April Newsletter

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Make

Every Day

Earth Day!

Tribute: Green Hudson Honors Greg Opp

At their annual meeting, Green Hudson recognized founding member Greg Opp for his community service. He was unable to attend the meeting, so Green Hudson directors brought the award to him at Artisan Hudson on March 17th.

Greg raised three children in Hudson. His son David reflected that "We spent quite a bit of time at the Hudson transfer station" and "Our dad has always been about doing the right thing...". Greg worked with the Hudson Recreation Dept. to improve run-off and beach erosion at Centennial Beach.

He has been a vocal advocate for Hudson's community for over 40 years, and he helped found several organizations including the Recycling Volunteers, Green Hudson, and the Hudson Land Trust. Greg also served on the town conservation commission for 10 years. GH Co-president Brian White stated "Greg's contributions to the health and sustainability of the Hudson community have been an inspiration to all of us." The organizations that he has helped build will make Hudson a stronger community.

"It's an honor to be recognized by Green Hudson for 'my years of service to the Hudson Community'. Thank you to all the members of Green Hudson. I wish you success with all your current and future programs." —Greg Opp, Artisan at Hudson

Committee Reports

Climate and Energy Committee

The Climate and Energy Committee is preparing for Earth Day, which incorporates Town Clean-Up. Mark your calendars—Saturday, April 20. This year, we will enable street level tracking so volunteers can tell us where they are cleaning and see what has already been covered. To

volunteer, contact [email protected]. (Check out our poster later in the newsletter for ice cream and pizza details.) In addition to clean-up activities, we will host tables from local green organizations. There will be passive Earth Day and Climate-related exhibits at several locations throughout town including at the library. Details to follow, so watch your email.

We continue our ongoing work on electrification and reducing carbon emissions. Join us to put advocacy in action by promoting renewable energy, heat pumps, and electric appliances in the Hudson community. Contact: Brian White [email protected]

Education and Outreach Committee

Our Climate Cafes continued in March with a very informative presentation about Electric Vehicles (EV's). The presenter, Anna Vanderspek from Green Energy Consumers Alliance, provided information and answers to many questions in her data-filled discussion. The weather was cold and rainy, so if you missed it please browse over to GreenHudson.org to see the recording as well as the slides.

Next month we go "Beyond Plastics: Why we need to and how we can." Come hear about our own efforts to ban polystyrene (styrofoam) and plastic straws. We are asking local restaurateurs to reconsider what their takeout containers are made of, for example. We'll also hear about the larger world of plastic reduction, and beyond.

In other news, we are hoping to get lots of volunteers at HudsonFest, June 10th, to help support our third year in a 5-year effort to have a "Waste Free HudsonFest." This year we will be setting up and staffing 4 recycle and composting stations, located where the trash cans are. We'll have information at each of the stations, and we need volunteers to spend an hour or two as stewards of the process, helping people sort things into the right bin. Look for a sign-up sheet in the near future, or send your contact information now to the committee contact: [email protected].

Plastics Reduction Committee (PRC)

We have begun investigating the climate effects of synthetic or artificial turf (a.k.a. astro turf) which is made of plastic (recycled tires) and harmful chemicals including PFAS that not only are health hazards but create “heat sinks”, and shed microplastics where they are used. A few towns in MA are starting to ban them. Rep. Carmine Gentile is sponsoring a bill H.3948 to prohibit new synthetic turf fields going forward. To date, none of Hudson’s athletic fields utilize synthetic turf.

We are impatiently waiting for the Ways and Means Committee to move An Act to Reduce Plastics: S.570/H.882 to the House and Senate for a full vote. You can email or call the Ways and Means Chairs: Senator Michael Rodrigues (617-722-1114) and Representative Aaron Michlewitz (617-722-2990). They have until July 31 to pass this bill. If it does not pass, Green Hudson will file a petition to reduce single use plastics including Styrofoam from our restaurants and supermarkets for the November Town Meeting. Please consider helping with that effort if necessary.

Earth Day 2024 is officially called "Planet vs. Plastics" and is focused on reducing all plastic production by 60% by the year 2040! You can do your part! See their website for more
information: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2024/.

PRC's own Elisa Pearmain along with Beyond Plastics Boston’s President Eileen Ryan will be presenting "Beyond Plastics: Why we need to and how we can" at Green Hudson's Climate Cafe on Tuesday April 23.

For information on the PRC committee, contact: Elisa Pearmain.

Legislative News

The MA legislature passed most bills out of committee on February 7. Important climate change bills related to clean energy and the transition away from gas were reported out of the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (TUE) committee and sent to House Ways and Means. Other bills from TUE were sent to Senate Ways and Means. The House and Senate Ways and Means respectively will package these bills as "a climate omnibus bill" and it will be sent on to the floor for a vote. Then the bill will go to a Joint Conference Committee. When the bill goes forward, amendments can be added. That will be a time for advocacy and we will let our readers know what steps can be taken.

