Newburyport’s Master Plan recommends implementing a local bike share program to reduce car dependency for tourism and commuting. The City of Newburyport and Newburyport Livable Streets (NLS) are proposing a pilot program to explore how bike share can work in our City. The goal is to have the system up and running in the spring of 2025.

What is bike share and how does it work? Like buses, subways, and commuter rail, bike share is a form of public transportation. In a bike share system, people rent bikes for short trips, starting and ending their rides at designated locations or “stations.” The bicycles in the system are equipped with locks and tracking devices, and users access them via smartphone applications, membership cards, or kiosks equipped with touch screens. Users locate a nearby bike through the app and unlock it through a coded key or by scanning a QR code. When the ride is over, the user can return the bike to any available station.

Visitors to larger American cities like Boston are likely familiar with bike share systems, but they are increasingly popular in smaller communities as well. Some nearby examples include Minuteman Bike Share in Concord and Acton; Portland Bikeshare in Portland, ME; and ValleyBike serving 10 Connecticut Valley communities and UMass. 

The Newburyport bike share is planned to start out with 30 to 35 pedal bikes and 5 or 6 stations in 2025 and grow to around 45 bikes in the following two years. If successful, the system could also expand to surrounding communities, creating our own regional Seacoast system. 

The City and NLS have been securing funding to cover the costs of the proposed pilot system, both to keep user fares low and to minimize any municipal expense. The City has received a federal grant commitment for about two-thirds of the cost of the pilot, and significant funding pledges have been made by the Institution for Savings and Coastal Trails Coalition. The pilot program is expected to launch with no cost to the taxpayer for the first year, and fundraising for future years is continuing.

One of the primary advantages of bike share systems is their positive effect on the environment. By providing an alternative to motor vehicles, these systems help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other types of pollution.

Bike share systems also enhance mobility, offering a solution for short trips that are too long to walk but not practical for driving. They complement public transportation by filling gaps in the transit network, enabling users to easily reach transit stations. And trading car trips for bike trips helps everyone by reducing vehicle congestion on the roads.

Because Newburyport’s proposed bike share pilot is small in scale, the types of benefits described above will be modest initially, but they will increase as the system grows. Bike share will complement the City’s ongoing sustainability efforts and support an evolution to a more equitable and balanced transportation system.

Go to https://newburyportlivablestreets.org/bikeshare/ to learn more about the proposal and to see links to other small bike share systems.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who commit to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting us at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on September 6, 2024.

The climate is global – weather is local. Weather is both ever-present and always changing, but more importantly it is something we have no command over. It can impact our mood and activities, and yet it doesn’t bend to our will. As a control freak, it has always frustrated me that I had no influence on the changing atmospheric conditions around me. Depressing winters, boiling summers, and painful sunburns should sum it up. So, I asked myself, do we have NO control over the weather? 

August 2011. Irene formed near the Cape Verde Islands 500 kilometers off the west coast of Africa and trekked across the Atlantic aimed at the US. The storm eventually surged up the east coast toward Boston, still presenting significant strength. My sister and I were holding our tablets excited to act like reporters! We had been watching Jim Cantore on Channel 47 and wanted in on the action. When the storm hit, we recorded our “observations” as the damage unfolded around us. 

Seeing how initially distant storms like Irene could impact my local community was shocking. Yet, seeing what they can do to a human being's mental state was even more fascinating. It brings out a disquieting sense of fear we rarely see, part of the human condition that emerges when something is beyond our control. But more importantly, I realized that events like Irene can also bring communities together, enhancing local pride to drive meaningful change for future generations. From that moment, I developed a personal passion: I began emerging myself into a world filled with statistics and predictions of the future. 

Through high school I was able to act on my passion, delving further into meteorology. Every website I visited and video I watched provided new-found perspective. Digging deeper, my fear and lack of understanding led me toward an unsettling reality: the weather is a natural process we can’t influence. But weather is driven by climate. As our climate’s temperature rises, exacerbated by human activity, our waters become warmer. Increased water temperatures provide a favorable breeding ground for more frequent, powerful storms. And climate (global warming) is something that we can influence.

This irrefutable knowledge altered my view on the world. I felt it a responsibility of mine to act, joining ACES and Newburyport Storm Surge, both groups addressing global warming and community resilience, where I was able to participate in meaningful work. I even created my own forecasting account to improve local weather communication in Newburyport and interviewed Harvey Leonard, chief meteorologist for Channel 5 News, to include his insights for my podcast.

While meteorology and climate change haven’t been my focus at college, they are always on my mind. Attending a Liberal Arts institution has allowed me to intertwine subjects and use critical thinking to observe the relationship between climate change and meteorological impacts on our communities and our businesses.  Within my business coursework, we analyzed asset valuation and impairment, tax implications, insurance accounting, and the going concern principle, all of which will be impacted. With increased disasters leading to increased destruction within our communities, our businesses will be forced to assess whether the value of assets exceeds their recoverable amount. Likewise, governments may need to offer additional tax relief to businesses affected by disasters, increasing national debt and the complex rules needed to navigate benefits analyses. Additionally, with more frequent disasters, companies may increasingly need to rely on reinsurance and other risk transfer mechanisms. Severe or repeated natural disasters may even threaten the viability of some businesses, particularly those in more vulnerable regions of the country. Cost and risk professionals will need to assess individual companies’ ability to continue as a going concern. 

I leave you with this closing thought: our lives are like hurricanes. We start off as nothing, merely a cloud in the sky. Conditions must be ideal, but when they are, we grow, becoming unstoppable. But, as we mature, we can choose a path to widen our influence. We can all act to have an impact on future climate change and its devastating impacts. Will you be the “storm” to impact our futures, or will you turn out to sea? Will you elicit fear or enhance community pride and community resilience? While we can destroy, we can also unite to repair.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who commit to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting us at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on August 30, 2024.

The Hatchery

by Steve Pucci

In 1997 the Massachusetts State Legislature banned the use of leghold traps for beavers within the state. Also banned were trapping the animals and moving them to another location. Having lived in this area for 45 years, I have noticed pretty dramatic changes to the countryside.

I have frequently walked and ridden a bike through a large wooded State Reservation located in Georgetown, Groveland, and Newbury - Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area. The area runs along the Parker River, a large river that ultimately drains into Plum Island Sound in Newbury. Large and complex, the reservation runs over 2,500 acres, and is available for hunting in season as well as fishing. The Parker River is accessible by canoe throughout this area.

First moving to Georgetown in 1980, I was in these woods frequently. Most of the old dirt roads were easily passable. The old Stagecoach Road from Haverhill to Newbury was dry and clear, and still marked by the old town line granite posts from the 1800s. Gradually as time passed and the beavers began to proliferate, these roads began to flood. At first, just wet sometimes after rain or in spring, then water got deeper and deeper until many parts were covered with four to five feet of water. There are now large ponds where there were woodlands. The woodlands are just the skeletons of drowned trees scattered through the new ponds. Beavers have proliferated and have dramatically changed the landscape for their own use. Large dams can be found all around the area and beaver lodges can be seen in many locales.

One section in particular has been of interest to me. On the old Stagecoach Road a large section is completely flooded and impossible to traverse, with water probably four feet deep. It has become a fantastic habitat for birds and other wildlife. Great Blue Herons hatch their young in nests at the top of old dead trees, frogs make raucous music there, and other birds such as osprey, egret, red winged blackbirds, turkey vultures, and bald eagles are frequently seen. We have the beavers to thank for this habitat. They are brilliant and tireless engineers. I have a new appreciation for their efforts: https://www.wnewbury.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif1436/f/uploads/cranepond_trailmap_2014_1_0.pdf

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A Murder of Crows

by Cherry Underwood

Many people get a kick out of learning that a group of crows is a murder of crows. These English language collective names have been around for centuries. So what are some of the group names of birds we commonly see in this area? Each bird group typically has several collective names. Below is a partial list of bird groups and some of their collective names. 

Blackbirds – cloud, cluster, merl

Ducks – brace, flush, paddling, raft, team

Eagles – aerie, convocation, jubilee, tower

Egrets – congregation, RSVP, wedge

Gulls – flotilla, screech, squabble 

Hawks – boil, knot, spiraling, stream

Herons – rookery, battery, hedge

Osprey – duet

Owls – parliament, wisdom, bazaar, glaring 

Plovers – brace, congregation, ponderance, wing 

Sandpipers – bind, contradiction, fling, hill, time-step

Sparrows – crew, flutter, quarrel, ubiquity

Terns – committee (common terns), straightness (least terns)

Warblers – bouquet, confusion, fall

While it is fun to know some of these collective names, it is quite alright to say a “bunch of birds flew over.” What thrills us is seeing numbers of birds regardless of what they’re called.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who commit to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting us at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on August 23, 2024.

Several of my family members have Parkinson's disease, which some studies have linked to prolonged exposure to pesticides. My extended family owns a nursery, so as kids, they were exposed to lots of different pesticides. My grandmother tells stories of her mother spraying her room with pesticides typically used on trees to keep the mosquitoes away. Her mother would also stir pesticides in a bucket with her bare hands because at the time they didn’t understand how harmful this could be. These stories piqued my interest in learning more about pesticides and the overall environment. 

I recently connected with a local organization called Pollinator PowerWorks to learn more.

Their goal is to help pollinators, such as butterflies and bees, thrive as much as possible. Many people don’t realize how important pollinators are. They are keystone species, meaning an ecosystem absolutely needs them to function. Pollination is essential for the plants to reproduce, so if there were no pollinators, then there’d be far fewer plants for primary consumers (herbivores and omnivores) to eat. If there were fewer primary consumers, then there’d be less food for the secondary consumers (mostly carnivores), and so on, creating a chain reaction. They’re also essential to our food. According to the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, insects pollinate about 75% of global crops, a service valued at almost $600 billion. 

I began to research chemicals in pesticides that could be harmful for these pollinators, but I found conflicting evidence. I then decided to talk to my great uncle who owns a nursery. Because he is a licensed pesticide applicator, I was initially skeptical about what he’d have to say; however, he actually agreed with me. He noted that while chemicals themselves aren’t good for pollinators, the bigger issue is what they are doing to pollinators’ food sources. Many people use herbicides, a type of pesticide used to kill weeds, to make their lawn entirely green.

Getting rid of clovers, dandelions, and other broadleaf plants is a problem, not only because of the dangerous chemicals used, but also because the pollinators need those plants for food.

To bees, an all-grass yard is a dead zone, as there are no plants for them. The best option for helping pollinators is to not spray your lawn to get rid of broadleaf plants such as clovers, and instead to let them grow. Many people actually prefer clovers, which are barely noticeable, hardy, and require less maintenance. However, many people wouldn’t be as open to dandelions because they’re obsessed with making their lawns look as good as possible (my dad), so another option would be to spray your front yard but leave your backyard for broadleaf plants to grow. Even if you must keep an all-grass lawn, you have an important opportunity to help the planet by creating a pollinator garden in your yard. A pollinator garden consists of plants that pollinators rely on. You can include just a few plants you find pretty or incorporate many pollinator plants into your yard’s landscaping. Everyone can make a difference, and every effort counts no matter how small! 

Our family has always sprayed to get rid of broadleaf plants because we had no idea of the effects on pollinators.

