Susan is one of those people who is consistently present when something is going on around town. Be it a Zero Waste session at the library, the Charlottesville Solidarity Vigil on the common, a Green Homes tour, or many other
Neighbor Spotlight: Small is Beautiful
This Spotlight is about Caroline (changed name), who did a project with me for Green Needham. We had a couple of work lunches at her house and she started telling me about what she and her husband had done, and
GO GREEN Needham – Here’s How: Say No to Bottled Water
Learn to Live More Sustainably – One Step at-a-time Do you really need to use bottled water at home and at the office? Bottled water isn’t necessarily cleaner or better for you than tap water – in fact, often it
Select Board adopts voluntary single-use plastic bag policy for large stores
At its March 20th meeting, the Needham Select Board discussed and then unanimously adopted its proposed policy requesting that stores over 3,500 square feet voluntarily discontinue the use of single-use plastic check-out bags on or before June 1st. While this
Neighbor Spotlights: from lawn mowing to activism
I met Stephen at a Green Needham planning meeting for a town event coming up next fall (keep an eye out for further notice). He impressed me with his upbeat, calm presence, and with how he packaged our ideas in
Neighbor spotlights: From the prairie to the East
When Eleanor and Jay moved to Needham in 2001 with their two teenagers, they were surprised. They were coming from West Lafayette, Indiana (home of Purdue University), where Eleanor in particular, had been part of a very active environmental community
Ahead of the Curve: China says your recyclables don’t measure up
MassINC’s Commonwealth magazine recently published an article titled “China says your recyclables don’t measure up“. It described the new restrictions on recyclables shipped to China that are roiling recycling markets in the United States. Needham is, as we often are,
Neighbor Spotlight: The Trash Game
Over the years, but particularly in the past year, I have met a lot of people who are making changes in their lives to be a better neighbor to planet Earth. They are pretty ordinary people doing extraordinary things. They
Make the Climate your Valentine: three powerful things you can do this week
There are three things you can do this week to make a powerful difference to climate change legislature in Massachusetts. Please consider doing at least one. We know that climate change and the continued use of fossil fuels are already endangering
Top 10 Recycling Challenges at the Needham RTS
At Green Needham’s November 29th “Toward Zero Waste” event, Greg Smith (Needham’s Superintendent of Recycling and Solid Waste) presented his list of Needham’s top 10 recycling challenges: Keep plastic wrap and plastic bags out of the recycling containers. Keep trash out