News and Insights

We have 100,000+ patents created each year, and wow, that’s a lot of innovation propelling us forward! But how can we be sure it’s elevating our human experience and the planet we inhabit? The first step is in shifting ourselves from the traditional chemical enterprise focused on price and performance, toward Green Chemistry, to include not only price and performance, but also environmental, social, and economic factors.
 
Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances, thus preventing pollution at the molecular level.

Let’s dive into one of today’s most well-known environmental initiatives: renewable energy, but through a product lens. Solar panels play a large part in renewable energy and are a product consumers, commercial companies, and governments are pursuing as a method to improve our planet by weaning ourselves from fossil fuels and strengthening our energy security; making our country and military less vulnerable to regional hegemons like Russia and China.

In 2013, researchers found a sustainable alternative to replace Iodine, which served as an electrolyte to transport electrons and turn light into energy. The alternative discovered was Cobalt, found to be 50 times more abundant and slowed the degradation process of the cell. That’s a win, but how can we incorporate the economic, environmental, and social factors? This is where Green Chemistry comes to play. Cobalt’s chemical profile has 10 human and environmental risk hazards, ranging from acute and chronic inhalation hazards, to carcinogenicity, aquatic toxicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, as well as being a carcinogen, a word we’ve become desensitized to as a society.

When looking at Cobalt in the context of a solar cell, there should be no risks of exposure to the user because it’s locked within a cell, resistant to water and not something we can breathe or even touch. It’s also a technical product, meaning it should be sent back to the manufacturer for disassembly to maximize the use of our finite resources. And over 70% of our cobalt comes from the Republic of Congo who rekindled diplomatic relations with China after becoming independent from France in 1960.

When looking at the mining and sourcing of Cobalt through the lens of Green Chemistry, the extraction process involves people, many of whom are children, using buckets and bare hands with no proper PPE usage to prevent exposure to toxicity. It is now apparent that critical due diligence processes were overlooked in the cobalt boom, but we play a role, and it's within our power to be conscious consumers who own the impact of our purchases. On power, I share with you words by Gerry Spence: “What is Power? The power peculiar to each of us is that force that distinguishes us from all other beings. Our power permits us to grow and fulfill our own potential. It is the surf, the swell, the wave, the storm we feel in our veins that propels us into action. It is our creativity. It is our joy, our sorrow, our anger, our pain. This energy is our personhood – the extraordinary mix of traits and talents and experience that makes up the fingerprint of our souls. This power belongs to us, and only us. Although there is a bountiful supply of power, it ought not to be wasted. It must never be destroyed, else it will come back to destroy us. It can never be abdicated or denied, else we will have lost our very selves in the process.” Many chemists are now looking for green alternatives.

We all can make a difference! It’s hard for a raindrop to feel responsible for the ocean: we fill so many roles on a day-to-day basis and have limited psychological bandwidth, so adding conscious consumer to the list might be overwhelming. If I had any advice or actionable takeaways, it would be to make space for traits and talents and experiences that make up the fingerprint of your soul, so this message and these insights do not scare you, but instead empower you!
 

The cascading benefits of Green Chemistry are countless; hopefully in this example you can see how it can do things like prevent war and improve communities. Every purchase you make has power, and your power has an impact. 
 
Peyton Laine is a founder and CEO of Mind the Chain, an environmental services company. She is a featured speaker at international environmental and chemistry conferences. With family connections in Newburyport, she resides in Stuttgart, Germany. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peytonlaine/
 
Our Youth Corps asks you to consider the potential positive impact of green chemistry solutions to pollution. They hope you care about the future of our planet and will provide any thoughts about a project or practice that could contribute to a healthier environment. Send us a note at acesnewburyport@gmail.com . To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org/

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As someone who has spent considerable time thinking about how to address plastic pollution, I relate to the feeling of the issue seeming insurmountable. In a search towards positive change, I discovered the work of Laura Ludwig, the manager of the Marine Debris and Plastics Program at Provincetown’s Center for Coastal Studies. Laura’s goal has been to remove and process the most amount of ocean debris possible. To best achieve this, a cornerstone of her programming has been built on a strong community network where all parties benefit. It gives me hope to imagine how similar models could bring successful outcomes to other aspects of our communities as well.

Last May. I took a trip to visit Laura at the Provincetown harbor where she was processing her program's recent haul of marine debris brought in by local fishermen. Through the Center for Coastal Studies, she employs these fishermen during their off-season to help retrieve lost and abandoned gear. Her program then extends the community further by networking with artists and craft manufacturers to make use of the material retrieved from the ocean. This diverts it from the waste stream and gives it new life.

Ludwig’s systems stood out to me because of these partnerships. It's no secret that tensions between the fishing community and environmental initiatives have been high. In large part, this has been due to media coverage and legal battles blaming the fishing community for harming the Northern Right Whale population. In contrast to exacerbating division through finger-pointing, Laura's programming works in collaboration with the fishing community to find mutual systems of benefit—an approach that has delivered profound success. Not only has her work successfully processed over 250 tons of debris from the ocean—it also works to mend detrimental divisions in our coastal communities.

In early April of this year, I had the opportunity to join Laura, 4 artists, and students from Cornell University to spend spring break on Cuttyhunk Island, located off the southern coast of Massachusetts. We spent our days working together to chip away at the massive amounts of detritus that had accumulated on the shorelines of this 1.5-mile-long piece of land. Despite the seemingly impossible task, our team of 26 individuals successfully removed over 8 tons of debris from the island in 6 days—these are some powerful numbers.

Laura's collaborative approach to marine debris removal is not only effective, but it also fosters connection. As she said to me, "There is no way I could do this all on my own—the volunteers and support from this network is essential to making it happen." It's through these systems of mutual benefit that we can sustainably mend both our coast and community.

If you're interested in learning more about Laura's work, she'll be sharing her insights at the Newburyport Senior/Community Center on Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at 7pm. Her presentation, hosted by Storm Surge, will be broadcast live on local cable access NCM-HUB channel 8. I'll also be on-hand sharing my artwork and sharing my perspectives on successful collaborative programming. You can register for this event at storm-surge.org.

West Newbury resident Megan Chiango is committed to making meaningful contributions to the health of our local environment. She most recently directed the "Windows for Change" program which engaged youth in creating 24 creative stewardship displays at city retailers as part of the Chamber of Commerce's "Forever Green Newburyport" campaign.

Our Youth Corps asks you to consider the significance of this ocean waste and participate in effecting change. They ask that you provide any thoughts about a project or practice that could contribute to a healthier environment. Send us a note at acesnewburyport@gmail.com . To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org/

The selected books provide the reader with insights into books that honor environmental stewardship to create a more sustainable planet and healthy environment.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

C-10 recommends Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator by Gregory B. Jaczko

Citizen's Climate Lobby recommends Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmer

Essex County Greenbelt Association recommends Just A Dream by Chris Van Allsburg

Extinction Rebellion recommends This is Not a Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook by  Extinction Rebellion

Friends of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge recommend On Fire - The (Burning) Cas for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein

Greater Newburyport Green Expo recommends This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate by Naomi Klein

Gulf of Maine Institute recommends Farming White Black; Soul Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation of the Land by Leah Penniman

Ipswich River Watershed Association recommends The Run by John Hay

Merrimack River Watershed Council recommends Mastering Boston Harbor: Courts, Dolphins, and Imperiled Water by Charles M. Haar

Merrohawke Nature School recommends How to Raise a Wild Child by Scott Sampson

Newburyport Livable Streets recommend Street Design - The Secret to Great Cities and Towns by Victor Dover and John Massengale

Our Neighbors Table recommends Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal by Tristram Stuart                                                            

Parker River Clean Water Association recommends Unquenchable by Robert Glennon                                                                                                                  

Transition Newburyport recommends The Transition Companion by Rob Hopkins                                                                                                    

Women in Action Huddle recommends World as Lover, World as Self: Courage for Global Justice and Ecological Renewal by Joanna Macy

The Transition movement is about acknowledging these existential crises and taking action to address them at the local level, by examining how the systems and activities our community needs to sustain itself and thrive can be reimagined. How can we transition from fossil fuels, live in harmony with resource limits and build equity for all, by modifying “business as usual” approaches to food, water, waste, transportation, energy, economy, housing and education in order to create sustainable and resilient systems?

The approach is empowering to those who become involved, facilitating their ability to work in community with fellow concerned citizens. It changes individuals’ relationships to the challenges within a caring, supportive culture, weaving webs of connection between self, others and nature.

Since the group formed, we have organized, both alone and with other groups, many awareness-raising programs through speakers, films and study groups. From these groups came a number of both short- and long-term projects, the results of which are still visible in the community.

To name a few:

In 2009, the North Shore Permaculture Collaborative was formed by a group of individuals inspired by the Transition movement. They primarily offer skill development workshops on food production and preservation.

In 2011-12, we co-sponsored two Community Resilience Circles — study groups designed to raise awareness and support individuals who wanted to take local action. Participants were encouraged to join together to choose a project that inspired them. One group went on to launch the plastic bag ban initiative and another chose to organize the Time Trade Network of Greater Newburyport, our local time bank — a community of individuals who support one another by sharing their skills and time.

Since 2012, we have co-sponsored and helped organize the annual Earth Port Film Festival, highlighting short films (20 minutes or less) that tell engaging and inspiring stories of people around the world taking action to address the environmental challenges facing their communities.

Most recently, we have been TeamTomorrow collaborators organizing screenings of the documentary film “Tomorrow” in the North of Boston area. “Tomorrow” is an inspiring film about how people in many corners of the world are changing fundamental systems to address global climate, resource and economic challenges.

Inspired by this film, a group is forming to advocate for growing food in publicly accessible spaces in Greater Newburyport. In addition, a small group is looking into starting a local, complementary currency.

Transition isn’t a solution. It is groups of people developing and testing demonstration projects, aligned with their passions, in their community. What they learn — challenges, successes and failures — can be shared with others.

The Newburyport area is a community of activists, many of whom have been working on “transitioning” activities for years. We recognize the important work that these individuals, organizations and municipalities are doing to address the challenges to our communities.

We are excited to see the emergence of two new local grassroots organizations: Newburyport Livable Streets, which seeks to make it easier and safer for people to bike and walk throughout Newburyport, and Tinkerhaus, where makers of all ages and skill levels can share tools, space, ideas and knowledge.

Transition Newburyport and Storm Surge co-sponsor an online calendar listing programs and events put on by over 30 local organizations to help build more resilient, sustainable communities. You can find it at https://grtrnbpt.wixsite.com/rscalendar.

Elizabeth Marcus and Conrad Willeman are Transition Newburyport initiators. You can learn more on the website, www.transitionnewburyport.org, and on the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/TransitionNewburyport.

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HAVERHILL – Superintendent Maureen Lynch is pleased to share that Whittier Tech Carpentry students built birdhouses for the Parker River Clean Water Association (PRCWA) NestWatch program.