We thought that because we used organic products, we were environmentally friendly, but it doesn’t matter what type of product is used if it destroys the food that pollinators need.

Because of my research, we have committed to making our yard more pollinator friendly…even my reluctant dad!

Pollinator PowerWorks is developing a web resource that will help you plan pollinator-friendly gardens.

The pollinator toolkit will be ready soon, but in the meantime, email pollinatorpowerworks@gmail.com with any questions.

Skylar is a risingJunior at Newburyport High School who is a 3-sport athlete and devoted to making a difference in the sustainability of Greater Newburyport. Photo of a local Newburyport pollinator garden was taken by Nicolas Forestell.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who commit to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting us at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on August 16, 2024.

With Tropical Storm Debby coming up the coast this week, we’ll see the benefit of having NOAA’s Hurricane Center, as well as its European counterpart, that allowed timely forecasts of the storm’s track, timing, and potential intensities. Having this advanced notice gives cities and towns time to prepare to protect lives and property and, where necessary, to evacuate to high, drier ground.

Meanwhile, municipalities at the Merrimack River mouth have been wrestling for years with these issues. For instance, the Merrimack River Beach Alliance and Sen. Bruce Tarr have been working to understand and mitigate climate-induced damage to our area’s shorelines. So recent news that Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists and engineers may be working with Salisbury officials to explore construction of an offshore artificial reef to mitigate some of the impacts of coastal erosion is good to hear.

There are many examples around the world of artificial reefs being created both for protecting coastlines and also for creating marine habitat. Some offshore reefs have been accidentally created as sunken ships have settled to the bottom off the coast and generate rich aquatic habitats that can support day-trip tourism for fishing.

Some have occurred as a byproduct of other engineered projects. For instance, offshore oil wells, as unwelcome as they can be by environmentalists, do have some small redeeming values. It turns out that the bottom structure, especially of decommissioned wells, has the effect of forming an artificial reef at the base. These aquatic habitats (commonly known as fish aggregation devices) have created localized marine ecosystems and increased fish populations where they are located. The bases of offshore wind turbines have also been shown to create the same underwater habitats that support sea life and local economies beyond just providing clean energy.

Off the coast of New Jersey, there have been artificial reefs put in place for years with great success. They took decommissioned subway cars from New York and stripped them of any chemical or potentially polluting materials like seat cushions, plastics, etc. and then strategically sunk the large metal hulks to the bottom. Within short order these cars began buffering waves and, within a year, had accreted enough aquatic growth from corals to shellfish to seaweed that they become living reefs. Locally, fish populations soared, and small commercial and recreational fishing businesses thrived, as well.

Coastal protection can come in many forms, including dressing our near offshore in “tutus”. Yes tutus.

https://news.northeastern.edu/2023/05/25/magazine/emerald-tutu-floating-wetlands-coastal-erosion/‍

https://ewn.erdc.dren.mil/a-review-of-innovative-technologies-for-erosion-and-flooding-protection/

There are serious academics and startups engaging in the design and testing of floating rings of seaweed growing on attached ropes and anchored to the bottom. The rings sway and float with every sort of tide and softly dampen the wave action, thus slowing coastal erosion. In addition to this erosion protection benefit, the seaweed can be commercially harvested for food. Plus, expanded marine communities develop around them and they become a nursery for better fishing in the future.

So, as Salisbury possibly works with MIT on their artificial reef concept, maybe they should also consider the added cost benefit that it will not only protect our coastline but also potentially create jobs in our highly marine dependent economies.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who commit to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting us at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on August 9, 2024.

Per the official City of Paris Olympics website, their mantra for the 2024 Green Olympics is LEGACY AND SUSTAINABILITY, ensuring that this major international sporting event will meet its responsibility towards reining in its potential impact on climate change.

They have set a goal to halve the carbon footprint of their games compared with the average for the London 2012 and Rio 2016 games and have planned that all Olympic venues use 100 per cent locally sourced, renewable energy, whereas it has been common practice to use fossil-fueled generators for additional power in the past.

They also approached meeting their legacy and sustainability goals in their concepts for new construction by building a single competition venue for the games, the aquatic center, and as a legacy building to be in continuous use for future generations. In the end, 95 per cent of their other venues already exist and any new infrastructure was built using low-carbon construction technologies. Likewise, they chose renting furniture, street fixtures, canopies, etc. and not purchasing them, thus also guaranteeing their continued reuse. 

But there’s more. In 2015, the city launched its $1.5 billion plan baignade, or swimming plan, to make the Seine swimmable again – a centerpiece in its successful bid for the 2024 games. The plan included connecting more than 23,000 houseboats, residences, and businesses to the municipal sewer treatment systems, which had previously dumped untreated wastewater directly into the river and installing a major aeration system upstream to naturally destroy remaining bacteria in the river. An accelerator for the project, their goal was to clean up the Seine in time to serve as a venue for three of the swimming events in the heart of Paris, including the swimming leg of the triathlete’s race. This goal is significant as the Seine was once so dirty that swimming in it was banned for more than a century, NBC News reported. Now, their sustainability mantra has ensured residents would benefit from a cleaner river after the games (National Geographic reported, August 2024). 

Unfortunately, an untimely Paris rain event, much like the CSO events that we have in the Merrimack, caused a major water quality incident just as the Games opened, which resulted in a change in venue. 

The audacity of Paris to commit and plan for such environmentally friendly, groundbreaking games is one to admire. What if the Gulf of Maine Seacoast could be pursued as the backdrop to an idea with the same foundation? The Merrimack and/or the Piscataqua could host the swimming segment and a coastal roads venue for bicycle racing would be both interesting and scenic. It could provide an opportunity for ME, NH, and MA to collaborate and be the catalyst for future green investments and ecotourism across the tri-state coastal region. 

Or possibly rowing trials? Many rowers launch out of Haverhill opposite the Groveland shore including St John’s Prep from Danvers. The area‘s senior rowers’ groups, who were major contributors to ACES’ survey of the Merrimack River Users, and State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, a river rowing fan, would likely enthusiastically support crew trials for potential team USA members. Perhaps Governors Healey, Sununu, and Mills might connect on such an opportunity, as well.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who commit to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting us at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on August 2, 2024.

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With Yankee Homecoming starting tomorrow, its impending arrival started a conversation among several of us ACES folks about what the historic Yankee culture that existed here in New England for hundreds of years might teach us about our environment and its care. Looking around on the web, we found an article in the December 2007 issue of Utne magazine, in which its staff outlined five tenets of Yankee thrift that caught our attention. Here they are verbatim:

First: “You shouldn’t buy stuff you don’t need. The old farmers couldn’t buy frivolous things, so they didn’t.”

Second: “Everybody needs some stuff… If you’ve got to buy something, make it as cheap as possible by amortizing its cost over a score of years.”

Third: “Heavily research your major acquisitions: Know exactly what you’re buying.”

Fourth: "Buy things that are serviceable... We always ask: Is it serviceable? If it is, it means we can buy parts and fix it.”

Fifth: “Take the same conservationist approach to non-mechanical items that don’t break so much as wear out.”

Preserving and perpetuating those values today can be a major benefit to our environment and offset the tremendous impacts of our throw-away economy. Our historic New England culture and unique desire for independence, thrift, and minimalism have served us well throughout the years. These values have been kept alive in greater Newburyport by our institutions like Historical Society of Old Newbury, the Custom House Maritime Museum, various preservationist groups, the ‘If This House Could Talk’ tours, and the annual celebration of Yankee Homecoming itself. From ACES’ point of view, civic and social groups like the motorcycle club which picks up trash while riding, Repair Cafe’, Tinkerhaus, and Time Trade, as well as shops like Oldies Marketplace and New England Sketch Book, embody this kind of thinking. Even our composting efforts in schools and via Black Earth pickups ‘reuse’ the last remnants of last night’s potato peelings. 

What the list of five things above doesn’t include and we think needs to be included are #6: “Eat locally grown and prepared foods” and #7: “Walk and bike more and don’t waste money on more gas than you need to.”

Many of us greater Newburyport “newcomers” don’t have the same deep roots that some local families do, but we can still share in the culture, a culture of thrift, stewardship of land and ocean, and preservation of what’s truly valuable to our lives. There are some people who believe that being less wasteful is a sign of being less prosperous than their income would indicate. They are concerned that their attempt to save gives the appearance of need rather than a reflection of a personal choice to be a responsible citizen. Additionally, there is a mind-set that no matter what they might do to help the environment, it won’t matter because ecology is a global problem which their behavior can’t possibly impact. And then, there are those who think “Why bother? It’s too late to change the way things are.” But we cannot see the future. We can only deal with the present. The present asks that we do what we can, when we can, where we are. Let’s act on the butterfly effect, a metaphor that suggests that even small actions, like a butterfly flapping its wings, can create unexpected results on complex systems. ACES team members commend Yankee Homecoming and its hardworking committees for working tirelessly since its inception in 1958 and we recognize them as fellow environmental stewards and conservationists. See you all at the YHC Parade.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who commit to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting us at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on July 26, 2024.

Most of my daily activities and how I perform them consider reducing waste by reusing, repurposing, and recycling to cut my carbon footprint. This personal commitment not only benefits the planet, but also works best for my physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

My biggest contribution to cutting my personal carbon footprint is riding my e-bike from here in Seabrook to Newburyport on the rail trail. I go to Newburyport (my hometown) for many reasons, the most frequent (at least in summer) being to deliver my food waste to the Black Earth compost bins in the South End. I do this at least twice a week, weather permitting, which also helps reduce my methane footprint. With the melting permafrost and methane on fire in the Arctic, and methane gas being many times more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, impacts from methane emissions seem to be almost as much of a crisis as impacts from CO2 emissions.

I have always been conscious of how much electricity and oil I use both for cost and for carbon footprint. I save a lot of fuel, especially at night, using low thermostat settings.  However, I have continued to put more effort, creativity and money into trying to reduce my carbon footprint even more in this regard.

Thanks to UNITIL’s monthly reports that use bar charts to compare neighbors with similar size homes, plus the current year's usage compared to last year’s usage, I am glad to see that I have been in the “Good’ category for at least the last couple of years since I moved here mid-2018. I attribute the wintertime improvement partially to having had the attic and basement re-insulated. Since the room with the thermostat is not well insulated, I compensate by setting it between 55 and 60 to ensure that the other rooms maintain 65-68 during the day, then set the thermostat to 50 at night. In summertime I create a microclimate where ceiling fans pull the cold air from the upstairs AC to the downstairs. I use dehumidifiers when ambient temperatures are in thkkje 60's and 70's.

My use of a battery powered mower (the same one for almost 15 years) has further reduced my personal carbon footprint.

Miscellaneous examples of reuse include:

·      buying used clothes

·      refilling containers every week when I buy the toxic-free personal care and cleaning products from the Green House in Newburyport

·      reusing plastic cups from the Senior Center at Eastman Corners in Kingston

·      collecting sticks, pinecones and pine needles to use for outdoor grilling in place of buying charcoal

·      collecting rainwater

·      printing on blank side of used paper I collect, mostly from mail

Thanks to the excellent marketing skills of the Newburyport Recycling Center, they accept the microplastics that I collect at the Joppa and Cashman launches. Since I dread shopping, I buy more selectively and carefully than most, usually dictated by health concerns. For example, I avoid aluminum, a neurotoxin, which unfortunately is ubiquitous in its use for cooking.

