Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/more/environment/page/18/)
Want a tree for the front of your home, Watertown Tree Warden Chris Hayward may have one for you.
He will soon begin planting street trees around town, and he has a long list of species, including small trees for the front yard, medium sized ones and large shade trees. A complete list can be found by clicking here. For more information contact Chris Hayward at 617-972-6426 or chayward@watertown-ma.gov
Watertown will replace several hundred street lights with energy efficient LED lights thanks to a grant awarded to the town by the state. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announced the awarding of a $207,505 Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources grant to Watertown as part of the Green Community Competitive Grant program, Town Manager Michael Driscoll told the Town Council Tuesday. The money, along with $92,495 in incentives from Eversource, will pay for the $300,000 project to replace 800 high-pressure sodium and mercury vapor street lights with LED lights, Driscoll said. The new lights will provide the equivalent amount of light while consuming 62 percent less energy,” Driscoll said. The town is expected to save $50,000 in energy costs annually.
People interested in adding a solar system to their home can attend an informational meeting in Cambridge.
The informational meeting about a time-limited solar offer sponsored by Green Cambridge and Neighborhood Solar will be held at the Cambridge Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Ave., on July 7, 2015, at 7 p.m. Neighborhood Solar is a Watertown-based solar initiative designed to be local, fair, and transparent. Details are available at neighborhoodsolar.org. The program is open to all residents, businesses, and non-profits in Watertown and Cambridge. Anyone residing in a neighboring community who wishes to participate can do so by contacting Jocelyn Tager at info@neighborhoodsolar.org to determine eligibility.
Watertown Citizens will welcome a special guest from the Environmental League of Massachusetts at its annual meeting.
George Bachrach, president of the Environmental League of Massachusetts, will be the featured speaker at Watertown Citizens Annual Meeting. All are invited to attend. He will speak on “The State of the Environmental Movement in Massachusetts: Information, Education, Advocacy.”
“This event will be a good opportunity for people to learn firsthand about current Massachusetts environmental issues from a leader whose position puts him at the center of environmental policy as viewed by lawmakers, administrators, advocates and business leaders,” said the Watertown Citizens announcement. Bachrach and his family are long-term residents of Watertown and he served as the town’s state senator for three terms in the 1980s. The event is on Sunday, June 7 at the Auditorium at The Apartments at Coolidge School, 319 Arlington St. in Watertown.
Trees along Greenough Boulevard in Watertown got a severe pruning or in some cases were cut down completely, a move that has upset residents and town officials alike.
Last week, residents noticed that the trees on the street that runs along the Charles River had been cut by crews. The trees stand on land owned by the state and overseen by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Residents began contacting DCR officials, state representatives and Town Councilors to ask for the tree trimming to be halted. While they are state owned, the DCR was supposed to alert the Watertown Conservation Commission and the town Tree Warden, Chris Hayward, to let them know about the plan, said Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon. “They are supposed to do that.
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It is with great pleasure that Neighborhood Solar II is launched. Green Cambridge is partnering with Neighborhood Solar to help promote this program in Cambridge. Right now, Massachusetts has excellent solar incentives and the federal government is giving a 30 percent tax credit through 2016. The goal of Neighborhood Solar is to combine these incentives and tax credits with the best solar prices and the best solar quality and craftsmanship. With this in mind, and based on the success of Neighborhood Solar I, SunBug Solar has agreed to be the installer.
Students at Cunniff School returned from Spring Break to find a new addition to the school – a dwarf apple tree.
The tree was planted as part of Watertown Tree Warden Chris Hayward’s Arbor Day program. Trees have been planted at schools around town for the past several years, Hayward said. “The tree will get about 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide,” Hayward said. “And it will bear fruit.” On Friday, the whole school came out to the courtyard to see the new tree and get an Arbor Day gift of their own.
The Environmental League of Massachusetts honored a Watertown state representative for his work and record on voting for environmental issues. The group sent out the following announcement:
State Rep. Jon Hecht, a Watertown Democrat, is a true leader on environmental issues, according to his perfect scores on the Environmental League of Massachusetts’ unique and inaugural legislative scorecard. The scorecard gauges true leadership on environmental issues – not just votes, upending more traditional rankings that are often based mainly on non-controversial votes. The legislative scorecard from ELM, the oldest environmental advocacy organization in the Commonwealth, awards additional points to lawmakers who led by sponsoring important legislation and deducts points for lawmakers who filed measures that ELM opposed. It also takes lawmakers to task over their recent practice of ensuring controversial votes are not recorded roll call votes – preventing voters from truly gauging which representatives and senators on truly on their side.