Senior carpentry students, Odelys Morel, Maria Garcia Rojas, and Karlenny Garcia, all from Haverhill, built four birdhouses for the program to replace old and deteriorating nesting houses.

The new birdhouses will become home to Eastern Blue Birds and Tree Swallows. Through the NestWatch program, PRCWA will observe and collect data from these boxes to monitor nesting patterns, to help restore the population of these mitigatory birds to the New England area.

“It is a great feeling knowing that these boxes will provide a safe haven for migratory birds,” said senior carpentry student Maria Garcia, of Haverhill. "I'm making a difference in my community, particularly in my community's ecosystem."

The program was coordinated by Whittier Tech Science Instructor and Environmental Club Advisor Ryan Burke and Carpentry Instructor Mike Sandlin.

"I want to thank Parker River Clean Water Association for allowing our students to make an impact within their community," said Sandlin. "It was wonderful to see our students get excited while creating these birdhouses, knowing they are truly making a difference."

"This was a great experience for our students and faculty," said Burke. "Creating sustainable birdhouses for the NestWatch program truly makes a difference for these animals and it was amazing to see our students get involved."

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As I consider the significance of International Compost Awareness Week (May 8-13), I reflect on the importance of this meaningful waste reduction program for our community. When I first started teaching at Bresnahan Elementary School in 2019, I felt very fortunate to work at a newly built school building; with beautiful, colorful classrooms, a state-of-the-art gymnasium, and fun, modern playgrounds. But there was something missing: a garden. A space to gather, grow, and reap all the benefits a school garden can bring. Not to mention the immense opportunity for curriculum connections, interdisciplinary learning, problem-solving skills, mindfulness, and most importantly, an enriching environmental ethical awareness experience about the importance of conserving natural resources. And so, with the help of our incredible Newburyport PTO, my proposal was approved, and we purchased and installed four raised garden beds from Black Earth Composting.

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As the daughter of a professional gardener, I knew a thing or two about what can make or break a garden. Growing up, I watched my mom work her magical green thumb, admiring how seemingly effortless it was for her to grow all kinds of vegetables, plants, and flowers for her clients. I knew our potential for a successful school garden hinged on one key factor: the soil. As little hands got busy sewing the first seeds in the garden, our school community started exploring composting, what it means, how we do it, and why it’s so beneficial for the gardens. We created an on-site outdoor compost bin to utilize for garden maintenance; clippings, dead foliage, rotting fruits and vegetables. That was a good start… but could we do more?

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Over the summer, the gardens exploded, and we had an incredibly successful first harvest, which I attribute largely to the richness of the composted soil we used. It got me thinking…. How can we make this come full circle for students? Can we start composting in our school to then continue to use the composted soil in our garden beds? I knew that students would have more buy-in with the idea of composting if they could directly see it benefit their very own garden beds. So, with the help of Molly Ettenborough and Newburyport’s Sustainability Office plus our principal, Kristina Davis, some amazing parent volunteers, and our custodial staff, we have recently implemented a composting program. 

Over the last few months, students have been working hard to learn how to properly separate their waste in the cafeteria. Not only are they successfully composting, but they are inspired, engaged, and already are developing that green mindset that we need all people to adopt to be true environmentally aware citizens. It is incredible to witness these future change-makers in action, with a new passion and awareness for the role they can play in sustainability stewardship. And the effects are already spreading. After the holiday break, one student in my class shared that her favorite Christmas gift she received was her very own compost bin so her family could start composting at home. Another one of my students took it entirely upon herself to spend her time off from school writing an essay about the benefits of composting, totally unprompted or provoked. Her mom sent me a photo of her writing, stating “She’s obsessed!” These kids are 7 and 8 years old, and they are already encouraging and promoting change. Imagine what they will do 10 years from now? In 20 years? This generation holds the future of our world in its hands. If we want it to continue to be habitable, it is critical that we continue to model how to live consciously and harmoniously with nature.

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Katara Harding is a 2^nd grade teacher at Bresnahan School and serves as the NPS Green Team Coordinator to help the overall community to increasingly compost its waste. 

‍Our Youth Corps members ask you to consider the importance of composting all organic waste.  They hope everyone will care about the future of our planet and provide any thoughts about a project or practice that could also contribute to a healthy environment. Send us a note at acesnewburyport@gmail.com . To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org

Now past sunset the tide will flood until midnight. The softest zephyr of a breeze barely wrinkles a
reflected full moon, now just clearing the horizon. A shimmering alee’ of moonlight extends from
the dune upon which I stand, to an indigo sky, shattered for an instant by a sharp spark of
brilliance, and then calm again, a breaching Atlantic Sturgeon. This magnificent scene: a sturgeon
breaching by moonlight had occurred for many millions of years before human eyes had even
evolved, anywhere on planet earth.

Ten thousand years ago, People of the First Nations stood on Atlantic sand dunes. They too
witnessed the ascending full moon and that sharp spark of brilliance. Naturalist and paleontologist
Dr. Loren Eiseley, writes about First Peoples on these shores: “Scarcely had they stepped across
the old instinctive world when they began to create the world of custom. They moved in a patient
renewed orbit with the seasons... a structure, like nature, reasonably secure.” In other words,
these First Peoples had created their Garden of Eden.
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Soon following the arrival of Europeans, the great Atlantic sturgeon, along with most of its
ancient oceanic ecosystem had been depleted. Extinction would certainly have been the fate of
the Atlantic sturgeon except, for now, being protected by law. Records dating from 1634 describe
sturgeon as “all over and best catching them in the river of Merrimacke, where much is taken,
pickled and brought for England, some to be 12, 14 and 18 foote long.” Sturgeon suffered
overfishing in the 20th century when they were harvested for eggs: caviar. By 1950 the sight of a
breaching sturgeon outside of Gloucester Harbor was deemed to be newsworthy enough for
publication in the Boston Herald. Now the sturgeon are back, in numbers just enough, to remind
us of their recent demise. Sturgeon in the Gulf of Maine rivers are listed as threatened; in other
U.S. rivers they are listed as endangered. In the Merrimack River, Haverhill is the only place where

sturgeon lay their eggs. Researchers say that for much of the year, sturgeons are looking for food
in the lower part of the Merrimack — from Amesbury to the Joppa Flats in Newburyport.
Future prospects for the bottom feeding sturgeon, despite its millions upon millions of
years of existence, are uncertain; ingesting mollusks by rooting in mud and sand that is littered
with oceans of plastic, washed overboard as waste from human consumption. Supermarket aisles
are walled with plastic packaging, only a small percentage of which is actually recycled. Even with
the best of intentions, plastic becomes waste because the chemical compounds from which much
plastic packaging is made are often incompatible for reuse. It would seem that there are only two
alternatives to eliminate plastic from our environment: demand smarter packaging and/or
reduced consumption and waste. The choice is ours to make. Again and again, Dr. Eiseley has
appealed to humanity’s sense of reason, to exercise a collective sense of self-discipline for the
sake of preservation, not just for Nature, but for Humanity as well.
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So come stand on your own sand dune and scan the horizon. With patience and with luck
you too will witness a sharp spark of brilliance, perhaps that of the breaching sturgeon. Yet be
always mindful that only through reason and our collective sense of self-discipline, will your
children know that spark of brilliance on their future horizons. Teach them well and fear not the
future, rather prepare for the future. And know too that their children’s children, in just a brief
span of years to come, may or may not, ever have their chance to witness that spark of brilliance.
But know well, that if they do find that spark, they will have then inherited from us, the Garden of
Eden.

C. Peter Erickson lives on Plum Island and has long been an active steward for a healthy Merrimack
River.
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Our Youth Corps asks you to think about the significance of this species and the future of our
planet. Please provide any thoughts about a project or practice that could contribute to a healthier
environment. Send us a note at acesnewburyport@gmail.com . To learn more about ACES and its
Initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org/

In the U.K., a “turf accountant” is, or was if old movies were right, basically a legal bookie. They were independent but licensed bet takers on tracks around the kingdom.

But today, one of the first hot days of 2023, we can reflect on a Readers Digest article about a different type of ‘turf accounting’. Specifically, how our American lawn culture is not environmentally friendly or good for biodiversity and our health. The title of their piece is “Lawn Gone” and they pose the question abstracted from The Washington Post story by Dan Zak. In the article they post reasons to think that the case including:

Lawns are thirsty – With most U.S. states in drought conditions, they tell us that an hour of typical lawn watering uses about 1,000 gallons of water. This makes lawns our largest single irrigated “crop.”

Maintenance is noxious – In 2018, all the gas-powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers used 3 billion gallons of gas in the U.S. alone. That’s roughly the same amount as consumed by driving 6 million passenger cars in a year! Talk about noxious fumes and greenhouse gases.

Fertilizer pollutes – Imagine one big pile of chemical fertilizers used annually. It’s a mountain really. Now imagine that mountain of fertilizer is just a foothill to the mountain ten times larger in the background. That’s right our lawns consume 10 times as much chemical fertilizer as all our farm crops do! and the runoff from that fertilizer pollutes streams and damages fish and wildlife, de-oxygenates the oceans and supports toxic algae blooms.

ACES and all our allies are especially attuned to the benefits of minimizing or at least reducing the size of our lawns. Less lawn is positive for biodiversity. We reduce the 80 million pounds of pesticides and herbicides we, or our lawns services, spread. We help bees, butterflies, and other pollinators which are critical for practically every food chain we depend upon. Many of the chemicals used are harmful to humans’ health as noted when lawn care companies put up those little flags after an application to keep kids and pets off the newly treated lawn.

How to start reducing the size of your lawn while adding beauty to your yard? Make a little picture frame around your lawn. Plan to not mow a 2-foot margin around the perimeter of your lawn, or maybe not mow the corners but rather visualize a rounded little wild place. Along the sides of the frame as you see what native plants might pop start digging up sections strategically and planting a pollinator garden.

Using native perennial flowering plants, small shrubs and grasses you will soon see the good results of your efforts. Need help getting started? Check out one of our local town’s garden clubs and for sure check out ACES Ally, Pollinator PowerWorks at https://www.aces-alliance.org/post/planting-a-garden-can-help-save-the-planet.

Lastly, have fun with the kids or grandkids doing stuff like this. Let them dig up the picture frame edges, make little sculptural piles out of stones and sticks in the corners for chipmunks to hide. You can look at the work of artist Andy Goldsworthy online to get some imaginative ideas. His are too big and too good perhaps for the average home yard conversion, but you’ll get some good ideas as you visualize spring planting season.

Thanks to The Washington Post, as relayed by The Reader’s Digest, we know good reasons to reconsider our lawns and lawn care.

Our Youth Corps asks you to consider these ideas. They hope everyone will care about the future of our planet and provide any thoughts about a project or practice that could contribute to a healthy environment. Send us a note at acesnewburyport@gmail.com. To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org

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Last year when I reflected on Newburyport’s climate and environmental accomplishments on Earth Day, I was still new to the mayor’s office. A year further into my term I realize just how much more has been building and working and progressing in our community. My colleagues in City Hall and many citizen volunteers have achieved a great deal in previous years and have built a foundation that we are activating even further in 2023.