My main source of inspiration comes from the first climate sustainability talk show PATTRN on Weather Underground. (I have the Weather Channel on most days to follow storm development, given my atmospheric and air quality studies in the 80’s, followed by 12 years of employment at NJDEP in the Bureau of Air Quality Evaluation). The talk show hosts (also forecasters) interview spokespeople from many environmental nonprofits that I otherwise would never get to hear about, that have invented individual and collective solutions, even for plastic reuse and repurposing!  Efforts are underway to replace black asphalt pavement, possibly with light hemp, to help reduce urban heat island effects.

You can read more about more innovative examples here: About Incredible Eats - Edible Cutlery and Spoon

So don’t despair. There is much being done to help save our environment…and much that each one of us can do.

Gay contributes her musical talents in the area as well as passionately acting as a steward to include  CSO sampling in the Merrimack for the MRWC. She may be contacted at: gaypearson@aol.com

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who commit to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting us at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on July 19, 2024.

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When I think of being environmentally conscious, I remember my parents. Their everyday lifestyle and that of many in post-WW 2 America, showed their awareness, although they never heard the term “environmentally conscious.” People were more respectful of resources. Having gone through the Depression, they didn’t have access to the abundance we both enjoy and abuse today. They reused, repurposed, recycled, and upcycled (RRRU), as a way of life. Clothing and footwear were repaired rather than discarded. There were small appliance and TV repair shops, cobblers, folks who mended, and businesses that paid for scrap metal. Things were used to the nth degree rather than tossed at the first sign of wear. In my father’s workshop, there was a small bucket for scrap metal, and places for newspapers, cloth scraps, and scrap aluminum. All of these went to the scrap yard, paper drives, the rag man, or whatever the appropriate drop-off place was. Food waste went into an in-ground bucket that was picked up by the garbage man and taken to a pig farm where it was used to feed the pigs.

A favorite memory is going to the produce market in the North End on Saturday mornings with my mother to get fresh fruits and vegetables from the peddlers. Under the green overpass (pre- Big Dig) spread before us were all the varieties of fresh produce. Some will remember the peddler putting all of the items in bags as he tallied the purchases which went into the cloth shopping bags my mother then took home to wash. There was no plastic back then. (I still use glass jars to store food as my mother did.) Milk was delivered to our door in glass bottles that were set in their holder when empty so they could be recycled for the next delivery. There were bread men, egg men, and others who delivered goods on a weekly basis.  

While there’s no going back to “the good old days,” we have somehow reinvented some of these opportunities right in our own neighborhood. My concern is that we don’t all intentionally take advantage of our community’s offerings to RRRU. To wit, if you haven’t been to Newburyport’s Recycle Center, please visit.  We can recycle things there like empty toothpaste tubes, pens, and many other items through the Terracycle program. TVs, appliances, electronics, scrap metal, Styrofoam, and more can be disposed of there. Textiles and footwear can go in the Nock Middle School bins. From home we can recycle newspapers, plastics, bottles and cans.  We can get a little green bin and compost our food waste and we can go to the Farmer’s Market for produce. Finally, we can think about how what is ready to be discarded can be upcycled for a new use.

You, too, can be an Enthusiastic Environmentalist. Our planet is begging you. Generations to come will thank you for it. The effort is worth it. It just takes some thought about how you dispose of your trash. Please consider this new, fun way to approach trash disposal knowing that it’s the right thing to do.

Jeanette Isabella is a motivational speaker, life coach and author of "Someday is Here!" as well as a well-known contributor to a caregiving fabric found in greater Newburyport. She is an ACES Advisor on the Education/Learning team and may be reached at: redchair123@comcast.net.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who commit to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting us at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on July 12, 2024.

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Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of educational columns about fostering environmental stewardship and leadership coordinated by ACES — the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards.

As we celebrate the Fourth of July weekend and mark the beginning of summer 2024, let’s include a celebration of Mother Nature and the blessings of our land, waters and fellow species. Healthy ecosystems are those with the most biodiversity where different plants and animals live together, sometimes competing, sometimes collaborating, but developing a balance for the good of the overall community.

As we begin our 248th year of our independence from the British king it might be well to reflect on the diversity of opinion and dynamic social interaction that culminated in our independence. There were firebrands like Sam Adams, and his intellectual cousin John Adams. Unlike today, there were aristocrats like Jefferson who helped keep things together with different motivations and backgrounds but with a sense that “something had to be done” together.

ACES believes it will take all of us working together to grapple with the climate crisis and to learn how to live sustainably. This will mean sometimes suspending our long-held opinions and really seeking information and insights from each other. We need to agree on the facts and put those facts in context with statistical realism. In a concrete way that means prioritizing the threats to our local environment and taking steps to protect ourselves.

We live in a shared space in New England and our lands, and our waters are facing threats from climate change. Recently, we had a tornado in Dublin NH, a March a high tide crested the walls at Hampton Beach, and Fitchburg, MA had dramatic flash flooding and loss of property. Whether one thinks it is ‘just weather’ or a systematically changing climate it still is a bad thing. We need to mitigate ‘bad things’ – together.  

Experts agree on the big picture of what must be done to not make it worse. We must reduce emissions of greenhouse gases whether from burning fossil fuels in cars or power plants, or raising livestock and other farming practices. Meanwhile we must protect ourselves with insurance on our properties even as insurance companies raise their rates because they are no doubt based on actuarial knowledge that climate has changed for the worse. We need to take steps as a society -- locally and individually -- to begin to turn down the heat.

In this hyper partisan political season, we can still make progress together on climate. Whether your business is affected by potential regulations and changes, or you have a family facing higher costs for your homeowner’s insurance, we need to work towards protecting ourselves from sea level rise, giant storms, and the global warming that drives it.

The Earth is like a boat, and we’re all on it. As Woody Guthrie sang in the 1940’s “This land is your land, this land is my land." [see YouTube for his recorded performance] So join ACES and all of our local Allies and communities on helping to bail out our planet, patch it, and sail it towards calmer waters by 2050. And have a happy July 4th, 2024 weekend.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who are committed to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on July 5, 2024.

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This is one in a continuing series of educational columns about fostering environmental stewardship and leadership coordinated by ACES — the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards. This column reflects the opinions of the writer.

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In 2020, I shared my perspective in The Daily News of Newburyport about how Newburyport can take actions to mitigate climate change. I focused it on “micro”, “mini,” and “macro” actions. What’s happened since then?
 
At the micro level, I mentioned our commitment to recycling. This continues stronger than ever as reflected in the overflowing recycling bins on trash pickup days. In addition, programs that encourage voluntary curbside compost pickup have taken hold, with a great many of our residents taking part. Our community effort at “curb alerts” makes for a fun recycling program, and easy and free reuse. We should pat ourselves on the back.
 
Now let’s turn to examples at the “mini” level of environmental action. Good news there too. What other small cities have this many options for ride sharing or commuting? Although the bus options at the Park-and-Ride moved to Seabrook, they are still relatively close and immensely popular.

The local MeVa bus routes are now FREE, and ridership has shown a noticeable increase.

As the population ages, bus rides to the store and medical facilities become not just a luxury, but a necessity. In addition, our bike trails have expanded significantly.

The route around the Route 1 traffic circle has been reconfigured for safety and ease. The fact that we are at the “rail’s end” means we can take advantage of a train to Boston and beyond! 
 
At the macro level, I explained the boom in solar rooftops, which continues. It has been heartening to see how 200-year-old homes can be retrofitted to accommodate solar, on small plots of land, and with shared living in half houses, duplexes, and condo units and rentals.

Energy awareness programs have made many of our 200-year-old-plus homes as tight as 20-year-old homes.

The growth in Rail’s End net-zero rentals has a major impact on how we impact the environment to be better!

But in my opinion, it’s not all good news. We have much to learn. At a macro level impact to the environment, we need to be careful in the choices we make involving older homes.

Our older homes were often built using local materials. But we continue to see old homes bulldozed to make way for McMansions.

Or they are gutted inside and out, emptied into dumpsters filled with early growth woodwork and period features, adding to waste. Gutting a home, much less a room, should be a last resort. Removing every 200-year-old clapboard held by hand-hewn nails, as well as plaster and lath walls, especially when they are not damaged or rotted, isn’t always necessary. And, in the end, our landfills get full, and our usage of limited resources skyrockets.
 
When it comes to climate change, it’s the decisions we make as individuals, whether at the micro, mini, or macro level, that ultimately will make a difference.

A hundred years from now, the current period of “gut and rebuild” will be looked upon as a mistake and our community should encourage less of it.

We need to continue to treat our old Newburyport homes like the climate assets they are by making personal choices to minimize wholesale reconstruction. Not just for history’s sake but for the climate’s sake as well.
 
Jack Santos is a Newburyport resident and retired technology executive who now spends his time supporting local history efforts and historic preservation, with a keen interest in the local impacts of climate change. He may be reached at jack@jacksantos.com jack@jacksantos.com

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Subscribe to Updates” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who are committed to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on June 28, 2024.

This is one in a continuing series of educational columns about fostering environmental stewardship and leadership coordinated by ACES — the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards.

On Monday, 17 June 2024, the City of Newburyport held a historic ribbon-cutting  ceremony for the opening of the new Market Landing Park, an expanded version of the smaller waterfront park created in 1991 and managed by the Newburyport Waterfront Trust for the past 33 years.

Their directive was: to hold, manage, maintain, conserve, and utilize the land for the enjoyment of the citizens of Newburyport, Newbury, and West Newbury in perpetuity, allowing the public free access to the waterfront forever.

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The new Market Landing Park, the product of patient civic collaboration over many years, sits on a 4.4-acre waterfront land parcel that was initially acquired under eminent domain by the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority (NRA) as part of a 1968 urban renewal project which had extensive plans to develop the property with buildings.

 In April 1972, a small group of Newburyport residents and business owners organized “The Friends of the Newburyport Waterfront” to protect public rights to the lands of this urban renewal project, particularly those filled tidelands on the Merrimack River. The Friends were supported by attorneys William (Bill) Harris and Robert Wolfe who pursued the restoration of ten historic “ways to the waterfront” reaching from Merrimac and Water Streets to the river across the NRA waterfront land. Between 1976 and 1980, The Friends litigated in the state Land Court and finally determined that two of ten historic ways and landings were to be held in irrevocable public trust to be operated to the net public benefit.

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In the same year, the Committee for an Open Waterfront (COW) was formed to be the voice of the waterfront, replacing The Friends of the Newburyport Waterfront. In 1991, the Newburyport Waterfront Trust commenced management of two small parks, a 20-foot-wide public boardwalk, and potentially six prospective historic ways to the waterfront.

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​Over the intervening 30-some years many attempts to develop the remaining NRA waterfront lands have come and gone, but the waterfront land has remained open.

Finally, after shifting public views on sea level rise and continued advocacy by COW and many other concerned citizens, we have a glorious open waterfront park along the Merrimack. The new waterfront park is there for the public to enjoy as intended by The Friends over 50 years ago, including bikers, strollers and dog walkers. It has plenty of picnic tables, swings, and Adirondack chairs for all. This is a good reason to celebrate. 

