Sustainable Arlington

“This Is Inequity at the Boiling Point”

By Somini Sengupta, Aug. 7, 2020, New York Times

Nature's Best Hope (2019) by Douglas Tallamy.  A wonderful book at any time but especially so in light of the coronavirus pandemic.  Doug Tallamy, Univ. of Del. professor and naturalist, shows clearly and simply what each of us can do to support our native native pollinators and birds in our own back yards and parks.  Let's get started! 

Click "download" to see the beautiful cover of this book.

“How Gas Leaks Affect Our Trees: The science, the signs, and what we can do," 5-28-2020 Webinar. Expert panel moderated by Arlington Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine.

Webinar recording:

additional resources: https://wellesleyma.gov/1522/Gas-Leaks-And-Trees.  

Much-admired author Doug Tallamy shows how everyone with access to a patch of earth can make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity and why it matters so much.

Established by the Arlington Select Board to guide the Town in reaching its Net Zero by 2050 goal. Agendas, minutes

Antioch University New England, Center for Climate Preparedness and Community Resilience.

Recordings of recent webinars, e.g.:

"Race and the Environmental Movement: History and Legacies," June 4, 2020

"Racial Diversity in the U.S. Climate Movement," March 17, 2020

The simulation, developed by Climate Interactive, Ventana Systems, and MIT Sloan, runs on an ordinary laptop in a fraction of a second, is available online, offers an intuitive interface, has been carefully grounded in the best available science, and has been calibrated against a wide range of existing integrated assessment, climate and energy models.

2020 | Brady Seals, Andee Krasner

Health Effects from Gas Stove Pollution Rocky Mountain Institute, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Mothers Out… Read More

Building Electrification, Buildings

"While flowering plants provide pollinators with foods, insects also require suitable shelter for nesting and overwintering."  Meticulous fall clean-ups leave the garden neat as a pin and remove the critical winter protection our native pollinators need.  https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/18-014.pdf

Protecting our native pollinators through the power of citizen science.

Trisos, Merow & Pigot, Nature, 4.8.2020

... impending risk of sudden and severe biodiversity losses from climate change and provide a framework for predicting both when and where these events may occur.

Let your State Sen. and Rep. know (by June 2020) if you support this act.

An Act For Utility Transition to Using Renewable Energy (F.U.T.U.R.E.)

The GasLeaksAllies.org outline a safe, just transition that moves Massachusetts utilities off gas in alignment with our state’s mandated greenhouse gas reduction targets. 

Sponsors: Senator Cynthia Creem (1st Middlesex and Norfolk), Representative Lori Ehrlich (8th Essex), and Representative Christina Minicucci (14th Essex)

1. April 1, 2020: Declaring a Climate Emergency: How to Build Your Campaign in Uncertain Times
2. March 31, 2020: Internet Tools for Remote Organizing (part 2) 
3. March 24, 2020: Internet Tools for Remote Organizing (part 1)
4. January 28, 2020: Affordable Housing as a Climate Solution (part 3)
5. January 9, 2020: MA Gas Ban Webinar
6. See MCAN website for more!

The HeatSmart Alliance seeks to accelerate adoption of heat pumps in residences and community buildings. Our volunteers from over 10 Massachusetts towns collaborate with local organizations and municipalities to provide information, event organizing, coaching, and other tools for promoting adoption of heat pumps and related building efficiency measures.

A manicured lawn might look nice, but messy is better for birds and bugs.

The Audubon Society says:  leave this year's dead flower stalks with their seeds pods.  Winter birds need them.  Let some leaves remain on your garden beds and mulch (mow over) those on your lawn.  Leaf litter is free fertilizer and provides essential cover for tiny insects and invertebrates that wild birds eat.  Build a brush pile to provide cover from pedators and weather. Skip the chemicals.  They cause harm throughout the food web.  Download the article to learn more.

Interview recorded at Arlington, MA EcoFest, March 4, 2019

Arlington CCA: 1. Gives residents and businesses access to additional local renewable energy generated in Mass. and other New England states. 2. Speeds  transition off fossil fuels. 3. Saves you money because the Town uses its bulk purchasing power to get better rates. Learn more from this 2018 video interview with Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine, Select Board member Joe Curro, and Green Energy Consumers Alliance's Erin Taylor.  

Gail McCormick has been a leader in climate change activism for thirty years. Her relevant award-winning art has been shown in museums, university galleries, and at the landmark UN Rio Conference. As a board member of HealthLink, she helped eradicate antiquated Massachusetts coal power plants. Her current focus is on prevention of an unnecessary pipeline through the State that would transport fracked gas to Canada and Europe. Her first book, CALAMITY, a romance/thriller covers thawing permafrost in Siberia....