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Save The Planet Before It's Too Late

A youths perspective on climate change

Commentary

Rethinking Bottled Water

Bill Cooper discribes the sad reality of plastic bottle usage and what his organization is doing to make a change

Bottled water use skyrocketed over the past couple of decades due to its convenience, the benefits of hydration, its ubiquitous availability and the perception it is better quality than tap water. Beverage companies have marketed bottled water as clean, fresh-tasting water that is so much better than our tap water.

But plastic bottle pollution is reaching critical levels here in the U.S. and across the globe. It’s astonishing how many plastic bottles do not get recycled and end up in our environment.

We all live in a seaside community where we can see evidence of plastic bottle pollution every time we walk the beaches. Single-use plastic bottles are bad for the environment, our oceans, aquatic life and now our own health.

Now, years later, we see the evidence building up in our landfills, our oceans and along our seashores. Several towns in Massachusetts, including Arlington, Concord, Brookline and several Cape Cod towns, have even banned the sale of single-use plastic bottles.

The call to action: Stop buying bottled water (and using single-use plastics in general).

What’s wrong with tap water? We all grew up drinking a glass of water from the kitchen sink. What changed?

Evidence mounted that even our tap water is not always safe to drink. The EPA and state agencies regulate the quality of our tap water by requiring testing and reporting of certain contaminants in our drinking water, and report to customers when there is a violation in the minimum quality standards.

Water departments are about to publish and mail this year’s required water quality report, which covers 2021. Watch for it in your mail. Many experts believe the standards set by the EPA are outdated and too loose, with many contaminants still going unregulated.

All of this contributes to our trust or lack of trust in our drinking water. Regardless,

“More than 50 percent of thousands of Americans surveyed by the Environmental Working Group say their tap water is unsafe and 40 percent won’t or can’t drink it.” (www.EWG.org, May 2022)

The solution to both problems – refillable water bottles.

Start using refillable water bottles and use filtered/purified water. That is the best way to get clean, healthy, great-tasting water without the single-use plastic bottles. Most of the bottled water we buy is filtered, purified tap water anyway.

Sad reality of plastic bottles

Nearly 300 million metric tons of plastic waste are produced every year. That number is growing by about 9% per year. It takes up to 1,000 years for a single water bottle to decompose.

Our plastic bottles are not really getting recycled. The U.S. generates more than 35 million tons of plastics but recycles just 8.3% of it. Americans throw away 35 billion empty water bottles a year.

Plastics are entering our oceans at an alarming rate. Two billion plastic bottles “leaked” into the oceans in 2016. That’s the equivalent of a truckload of single-use plastics every minute of every day. By 2040, the amount of plastic waste in the ocean will triple and will equal the weight of fish and aquatic mammals.

Bottled water production and distribution has an enormous carbon footprint: It takes almost 2,000 times the energy to manufacture a bottle of water than it does to produce tap water. It takes three times the amount of water in a bottle of water to make it as it does to fill it. Then, each week, it takes 40,000 18-wheeler trucks on our roads just to deliver our bottled water.

Bottled water contains microplastics. Research at the State University of New York at Fredonia showed that 93% of tested bottled water had microplastics contamination. About 70,000 microplastic particles are consumed by an average person each year.

Local resource to consider

There are a variety of systems that are available from various retailers and companies. Blue Ribbon Water of Newburyport is one firm that is committed to the reduction of single-use plastic bottles in our environment by providing systems to filter your own water for refilling your bottles. They work to educate the public about plastic bottle pollution and posting the latest water quality data on their website www.blueribbonwater.com.

Bill Cooper is a co-founder of Blue Ribbon Water in Newburyport.

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.

Project

ACES Issues Report with Municipal Waste Reduction Planning Tool

Commentary

Celebration of World Ocean Week

Executive Director of the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation Jennifer Kennedy ask us to learn about the importance of the ocean and the wealth of marine life in our local waters.

Take a deep breath. Did you know that plankton in the ocean produces over 50% of the oxygen we breathe? The ocean is amazing – it provides oxygen, seafood and recreation.

It also absorbs carbon and helps stem the impacts of climate change. It contains an astonishing number of creatures, from tiny plankton to the largest animals on Earth. The health of all life on Earth depends on a healthy ocean. That is why each year in June, we celebrate World Ocean Day (although many of us celebrate the ocean all year!).

World Ocean Day occurs on June 8 each year. The United Nations General Assembly officially recognized World Ocean Day in 2008. The day was once called World Oceans Day, but the “s” was dropped in 2021 to acknowledge that there is one world ocean that connects us all.

The Gulf of Maine supports many marine species. If you visit the rocky shore at low tide, you may have a close encounter. You may see different kinds of marine algae and invertebrates such as periwinkles, mussels and crabs. Please only observe the animals and do not remove these sensitive creatures from their home.

Harbor and gray seals haul out on the coast at low tide in some areas. These semiaquatic animals are equally at home in the water or on the land (although they do not move very gracefully on land!).

Further offshore, you can find whales, dolphins and porpoises. Fin, humpback and minke whales are the most common whale species in our area. Since the late 1990s, we have been studying the distribution and behavior of whales.

Our work involves photographing whales from local boats, identifying individuals, and collecting data on location, behavior and any other marine life or human activity in the area. We use this data to learn about whale distribution, monitor human threats (sadly, the biggest threats to whales are vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglement), and study the life history of individuals. We share this information with other organizations and agencies in the Gulf of Maine.

One threat to the ocean that we all play a part in is marine debris – litter in our ocean and on our beaches. We have been collaborating with volunteers since 2001 to monitor and clean up marine debris in New England.

At each beach cleanup, we record the litter that we pick up. This data helps us determine what types of trash are most prevalent. We use this information to develop pollution prevention and education programs.

Each year, we pick up thousands of pieces of plastic on the beach. What do we find? Top items include plastic bottle caps, wrappers, cigarette butts, and pieces of foam from cups, insulation and packaging.

Each summer, we also see hundreds of balloons and plastic bags on the ocean. The trash in the environment can have disastrous consequences for marine life, which can swallow it or become entangled. If you pick up even one piece of litter from a beach, park or roadway, you could save the life of a marine animal.

Want to get involved? You can join a public beach cleanup, contact us to set up a private cleanup for your group, or conduct your own cleanup using our digital cleanup kit: https://blueoceansociety.org/cleanupkit. For more information on our beach cleanups and other programs, visit www.blueoceansociety.org.

Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect marine life in the Gulf of Maine through research, education and inspiring action.

Jennifer Kennedy is executive director of the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation.

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 website https://www.aces-alliance.org.

Commentary

Youth Perspectives on Lowering Our Carbon Footprint

ACES Youth Corp Helena Strauch shares the succesfulness of Triton Regional High School's Sustainability Project while several students share their positive experiences.

The Environmental Science classes at Triton Regional High School recently undertook an initiative toward implementing more sustainable lifestyles over a two-week period. To “walk the talk,” Thomas Horsley, the teacher and supervisor of this project, also participated in this yearly project to demonstrate a difference.

If everyone on this planet were to share the same lifestyle as an average American, we would need five Earth’s worth of resources to support the population of the world (reference from Earth Overshoot Day). It is important for the health of our planet to make changes to reduce our negative impacts. Learning about a carbon footprint, students chose three changes they could make that would reduce their impact on the environment.

Senior Joe Abt decided his three actions would be: 1) turn off and unplug unused devices and lights, 2) use a reusable water bottle, and 3) use unpackaged shower essentials versus ones that come in plastic bottles.

“It has been going really well so far. Turning off the lights is going to be evident in my parents’ electrical bill,” Abt said. “It’s been pretty easy, honestly, changing habits. I would recommend this to other people, and other schools as a final project as well.”

One of the most common statements from students participating in this project was how easy it is to incorporate more sustainable ways of living into their lifestyles.

Isabella Savino, another senior, was participating in the Sustainability Project while on vacation in Arizona.

“During that time, it was really easy to think about more sustainable practices. We were all carpooling, and eating out which made it easier to avoid red meat,” Savino said.

She noted that, while this was an easy task for her, it caused her to be more thoughtful and insightful at the same time. Her plan is to incorporate these and more good practices so she can continue staying strong when back in Massachusetts.

Sage Woodward is a second-timer doing this project and also a senior. The first time around, she had made the decision to go vegan. Although she was unsuccessful in staying vegan for the full duration of the project, she gained from the experience and then made a decision to become serious and go vegetarian.

“This project can really show people that sustainable behaviors aren’t as hard as you may think they are. When I first went vegetarian, I thought it was going to be impossible,” Woodward said. “But it has actually been really easy and I know not eating meat is one of the best things you can do for the environment.”

Woodward believes that this project is a great opportunity to reflect and be thoughtful so you can open your mind to lifestyles like being a healthy vegetarian. This year, she chose to cut back on individually packaged goods, eating less dairy, and being better about using her reusable water bottle.

Thomas Horsley believes that this sustainability project is the most important assignment that he presents every year.

Since starting the legacy of the project, he has become vegetarian, rides his bike to school, and decreased his plastic use by using things such as shampoo bars.

“I want to demonstrate that every person, myself included, can make small, manageable changes in their lives to make a difference,” Horsley said.

He claimed that he, as well as many students, plans to extend sustainable practices beyond the duration of the project. Adjusting to the changes is the hard part, but the impact that will occur in the long run is surprisingly remarkable.

"Appreciate your positive contribution to a healthier environment"

Take a step and unplug those electronics not in use, take a shorter shower, invest in a reusable water bottle if you haven’t already, eat local, and use more plastic-free waste items. You will see the difference, and appreciate your positive contribution to a healthier environment.

Commentary

Environmentalism is Both Pro-life and Pro-choice

ACES leaders describe the social and political balance needed to fight for our climate and its creatures.

Labels can be misleading. For instance, the terms pro-life and pro-choice may seem antithetical. However, environmentalism is pro-life, in support of clean water, clean air and clean drinking water while it’s also pro-choice because it supports having a choice of cleanly produced foods, being able to avoid polluted air due to traffic jams, and having the option of taking a train to work.

Most people agree that choice is good; sustainable life is good. The real question is how to apply those values in both personal and societal contexts.

For good or ill, politics and our civic institutions are the only way we mediate those conflicts by seeking to find “common ground” or at least a tenuous peace.

That means that regarding environmental strategies and actions, we must make room for personal choice while clearly defining things we must do to save mankind’s place on earth. People will want to fly, travel, and drive fast cars. The key for environmentalists is to concede the right to choose while creating overall policies that aid climate. Even simple rules like auto emissions inspections, gas MPG standards, or banning certain pesticides represent such policies. Environmentalists must be politically aware participants in the public square to get these kinds of ideas enacted.

As one team member noted, “When I was a first-semester freshman in college in the ‘60s, my humanities professor posed a question that has stayed with me. ‘What are the ethical choices mediating the boundaries between the individual and the state?’” In times of societal stress, this question resurfaces as a starting point for formatting ideas and policy preferences.

The Vietnam War divided the country largely along generational lines. Ultimately, people took to the streets, organized, and voted. It was messy and contentious but the country needed to have those debates in order to clarify its values within a post-war new world.

Now is a similarly contentious time with issues of war, climate change, racism, gender, poverty, and ecology. Each is intensely “small p” political in that they affect people in their daily lives. It may help us if we revisit history for guidance. In Ancient Greece, civic political life was not optional. The Athenians had a word for those who refused to participate in public affairs: “idiotes.” Really!

