Invitation to Medford Starts with Me Workshop, June 11

The “Medford Starts with Me” campaign was recently launched to increase awareness and community pride about Medford. The goal of this campaign is to inspire people in our community to make it even greater. 

“Medford Starts With Me” is a message of community unity and pride, as well as a way to recognize those who take steps to improve our community. It’s also a rallying cry and a call to action— motivating people from all parts of the Medford community to do their unique part to make Medford the best it can be. It sends a simple message: “Medford is important to me, and I am important to Medford.”

We are planning an interactive workshop gathering from 7-9 pm on Monday, June 11, in Medford Square (ERA Andrew Realty), to discuss how to get this concept moving. We may also discuss the basic goals of the advisory board, and the qualifications that would be useful for advisory board members to have.  The tone of the meeting will be positive; we are focusing on a brighter future for all of Medford's community members.

If you would like to attend this meeting, please RSVP, as space is limited. To RSVP, send email to greenmedford[at]gmail.com, or call 781-526-4714 (Susan Altman).

Also, we welcome your suggestions about other people we could invite to this or other meetings to develop the concept of Medford Starts with Me.  We are very interested in hearing from people who reflect any of the many facets of Medford, including various:

 o   neighborhoods
o   ethnicities
o   ages
o   educational levels
o   religious views
o   organizations
o   businesses
o   etc.

Many thanks, and we look forward to seeing you at this gathering. 

Sincerely,

Susan Altman

781-526-4714

Jack McGoldrick

Brooks School Students Celebrate a Month of Walking on Walk/Ride Day

Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade, and Brooks School Receive “Golden Shoe” Awards

Medford, May 25, 2012 ~ All fourth and fifth graders at the Brooks Elementary School spent the past month improving their fitness and having fun, by participating in the month-long Brooks Walking Challenge. The students received free pedometers, provided by Medford Health Matters and Safe Routes to Schools, to keep track of their steps for a month.  They celebrated their achievement Friday morning, May 25^th. The Brooks Walking Challenge is part of Walk/Ride Days, a program that celebrates and promotes the use of sustainable, active transportation in Medford and other communities. Syrah McGivern, Community Transformation Grant Coordinator for the Medford Board of Health, emceed the event. 

Brooks School Principal Michael Simon accepted a “Golden Shoe” award on behalf of the school for its whole-hearted embrace of the Walking Challenge. Awards were also given to the fourth-grade and fifth-grade teachers for coordinating their classes. Watch a video of the event here, and see photos here.

McGivern introduced Janie Katz-Christy, the director of Green Streets Initiative, which founded the Walk/Ride Day program. Katz-Christie briefly described Walk/Ride Days and its long-term goal of creating safer, healthier, and quieter streets and more vibrant communities. She also gave a pop-quiz to the students about walking, which they participated in with great enthusiasm.

Long-distance running star Lindsay Willard (pictured at left) entranced the children by telling them about her initiation into running as a 12-year-old student. A Medford resident, Willard was the fifth American woman to cross the finish line at this year’s Boston Marathon, taking 17^th place among women overall. She crossed the finish line with a time of 2 hours, 55 minutes, and 53 seconds—the second-fastest time among Massachusetts women.

Other guests at the event included Samantha Fonseca-Moreira of Safe Routes to Schools, and Susan Altman of Green Medford, who coordinates Medford Walk/Ride Days.

McGivern told the audience that Brooks School students and teachers helped the program enormously by testing the Walking Challenge, which will be rolled out to all Medford schools this coming fall.

The Brooks Walking Challenge is a project of Medford Walk-Ride Days, which celebrates and promotes the use of sustainable and active transportation. This event was organized by the City of Medford, Safe Routes to School, and Green Medford.

 In addition to the Brooks School, fifteen retail businesses in Medford Square and elsewhere are participating in Walk-Ride Days, which occur on the last Friday of each month. All customers who go car-free to any of these retailers on that day will receive a special incentive. Also, residents who commute from Medford car-free on Walk/Ride Days can be entered into a monthly raffle by checking in at http://greenstreets.mapc.org/. Visit http://gogreenstreets.org/retailers/medford to find all the participating Medford businesses and other partners in Walk/Ride Days.