For example, as we celebrate Earth Month, we are proud of the work of the Newburyport Energy Advisory Committee and the Newburyport Resiliency Committee as they share several resources to help our community take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), as well as to understand how the city is preparing for an already changing climate. EnergizeNewburyport is an interactive website designed to help our community reduce GHGs and mitigate the effects of climate change. EnergizeNewburyport provides information, resources, and tools to assist our community on the path toward cleaner energy use.

Newburyport has been designated a Green Community by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and is committed to the goal of becoming a net-zero city. Ever-increasing energy costs and the continued damaging environmental impacts associated with climate change make this goal more important than ever.

The Newburyport Resiliency Projects Interactive Map provides an overview of the city’s infrastructure projects that will help protect and preserve Newburyport against the effects of climate change. This site includes a description of the projects that are in design, as well as those that have been completed. It will be updated regularly to ensure the status is always known.

At the end of 2020, the Resiliency Committee published a plan to increase community resilience related to sea level rise, storm surge, flooding, and extreme weather events throughout the city. The committee’s mission is now focused on advocating for and overseeing implementation of the plan’s recommendations.

In addition to city staff and volunteers, there are many involved environmental groups such as ACES and its allies like the Livable Newburyport Streets and the Merrimack Valley Watershed Council. Over the past three years, ACES conducted surveys of over 500 users of the Merrimack River and produced a survey report in detail which has been brought forward to state agencies and commissions to focus on combined sewer overflows (CSO) and per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFA).

I’ve been in those meetings and working with Senator Bruce Tarr, and other mayors along with agencies and ACES folks and I’m very pleased to see that that work has motivated action as elected representatives from both MA and NH have picked up the banner and have introduce Federal legislation to fund CSO mitigation.

One of the things that is clear from these three examples is that collaboration is the way things get done. Collaboration between governmental entities and businesses and volunteer groups such as Storm Surge, Merrimack River Beach Alliance, the Chamber of Commerce, and others continue to help us make progress on these tasks that are too difficult to take on alone. Another new partner is Pollinator PowerWorks, which is helping to reclaim our newly acquired old pasture open space by Colby Farm Lane into a butterfly and pollinator native plant refuge. We look forward to continuing to work with all our talented partners.

The most powerful “gear” of all in this clockwork of climate and environmental care, especially on Earth Day 2023 is you. We need each of us to commit to doing something, however small, every day to help us heal the planet and protect our own region from severe damage.

A great place to start is to take 10 minutes to visit our EnergizeNewburyport website (https://community.massenergize.org/NewburyportMA) and see how you can best save money while reducing greenhouse gases. On our website you won’t see generalizations, but specific actionable things you can do to save money and do good for the planet.

And please come tomorrow, April 22, to downtown Newburyport to celebrate Earth Day. I share my birthday with Earth Day, so there will be cupcakes for any kids attending, and we look forward to celebrating the day and our commitment to a green planet.

Sean Reardon is the mayor of Newburyport.

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More than individual action is required to address global climate issues, but that doesn’t mean
we can’t act locally to inspire change. This idea and the following perspective is based on a
sermon that I gave at the FRS Unitarian Universalist church’s Earth Day service on April 16,
2023.

While I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Environmental and Water Resources
Engineering, several summers ago, I spent some time on the north slope of Alaska researching a
specific kind of stream unique to the Arctic. More specifically we were studying the permafrost
underlying these streams, which is the layer of soil which remains frozen throughout the year; it
is not only vitally important to the arctic ecosystem, but also to the infrastructure constructed
atop of it. Climate change and global warming has and is projected to majorly effect permafrost
thawing and the environment of Northern Alaska and other Arctic areas, effects which are
having a disproportionate impact on the indigenous communities who live in these remote
areas of Northern Alaska. Eriel Lugt, a 19-year-old Inuit indigenous activist from Tuktoyaktuk
told UN News “Here in Tuk our whole land is on permafrost. The thawing is completely
changing our land structure, and with that our wildlife is also being affected” some of her
neighbors have even been forced to move because the ground was caving in under their
houses.

During my short stint in Alaska, we did not make any significant findings about permafrost,
streams, or the climate, and were not able to contribute to solving this problem. But I did gain
an immense appreciation for the beauty of the land and remoteness of the North Slope. There
would be days where we walked miles away from the road and there was absolutely zero sign
of any human civilization- just the rolling hills around us, the tundra vegetation, and the slow-
moving stream that we were studying that day. It is beautiful and very rare, at least in my
experience, to experience a place that is completely untouched. Today some of that land is
under attack; just a month ago the Biden administration approved the Alaska Willow oil project
which is the largest proposed oil drilling on U.S. public land and is located on the North Slope of
Alaska.

We consistently see projects such as this get approved, and it seems that for every supposed
green initiative there are many more going in the opposite direction. It is extremely
demoralizing at times. How are we as individuals supposed to make a dent?
I have been disheartened in the past, confused about what actions I can take to support climate
justice issues such as this one. Especially for global issues such as this it seems like my individual
actions pale in comparison to the impacts that giant corporations and governmental
organizations have. Of course, our individual actions are important especially for preserving our
local environment, but the type of structural change which is needed globally comes from more
than individuals. There are already many amazing voices and organizations who are advocating
for change both locally and globally, but the power of the movement comes from the many
more voices which show up to support, educate and mobilize those around them, and to give
those in charge no choice but to listen.
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Previously I have fallen into the trap of believing that since I am not speaking in front of the UN
or giving viral speeches, I am not making a difference, but the reason that these speeches go
viral and governmental organizations are willing to listen (although not enough) is because of
the work that goes in on the ground locally. The everyday conversations which normalize
discussing climate change, the local movements and policy which spread across the country,
the votes cast, and money donated all can be influenced on a local level by everyday people
and can have a much larger impact than any individual’s actions. We just need to act with some
more urgency.

Our Youth Corps asks you to consider this perspective of a young steward and participate in
effecting change. They hope you care about the future of our planet and will provide any
thoughts about a project or practice that could contribute to a healthier environment. Send us a
note at acesnewburyport@gmail.com . To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit
https://www.aces-alliance.org/

Why celebrate Earth Day, especially with all the bad news lately? and why, especially here in Greater Newburyport?

There are lots of reasons including the self-preservation of humans and the health of all Earth’s creatures.

This special day coming up on Saturday, April 22, was started in 1970 by late Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson. The senator believed that change comes “generationally.” As youth grow up and assume their places in the world, they become responsible for adopting necessary changes, in this case, environmental changes.

According to EarthDay. org: “The 1970 event mobilized millions of Americans from all walks of life, giving birth to a broad new movement to protect the planet. On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans — 10% of the U.S. population at the time — took to streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward. The first Earth Day is credited with launching the modern environmental movement. Earth Day is now recognized as the planet’s largest annual civic event, celebrated each year on April 22nd”.

At its inception, Earth Day was started in the form of “teach-ins” across college campuses. At “teach-ins” talks and soap box speakers rallied campus crowds, presenting the reality of Earth’s slow destruction by the excesses of modern technical and business models. Those students committed to taking care of the Earth, pushing toward advances, such as the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970, the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, and the banning of DDT pesticides in many countries throughout the 1970s.

The Merrimack Valley directly benefited from those changes brought about by the banning of DDT, as the eagle population recovered and today brings nature photographers and bird watchers to our region as eco-tourists. Earlier, the Merrimack River was a manufacturing wastewater stream for textile mill dyes and tannery chemicals. Cleaning the water and helping the birds thrive can be directly linked to the student activism on the first Earth Day.

As disheartening as the news of sea level rise and climate change can be, there are actually a lot of good things happening locally to turn that around, from two species of sturgeon returning to the Merrimack River to the community’s acceleration towards renewable energy and conservation and care of open spaces.

A number of Massachusetts communities, including Newburyport, have made strong progress in sourcing electricity from renewable sources, advancing energy and cost saving in cooperation with “Mass Save” to help pay for residential insulation and heat pumps as examples. and around the country individual citizens working locally and acting personally have taken a basketful of other steps to protect our homes and our planet from climate change.

There is still lots to do to preserve this beautiful planet for future generations. But we need to take time to recognize all the good work that’s being done locally already, especially by ACES Allies and refresh ourselves to keep the work moving forward.

So, let’s celebrate what has been achieved and resolve to do more for the care of our planet. You might also wish to view the current exhibit of Windows for Change at 24 retail locations (https://www.newburyportchamber.org/windowsforchange/) and the EarthPort Film Festival on April 23 at the Firehouse (https://www.earthportfilm.org/).

We hope you will come to Newburyport for its Earth Day celebration and bring the kids. It will be fun and a small act of encouraging environmental awareness for the next generation. We need to think globally while acting with others locally to support the Earth and its creatures. On Earth Day, please speak with one of ACES Allies about how you might help personally.

Our Youth Corps team members hope that you will sign up for our free newsletter [acesnewburyport@gmail.com] and act. Together we can take important actions to help our Earth heal.

To learn more about ACES and its initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org/.

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BOSTON — Congressional lawmakers are calling for more federal funding to fix aging outfalls that spew sewage into the Merrimack River and other waterways.

In a letter to legislative budget writers, Massachusetts Reps. Lori Trahan and Seth Moulton joined New Hampshire Reps. Chris Pappas and Ann Kuster in calling for $280 million for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program.

“The Clean Water State Revolving Fund has been a useful tool to make improvements to the region’s wastewater infrastructure,” they wrote. “However, the scale of need to protect the Merrimack and the communities in its watershed requires a major investment of federal grant support.”

The lawmakers pointed out that nearly $50 billion is needed, according to recent federal estimates, including nearly $1.6 billion in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Funding through the program, which was created by Congress more than two decades ago, is provided to states on a weighted formula that takes into account population and the average amount of rainfall over the past decade. Last year, both states got about $50 million through the program, according to the EPA.

Every year, hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated and partially treated sewage pour into the 117-mile Merrimack River from 229 active CSOs, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Sewage treatment plants in New Hampshire also contribute to the problem.

Designed long before the Clean Water Act was written into law in the early 1970s, the treatment systems collect storm water in the same pipes as sewage and are designed to overflow when they become inundated, usually because of heavy rain.

CSO systems are still in place in nearly 860 municipalities nationwide, most of them in the Northeast, according to the EPA.

Public health officials say large and frequent overflows pose health risks to those who use the river for boating and swimming, as well as communities that draw drinking water from it.

An estimated 600,000 people get drinking water from the Merrimack River.

Raw sewage also causes algae blooms, which can be toxic to people and deprive water bodies of oxygen, killing fish and other marine life.

Sewage treatment plant operators have been making upgrades to reduce CSO discharges, but the price for dealing with the problem is beyond most budgets.