"An existential threat to mankind"

So, let’s take that Greek ideal of democratic civic participation to heart to cope with our problems in 2022. We are now faced with dire global warming and climate change accompanied by widespread species extinction. That’s a big thing, an existential threat to mankind.

Environmentalists want to solve these problems and I hope you are one of them. It may be messy but our best choice is to participate in civic debate. It will require that we tease out and formulate specific proposals, and vocally and respectfully present them to our fellow citizens. Our only choice is to persuade, not just preach, about climate and the environment. We need to be pro-active in communications to create positive, reinforcing images that help people say “yes” to climate-friendly ideas and actions.

We must communicate all our climate concerns to the public in ways that honor healthy individual choices. As happened with the Women’s Reproductive Rights Rally this past week in Newburyport, we must speak up in the public square. Collectively, we want to persuade the 9,848 women and 8,229 men of Newburyport and the 330 million mostly female souls in our nation to move quickly and cooperatively in the direction of policies that protect the Earth and its creatures.

If we care about the earth, we must work to craft doable options for the public at large and educate people about the urgency of changing some of their ways.

Data alone will not be enough for individuals to make the best choices about actions needed for the well-being of all species. We need emotions and joy in our plans too. We must nurture butterflies and plant trees as well as the ideas that will sustain future generations.

Photo by Yannis Papanastasopoulos on Unsplash

Commentary

Environmental Messaging Through Art

Finding the balance between focused messaging and beautiful works of art that bring awareness to challenging issues in our lives.

Greater Newburyport organizations who are allies of ACES mission will write columns related to their support of ACES’ climate, environmental, and social concerns.

As an art gallery owner and now the creative director for the non-profit PEG Center for Art and Activism, our mission is three-fold: to show art that addresses the climate crisis, human rights, and social justice. Our exhibitions and supporting programs aim to “educate-to-activate” our community to take steps to positively affect some of the most challenging issues we face today.

It is always important how the message is conveyed. People need to have a wholehearted understanding of the challenges, but to frighten, cajole, or over-step is not a way into most people’s hearts.

We at the PEG Center walk a fine line between beautiful art and focused messaging. Both, it turns out, are important.

From the beginning of humanity, we have been conveying messages through visual art. Often, what artists seek to tell is the story of what is most meaningful to them, whether it is the beauty of our natural world or the challenges of being human. Visual messaging is what links us, country to country and citizen to citizen, with our current, historical, and future dreams. When we amplify the beauty of our natural world, built into that amplification is a longing for it to be cared for, saved for future generations, so that deep into the future we trust this beauty will still exist.

We count on artists to convey the heart and soul of our challenges, so that we may have open-heartedness when facing our challenges.

As the artist Olafur Eliasson said in a 2016 article titled “Why Art Has The Power To Change The World”: “Art does not show people what to do, yet engaging with a good work of art can connect you to your senses, body, and mind. It can make the world felt. And this felt feeling may spur thinking, engagement, and even action.”

I have recently had the good fortune of knowing two eco-artists; artists whose work exemplifies their care for the environment. One, Rebecca McGee Tuck, creates wrack-line art from debris found at the high tide line from New England beaches. Olivia Fischer Fox is an oil painter whose portraits of children in nature give us pause. Each of these artists is also deeply involved in environmental activist organizations — for Rebecca it is Surfrider Foundation (www.surfrider.org) and for Olivia it is Mothers Out Front (www.mothersoutfront.org). When an artist lends her voice and her work to an activist group, her message and reach is amplified. We then learn about these organizations and get involved ourselves.

It has long been said that to feel something deeply creates compassion and caring for the health and survival of that which is at risk. Sometimes that heart-opening comes through visual activism, and sometimes it comes from simple messaging, which is why, for every art exhibition at PEG, we produce educational programs that support, expand, and amplify the message.

From now through the end of May, the PEG Center will be exhibiting works in a show titled “Shared Habitat Earth, SHE,” which has been curated by Boston-area artist Barbara Eskin, an artist passionate about the environment. She will be traveling to four locations in the Boston, South Shore, and north of Boston. PEG chose 20 artists for the exhibition here. In curating the choices that Barbara has put together, I sought work that told the message of the climate crisis in an open and rather blatant way. Barbara’s mission was to keep the work beautiful, in order not to turn viewers away.

Come see us during the show and let us know which point of view was most effective! Paula may be reached at paula.estey@yahoo.com.

Commentary

In Praise of Trees

A thoughtful perspective on how well we are treating our trees and if we are doing enough to protect them.

In Waipoua Forest on the northernmost tip of New Zealand there is a tree 177-feet-tall and over 2,000 years old. Impressive, yes. Even more impressive is the reverence that the Maori show this primeval giant. It is named Tane Mahuta, “God of the Forest,” after the Maori god who pushed apart the sky father and earth mother to create a place on Earth for humans to live. The tree is so sacred that it is considered taboo to touch it.

Tane Mahuta, in terms of sheer scale, is awesome, inspiring, and sublime. It stood in New Zealand before the first humans arrived on the island. No wonder it is considered a god.

Imagine if we treated our local trees with such reverence. Would we dare cut down even a small god if it shaded our pool or its leaves became a nuisance to rake? Of course, I’m not advocating that we deify the trees. But I do believe that we have lost a connection to them.

American consumer culture has taught us that trees on our property are exactly that, pieces of property, and we can do with them what we please.

Imagine, instead, if we treated trees as the long-lived organisms that they are. That they are not something we own but living things that we must care for as stewards and protectors, just as we care for a loved one or a family pet. How would you feel if your property was home to a 2,000-year-old giant?

Such giants do exist. A bald cypress in a North Carolina swamp is 2,624 years old. A little closer to home, Mohawk Trail State Forest is home to Massachusetts’ oldest trees, a grove of 500-year-old hemlocks. This gets me thinking. Where is Newburyport’s oldest tree? How old is it? What species? Who planted it? Is it in danger of being cut down? There’s a hemlock in my yard, maybe 40 or 50 years old. Will it live 50 more years, much less 450? and what sort of effort will it take to safeguard this tree?

Working in collaboration with ACES, I have been assembling a group of volunteers dedicated to preserving and caring for the trees in our community. This Tree Coalition has representatives from Newburyport’s Tree Commission, Parks Department, and the Friends of Newburyport Trees, as well as local city officials and naturalists. It is my hope that this coalition will help Newburyport live up to its promise as an Arbor Day Foundation-designated Tree City USA.

Local youth are also getting in on the act of tree preservation.

ACES Youth Corps interns recently created signs for a Tree Walk at the Indian Hill Reservoir in West Newbury to educate visitors about the importance of trees. I have been mentoring a passionate group of Newburyport High School students to bring similar interpretive signage to the trees of Atkinson Common. We hope our signage will not just be informative, but inspirational.

“What do we owe trees in return?”

Earth Day may have passed, but it’s never too late to appreciate the vital role that trees play in our community. They give us the air we breathe. They shade us on the hottest summer days. They are universes unto themselves providing habitat for countless insects, birds, and animals. They are also a vital resource and commodity, providing one of the world’s most valuable building materials and harboring a wealth of medical cures and treatments. Trees offer us so much. Lately, I’ve been asking myself, “What do we owe trees in return?” Is clean water and a quiet place to grow enough? Or do they deserve more?

Commentary

Protecting Wildlife and Their Habitats

Matt Hillman shares the many ways in which the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is working to share the beauty of our local wildlife with the public.

Our mission at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is first and foremost to protect wildlife and their habitats.

However, that mission could never succeed were it not for the tireless efforts of our many partners and volunteers who share a deep appreciation for their public lands — and a passion to instill the same in others.

That is why, throughout April and May, we and our partners are celebrating an extended Earth Day with a focus on recreating responsibly, giving back to public lands, and fostering an awareness for the social and emotional benefits of being in wild places. From shoreline cleanups to behind-the-scenes bicycle tours, there are more ways than ever to experience your national wildlife refuge and reconnect with nature.

Front desk volunteers are once again staffing our exhibit space, welcoming and orienting guests with a smile, as volunteer beach stewards protect nesting birds and educate beach goers about piping plovers. Refuge maintenance volunteers construct and repair a variety of structures, offering enhanced opportunities for the public and efficiencies for staff.

The Friends of Parker River, instrumental in their support for all aspects of refuge operations, coordinate among dozens of volunteers who tirelessly clean the beaches and shovel mountains of sand from the boardwalks, ensuring accessibility to all.

The services provided by members of our community to continually improve these spaces are profound and too numerous to name here.

To engage in other ways, consider taking part in the variety of programs offered over the coming weeks. For the first time, we are working with our Mass Audubon partners — an ACES ally — to offer drop-in bird banding demonstrations so visitors can learn about long-term monitoring efforts at the refuge. Numerous guided bird walks are available both day and night. Or, for a faster-paced adventure, consider a trek to Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge for one of several bicycle tours of this unique landscape steeped in Cold War history.

Having just celebrated Earth Day 22, we at Parker River extend our heartfelt thanks to all who contribute to make the refuge and surrounding lands a world-class destination for wildlife and people alike.

Although our primary mission is about the land, the waters, and the wildlife of our — your — National Wildlife Refuge, the staff and managers are cognizant of its contribution to the local area economies where we live and work.

After all, eco-tourism creates a stronger local economy as visitors task time to dine in and visit our local host communities in New Hampshire and Massachusetts such as Newburyport and Gloucester.

For more information and how to participate in upcoming events: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/parker-river/events.

Commentary

Clean up for Earth Day

If we wish to continue to enjoy the natural beauty of this coastal area, we all must work together toward the common goal of taking care of the environment.

This reality must be embraced by us all, though often it is not. There seems to be a lack of awareness about how our daily actions affect and even threaten our surroundings, by impacting the availability and quality of the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. If we choose not to care for the environment, the consequences are many, including scarcity of clean water, increasing air pollution, and uncontrollable hazardous waste, all of which contribute to the permanent loss of biodiversity.

We are at a pivotal moment, one in which it is imperative to fully understand this important fact: we have nowhere else to go, no planet B.

Our personal interactions with the environment, the ways in which we use our natural resources, must be done responsibly and sustainably. The simple truth is that humanity exists because of what nature provides. We are part of nature, which means if nature disappears, we disappear along with it. So, what can we do? Compost, recycle, use less and reuse more, but also clean up! If we work together to clean up along our roadsides, beaches, marshes, and parks, we can improve the coastal and ocean ecosystems. Roadside trash ultimately finds its way into our waters. Just take a walk along the river to see the evidence in plain sight, gathered in the sea grass: plastics, trash of all kinds, even the occasional tire. We must ensure that none of that trash kills marine life or disrupts the aquatic life cycle. Our lives depend on it.

So many decisions we make can help keep our communities clean, including being conscious of how and where we dispose of our waste.

Please make an effort to clean up wherever you are and wherever you go. There are several opportunities to get involved in an organized beach, marsh, or park cleanup this spring, and if those planned events don’t align with your schedule, then grab a bucket and choose a spot to make your own personal cleanup site. Jane Goodall once said, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” We must all work together to take care of this amazing planet that we all call home.

If you would like to learn about local organized cleanup opportunities, please see our 2022 Spring Cleanup Campaign Poster.