 
COW and its membership are not gloating over this community victory to preserve our open waterfront. Rather, we are extremely thankful for all those elected officials, including current and former Mayors and City Councilors who supported our efforts, and successive waves of COW advocates who donated their time and sometimes their money to preserve an open Newburyport waterfront.

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Monday’s ribbon-cutting was a special achievement which should be held up high.

In the early 1970s, Newburyport became the first city in the nation to use its redevelopment money to restore our history rather than demolish it, resulting in the rebirth of this great city. We have shown what can be achieved by goodwill, collaboration, patience, persistence, and hard work. Congratulations to COW and to all of Newburyport on the new and improved waterfront park. In an age of marketing via social media, we are glad to help spread the word and invite folks down to see our wonderful new park, #theWAPA.

 
Lon Hachmeister is a long-time member of Committee for an Open Waterfront (COW) and a current Board Member of ACES. He may be reached at lonehachmeister@aol.com.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Subscribe to Updates” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who are committed to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting us at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on June 21, 2024.

In Newburyport, we all share the goal to become a more sustainable community. The toughest part of doing this is to find out how everyone can do their part. In the city of Newburyport where we have over 2,150 students who unquestionably contribute to our town's carbon footprint, starting in schools is a logical way to involve our youth. In past years, the Newburyport School District worked on reducing waste by encouraging recycling, forming student-led Green Teams, and taking students on field trips about sustainability. Composting programs have been started in both the Bresnahan Elementary School and the Newburyport High School, which seems to also be a constructive step toward our common goal.

When I was tasked with the I am We project - a civic action project for grade 8 students to become engaged in local, state, and federal government - my interest went straight to doing something about sustainability.

As a student at Nock Middle School, it would be hard not to notice the overwhelming amount of waste we produce. There are trash cans in every room that are filled by the end of the day. Within the 8th grade, we fill almost three whole bins at lunchtime, and as a whole school we send five barrels of trash to the landfill EACH DAY. Landfills are the third largest source of human related methane emissions in the U.S. Methane emissions are harmful to our earth because methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

We have the power to reduce the amount of human methane emissions through composting.

However, I was keenly aware that the Nock and Molin schools do not actively compost, and I wanted to find out why and how to get my school community started. Serendipitously, there were already a few staff members in the district working towards this same goal. Over the course of the past couple months, my partner Cameron Grelle and I connected with staff members and collaborated to direct and design the Pilot Composting Program within the Molin School. The fourth grade was the ideal group to start this, as most of them have previous experience at the Bresnahan. First, we educated these students to inform them of how the program will work. This presentation included a guide to what can or cannot be composted and why. Students were given the option of participating and most chose to participate. 

The pilot program could not be launched without student and parent volunteers.

The Green Team teachers and staff coordinated with sixth-grade volunteers and recruited parents because we knew that having monitors is especially important while working with such young students. We trained the sixth-grade volunteers, making sure they knew what can be composted and how to help when fourth graders had questions. The program began to take shape on March 5th, and it is still going today. By the end of this program the fourth-grade lunch was saving about 28.4 lbs. of trash per day from going into landfills and diverted to composting. We see this program expanding as the fourth graders become fifth graders and the new third graders come to the Molin School.

We hope that all grades in the Molin and Nock Schools will eventually make composting a habit for lunchtime. However, as students, we have experienced firsthand how many pieces must go into making this program successful. We cannot jump start this in all grades yet because of the time, effort, and cooperation needed by all of us.

Additionally, it is critical that Newburyport School District create a policy supporting these practices.

This program not only showed clear waste reduction but also growth in the students' knowledge of composting. We hope students will share this knowledge with their parents and influence others to practice the waste reducing act of composting.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Subscribe to Updates” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who are committed to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting us at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on June 14, 2024.

This is one in a continuing series of educational columns about fostering environmental stewardship and leadership coordinated by ACES — the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards.

The five Rs generally associated with reducing waste are: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, REPURPOSE, and REFUSE. Now there are six – REPAIR.

Repair Cafés are gatherings of people who can repair things and those who have things that need to be repaired. On April 14, 2018, the first Repair Café in Newburyport was held welcoming 90 Visitors and 146 items needing repairs.

The seeds of the Café were planted in 2016 when members of the Time Trade Network of Greater Newburyport and the City of Newburyport’s Toward Zero Waste Initiative learned of the concept. We became very excited about the possibility of starting one here. With guidance from international and local Repair Café/Fixit Clinic organizations, and field trips to other Cafés, we were sold!

What were our goals? To rescue items from the waste stream, to promote a culture of repair, to make damaged items functional again, to restore cherished and irreplaceable items, to create a space for community connections, and to have fun doing it. From the first Café until now, our goals continue to be met due to the enthusiasm and dedication of our organizers, general staff, repairers, and visitors.

People are saving, rather than tossing, items that need repair.

On April 27, our sixth full Repair Café welcomed 140 visitors to Newburyport, with over 275 items to be repaired. Everyone had been eagerly awaiting its return after a four-year hiatus. Here are snippets of what folks had to say:

VISITORS

“This was my first Café experience and I'm still astonished by the stunning repair the two masters did—in two shakes of a lamb's tail —of my original and irreplaceable Osterizer Blender.”

“So easy and free. Keeps stuff out of landfills.”

“Awesome array of services, so organized/friendly.”

“Love this event.”

“I love the joy from those who love to restore items along with the hope of those who may get their item restored.”

REPAIRERS

“As always it is such a great event, meeting so many people…I do find it disappointing when we must tell people that we are unable to repair, but often just us doing the diagnostics helps them make a decision to recycle, etc. The ones we do fix, the owners are so happy and thankful, and that makes it so worthwhile.”

“I really enjoyed my first Repair Café.  Everyone on the team was so welcoming I felt right at home. I’ve always enjoyed fixing things and our ‘customers’ were so grateful for anything we could do. I can’t wait for the next one.”

“This year I had the honor of repairing a hole of a "fits-just-right" dark blue sweater. It once belonged to Merle and now his daughter lovingly wears it and tends to it; the sweater wraps his daughter in his love. A great big Teddy Bear was triaged in the sewing department, three people working to staunch the flow of stuffing, give him a new nose, and patch his numerous holes so that a young one could have his friend back.”

“While I mend people’s treasures at the Repair Café, I get to listen to their stories. Recently, a woman unwrapped her decorative plates and told me she bought them on her honeymoon. Her son accidentally broke them years ago, so she put them in boxes where they stayed for decades. She recently found them and is sure they’ll make the perfect wedding gift for her son. I repair the plates, and she leaves beaming. I’m glad Repair Café provides a place to lend a listening ear. Every conversation is a reminder of how much we all have in common.”

Start saving your items for the September 28, 2024 Café!

Contact the Repair Café Newburyport organizers at repaircafenbpt@gmail.com with questions or to share your repairing expertise.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Subscribe to Updates” link on this page. Consider joining our community of stewards who are committed to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on June 7, 2024.

Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of educational columns about fostering environmental stewardship and leadership coordinated by ACES — the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards.

by Ron Martino

June 5 is designated by the United Nations as World Environment Day (WED). It is a day to encourage people to take action to protect the environment. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) leads the day, which has been celebrated since 1973. WED is supported by many non-governmental organizations, businesses, and government entities. Some ways to participate in the spirit of WED include restoring land to optimal use, using water wisely, and buying sustainable products.

June 8 is World Ocean Day which helps unite and rally the world to protect and restore our blue planet. It supports collaborative conservation, working with its global network of youth leaders and 2,000+ organizations in 150+ countries, and providing free and customizable promotional and actionable resources.
 
In support of ACES' goal of thinking globally while working locally to address climate and environmental challenges, we are pleased to share some of the tips provided to us by the UN for living more sustainably with a focus today on reducing plastics in our rivers, oceans, beaches, and in our lives. They are nothing difficult or costly to anyone. It’s just a matter of getting these ideas in motion and they will start to become good habits. The health of our planet depends upon more good habits to protect our resources. So here they are:
 
Create a Clean a Beach Day: if you live near a coastline as most of us do, join beach clean-ups in your area. Or take your family along on a beach walk and start your own clean-up. To find local events and volunteer opportunities, check out the Environmental Calendar under the EVENTS tab, located on this website.

Clean a River: Rivers are direct pathways of plastic debris into the ocean. Join a river clean-up or do your own! The river will look clean and benefit its ecosystem and the ocean. 

Shop Sustainably: Next time you are out shopping, choose food with no plastic packaging, carry a reusable bag, buy local products, and refill containers to reduce your plastic waste and positively affect the environment.

Try a Zero-Waste Lifestyle: Become a zero-waste champion. Invest in sustainable ocean-friendly products, reusable coffee mugs, water bottles, and food wraps. Consider options like bamboo toothbrushes and shampoo bars. These will help you save money and the ocean too. 

Travel Sustainably: When you are on holiday, try to limit your single-use plastic intake. Refuse miniature bottles in hotel rooms; carry a reusable drinking bottle. And use reef-safe sunscreen to avoid microplastics.

Advocate for Change: Ask your local supermarkets, restaurants, and local suppliers to ditch plastic packaging. Refuse plastic cutlery and straws, and tell them why. Work with your local authorities to improve how they manage waste.

Dress Sustainably: The fashion industry produces 20 per cent of global wastewater and 10 percent of global carbon emissions. That’s more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. “Fast fashion” is so last year. Consider sustainable clothing lines, vintage shops and repair your clothes when possible. Buying locally is also part of sustainably dressing.

Choose plastic-free personal care products: Personal care products are a major source of microplastics, which get washed into the oceans straight from our bathrooms. Look for plastic-free face wash, day cream, makeup, deodorant, shampoo, and other products.
 
ACES realizes so much plastic is designed into our everyday lives that shifting towards a plastic free future will be a journey. So, let’s put one foot in front of the other and begin to reduce plastics in our lives.

For more information about UN World Environment Day is the link:

[https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwgdayBhBQEiwAXhMxthtQDxdty__4AUd4Rq7SjbXP_vyqyYYxJDricPOqDfGfKFV44HFkmhoCfRkQAvD_BwE].

Ron Martino is an ACES Advisor/Mentor who is passionate about reducing plastic pollution. He can be reached at ronmartino.aces@gmail.com. ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Subscribe to Updates” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards committed to Making Every Day Earth Day by contacting acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on May 31, 2024.

This is one in a continuing series of educational columns about fostering environmental stewardship and leadership coordinated by ACES — the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards.

by Madelyn Kaplin

If you were to travel back in time 200 years, you would probably notice quite a few differences compared with our modern world. Sure, there would be no cars on the roads, and the people walking on the street would dress and speak rather peculiarly- but look up: the night sky you would see is vastly different from the one you see today.

The reason? Light pollution.

The advent of the electric light bulb in the 19th century revolutionized the way people were able to live, travel, and work. But the ability to artificially light our world at night has had unintended consequences on our health, our perception of the world around us, and the ecosystems we depend on.That view of the night sky from 200 years ago would have been unobscured- truly dark and bursting with stars on a clear night.

Today, 80% of the world’s population lives under light polluted skies, unable to see the Milky Way.

Over the past decade the night sky has grown brighter by nearly 10% annually. Light pollution- the human alteration of outdoor light levels from those occurring naturally- obscures our view of the universe. We rarely think of light as a ‘pollutant’ in the same way we consider plastic or carbon dioxide- but when lighting is used in excess, and light ends up in places where it is not needed or intended, it, too, can become an environmental pollutant with negative effects.

