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Rescue Food. Nourish Our Community
Arlington Visits Deer Island, by Dave Haas
On June 6, six members of Sustainable Arlington and three members of the Arlington DPW took a tour of the Deer Island Treatment Plant. The facility, part of the MWRA system, services 43 communities in the Boston area. The site opened in 1995 following seven years of planning and construction, and treats nearly 400 million gallons of sewage daily, although the capacity of the plant is several times greater.
Sustainable Arlington co-chair Gail McCormick joined hundreds of mothers, grandmothers, nurses and cancer survivors at a rally in DC on May 22nd to encourage the Senate to pass the Safe Chemicals Act, a bill to overhaul antiquated laws governing toxic chemicals. Says McCormick, "We’ve been working on a Safer Alternatives bill in Massachusetts as well. So far neither has passed, but we’ll get there yet."
While in D.C., McCormick (second from left) met with staff in Senator Kerry's office and Senator Brown’s office, requesting that they co-sponsor the bill.
Bring non-perishable food donations for the Arlington Food Pantry and leave them in the marked bins in the front lobby. Thank you for your support ahead of time!
Over 20 booths featuring ideas, inspirations, products and services related to FOOD!
10 a.m. Family Concert with Diane Taraz (2nd flr, accessible)
11 a.m. Rad Urban Farmer Charlie Radoslovich presents Your Backyard: A Sustainable Feast (2nd flr, accessible)
Sustainable Arlington Meeting Agenda
Wednesday, May 16, 2012; 7:30-9:00pm
Town Hall Annex, 2nd Floor Conference Room
Welcome and introductions
Review and approve minutes
Presentation
COMPOSTING
Jeremy Marin will speak about his innovative composting methods and answer questions about effective composting techniques
Updates
· Solarize Arlington
· Energy Working Group news
· Occupy Arlington
· Sustainable Middlesex
· The Vision 2020 Standing Committee is asking each task group/committee to look at its activities in light of the Vision 2020 goals. The Environment goal is shown below.
VISION 2020 GOALS ADOPTED MAY 3, 1993: 4. THE ENVIRONMENT
We value the physical beauty and natural habitats of our Town – parks, ponds and wetlands, dramatic vistas and tree-lined streets - as they contribute to the well-being of our community. Recognizing the fragility of our natural resources, we must ensure that Arlington’s residential areas, commercial centers, and infrastructure are developed in harmony with environmental concerns. We will be known for our commitment to the preservation of Arlington’s beauty, limited open space and resources, as well as our place in the regional and global community.
· New business & upcoming events
EcoMind - Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want
Saturday, March 31st – 7:00 pm
St. John's Church, 43 Pleasant St. Arlington
In her new book Frances Lappe once again opens new possibilities. In Diet for a Small Planet she helped us see how food scarcity was not a necessary reality. In EcoMind she shows a path to overcome the doom, gloom, and destructive controversy we find in our publications, airways and politics. While Lappe acknowledges that these are truly challenging times, she believes we have the capacity to joyously live up to those challenges.
In the book she also describes seven ways that we can re-envision our own potential for creating the world we want, and, best of all, she provides lots of examples from around the world of what regular people have accomplished. In her talk she will share her alternative vision and the myriad possibilities we have for positive action.
Reading Discussion Groups on March 20 and 27 at Robbins Library, 7-9pm