This campaign poster is a collaboration between ACES, the listed organizations, and our team of volunteers. Lisa Conti is one of our volunteers whose recent letter to ACES highlights why she became involved:

“Art Currier, president of the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards (ACES), reconnected with me to ask if I was interested in helping advance efforts to improve our environment. I learned that ACES needed someone to help guide high school students on promoting spring clean-up efforts in Greater Newburyport.

The project, and ACES’s mission, resonated with me. Whether at the beach or around my Salisbury neighborhood, I see and pick up way too much trash left by inconsiderate people. What do their selfish actions tell our children and grandchildren? Is the environment not worth saving for them? I’m glad to volunteer with like-minded adults and students who believe everyone should respect Mother Earth. I hope you’ll join us in a clean-up this spring.” Lisa’s note continued:

Respect Mother Earth
And her giving ways
Or trade away
Our children's days
- “Mother Earth (Natural Anthem”) by Neil Young

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 website https://www.aces-alliance.org.

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Commentary

Forever Green Newburyport

Pat Cannon shares how local shops who prioritze “being green” have made Newburyport a leader in ecotourism.

"A community that values the simplicity of everyday ways to all work together toward the common goal"

Being a small business owner in Newburyport, I am inspired by David Hall to focus on creating a lifestyle change of environmental sustainability. The Tannery Marketplace in Newburyport, which he developed, creates a community that makes it easy to recycle, reuse, recharge and reduce waste. It is a community that values the simplicity of everyday ways to all work together toward the common goal. With water fountains to easily refill water bottles to reduce plastics, electronic advertising boards to reduce paper products, composting and clearly labeled waste receptacles to electronic car charging, businesses support each other with awareness and action to create a more environmentally sustainable community.

I am also inspired by the Custom House Maritime Museum as they drive toward zero waste with new protocols for events. Significantly reducing waste, Eco-friendly service ware and a greater focus on re-energizing décor, etc., are critical actions of CAtCH events while managing events at the Custom House. We specialize in events where people make “being green” a priority. These inspirations and a passion for community spawned an initiative – “Forever Green Newburyport.”

As Taunya Wolfe, Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce director of the board describes: "Forever Green Newburyport is an annual collaborative program between the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the City of Newburyport, both ACES allies to support environmental education, awareness and eco-tourism. We are all heartened by reading of all the progress and plans in Newburyport to build community resilience to climate change in Mayor Readon’s recent op-ed in the Daily News."

All local businesses and organizations are encouraged to participate in this community-wide initiative. Our member businesses participating in Forever Green Newburyport are conscious of the need to adopt climate and environmentally friendly promotions products, processes and business practices! We want to do our part for the planet and besides, ecotourism is a mainstay of our local economy.

Ecotourism, such as natural ecosystems, is a complex web of natural beauty and resources, gently used and providing income to the community.

Our region is lucky indeed that ecotourism provides a clean industry with employment opportunities and life style benefits for communities that focus on it as does greater Newburyport.

With an emphasis on enriching personal experiences and environmental awareness through interpretation, ecotourism promotes greater understanding and appreciation for nature, local society, and culture. It functions economically as we enjoy here to live “off and with the land and waters” in harmony with nature.

Forever Green Newburyport is promoting special events and activities from late March through late April 2022. These programs include retail store display windows, spotlighting several of our businesses that are actively engaged, education sessions featuring “how to” be more green and a collaborative calendar that spotlights community events from the end of March to Earth Day, April 22. Our mission is to support a variety of local and regional organizations that are already working hard to reduce waste and increase awareness.

Please come visit us in Newburyport this spring and summer and enjoy some of the most beautiful ecotourism activities in all of New England. You will be genuinely welcomed.

^{To plan for activities that one may enjoy, check out the community-wide calendar can be found at}^{http://www.grtrnbpt.wixsite.com/rscalendar}

Forever Green Newburyport will be promoted to thousands through social media and other environmentally friendly avenues.

^{Check out:}^{www.newburyportchamberofcommerce.org/forevergreen}^.

Pat Cannon, is the leader of CAtCH events and Forever Green Newburyport Chamber of Commerce Lead.

This column was coordinated by ACES Youth Corps member Caleb Bradshaw. To share any comments or questions, send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail.com. To learn more about ACES, visit www.aces-alliance.org.

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Commentary

Earth Month Reflections 2022

Mayor Sean Reardon shares his duties to limit the affects of climate change in Newburyport and shares what we can do to help

Newburyport is a beautiful green and blue city here on the coast of New England, and having been your mayor now for almost 100 days, it’s clear to see how relevant environmental issues are, and how crucial sustainability and resiliency are for this community.

Just in my first month, we had a major snowstorm that threatened many of our neighborhoods, including those on Plum Island. Some of you may have seen the news last month that the U.S. government released new models showing that the sea levels on the East Coast are expected to rise by about a foot by 2050. This means moderate coastal flooding is expected to happen 10 times as often, meaning we could see flooding multiple times a year, rather than every few years.

"My job is to help us plan for the future"

Much of my job is to help us plan for the future, so that means it’s extremely important for me to look for ways to help make this city more climate resilient, but also to find ways for us to reduce our waste and energy consumption so we can limit the effects of climate change.

The city is committed to the state’s goals of net zero waste and energy consumption. This means that by 2030, we’ll reduce our energy use by 45% and our waste by 30%. and by 2050, we’ll reduce our current energy use by 85% and waste by 90%. To get there, we have to change a lot about how we live, and find new ways to manage our energy usage and supply.

Working together to make those plans a reality

We can’t do it all at once but we need to plan for the future and all work together to make those plans a reality. We have put together plans that prioritize preserving natural resources, limiting trash and waste, increasing residential and commercial recycling and composting, and planning for sea level rise, as well as promoting environmental conservation by reducing what we use and preserving what we have.

Luckily we have a head start. The city of Newburyport was named a Massachusetts Green Community a decade ago, meaning we adopted policies and practices that would help us reduce our energy use. Overall, we’re committed to reducing municipal energy use by 20% to keep us on track. I must praise the city’s departments and workers who have been excellent in adapting climate friendly practices wherever they can, and particularly recognize the work of Molly Ettenborough, our Recycling and Energy manager, for leading on these efforts.

We’ve been working on replacing old, energy wasting infrastructure, and finding ways to use more renewable energy. We’ve been early adopters in promoting electric vehicles including planning charging stations such as in the garage and library parking lot. We’re part of an exciting pilot project in which our Police Department is trying out a new electric vehicle to learn how to incorporate more of them into our fleet.

Businesses and residents have been working to meet this challenge as well. This month the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce has launched Forever Green, an annual collaborative program to encourage education, awareness and eco-tourism between the chamber, the city of Newburyport, organizations focused on the environment, and the community. Additionally, many residents and businesses have utilized the Solarize Newburyport programs that promoted solar roofs on homes and businesses. Many of our businesses, such as Mark Richey Woodworking, and Circle Finishing, have added renewable power from wind and solar. Hillside Sustainable Village and MINCO’s smart growth area at Boston Way have been built with net zero energy as a focus.

Our students are also taking an active role in many ways. The high school Environmental Club and National Honor Society will be launching an organics/composting campaign this month to attract more households to composting their food waste. Others have planned beach and park clean ups, bike swaps, climate justice rallies, all to be found on the local sustainability calendar here.

Open space is a key component of what it means to live in an earth-friendly way. Our parks and playgrounds, especially including our rail trails extension in the South End and along the waterfront, have garnered praise New England wide for their design and beauty and are considered civic gems.

"We can’t do any of this alone"

Lastly, as mayor, I want to harness the community’s energy and passion and get everyone involved in our efforts to make the city greener. We can’t do any of this alone. We need help on three city committees that are looking for volunteers to help the city to realize our waste and energy reduction goals. The Waste Reduction, Energy Advisory, and Resiliency committees all have a lot of exciting new initiatives that need your help.

If you have time to contribute in one of these areas and would like to learn more, please reach out to my office and we’ll provide you with more information. On Earth Day 2022 (my birthday by the way), let’s resolve to help each other make Newburyport an even better, greener, place to live, work, and visit.

This column was coordinated by ACES Youth Corps member Caleb Bradshaw. To share any comments or questions, send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail.com. To learn more about ACES, visit www.aces-alliance.org.

Commentary

On Earth Day music, and seasonal tunes

Ron Martino shares the many songs of nature and how you can share yours

"nature sings its songs too"

Joni Mitchell’s song “Big Yellow Taxi,” released during the headiness of the first Earth Day, ranks among the top anthems of the 1970s environmental movement.

With lyrics such as “They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum,” and, “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” it rebuked what humans were doing to nature in the interest of what was popularly deemed to be progress.

Federal highway funds seem to offer no end in sight to our impulse to bulldoze more, as highways are expanded in a broken-record habit to pave over nature. Indeed, sometimes It may seem that all we can do in the face of this unstoppable wave of global urbanization is to sing the blues.

But nature sings its songs too. Whale song echoes over vast volumes of ocean waters. Bees sing their vibrations and dance to share their directions to find flowers. Those songs and the rhythms of annual migrations of birds and herds across continents show how closely entwined nature is to music. Music serves as a medium of communication to celebrate, invoke, or accompany aspects from the cycle of life.

In Native American culture, the music is closely connected to and even intertwined with nature. It is an integral part of spiritual, social, moral and cultural events. Its most traditional instruments are voices, drums, and flutes; and all created sound, melody, and song serve a specific purpose. Traditionally, their music was brought to life through inspiration, participation, and imitation.

“Songs come from creation itself,” and “songs come from the earth. We are merely vessels through which it can flow and come forth and give joy and give culture, and show us traditions,” explained Whirling Cloud Woman from the Ute peoples.

Humanity as a whole is now writing different songs about Earth and its climate challenges, songs in which individual citizens and governmental officials worldwide play new scores together. And here in Greater Newburyport, expanded rail trails, better walk-ability, edible public plantings and pollinator meadows sound sweet in every neighborhood.

Along the Merrimack River, the sound that comes from the singing birds, the flowing water, and kids laughing lets us forget our worries for awhile and reflect on what is good in life, including being lucky enough to have nature so close at hand. Just like in ‘Annie’s Song’ by John Denver, with lines like “you fill up my senses like a night in a forest, like the mountains in springtime like a walk in the rain,” we are so lucky to live where we do.

Yet there is bad news and we have a lot to do for the healing of Earth’s ills, and we all worry about it.

a “band” of environment and climate allies

But take heart — we can work on it together. Ecological science is helping urban planners think more creatively about nature-informed design. And such as improvisation in jazz, sometimes the most beautiful music comes in the moment and in collaboration with fellow band members. Here in Greater Newburyport, ACES has formed a “band” of environment and climate allies who continue to practice together week after week in hopes that the music deep in the rhythms of the natural world can be harmoniously channeled into meaningful stewardship actions.

Whatever your instrument — your voice, your pen, or your checkbook — please join the band and ACES this earth month and sing your own song for nature. And, save the date of Friday, April 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. for an Earth Day Climate Justice celebration being organized by the First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist, an ACES ally on the waterfront. We hope to see you there!

This column was coordinated by ACES Youth member Caleb Bradshaw. To share any comments or questions, send an email to ACESNewburyport@gmail.com. To learn more about ACES visit www.aces.alliance.org.

Commentary

A look at one local group's active climate campaign

Patricia L. Skibbee shares the evolution of the Climate Action Project (CAP) and how it is currently taking action to foster environmental stewardship

Climate Action Project (CAP) is an action committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church/First Religious Society on Pleasant Street in Newburyport.