To join Walk/Ride Days or ask questions, call Susan at 781-526-4714, or email greenmedford[at]gmail.com. Green Medford seeks to educate the Medford community to understand our environmental impact, and to empower members of our community to make more sustainable energy choices related to homes and businesses, transportation, and food. More information at: www.greenmedford.org and on Facebook (search for Green Medford).

Medford Shone at April 28th CleanUps

Medford celebrated Earth Day by giving several areas of the city a major spring cleanup on Saturday, April 28^th.  Cleanups drew almost 150 people to Medford Square and Riverbend Park.

The Medford Square CleanUp brought together kids and adults who picked up trash and recycleables from the sides of Route 93, the banks of the Mystic River, and the entire business district of the Square.  A team of children from the Medford Boys & Girls Club painted a utility switchbox at the interaction of Clippership Drive and Riverside Avenue. Another team planted seven planters along Riverside Avenue with bright pansies and other ornamentals. A recycling game kept small children occupied for hours, and a free yoga class was offered at Clippership Park.

The CleanUp began at the lawn beside One City Hall Mall, just behind City Hall, where the Medford Farmers Market will be located this year. Mayor McGlynn and the Medford Energy Committee kicked off the CleanUp by announcing the Medford Green Awards, which will recognize businesses (including non-profits) and homeowners who are actively implementing energy efficiency and conservation measures, as well as environmentally friendly practices that promote sustainability.

The cleanup was organized by a small group of volunteers coordinated by Green Medford, Xtreme Ninja Martial Arts, and Awakened Warrior Yoga, as well as 15 other busnesses and groups: the Boys and Girls Clubs of Middlesex County, Friends of the Mystic River, G&S Music, Grace Church’s GreenUp CleanUp, the Medford Chamber of Commerce, City of Medford, Medford Farmers Market, Medford Health Matters, Mystic Coffee Roaster, Mystic Community Earth Day, Mystic River Watershed Association, Next Step Living, Tri-City Community Action Program (Tri-CAP), Tufts University, and West Medford Open Studios.  The extraordinary support of the City’s energy and Environment Office, Department of Public Works, Mayor’s Office, and Diversity Office were key to the success of the CleanUp.

See photos of the Cleanup here: https://plus.google.com/photos/115083778520887526342/albums/5737198424528198049?banner=pwa 

The Friends of the Mystic River also had their Spring Cleanup on Saturday as well, which this year focused on Riverbend Park—the home of ‘Windy’ the Medford wind turbine, and of the Andrews and McGlynn schools. More than 70 volunteers also participated in that cleanup. 

Applications for the Medford Green Awards can be completed by going to

• http://medford.org/Pages/MedfordMA_Energy/GreenAwards/nomination
• http://medford.org/Pages/MedfordMA_Energy/GreenAwards/Residential%20Nomination

Environmental Merits Awards bestowed on Medford!

A Medford-based organization and a Mystic River Watershed Association staffer are among 24 recipients of 2012 Environmental Merit Awards from the Environmental Protection Association, Region 1.

The merit awards, recognizing valuable contributions to environmental awareness and problem solving, are a unique way that EPA can recognize individuals and groups that are making significant impacts on environmental quality in distinct ways.

The Medford-related winners:


Patrick Herron
Mystic River Watershed Association, Arlington, Mass.

Patrick Herron (pictured at left center), Water Quality Monitoring Director for the Mystic River Watershed Association (www.mysticriver.org), has improved the lives of more than a half million residents living in Mystic River communities. The Mystic Monitoring Network, which uses volunteers to gather data, has been integral to the association's work for more than a decade. Patrick, a dedicated scientist, has used data collected through the network to raise awareness about discharges that pollute the Mystic River and other resources in its watershed. He drew attention to the problem of sanitary sewer overflows in the watershed because he believed that rain and snow were causing contamination of the river and neighboring waters. With help from university interns and dedicated volunteer monitors, Patrick monitored and calculated the impact of discharges on river ecology and water chemistry. He created an online sewer overflow reporting form that made data collected easily available. This information helped the association inform citizens and helped local officials identify overflow points. His conversations with local water and sewer officials influenced the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority to study the pipe system and facilities in the Mystic River district to determine if they could prevent ongoing overflows. Patrick also created a Mystic River Herring Monitoring Network to be launched this spring, and advocated for installation of green infrastructure in the Mystic River Watershed. He has partnered with local officials, community organizations, environmental advocacy groups and a variety of academic partners in the watershed. Through these collaborations, he has brought hope and direction for the concerns of residents and decision-makers in the Mystic River watershed.

