with enthusiasm for pollinator conservation to pledge to a set of bee-friendly commitments, defined in a Resolution. The Bee City Resolution holds the community responsible for enacting pollinator-friendly pesticide policies, holding events to spread awareness about bees’ dire situation and providing a yearly report to demonstrate how the town has upheld the Resolution’s commitments.
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As Lexington is already a largely environmentally-conscious community, Bee Club and Ms. Bartsch saw that we could unify the efforts of various environmentalist organizations by becoming a Bee City. We put together a presentation explaining the benefits of becoming a Bee City, and were able to speak to the Town of Lexington’s Select Board in October of 2020. The Resolution received an approval of 4 to 0, and Lexington was certified as a Bee City in November. Our town is now in the process of improving upon our pollinator-conscious activities, and Bee Club is in contact with our elementary school system to see how we can invite our younger peers into the field. Thanks to the efforts of multiple organizations, individual residents, and the enthusiasm of students like those in Bee Club, Lexington is the first Bee City in Massachusetts, and the third in New England!
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Guaranteeing the survival of pollinators starts with individuals who care to act, to inspire others to act. Whether it’s something small like planting a few bulbs and reevaluating your pesticide practices, or on a larger scale like starting a pollinator-friendly garden or contacting your local government, each effort to save the bees, saves the world.
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Would you like to submit an environmental event or activity?
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Please forward to your network!
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