CAP has been focused on climate change since our inception 10 years ago. We started with a limited mission: convincing the congregation to divest from direct holdings in fossil fuel stock. That process took a year — meeting with the Finance Committee, researching consequences, sharing information on climate change, then known as “global warming”. (This was in the days when many had not even heard of the issue and when those who had thought it might happen “someday.”)

We won that vote.

The ensuing years saw many pot lucks with speakers, letter-writing mornings, work with the Gulf of Maine Institute, or GOMI, holding Climate Cafés bringing teen leaders together with adults to teach the grown-ups about climate, and organizing annual Earth Day Sunday services. In 2020 we wrote an Environmental Policy now formally adopted into First Religious Socieity’s governance structure which requires every action/decision of the church and Young Church curriculum to put environment/climate concerns as a priority. CAP used a MassSave energy analysis of the church building and Parish Hall to significantly reduce energy use via increased insulation and air infiltration blocking measures.

Now it’s hard (maybe impossible) to find anyone who isn’t familiar with the climate issue and who doesn’t realize it’s here with us right now rather than in some foggy distant future.

CAP has moved from informing people to encouraging and taking action: future use of heat pump technologies to further reduce the church’s carbon footprint; member Lance Hidy creating a beautiful graphic printed as a 24” by 24” poster/yard poster with the caption, “Love Our Earth”; our Director of Children’s Ministry, Mara Flynn, with CAP members; and organizing a Climate Justice Rally for Friday, Earth Day, April 22, afternoon at the waterfront park in Newburyport. Students of all ages in the church will make climate-care posters and parade through Market Square to the rally site. Theater in the Open, Imagine Studios, Tinkerhaus, Storm Surge, ACES, PEG Center for Arts and Activism, and Merrimack River Watershed Council are participating. All are welcome!

To prepare, Mary McDonald of Tinkerhaus will host a Community Sign Making on April 9, Saturday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at 3 Graf Road, Suite 11, in Newburyport. Again, all are welcome.

Julie Parker Amery, director of Faith Formation and Spiritual Exploration, is presenting “How To Save A Planet” on Thursday evenings continuing through April 14, on environmental/climate issues. Participants listen to a podcast then join virtually via Zoom to discuss.

This year’s Earth Day Sunday service, April 10, welcomes Salem State University professor Dr. Marcos Luna speaking on climate justice and science. In that service will be “A Moment For All Ages,” engaging the children in an environmental awareness activity.

CAP realizes we can’t save the planet by our work alone, but we endeavor to spread not only the word but also the actions, that, taken together, will keep our earth a beautiful and safe home for all of us forever.

This updated 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 website https://www.aces-alliance.org.

In the News

ACES stands with the people of Ukraine

ACES leaders share their support for the struggling people of Ukraine

ACES wishes to shift its gaze for the moment from local climate and the environment to express that ACES stands with the people of Ukraine. The chaos, destruction, death and wrecked lives of so many in the war is horrible. The environmental destruction in the Ukraine is horrific.

Even more than the horrible nuclear plant accident that had previously marked the Ukraine 36 years ago. Even before the current war, the name of Chernobyl made a sad reminder of the possibilities of technology going wrong and the need for us all to be conservationists when it comes to protecting our environment.

ACES ally C-10 has been working tirelessly for years in greater Newburyport to focus on holding officials and regulators to high standards including their careful monitoring of the Seabrook nuclear power station. We are all grateful for their service in that regard.

The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on April 26, 1986, at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat, in the north of Ukraine in the then-Soviet Union. It is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history both in cost and casualties.

The so called “exclusion zone” that was established around the nuclear plant has had weird ecosystems effects. Consisting of over 1,000 square miles of territory in the Ukraine, it become a kind of Dr. Frankenstein unintended experiment.

The shear numbers of wildlife has risen dramatically with elk, bison, wolves, and boar and lynx returning to the re-wilding areas. So maybe it’s going to be OK? Well, maybe in one respect but Science Daily reports that brightly colored birds are among the species most adversely affected by the high levels of radiation around the Chernobyl nuclear plant, ecologists have discovered.

And Audubon, an ACES ally, reported in 2014 that Chernobyl’s radiation seemed to be robbing birds of their sperm. And it has been reported that birds living around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear accident had 5% smaller brains, an effect directly linked to lingering background radiation. The finding comes from a study of 550 birds belonging to 48 different species living in the region.

As individual animals roam in and out of the area and mate with others not effected by the radiation event, what DNA changes have been introduced to the species and will they cause species to diverge over a longer time period?

All of that was made more fearful by news that the Russians resumed shelling the dormant nuclear plant. Saying it is dormant belies the fact that mostly spent nuclear fuel is buried underground there and should never be disturbed.

But it is not about the exclusion zone now. It’s about the people of the Ukraine. We owe them our prayers, our financial support and the world’s condemnation of the Russian invasion.

War in Ukraine is probably the most egregiously destructive climate and environmental action of all. It’s wrong and it needs to be called out and acted upon. ACES is proud to speak up for the land and the people of Ukraine. ACES stands with them.

We fervently hope that the national animal of Ukraine, the common nightingale which constitutes an essential element in Ukrainian folklore as a harbinger of spring and a voice of sweet, happy sounds, sings again soon.

Commentary

Plant trees in the spirit of climate rescue

Ron Martino shares why trees are a vital tool in helping to reverse climate change.

A friend’s son recently died of COVID-19 in his 50s. Reading his obituary, there was guidance at the end of the condolences page to plant a tree as a remembrance of his life. It was a poignant reminder of mortality and an appropriate ritual of commemoration.

"Trees have been sacred since pre-Christian times"

If you walk around an old New England graveyard, you will often see the images of trees, often willows, carved into the gravestones. Trees have been sacred since pre-Christian times in Europe with old examples in almost every country of “special” old trees that are still venerated objects of remembrance.

In Boston, on the edge of Chinatown, there is a plaque honoring the “Liberty Tree” where colonists staged their first act of defiance against the Crown in 1765. The original tree was cut down by a Loyalist, Nathaniel Coffin Jr., in 1775. It was just a tree — but it was also a symbol of the awakening American desire for freedom.

Today, trees are still often a symbol of an emerging spirit. A spirit relevant on a planetary scale. A spirit of climate rescue. Many countries are engaged in planting millions of trees and racing to do other projects to stop and slowly reverse global warming and its catastrophic consequences. In 2018, China sent 60,000 soldiers into its countryside just to plant trees.

Newburyport, an environmental leader in many ways, has planted dozens of trees lately. Fortunately, there are great opportunities to expand our cities trees in keeping with our designation as Tree City USA by Arbor Day Foundation.

"Now we should think bigger."

That’s why ACES Youth Corps interns recently created a Tree Walk at the Indian Hill Reservoir to promote and educate visitors about the importance of trees. Mentored by ACES Ally Maple Crest farmer and teacher John Elwell and West Newbury Tree Commissioner Fred Chanania, Newburyport High School students Nicolas Forestell and Jackson Darling researched and developed a wonderful interpretive “Tree Walk” at the reservoir in West Newbury.

And now, ACES is joining with the Friends of Newburyport Trees (FONT), the Newburyport Tree Commission, the Newburyport Parks Department and others hoping to bring similar interpretive learning signage and pathways to public parks, streets, and open spaces in Newburyport. This artistic and scientifically vetted tree walk method will hopefully motivate more planting of trees, and add to the city’s ecotourism attractiveness. Trees are an important way to sequester carbon and help and modulate change. We need as many of them as we can plant in the city and surrounding communities.

As these organizations and others are now forming “Tree Teams,” so to speak, to refine and promulgate the idea, we have high hopes for more trees replacing those lost through disease or storm damage. Watch this space for more information as the plans roll out and we pick up shovels together.

Because we often see trees as decorative, not part of clean air and water infrastructure, we may see them as nice to have but we also need to see them as must have parts of the public domain. They provide the oxygen we breathe.

In the 1970s, a handful of business and civic leaders rose to action and saved the city from its then ruinous decay. We need a new cadre of entrepreneurs and public officials to rise and face our climate emergency and yes — plant trees, lots more trees.

Ron Martino lives in Newburyport, is an ACES adviser/mentor, and publishes “GreenTalk Daily” on Twitter @ronmartino4.

To share any comments or questions, please send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail.com. To learn more about ACES, go to www.aces-alliance.org.

Commentary

Personal Stewardship Actions are Critical

A few personal actions we can take to help protect our environment from the book “1,001 Ways to Save the Earth” by Joanna Yarrow.

Considering the significance of the axiom, “Think Globally, Work Locally, Act Personally,” the following are personal actions that we can take to contribute to the well-being of our environment and our future generations. They are from the book, “1,001 Ways to Save the Earth” by Joanna Yarrow.

Buy local and seasonal. Resist the supermarket all-year-round mentality and get back in tune with local, seasonal produce. You’ll reduce the amount of air freight emissions associated with your meal, and support local farmers.

Security measure monitoring. If you leave a light on when you go away, set it on a timer and use an energy efficient bulb.

Natural shine. Make your glass and windows cleaner by mixing a little white wine vinegar in water in a refillable plastic spray bottle. You’ll save money and avoid isopropyl alcohol which harms aquatic life and can adversely affect the human nervous system.

Organic gold mine. More than a third of the waste put into garbage cans or a garbage disposal is compostable organic matter. Separating out materials such as vegetable and fruit peel and cardboard packaging gives you natural fuel for a compost pile, which will generate nutrient rich matter to condition your soil and nourish your plants.

Hidden menace. The flame retardant PBDE is often used to treat furniture, carpets and clothes. Chemically known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, PBDEs is a persistent synthetic compound that accumulates in our bodies and has been linked to hormone dysfunction. Make retailers aware of your desire to avoid this compound by asking for PBDE-free products

Does it work on bee stings? Manuka honey has great antiseptic qualities. Try using it to clean and soothe minor cuts, burns, and grazes without the need for harsh chemical creams.

"there is more to recycled products than just toilet paper"

Give a recycled gift. Give a friend something beautiful or unusual made from recycled materials, such as a piece of jewelry or clothing, to remind them that there is more to recycled products than just toilet paper.

Caring confetti. Rosebuds, petals, blossoms or biodegradable confetti made from recycled tissue paper bring magic to a just-married moment, then dissolve quickly.

Mug’s game. Keep a mug at work for all the hot or cold drinks you need to fuel your day. You’re a busy person and you deserve better than a plastic container.

Windows across the world. Next time you have a short meeting in a far-flung location, ask yourself whether you really need to be there in person. Zoom video conferencing could save you a lot of time and money and avoids environmentally damaging travel.

To share any personal stewardship actions that you believe will be helpful for positively impacting the planet’s climate or our environment’s health, send them to Susan MacPhee, an ACES advisor, at acesnewburyport@gmail.com.

Project

The Pollinator PowerWorks, planting "bee friendly" gardens

Planting a native plant, pollinator garden can help save the planet

Why we started the Pollinator PowerWorks

Last winter, U.S. beekeepers lost 45% of their bee population. In the past decade, we have been losing 16% of all pollinators per year. This is due to habitat loss caused by factors such as pesticides, mining, and development. A world without pollinators certainly couldn’t sustain seven billion people, which is why we need to act now to save our food supply and the health of our ecosystem. When people are passionate about something, that’s when we really see change.

