ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
Welcome to Environmental Awareness!
Maria Bartlett, Chair
B R E A K I N G N E W S - - - April Declared National Native Plant Month by U.S. Senate
April is National Native Plant Month, a designation passed by the U.S. Senate on March 25, 2021. In 2024, Senate Resolution 603 was agreed to unanimously on March 20, designating April 2024 as National Native Plant Month.
Governor Maura T. Healey declared April Native Plant Month for Massachusetts Native Plant Proclamation (image will be updated)
EARTH DAY is MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2024
Earth Day is the world's largest environmental movement, celebrated nationwide every April 22. Find new ways to recycle and lower your carbon footprint so you can protect the planet all year long. Here are some resources that will help you find ways to help your own community.
https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2024/
https://www.epa.gov/earthday
https://www.helpsy.com/
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/how-where-to-recycle
https://recyclesmartma.org/
ARBOR DAY is FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
Begun in 1872, Arbor Day is a special date set aside for the planting of trees. The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit organization using reforestation and urban forestry to solve issues of climate change, community, and biodiversity. Learn more about this event, and the planting of beautiful native trees in your community and on your own property.
Environmental Awareness for GCFM has included a number of activities over the years through our mission to preserve a healthy environment:
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Articles for the quarterly Mayflower (see Mayflower page for full archive)
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Public policy action by the Board has included:
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Advocating for an updated Bottle Bill in the MA legislature in 2012 and during the November 2014 petition campaign. Those efforts were unsuccessful but are on-going with current 2024 legislation (H3289/S2149). Learn about it here:
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Advocating for a ban on retail sales of neonicotinoid pesticides. The ban went into effect on July 1, 2022. Learn about it here:
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Advocating for the 2024 Bill to Establish Municipal Reforestation Plans. Learn about it here:
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Workshops/presentations at Annual Meetings and Fall Conferences
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Designed a table-top display on Gardening Products to Use/Avoid for use at meetings (see picture)
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A 2011 state-wide contest for clubs on reducing members’ greenhouse gas emissions (details here)
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Updates on international, national and state policies, meetings and legislation can be found in the Mayflower and at GCFM Board Meetings.
If you are interested in environmental issues, have suggestions for items to include, and/or wish to be involved with this effort, please let me know! I look forward to hearing from you!
maria_bartlett@verizon.net
978-590-0547