BizNGO
West Medford, Mass.

BizNGO (www.bizngo.org) is a non-profit environmental organization that works to protect consumers from toxic chemicals. Also known as the Business-NGO Working Group, this organization promotes creation and use of safer chemicals and sustainable materials in a way that supports a healthy economy, healthy environment, and healthy people. The organization released two important frameworks to help companies choose more sustainable plastics and safer chemicals for their products: 1) The Principles for Sustainable Plastics, and 2) Chemical Alternatives Assessment Protocol (v.1.0): How to Select Safer Alternatives to Chemicals of Concern to Human Health or the Environment. This represents the collective work of Mark Rossi, Chair and vital member of the New England Green Chemistry Initiative, and his colleagues. Together they are working to advance safer chemicals and materials in consumer products. These two documents are the result of dedication and an ability to help business to business communication and cooperation. BizNGO also runs annual two-day conferences at sites around New England. The assessment and evaluation tools provided by BizNGO will help companies identify hazardous chemicals along the entire supply chain and will guide them in choosing safer alternatives. This lifecycle approach encourages sustainability and contributes to the public health and environmental protection in an economically sustainable way.

More on the Environmental Merit Awards:

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/77220647C76BF3C3852579EB006FE446

Medford Shone at April 28th CleanUps

Medford, MA, May 3 ~ Medford celebrated Earth Day by giving several areas of the city a major spring cleanup on Saturday, April 28^th.  Cleanups drew almost 150 people to Medford Square and Riverbend Park.

The Medford Square CleanUp brought together kids and adults who picked up trash and recycleables from the sides of Route 93, the banks of the Mystic River, and the entire business district of the Square.  A team of children from the Medford Boys & Girls Club painted a utility switchbox at the interaction of Clippership Drive and Riverside Avenue. Another team planted seven planters along Riverside Avenue with bright pansies and other ornamentals. A recycling game kept small children occupied for hours, and a free yoga class was offered at Clippership Park.

The CleanUp began at the lawn beside One City Hall Mall, just behind City Hall, where the Medford Farmers Market will be located this year. Mayor McGlynn and the Medford Energy Committee kicked off the CleanUp by announcing the Medford Green Awards, which will recognize businesses (including non-profits) and homeowners who are actively implementing energy efficiency and conservation measures, as well as environmentally friendly practices that promote sustainability.

The cleanup was organized by a small group of volunteers coordinated by Green Medford, Xtreme Ninja Martial Arts, and Awakened Warrior Yoga, as well as 15 other busnesses and groups: the Boys and Girls Clubs of Middlesex County, Friends of the Mystic River, G&S Music, Grace Church’s GreenUp CleanUp, the Medford Chamber of Commerce, City of Medford, Medford Farmers Market, Medford Health Matters, Mystic Coffee Roaster, Mystic Community Earth Day, Mystic River Watershed Association, Next Step Living, Tri-City Community Action Program (Tri-CAP), Tufts University, and West Medford Open Studios.  The extraordinary support of the City’s energy and Environment Office, Department of Public Works, Mayor’s Office, and Diversity Office were key to the success of the CleanUp.

See photos of the Cleanup here: http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/578160_351896291525637_106640332717902_894525_1770006976_n.jpg

The Friends of the Mystic River also had their Spring Cleanup on Saturday, which this year focused on Riverbend Park—the home of ‘Windy’ the Medford wind turbine, and of the Andrews and McGlynn schools. More than 70 volunteers also participated in that cleanup. 

Applications for the Medford Green Awards can be completed by going to

• http://medford.org/Pages/MedfordMA_Energy/GreenAwards/nomination
• http://medford.org/Pages/MedfordMA_Energy/GreenAwards/Residential%20Nomination