The best way to reverse what is happening is to start small

If we can plant even just a few more gardens, then we will be saving a significant number of pollinators. So many families and residents in Newburyport and surrounding communities would benefit from joining others and planting their own pollinator gardens. They are beautiful to look at, exciting to learn about, and mesmerizing to watch, as they attract a variety of species.

The Pollinator PowerWorks, a multi-generational group of stewards, aim to create a network of pollinator gardens throughout the Greater Newburyport area which can be connected to surrounding communities and become part of the Greater Massachusetts Network: https://www.nofamass.org/mass-pollinator-network/

You can make a difference

Plant your own garden, help others plant, or help convert a hayfield into a pollinator meadow.

In 2022, ACES Pollinator PowerWorks would like to garner much needed attention for bees and butterflies by reaching out to the greater Newburyport community to offer help designing, planting, and powering up pollinator gardens for 10 to 15 enthusiastic individuals this spring.

If you want to help, plant a new garden, or if you already have a pollinator garden and want to add to our efforts, the best way to get started is filling out our short form:
https://forms.gle/t8muxR4X52nbX8XF6

Or contact pollinatorpowerworks@gmail.com

Pollinator PowerWorks Project plans to help design gardens.

Download small pollinator garden plan.

Download medium pollinator garden plan.

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Download large pollinator garden plan.

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Download wet pollinator garden plan.

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Download shady pollinator garden plan

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Commentary

The 'Better Bottle Bill' for our environment

ACES presents its reasoning for why it supports the “Better Bottle Bill” and urges others to embrace it aswell

Today, ACES is proud to add our voices to those of the Massachusetts Municipal Association and environmentalists across the commonwealth in support of the revised “Better Bottle Bill” working its way through the Massachusetts Legislature.

It is one of the most consequential acts of environmentalism that can be achieved in the short term at the state level and within existing operationally ready structures.

ACES was formed as a way to amplify the great work of our climate and environmentally focused allies. Since our beginning a few years ago, we’ve come to be composed of over 40 organizations that are aligned with the purpose of the alliance. Today is a good time to lift our voices.

Referred to as the “Better Bottle Bill,” filed by Rep. Marjorie Decker and Sen. Cindy Creem, it will increase the bottle deposit from its current five cents to 10 cents and add more types of beverage containers to the program and put a deposit on water bottles, vitamin drinks, nips and bottles for other drinks that weren’t contemplated when the initial law was adopted in the early 1980s.

Why ACES is in support?

Because we are centered in Greater Newburyport on Boston’s North Shore, we are acutely aware of the unconscionable amounts of plastic and other pollution flowing down our rivers and on to our beaches. Those of us who walk our dogs or jog regularly see how much wind-blown plastics often edge our roadsides and storm drains.

That’s why ACES team members are highly motivated to speak up in strong support of the Massachusetts Legislature’s work to produce an expanded bottle bill.

This bill would result in lower costs for the residents of the city to counter the fact that waste disposal costs have skyrocketed as landfills around New England close and have stopped accepting more trash. This bill will reduce the use of fossil fuels in the production of plastic containers and help the environment. This bill will reduce trash and litter.

The next time you are out for a walk take note of how many crumpled bottles, including “nips” are strewn along our streets and caught up in fence edges. This bill reduces waste by expanding the type of containers covered by the bill and raises the fee by less than inflation since the ‘80s would justify. The existing Massachusetts law saves cities and towns on the order of $20 million in recycling costs each year, and updating the Bottle Bill promises to save municipalities even more.

Like many environmentally focused individuals and organizations across the commonwealth, we strongly urge our senators and representatives, to pass this bill.

Lobbyists are spending money to fight this idea. Legislators and opinion makers are being heavily lobbied by big beverage, liquor and plastics’ interests. They are expressing concern for their own short term financial interests in Massachusetts. But they are also being strategic nationally. They see that when we pass this bill in Massachusetts it will ripple out across the country to other states. Speaking up and urging this action now can really make an impact while helping Massachusetts lead the way on improving the environment.

ACES team members urge you to take action today

To support the passage of this important bill, ACES team members urge you to take action today. Call your city and town officials and speak up for it. Call your state representative and senator. Post your ideas on Facebook. Take and post pictures on Tic Tok or Instagram of random bottles clogging storm drains or flattened by the roadside.

Acting right now will have true impact for conserving our earth now. While 80% of containers covered by the 1980s era Bottle Bill are ultimately recycled less than 25% of beverage containers without a deposit fee are recycled. We can do better. Massachusetts must do better.

The youth of the world, like many Newburyport, Amesbury, Triton, Pentucket and River Valley Charter School students along with Greta Thunberg, have been standing witness to the need for change that is both dramatic and effective.

ACES leaders and youth believe this change will be both expansive and effective in curbing plastics pollution and increasing recycling while amplifying the great work of all ACES allies.

Please join us in speaking up to assure the passage of this bill.

The leaders and youth corps members of ACES.

To share any comments or questions, please send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail.com. To learn more about ACES, go to www.aces-alliance.org.

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Commentary

Inspiring environmental stewardship opportunities

Adella Daigle, co-President of the Newburyport High School Environmental Club, shares her feelings on the Environmental Stewardship Open House.

Last Thursday, I experienced something I had never seen at Newburyport High School — it was one of those moments where I walked into an event slightly unsure and left feeling euphorically inspired. When our principal, Mr. Wulf, said we had over a 100 kids sign up for this event, I was pleasantly surprised. That is inspiring in itself, that 1 in every 8 students at Newburyport High care enough about the environment to participate during their last free study block before February break. On Thursday, Feb. 17, NHS hosted an Environmental Stewardship Open House developed by leaders of ACES and NHS.

This “environmental symposium” allowed students to voluntarily sign up to participate in this event where leaders in our town, including Mayor Sean Reardon and Superintendent Sean Gallagher, shared inspiring insights on the importance of environmental awareness and action. Students then got a chance to speak to representatives of nearly 20 different groups who were offering internships as well as project-based learning opportunities. The Environmental Club had a table as well. There were some students who came up to us saying they did not even know we had an environmental club and quickly became eager to ask what we do and how they can join. One conversation I had included a peer saying to me that we are used to a lot of false promises; this is the sad reality, but today was different. There they were, anyone you could possibly want to contact or reach out to, all standing in the same room. Offering opportunities for anything ranging from planting pollinator gardens to working on sustainable fashion in Newburyport, it was all there in one place. Students have a wide variety of interests so this aligned perfectly with the fact that we are fortunate enough to be living in a city where there are many people involved in eco-friendly efforts.

Such a collaborative approach helps to turn these so-called false promises about climate action into tangible change. There is really something for anyone who wants to be involved, and with the wide variety of initiatives and projects as seen on Thursday, it is possible to connect with opportunities that represent any passion. Not only this, but students now know that if they feel strongly about something and want to see it improved, there are other students who will support them as well as people outside of the school and in our community who will help amplify their voice. Talking with some of my peers who are also passionate about protecting our community from the inevitable effects of climate change and environmental degradation was really empowering. These conversations would not have happened if this Open House had not occurred.

Hearing key facts and figures about the effects of climate change can get really overwhelming, as Newburyport School Committee Vice-chairperson, Sarah Hall, pointed out. Students of Newburyport especially feel this pressure because we are a coastal town that is going to see the effects of sea level rise in upcoming years. Thursday’s symposium may have even eased some of this climate anxiety that many face. As a result, I believe the whole student body feels like our role in the community is valued and the stake we hold in our future is greater than ever before.

In the News

NHS students explore environmental stewardship

Reflecting on the successful Environmental Stewardship Open House presented by ACES which showed students some of the different environmental career paths available and provided them with the opportunity to gain experiences in the field.

NEWBURYPORT — In a coastal city like Newburyport, city officials recognize that youth engagement is critical in addressing concerns of climate change and sea level rise.

With this in mind, organizers from the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards, known as ACES, worked with Newburyport Public Schools’ officials to organize the Environmental Stewardship Open House on Thursday afternoon.

More than 100 Newburyport High School students took advantage of the event, which provided them the chance to network with various local environmental groups and organizations and learn about internship and volunteer opportunities.

“If we’re going to make our city greener, it’s going to have to be a combined effort,”

Mayor Sean Reardon told students and teachers Thursday. “We can’t do this alone.”

A report released this week by researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned that the U.S. could see up to a foot of sea level rise by 2050, Reardon noted.

“Much of my job as mayor is to plan for the future,” he said.

The city is looking at reducing both its waste and energy use, addressing effects of climate change and furthering climate resiliency efforts, Reardon said.

“By 2030, we’re aiming to reduce our energy use by 45% and our waste by 30%,” he said. “By 2050, we hope to reduce our current energy use by 85%, which is incredibly ambitious.”

Additionally, the city seeks to reduce its waste by 90% by 2050, Reardon said.

“We need you, the next generation, to start looking at these problems on an every day basis and how we can accomplish this together,” the mayor said.

Principal Andrew Wulf commended ACES for playing “a big role in engaging youth because the reality is you have a big part in what our planet and how our planet is going to function in years to come.”

He told students that the more they are inspired to take action, “the better off all of us are going to be.”

Connecting students with real world opportunities

Superintendent Sean Gallagher said this open house was just one example of how school officials are trying to connect students with real world opportunities, which will help them not only find a career path, but gain experiences in the field.

Aaron Ribaudo-Smith, the school’s college and career counselor, discussed some of the ways that students can earn academic credits for participating in a certain number of community service hours or by completing an internship.

The purpose of this open house was to show students some of the different environmental career paths available. Some examples of those paths include urban planning, environmental law, green energy technology and conservation science.

Sarah Hall, vice chair of the School Committee and an environmental educator for Mass Audubon, talked to students about how to “think globally, act personally and work locally.”

Being aware of how climate change will affect the world is the first step, but it’s the little steps that people take on their own, affecting their local community, that really matters, she explained.

Hall noted that there are plenty of opportunities to join local initiatives. Some examples include planting pollinator gardens for bees and butterflies to safely pollinate and getting involved in efforts to clean up the Merrimack River.

Olivia Barbera, a Newburyport High School student and officer with the school’s environmental club, encouraged people to consider joining and collaborating with their fellow peers on environmental efforts.

Adella Daigle, president of the environmental club, said recent efforts include working on an educational bulletin board, finishing up a sustainable cookbook and planning an outdoor garden.

Representatives also spoke from the Interact Club about other community service opportunities.

Mia Rodrigues, president of Interact Club, said the goal of the club is “to help the Greater Newburyport area and to get youth involved in our community.”

Riya and Priya Kaur said the Interact Club collaborates with the Rotary Club on service initiatives throughout the city. One example of their work is keeping up with the landscaping around the rotary near Moseley Woods.

After hearing from these speakers in the auditorium, students visited the cafeteria where more than a dozen organizations set up tables for students to network and learn about local internship and community service opportunities.

Brenda Hoover, an ACES advisor and mentor, provided information about sustainable fashion and what it means to shop ethically.

Other members of ACES offered information on waste reduction, public awareness and education and the importance of protecting natural resources.

Ellie Volckhausen of Pollinator PowerWorks Networks talked to students about the benefits of planting pollinator gardens, which provide safe harbors for bees and butterflies in the community.

Representatives from Storm Surge discussed their science-based research and educational opportunities with students.

Some of the other groups included the Newburyport Tree Coalition, Maple Crest Farms, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce and the C-10 Research and Education Foundation.

