Green Hudson May Newsletter

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Article 24 Passes at May 5th Town Meeting!

We are pleased to announce that the Non-Recyclable Plastic Reduction Initiative has passed at the May 5th Town Meeting with just 9 dissenters!

Green Hudson extends a huge thank you to Lauren Antonelli, Director of Public and Community Health, and the Board of Health that sponsored this initiative. Thank you to all of you who turned out to Town Meeting and stayed and voted, and to those who helped spread the word.

The Plastic Reduction Committee of Green Hudson began exploring the dangers of plastic back in 2018. In 2019 we passed Hudson's ban on single use plastic bags. We took a hiatus during the worst of the pandemic when restaurants were suffering. Then in 2023 we began efforts again to explore more single use plastics that were being banned in surrounding towns and states. We

did a survey of Hudson restaurants and found that less than a third still used Styrofoam, and that less than half used black plastic. All but 3 or 4 restaurants gave out plastic straws and utensils. Since that time many more restaurants have shifted to compostable or recyclable containers, with more switching to compostable straws.

Restaurants now have 7 months to make the shift. If you visit a restaurant that offers compostable or recyclable containers and straws/utensils, please thank them. Starting in January 2026 you can report any restaurants still using Styrofoam, black plastic or single use plastic straws and utensils to the Hudson Health Department and they will help these establishment to make the necessary changes. Green Hudson will also help as much as we can.

Thanks again to all of you who helped to spread the word about this initiative. We are making a difference!

Committee Reports

The Climate and Energy Committee continues to work on plans for the Heat Smart program. Contact Brian White at [email protected] if you're interested in joining.

The Education and Outreach Committee held a community meeting for our April Climate Cafe along with the Board of Health about the plastics reduction initiative (see the lead article in this newsletter). Green Hudson put in enormous amounts of time and energy researching and deciding what to propose. We are very happy that it passed and send our thanks for your support on the new By-Law effective January 1, 2026.

Be sure to see the May Climate Cafe listing later in this newsletter.

Save the Date! The town’s annual Hudson Fest will be held this year on Saturday, June 7th. Green Hudson is in our 4th year of a 5-year plan to make Hudson Fest waste free.

First, we introduced recycling by staffing the DPW trash cans and adding a recycling container at each station. The following year we introduced composting, and DPW staffers commented that trash had been reduced by about half. We were making a real difference! Because sorting often involves questions, we became educators about recycling and composting. Trusty Green Hudson members with some hardy Hudson High School students from the Environmental Club staff each station to assist and explain sorting.

Our goal this year is to enlist our vendors in this process, encouraging them to use recyclable and/or compostable materials in their offerings. Many vendors have already made this transition – please thank them when you notice that their food items are on compostable plates, or they are using good solid non-plastic straws. And please take a moment to stop by a waste receptacle/sorting area and thank the volunteers. It’s a good time to ask questions, and get some help sorting your trash, on your own or with younger generations.

Our hope is that this effort can carry over to other town events and to residents’ homes. It’s a shift that benefits all of us. Once you get the hang of it, it’s easy!

If these activities sound interesting to you, please reach out to Jeanette Millard ([email protected]) for more information about joining the Education and Outreach Committee.

The Plastic Reduction Committee is taking a well-deserved rest after the years of work that led to Hudson's new by-law prohibiting nonrecyclable single-use plastics. If you're interested in joining the PRC in their future endeavors, please contact Elisa Permain at [email protected].

Legislative Update

Both chambers of the Massachusetts legislature are now conducting hearings. Although the legislature has not agreed on the Rules it observes, it is moving forward. On May 6 the Environmental and Natural Resources committee held a hearing on plastic bills—including the Plastic Bag Bill and the Polystyrene Reduction bill. Other climate-mitigation bills will be heard in the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (TUE) Committee.

Governor Healey will soon introduce an Environmental Bond bill. Many groups are advocating for the inclusion of the Plastic Bag bill, Polystyrene Reduction Bill and the Bottle Bill in the Environmental Bond Bill. If you are in favor and want to make a phone call or write a letter, here is a template letter and the wording of the bills.

This Act of Kindness and Its Lesson

A regular reader of our newsletter sent along this small moment* that happened one afternoon near the Hudson Community Garden.