Exposure to high levels of artificial light at night suppresses melatonin production and disrupts our natural circadian rhythm, increasing our risk for a host of negative health outcomes such as sleep disorders, depression, diabetes, and heart disease. Outdoor lighting that shines when or where it is not needed also wastes energy and money- nearly $3.3 billion annually, according to some estimates.

Humans are not the only ones affected. Every species alive today has evolved with the daily cycle of light and dark. Light pollution prevents fireflies from finding each other to mate, reduces the efficiency of nighttime pollinators like moths and bats, and can even impact when trees bud out and drop their leaves.

Every spring, 3.5 billion birds return to the U.S. from wintering grounds in Central and South America to make nests, lay eggs, and raise their chicks.

80% of migratory species are nocturnal migrants, taking flight at night to avoid predators and stay cool.

These birds cross vast distances (anywhere from a few hundred to many thousands of miles) and use the position of the stars to help guide them.

Not only can a bright night sky make it harder for birds to navigate, but the glow cast upwards from cities and developed areas attracts birds in from miles away, luring them off their course and into dangerous, unsuitable habitat. Disoriented, they may become entrapped, circling lighting sources until they become exhausted, depleting themselves of the energy they need to migrate. Collisions with buildings are perhaps the biggest risk- more than 500 million birds die from flying into buildings every year.

Light doesn’t endure the way plastic or other pollutants do.

If we change how we choose to light our outdoor spaces, we can quickly undo some of the harm caused by light pollution.

Now, as spring migration reaches its peak, is the perfect time to act. Turning off outdoor lights at night, especially between 10pm-6am, using automatic light controls such as timers, dimmers, or motion sensors, switching to warmer color lights (3000 or less on the Kelvin scale), and using down-shielded outdoor lights that prevent light from escaping upward are excellent steps toward helping protect a dark night sky for both wildlife and people.

Madelyn Kaplin is a member of Biology and Visitor Services teams at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. She can be reached at madelyn_kaplin@fws.gov.

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Subscribe to Updates” link on  Please consider joining our community of stewards committed to Mak Every Day Earth Day by contacting acesnewburyport@gmail.com We can make a big difference together.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on May 24, 2024.

Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of educational columns about fostering environmental stewardship and leadership coordinated by ACES — the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards.

by C. Peter Erickson

Year upon year, during nine months of cold and chill, the ocean delivers all manner of flotsam to our sandy shores here on Plum Island. With the coming of summer, folks arrive to take in the sun, sea and sand, and just to come out and play. Finally, winter in New England has ended! Storm tides of winter, now just a memory, remain traced by the bathtub ring of sea hay, driftwood and seaweed, all along the so-called “wrack line” high on the beach.

It is understandable that for many, all this debris on the beach is something of an annoyance. But for migrating shorebirds, the table is set. While sandpipers, sanderlings, and willets skitter along the shore break, our special guests, the piping plovers, nest among the high beach wrack line, venturing to water’s edge early and late in the day. All manner of shorebirds feast upon minute crustaceans spawned in the wrack line and in the sands between grassy dunes and ocean surge. Given the threatened status of piping plovers, our “Plover Wardens” have been authorized to string off sections of the beach to protect them from foot traffic by human visitors. This safe space attracts nesting terns as well, spearing inch long sand eels from the briny deep then returning to nest among their neighboring plovers, while offering air cover to them in return. These diminutive terns have been seen driving off a gang of crows on the hunt for plover chicks. They’ll shoo away dogs and poop on your hat if you don’t keep moving past their nesting. Ya’ gotta love the aerobatics and the sheer courage of nesting terns.

Meanwhile, all along the wrack line gusty spring winds and summer shore breezes have been blowing sand up to the toe of the dunes. Drifting sand that has become captured here will bury most of that messy looking debris, while raising the surface of the beach and building up the face of storm-torn dunes. Already, this season’s windrow of sea hay is mostly covered. Beneath the surface, this organic material has begun to decompose, adding nutrients to otherwise sterile silt and sand. Dune grass and beach plants are beginning to emerge. There remains ample space for foot traffic, beach blankets, and ball games closer to the water’s edge. Well suited to salty and sandy wind scoured environments, dune vegetation cannot tolerate even a modest number of footsteps. Allowed to fill in naturally, these plants will continue to gather drifting sand, helping to propagate future generations of vegetation. And so the dune building cycles will continue for as long as we let nature run its course, uninterrupted by foot traffic and beach sweeping.

I have heard the word “synergy” defined as when: "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts”. As true as this may be, I prefer Buckminster Fuller’s definition: “The whole is unpredictable from the sum of its parts”. Who could guess that the small but mighty shorebirds, and their dependence upon the wrack line, would be essential factors towards building our protective sand dunes. First comes the wrack line, attracting nesting shorebirds. In the absence of foot traffic, air cover arrives courtesy of nesting terns. Soon to follow, as summer follows spring, are native beach grasses that further build and stabilize the face of protective sand dunes, thereby sheltering the beachfront homes behind them. If next winter’s storms take another bite out of the face of the dunes, then the process will begin all over again, just so long as we humans let it be. It’s all connected. With just a little help and understanding from we human visitors, when left to nature, dunes will build dunes. Who knew?

C. Peter Erickson, a resident of Plum Island with a strong interest in what happens in the natural world around us, can be contacted at cperickson48@gmail.com‍

ACES and its Youth Corps invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Subscribe to Updates” link on ACES’ website – https://www.aces-alliance.org/. Please consider joining our community of stewards committed to Making Every Day Earth Day by contacting acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a big difference together.

This column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on May 17, 2024.

Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of educational columns about fostering environmental stewardship and leadership coordinated by ACES — Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards.

by  Mara Flynn, Director of Youth and Children's Ministry -- First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist

In the lead up to our annual Earth Day Service on April 21, led by the FRSUU Green Team, we spent several weeks in Young Church talking about nature and about our fears and hopes for the planet, our home. We talked about what we can continue to do individually, and about larger systems that need to change. The children created signs and art to share, and five students wrote original "Poems for the Planet" to share with the congregation. We are delighted to be able to share their poetry with you!

email: mara.flynn@frsuu.org

THE POEMS

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We love our earth and please don’t leave trash on earth.
I bet that earth has feelings. Just because someone can’t talk doesn’t mean they don’t have
feelings.
Animals, people - you care about them, right?
So you should care about earth which includes trees, grass, and that stuff.
Bye. Thank you.
Oh. And earth is peace and hope. Bye.
by Serafina Moerlein-age 7‍

Together we can make change.
Not with one of us left out, together we can make change. Show each other that change can
make a big difference. Together we can make change.
by Elodie Stafford-age 8‍

If cats were in charge of the world
Air pollution would be an illusion
Because cats don’t drive cars
We wouldn’t have to cut down trees for our beds They would be made of cloth and fluff
If cats were in charge of the world the
only type of litter would be kitty litter
If cats were in charge of the world, we wouldn’t burn fossil fuels
Cats don’t heat their houses, they leave that to their fur
The world would be a better place if cats, cats, cats, were in charge of the world.
by Esme Speck-age 8 (almost 9!)

Today the world is a good place,
But tomorrow, we can make it greater.
But we should do it sooner, rather than later.
You could plant some trees,
Or make a hive with lots of bees.
You could plant a flower in the soil and try not to use too much oil.
Take a walk in the garden and look at the plants but try not to step on too many ants.
When you are going to school, instead of taking a car, you could ride a bike,
If it's not too far.
by Julia Treat-age 9‍

The earth is the center of our being and it supplies us with all we need to survive and thrive.
It has created many other life forms including plants, animals, and fungi.
While we create buildings and houses, the earth creates forests and plains.
While we create tanks and guns, the earth creates leopards and pumas.
Even though we create technology that can ruin our planet’s surface, we can also create
technology to help repair the earth.
With hope and curiosity we can direct our inquisitive minds and great potential towards saving
our planet earth.
by Hal Shepard-age 9
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ACES Youth Corps and team members invite you to stay updated on climate and environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Subscribe to Updates” link on ACES’ website – https://www.aces-alliance.org/. Please consider joining our community of environmentally minded neighbors and let us know your thoughts or ideas to help Make Every Day Earth Day at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. We can make a BIG difference together.

This column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on May 10, 2024.

‍This is one in a continuing series of educational columns about fostering environmental stewardship and leadership coordinated by ACES -- the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards.

by Kathleen Brittan

After a soggy Saturday and a rain delay, Sunday morning, April 21 was sunny and clear. Vivid colored lines and graphics, created by local artist and activist Megan Chiango, adorned Cashman Park. Bright future high-tide marks dressed the public boat launch pillars. and orange-clad people started to gather.

Storm Surge, a local non-profit dedicated to tackling climate change through science-based outreach, education, and community events, exhibited “Rising Tides: Visualizing Change to the Cashman Park Shoreline,” fittingly to coincide with the international Earth Day celebration and ACES’ Earth Day event.

The interactive exhibit demonstrated the challenges of sea level rise and its effects by using colored bands on the boat launch pillars that mark projected future high-tide levels for the years 2030, 2050, and 2070, based on State of Massachusetts estimates.

As further demonstration, colored chalk lines on the ground represented how far high-tide levels would reach into the park. These were laid according to a map generated by the Woods Hole Group, vividly illustrating the encroaching waters’ reach into the park and abutting neighborhoods.

Storm Surge’s call to the community was met with a robust turnout. Gathering community members stood along the 2050 high-tide line to demonstrate the impact of rising tides which was captured in an aerial video produced by Dr. Stephen Young, Jason Risberg, and members of the Salem State University drone class and geography club.

Some attendees expressed surprise at the extent to which the predicted twice-daily tides could inundate the park, a space many know and cherish. Others expressed deep concerns that, based on their observations of recent flood events, the future might be worse than projected. Participants actively engaged in discussing what options might be available to mitigate the rising waters in the future. The event was successful at raising awareness and encouraging discussion.

Cashman Park, Newburyport’s largest and most used recreational hub situated along the scenic Merrimack River, stands on the frontlines against the impacts of a changing climate. Facing threats from rising sea levels, the “Rising Tides” exhibit dramatically demonstrated the need for a pro-active climate adaptation strategy.

Sea levels are rising and it’s up to us to start the conversation about what that means for places we love, like Cashman Park. “Rising Tides” is a call to action for every Newburyport resident who enjoys our beautiful park, cares about the environment, or just wants to learn more about what climate change means for us and our city, both now and in the future. While the group markings have faded, the colored bands and informational banner near the boat launch will remain in place through the end of September.

“Rising Tides” also serves as a catalyst for the community to join the conversation. Learn more at storm-surge.org and share your ideas at upcoming meetings. Visit the city’s website and register to attend one of the community forums on climate action next month. Contact your council members and parks commission and encourage conversation and planning for the future of Cashman Park.

This project was a collaborative community effort that included the participation and support of the following organizations and people that made “Rising Tides” possible:

The City of Newburyport, including the Resiliency Committee, the city’s engineer, the Parks Commission, the Harbormaster, and Newburyport Youth Soccer provided invaluable support, thus ensuring a smooth and successful event.

Salem State University provided outstanding aerial video work, the Woods Hole Group gave their mapping support, and the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game approved the flood markers on the boat launch.

