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Happy New Year! January is starting out with a burst of community efforts on behalf of the climate, our environment, and our place within it all.
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The month starts out on January 4th with the launch of our Sustainability and Resilience Officer's new campaign called "Lexington Heat Smart", an effort to transform our homes to heat and cool with efficient, fossil free, heat pumps. Join the Zoom on January 4th to learn all about it and meet the newly trained energy advisors from our own community!
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Be sure to read about a "Statement of Concern for Lexington's Trees" and the mounting loss of neighborhood trees and forests - and sign the statement. You can learn more about the "Value of Suburban Trees" on January 11th with Lexington Living Landscapes and Cary Memorial Library's program. Later in the month attend a related talk, "Silent Earth: Saving Our Insects". It turns out what we all do in our yards and neighborhood counts.
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If you enjoy the outdoors, meet up for a winter birding walk with CLC on January 21.
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To round out the month the Winter Farmers' Market is back, and registration for next summer's CSA shares for LexFarm starts mid-January.
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In This Issue – January 2023:
- Lexington HeatSmart Launch, 1/4
- Statement of Concern for Lexington Trees
- Discussion About MBTA Community Housing, 1/6
- Winter Farmers' Market Opens, 1/7
- "Value of Urban and Suburban Trees", 1/11
- "Importance of Insects", 1/21
- Winter Birding at Dunback Meadow, 1/21
- CSA Sales Start in January
- LexCAN Brainstorm for 2023 Agenda and Activities, 1/10
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Program Launch: Transition Away from Fossil Fuels with Lexington HeatSmart
Wednesday, January 4, 2023, 7:00-8:00PM
Virtual Event: Zoom link
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Lexington HeatSmart is a town-wide initiative to empower residents to adopt clean heating and cooling technologies with confidence. Through this program you can connect with a trained Energy Advisor who will help you explore your options for installing heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and solar thermal systems—whether to replace or enhance your current system. Your Energy Advisor (with the support of Abode Energy Management) can help you:
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- Explore clean heating and cooling technology
- Find local and reputable contractors
- Compare quotes
- Take advantage of available rebates and incentives
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Air source heat pumps are cost-effective, market-ready technologies that transform how homes use energy. This technology can help save you money on your utility bills and also significantly help Lexington decrease its overall carbon footprint, benefiting the community.
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Join us for the Lexington HeatSmart launch event on January 4, 2023 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm.
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- Learn more about the technology and the benefits – Mike Simons, Abode Energy Management, Inc
- Hear from a local heat pump owner – Joe Pato, Lexington Select Board and Resident
- Learn how to take advantage of the Lexington HeatSmart program – Maggie Peard, Town of Lexington Sustainability & Resilience Officer
- Meet the Energy Advisors – Lexington HeatSmart Energy Advisors
- Q&A
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Concern for Lexington’s Trees
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Have you noticed how many mature trees around town are being lost to development and other causes? This is just as we need a stronger, more robust tree canopy than ever to help buffer us from the hot temperatures and other impacts that climate change is bringing.
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A group of tree advocates has written a Statement of Concern for Lexington’s Trees, addressed to the Select Board, and calling on the town to act. There are many options for reversing this trend: public education, financial incentives, neighborhood tree planting programs, stronger bylaws, and more.
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Please share the link and encourage your friends to sign.
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The group is also looking for organizational endorsements; if you’re a member of an organization – a neighborhood association or faith group for instance – and are willing to introduce the organization to someone from the campaign, email them at [email protected].
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LWV Lexington First Friday: MBTA Community Housing
Friday, January 6, 2023, 9:30AM
Cary Memorial Library Large Meeting Room
1874 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington
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The League of Women Voters of Lexington invites you to a First Friday Forum on January 6, 2023, at 9:30AM in the Large Meeting Room of Cary Memorial Library at 1874 Massachusetts Avenue discussing “How Lexington is responding to the state requirement that MBTA communities permit a reasonable amount of multi-family housing.”
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Planning Director Abby McCabe and Planning Board Chair Robert Peters will explain the state guidelines and the zoning proposal now under development to be presented to the 2023 Annual Town Meeting.
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This program is the fourth in the 2022-2023 First Friday Forum series hosted by the League of Women Voters to promote awareness and understanding of public policy issues. There will be time for Q&A after the program. For more information about the League and this program go to https://my.lwv.org/massachusetts/lexington
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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 League convener Margaret Coppe at [email protected]. All League forums are free and open to the public.
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Winter Farmers' Market Opens Saturday, January 7th
Every other Saturday, starting January 7th, 11:00AM-2:00PM
Waldorf School, 739 Mass Ave.
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We’re back: The Small Yet Mighty Winter Market will be opening its 7th season on Saturday, January 7, back home at the Waldorf School in Lexington! The new season comes with so much good news, including an exciting line-up of vendors featuring your favorites from the regular season.
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The LFM will be open biweekly every other Saturday from 11 - 2 pm (January 7 & 21, February 4 & 18, March 4 & 18, April 1 & 15), and is located at the Waldorf School, 739 Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington with free parking available.