In January, President Joe Biden signed a two-year reauthorization of the $38 billion Water Resources Development Act, which included $100 million for several communities along the river that have struggled to fix combined sewer overflows.

On Beacon Hill, lawmakers also diverted federal money toward dealing with frequent overflows from the combined sewer systems.

A $3.76 billion economic development bill, approved by the Legislature and signed by then-Gov. Charlie Baker in November, featured $115 million for drinking water and sewer system upgrades, including $15 million specifically for projects in “nitrogen sensitive” areas along with states’ waterways.

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

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Forever Green Newburyport is an annual collaborative campaign with the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the City of Newburyport to promote sustainability for our community and move toward our communitywide net zero emissions by 2050. We are launching the Forever Green NBPT program in April – aka Earth Month – to highlight members’ commitment to environmental and sustainable values.

One of our main programs this year is Windows for Change, a collaboration between local businesses and youths to have storefront window displays designed by youths around creative environmental presentations and messages. They will be exhibited throughout the month to honor the retail community’s dedication to supporting environmental initiatives.

Local retailers are donating window space to display the environmentally related projects created by youth. The program will include a map showing the locations of participating windows and an event on April 21 at City Hall to celebrate participants in the project and Newburyport’s dedication to environmental initiatives.

The city, its businesses and citizens are embracing Forever Green Newburyport, focused on being committed to creating a positive change for our environment.

As we walk through our community, let’s highlight a few of the sights.

Strolling through Market Square, we see Greetings by Design, a unique and very special gift shop specializing in custom-designed stationery. This amazing shop repurposes all packaging and gives it to a small, local, home-based company as well as to Pak Mail for their use.

Green Plum Vintage and The Cottage are eclectic shops that offer a variety of items, including new, antique and vintage treasures. A commitment to the environment is also evidenced by shops like Green House, whose mantra is providing eco-friendly, zero-waste home, beauty, skin care and cleaning products for ethical, responsible plastic-free living.

And around the corner is New England Sketchbook. This very special shop is focused on valuing our local craftsmen and artisans who curate materials to embrace our local history.

Heading east along the waterfront behind the Custom House Maritime Museum is one of Newburyport’s most popular destinations. Oldies, housed in a large maritime repurposed building, it contains a well-curated array of antique furniture, decor, books and clothing being recycled for others to enjoy.

A little farther east is the historic Tannery Marketplace, which has been recognized by Boston Magazine as the best shopping on the North Shore. The small mall is a hub of indoor and outdoor activity featuring independently owned shops filled with one-of-a-kind treasures.

Originally a community tannery, today’s repurposed building and space epitomizes sustainable environmental strategy with solar panels, sustainably sourced giant wooden columns, and a multitude of “green shops,” including Beach Plum Flower Shop, providing clean-air-producing plants; Gentry’s and A Touch of Naples, providing wonderful vintage wear; as well a great cosy cafe – Chococoa.

Patronizing one of these shops is a small but significant act of environmentalism because buying locally and especially buying vintage is a climate and a fashion value.

Obviously, transporting goods from far away is harmful for the climate. When visiting Greater Newburyport, there are ways to increase the amount of “localization” of our spending and consuming that can benefit our planet. Localizing our lives is critical to our local economy and supporting environmental sustainability.

The city is embracing Forever Green Newburyport’s support of its small-business mix to support an ecosystem- based focus on buying sustainable vintage goods and supporting locally grown foods at the farmers market and local farm stands.

So please accept our invitation to become more environmentally attuned and localize your life by embracing Forever Green Newburyport at https://www. newburyportchamber.org/ forevergreen/ Pat Cannon is the chairperson of the Forever Green Newburyport campaign and the owner of CAtCH events – a local event company specializing in historic properties.

Our Youth Corps asks that you embrace the spirit of this campaign and its importance to future generations and then act accordingly personally. To learn more about doing more for the future or if you have any questions, please send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail. com. To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance. org.

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NEWBURYPORT — With spring here, temperatures are warming rapidly, which means residents and tourists alike will begin heading to the coast to enjoy scenic local beaches.

With the hope of having beachgoers forgo seeing trash littered about the sand, blown in from neighboring streets or homes or knocked out of garbage cans, Nolan Smith, a Newburyport High School junior, has been working on putting together a beach cleanup.

Smith’s efforts have been in collaboration with the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards, where he serves as an intern.

“I have been putting together the cleanup for a few weeks now,” Smith said.

The cleanup will take place April 7 from noon to 4 p.m. on the main turnpike at the north end of Plum Island. It is an early release day for Newburyport Public Schools, which gives students the perfect opportunity to participate in the cleanup.

Gloves and trash bags will be provided to participants and the cleanup can be used for students volunteer hours.

Smith said he first found out about ACES through a friend who had been working with the organization, Caleb Bradshaw, and set up a call with ACES President Art Currier. He had immediate interest in upcoming ACES projects, and his first project was putting together a poster with information on cleanups in Greater Newburyport.

“My first project was putting together a poster that had information on future cleanups across greater Newburyport. This eventually led me to create my own districtwide cleanup which I have been working on for the past few months,” he said.

Ron Martino, an ACES adviser and mentor, said Smith has been a great student leader.

“We are really proud of him and all the students involved in this and other efforts such as planting pollinator gardens locally last summer, and the research and creation of online and in field infographics for native trees at the reservoir in West Newbury.”

The cleanup falls in line with April being Earth Month.

Smith also came up with the idea to do a weigh-in of the trash at the end of the cleanup for each grade participating, with prize money awarded to the eighth grade or senior year graduating class. Smith also proposed the idea of hiring an artist to make a piece with the collected trash.

Earth Day, which was started in 1970 by late Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, began as a “teach in” at college campuses, Martino said. Nelson’s viewpoint was that change comes “generationally” as youths grow up and assume their places in the world and adopt the necessary changes, in this case, environmental changes. Earth Day is April 22.

“That set of events was so powerful that it lead to the Clean Water Act in 1972 and banning DDT, a pesticide that lead to fragile bird eggs,” Martino said. “As a result, the Merrimack (River) is no longer an industrial sewer and there are eagles successfully breeding here again.”

ACES was formed in 2018 to unite the efforts of people and organizations to address the climate and environmental crises in Greater Newburyport. ACES also writes a weekly column for The Daily News.

Martino said ACES has aimed its focus on youth awareness and programs, with students able to serve in the organization’s Youth Corps. “ACES is strongly focused on youth awareness and action and has facilitated numerous internships and the opportunities in climate related areas for students in local school systems. Our youth are our future.”

Smith said about 70 students have signed up to participate in the cleanup, mostly high school students.

“I am still pushing for more to join because I think it could be a significant event for all ages,” he said.

The north end of Plum Island is at 3 Northern Blvd. in Newbury. Those who wish to sign up for the cleanup can do so on the Newburyport High School website.

Ashlyn Giroux writes for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email her at: agiroux@ newburyportnews.com

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Do trees get confused? You might well ask. This last year was enough to confuse anyone. A warm spring followed by a summer with searing temperatures and not a drop of water followed by frequent rain, followed by warmerthan- usual winter days with spikes of extremely warm days with pops of bitter cold. If you missed that one day of perfect outdoor skating, thinking there would be another one, you were wrong.

Last summer, toward the end of the drought, many broad-leaved trees dropped a good portion of their leaves. They just had to say, “No, thank you” to any more photosynthesis. Trees are tough; they can withstand stress like this for a few seasons and bounce back if things return to normal.

But what is normal? In August when the awful heat abated, I noticed that the trees that had dropped leaves put out some new ones. Their appetite returned apparently, but only for a snack – the new leaves were a little anemic looking.

My neighbor’s young cherry tree even put out a few blooms (four) in September. As I explained, in what I thought was a very convincing tone of voice, but which may have just been bossy, the tree decided to just go dormant during the drought to protect itself. Then, when it cooled off and rained, the tree woke up and, confused, thought it must be spring. I was really very clear about this.

I was wrong. There is such a thing as a fall blooming cherry. A modest fall bloom, then a flashier one in the spring. No botanical confusion here.

So, on this warming planet, what do trees know, and what do they do about what they know?

All plants evolved within a specific environment. If the environment changes what can a big plant, like a tree, do? Migrate.

Plant migration is nothing new, but human-created obstacles, like striped agricultural land and urban development, make migration an uncertain strategy. and the rate of temperature rise may be too fast for some species to keep up.

What can we do? The list of “recommended tree species” the Tree Commission, Parks Department and the city uses has changed over the years, and will continue to change.

The sweetgum was a tree of the Southeast but has been creeping north. There are three American persimmons planted on the rail trail. Originally native as far north as Connecticut, they are doing well. Three Kentucky coffee trees, native as far north as Pennsylvania, planted near the Bartlet Mall in Newburyport, seem quite comfortable.

If you are thinking of planting a tree in your yard, or requesting a street tree, pick a tree with a little climate flexibility. Better for everyone. Some of our native trees are going to fail in this changing climate. Some might survive by moving to Canada. We’ll miss them, but we have to admire their adaptability.

Jane Niebling, a Newburyport resident, is a member of Friends of Newburyport Trees.

Our Youth Corps asks that you care about our trees and their importance to future generations and then act accordingly personally. If you would like to learn more and possibly do a bit more or have any questions, please send an email to acesnewburyport@ gmail.com. To learn more about ACES and its initiatives, visit https:// www.aces-alliance.org.

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The movie “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”, won in many Academy Award categories this past Sunday, including for best Direction. A youthful Westboro High School and Emerson College graduate Daniel Kwan is bringing an Oscar home as he was the co-director.

The movie is an interesting metaphor for all the complex multi-dimensional interactions that drive the natural world, its biodiversity, and its eons of evolution. So let’s borrow imagery from this Oscar winning movie to help us wrap our minds around the facts that the environment and climate is about everything, everywhere and all of our actions over time.

The movie is an imaginary multiverse that makes it possible for human minds to glimpse the complex reality of the world. and if we take that idea on board, maybe it will help us see new ways to help heal the Earth. Whether we are hearing about the California snowpack, right whale entanglements or the decline of bees, it’s hard to put all the Earth’s climate and environmental dynamics in context. But we must try.

With a nod to the Oscars let’s all try to think in a multi-dimensional broad-spectrum way as the movie does for a few minutes. First consider that “Everything” is a lot! Whether we are thinking about Pandas or Plastics and PFAs, it would take an extraordinary mind to take it all in and keep it straight. Even dedicated environmentalists need to tackle specific parts of all the issues.

So being at the evolutionary stage we are as a species and if we are desirous of helping the Earth to heal, we need to unpack these uses a bit. We can’t fix everything as individuals. But we can join in with others locally, like ACES and its Allies and globally by supporting international environmental organizations to play our parts in the drama of preventing extinctions and the decline of civilization.

“Everywhere” is a very big space to cover. We need to be thinking at eco-system scale. Exploring concepts like the Merrimack river’s watershed ecosystems, or the Gulf of Maine or the Great Marsh. Or planting pollinator gardens in networks from Newburyport to West Newbury to ultimately the Mexican Monarch butterfly flyway.

