HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
Where are we heading?
Sometimes We, The People Need To Lead
Are You Ready?
|
|
Happy New Year Milton! May a new decade bring health and happiness to you and yours. :-)
The year is new, the decade is new, it's an election year. What can we do?
1. Sustainable Milton is working with the newly formed Greater Blue Hills Climate Action Coalition to bring information, events and change for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in 2020. This coalition includes many local organizations you are already familiar with and we are planning fun things for the year ahead!
Fifty years ago it was a river on fire in Ohio that inspired us. There are many reasons to be inspired right now and I'm trying to keep this positive so I will refrain from listing them here. Stay tuned for more info about upcoming events honoring 50 years of Earth Day.
2. If you haven't already registered, Register to Vote and please vote when the time comes. Has anyone in your family or household turned 18 recently or will they soon? Encourage them to take the next step and begin to exercise their civic responsibility. The only votes that don't count are the ones that aren't made...
3. Take small steps to lower your footprint:
- walk, ride a bike or other self-propelled vehicle, take public transit and/or car pool whenever possible. Can you work it into your life one or two days per week? Perhaps three? Give it a shot. You and the planet will be healthier for it!
- revisit your dietary choices - the standard American diet may not be the healthiest for you or the planet. How might your grandparents or great-grandparents have eaten? Take a few lessons from the old family recipe book. Save a few animals, reduce the methane output, lower your cholesterol, save a few bucks and protect surface water from industrial agricultural run-off. It's another way to vote - with your wallet!! A bag of dried beans for about $1 vs. a lb of factory farmed meat. Simple and inexpensive changes, big return on investment.
- Is it time for another free, home energy audit? Did you know you can have one every 3 years? Contact MassSave.org and go for it! Fridge on the fritz? Unsure your water heater will make it another 3 months? Get an energy audit and info on rebates to replace old, inefficient appliances that might be nearing the end of their useful lifespan. Find out about zero or low interest loans as well. You pay pennies a month on your electric bill to fund energy audits. Get way more than your investment back by scheduling one ASAP!
- Do a reality check on life and energy expenditures. In the early 2000's Sustainable Milton held workshops and donated 10 copies of David Gershon's Low Carbon Diet workbook to the Milton Public Library. As of this writing there are 4 books currently available to take out. It's a great guide to identifying short and long term carbon reduction goals.
- Reconsider single use plastic bottles, straws and utensils. We are very fortunate to have access to good tasting, clean water from the tap. Bottled water is NOT regulated. Why take a health risk by buying it on a regular basis?
4. What do you think Sustainable Milton should be working on in 2020? Join us for our annual planning meeting on Mon Jan 13 at 7 pm. Contact Louie at sustainablemilton.membership@gmail.com for details.
We know our climate is in trouble but what can one or a handful of people do? More than you think. Look what Greta Thunberg, an adolescent from northern Europe has accomplished on a world-wide scale. The Milton Earth Club was inspired to host a climate strike and some of the teen organizers gave passionate speeches at the Milton Interfaith Clergy Association's annual Thanks for Giving celebration in Nov. Our kids are wise. We would be wise to listen to them.
The picture above is from a Boston Climate event in June.
What did we do in 2019? Here's a sampling of our accomplishments, brought to you by our Membership Coordinator:
In 2019 we brought you a series of events at the library about Net Zero and Passive Energy housing; we worked with and will continue to work with students in the Earth Club at Milton High, and students from Fontbonne Academy on trips to Brookwood Farm. We will continue to display plug-in vehicles at our events and emphasize the importance of replacing internal combustion lawn care equipment (ICE) with battery operated lawn care equipment. We are an organization within the Milton Change Makers and a member group of Sustainable South Shore. Our members work with organizations that have similar interests such as the Milton Garden Club, Brookwood Community Farm, Airplane Noise Abatement, and the Milton Tree Advisory Committee, as well as with the town administration to bring positive changes to recycling, energy and green issues town wide.
We make the purchase of rain barrels, compost bins, mesh vegetable bags, and our large, durable and attractive tote bags (made in New England from recycled materials) possible through our website and at events.
Please visit our updated website - www.SustainableMilton.org
Join and become active in Sustainable Milton and/or another group that aligns with issues you are concerned about.
Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year!!
- Tara and the Sustainable Milton team
|
|
|
Sustainable Milton
Pres. Daryl Warner, VP Didi Emmons, Treasurer Greg Naviloff, Secretary Fred Taylor; Board Members: Erick Ask, Henry MacLean, Louie Pierro and Tara Manno Richer
Reach us: info@SustainableMilton.org. Sustainable Milton is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit org
|
|
|
|
|