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The LFM is a producer-only market, ensuring that what you find is fresh and local, sustainably raised and carefully crafted by the farmers and vendors of the LFM. Each week, there will be up to ten farmers and vendors participating, with occasional guest vendors. The LFM accepts SNAP and HIP; the LFM’s SNAP program matches up to $15 weekly and HIP can be used at Farmer Dave’s for fruit and vegetable purchases.
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In addition to free parking onsite, the Waldorf School is accessible on MBTA Bus Route 62 and 76. Visit www.lexingtonfarmersmarket.org to read more about the Small Yet Mighty Winter Market. For the most up-to-date information, “like” us on Facebook (The Lexington Farmers’ Market) and for fun, follow us on Instagram (@lexingtonfarmersmarket). For questions, email [email protected]
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Here’s who will be at the market this season:
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- Bombay Brunch: West Indian Vegetarian dishes
- Cape Ann Fresh Catch: local seafood, smoked fish
- Copicut Farm: poultry, eggs, pork, lamb
- Del Sur: empanadas, vegetarian and beef/chicken
- Farmer’s Dave’s: farm fresh produce, baked goods and more (accepts HIP)
- Homespun Waldorf: hand crafted toys, books, gifts and art supplies
- Valicenti Pasta Farm: fresh and frozen pasta, lasagnas and sauces
Guest vendors (occasional dates)
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- Grateful Tastes: Preserves, jams, and artisanal spreads, raw local honey, pure maple syrup [Jan 7, Feb 4, Mar 4, April 1]
- Just Hummus: Hummus, Falafel, Tahini Sauce, and Pita Bread [Jan 7, Feb 4, Mar 4, April 1]
- Mahalab Bakery: Savory stuffed baked goods (fatayer), flat bread, focaccias, Mediterranean spreads and spices [Jan 21, Feb 18, Mar 18, April 15]
- Olive World: Mixed Seasoned Olives, Olive Oils, and Specialty Almond Butter [Jan 21, Feb 18, Mar 18, April 15]
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Beyond Beauty: Establishing the Value of Urban and Suburban Trees
with David Bloniarz
Wednesday, January 11, 2023, 7:00-8:30PM
Virtual - to Register (required), click here
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This presentation will examine the many ways in which trees in urban and suburban landscapes improve our neighborhoods and quality of life. It will introduce scientific methods that can be used to determine the benefits of such trees and calculate a monetary value for these ecosystem services. You will be shown how to determine the value of a single tree, or all of the trees in your own community during the presentation. Also, several i-Tree software tools will be demonstrated.
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David Bloniarz, Ph.D. is a research scientist with the USDA Forest Service and Project Coordinator of the Urban Natural Resources Institute, which aims to bring research findings, state-of-the-art tools and new technologies to users across the world.
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For more information and to register, click here.
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Silent Earth: Saving Our Insects
with Dave Goulson
Saturday, January 21, 2023, 2:00-3:30PM
Virtual - to Register (required), click here
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Insects are vital, fascinating, weird and wonderful. They are food, pollinators, recyclers, pest controllers, and much more, so we should be deeply concerned that they are in rapid decline. Dave Goulson will explain the many causes of insect decline, and then turn to the solutions of this crisis. We can all help in many ways, first by turning our gardens and urban greenspaces into oases for life, and second by fundamentally changing the way we grow food, and the food we buy.
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Dave Goulson is Professor of Biology at University of Sussex in England, specializing in bee ecology. He has published more than 350 scientific articles on the ecology and conservation of bumblebees and other insects, plus seven books, including the Sunday Times bestsellers A Sting in the Tale (2013), The Garden Jungle (2019), and Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse (2021).
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For more information and to register, click here.
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Winter Birding at Dunback Meadow
Saturday, January 21, 2023, 8:00-10:00AM
Meet at Allen St. entrance to Dunback Meadow
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During this quiet time at Dunback Meadow, there is the possibility of viewing unusual birds, such as owls (Great Horned Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, and Barred Owl), Common Redpolls and Rough-legged Hawks. Our residents – Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Downy Woodpeckers and Blue Jays – will be there as well.
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Wear boots if there is deep snow, as walking can be difficult. Beginners and children are welcome. Rain or snow will cancel. Meet at the entrance on Allen St.
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Co-sponsored with Brookline Bird Club.
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LexFarm Announces CSA Sales Start in January
LexFarm is launching sales of their 2023 CSA shares in mid-January. The well-loved summer, flower and fall CSA shares will be available for purchase. In addition, NEW CSAs will be offered - fruit and pick-your-own CSAs - and the mushroom CSA will be a regular annual offering.
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Please join LexCAN for a brainstorming session on what things you would like to learn about and act on in 2023! Our monthly meeting will be held on January 10th at 7:00pm. Please check our website for details.
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There is so much going on; opportunities for clean energy rebates, efficient all electric heat pumps, conservation efforts for trees and native plants, micro electric grids, the relationship between food and climate change, ... you name it!
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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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