ACES Youth Corps and team members invite you to stay updated on climate and environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Subscribe to Updates” link on this website – https://www.aces-alliance.org/. Please consider joining our community of environmentally minded neighbors and let us know your thoughts or ideas to help Make Every Day Earth Day at acesnewburyport@gmail.com.

Together we can make a BIG difference.

This column first appeared in the Daily News of Newburyport on May 3, 2024.

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Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of educational columns about fostering environmental stewardship and leadership coordinated by ACES — the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards.

There is too much plastic in our lives. Earth Day celebrations around the world this year focused on and amplified what we already knew. You can see it all around. It’s on the roadsides, our beaches, or in your recycling bin headed towards a down-cycled future. Daily we read of micro-plastic particles in the air we breathe and the food we eat being captured in our bodies and affecting everything from pulmonary and digestive functions to reproductive health. We all know it and our response to this excess of plastics needs to be to find better ways to slow down and then reverse some of these problems.
 
We need to try somethings to get the reduction of plastic’s harm in our lives. Here’s some ideas we suggest be considered. 
 
Avoid buying bottled water, especially in single use plastic bottles. Buy a few good stainless-steel bottles to take to school, the gym or work and avoid ingesting any more plastic than necessary.
 
To reduce the overall quantity of plastic items produced, governments should put a special disposal cost surcharge or ban, tax, or set adequate deposit return fees for single use products or packaging when it’s not critical to functional need. Municipalities and school boards can choose to restrict purchasing of such items for use in their buildings. States can pass or update bottle return regulations to achieve much higher levels of return for reuse or recycling of plastics of all beverage bottles including alcohol. At the Federal level a wholesale tax should be explored on plastic packaging intended to be shipped by Amazon, FedEx, etc. This will cause their engineers to come up with better methods and packaging designs.
 
Design a framework of regulation, based on the best science to identify the most biologically harmful “forever chemicals” used in plastic formulations. The choice of these should be a combination of the most harmful and most widespread. With some of these chemicals just now being regulated by the EPA in water supplies, why not slow down the new plastics entering the system in the front end along trying to remove them at water treatment plants.
 
How can we persuade the plastic industry lobbying group that originally designed the system defined the recycling “triangle” coding to change it to accurately reflect which plastics are truly recyclable? They should remove the designation as recyclable for those that may be technically recyclable, but which are largely not recycled due to cost and demand for their down cycled product. Originally devised in 1988 by The Society of the Plastics Industry (now known as the Plastics Industry Association), this system is very misleading because although it may be technically possible to recycle the items designated with a triangle number, for some of those plastic types it’s not economical to do so. This makes it even more costly for municipal waste and recycling processes to cope with.
 
In our personal spending we can try to buy items with less plastic packaging, especially of the single-use kind. And explore the emerging trend of patronizing refillaries. A refillary is a shop that sells products by weight or volume into the customers’ own reusable containers. Examples today in Newburyport include Green House, a shop on Water St with carries products like body wash, soaps, hair and beauty products as well as household cleaning products. The use of a refillary saves the world from those oversized throw away detergent jugs or shampoo bottles which are not economic to recycle. A parallel concept for beverage bottle reuse is to buy your beer from local craft brewers in glass growler jugs either your own which you bring into the brewery to refill or one of their returnable for a re-fill jug. These growlers make great birthdays or other gifts for friends and family who are beer drinkers, for example on Father’s Day. 
 
So as this an idea to use this week, why not consider giving a ‘thank you’ gift to your mom or sister of personal care or beauty products from a refillary or stop buy your favorite local brew pub and ask about growlers as a Father’s Day gift. And talk up plastics reduction ideas and maybe share this article to your Facebook friends. And remember to do something today to “Make Every Day Earth Day”.

ACES youth corps and team members invite you to stay updated by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Subscribe to Updates” link on this website. Please consider joining our community of environmentally minded neighbors and let us know your thoughts or ideas ON REDUCING PLASTIC by using the CONTACT page on this website. Together we can make a BIG difference!

This column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on April 25, 2024.

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ACES EARTH DAY EVENT

Sunday, April 21, 2024

12:00– 3:00pm

No Rain Date ……. Mother Earth is on our side with a Sunny Day

PROGRAM DETAILS

Time Start      Time End        ‍

12:00               12:10             ACES Kickoff – Welcome and Opening Remarks by Art Currier

12:10               12:15             Announcement of all participating organizations

12:15               12:20              Introduce Master of Ceremonies, Kristine Malpica, of Imagine Studios

12:20               2:00               Live Music Performances

                                              Music with Earth Day/Environmental Theme

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Shout-out Recognition to the 18 Participating Organizations and any special activity going on at their tables

12:20               3:00                 “Give a Hand for Environmental Action” -- Make Every Day Earth Day 2024

                                               Hand drawing on 12-foot canvas. Christmas tree seedling “give-away.”

2:00                 2:30                 Speeches by elected officials and Forever Green Newburyport 2024

2:45                 3:00                 ACES Closing Remarks

PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS

ACES

C-10

City of Newburyport Recycling, Energy & Sustainability

Coastal Trails Coalition

First Parish Church of Newbury Food Pantry

Imagine Studios

Maple Crest Farm

Merrimack Valley Planning Commission

Newburyport Livable Streets

Our Neighbor’s Table

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

Repair Café Newburyport

Resilient Newburyport

Small Solutions/Big Ideas

Storm Surge

Port Parks Alliance

Merrimack River Watershed Council

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This is one in a continuing series of educational columns about fostering environmental stewardship and leadership coordinated by ACES -- the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards.

Vogue magazine’s April 9th edition features an article titled “Everything You Need to Know About Earth Day 2024."
 
It recounted that Earth Day was the brainchild of US senator and environmentalist Gaylord Nelson, following a big oil spill in 1969 off the California coast near Santa Barbara. He came up with the idea of having college teach-ins to highlight the importance of clean air and water, with April 22 chosen as a convenient date between Spring Break and finals. An interesting poetic angle of its "origin story" is that Saint [Santa] Barbara was the patroness saint of firemen, firework makers, mathematicians, lighting and chemical engineers. Ironically all of these can be relevant to environmental discourse today.
 
Creating Earth Day was a brilliant and potent move with the first event in 1970 leading to an astonishing 20 million people participating. It was so big that by the end of that year President Richard Nixon, ever as astute politician, created the Environmental Protection Agency in December 1970, as well as signing of the Clean Air Act. 
 
Has it really worked? Don’t we still see bigger and more frequent storms, rising seas and more flooding? And what about and more industrial pollution and plastic microfibers than ever in our lives  

Yes! It has worked and will continue working as long as people bring their attention back to it. Worldwide meetings of nations like the COP 28, and Prince William’s Earth Shot Prize continue the push. So do major donors like Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ massive grants, especially on Africa. Reductions in automobile noxious gas emissions have been making strides each year, even more so as hybrids and EVs have emerged. And recent polls suggest that more than 30% of Americans are trying to cut back on their purchase and use of plastics. And more than that think there is too much plastic waste and its resulting pollution in our lives. 

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But - there is always a but - lots more needs doing. That's where we come in. By "we" I mean humans and our lands and resident wildlife. We can re-wild our earth and make it a healthier and more prosperous place if we band together and think about, and do, innovative things. Things like planting pollinator gardens, insulating our homes better, creating community gardening spaces, and eliminating as many single use plastic applications as possible. 

It's a hopeful thing that humans are rallying around the globe. According to Deloitte’s Sustainable Consumer research of 2,000 UK adults, four out of five UK consumers adopted more sustainable lifestyle choices during COVID-19 pandemic. 85% of consumers adopted at least one lifestyle change to be more sustainable, with a third considered “highly engaged”. That's up 17 percentage points from before the pandemic. Three-fifths of consumers reduced their single-use plastic usage, while two-fifths are buying fewer new goods than they were a year ago, driven by Gen-Z and younger Millennials. A third of consumers look for brands with strong sustainable and ethical credentials.

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Our collective “Earth Work" seems to be paying off. Let’s keep it up. Let’s try to do something every single day to make a difference. It's time for hope and hard work, not resentment and resignation. Let’s celebrate East Day together.

ACES youth corps and team members invite you to stay updated by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Subscribe to Updates” tab on this website. Please consider joining our community of environmentally minded neighbors and let us know your thoughts or ideas to help MAKE EVERY DAY EARTH DAY at: acesnewburyport@gmail.com

‍Together we can make a difference!

This column first appeared in The Newburyport Daily News on April 19, 2024.

It’s no ‘bull’ to say that climate and the environment has been getting a lot of attention locally. With Plum Island closing entry and exit during last week’s storm and Salisbury Beach appearing on the CBS national news as a poster child for sea level rise with waves cresting over the sand and down alongside Tripoli’s Pizza, we have seen clear evidence of our dire situation.
 
Newburyport considering moving its Ward 1 Plum Island satellite voting venue onto the mainland suggests that at least for that location a strategic retreat seems sensible. With insurance companies raising rates and FEMA toughening its standards, coastal communities like ours need to begin thinking about this issue, even if it’s twenty-five or more years down the road.
 
Climate has been on the minds of scientists and nature lovers for years, but lately it’s catching the attention of planning boards and public safety officials. Many states are making climate care part of formal government efforts.
 
But this Earth Day weekend, it’s all about celebrating our lives together on this beautiful blue and green planet. Join ACES and seventeen other environmental groups on Sunday, April 21, from noon to 3 PM at the Market Square Bullnose in Newburyport for a story, information sharing and learning how to get involved. Folks from Maple Crest Farm, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, Newburyport Livable Streets, Our Neighbors Table, First Parish Church of Newbury Food Pantry, Nourishing the North Shore, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, C-10, Merrimack River Watershed Council, Coastal Trails Coalition, Small Solutions/Big Ideas, Storm Surge, Port Parks Alliance and the Repair Café of Newburyport will be on hand. Also meet members of the Governor's Academy Green Team and the City of Newburyport Sustainability Office.

There will be live music provided by Imagine Studios, and maybe even a sing-a-long. You’ll also hear informally from some of our local elected officials including Newburyport Mayor Reardon, Amesbury Mayor Gove, officials from surrounding communities, Representative Dawn Shand, and Senator Bruce Tarr.See what you can do locally to help the cause. Whether you are a long-time resident or new to the area, come on down and maybe meet a few new like-minded friends. And bring the kids or grandkids along. After all, caring for the planet is about protecting their future and personally making every day Earth Day. It’s an opportunity to gather and connect as a community around shared values of caring for the Earth. So come on down to the celebration on Sunday, have some fun, meet others, sing along and find out how you can Make Every Day Earth Day. But that’s not all the Earth Day activity happening this week! Learn about the energy savings technology of Heat Pumps on Thursday night at the FRSUU Green Team sponsored “Heat Pump Party-Technology, Rebates/Incentives, Costs and Experience.”On Saturday Storm Surge sponsors the timely “Riding Tides - Visualizing Cashman Park Coastline Change,” Climate Cafe sponsors “Treading Dangerous Waters,” and Image Studios presents “One World Earth Day Benefit."

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Other events taking place on Sunday are the Blue Ocean Society “Plum Island Beach Cleanup” and the “10th Annual Earth Port Film Festival.” Details of these and other year-round environmental events are available at: https://www.aces-alliance.org/events Elizabeth Marcus and Ben Iacono are co-leaders of the 2024 ACES based Earth Day Celebration.

