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Daffodils are beginning to bloom and Lexington’s Town Meeting is underway: true signs of spring in our town! With spring comes a blossoming of outdoor activities that are most welcome after a cooped-up winter of coronavirus precautions. In this edition we have news of seedling sales for creating pollinator-friendly yards, the return of nature hikes and land stewardship activities.
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Another sign of spring is Earth Day and events surrounding it. Check out the return of GWAC's special Lex-Earth Week web site with information and activities for families. Another Earth Day event is sponsored by a brand-new organization, Lexington Zero Waste Collaborative, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about the impact of our consumption choices on the well-being of the Earth and all life on it. Lex Zero Waste is collaborating with Monroe Center for the Arts for a socially distant outdoor event detailed below.
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Of course, Zoom events are still sprouting up with excellent information on clean heating, conservation, seed planting and a panel discussion of the movie Kiss the Ground along with a free link to view the film.
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Be well and enjoy the outdoors!
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In This Issue – April 2021:
- Happy Earth Week!: Town-wide Activities, Film Discussion
- Lexington Sustainability Director: Updated EV Charging Station Fees
- Town Conservation Dept: Speaker Series (4/8, 4/29) and Call for Volunteers
- Lex Living Landscapes: Pollinator Plant Kits for Sale Starting April 2nd
- League of Women Voters of Lexington: Clean Energy Webinar April 9th
- Lexington Zero Waste: April Vacation Week Earth Day Activities
- Lexington Farmers' Market: New Location, New Manager
- LexFarm: Organic Seedling Sale Coming in May
- Citizens for Lexington Conservation: Sign Up for Spring Walks!
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Happy Earth Week April 17-25, to All Young and Old(er) Earthlings!
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April 10-26: Kiss the Ground Movie
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(Note: You do not need to fill in the “Congregation” space to register) You will be able to view the film at home at your leisure between April 10-26. You can also find the video on Netflix.
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April 25, 7:00-8:30PM: Kiss the Ground Film Discussion
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Electric Vehicles (EVs) are an important way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution. While the Town supports active and sustainable modes of transportation, like walking, bicycling, and taking public transportation, many people still choose to drive in Lexington.
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Driving electric vehicles instead of vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE), which run on fossil fuels can drastically reduce the carbon footprint of passenger vehicle trips. Transportation contributes to Lexington's greenhouse gas emissions, which dirties our air and contributes to climate change. Electric vehicles reduce emissions, save you money, and are fun to drive!
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Updated Public EV Charging Station Fees
- The Town of Lexington has 13 available EV charging stations throughout the public parking lots along Massachusetts Ave.
- The established stations are maintained by ChargePoint, and as of March 29th, 2021 cost $0.30/kWh ($1.80/hr) and $0.50/hr for parking. Fees will be collected through the charging unit or app.
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To accommodate EV drivers who do not have access to charging at home and those visiting our community, the Town offers public charging stations throughout our Town center.
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The Select Board recently voted to begin collecting a fee for use of the public charging stations that the Town of Lexington operates. The public EV charging stations will begin to charge the Electricity Rate of $0.30/ Kwh ($1.80/hr) on March 29, 2021. EV parking spots are still required to pay $0.50/hour for parking during the hours of 8am-8pm.
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All charges will be collected through the ChargePoint system.
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We've been busy putting together a series of FREE nature talks that will be offered this spring - from birds, to bees, to your backyard! See the topics below and be sure to mark your calendar!
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We hope to (virtually) see you there!
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Speaker Series: Bee City (4/8) and Nibbling on Backyard Natives (4/29)
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Bee City with Hannah Mullally
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Come celebrate Lexington becoming the first Bee City in Massachusetts! Ever wonder how to create habitat for pollinators in your backyard? Learn from Xerces Society's Hannah Mullally as she describes how to plan, design, install, and manage habitat for pollinators in urban settings.
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Nibbling on Natives in Your Backyard with Russ Cohen
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Join Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten, for a 60-minute slide show featuring at least two dozen species of native edible wild plants suitable for adding to your own landscape, or nibbling on as you
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encounter them in other locales. Keys to the identification of each species will be provided, along with edible portion(s), season(s) of availability and preparation method(s), along with guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging.
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Calling All Volunteers! Join Us for Stewardship Saturdays for Volunteer Work and Camaraderie
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Next Event:
Saturday, April 10, 2021, 9:00AM-12:00PM
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We will provide all tools and know-how, just bring work gloves, work appropriate clothing (no open-toed shoes), face mask, and a willingness to work! Projects vary from invasive plant management, habitat restoration, trail maintenance and more!
