December Newsletter

Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

Happy Holidays, Happy New Year

Peace on Earth Goodwill to All

Update—Wetlands Protection Bylaw Passes!

Many of us were there and some participated in the exchange of opposing views. Sitting in the auditorium, listening to the energetic applause and emphatic sounds of approval from the opposition, one might have thought the bylaw would not pass. But by 40 votes—207 to163—it passed!

Our neighbors on the other side of this issue focused largely on their rights as property owners, concerns over fines, and a general distaste for further regulations. Listening to these arguments can help us consider how to frame our views as we continue what will inevitably be an ongoing process of requiring changes to how we live in order to support a healthy environment for all. Green Hudson would like to thank Pam Helinek, Assistant Town Planner and Conservation Agent, as well as members of our Conservation Commission who brought this bylaw to the town. Thank you for your research, advocacy, and hard work on behalf of our wetlands. Here’s the Community Advocate article on the recent Special Town Meeting: Wetlands Bylaw Passes.

Committee Reports

Climate and Energy: Now is a great time to get involved in Climate and Energy as we are exploring new projects for 2024. Please join us to put advocacy in action by promoting renewable energy, heat pumps, and electric appliances in the Hudson community.

And also join us in congratulating Tom Green for being appointed to the search committee for the next general manager of Hudson Light and Power Department. Thanks Tom for all you’ve done and continue to do to make Hudson a better, greener, healthier place to live. Contact: Brian White [email protected]

Education and Outreach: The committee is now planning the 2024 January–June calendar of speakers for our Climate Cafes. We will be addressing actions we can all take to help ameliorate climate change, and to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Future topics include: recycling, composting, electric vehicles, EV charging stations, public transportation, plastic reduction and beyond. We welcome suggestions for future Climate Cafés. Please let us know! (See contact info below.) We would love to see more Green Hudson members along with your friends at these events. Cafés take place from 7–8:30 PM and end on time! Come have some goodies, meet new friends, and get inspired to help your town and the planet. Contact: Jeanette Millard [email protected]

Plastics Reduction: Please join us as a show of support at the Hudson Health Department meeting at the Town Hall on Tuesday December 12 at 5:30 pm. Our committee will give a short update about the results of the Restaurant Survey and will ask if the Board has decided to sponsor our petition.

If they are not willing to sponsor our petition, we will put forward a citizen’s petition. We only need 15 signatures to do that for the spring Town Meeting. So, get your pens ready if it comes to that!

We are eligible to apply for another seed grant from the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund. Elisa will need help in writing the grant. Please let her know if you are interested and available for a couple of meetings, one on zoom and one in person, starting in January.

Please contact the committee chair: Elisa Pearmain [email protected] or (781) 640-9499.

Legislative News

By Tina Grosowsky—The Mass state legislature is now on break until January. Bills will be reported out by mid-February. It is rumored that the Telecommunications, Energy, and Utilities (TUE) committee (where most of the clean energy/climate bills are held) will probably initiate another omnibus climate bill. Stay tuned. The Governor has created several new Advisory Groups ... one on modernizing the grid and another on permitting

which will help move the siting of new clean energy facilities forward in Massachusetts.

On the global level, the COP28 (Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC) will be held in Dubai for two weeks 11/30–12/12. Fingers crossed for any meaningful action!

Green Holiday Gifting—So Many Possibilities

Resist! There’s no excuse to buy junk, plastic, toxic stuff this holiday season when there are so many ways to go Green. Memberships to non-profits—whether to help the planet, feed people, support refugees, save the elephants or the Amazon, non-profits count on holiday time donations to do their necessary work. Or give theater or concert tickets, museum memberships, or donate to the Hudson Armory Project as a gift to a loved one! How about delicious culinary items from

our local farms? Kalon Farm just over the Bolton/Lancaster line has bulk best quality oils and vinegars, or shop closer—downtown Hudson at Mullahy’s Cheese, teas and more from Crose Nest, or gift cards from any of these or our other great local stores like the Microcreamery for the ice cream lover in your family, art or jewelry from local artists at Hudson Art and Framing. For the crafter, explore the fiber arts and embroidery kits at Islay’s Terrace. For the music lover—vinyl, as in records from Guitars and Grooves. For the kids—Serendipity and Owen and Sage both have great earth-friendly choices including—Books! And just a little further a foot, in downtown Marlboro, a wonderful children’s book store, Word on the Street, and in West Acton our closest independent adult and children’s bookstore, The Silver Unicorn. Beautiful, reasonably priced xmas wreaths and more can be found at Cordelia’s Farm just over the line in Berlin. Have fun this holiday season. Enjoy shopping green, local, and doing good.