The main plastics bill is still in the Senate Ways and Means Committee and people can write to the heads of that committee urging it to be moved to a full vote. See the PRC section above for links to their contact info.

The MA state Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs recently launched a new statewide climate education media campaign titled: Everyone Can Take Climate Action! Click here to go to the website.

Number 1: Top Trend in Produce

Moving from plastic packaging to biodegradable materials is now the top trend for produce professionals according to a recent New York Times article. The article goes on to say that Driscoll, the world’s largest grower of berries, has switched to paper containers in most European markets and is working to do the same in the U.S. and Canada. Many European countries have placed taxes on plastic packaging

or outlawed them. Canada is hoping to eliminate plastic packaging of produce by 2028 and even the Biden Administration is pushing for ways to reduce plastic packaging significantly in the U.S.

What can you do? Bring your cloth produce bags with you to the store. Many supermarkets do sell unpackaged produce such as lettuce, and the other greens as well as hardier stuff. To avoid wasting any of your produce, eat it quickly or move it into a reused plastic or silicon bag for a longer fridge life. Cook waste free. There are a number of cookbooks on the market for zero-waste cooking including: The No Waste Cookbook by Linda Ly, and the Zero Waste Kitchen by Take Turner.

And, if you're not already composting (big thanks if you are!), there are services available for curbside pick up. For one, you can check out Black Earth who presented at our January Climate Cafe. Videos of all Climate Cafes can be found at our website: www.greenhudson.org.

Number 2: New England will be completely coal-free by 2028

After a fight that took decades of grassroots organizing, relentless action from surrounding communities, and strategic legal partnerships, we have finally achieved an incredible milestone: coal-free New England! With an agreement to retire Merrimack and Schiller Stations, New England's last remaining coal-fired power plants, New England will be completely coal-free by 2028. This is a remarkable victory for cleaner air and healthier communities across the northeast!

This is the 380th and 381st coal plant retirements in the U.S. won through the collective advocacy of the the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign. Local communities, volunteers, and allies all contributed to this achievement.

Our work is not done. Together, we will continue to strive toward 100 percent clean energy across the entire nation, ensuring a future where clean air, water, and thriving communities are non-negotiable.

Eat Here: Good Earth Holistic Kitchen

"Cooked from scratch, guided by nature."

This is the Good Earth Holistic Kitchen and it is one of Hudson’s most sustainable eateries. Clean, healthy food that’s delicious, made fresh from scratch, and never packed in harmful, guilt-inducing black plastic. As trained health coaches, owners Rose and Marcia experienced the benefits of healthy eating first hand. They decided to bring their knowledge to the community in the form of Good Earth. And they decided that not only the food, but also the packaging

and dinnerware would be as sustainable as possible. All to-go containers are biodegradable or compostable. Real silverware if you are eating in. Compostables for taking with you. Their well lit, inviting space in the Hudson Mill building offers plenty of seating, wifi of course. But it’s the food that will bring you back. Chai lattes made from their own homemade low-sugar spice blend, lentil soup, fajita salad, breakfast burrito, smoothies, espressos, and much more. And if you like to have your breakfast for lunch—pancakes all day, served with fresh fruit and yum, real maple syrup! Here you can eat well, healthfully, sustainably, and locally. Can’t beat that. Good Earth Holistic Kitchen.

Catch Up On All Climate Cafes

You can find videos of past Climate Cafes at www.greenhudson.org.

All of our Climate Cafes are focused on the bigger picture of responding to and mitigating climate change, as well as learning what we can each do in our homes, neighborhoods, and our town.

Frank Bruni, a NYTimes columnist, recently traveled to New Zealand and witnessed that country's commitment to protecting its beauty and environment. Of their efforts, Bruni wrote, "What an impressive campaign. And what a powerful inspiration. When you behold this kind of commitment, you internalize it, and as you do, you realize that an accretion of decisions and actions—some communal, some individual, some major, some minor—points the way toward our ecological salvation or ruin."

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. We need to do more to put a stop to the threat.

Join Green Hudson now to learn more.

Recycling Volunteers Needed!

Have fun! Meet your neighbors and

make new friends while helping the planet.

Recycling volunteers needed Saturdays.

For more information:

contact [email protected]

Green Hudson's next meeting will be at

6:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 21st,

at the Avidia Bank’s Community Room, 17 Pope St.

(rear parking lot, side of building near the drive thru)

or via zoom.

Agenda and zoom invites are sent out one week before meetings.

The Green Hudson Newsletter team needs your help! Low commitment and lots of fun! Contact Linda Miller at [email protected].

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".

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