And the toughest idea of all to comprehend is ‘can we do everything all at once”? Clearly, we can’t do that. We are temporal beings, and we just can’t get all of it personally done all at once. But collectively and intergenerationally we have a real opportunity for reaching those goals. We just need to do a little at the time in each small way ‘now’ available to us and prepare the kids to continue the work.

As an example of things to do “now”, next time you go shopping for groceries, just buy as much as you’ll need with no waste likely and choose items in non-plastic containers.

And before you go, plan a shopping list so you might be able to save an extra trip by not forgetting something you’ll need in a few days. If you can walk to the grocery store, bring a reusable shipping bag and make it part of your fitness regimen.

If you need to drive for shopping, swing by a gas station to take a minute to correctly inflate your tires. It will save you money and rolling more smoothly reduces greenhouse gases. and as you head home, feeling good about doing your small, but important part, for Earth healing, be mindful of your driving style. Coast into stop lights don’t just break late and forget those gas wasting jackrabbit starts. That species belongs in their prairie home not on Storey Avenue.

Unfortunately, “yes we can’t” makes for an awkward bumper sticker. Because we can’t do it all, do it everywhere and do it right now! It needs the coda, that “yes we can”, over time and incrementally and with other voices and friends, everywhere and in future generations.

Ron Martino lives in Newburyport and is an ACES advisor/mentor.

Our Youth Corps members hope that you will sign up for our free newsletter [acesnewburyport@gmail.com] and act. Together we can get everything done, everywhere, that needs to be done now to help our Earth heal. To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance. org/

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NEWBURYPORT — The city will soon have a better way of alerting residents when there’s a combined sewage overflow in the Merrimack River, thanks to five permanent notification signs being installed this week.

Roughly 550 million gallons of raw sewage is released into the river on an annual basis and the Merrimack River Watershed Council estimates there are 40 to 60 such combined sewage overflows per year.

Local public health departments are required by the state to provide signs at public water access points, letting people know when a CSO lasts more than two hours, or if it could pose a health risk.

In July, the Board of Health began issuing public health warnings for CSOs at five locations along the river each time there was an incident.

Public Health Director Laura Vlasuk said the city is installing permanent signs in those locations that will include a QR code which people can scan with their cell phones and take directly to the city website (www.cityofnewburyport.com/) for further, real-time information.

“The QR code is right on the sign and all you have to do is just click on it and check things. We want to let people know when these incidents occur in real time,” she said.

The CSO activation signs will be placed at Moseley Woods, Cashman Park, the boat ramp area near Tuscan Sea Grill & Bar restaurant, the Joppa Flats boat ramp and Plum Island Beach.

Harbormaster Paul Hogg said having a permanent place to post QR codes will give residents and boaters a chance to stay up to date on water conditions.

“This really streamlines things and it will be good to get the word out. You can go right on your phone and see what is going on,” he said.

The city will also continue to post CSO alerts on its website and send alert notifications to subscribers after each incident.

“I urge everyone to sign up for the alerts but sometimes people don’t want to have constant notification,” Vlasuk said. “So, this way, they can check it when they’re going in the water.”

The new sign system will also cut down on public manhours, according to Vlasuk.

“This way, we’re not having people go out and actually post these signs every time there is an alert and you can get accurate information as it is happening,” she said.

Hogg said his department works with the Health Department at least once a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day to test local waters.

“People really aren’t supposed to be swimming in the river but they will often pull their boats up to to sandbars, like the ones off of Joppa Flats and let their dogs go in swimming at low tide,” he said. “So, we want to let them know what’s happened and to be careful.”

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@ newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.

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The things that we purchase, covet, rely on – SUVs, trucks, techno- items, gasoline, pavement, concrete, furniture, appliances, furnaces, airplanes, etc. – came from our home, the earth’s biosphere, mostly through major disruptions and even destruction via ongoing massive mining, drilling, logging, burning, explosives, water diversion and so on over the past 250 years to the present day.

We now must realize without further delay that we as one species, Homo sapiens, are latecomers to earth and that so much of how we live in this, and the last century are not compatible with the earth’s “wisdom” and ways.

Just think, everything that is basic to survival and life came about successfully over 3.6 billion years through chemical exchanges and interactions of millions of evolving life forms, especially the dominant microlife.

All this biodiverse life and the ecosystems they built produced oxygen, motility, food and shelter, nutrient flow, essential gene exchange, and photosynthesis long before Homo sapiens evolved. Indigenous peoples for centuries lived and flourished often through these ongoing, life-giving “gifts,” seeing land and seas, indeed all of nature, as sacred.

In that context, we must step back actively and courageously from our world, this economy based on relentless extraction from nature, which is already showing science-based indications of a perilous and even limited future for our children and grandchildren.

Many indicators are already here, such as soil degradation through mega-corporate chemical-farming, far too much fossil fuel dependency, the demise of bees, forest removal and the rapid unnatural extinction rate of many animals, plants, fungi and their ecosystems. It is definitely time to realize the one thing we have meaningful control over – ourselves.

It is time for each of us and our communities, cities to actually be the change that is needed such that we are a part of this amazing biosphere and not an outlier or outlaw. We cannot continue to live with self deception that the goal is to have wealth, lots of material stuff, more roads, plastics, techno-objects, big houses, shoreline living, big cars.

W-earth working toward: Humility – See yourself as part of and completely dependent on nature, not above it. Advocate for our very best friends – trees. Find out and share why trees are so very essential...

Biodiversity and human diversity are both crucial for a healthy future. Work, speak out for all the life, particularly indigenous peoples who live close to Nature and did not contribute to the climate crisis, and who are major caretakers of regions that are crucial for life globally.

Avoid being on the sidelines. Participate in peaceful, nonviolent educative protest to help stop disrespect of nature and to oppose warfare, one of the main destroyers of the biosphere and the future.

Be at least a “1 percenter for the planet”: For a livable future now and for the coming generations. There are about 720 hours in a month. Contribute 1% or seven hours per month. Make a bold list of what you can do/change in your personal life. Then gradually do it! Build your own personal green new deal that includes getting off plastics, excess fossil fuel use, pesticides/herbicides, junk food, products with palm oil, excess materialism ... .

Don’t give in to naysayers ... that is, those who say, “It doesn’t make any difference what you do.’’ Essential ethics/value changes will happen as a growing society of minds/souls actively prioritizes nature’s biosphere, its diverse life, and the future of our children/grandchildren.

Bottom line: There really is no choice.

Newburyport resident Dr. Douglas Zook is a global ecologist and science educator.

Our Youth Corps asks that you care about the matter of our biosphere and its importance to future generations and then act accordingly personally. To learn more about doing more for the future or if you have any questions, please send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail.com. To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org.

Once a rare sight, Ospreys are now seen each spring and summer soaring over coastlines, diving into waters to catch fish and perching on their large nests. The use of pesticides, until they were regulated in the 1970s, had weakened Osprey eggshells and decimated their population.

As part of Essex County Greenbelt’s commitment to biodiversity, we have focused for the past 15 years on Osprey conservation by building and maintaining approximately 50 nest platforms, while also repairing existing platforms and assisting private landowners and towns who wish to install their own nesting platforms.

The graph shows the success of those efforts. Last year, there were at least 75 active nests.  

On a Greenbelt Osprey nest in Gloucester, a live webcam allowed viewers last year to watch parents Annie and Squam and the birth and growth of their three chicks: Pip, Squeak, and Ollie.

Biodiversity is an intricate web in which all the different species found in an area maintain balance and support life. Greenbelt recognizes that it is essential not only to the survival of most animals, plants, and other organisms, but also to the production of healthy food.  We now use sophisticated mapping technology to strategically identify land with diverse habitat value, and then focus on conservation projects most likely to protect it.  

“Our prioritization analysis evaluates each parcel on its value for conserving habitat, and what we call natural resilience, the habitat that's most likely to provide biodiversity in a changing climate,” said Abby Hardy-Moss, Director of Greenbelt’s Conservation Technology and Planning Division. “We then assign a rank based on the parcel's relative importance to every other parcel in the county.”

Kamon Farm in Ipswich, Camp Creighton in Middleton and the Lynnfield Woodlot are recent examples of conservation success stories using this data.

This commitment to biodiversity is one of the principles that defines Greenbelt, which has now protected over 19,000 acres of open space from development in the 34 cities and towns of Essex County.

We implement practical solutions, such as protecting grassland-nesting birds, including Bobolinks, EasternMeadowlarks, and Savannah Sparrows, which are among the most imperiled birds in the nation.  At Greenbelt’s John J. Donovan Reservation in Hamilton and others, the fields where grassland birds nest are not cut for hay during the time when the birds breed and produce chicks who cannot fly or walk when they are first born.

Invasive plants are one of the greatest natural threats to biodiversity inMassachusetts.  Many are so attractive and others so widespread that we may not realize what they are as they invade open fields, forests and wetlands, crowding out native plants.

At Greenbelt, we work to remove invasive plants such as bittersweet, knotweed, blackswallow-wort, and glossy buckthorn from our properties.

Greenbelt also works to protect the Great Marsh, a coastal jewel of the Northeast, which is threatened by sea-level rise.  At our Cox Reservation headquarters in Essex, there are breathtaking views of the marsh, where organisms that live below the tidal surface create the most important habitat in New England in our marine food chain.

The Great Marsh is a nursery and foraging habitat for hundreds of species of fish, shellfish, birds and mammals. Shore birds, including herons and egrets, find a rich source of nourishment, while quahogs, mussels, fiddler crabs, and oysters live just below its surface.

The health of the Great Marsh is also essential to over 1,000 families who derive their economic livelihood from fishing and clamming. Hundreds of businesses depend on the dollars that tourism surrounding the Great Marsh brings.

We protect vernal pools at dozens of Greenbelt properties, including Farnsworth Reservation in North Andover and River Road in West Newbury.  These seasonal pools of water that fill with snowmelt, rain, and spring’s rising groundwater play an almost magical role in the cycles of life. They serve as a critical breeding ground for species of frogs, toads, salamanders, and fairy shrimp.

So much is provided by the natural ecosystems around us – they’re truly vital to life on earth. According to the World Economic Forum, biodiversity is declining globally, faster than at any other time in human history.  Greenbelt is doing its part to mitigate that.

Neil Ungerleider is a member of Essex County’s Greenbelt team who works to advance its mission of land conservation through his writing and photography.

Our Youth Corps asks that you care about the matter of OUR BIOSPHERE and its importance to future generations and then act accordingly personally. To learn more about doing more for the future or if you have any questions, please send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail.com. To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https://www. aces-alliance.org.

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Like DDT, the family of chemical compounds known as PFAS has almost become a household acronym. That’s a good thing.

When scientists discovered DDT was killing off the bald eagle — the symbol of American freedom — the insecticide was banned forever. The population of the bald eagle, and many other birds and animals, slowly but surely returned. Now, bald eagles are a frequent site across the North Shore and Merrimack Valley.