Massachusetts News

Governor Healey has created the Community Climate Bank, a $50 million fund to decarbonize affordable housing—the first in the nation specific to affordable housing. Thanks to our Governor and all who made this happen. Read more here: Nation’s First Green Bank Dedicated to Affordable Housing

Here’s an important article by a Newton, MA resident who is also a global expert on the health and environmental dangers of artificial turf. Fascinating. Frightening. Opposing Artificial Turf— Here’s Why

From local Stow's Small Farm—discovered in their weekly newsletter—comes this quote of good news: “The Natural Resource Conservation Service [a federal agency formerly called “Soil Conservation Service”] has recognized mulching as a desirable farming practice and has begun paying farmers a small amount per acre to incentivize this practice.” This is one of many many components of the IRA. Read more here about the NRCS in Massachusetts

Inspiration—Green Goals 2024

The newsletter team was getting mighty inspired reading the following 2024 “green goals” from some of our core members. Therefore, this issue’s “Inspiration” is shared in the form of that list below. May it inspire you.

Members were asked: What are your top Green Goals for 2024?

Tina G.—to continue to advocate at the state level for maximum funding for clean energy at the state, town and community level.

Elisa P.—to help Hudson reduce its use of single use plastics and polystyrene by getting a petition passed at Town Meeting, and to get more involved in the reduction of single plastics and polystyrene on the state level.

Tom G.—to reuse containers and reduce packaging by buying in bulk (at the Assabet Co-op). Shrink the size of my lawn and plant more native plants. Work with Hudson Light and Power to provide information and rebates to encourage a greater adoption of heat pumps in Hudson and Stow.

Jeanette M.—to keep turning sections of my yard to native plant gardens and meadows (getting there), save as much as I can for an EV, get more Hudson residents to compost, recycle, be aware of and get active with Green Hudson.

Per G.—Education – to teach/educate/inform 50 or more people about green energy positive facts they previously did not know. Eliminate myths. Research and learn new green energy solutions.

Janice H.—to eliminate as much plastic as I can.

Linda M.—to replace at least one gas appliance in my home with electric, and continue to make my yard a pollinator friendly habitat.

Jackie G.—to gather all information needed to present to the town of Hudson that we start a town wide collection of food scraps for composting. (After seeing how easy it is in CT it seemed like a no brainer to me.)

Stu E.—to help the town of Hudson embrace EVs and charging stations, and perhaps more urgently, to institute a BAN on gas-powered leaf blowers. These 2 Green Goals motivate me every day ...

What are your 2024 Green Goals? Big or small, local, global or both, let’s resolve to work individually and collectively wherever we can. Perhaps for some out there, one of your green goals will be to get more involved with Green Hudson. There’s much we can accomplish together!

The Assabet River flows through the town of Hudson providing a powerful reminder of why we want to protect the beauty the earth provides. Scientists are alarmed as we witness climate change happening and we need to do more to put a stop to the threat. Join Green Hudson now to learn more.

There is no Green Hudson meeting in December.

But, SAVE THE DATE for

THE GREEN HUDSON ANNUAL MEETING

Sunday, January 21, 2014 at 5:00 p.m.

(more information to follow in the January Newsletter)

You are invited

Do you have suggestions for articles, resources of note, inspirations, relevant books to recommend, etc.? Send to [email protected] with the subject line "Green Hudson".

Share Green Hudson’s Newsletter

If you found something of value in this newsletter, please forward it to others who might be interested. And, if you’re reading someone else’s copy and would like to receive your own newsletter each month, please subscribe by emailing [email protected].

For more information on Green Hudson ... visit our website at www.greenhudson.org.

If you want to unsubscribe, click here.