"... (I was) cleaning up Port St., around the community garden, along the river and up RiverView St. A guy was on his lunch break, enjoying the river. I was doing my own thing, under bushes digging out nips, etc. Eventually, I noticed a pile of trash that he had collected. He said he doesn't live in Hudson, but saw me picking up trash, and wanted to help."

She went on to say "I have picked up a lot of trash everywhere I've lived, worked, and walked, and no one has done that. I thought it was very cool, and wanted to share it with you."

What we do—especially when we think no one is watching—can quietly shape the world around us. One act of care inspired another, and together they left a corner of Hudson better than they found it. That’s how green communities grow—not just through policy or programs, but through the ripple effect of everyday actions. When we care for our shared spaces, we invite others to do the same.

* It's moments like this that seem small but leave an indelible memory with us.

How the Klamath Dams Came Down

For thousands of years, the Klamath River nourished Indigenous peoples with its abundant salmon runs. But in the early 20th century, four hydroelectric dams blocked the river, endangering fish populations and disrupting a vital food source for nations like the Klamath, Yurok, Karuk, etc.

As Jeff Mitchell, a leader in the Klamath tribes, recovered from a 1974 accident, he became a key advocate for the river, taking on the U.S. government and powerful corporations that ignored the tribes’ rights and the river’s declining health.

The struggle spanned decades of legal battles, activism, and lobbying. Despite challenges, the tribes stayed committed, uniting with environmentalists and bringing international attention to their cause.

In 2024, more than a century after construction began, the Klamath dams were finally dismantled. Over 1.5 million cubic yards of earth and concrete were removed, revitalizing the river and restoring its salmon runs.

To read the complete story, click here.

May's Climate Cafe Features Personal Finances and the Climate

May’s Climate Cafe will focus on ways to manage your finances that can support efforts to increase sustainability and reduce greenhouse gasses. Sia Stewart and Tom Rawson are the co-chairs of the Third Act MA Finance and Pensions team and will join us on May 27th to discuss personal finance and the climate.

In our Climate Cafes, we’ve been addressing aspects of climate change, to better understand them; and we've also put forward a range of things each of us can do. Sia and Tom will give us a larger picture of how our personal finances play a role in working towards sustainability. Then they’ll talk about what we each can do. Personal finances reflect our personal values, and this topic is another way to take action to align your choices with your values.

The meeting will take place at the Hudson Public Library, upstairs in the McClellan Room, on May 27th at 7 pm. You are welcome to come early to talk with others in our community, and to sample some snacks and drinks. We will close by 8:20, to make sure the library staff go home on time!

A quick heads up for June’s Cafe. Two members of Green Hudson will go over a personal assessment that you can fill out as we go. The assessment is for your own information. They'll present a fairly thorough list of what we each can do to address climate change (in our home, our garden, our transportation, our shopping and financial choices, etc.) You’ll have a chance to reflect on what you are already doing (yay!) and identify some of your next steps. We can also use this information to find out what you’d like in next season’s Climate Cafes as this will be our last cafe until the fall. Hold the date: Tuesday June 24th!

Spring 2025 Town-wide Clean-up Helps Keep Hudson Beautiful

The Town-wide Clean-up Day happened on Sunday, April 27th after the postponement due to the rainstorm on Saturday. It was windy out there—windy enough that the canopy that we set up by the Rimkus Clubhouse blew down even with 2 sets of weights holding it down!

Despite the delay and the wind we had a great turnout and lots of trash was removed from our streets, trails, parks and school grounds. Thanks to Hudson DPW, Hudson Recreation and BP Trucking for coordinating the location, delivery and pick-up of the dumpster and separating and disposing of all of the trash.

Thanks to all of the volunteers, including leaders and scouts from Hudson Girl Scout Daisy Troops 63338 and 84325, Brownie Troop 64189 and 77109, Junior Troop 83846,

Cadette troop 67519, Cub Scout Pack 3104 and Scout Troop 77; and from several businesses who participated in the cleanup: Pawel Everly Electric, Elisa Surabian Art, and Amy Balewicz Homes.

Green Hudson's next meeting will be at

6:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 18th at the

Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson

80 Main Street in Hudson

or via Zoom.

Agenda and Zoom invites are sent out

one week before meetings.

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]

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. And don't forget about

our nature trails! Join Green Hudson to learn how you can help make Hudson greener.

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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