Newburyport Tree Coalition

tboretti@gmail.com

Maple Crest Farms

johnelwell@verizon.net

Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats

lhutchings@massaudubon.org

Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce

eduggan@newburyportchamber.org

Newburyport Waste Stream Task Force

jnickodemus@comcast.net

Small Solutions Big Ideas

sandra@smallsolutionsbigideas.org

Storm Surge

stormsurge9@gmail.com

Climate Cafe

shari.melto@gmail.com

Gulf of Maine Institute Organization

iterry4@mac.com

Northeastern University

t.starr@northeastern.edu

Commentary

Tinkerhaus’ New Learning Opportunities for Youth

Mary McDonald describes the intrest young creaters have for making somthing "real"

Our past communications have focused mainly on our adult members and users and the advantages to learning and incorporating “Repair and Reuse” skills at Tinkerhaus as we contribute to reducing waste. Looking forward in 2022, we are giving focus to our youth and children’s programming and some of the big goals we have for them.

Through our shared space, equipment and materials, we have been hosting “Maker Experiences” for over three years.

"Creating something real"

During this time, we’ve noticed patterns and recurring moments that stand out. As much as children enjoy creating something decorative with paint or clay, there is a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from creating something “real.”

Whether that real thing is constructed from wood, metal or PVC or it’s cobbled together from a paper cup, a drinking straw and a rubber band, anything that embodies mechanical movement, levers, use of gravity or the harnessing of energy brings a particular feeling of delight.

As soon as one of them “gets it” and has some success with the concept, you can feel powerful determination take over the space until everyone has figured out how to properly attach parts and adjust tension. So, one of our goals for this spring is to introduce more intentional opportunities to make “real” things.

Since our maker sessions tend to be 90 minutes or longer, there is plenty of time for discussion while working. This has allowed us to gain insight into the deep interest our maker kids have in the local environment.

In between conversations about the Mandalorian and their favorite Marvel characters, they talk about the sewer discharges in the Merrimack River and beach erosion on Plum Island pretty regularly. They ask questions about waste stream and chemical pollutants.

This leads us to envisioning a pilot program where kids would make “real” things related to studying issues around the ocean and coastal ecology. There would be real research conducted to include input from experts.

Testing and Improving

There would be design trials and innovation sessions. There would be days used to bring our “real” things to the places we might use them, test them, improve them.

A small trawler net to collect water samples after storms, a SeaPerch robotic ocean floor rover, a simple water filtration system and a model of how river bed plants and marsh grass clean water are all projects in the envisioned program that would be part of this endeavor.

We believe it will be ideal to start with a simple exploration of the issues during April vacation. This would be the background for an ocean rally on Earth Day and allow for more in-depth projects available during the summer.

We have long envisioned multi-generational projects as a benefit of our all-ages membership. Needless to say, COVID-19’s impact has been significant and most of our existence as an organization has seen barely any multi-age, intergenerational exchanges. We are planning on this to change with the greater availability of vaccination and testing. We have also become more flexible about using outdoor spaces to do work that would have been confined to a classroom in the past.

We are looking forward to engaging with the greater community to gain the support that will allow us to offer these opportunities.

To be successful and to realize this vision, we will outreach for funding for materials, volunteers to help with the making and visits from people who work in both the “maker” sector and the research sector. Please share any thoughts you may have about this opportunity for positive experiential learning opportunities for all generations with me at mary@tinkerhaus.org.

Commentary

Planting a garden can help save the Planet

A look at the new Pollinator PowerWorks initiative created by Katie Adams, Nicolas Forestell, and Ellie Volckhausen. See why these gardens are vital at keeping our ecosystems in check.

When he said “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” heavyweight world champion Muhammad Ali was talking about his boxing style in 1964. Pollinator PowerWorks sees 2022 as a year to garner much needed attention for butterflies and bees by planting and powering up local pollinator gardens this spring.

We are Katie Adams, Nicholas Forestell and Ellie Volckhausen and we’d like to invite you to join us in an exciting initiative sprouting up in Newburyport.

By Katie Adams, Newburyport High School senior, project co-lead:

My perspective on the mission of the Pollinator PowerWorks: Last winter, U.S. beekeepers lost 45% of their bee population. In the past decade, we have been losing 16% of all pollinators per year. This is due to habitat loss caused by factors such as pesticides, mining, and development. A world without pollinators certainly couldn’t sustain seven billion people, which is why we need to act now to save our food supply and the health of our ecosystem. When people are passionate about something, that’s when we really see change.

The best way to reverse what is happening is to start small. If we can plant even just a few more gardens, then we will be saving a significant number of pollinators. So many families and residents in Newburyport would benefit from joining others and planting their own pollinator gardens. They are beautiful to look at, exciting to learn about, and mesmerizing to watch, as they attract a variety of species.

By Nicolas Forestell, Newburyport High School student, project co-lead:

My fun learning experience planting pollinator gardens: Over the past two summers, I’ve put multiple pollinator beds in my garden. I’ve enjoyed planting them because of the aesthetic and ecological benefits they provide. With pollinators in steep decline, converting lawn to native pollinator plantings helps provide them with the food and nesting sites they need. I’ve enjoyed the color they provide throughout the summer and watching them grow. But, most of all, I’ve enjoyed watching the incredibly large numbers and species of pollinators that have visited my garden. My most successful planting has been by far my three broad-leaved mountain mints ( Pycnanthemum muticum) which attracted up to 50 pollinators at a time and over 30 different species of pollinators! But it wasn’t the only plant to attract a variety of pollinators: summersweet, asters, goldenrods, butterfly milkweed, and others attracted many species of bees, wasps, and butterflies.

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By Ellie Volckhausen, advisor/mentor with full-time jobs managing a multimedia marketing and graphics arts team and being a mom:

How would you like us to help you build your own pollinator garden in your yard? In 2022, ACES Pollinator PowerWorks would like to garner much needed attention for bees and butterflies by reaching out to the greater Newburyport community to offer help designing, planting, and powering up pollinator gardens for 10 to 15 enthusiastic individuals this spring.

We will supply the toolkit, plants, and boots on the ground to help get your garden started. We are creating a garden plan for small, medium, and large gardens to accommodate different sized plots and levels of ambition. Last spring, my kids and I planted swamp milkweed and a couple other pollinators in a tiny space on our downtown Newburyport property with great results. We have about 25 square feet of full sun along our driveway and we spotted three sizable monarch caterpillars! It’s amazing what you can do with a small patch of land. Come join our little team and bring more butterflies and bees to your yard this summer.

If you want to help, plant a new garden, or if you already have a pollinator garden and want to add to our efforts, contact pollinatorpowerworks@gmail.com

This column was coordinated by ACES Youth Corps member Caleb Bradshaw. To connect with us and share comments or questions, please send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail.com or directly to me at kbripper@icloud.com To learn more about ACES, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org.

Commentary

A 'golden moment' to solve the Merrimack's sewage problem

John Macone lists struggles that the idyllic Merrimack River is faced with and describes the new opportunities that shape this so-called 'golden moment'

The Merrimack River is not only one of the region’s greatest assets, it is a barometer of the region’s environmental health. It provides a glimpse of what is happening from the White Mountains of New Hampshire to the foothills of central Massachusetts.

"Climate change is becoming more evident"

Though the river is far cleaner than it was a half century ago, the greatest environmental challenge of our time – climate change – is becoming more evident.

Toxic algae blooms are becoming common in the ponds, lakes and streams that feed into the Merrimack. They’re caused by warmer water and more nutrients, such as lawn fertilizer. These algae blooms are dangerous to humans and animals alike.

Weather patterns are changing – more droughts, punctuated by intense rainstorms. Plumes of polluted runoff enter the river after these intense storms.

Trees and undeveloped lands are our best natural allies in the battle against pollution and erosion, but they, too, are facing stress from both climate change and development.

Merrimack named one of the nation’s most endangered rivers

The U.S. Forest Service has named the Merrimack one of the nation’s most endangered rivers due to development pressures, primarily in the river’s vast New Hampshire headwaters.

New pollutants are entering the river, such as PFAS. As posted on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, epa.gov, PFAS “are widely used, long lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time.”

Along the banks of the Merrimack in New Hampshire, hundreds of homes have PFAS levels that are so high residents can’t drink out of their own wells.

The cause is an industrial plant close to the Merrimack that has pumped PFAS residue into the air and water. In Massachusetts, the highest levels of PFAS have been found in the Shawsheen River, which feeds into the Merrimack in Lawrence.

And the Merrimack still faces a pollution problem that’s two centuries old — raw sewage.

When we get intense rainstorms, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Nashua and Manchester don’t have the capacity to handle the flow that comes into their treatment plants.

"750 million gallons of untreated sewage into the river"

In 2021, they released about 750 million gallons of untreated sewage into the river. This sewage can contain unsafe bacteria levels.

These are a few of the issues that the Merrimack faces.

The 'golden moment'

The good news is a lot of work is underway to mitigate these issues. In New Hampshire, a coalition of groups, including the Merrimack River Watershed Council, is working to conserve large swaths of land to preserve the tree buffer that protects the Merrimack, and planting new trees to replace the fallen. We are also pushing for a new initiative to study and solve the toxic algae blooms that poison New Hampshire’s lakes and waterways.

Right now, as we begin 2022, there is a golden moment to solve the Merrimack’s sewage problem.

Billions of dollars have been funneled to Massachusetts and New Hampshire for infrastructure and COVID-19 relief funding.

A portion of this money could be used to help Merrimack River cities fix their sewer systems.

Issues such as PFAS are harder to come to grips with. While it can be removed from drinking water, thus far there’s no solution for cleaning PFAS from rivers.

Many of the solutions to these problems will happen if the public gets involved.

Keep up with the news, visit websites such as the EPA’s Merrimack River site, and join environmental groups such as ACES, Storm Surge, the Merrimack River Watershed Council, and Essex County Greenbelt to name just a few of the locals.

"There is strength in numbers."

Find out what your local, state and federal elected officials are doing about these issues, and encourage them to stay on top of it. Get your friends, family and neighbors involved. There is strength in numbers.

John Macone is an Amesbury resident and the education and policy specialist at the Merrimack River Watershed Council. He can be reached at jmacone@merrimack.org.

This column was coordinated by ACES Youth Corps member Caleb Bradshaw. To share comments or questions, send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail.com or directly to Bradshaw at kbripper@icloud.com To learn more about ACES, visit https://www.aces-alliance.org.

Commentary

Lifelong loves: Childhood and the outdoors

Olivia Cap shares how loving the oudoors shaped her life into becoming an oudoor educator, and why being outside is vital to child development.

"To say that my childhood was spent outdoors is an understatement."

Rambling through Maudslay barefoot, tidepooling on Plum Island, and playing out on the street until the streetlights came on — this was my childhood.

The timelessness of childhood was fostered and captured in the moments when I could just wander and explore, and play was simply facilitated by the curiosities and surprises found in the outdoors. But, it would be untrue to say that my outdoor experiences were only guided by my two wandering feet and a curious spirit.

Like many, I looked to trusted teachers to lead the way. I became enamored with Boat Camp and the mysteries I found on the F/V Erica Lee and Merrimack River. Summer after summer went by and I always returned to Merrohawke; first as a participant, then as teen staff, and now as leadership staff.