ACES youth corps and team members invite you to stay updated by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Subscribe to Updates” link on this websitePlease consider joining our community of environmentally minded neighbors and let us know your thoughts or ideas to help MAKE EVERY DAY EARTH DAY by using the CONTACT page on this website. Together we can make a difference!

This column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on April 12, 2024.

Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of educational columns about fostering environmental stewardship and leadership coordinated by ACES — the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards.

by Richard K. Lodge

Consider the oyster. These mollusks do a great job filtering seawater of pollutants, sifting through as much as 50 gallons of water a day. The benefits continue even after they’ve been harvested, shucked, and devoured. Dump their shells on the sea floor and tiny young oysters can attach and grow to full size – all within a few years’ time.

Once small oysters attach to a hard surface they stay put. As they grow, they clean the water through their constant siphoning, and as a bonus, the shell reefs help stabilize the sea bottom and tamp down the power of the sea. The reefs continue to grow, not only supporting newly spawned oysters but also self-sustaining populations of mussels, snails and other marine life. Developing an oyster reef as part of a shoreline protection plan isn’t a novel idea. Newburyport’s 2020 Climate Resiliency Plan suggests the city work with Mass. Audubon to “design and implement a living shoreline demonstration project on the Audubon property.” That living shoreline would involve an oyster reef.

In recent years the non-profit Massachusetts Oyster Project has helped set up oyster upwellers – baby oyster incubators — in Gloucester, Marblehead, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Hyannis and Nantucket. Another upweller is planned this summer in Yarmouth Port. An upweller is a compact system of buckets and PVC tubing powered by a small pump to grow oyster seed, called spat. The pump pulls water from the ocean up through the bucket and tubing system, then back into the ocean. The spat feed on the plankton in the circulating sea water and filter out pollutants.

The seed oysters, which start out the size of red pepper flakes, live in the upweller all summer and grow to about an inch in length by the fall. At that point, the Oyster Project works with the state Division of Marine Fisheries to choose a good spot to “plant” the oysters – including Gloucester’s Mill River – where they can grow and help stabilize the seafloor. The Oyster Project runs another program to collect shells left over from shucking at restaurants south of Boston and even from the Annual Oysterfest in Newburyport. The shells are dumped in outdoor storage areas where they bake in the sun for a year to remove impurities and prepare for their next act. The shells then are returned to the ocean floor around Wellfleet and Nantucket where young oysters and other sea creatures attach themselves and help build new reefs.

A shell collection project can be totally separate from the upweller program, but it’s easy to see how both undertakings can have big payoffs for the environment. When it comes to raising oysters, the Newburyport waterfront dock could be a good location for an oyster upweller and offer thousands of visitors the opportunity to see an aquaculture project in action. An upweller can illustrate how oysters improve water quality and bolster oyster populations while contributing to shoreline stabilization. Upwellers can educate the public and serve as a great maritime teaching tool.

Raising baby oysters on the Newburyport waterfront would help filter out some of the toxins that drift downriver in combined sewer overflows.

A shell recycling program might fit well into Greater Newburyport, as well, if a suitable flat holding area could be located. With at least a dozen restaurants in a 10-mile radius of Newburyport shucking thousands of oysters every season, a shell recycling program could be a great way to put the shells to use growing new oyster reefs instead of sending them to a landfill.

When you consider the oyster, think about how we might work with it to improve the water flowing into the Atlantic and the coastline we all treasure. For more information visit: https://massoyster.org/. Richard K. Lodge retired as editor of The Daily News at the end of 2021. He lives in Newburyport and can be reached at richardklodge@gmail.com. ACES youth corps and team members invite you to stay updated by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Stay Informed” link on this website. Please consider joining our community of environmentally minded neighbors and let us know your thoughts or ideas to help MAKE EVERY DAY EARTH DAY at acesnewburyport@gmail.com

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It’s less than a month until Earth Day on April 22nd and this year’s theme is “Planet vs Plastics.” The organizers of Earth Day at earthday.org are seeking a global reduction of plastic production by 60% by 2040, a hard goal but according to the research, a necessary one.
 
The danger from all the plastic in our lives is clear. Plastics at the scale and in the places we encounter them pose a significant health threat. 
 
Micro-plastics, tiny fragments from plastic items, have been shown to be inhaled or ingested into our bodies. These particles inhibit bodily functioning in a variety of ways from lung function to intestinal processes. The chemicals used in producing plastics, including from oil drilling and gas fracking, have proven to cause cancer.
 
Many complex chemicals that make plastics more rigid or flexible, transparent or opaque, shaped into objects or woven into cloth are carcinogens that can modify hormone balance. Known as endocrine disruptors, these chemicals interfere with fertility and gestation, often leading to Infertility and possible long-term damage to babies. Male sexual functioning and male fertility are also vulnerable to exposure to these plastic compounds, since male sexual development from womb to adulthood relies on a fine balance of hormones.
 
We are further impacted by plastic severely damaging ocean ecosystems and harming fish populations. We’ve seen the terrible pictures of seabirds, turtles and whales tangled in plastic debris ranging from plastic ropes to plastic six pack collars. This threatens coastal livelihoods and more importantly, reduces food for humans.
 
New research has found that microplastics can accumulate inside major organs, like the brain and liver of mice. More frightening still, microplastics have been found in human lung tissue, the tissue of human hearts found after surgery, and the urinary and gastrointestinal systems of a sample of young people aged 16–35 years. 
 
According to Kathleen Rogers, the President of EarthDay.org, “Our reliance on plastics could be the biggest gamble in the story of human health, in history. We are all ingesting and inhaling microplastics. They are everywhere. Are we just hoping they are safe, or is even the remotest possibility they might be toxic so terrifying, that we can’t contemplate it?”  

So, what can one person do about this? Start by paying attention to the packaging of what you buy. Purchase items in cardboard boxes instead of plastic bags. Remember to bring your own reusable grocery shopping bag so you don’t need plastic bags at check out. When you buy produce, put the apples or tomatoes loose in the upper level of the grocery cart so you don’t have to use those plastic roll-down bags. And help spread the word to reduce plastic use. Post your ideas about how to minimize plastics on social media. Urge your friends and followers to reduce plastics use on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. 
 
Band together. What can four or five neighbors do to reduce plastics in our lives? Why not have your book club, bridge group or work colleagues decide to write to officials to stop buying single use plastic bottles for public buildings. Or write to state law makers supporting laws meant to reduce plastic use. If you exercise to maintain your health, talk about the importance of plastic reduction at your pickle ball court or Pilates class, because this is a health issue.  
 
What can businesspeople do to reduce plastics? Start by recognizing that your customers will feel better about your brand if they see you making an effort. Whether you run a small downtown retail store or you are a midlevel manager in a larger firm, challenge yourself and your team to find ways to reduce plastics. Reduce them in the packaging of the supplies you use and in the types of products you sell.
 
Let’s each resolve to do something to reduce plastic use and amplify our efforts by working together for the health of our planet.
 
Our Youth Corps team members ask you to join us and keep up with this very significant challenge and help us reduce plastics in any form. If you’d like to share ideas, drop us a note at aces-alliance@gmail.com and we’ll see if we can help you get involved with one of our alliance programs. And sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know about our local environment and opportunities to care and help at https://www.aces-alliance.org.

On March 23, Tinkerhaus Community Makerspace is embarking on a project that encourages sustainability and climate resilience through hands-on experiential learning. We are building bike parking racks and raised planter beds for the community. We are building them to encourage a more sustainable community, a place that makes biking easy and a place that attracts pollinators. But that’s not all… we are building them with local youth so that they will both learn how to build a large, functional item and so they can know the feeling of doing something to make the community more sustainable. This project is aptly called Bikes to Blooms.

We have the plans and measurements. We will order lumber and hardware. We have volunteer teachers with lots of experience and as a makerspace, we have lots of tools. Although we have already started reaching out to local groups that work with youth to recruit interested participants, we still have room for more student workers.

In addition to creating places for people to park their bicycles as they ride through town, we will be building planting boxes for organizations that would like to grow food or flowers. We are offering these to The Huddle, The Tannery, Newburyport Youth Services, houses of worship, the library, etc. If your organization would like to be involved and receive a planting box, please contact us via the information provided.

At a time when the choices we make in our daily lives significantly impact air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, it's important for us to recognize the power of collective action. Through initiatives like the Bikes to Blooms project, members of a community can take meaningful steps towards a greener future. Whether it’s through participating in community projects such as this one, adopting more sustainable habits, or simply spreading the word, every action counts.

Makerspaces like Tinkerhaus serve as communal hubs where individuals can collaborate on projects, sharing tools, ideas, and expertise that might otherwise be out of reach. Tinkerhaus has an intentional green agenda, focusing on the reuse and repurposing of donated materials and tools. The mission of Tinkerhaus is built on three foundational beliefs: the innate human capacity for creativity, the future’s dependence on innovation, and our commitment to fostering a sustainable tomorrow.

Tinkerhaus is located at 3 Graf Road, Newburyport. If you’d like to see what else we have to offer, come for a tour on the third Saturday of the month from 10:30 -12, or email mary@tinkerhaus.org to arrange a time so you can better understand how we support individuals and groups that need tools to work with to develop an envisioned project.

We are fortunate to have the Bikes to Blooms project supported by the generosity of volunteers and through a Community Partner grant from the Resilient Newburyport: Community Action Project. The Community Action Project is a two-year effort organized by the City’s Climate Resiliency Committee whose goal is to strengthen community ties and foster resilience against the impacts of climate change. Reach out to resilientnewburyport@gmail.com or sign up for Resiliency News and Announcements at https://www.cityofnewburyport.com/subscribe to learn more.

All of us can play a part in securing a sustainable and resilient future for Newburyport.

ACES Youth Corps members encourage students to participate in this free and unique project by registering at www.tinkerhaus.org. The initial build event is happening on Saturday, March 23, 2024. In addition, organizations interested in obtaining a Bikes to Bloom bike parking rack or
raised planter bed are encouraged to reach out to mary@tinkerhaus.org.

The City of Newburyport’s Sustainability Office invites Newburyport residents to celebrate the significance of Global Recycling Day as we seek ways to reduce waste throughout the world. Recycling is challenging. What we often think of as recycling is just one small part of a larger process. That process involves several complex and sometimes difficult steps. And, unfortunately, a lot can, and often does, go wrong at any number of those steps, especially for difficult-to-recycle materials like plastic. The production and disposal of plastics generates huge amounts of CO2 emissions and recycling can help in its reduction. Considering that 2023 was the hottest year on record, it’s important now more than ever to do everything that we can to mitigate all climate impacts, especially as a coastal city. Since Newburyporters are already avid recyclers, conscientious about their waste, we are excited to observe a day dedicated to acknowledging international efforts towards sustainability on March 18. Here in our small, sea-side corner, we are fortunate to have a well-functioning, staffed recycling center that offers multiple streams of materials to be recycled. The Recycling Center is located on 23A Colby Farm and can be utilized by Newburyport residents on Mondays and Thursdays from 12:15 PM to 2:15 PM, as well as the first Saturday of each month from 8 AM to 12 PM. While some plastics are, in fact, difficult to recycle, the Colby Farm Recycling Center has a partnership with a recycling contractor that recycles bulky and rigid plastics. Also, our curbside recycling program that takes food containers, boxes and paper, consistently recycles plastic containers that are labeled 1, 2, and 5. Metal, paper and cardboard all have market value. Glass and metal can be recycled infinitely without losing any quality. If you have any questions or concerns about recycling please call the Recycling Department (978) 499-0413.
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As Matthew Gandy of Evercore Investments notes: “Recycling is more than just a response to the environmental crisis and has assumed a symbolic role in beginning to change the nature of western societies and the culture of consumerism. Indeed, many environmentalists assume that there will be an inevitable shift from our ‘throwaway’ society to a post-industrial ‘recycling’ society of the future.”