The story of PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated substances) is still in its relatively early stages. The reason for that is because unlike DDT, which was used as a pesticide, albeit in large quantities, PFAS is used in everyday products — and has been for more than 70 years.

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, an agency affiliated with the National Institutes of Health, PFAS are used to “keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective. PFAS are used in industries such as aerospace, automotive, construction, and electronics.”

Not only are PFAS used in many products, it is ever present in the environment because it has been used for so long. These chemicals have been found in streams and rivers — including the Merrimack and Shawsheen — as well as New Hampshire water supplies.

In a perfect storm of circumstances, PFAS chemicals bond in such a way that they may take thousands of years to break down. Certainly, when it was created by scientists working for Dupont and later manufactured by 3M, it was probably considered a wonder chemical for all of its potential uses.

But it has now become an environmental and health nightmare. And, unlike DDT, which had quantifiable health effects on animals, the negative health effects of PFAS on humans are just now beginning to be understood.

“One report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found PFAS in the blood of 97% of Americans,” according to the NIEHS. “Another NHANES report suggested blood levels of PFOS and PFOA in people have been reduced since those chemicals were removed from consumer products in the early 2000s. However, new PFAS chemicals have been created and exposure to them is difficult to assess.”

That last phrase should scare everyone: “difficult to assess.”

New chemicals which are known to be harmful to humans are still being introduced into the marketplace without any understanding of how they might be impacting people’s health.

This is what we do know, according to NIEHS: “Health effects include altered metabolism, fertility issues, reduced fetal growth and increased risk of being overweight or obese, increased risk of some cancers, and reduced ability of the immune system to fight infections.”

The agency goes on to say, “While knowledge about the potential health effects of PFAS has grown, many questions remain unanswered. Therefore, NIEHS continues to fund or conduct research to better understand the effects of PFAS exposure.”

This all highlights the importance of recent news that 32 Democratic senators, along with several independents, wrote a jointly signed letter to President Joe Biden calling for more funding in the federal budget to improve data and research, and fund testing and cleanup efforts for PFAS chemicals.

“The prevalence of PFAS combined with the adverse health impacts associated with exposure — including developmental effects, changes in liver, immune and thyroid function and increased risk of some cancers — requires a comprehensive approach,” reads the letter, which was signed by U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts.

Statehouse reporter Christian Wade wrote recently that the lawmakers asked for more funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address “critical research gaps” related to PFAS contaminants in drinking water supplies.

The federal spending package should also include money to provide blood testing to current and former service members — and their families — who served at more than 700 military installations where PFAS contamination has been detected in tests, they wrote.

The lawmakers also said more federal funding should be devoted to testing for PFAS in agriculture, the food supply, and consumer products.

They want the Biden administration to provide “financial support” to farmers, food producers and growers if they are forced to abandon PFAS-contaminated land or remove products from the commercial market.

The more people learn about PFAS, the more alarmed they get. It’s imperative for Biden to pour funding into this progressing health and environmental catastrophe. Millions of people are at risk. More research equals more information. More information should lead to stricter guidelines — or a decision not to use these chemicals at all.

Biodiversity loss and climate change are severe consequences of misunderstanding our place in the natural system.

The principal source of climate change is burning fossil fuels. Biodiversity is declining because of a devastating triple blow to its life-sustaining support systems through chemical pesticides, habitat destruction and climate change. The source of both is human behavior based on a Euro-American worldview that positions humans in dominance over an inexhaustible “glory hole” of natural resources. Other peoples, notably Indigenous peoples of North America, had and have differing worldviews.

This Euro-American worldview rationalized and powered the Industrial Revolution and prevailed unchallenged until now. Climate change is this worldview’s most consequential result, but that view is losing credibility. The belief in the Earth’s eternal resilience is impossible to subscribe to if you accept science, so a new worldview is evolving.

This is good news because it allows us to rethink our place on the planet and do something about it. Ironically, as the only species responsible for the devastation of the natural world, we are also the only ones able to renew the planet’s life-sustaining systems.

Science, under remarkable resistance, has been doing its job to inform us about the state of the environment, provide data-based predictions and suggestions, and develop technologies and techniques for remediation and repair.

Time for us to assume our role and make the political and behavioral shifts needed. No easy fixes here! No technological knights in shining armor to be sallied forth to the rescue. We face a biological/worldview problem that requires us to make lifestyle changes.

The Gulf of Maine Institute GOMI, https://www.gulfofmaineinstitute.org believes education is the critical cornerstone to the solution: thoughtfully and scientifically teaching ways to live in informed harmony with the natural world.

Such education aligns schools and communities with the common mission to provide youth the tools to become scientifically informed and civically engaged stewards. A safe, healthy, co-evolving world requires this now and forever. Education is the greatest gift we can pass on and is our best path to a good outcome.

As a result of their participation in GOMI, Newburyport High School (Note 1) and the Pentucket Regional School District now offer related courses, internships and habitat sanctuary garden https://homegrownnationalpark. org/ opportunities. At Newburyport High School, for example, students are studying the importance of the Great Marsh, why there is a rapid local population decline in the Eastern long-eared bat and the role of native plants in supporting pollinator biodiversity.

Pentucket Regional High School students are restoring the campus brook as a habitat sanctuary. They have built a “classroom in the woods” where students can take in all the sensory experiences of the outdoors while attending class.

In West Newbury, we are working with Wild and Native (WN2) and GAR Memorial Library to create learning habitat gardens throughout the town.

Under the mentorship of committed teachers and field experts, students engaged in these hands-on educational opportunities learn to define problems and create solutions.

Newburyport High School and Pentucket Regional High School are joined in their work via GOMI to similar courses and projects at North Shore Montessori in Rowley, Lowell/ Middlesex Academy, Bethlehem Elementary School in New Hampshire, Kennebunk High School, University of New England in Maine, and several schools in Nova Scotia.

Some things you can do: Encourage young people to consider careers in environmental work.

Get engaged locally. Be better informed on the issues: why native plants, insects, and bats are essential.

Support your school’s community- based stewardship learning programs and advocate for more.

Connect with local organizations like ACES and the Allies on climate change and biodiversity loss.

A problem is only solved once it is understood and acted upon. Shifting the way we engage with the natural world will require many acts and many hands, but no step is too small and none too big. You may be surprised to find that doing something has the added benefit of making you feel better.

John Terry, Ph.D., is with the Gulf of Maine Institute.

Our Youth Corps asks you to consider these and other ways to help with the future of our planet and environment. Please reach out to us about a project or important information that you might like to see shared. Send us a note at acesnewburyport@gmail.com . To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org.

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Innsmouth is a mythical town on the trainline just south of Newburyport described in a popular 1931 novel. The authorH.P. Lovecraft describes a journey taken by a 21-year-old Oberlin Collegestudent exploring New England. While traveling he learns of a race of immortal fish-like humanoids known as the Deep Ones living in Innsmouth. They areshapeshifting mutant sea creatures born from mating with the local humans living on isolated marshes.

That was science fiction, but mutations due to chemical pollutants are real. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) “mutagenesis” by environmental pollutants is a serious concern.Various mutagens pollute air, water, and food, possibly inducing mutations in humans, and are suspected of causing cancer and infertility.

There are many examples of threats to biodiversity including our own species. For instance, there is the chemical pollution issue like DDT that caused Eagle populations to plummet before its use was banned.

Unfortunately, there are other threats to biodiversity due to chemical byproducts in the 21st century. Things like PFAS (forever chemicals), PAHs found in coal tar parking lot sealants, and pharmaceutical residues from, well, everything in the medicine cabinet, that ends up in our wastewater stream. The problem with chemical threats is they are hard to see and perhaps harder to control. 

After many years of research and genetic manipulation, our food system is too full of chemical weed killers, fertilizers, and pesticides. We have largely monocultures with fewer varieties of livestock, trees, and grains, and many fewer insects and birds and bees that provide much needed biodiversity.

While New Hampshire and federal officials in 2019 said that Nashua’s drinking water was safe, that was despite some tests in that period showing elevated levels of toxic PFAS chemicals in the groundwater at the “Sylvester” Superfund site. It’s a site nearby the Nashua River, a major tributary of the Merrimack. It’s good that it was detected. But how many sites and spills along the Merrimack’s long journey to the sea are still undetected? Is testing adequate? Our problem is we can’t fix what we don’t know about. More research is needed.

A set of answers is conceptually easy but much harder to plan and implement and will take much longer but we need to start working on it.

We must shift away from many of the chemicals used in everyday life as best we can. We need to encourage farmers to crop rotate more and switch to natural fertilizers and pesticides given that they leech into streams and affect all the life forms it touches. Maybe heavily taxing or banning harmful chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides will foster change. Maybe we should consider banning PFAS and PAH from all non-critical uses where they can negatively impact all species.

We need to measure a wide range of pharmaceutical residues in waste waters discharged into rivers, including theMerrimack and all tributaries. We don’t know enough about mutagenesis yet and we must do much more academic research to gather the needed data. How much birth control and other hormonal residue is in our wastewater effluent? Is it affecting fertility and hormone balance in populations affected? What else might be in our waters and in our air that isn’t water or air? Which household products should we avoid, and which should we choose? Using AI, scientists, given time and funding, may be able to help identify priorities for change.

All species living in the Anthropocene, the age of human domination of the Earth, are under threat from mutagenic harm due to chemical and biological pollutants. We need to clean up our act in that regard. Let’s figure out how to move toward an environment with fewer chemicals and fewer stressors for all life forms. We can start by reading labels and buying the least harmful products for home and garden use.

Our Youth Corps asks you to consider how any chemicals are used and impact us. They hope everyone will care about the future of our planet and provide any thoughts about a project or practice that could counter the negative impact of any chemical. Send us a note at acesnewburyport@gmail. com . To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit www.aces-alliance.org.

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ACES is looking forward to continuing our work to foster environmental stewardship and leadership in 2023. We support the accomplishments of our allies and partners and would like to share some of our collaborative achievements during 2022 with you, starting with the numbers.

In 52 opinion columns published in The Daily News, we continued educating the public about climate and the environment and the contributions of our allies.

In 12 months of a crisp and visually pleasing newsletter, insights were provided to keep our subscribers informed and engaged.

ACES completed a comprehensive survey of over 550 users of the Merrimack River [MRUS]. A 20-page report with 14 highlights, charts, and graphs was then created to impactfully portray the MRUS findings about the significant concerns about the health of the river.

We participated in four meetings with other potential collaborators to foster a“River Rescue” movement highlighting the MRUS report findings. The conversations included the Merrimack Valley District Commission, the MerrimackRiver Watershed Council, Newburyport Mayor Sean Reardon, and State Sen. Bruce Tarr.

ACES held 10 meetings with Reardon and staff on a variety of topics ranging from composting to school support programs to longer term projects for a greener, resilient, and sustainable community.

