Plastic Free July, the global campaign discouraging plastic usage and supporting a more sustainable environment, is entering its last week — but it’s never too late to start cutting down on plastics. Here are three simple lifestyle changes you can
With strong support from Town Meeting members, Green Needham’s Plastics Reduction Team made good progress this May toward their goal of reducing the amount of single-use plastics in Needham. In a decisive vote of approval for Green Needham’s Citizens’ Petition,
Next Monday, May 6, Needham’s annual Town Meeting will begin. The Green Needham Plastics Reduction Team has submitted Warrant Article 45, a Citizens’ Petition to ban certain single-use plastics, for consideration by Town Meeting members. This bylaw seeks to expand
What can we do about the relentless and concerning increase in the production of plastics and plastic waste? According to a report from statista.com, in just the last two decades, global plastic production has doubled to a staggering 400.3 million
Municipal energy aggregation, recommended by the Climate Action Planning Committee and authorized by the October 2022 Town Meeting, has taken another step forward. According to the Town’s newsletter, Needham’s Municipal Aggregation Plan was submitted on February 2, 2024 to the
A welcome update! Needham’s Community Energy Aggregation program, known as Needham Power Choice, is on its way to becoming reality, and the Town would like your feedback. Needham Power Choice is a form of group electricity purchasing that pools the
This holiday season, as you are shopping locally for gifts and groceries, don’t forget to bring your reusable shopping bag. Shopping locally is a powerful way to support your community while minimizing your environmental impact. One simple yet impactful habit
When Volante Farms switched from plastic bags to paper bags at their grocery checkout, it was a “little bit of a learning curve” for customers and staff alike, owner Steve Volante said. “You don’t overfill them. The handles all rip,
Thanks to the community’s enthusiastic response and your generous contributions, the Avery Field project is moving forward. Volunteers from Needham’s garden clubs worked with the Town’s Parks & Forestry staff to design a layout for the area around the stone.
A mysterious rock with a missing plaque. A Town benefactor whose father had been an enslaved man. And a tree planting project at Avery Field that has become a celebration of sustainability and diversity in our community. Last year, Green
Read more about the community project to replace a lost plaque at Avery Field.
At 11:00 pm last night, after a presentation by Green Needham’s Plastic Waste Reduction team co-chairs Rob Fernandez and Kathy Raiz and a brief debate, the Plastic Bag Ban was overwhelmingly approved by Needham Town Meeting, with only one dissenting
By: Kathy Raiz and Robert Fernandez ARTICLE 39 With Needham’s 2023 Spring Town Meeting underway this week, proponents and supporters of Article 39, ending single-use plastic bags in our town, are optimistic that members will deliver environmental protection to our
A big thank you to the Sierra Club’s Massachusetts Chapter for authoring a letter of support for the Plastic Bag Ban by-law proposal, Article 41 at the upcoming May Annual Town Meeting. The Plastic Waste Reduction team has been reaching to
Mark your calendar for an upcoming Green Needham program “The Problem with Plastic,” hosted by Kathy Raiz, a member of Green Needham’s Plastic Waste Reduction Team, to be held on Monday, April 3rd at 7:00 pm, in the Community Room of the Needham Public
Plastic production has exploded since the 1950s. Its successful role in many applications during World War II helped to spark tremendous growth in the ensuing peacetime economy. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, global plastics production surged by 20 times
In the classic 1967 movie The Graduate, Ben, the main character played by Dustin Hoffman, is chatting at his college graduation party when he is urgently pulled aside by Mr. McGuire, a mid-career family friend. In a hush tone, Mr.
With overwhelming support at Town Meeting on May 3, 2023, Needham passed the Plastic Bag Ban Citizens’ Petition Article, and joined the over 150 towns and cities in Massachusetts that have passed similar plastic bag bans. The ban will go into effect January 1, 2024, for large stores, and July 1, 2024 for smaller stores.
Cities and towns across Massachusetts are making valuable contributions to addressing the climate crisis. Stephen Frail, chair of the Town of Needham’s Climate Action Planning Committee (CAPC), member of Green Needham, and a Climate Reality Project Leader, will give a
The timing was perfect — a new waste ban for textiles in Massachusetts, a bombshell Greenpeace study casting doubt on plastics recycling, and an engaged audience anxious to get their questions answered. The Nov. 2, 2022 Needham Solid Waste Forum,