It should be acknowledged, however, that the byproduct of plastic recycling is not considerable enough to be the be-all and end-all solution to the plastic waste crisis. We are surrounded by plastic, so much so that it would be difficult for the average person to simply cut all plastic out of their life. While we must do our part in trying to reduce our use of plastics, it is equally important to voice our concerns to local governments and to hold plastic producers accountable.

The city is fortunate to have an extensive recycling center which allows us to recycle many products including textiles, tires, any electronics, all metals, bulk plastics in any form, Styrofoam, antifreeze, motor and cooking oil and even mattresses. Recycling can be a powerful tool when used optimally. So on March 18th, please join all stewards and the city for a day dedicated to recognizing the value of recycling.
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Jessica is a Sustainability Assistant in the Newburyport's Sustainability Office who may be reached at JPierce@cityofnewburyport.

Youth Corps members recommend that you consider the positive impact of recycling all qualifying waste every day. You can subscribe to ACES' monthly newsletter by clicking on the "Subscribe to Updates" tab on this page. Please consider sending any ideas you have on recycling and its contribution to our planet’s climate and environment's health at acesnewburyport@gmail.com.

Warmer weather and longer days. For many of us, spring means lighter jackets, the welcome chance to take a late-afternoon walks, and eager anticipation for summer beach days ahead. For the more than 350 species of migratory birds in the Western hemisphere, it means just one thing: time to go.

Increasing day length cues long-distance migrants to depart wintering grounds in Central and South America, embarking on epic journeys to summer breeding grounds that span continents, cross oceans, and total many thousands of miles. And that’s just a one-way trip.     

One group stands out as the undisputed superstars of the migration world. Shorebirds hold the record for longest nonstop flight (an 11-day, 8,435-mile jaunt from Alaska to Tasmania by a Bar-tailed Godwit) and longest total migration of any animal (a pole-to-pole trek of 25,000 miles annually for the Arctic Tern).  

How do they do it, you might ask?  When it’s time to migrate, several adaptations kick in. They pack on fat to use as fuel, often doubling their bodyweight. They also bulk up the size of their flight muscles, heart, and lungs, while temporarily shrinking other organs, like the stomach.

Just as crucially, migrating shorebirds need something else: ‘stopover sites’, or places along their migratory route where they can stop to rest, feed, and build up the fuel reserves necessary to continue flying. That’s where Parker River National Wildlife Refuge comes into play.  

Parker River NWR was established to provide feeding, resting, and nesting habitat for migratory birds. The refuge protects 4,500 acres within the Great Marsh, a designated Site of Regional Importance of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Last year, a survey undertaken in the Great Marsh recorded 9,000 shorebirds of 22 different species.

Many people associate the refuge with its most well-known shorebird visitor, the piping plover. This sandy-colored bird ventures north from its Caribbean winter home to nest on beaches across the North Atlantic each summer. But the refuge is also a critical stopover site for many other shorebird species which breed much farther north in the Canadian Arctic. These birds rely on Parker River’s safe and bountiful habitat to give them refuge along their journey.

Of all the shorebirds who stop over at ParkerRiver, the most abundant is the semipalmated sandpiper. Weighing less than a slice of bread, they migrate thousands of miles between South America and the Arctic tundra. Preliminary studies suggest that in the fall, semipalmated sandpipers stop over at the refuge for 2-3 weeks before undertaking trans-oceanic flights of 2,500 miles to the northern coast of South America.

Without protected stopover sites like ParkerRiver, this millennia-old feat could come to an end, not just for sandpipers, but for hundreds of other species, too. Shorebird populations are declining, and many species have lost over 50% of their population in the last three decades.

The biggest threats these populations face are loss of stopover habitat and human disturbance which cause shorebirds to alter their normal behavior, preventing them from successfully migrating and raising their young. There’s a silver lining though. Part of what makes shorebirds vulnerable - their tendency to concentrate at just a few stopover sites along their route - might be the key to helping them. If we can safeguard these essential sites, shorebirds may have a chance.

We are just one stop on a shorebird’s incredible journey: a link in a chain that spreads across two continents. As local stewards of this important habitat, every one of us can make a difference for shorebirds by respecting closed beaches, taking care to walk around flocks of resting and feeding birds, and choosing to leave dogs at home or bring them to designated dog-friendly beaches.

Author Madelyn Kaplin is a member of Biology and Visitor Services teams at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge; she can be reached at madelyn_kaplin@fws.gov.

ACES Youth Corps members hope that you will appreciate the shorebirds you see and their contribution to the beauty of this area. Please share any reflective thoughts by writing to acesnewburyport@gmail.com.

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On March 3rd, the world will celebrate UN World Wildlife Day including many local organizations that make a difference in the lives of species that live here or migrate through the amazing Great Marsh.

Even though there are many species of plants and animals being diminished by climate change, deforestation, and habitat fragmentation, some good news is that others are afforded food and safety by local farms, parks, forests, and wetlands. And thanks to timely action, there are several important species that are also rebounding, like the Eagles now soaring over the Merrimack. 
 
Luckily, local and migratory wildlife are being supported by numerous stewardship organizations, including several ACES Allies. For instance, the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and its Friends, Greenbelt, Audubon, and The Trustees all hold and preserve multiple different habitats for wildlife. Edible Avenue and Pollinator PowerWorks help create native plant gardens for butterflies, bees, and birds along with the native plant species themselves. Others include local city and town parks departments and Friends of Newburyport Trees (FONT) who advocate for and keep an eye on our trees. In Atkinson Common, there is a recently created multi-species tree infographics path designed by Newburyport HS students, supported by HS staff and ACES’s tree walk program. 
 
Thanks to the Clean Water Act of 1972 and programs of conservation groups like the Ipswich River Watershed Association, The Parker River Clean Water Association and others, the water so vital to many of our local species has strong advocates. The Merrimack River Watershed Council is now working in MA and NH to improve the health of the river. Atlantic sturgeon, a fish once close to local extinction, had dwindled to small numbers of juveniles on the gravel beds near Haverhill but are now on the increase.
 
The rebound of wild turkeys is also evident throughout the region. Just last week, urban Brookline adopted the wild turkey as its town mascot. It took a long time but now turkeys are back following their near total eradication in Massachusetts throughout in the 1800’s. Starting in 1972, the MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife working with the University of Massachusetts received permission to capture wild turkeys in New York state and release them into Massachusetts. A total of 37 birds were released in 1972-1973 and look what we have now. 

Historically, wherever the early settlers found squirrels, wolves, deer, or turkeys, they hunted them for food or for sport. Along with clearcutting for farmland and timber, many wildlife habitats were often eliminated. According to the Atlantic Magazine, the squirrels were the first to return in the mid-19th century, when Boston, New Haven, and Philadelphia released small numbers of squirrels on to their commons.
 
The world’s wildlife is not just defined by panda cubs in China or elephants in Africa. Wildlife can literally be found in your backyard. New England even has its own named whale species offshore in the Gulf of Maine, the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), whose name means big winged New Englander. So, on March 3rd, why not think a bit about wildlife both the animals and plants in our own back yards, parks and nearby beaches and ocean. Maybe take your camera along one of the Coastal Trails Coalition’s trails or into Maudslay State Park and take some pictures. Or maybe take a pencil and note book to write about or sketch what you see. Our wildlife are a great gift to all humans and they are worth celebrating and protecting.
 
Our Youth Corps team members ask that if you’d like to do more to preserve and protect wildlife, drop us a note at aces-alliance@gmail.com and we’ll see if we can help you get involved with one of our alliance programs. And sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know about our local environment and opportunities to care and help by clicking on the Subscribe to Updates tab found on this page.

One of the joys of working in education is that each year has predictable touchstones. At my school, The Governor’s Academy in Byfield, summer brings the close of another academic year, and fall brings the opportunity for a fresh start. I’ve never felt that “fall energy” more keenly than this past September, when I stood at the doors at the new Bill ’67 and Peter ’71 Alfond Coastal Research Center and welcomed students. It wasn’t just the first day of school; it was a new beginning for the academic program.

The Governor’s Academy is the oldest boarding school in New England, with centuries of tradition. When I was hired in 2018 as a science teacher, I was worried that the school’s pedagogies might be more in-line with the 19th century than the 21st. I’m glad to say I couldn’t have been more wrong.

When I arrived, the school was planning a new facility on the banks of the Parker River, with a focus on the Great Marsh. Having grown up in this ecosystem, I started sketching out projects that would give my biology classes reasons to use the new research center. Only a few years later, when the Alfond Center became a reality, I was asked to take on the role of the Inaugural Director of the Bass Institute. As the intellectual center of experiential teaching and research initiatives at Governor’s, the Bass Institute is at the forefront of an educational philosophy I am deeply invested in: place-based learning.

Our student body is from near and far–from Byfield to Beijing. No matter their background, students will use a certain location – in this case, the Great Marsh and the communities around it – to generate questions, create partnerships, and ultimately dig deeply into ideas that have implications far beyond our little corner of the world.

What does this look like in practice? In the six months since we opened the Alfond Center, we’ve been busy trying to answer that question. We’ve partnered with ACES, the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards, to help bring their message of “Every Day is Earth Day” to our students. Our students were able to host a meeting with the ACES board, sharing their vision of youth environmental leadership. We’ve partnered with the Museum of Ould Newbury to host a day-long open conference, “History and Cultures of the Great Marsh.” Just today, I met with a group of students about creating a nature walk on campus, sent emails about a potential Parker River Action Day, and oversaw an evening boat-building class with the owner of Lowell’s Boat Shop.

Why do I believe in place-based learning? During their Ecology Unit, our ninth grade biology students caught mummichogs, identified plants, and reviewed data on invasive species with scientists from Mass Audubon. Afterward, one of my local students told me that although she initially had never noticed the invasive plant Phragmites, now she was seeing it everywhere. “My dad didn’t even know what it was, but I told him all about it!” she said triumphantly. She had moved from passively learning about something abstract - invasive species - to figuring out how they were affecting her hometown.

This interaction is a perfect example of how digging more deeply into a place can empower students to start conversations, educate others, and sharpen their observations of the world around them. To paraphrase Professor David Sobel, an advocate of place-based education, we must teach students to care about a place before we ask them to protect it.

The students and the adults in our community still have a lot of learning and experimentation ahead of us. I am excited to continue digging deeply into this place that we all call home. Erika Mitkus is the Director of the Bass Institute at Governor’s Academy and can be reached at emitkus@govsacademy.org
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ACES Youth Corps members hope that you will share any ideas about how we can help more people understand the importance of place and write to acesnewburyport@gmail.com