We participated in five meetings with the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce& Industry to help shape and support their Forever Green Newburyport campaign.

Focusing on the ‘Think Globally’ aspect of our work, we covered seven global topics including Earth Day Events, COP27, and Prince Williams’ Earth Shot Prize.

Acting locally, we participated in painting over 15 signs at TinkerHaus in support of the Earth Day 2022 celebrations on the waterfront and had a booth of our own at this event.

With Newburyport High School and the City of Newburyport, we organized and held two environmental stewardship open houses which gave the opportunity for over 130 students to interact with representatives from 18 allies to explore internships and project-based learning experiences.

We helped launch the Pollinator PowerWorks team which raised over $2,500 through the ACES website.

And our subscriber list grew from about 400 subscribers to over 800.

We are grateful to The Daily News for providing a forum for our climate and environmental efforts in 2022 and we are grateful to all the folks who pitch in to help keep our human habitats healthy.

The numbers to paint by get much bigger as we look forward to 2023, a year to focus on biodiversity in our local region and in the world at large. 

We plan to put forward ideas that support and expand ways in which other species can thrive in the world. Notable challenges include dealing with plastic waste in the oceans, wayward fishing gear harming whales, and the migration of lobster populations northward as the Gulf of Maine warms.

We want to fortify those efforts that preserve and expand biodiversity by habitat rescue, such as Mass Audubon reinforcing the ribbed mussel population in our coastal marshes to stabilize it from sea level induced erosion.

We want to applaud the preservation of lands and waters as sanctuaries and natural areas, especially new efforts such as West Newbury’s recent expansion of its conservation holdings. and we will be supporting beekeepers, garden clubs, and butterfly lovers for planting more and more native species that support biodiversity and a myriad of species nearby.

Our youth corps asks, whether you see yourself as an artist, a science geek, or simply someone who cares about the future of our planet, please reach out to us about a project or important information that you might like to see shared. Send us a note at acesnewburyport@gmail. com.

To learn more about ACES and its initiatives, visit: aces-alliance.org.

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The importance of biodiversity is the large variety of food webs that it allows.

Even plankton eating whales have a short food chain primarily phytoplankton consumed by zooplankton eaten by whales. Much longer food chains related to biodiversity abound.

For instance, consider coyotes. They eat human food waste, roadkill, squirrels, rabbits, mice, birds, eggs and berries. Depending on where they are living, they are eaten by wolves, bears, mountain lions and alligators.

In other words, they are part of a very complex food web when one considers all the sources of the calories consumed by both their prey and their competitors.

Even crows live in the middle of a complex food web that can include being eaten by snakes, hawks, foxes, squirrels, raccoons, owls and eagles. Even domestic cats and dogs are also known to enjoy eating crows.

The complexities of most food chains are much, much greater and there is a significant chance for disruptions to those food chains and food webs from species extinction events. The impact of humans due to the increase in the world’s population is resulting in ongoing decline and extinction of species.

Habitat loss is probably one of the greater influences on individual species stress or extinctions, especially if it is occurring on a global scale.

The complexity of our global food webs is that gives life on earth resilience. Life has found a way to make almost any habitat livable and therefore there are many diverse food chains making up a resilient global food web.

With small changes in food chains and food webs, dependent species can partially adapt by raiding adjacent food chains. But large-scale and rapid changes don’t give species the time needed to adapt and nearby food chain changes may make inroads into.

It’s not just the variety of plants and animals that enjoy viewing, it’s the stability that the interdependencies of the complex food chains give life on Earth.

While describing and envisioning the complexity and importance of biodiversity food webs to the general public may be more challenging than the generalization that “climate change” represents, we need to take the time to do so.

That’s why ACES advocates for the importance of the variety of life that we have in our area. We need to also describe how the diversity impacts resilience and the ability of life to adapt to changes.

Our intention is to communicate in ways to emphasize the importance of biodiversity as it relates to the stability of local and global biospheres.

Media and advocates need to find the words that communicate the systems’ complexity to the average Joe and Jane busy with life, jobs and family. Then they may be motivated to personally act locally to preserve these ecosystems and thereby strengthen them regionally and globally.

One crisis that impacts our food security is the decline of bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

According to the USDA, three fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. That’s one out of every three bites of food you eat.

As they are critical for food chain/ web health and our survival, you might consider building a pollinator garden in your backyard or joining Pollinator PowerWorks to promote multiple gardens and thus help create a local pollinator migration corridor and maybe even regional migration corridor.

Lon Hachmeister is a member of the ACES board of directors. He suggests that if you’d like to contribute your ideas or some of your time to work with ACES on ideas like these, please drop us an email at acesnewburyport@ gmail.com. To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https:// www.aces-alliance.org.

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National Geographic says that “biodiversity refers to the variety of living species on Earth, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi.” Biodiversity is important because it produces ecological resiliency which allows ‘life’ to survive cataclysmic disasters. Globally it’s important for maintaining resilient ecosystems and livability and it is key to our quality of life and a thriving economy. Personally, it’s important for enhancing benefits like health, comfort and beauty in our lives.

Biodiversity is one of the drivers of our regional ecotourism economy with bird watching, hunting, fishing, whale watching, and nature photography drawing large numbers of out-of-state as well as international visitors.

As Parker River Refuge’s Matt Hillman wrote last week in this column: “Among the throngs are wildlife enthusiasts and photographers in a frenzy over the refuge’s charismatic and highly photogenic residents…. a pair of barred owls and a pack of coyotes.”

And it’s not just the refuge that has such wide variety of species. Lawrence has its winter crow roost with thousands of birds gathering along the Spicket River drawing wildlife photographers and adventurist tourists. Whale watching is a large economic engine with boats of ecotourists shipping out of Newburyport and Gloucester. We even have “endangered” whales in our coastal waters, including the Humpback Whale whose Latin name means ‘big winged New Englander’.

Biodiversity isn’t just about local eco-tourism though. It’s extremely important for the resiliency of all life on earth. As the planet warms, habitats are polluted and forests are cut. How will animals and humans adapt to those changes? Which crops can still grow? The lobster population of the Gulf of Maine is shifting northward. Some tree species are being found in higher elevations. Some species adapt by hybridizing with local residents.

For instance, as Matt Hillman referenced as a backstory to last week’s ACES essay “It is generally accepted that the eastern coyote is a wolf-coyote hybrid. Coyotes are relative newcomers to the east when humans exterminated all wolves and cleared all forest for farmland throughout the Ohio River Valley. This allowed the western solitary and smaller coyote to push eastward, hybridizing with Great Lakes and Canada wolves in the process. Their behaviors are now very much a combination of coyote and wolf.”

Biodiversity is a global concept. It includes all life forms on the planet, and it infiltrates every aspect of our own life locally whether we are aware of it on daily basis or not.

Because it’s so important to preserve biodiversity, ACES, and its allies advocate locally for setting aside and conserving a wide variety of land like West Newbury did with 32 more acres recently. Keeping a variety of wild lands and waters protected is a good policy to support, like ACES allies — Greenbelt, the Trustees, The Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, and Maple Crest Farm. Each of them and others conserve land and waters and provide public education to help spread the word about biodiversity.

Being conscious in planning for urban parks and trails, like in Amesbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury to be knitted together as a network bio-corridor is important. That’s so that many species can roam from paths to patches and make a larger, integrated ecosystem for the species living in it.

Let’s all focus in 2023 on “biodiversity”. ACES urges each of us to read about it and take on one or two small actions to preserve biodiversity near you. Leave some corners or edges of your yard to grow a bit wild. Plan and plant a pollinator garden using native plants. Put up bird houses. Have the kids make little rock and stick faerie houses. Chipmunks may move into them.

So please join ACES in making 2023 a year of biodiversity. Drop us a note at acesnewburyport@gmail. com and let us know how you would like to help.

To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance. org.

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As temperatures fall and snow-cones give way to snowstorms, many visitors wonder how exactly the staff at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge occupy our time in the absence of piping plovers and eager beachgoers. Well, if you’ve visited recently, you’ve likely encountered crowd sizes more frequently associated with the hot summer months.

Among the throngs are wildlife enthusiasts and photographers in a frenzy over the refuge’s charismatic and highly photogenic residents. Namely, a pair of barred owls and a pack of coyotes. We need to ask the public to enjoy a magical moment with these icons of the refuge and then continue your journey to experience one of the refuge’s other recreational opportunities.

The refuge’s primary mission is to conserve and protect wildlife and their habitats. When visitation pressures compromise that mission, we are obligated to intervene. We are fortunate to live and work in a place of unmatched beauty and biodiversity, and I have high confidence that our shared passion for conservation will allow all of us to enjoy these unique wildlife encounters in a responsible and ethical manner. But the reality is the Parker River refuge, with its relative ease of access and year-round wildlife viewing opportunities, never truly has a quiet season. Instead, we see different crowds of user groups shifting along with the seasons and available recreational opportunities. We have huge array of species, some resident year-round and many migratory. It’s this biodiversity that is a big part of visitor interest.

The refuge provides unique habitat for these many species who may struggle to survive in nearby areas of dense human development. However, we have recently seen these animals exhibiting a high degree of comfort with humans and unusual levels of activity during broad daylight. These behaviors may increase viewing opportunities for human visitors, but they also contribute to roadside traffic jams and increased potential for wildlife disturbance. Combined, these elements detract from the high-quality refuge that our resident wildlife require to thrive.

One common misconception we hear from visitors is that if an animal doesn’t flee, then it is not disturbed by the presence of nearby humans. A growing field of research reveals this to be false. By remaining close to an animal for an extended period of time, or by following it from location to location, humans often cause the animal to experience elevated stress levels and increased heart rate. Both responses are invisible to the human eye but may negatively affect the animal’s long-term health and reproductive success.

Consider this impact on our resident barred owls. While barred owls primarily rest during the day and hunt at night and twilight, some opportunistically hunt at other times. This has been observed with the barred owls at Parker River. Yet, it is impossible for us to know if they are truly displaying opportunistic hunting behaviors or forced to remain vigilant during critical resting periods due to the close proximity of photographers and other wildlife watchers. Further, crowds of visitors may deter smaller prey such as rabbits and voles from coming within striking distance. For this reason, we ask that visitors not only keep their distance and minimize noise disturbance, but also move on quickly from these encounters.

We’d love to see you soon at the refuge and when you join us please tread lightly and quietly and thus allow the wildlife to thrive.

Matt Hillman is project leader at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

Our Youth Corps asks that if you care about issues like these and would like to learn more and possibly do a bit more or have any questions, please send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail. com. To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance. org.

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The Charos family has owned and operated Captain’s Fishing Parties on Plum Island for over 50 years with four vessels in their fleet.

In 2013, Captain’s Fishing Parties purchased Newburyport Whale Watch. Our whale watching vessel the Captains Lady III is the largest in the fleet and is quite fast, reaching top speeds of 30 knots.

