Q: What is Green Acton’s mission? Green Acton works to protect and enhance Acton’s natural environment and resources and to help resolve the urgent environmental issues that transcend Acton’s boundaries. We inform Acton residents, town government, and local industry about these issues and selectively take positions about environmental concerns. Our mission is fully stated here:… Continue reading →
Recycling Batteries in Acton
by Rob GoganReprinted from The Acton Exchange; originally published October 12, 2024 Every day, we use devices powered by batteries — and these batteries contain hazardous materials. This article reviews how Acton residents can dispose of used batteries safely right here in town — and why it is important to do so. Batteries in our… Continue reading →
Sustainable Lawn Care: BLBs + Leaving the Leaves!
Learn about multiple ways to care more sustainably for any lawn you may have. These actions can improve your health and that of your family, neighbors, landscape workers, pets, and the climate — all in a few easy steps! Among those steps are: (1) reducing leaf blowing and cleanups, and reducing lawn size; (2) using… Continue reading →
Nashoba Brook Has Been Growing Saltier for 50 Years
by Kim Kastens, Katarina Spasojevic, and Brewster Conant, Jr. Over the last 50 years, Nashoba Brook in Acton has grown saltier and saltier, according to data collected by the US Geological Survey and OARS (the Organization for the Assabet, Sudbury & Concord Rivers). This trend aligns with a global pattern, called Freshwater Salinization Syndrome, which… Continue reading →
Perspectives: Local Resources for Lower-Waste Family Living
by Leah Whitehouse As a mom of a toddler, I am keenly aware of the waste even a small family produces. Although books such as Bea Johnson’s Zero-Waste Home and Stephanie Marie Seferian’s Sustainable Minimalism offer great practical guidance on sustainable living, they’re written for a pretty broad audience, so I looked into some local… Continue reading →
Landscaping Services Using Battery-Powered Leaf Blowers in Acton
In Spring 2024, Green Acton supported a Warrant Article at Town Meeting that would have phased out the use of most gas-powered leaf blowers (GLBs). Town Meeting members ultimately voted to send the article to the Acton Select Board for further review and potential revision, and likely, a reappearance at a future Town Meeting. Meanwhile,… Continue reading →
Q&A with 2024 Candidate for Acton Water District Commissioner
This year, there is one candidate running for the position of Commissioner of the Acton Water District (AWD): Erika Amir-Lin. This post contains Ms. Amir-Lin’s answers to questions prepared by the Green Acton Water Committee. The goal is to inform voters about some current issues and opportunities facing the District, and the candidate’s thoughts on how to address them.
Leaf Blower Bylaw Warrant Article at Town Meeting
Green Acton supports Article 16 — on a proposed Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Phase-Out bylaw — on the Warrant for Acton’s 2024 Annual Town Meeting — Town Meeting begins on May 6 (7pm in the auditorium of the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School), BUT voting for Article 16 is scheduled for the second night of Town Meeting… Continue reading →
Green Acton Supports the Gas Leaf Blower Phase-out Bylaw
On March 17, 2024, the Green Acton Board of Directors agreed to endorse the Town Meeting Warrant Article on gas leaf blower phase-out, and approved this statement to be read at Town Meeting (which begins on Monday, May 6): The Board of Directors of Green Acton, Acton’s nonprofit environmental advocacy group, endorses this warrant article,… Continue reading →
Citizen’s Petition for Gas-powered Leaf Blower Phase-Out
Below is the text of a 2024 Citizen’s Petition; this article will be on the May 2024 Annual Town Meeting Warrant. (Town Meeting begins on Monday, May 6.) At the end is a visual summary provided by Paul Kampas, the originator of the petition. See Green Acton’s endorsement statement. Amend General Bylaws — Gas-powered Leaf… Continue reading →