As a young 20-something, when I wasn’t on the F/V Erica Lee, I was scuba diving and caring for reef fish at the New Orleans Aquarium or crawling around tidepools in northeast Maine looking for periwinkle snails and green crabs for my academic research.

"But why does this matter?"

My time spent outdoors as a child created an unconditional love of the outdoors. A love that is so strong I simply had to become an outdoor educator and share the many gifts of the outdoors with others.

At Merrohawke Nature School, I am able to help young children establish a respectful and deep connection with nature, be it on land or at sea.

Not only am I able to spend countless hours exploring Boxford State Forest and fishing on the F/V Erica Lee, I am also able to engage in our community to strengthen nature connection in our youths.

In the summer of 2021 alone, Merrohawke provided outdoor education for more than 500 students. If even just one of them becomes captivated by nature, then our future will be better for it.

The benefits of being outside

By creating place-based nature programs, Merrohawke helps foster a connection between our students and the environments that surround them. This connection, along with time spent outdoors, allows youths to become confident advocates for themselves and the natural world.

Time spent outdoors has also been linked to improved physical health as well as professional or academic success through enhanced skills in leadership, self-awareness, critical thinking and creativity.

The impact of a pandemic

Childhood has certainly changed in many ways. Screen time, video games, highly competitive sports and a global pandemic has shifted the way in which children experience, or don’t experience, the outdoors.

Pre-pandemic, children would only spend, on average, four to seven minutes a day engaged in unstructured outdoor play and as many as nine hours in front of an electronic screen. The timelessness of childhood has become burdened with the demands of our new world.

We are in our third COVID-19 school year, and with that continues more time spent in isolation and in front of screens. Now, more than ever, it is crucial that the children of our community step away from screens and intentionally, and thoughtfully, step into the outdoors.

A daily wander in the woods for a child may only be a wander in the woods — but it also has the potential to be the start of a meaningful and resilient relationship with nature that will serve the child, and our community, for a lifetime.

Olivia Cap is the development and community engagement manager, teacher, at Merrohawke Nature School and may be reached at olivia@merrohawke.org.

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Photo by The Tampa Bay Estuary Program on Unsplash

Commentary

Planting Seeds for the Ipswich River’s Future

Jacob Garland of IRWA explains his time as and Educator, focusing on the importance of our waters, along with his hope for the future of our environment and the next generation.

In the face of mounting global challenges, it can be very easy to lose hope. Just as we emerged from the trials of our collective first year battling COVID-19, we were once again thrust into another evolving challenge, this time with deviant strains, increased uncertainty about the paths we should take, and divisive disagreements about the roles we should play. Our challenges, whether they be with COVID or protecting our beloved Ipswich River, endure. And in the intense heat of challenge, our little seeds of hope may rot long before they sprout. Unless, of course, we prioritize community awareness and involvement to support them.

Hired as their 2021 Kerry Mackin Summer Educator, I spent my summer working with the Ipswich River Watershed Association to educate youth within the Ipswich River watershed on the importance of the river as well as the ways we can protect it. I loved creating lesson plans, scheduling a curriculum, and connecting with these kids who so clearly want to be stewards of our environment.

The challenges aren't going anywhere any time soon

But if there’s one thing I’ve come to realize, it’s that the challenges we face in protecting our river and our water are incredibly strong: intense droughts, excessive water use, water pollution, and habitat destruction aren’t going anywhere any time soon.

"These kids possess a vitality stronger than any challenge we face."

But I also refuse to believe in a future in which our seeds of hope no longer exist. And after reaching over 500 kids from Lynn, Marblehead, Salem, Beverley, Danvers, North Andover, Andover, North Reading, Lynnfield, Peabody, and Lawrence, my hope for the future is more alive than ever. They are eager to learn and eager to help, and it is precisely that kind of energy that supports our little seeds of hope in the face of our greatest challenges. They deserve both our support and our attention.

Our Ipswich River is in sore need of help.

As my time at IRWA came to a close, I found myself thoroughly tempted to focus on the challenges all of us will face in the future. Our Ipswich River, now one of the most endangered rivers in the country, is in sore need of help. But nestled in the ground, sometimes beyond our notice, are our seeds of hope. They are planted not only in the next generation of river protectors — who I’ve been so privileged to teach — but in all members of the communities that benefit from the river. We nourish them through community awareness and involvement, critical thought about the impact of our actions on today’s youth, and deep concern for the wellbeing of future generations. I firmly believe that, with help from us all, these seeds we have planted will flower into a future better than we ever could have imagined.

I can only hope that I’ve managed to inspire my students as much as they’ve inspired me. Thank you to them and thank you to IRWA for giving me this opportunity.

Here’s to a brighter future!

Commentary

Act personally for our environment in 2022

Sam Cooper shares important lessons he has learned during his time as a Youth Corp and college student.

"It’s not too late."

Indeed, it never will be. Whatever you heard over the past year – as extreme weather brought a global heat wave and unprecedented wildfires burned through 1.6 million California acres and newspaper headlines declared, “Climate Change Is Here” – global warming is not binary. It is not a matter of “yes” or “no,” or the idea of “too late” or “not too late.”

Instead, it is the matter of, as we hold true to ourselves at ACES, “Think Globally, Work Locally, Act Personally.”

Going into the new year, continuing to develop and apply this mentality is going to be crucial for our planet. Because it is never too late. It is never too late to inspire change and support younger generations. We all must understand that the level we impact our planet and environment is up to us, and it always will be.

As a previous ACES intern at Newburyport High School and a current freshman studying economics at the College of William and Mary, I have learned how our economy interacts with the environment.

When human greed and emotion take over, they tend to go back and forth, tearing each other apart. Yet, when the proper balance is achieved, they continuously reinforce one another, each supporting the other in a unique way.

As an ACES Youth Corps intern from 2019-21, I had a number of rewarding experiences contributing to important environmental stewardship programs.

This made it easy to make the decision to continue working with the organization over my winter break. Dedicating time to marketing, financing and operations projects, I am working on an economic and statistical analysis of data from a survey of Merrimack River users.

In addition, I am also evaluating grant opportunities to support stewardship programs. As someone who is passionate about these subjects, not only do these activities provide exposure to what I want to study in college, but most importantly, it provides funding and support to ACES initiatives and our Youth Corps program.

Supporting the youth will be more important than ever

For the year 2022, contributing to the development of youth leaders and their work in support of our future generations will be more important than ever.

The Youth Corps provides opportunities for students to grow in many ways while working on stewardship programs. We contribute to BOD policy decisions that impact our local environment, initiate and lead projects, serve with advisers on project teams, and write op-ed columns. When asked about what they are looking forward to enhancing in 2022, three active Youth Corps members noted the following:

Andres Lang-Wu

Emmanuel College alumnus Andres Liang-Wu has been reviewing CRM (customer relationship management) systems to help the organization determine which can be used to build better and nurture relationships with constituents and manage data for the future. He has also been reviewing analytics of website activities to enhance public communication efforts about environmental stewardship programs.

Caleb Bradshaw

As the website content coordinator, Caleb Bradshaw has been advancing his writing and creative skills by helping to coordinate the continuing “Guest Opinion Series” in The Daily News of Newburyport.

He sees opportunities for many residents to contribute to the health of our area via helping with ACES programs and projects and the activities of our Allies.

He indicates it would be truly appreciated to have others engage in more initiatives, Caleb explains, such as the Spring Cleanup Campaign and the new Pollinator PowerWorks Network program in 2022. It is easy to check out opportunities on our website and send an email for a conversation. Contributing an hour a week can make a difference.

Helena Strauch

Lastly, Helena Strauch, a new ACES intern from Rowley, explains that being with ACES has given her several opportunities to expand her communication capabilities while exploring her interest in environmental stewardship.

She is interacting with Allies and community officials to contribute to a research-report project on achieving zero waste, as well as developing content for the monthly newsletter.

Commentary

Let's make 2022 our 'spring of hope'

Art Currier and Ron Martino reflect on the ups and downs of 2021 and share their hopes for the new year

"The year 2021 will go down as a turning point in history."

The changes it has brought to civilization will be considered as significant as those of the industrial revolution and scientific discoveries of the previous century.

It’s been the year governments, corporations and scientific organizations joined together at COP26 (the climate change conference in Glasgow) to take strong action to effect progress against our climate crisis.

It has been the year in which population growth stalled worldwide and COVID-19 killed millions. It’s also the year that climate crumbled like an iceberg as sea levels increased and greenhouse gases continued to grow.

It’s been like Charles Dickens wrote in a Tale of Two Cities:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity.”

In Massachusetts, state and local governments have worked hard, but with mixed results to cope with climate change and the pandemic. On the good news side, officials are taking steps to clean up our rivers, approve clean energy development with approval of offshore wind power and grants for solar power, home energy saving programs and better transit.

On the downside

The bureaucracy has been slow to respond to the need for more clean energy while relying on utility friendly processes that expand our reliance on natural gas by approving new pipelines for fracked gas.

Here, in the Green and Blue City of Newburyport, the record is mixed.

On the good side

We made progress on implementing our resiliency plan and the recent election will seat four city councilors with the scientific and engineering expertise and experience to understand and not deny the statistical likelihood of major storm surge and sea level rise. These will cause flooding on large portions of the city putting our water supply at risk in the coming years after a hurricane-like storm. Our new mayor, administration and City Council will need to be proactive to face that troubling possibility. These technical skills with a committed city government to foster collaborative approaches to city leadership challenges can produce great advances.

On the civic volunteer side, Women In Action Huddle, the Merrimack, Parker and Ipswich River nonprofit guardians along with Storm Surge and Greenbelt have informed and mobilized public education and action.

We need to give a shout-out to the district’s school staff and administrators, and the city and local organizations and businesses for giving young people opportunities to share their talents and passions, raise their voices, and get engaged as active citizens.

"We need local action"

But most citizens have done little yet in the face of the impending climate crisis. We need to acknowledge that the scientific evidence and the worldwide climate related experiences can no longer be ignored. We need local action that can make a positive impact on the climate and health of the environment.

The gift of this moment is that almost every responsible person in the world is challenged by some form of bewilderment about what to do about the world of climate change that confronts us daily. There can be a feeling of isolation, disconnection, depression, anxiety and extreme concern.

The collective experience of the recent coronavirus pandemic and the realities of the impact of climate change will reshape all of us and may well point our lives in new directions.

The launch of an organization that speaks to stewardship, being in service to organizations addressing the climate/environmental challenges, and facilitating collaboration aligns well with this moment.

It is fortunate that the Greater Newburyport community has individual steward leaders, a spirited number of environmental steward organizations, and a general appreciation for the importance of our natural environment combined with the awareness of the threats of climate change.

The opportunity exists to address these needs and opportunities through a commitment to collaboration. ACES, as an in-service entity, is focused on supporting collaboration and ensuring that all shareholders and residents understand this effort is for the well-being of future generations. Continuing to provide environmental stewardship and experiential learning opportunities among ACES Youth Corps members is vital for the future.

The rest of Dickens’ quote from a “Tale of Two Cities” continues: “It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope.”

We should all put 2021 behind us and engage and mobilize to help future generations enjoy our beautiful city and world at large.

"Let’s make 2022 our spring of hope"

Art Currier and Ron Martino are co-founders of Storm Surge and ACES along with others. This column was coordinated by ACES Youth Corps member Caleb Bradshaw. To share any comments or questions, send an email to acesnewburyport@gmail.com. For more about ACES, go to www.aces-alliance.org.