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Pollinator Plant Kits for Sale! Sale Opens Online on April 2nd
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The plants are grown at a certified organic native perennial farm in New Hampshire and come in quart size bio-degradable pots. You can purchase a kit of 12 plants (three plants of each species) for $60, which is a highly discounted price. While planting in groups of three is recommended, you can also buy a set of 4 individual plants (one plant per species) for $22.
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First Friday Webinar: Moving Our Homes (and the Town) to Clean Energy
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On Friday, April 9, at 9:30AM, join the LWV of Lexington for information on how numerous rebates and incentives can offset the costs of moving to cleaner, healthier, lower-emission space and water heating for our buildings, along with information about home rule petitions, including Article 29 from the Spring Town Meeting.
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- Meg Howard, Program Director of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, will present on rebates and incentives. Whether it is for new construction, a major renovation, or if your heating system is nearing the end of its life, there are a number of ways to help transition away from fossil-fuel combustion.
- Cindy Arens will give a short presentation on the results of Article 29 and the Clean Heat Lexington Alliance's plans for future outreach.
- Representative Michelle Ciccolo, of the 15th Middlesex District (all of Lexington, and part of the city of Woburn), will discuss home rule petitions, how they work, the process, and what to expect.
There will be time for Q & A following the presentations. The webinar will be live streamed on Facebook (@LWVLexington). The event will also be recorded and available on LexMedia at a later date.
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This program is the seventh in the 2020-2021 First Friday Forum series hosted by the League of Women Voters to promote awareness and understanding of public policy issues. For more information about the webinar, assistance using Zoom, or more information about the League, go to http://www.lwvlexington.org/FirstFriday.html.
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Let Your Inner Artist and "Zero Waste" Hero Shine: Create/Build Art from Recycled Materials!
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Take some time out during school vacation week this month to learn more about what you and your family can do to work towards reaching “zero” waste, and have fun while you’re doing it!
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- For one week, challenge your family to become “everyday zero waste heroes” by participating in a household waste audit: sort and catalog your waste into reusable, recyclable, compostable categories and reconsider how to do things differently.
- Sign up to be part of a free public event to build a sculpture that collects household waste materials that are not reusable, recyclable or compostable, and create garden ornaments out of upcycled plastics.
- Get creative at home and take part in a contest to create upcycled art from materials that would otherwise go to an incineration facility in North Andover.
Incorporated in 2020, Lexington Zero Waste Collaborative, dba LexZeroWaste, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the impacts of our consumption choices on the well-being of the Earth and all life on it. To learn more, visit www.LexZeroWaste.org and sign up to receive updates as we launch new programs and initiatives.
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There is lots of exciting news to share at the Lexington Farmers' Market, with opening day just eight weeks away!
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New Location - Worthen Road by LHS
After months of planning, measuring, meeting, visiting and collaborating, the Lexington Farmers' Market has a terrific new location for the seasonal summer market. The LFM will be moving to the practice field on Worthen Road, between the Lexington High School field house and the baseball diamond. town officials have worked tirelessly to help find the best place possible until the market can return to Fletcher Park, which will be used for equipment and supply storage while the Center Streetscape project is underway. The move promises to be the best of both worlds as the LFM starts its 17th season!
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Meet the New Manager - Alex Flack
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The LFM is excited to introduce the new Market Manager, Alex Flack. In an effort to understand food systems and the issues around healthy and sustainable food access, Alex spent the last three years working with family farms, chefs, farmers’ markets, community food organizations, and food banks. Last summer, he worked on an organic family farm along with staffing the farm’s tent at the Troy NY Farmers’ Market, and as a result knows something about farms and farmers’ markets from the ground up! He is joining the LFM on April 5 and will be an integral part of establishing the market at the new location and getting to know LFM farmers, vendors, town officials and community members before opening day on June 1, 2021!
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LexFarm On-Farm Organic Seedling Sale Coming in May
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The greenhouse is starting to fill up! LexFarm farmers are so grateful to have this space to start healthy plants for food and beauty. Stay tuned for more details, announced in a newsletter (https://lexfarm.org to sign up) and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfarm.
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Come Join Us On Some Great Spring Walks!
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As we have in the past, Citizens for Lexington Conservation is planning to offer several spring walks this year. Previously we haven't required people to sign up ahead of time for our walks. We provide the date, time, meeting location, and a short description of the walk, and anyone who shows up at the meeting site can join the walk.
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This year, however, because of Covid restrictions, we will ask
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people who are interested in joining a walk to sign up ahead of time, and we will limit the number of people who can join in.
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Our walk schedule, including the date and description of each walk, will be included in our spring newsletter, which will be published in mid April. The newsletter will be posted on our website (CLCLex.org) and you will be able to find information about the walks and how to sign up in the newsletter.
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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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