Green Hudson April Newsletter

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Update on PFAS Legislation

At March's Climate Cafe, State Representative and Speaker Pro TempKate Hogan discussed the continued progress toward comprehensive legislation to address PFAs (forever chemicals)pollution in our community and the prevention of further contamination.

Rep. Hogan highlighted the productive partnership between the state and private companies to remove PFAS fromclothing and other consumer products. Rep. Hogan praised the staff of Hudson DPW for their fast response and dedication in addressing our own PFAS crisis in 2019.

Response to forever chemical pollution has been positive, however some challenges remain. In particular, PFAS are heavily utilized in protective equipment for fire fighters. New inventions are necessary to keep our firefighters safe and retire these compounds.

Another challenge is how to address PFAS in communities that rely on wells rather than a centralized water system. PFAS can be filtered out of water, but systems are costly to install. This major piece of legislation has broad industrial and bipartisan support. Rep. Hogan is hopeful that the final bill will be passed during this session.

Committee Reports

Climate and Energy
Our team continues to work on plans for Earth Day (April 22nd) as well asthe Heat Smart program. Contact Brian White at[email protected].

Education and Outreach
As discussed above, our MarchClimate Cafe welcomed our State Representative and Speaker Pro Temp Kate Hogan. Rep Hogan presented background and an explanation about PFAS. Hudson had two wells that were found to have PFAS in them some years back, and now private wells in Hudson and Stow need to be tested and treated. Rep Hogan is co-sponsoring a bill to limit PFAS and to help towns and well-owners to remediate the presence of these toxic chemicals.

Rep Hogan’s office can be reached at 617-722-2600 or [email protected]

A recording of the presentation, with slides, can be found here.

In April, our Climate Café will be an open forum for all residents and anyone interested in plastic reduction. The announcement appears later in this newsletter.

Thanks and appreciation: We are grateful for the Board of Health'ssupport of this warrant article, and appreciate their recognition of the importance of reducing the plastic in our world.

Green Hudson is also very grateful to two organizations who have helped us afterthe recent loss of the use of theAvidia Bank conference room for our meetings and public gatherings:

~ Hudson Town Library has welcomed us to hold our Climate Cafes (4thTuesday of each month, 7–8:30 p.m.) upstairs in their lovely McClellan Room.

~ The Hudson Unitarian Universalist church has also invited Green Hudson to hold our monthly organization meetings (3rdSunday of the month, 6 p.m.) at the church.

Our meetings are all open to the public. It is wonderful that these two public institutions have stepped up to support our volunteer efforts on behalf of Hudson.

For any suggestions or questions, please contact Jeanette Millard:[email protected]

Plastic Reduction

Welcome to Spring! The Plastic Reduction Committee is working hard to get ready for the May 5 Town Meeting. The Non-Recyclable Plastic Reduction Article cosponsored by the Health Department will be #24 on the Town Warrant. This means that it will be on the agenda after the financial articles such as the Budget Override vote. We ask that you please come andstay for the Plastic Reduction article and please vote YES!

If you have any questions about the bylaw, please go to our website www.GreenHudson.org to read the full article, write to us at [email protected], or come to our Climate CafeSpecial Voter Information Session at Town Hall on Tuesday April 22, at 7:00 p.m., on thesecond floor (accessible by elevator). Members from the Dept. of Health and Green Hudson will be there to give a short presentation and to answer questions.

Focus on plastic straws ...

~ As many as 350 million plastic straws per day are used for a few minutes and then thrown away to be buried, incinerated or left as litter.

~ Plastic straws are too small to be recycled. They cause the recycling machinery to malfunction, and are referred to as “tanglers” by the recycling industry.

~ Plastic straws are the tenth most common type of trash found on beaches.

~ Plastic straws end up in the ocean, causing hundreds of thousands of marine animals each year to die by suffocation, starvation and ingestion of the microplastics.

~ Good alternatives to plastic and flimsy paper straws are readily accessible: thicker cardboard, agave, and straws made from other compostable materials. Bringing your own reusable metal, bamboo, or silicon straws is a more sustainable option—or don't usestraws at all!
~ Plastic straws will not be banned in medical facilities in Hudson because some people need bendable straws to accommodate their medical conditions.

~ Many countries, including those in the European Union, Canada, China and India have banned plastic straws completely.

For more information on alternatives to plastic straws check out this Beyond Plastic article: https://www.beyondplastics.org/fact-sheets/plastic-straws.

To join our Plastic Reduction Committee email: [email protected]

Click here to read the Community Advocate's article on this initiative.

Legislative Update

The 2025–2026 legislative session is underway. Legislators have committee assignments and bills have been sent to committees. Hearing will be starting soon. Senator Creem is chair of the Global Warming Solutions Committee and held a hearing on the federal financial clawbacks and how it will affect the future state climate work. A recording of that hearing is available here.