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Commentary

On the other hand? Second hand?

ACES member Ron Martino sheds light on shopping second hand plus how well suited Newburyport and the surrounding communities are for taking on this new trend

Because Newburyport has a long history, its attics and cellars still likely hold valuable items from the past. One might get a sampling of those treasures by walking along High St when people have put out “free” signs on old chairs and boxes of books, or tacked up "yard sale” posters on power poles. Or you can head over to Oldies off Water St and tour their informal ever changing tableau of styles.

Whether you are interested in history, home decor, or just saving money while buying local, greater Newburyport is your kind of place.

"In case you haven’t noticed, we are kind of an epicenter of antique, vintage, consignment, and thrift shops."

I’ve no statistics to quote for you but just as an example we have a few in Market Square and more at the Tannery, the Leeward Light and more on Bridge Road Salisbury. Additionally there is Mill77 on Graf Rd, the Todd Farm in Rowley and of course Amesbury has a flourish of them lately too.

In a way they form an underrated economic cluster of second hand businesses that is one more reason people like visiting the area.

Eco-tourism underpins a lot of our economy with whale and bird watchers, boaters, and beach goers coming and then spending time and money in our restaurants and shops. To those aspects of nature tourism, add historic or vintage goods shopping.

Save 15 pounds of green house gasses or more

Environmentally aware visitors know that buying locally sourced second hand items is good for the climate and that if you buy your next item of clothing from a thrift or consignment shop you’ll save over 15 pounds of green house gasses from going into the air.

This is a kind of average number calculated and quoted in various studies that sums up the avoided carbon footprint from growing the fibers or spinning them from fossil fuel, transporting the materials, making cloth and then the clothes and moving them through international supply lines to buyers at retail.

When you buy something previously owned from a cool, maybe quirky shop, you buy something that will prevent a new item from being made and its also providing locals jobs and often charitable contributions.

New generations embracing vintage clothing

Of course everyone loves a bargain at the same time. And now Gen Z is taking that approach too. A recently published statistic say that the highest propensity to seek vintage clothing is among that rising generation with 43 % of them positively inclined to seek out vintage clothing first.

If we want our area to attract a bit of a younger demographic, raising awareness up and down the Merrimack Valley of this array of places to shop will help.

Watching Travels with Rick Steves on TV, he often focuses on the great flea markets of Paris or London as excellent people watching and momento buying opportunities. Maybe a Chronical-type TV feature story could be encouraged for the Chamber of Commerce. It would support our eco-tourism profile and might bring more jobs and prosperity to the City.

Buying ‘used’ has been looked down on at times over the years as something for needy or less style conscious people. Nothing could be father from the truth.

Duchess Meghan Markel Windsor has been shopping vintage for years. The actor Emma Watson, Hermione from the Harry Potter movies, has apps for how to and where to go vintage shopping around London.

"It's now officially cool to buy ‘previously owned’"

And it offers three benefits in one: you’ll look good, save money and help the planet by preventing less carbon dioxide and methane gases going into the atmosphere.

As Autumn approaches many people are rotating their seasonal clothing. It would be a good time to cull your closet and donate or consign items you may no longer want. Then start looking in and around greater Newburyport for something secondhand and fashionably climate-friendly.

Maybe you are helping your new graduate move into a dorm room or their first apartment. Why not offer to shop with them in the area for some complimentary bit of used furniture to get them stated?

The environmental news isn’t always good lately, but you personally really can do something about it. You can buy local and buy secondhand, help the local economy and prevent more greenhouse gasses too.

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Commentary

A Focus on Relationship to the Planet

Children have the chance to connect with nature at Heartwood Nature School

Each day, I come to treasured land at Maple Crest Farm in West Newbury to guide young children through a four-hour day in which we focus on nature connection, the cultivation of kindness, free unstructured play, organic learning, and developing a deep reverence for Mother Earth.

"We have forgotten our place on this Earth"

Why? Because the ecosystem is crumbling around us and these children will inherit it shortly. Because children everywhere are spending more time on screens than playing as children should. Because recess is being replaced by standards and expectations that are not developmentally appropriate and because, as a species, we have forgotten our place on this Earth.

We at Heartwood Nature School aim to fix this. With three incredible teachers beside me — Christine Amor, Daniela Currie-Gutierrez, and Hana Philcrantz — we are helping children to find their place on this planet and learning together what it means to truly take care of it.

No matter the weather, we play, we explore, and we adventure. The children delight in the changing of the seasons, the splatter of mud, hearing the crunch of leaves under foot, and learning how to care for the tiniest of creatures we find in the forest.

We allow the children to see, touch, hear, smell, and even taste the delights of the woods, and in this way, they become familiar with nature — understanding how much it gives us and how it needs to be protected.

"Learning comes naturally and organically"

In their play, the kindergarten children create a store out of a fallen cedar tree, using acorns and hickory nuts for currency. They sell “tacos” made out of leaves and detritus from the forest floor. Out of this, we create a math curriculum that is relevant, developmentally appropriate, and most importantly, really interesting to them at the moment.

Over six weeks, the children solidify their understanding of numbers 1-10 and learn basic addition and subtraction skills, all while playing!

Our preschool children are no different. They bask in the sounds sticks make upon different trees, observing the bark, and grasping the idea that each tree is different. While learning about different trees, they focus on the sounds and music that nature makes, and the sounds they can create with nature items. Have you noticed that most children can identify major logos such as Nike, Target, and McDonald’s? I wonder how many children can discern a Birch from a Sugar Maple, a Shagbark Hickory from a White Pine? How have we lost this ability?

Children connecting with themselves

Even more than connecting back to nature, children at Heartwood connect to themselves. We focus intently on cultivating social emotional skills that give children the agency to solve problems, speak up for themselves, and become part of a world that treats everyone the way they deserve to be treated. We listen to children, understanding what their bodies need — time for unstructured play, grownups willing to entertain questions and curiosity outside of the bounds of “curriculum” and “standards,” and the ability to engage in adventures that include getting wet, climbing tall trees, jumping off of rocks, laying in mud, and rolling in snow.

This is how we get back to the wild Earth. This is how we get back to our roots.

Our culture places such reverence on growth, productivity, and material possessions, often at the expense of the trees, the water, the air, and our fellow creatures. At Heartwood, we focus on the heart of things, the foundation of our very existence — love, connection, and our reciprocal relationship with the planet that sustains us.

Martha Burke is the owner of Heartwood Nature School at Maple Crest Farm in West Newbury. For more visit www.heartwoodnatureschool.com.

“Raising awareness on the most pressing environmental issues of our time is more important than ever.”

Leonardo DiCaprio

American actor, film producer, and environmentalist

Save The Planet Before It's Too Late

Rethinking Bottled Water

The call to action: Stop buying bottled water (and using single-use plastics in general).

Sad reality of plastic bottles

Local resource to consider

ACES Issues Report with Municipal Waste Reduction Planning Tool

Celebration of World Ocean Week

Youth Perspectives on Lowering Our Carbon Footprint

Isabella Savino, another senior, was participating in the Sustainability Project while on vacation in Arizona.

Thomas Horsley believes that this sustainability project is the most important assignment that he presents every year.

"Appreciate your positive contribution to a healthier environment"

Environmentalism is Both Pro-life and Pro-choice

Most people agree that choice is good; sustainable life is good. The real question is how to apply those values in both personal and societal contexts.

The Vietnam War divided the country largely along generational lines. Ultimately, people took to the streets, organized, and voted. It was messy and contentious but the country needed to have those debates in order to clarify its values within a post-war new world.

"An existential threat to mankind"

If we care about the earth, we must work to craft doable options for the public at large and educate people about the urgency of changing some of their ways.

Environmental Messaging Through Art

We at the PEG Center walk a fine line between beautiful art and focused messaging. Both, it turns out, are important.

We count on artists to convey the heart and soul of our challenges, so that we may have open-heartedness when facing our challenges.

In Praise of Trees

Tane Mahuta, in terms of sheer scale, is awesome, inspiring, and sublime. It stood in New Zealand before the first humans arrived on the island. No wonder it is considered a god.

American consumer culture has taught us that trees on our property are exactly that, pieces of property, and we can do with them what we please.

Local youth are also getting in on the act of tree preservation.

“What do we owe trees in return?”

Protecting Wildlife and Their Habitats

Our mission at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is first and foremost to protect wildlife and their habitats.

The Friends of Parker River, instrumental in their support for all aspects of refuge operations, coordinate among dozens of volunteers who tirelessly clean the beaches and shovel mountains of sand from the boardwalks, ensuring accessibility to all.

Although our primary mission is about the land, the waters, and the wildlife of our — your — National Wildlife Refuge, the staff and managers are cognizant of its contribution to the local area economies where we live and work.

For more information and how to participate in upcoming events: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/parker-river/events.

Clean up for Earth Day

If we wish to continue to enjoy the natural beauty of this coastal area, we all must work together toward the common goal of taking care of the environment.

We are at a pivotal moment, one in which it is imperative to fully understand this important fact: we have nowhere else to go, no planet B.

So many decisions we make can help keep our communities clean, including being conscious of how and where we dispose of our waste.

Forever Green Newburyport

"A community that values the simplicity of everyday ways to all work together toward the common goal"

Our region is lucky indeed that ecotourism provides a clean industry with employment opportunities and life style benefits for communities that focus on it as does greater Newburyport.

To plan for activities that one may enjoy, check out the community-wide calendar can be found at http://www.grtrnbpt.wixsite.com/rscalendar

Check out: www.newburyportchamberofcommerce.org/forevergreen.

Earth Month Reflections 2022

"My job is to help us plan for the future"

Working together to make those plans a reality

"We can’t do any of this alone"

On Earth Day music, and seasonal tunes

"nature sings its songs too"

a “band” of environment and climate allies

A look at one local group's active climate campaign

ACES stands with the people of Ukraine

Plant trees in the spirit of climate rescue

"Trees have been sacred since pre-Christian times"

"Now we should think bigger."

Personal Stewardship Actions are Critical

"there is more to recycled products than just toilet paper"

The Pollinator PowerWorks, planting "bee friendly" gardens

Why we started the Pollinator PowerWorks

The best way to reverse what is happening is to start small

You can make a difference

Pollinator PowerWorks Project plans to help design gardens.

Download small pollinator garden plan.

Download medium pollinator garden plan.

Download large pollinator garden plan.

Download wet pollinator garden plan.

Download shady pollinator garden plan

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The 'Better Bottle Bill' for our environment

Today, ACES is proud to add our voices to those of the Massachusetts Municipal Association and environmentalists across the commonwealth in support of the revised “Better Bottle Bill” working its way through the Massachusetts Legislature.

It is one of the most consequential acts of environmentalism that can be achieved in the short term at the state level and within existing operationally ready structures.

Why ACES is in support?

ACES team members urge you to take action today

Inspiring environmental stewardship opportunities

NHS students explore environmental stewardship

“If we’re going to make our city greener, it’s going to have to be a combined effort,”

Connecting students with real world opportunities

Newburyport Tree Coalition

Maple Crest Farms

Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats

Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce

Newburyport Waste Stream Task Force

Small Solutions Big Ideas

Storm Surge

Climate Cafe

^{To plan for activities that one may enjoy, check out the community-wide calendar can be found at}^{http://www.grtrnbpt.wixsite.com/rscalendar}

^{Check out:}^{www.newburyportchamberofcommerce.org/forevergreen}^.