Green Hudson August Newsletter
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| Get Your Federal Energy Credits Now
Before They're Gone! |
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Thinking about buying an EV automobile? Looking forward to that up-to-$7,500.00 tax break? As of September 30, 2025— that's this year, that's next month—that IRA credit is gone. |
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Thinking of updating your current gas powered (or other fossil fuel) heating system and air conditioning system to a new heat pump heating and air conditioning system? If you're thinking about that up-to-$8,000.00 tax credit, you better do it before the end of the year.
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What about your old water heater? Upgrading to a heat pump water heater could save you $2,000.00 on your taxes if you act before the end of the year. |
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| If you want to learn more about the above chart, please click click here.
IMPORTANT NOTE: most of the federal tax credits require installations to be completed before the expiration dates. |
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| At the local level there are additional rebates available from Hudson Light and Power. To see the list, click here. For residents eligible for MassSave rebates (any Hudson resident that uses Eversource natural gas), click here. |
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| Committee Reports: On Summer Break |
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| The Climate and Energy Committee Please email us with questions or to join our efforts: [email protected]. The Education and Outreach Committee The committee is planning our third year of Climate Cafes. To suggest topics, or to help with the planning, please contact: [email protected]. The Plastics Reduction Committee Please email us with questions or to join our efforts: [email protected]. |
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| In the past month, the Legislature finalized several bills and sent them to Governor Healey for her signature, including: |
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| ~~ An enhanced Chapter 90 local road funding bond bill that also features millions of dollars in borrowing for other local infrastructure needs.
~~ Legislation shielding reproductive and transgender care in Massachusetts from legal threats and scrutiny elsewhere.
~~ A supplemental spending bill that appropriates funds for rent assistance, elder home care, and attorneys who represent indigent defendants. |
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| The Massachusetts House of Representatives also passed: |
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| ~~ A bill extending benefits for retired teachers, rectifying the confusion surrounding the original RetirementPlus enrollment process for teachers hired before July 1, 2001, by allowing them a new opportunity to join the program. The bill also allows retired teachers who are hired to work for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education (EOE) and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to remain in the Teachers’ Retirement System.
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| ~~ Legislation that mandates training on human trafficking for lodging facilities requires employees at hotels, motels, lodging houses, and bed-and-breakfasts to participate in a human-trafficking recognition training program and to post in plain view (e.g. in the lobby or common area, and in any public restroom) a written notice developed by the Attorney General, which should include the national human-trafficking hotline number—an important part of efforts to identify and prevent human trafficking. |
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| Green Hudson Volunteers at the Rotary Club's Brewfest |
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| Green Hudson volunteers staffed two recycling/composting stations at the Hudson Rotary Club's "Spirit of Hudson Brewfest" on Saturday, August 2nd. |
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The Rotary Club used compostable cups for beer and cider sampling and compostable bags for pretzel necklaces. Green Hudson volunteers helped patrons separate recyclables and compostables, while vendors collected bottles, cans, cardboard, and carriers that our volunteers took to the transfer station. |
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| Many food vendors used compostable dishware, though significant unused single-use silverware was discarded. Our plastic reduction by-law taking effect in January will eliminate this waste.
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| Scout troops collected returnables, and Black Earth Compost picked up compostables. Very little trash remained at the event's end, with hundreds of plastic water bottles comprising the majority of the recyclables. We'll work with the Rotary Club to seek an economical alternative to plastic bottles for patron hydration.
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| The beautiful weather was enhanced by the collaborative efforts of multiple organizations to reduce the environmental impact of over 1,000 attendees. |
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| State Gives Heat Pump Owners a Break on Electric Rates |
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| The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approved reduced winter electric rates for heat pump owners as regulators seek to lower a barrier to heating and cooling systems expected to play a key role in addressing climate change.
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| The new rate would shave an average of about $540.00 off electric bills over the course of the winter and applies to heat pump owners served by the three major electric utilities: Eversource, National Grid, and Unitel.
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| To enroll in the rate program, customers with heat pumps need to contact their utility by November 1. If your heat pump was installed through Mass Save, you are automatically enrolled. |
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| Greenspace in Kendall Center |
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| There is a 3-tiered public green place at 325 Main St., Cambridge, Massachusetts that is open to the public. In an amazing feat of greenscaping, this rooftop “park” measures approx. 25,000 sq ft of publicly dedicated open space. It has a pickleball court as well as many spots tucked away for quiet contemplation. It's free to the public and just an elevator ride away. The elevator and park are wheelchair accessible. |
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Several organizations brought imagination and innovation together to turn the normal black tar rooftops that add to the city's heat island effect into a respite where the grass works to absorb the heat and not to reflect it. |
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| The garden includes vibrant plantings, cozy seating areas (like Adirondack benches and picnic tables), and relaxing nooks—offering an escape from urban hustle. Visitors can enjoy amenities such as free Wi‑Fi and power outlets for working or relaxing. Check it out at https://www.kendallcenter.com/...
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| Why one epidemiologist won’t let his kids play on artificial turf
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| A turf war is raging over artificial grass. This Wall Street Journal article explains how nervous parents can navigate it. Click here. |
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Thermal imaging shows a turf field in Arlington, Virginia, in yellow on July 29, 2025. |
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| The United States once led in electric vehicles, solar panels and lithium-ion batteries. Now China does. What happened? |
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| All three were invented in the United States. William Morrison developed the first successful EV in 1890. Scientists at Bell Labs created the world’s first commercially viable solar cell in 1954. And M. Stanley Whittingham, a scientist at Exxon, created the first functional lithium-ion battery in the 1970s. |
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| China seized the lead in all of the “new three” technologies, as it calls them, with two things: reliable policy and a push to adopt the new technologies. Read more about how the U.S. lost its early advantage—and how China surged ahead. |
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| Bill McKibben's New Book Tour |
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| Bill McKibben is a renowned environmentalist, author, and activist who has done it again. His new book, Here Comes the Sun, will be published on August 19th and is available for pre-order now from all major booksellers.
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Here Comes the Sun tells the story of the sudden spike in power from the sun and wind—and the desperate fight of the fossil fuel industry and their politicians to hold this new power at bay. From the everyday citizens who installed solar panels equal to a third of Pakistan’s electric grid in a year to the world’s sixth-largest economy—California—nearly halving its use of natural gas in the last two years, the book traces the arrival of plentiful, inexpensive solar energy. |
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| Catch Bill on tour this September! He’ll be traveling coast-to-coast—before and after Sun Day (9/21)—to talk about the power of the sun and how you can help make solar energy a reality. |
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| 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] |
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| 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. |
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