As hearings are scheduled and written and oraltestimonies are needed, we will send out notices to participate. The Bottle Bill has been refiled as was the Plastic Bag ban.

Please join the League of Women Voters on Tuesday, April 15 at 7:00 PM for Part 1 of our Town Hall Series: How the MA Legislature Works featuring Representative Tram Nguyen.

Rep. Nguyen is the Chair of the House Committee for Climate Action and Sustainability and sits on the Joint Committee on Financial Services. Prior to serving in the Legislature, she worked as a legal aid attorney for Greater Boston Legal Services, advocating for domestic violence survivors, workers, seniors, veterans, and children. Rep. Nguyen authored the law

adding coercive control to the definition of domestic violence, one of our priority bills enacted

last session.Register here.

Can You Help onHudson’s Spring Town-wide Clean-up Day?
Saturday, April 26th

Green Hudson is encouraging all residents, businesses and organizations in Town to participate in this year’s Town-wide Clean-up event, either by volunteering to pick up trash along our streets or in our parks, fields and parking lots, or by making a donation to help with the cost of the bags and the reusable gloves and high-visibility vests that we are

purchasing this year.

We will be handing out bags, gloves and vests and collecting trash at the Rimkus Clubhouse in Riverside Park from 9–3

on the 26th (rain date on Sunday the 27th). We can make arrangements to get bags to you and pick up the trash you collect if your group wants to go out during the prior week (April 21–25).

Please sign up using this form if you will be participating in the clean-up.

Donations should be made out to Green Hudson, Inc. and sent to P.O. Box 41, Hudson, 01749.

We will acknowledge every group that participates or donates on social media, our monthly newsletter and on our website. We will also include your business name or organization on the posters that we have for the event if we receive information about your participation by April 10th.

Microplastics Help Breed Antibiotic-resistant Superbugs

“Microplastics are like rafts—a bacteria on its own might not be able to swim down a river, but riding in its biofilm on a tiny bit of plastic it can be disseminated into many different environments,” said study first author Neila Gross, a doctoral student in materials science and

engineering at Boston University.

By being an excellent host for slimy biofilms created by bacteria to protect themselves from attack, microplastics may be contributing to the proliferation of dangerous antibiotic-resistant superbugs, a new study found.

To read the complete article, click HERE.

Speaking About Microplastics ...

Recent studies have revealed the presence of microplastics on Mount Everest, indicating that even the most remote locations are not immune to plastic pollution. In 2019, researchers collected snow and stream water samples from various elevations on Everest, including areas as high as 8,440 meters near the summit. Microplastics were detected in all snow samples and in some stream water samples. The highest concentrations were found around Base Camp, a site heavily frequented by climbers. The identified microplastics were primarily fibers of polyester, acrylic, nylon, and polypropylene, materials commonly used in outdoor clothing and equipment.

Microplastics, defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters, have been extensively documented in the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the world's oceans. Studies have found microplastic abundances in sediments of the Mariana Trench varying from 200 to 2,200 pieces per liter, which are distinctly higher than those in most deep-sea sediments.

Our Next Climate Cafe Is on Tuesday,

April 22nd at Hudson's Town Hall

at 7:00 p.m.

In collaboration with the Hudson Board of Health, our ClimateCafe will be held in the auditorium on the second floor of Hudson Town Hall (there is an elevator). We will be presenting the details of the Plastic Reduction By-Law that will be voted on at the May 5th Town Meeting. There will be a question and answer time where all are invited to participate.

Learn the specifics of theproposal from members ofGreen Hudson and Hudson’s Board of Health,including: banning the use of plastic items and polystyrene (aka styrofoam) in restaurants and for take-out, and some requirements for stores who sell plastic utensils and straws.

The spirit of our proposal is to make Hudson a healthier town to live in, by reducing the presence of plastic in our environment, in our food, and in our bodies. Many other towns have made this adjustment, and many stores and restaurants in Hudson are already leading the way.

Our Plastic Reduction committee has worked hard to spread the word about this needed change and have gathered data and spoken with business owners in town, in close collaboration with the town’s Board of Health.

Charging Stations Info

The town of Hudson currentlyhas 16 public charging station ports (Level 2 and Level 3) within 15km. 25% of the ports are level 2 charging ports and 0% of the ports offer free charges for your electric car.

Green Hudson's next meeting will be at

6:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 20th,

at the Unitarian Church

of Marlborough and Hudson,

80 Main Street, Hudson

or via zoom.

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

Recycling VolunteersNeeded!

Have fun! Meet your neighbors and

make new friends while helping the planet.

Recycling volunteers needed Saturdays.

For more information:

contact [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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