Captain Chris is usually found on the Captains Lady III, but his brother Ryan can make appearances as well, however, he focuses more on the day-to-day running of Captain’s Fishing Parties managing behind-the-scenes tasks along with their dad, George.

Whale watching is very cool. Each day is different from the next, making it an adventure for our passengers and our crew. The most common question is: “What’s the best day and time to go whale watching?” The correct answer is: “We will let you know at the end of the season,” every day is different.

Whales are majestic animals and are mammals just like us. They give birth to live young, nurse their young, and have about the same body temperature as us but are huge in comparison to humans.

For example, the finback whale (the second-largest whale in the world) has a brain that weighs 12 pounds compared to the human brain of roughly 3.1 pounds, their intestines are 380 feet long, five to six times as long as their body and consumes 2 tons of food each day!

Humpback whales are fascinating. Growing evidence suggests humpback whales could be the nicest animals in the world. They care for other species and don’t hesitate to intervene to save other individuals from predators.

They are “ocean superheroes.” Humpbacks are known for their magical songs that can travel long distances in the ocean, sounding like moans, howls and cries that can continue for hours on end.

Singing helps them to communicate with others and it helps in finding a suitable mate. Humpbacks have the longest pectoral flippers in the whale world, growing to 15 to 16 feet long.

The smallest whale we see is the minke whale, one of my favorite species who always keep us on our toes. They reach lengths of up to 30 feet, about the length of a half school bus.

They can be tough to keep an eye on due to their erratic and unpredictable swimming patterns. A distinctive feature of a true minke whale is the white stripe they have on their pectoral flippers, giving it the nickname of “minke mittens.”

Not only do we see the whales listed above but we also can see harbor seals, grey seals, ocean sunfish (Mola mola), sharks (sorry no great whites as far as I have seen) and many sea birds.

Newburyport Whale Watch is a “Whale Sense” company. Whale Sense recognizes companies committed to responsible practices and follow the strict guidelines for viewing whales in their natural habitats.

Experience the wonder of whales with Newburyport Whale Watch on The Captains Lady III. We are located at the 54 Merrimac St. boardwalk in downtown Newburyport. Our full-time schedule began Friday, June 16. Book online at newburyportwhalewatch.com. Reservations are highly recommended or call 1-800-848-1111.

“With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you’re connected to the sea. No matter where on earth you live” — Sylvia Earle.

This column was coordinated by ACES youth corps member Caleb Bradshaw. To share any comments or questions, please send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail.com. To learn more about ACES and its Youth Leadership Initiative, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org.

ACES tries to contribute to the health of our world, our society, and our communities by looking for opportunities for positive action through an environmental lens. That requires examining the entirety of our environments, including fields, wooded areas, waterways, farmlands, and cities. We try to understand how all elements interact to produce a healthy ecosystem, especially our regional ecosystem. How do we think through the needed planning, investment evaluations, green space requirements, zoning, allowed uses and what are the roles of the private and public sectors to make for healthier and more green, resilient, sustainable communities? The answer is one step at a time, holistically, and collaboratively.

For example, environmentalists and urban economists alike agree that repurposing and reusing old buildings, whether private or public, should often be the first option vs demolition. A city’s character is often reflected in its old buildings and Newburyport has done a great job over the decades of preserving the character of old Newburyport and ultimately hitting a good mix of old and new ideas to make it work well. A case in point being the highly successful downtown mixed-use preservation efforts with Inn Street and Market Square.

A recent Daily News article about repurposing the Brown School building strikes ACES as an interesting “thought experiment” to sort through a holistic approach and comprehensive criteria including environmental impact considerations. The Brown School and the empty Kmart represent options for environmentally conscious development.  There may be additional uses that could address the general needs of our communities to recycle and consider public property up-cycling and reuse, a key tool for achieving long range environmental goals.  

Considering the opportunity for economic development, might the city offer planning flexibility, perhaps even a lease arrangement whereby the empty Kmart can be repurposed? Mixed uses such as a business incubator, indoor soccer facility, kinder care option, or trampoline play club should be studied. 

These are opportunities to have multiple options that can use comprehensive criteria when being evaluated. Such an integrated approach might involve a community’s economic development, planning, social services, conservation, and housing entities plus private interests via the Chamber of Commerce and other coalitions. We are proposing a process with the optimal mix of collaborators to include in the city’s Master Plan updates while considering the increasing and critical need to account for changing climate and environmental considerations.

Additionally, perhaps there are sites for small community gardens when there is not a large piece of land for other uses. For example, open space around Geoffrey Hill on Low Street leading up to the Newburyport Powder House built in 1822 could be repurposed with a small community garden including a small section for pollinator plants.  There are other potential projects which would all require collaboration.

Another successful example of such rehabilitation and reuse can be seen with the Tannery complex. Perhaps the Salvation Army might want to up-cycle its complex in Newburyport to add some affordable senior housing. What about considering the now under used C&J bus lot at Rt 95 for mixed use development? The city needs more housing and a hotel too. It seems large enough and located ideally for commuters to build condos, a hotel, and apartments. It would provide new market demand for the Storey Ave commercial district and west end.

ACES’s point is not to suggest a specific solution to any specific projects with environmental considerations. Rather we see the need in every civic discussion for system-wide, holistic ecosystem thinking. Hopefully such an approach would lead to solutions to multiple needs simultaneously. Good solutions to address specific community needs are always about collaborative thinking and considering the ’system’ as a whole.

Our Youth Corps asks that if you care about issues like these and would like to learn more and possibly do a bit more or have any questions, please send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail.com. To learn more about ACES and itsInitiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org.

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On the Monday before Christmas, thenGov-Elect Maura Healey announced that she’ll appoint Melissa Hoffer to become the state’s first “climate chief.” Hoffer currently serves as the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency’s principal deputy general. In her new role she will be responsible for overseeing climate policy across every state agency and“ensuring that climate change is considered in all relevant decision-making.”

She’s going to need collaboration and support from all the state’s agencies to reach the Commonwealth’s aggressive climate goals. Whether committing to powering the electrical grid with more renewables or electrifying public and personal transportation, Massachusetts has ambitious short- and long-term climate goals and it’s going to take all hands-on deck to achieve them. In making this appointment Governor Healey said, “The creation of this position sends a clear message that Massachusetts is a global leader in the fight against climate change and that it will be central to all of the work we do across the administration.”

ACES sees this new cabinet position as an exciting prospect, which can serve as a model for every city and town in the state. Ms. Hoffer is an accomplished environmental lawyer and administrator, who spends her spare time raising Nigerian dwarf dairy goats at her farm in Barre, northwest of Worcester and just east of the Quabbin reservoir.

Every community ranging in size and density from highly urbanizedLawrence to bucolic Boxford will need everyone’s participation to make the needed changes. Coastal Newburyport, Ipswich, Salem, and Gloucester have made progress on climate and the environment in a variety of ways. But there is a lot more that can be done from electrifying school buses to readying our infrastructure for electric vehicles charging. Advancements such as those will provide business opportunities with clean tech innovators, wave and wind energy and green sea “carbon farmers” seeking coastal places to grow. All those changes will challenge the resources and traditional ways of doing things by mayors, city councils, school boards, public works, police, and harbor masters.

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City planners and planning boards will need to adjust their focus and shift gears to reflect state initiatives. Maybe a community allows a bit more housing to be built while the town sets aside more green space, thus achieving both environmental and housing goals? With new focus and energy in a new Massachusetts administration, could there be more flexibility for small regional solutions? Could initiatives be developed so towns like West Newbury would be incentivized to collaborate with cities likeHaverhill or Newburyport to develop new ideas to achieve climate goals? State, regional and county agencies like the MassachusettsDepartment of Conservation and Recreation, the MassachusettsDepartment of Transportation, Mass Fish and Wildlife, Merrimack Valley DistrictCommission and the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority may also need tore-conceive their roles and methods to contribute to the governor’s new climate urgency. Essentially, every element of governmental structure that can help address our climate crises must get creative and collaborative to include all environmental stakeholder organizations. This is a key to foster the needed push for a livable climate for future generations.

ACES is looking forward to hearing details from our new climate chief. Then we will do our best to support her and the Commonwealth to help lead the country with climate solutions.

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In the now classic movie “Grease”, John Travolta sings his love to Olivia Newton John - “cause the power, you're supplying, it’s electrifying." That song has us rocking in the streets to celebrate the New Year. That’s because we are hearing what the City is doing in the new year to try to reduce our electric rates while also bringing a clean energy deal to us in 2023.

By negotiating an aggregated electricity sourcing agreement for the City to lower our electricity bills we are all being offered a lower rate per kWh. Not only are our electrical bills going to be lower in this era of rising prices, but they will also be dramatically greener thanks to the state’s challenge goal of 54% produced by clean green methods. In fact, we can do better because according to data recently compiled by the U.S. EnergyInformation Administration (EIA), renewable energy sources provided almost 70%of the new U.S. electrical generating capacity added during the first eight months of 2022.

Ultimately electrifying everything is the way to go for a better climate outcome since electricity is moving rapidly towards cleaner sources of production as coal plants are shut down and wind and solar power rise dramatically and maybe now, we’ll have fusion power in the next decade. 

By electrifying everything we mean heating, cooling, cooking, transportation, and factory uses. Over time, but with prudent haste, we need to move toward eliminating everything that involves burning fossil fuels. That will mean changes like encouraging building codes that emphasize electric heating and cooking, gas mileage improvements to favor electric vehicles, maybe even phasing in electric school busses. We as individuals don’t have to wait. Even if you currently heat with oil cook and cook with gas, you can still do your little bit better for climate by regulating your heat, and using a crock pot, electric air fryer, griddle, or toaster oven whenever you can.

This kind of electrical rate deal was made possible by evolutionary changes in utility regulations made by our elected officials who istened to what advocates and scientists around the state weresaying. Rewriting the regulatory model was slow, hard, collaborative work. Itneeded to balance the good it could do with preserving existing jobsand the needs of utility businesses.

The team that made this cost reducing agreement happen here in the Clipper City should be very proud. It’s a team that spanned several CityCouncil terms and leadership from both former Mayor Holaday and Mayor Reardon and included City Energy coordinator Molly Ettenborough’s expertise and many volunteers on the City’s Energy Advisory Committee. In many ways this new community aggregation agreement has built on all that prior work brought forward.

ACES is grateful for all that work and for everyone who has contributed to this continuing journey towards “Net Zero” energy that produces no greenhouse gasses and thus helps slow down and ultimately reduce global warming. 

We read dire headlines about droughts, floods, sea level rising, climate changing and more. But a new year brings new hope. For 2023 that hope includes cheaper and cleaner electricity for Newburyporters. And then we smile when we think back on that song from ‘Grease’, “You’re the one that I want” because Newburyport really is electrifying. 

Happy New Year from all of us at ACES

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Our Youth Corps asks that if you care about issues like theseand would like to learn more and possibly do a bit more or have any questions,please send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail.com. To learn more about ACES and its Initiatives, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org.