Earthcare Framingham

Styrofoam Collection -- Sat., Jan. 7, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

2012-01-01T21:22:00.002-05:00

Another one of our "seasonal" styrofoam collections coming up very soon at Grace Church, 76 Salem End Rd. Bring along your styrofoam and/or plastic utensils (clean, separate from the styrofoam) anytime from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., this Saturday, Jan. 7th. We will also be accepting cans of non-perishable food to help the Hope Food Pantry in Framingham re-stock after the holidays. Stay for a bit and help load the truck if you have time. If you miss this one, look for another collection in April, close to Earth Day. For more information on what can be recycled, see http://www.refoamit.com/. Sponsored by Grace Congregational Church, UCC and Refoamit, Inc. Congratulations to Barbara Sherman of Refoamit on being selected as the Woman who Made Framingham Better in 2011!

Free Movie -- "Coal Country" -- Sat., Nov. 19th, 7 p.m.

2011-11-06T08:32:00.001-05:00

We’llprovide the movie, snacks (Framingham’s Stearns Farm popcorn), and plenty offood for thought. Join us for a thought-provoking movie (about 45 minutes long) on the effect of coal mining,especially by mountain-top removal, on communities in Appalachia. Hear moreabout the Sierra Club’s “Beyond Coal” Campaign and learn what you can do tohelp end this destructive practice. The audience is invited to make a free-willoffering to support a local program providing children in Appalachia with much-neededschool supplies. This event is at Grace Church, 76 Salem End Rd., near Framingham State University.

Fall Styrofoam Collection -- Oct. 22nd

2011-10-08T14:45:00.000-04:00

Save your Styrofoam and plastic utensils -- we have another collection day coming up at Grace Chuch -- Sat., Oct. 22nd., 10a.m.-3 p.m. For more information on what can and cannot be recycled, see http://www.refoamit.com/. To volunteer for an hour or two at the collection (it's light duty, but help is much appreciated!), contact Mary Memmott at memmottm@gmail.com.

Report on "Shine a Light on Solar" and Moving Planet Rally

2011-10-08T14:31:00.000-04:00

Earthcare partnered with the Framingham Sierra Club to present “Shining a Light on Solar” on September 24th. Thank you to Rev. Debbie Clarke and Edwards Church for hosting and providing a delicious lunch, and thanks to Dan Greenwood of SolarFlair for providing timely, important information on solar power and the credits and tax advantages that have made this an increasingly affordable option. We had 30 people in attendance, and the discussion was intelligent and focused. Who knows what new solar installations you will see around town that were sparked at this meeting! If you missed this event, and want more information on solar power, there is another company speaking at Edwards Church on solar power on Tuesday, October 11th. See this link for more information.

Thank you also to the two “Pria” car-loads of folks from Framingham, Sudbury, and Worcester who followed lunch with a trip into Boston to attend the Moving Planet rally. The highlight of the rally was probably seeing all those from the Boston area who have been arrested in Washington protesting the Tar Sands Pipeline project stand up to be recognized. You can find out more about this ongoing protest, and see pictures of Moving Planet Day all over the world, at http://www.350.org/. We proudly held our "350" banner in Framingham and Boston on September 24th -- if you don't know why we care about 350, time to get to that website!

"Shine a Light on Solar" -- Sat., Sept. 24th -- 11 a.m.

2011-09-14T20:52:00.000-04:00

I just left a planning meeting for this event -- we have a wonderful (free) lunch planned, activites for the kids, and a speaker on a timely subject -- solar energy and your home or business. And then if you feel inspired you can join us as we carpool/T to Boston to participate in a rally calling on our leaders to move beyond fossil fuels (free water bottle included!). Please RSVP if you can to help us plan, or just come that day. All are welcome.

Here's an outline of the day:

SEPTEMBER 24th : 350.org’s Global Moving Planet event.
Moving Framingham towards Renewable Energy!
When/Where:
11am – 1pm , Edwards Church - Solar Power presentation and lunch
1 pm: Carpool to Riverside - T into Boston
3 pm: Parade from Park St. station to Columbus Waterfront Park
3:50 pm: New England Rally for Moving Beyond Fossil Fuels
6 pm: Carpool back to Framingham

Join EarthCare and the Framingham Sierra Club as we participate in 350.org’s worldwide rally to demand solutions to the Climate Crisis: Moving Planet- A Day to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels.
We begin with a local event here in Framingham focused on solar energy. Dan Greenwood of Framingham’s own SolarFlair , will “shine the light” on solar power as a viable renewable energy source, including information on costs, rebates, incentives, net metering and the Solar Renewable Energy Credit market. Come enjoy a light lunch and get your solar questions answered, while the kids help create our Moving Planet Banner for the New England Rally in Boston and try some "solar" crafts and activities.
At 1pm, we'll be heading into Boston via carpool and the T to join the rest of our neighboring communities for the Boston rally at Columbus Waterfront Park in Boston near the Aquarium!! Join us for both events, or just one! For more info, or to RSVP, contact Mary Memmott at memmottm@gmail.com.

Styrofoam Collection -- this Saturday, July 23, 10 - 3

2011-07-22T19:01:00.002-04:00

Another one of our "seasonal" styrofoam collections coming up very soon at Grace Church, 76 Salem End Rd. Bring along your styrofoam and/or plastic utensils (clean, separate from the styrofoam) anytime from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., this Saturday, July 23rd. Stay for a bit and help load the truck if you have time. If you miss this one, look for another collection on Oct. 22nd. For more information on what can be recycled, see http://www.refoamit.com/. Sponsored by Grace Congregational Church, UCC and Refoamit, Inc.

Sometimes you have to make a stink!

2011-07-11T17:34:00.000-04:00

Saturday, June 25th, the Earthcare Grace group (and friends) spent the morning working at Stearns Farm. This is part of our work hours for our farm share, most of which goes to the Hope Food Pantry in Framingham. This year's work hours were a little unusual -- most of the kids (and adults) ended up helping to pick potato bugs off the crops -- thousands and thousands of bugs that apparently made an unpleasant stink when drowned! Kudos to the kids for sticking with it, despite the "yuckiness." When we take a nice big bag of potatoes to the pantry this fall all your work will be appreciated.

Next Event -- Saturday, July 16, 6-8 p.m., "Food for Thought" Dinner

2011-06-26T14:34:00.002-04:00

Topic: Is Coal Worth the Cost?

Saturday, July 16, 2011, 6-8 p.m.; Edwards Church, UCC; 39 Edwards St., Framingham

Bring an appetizer or dessert to share, we’ll provide the soup, information, and plenty of food for thought.

Please join us for a light meal (featuring Stearns Farm produce), followed by a “heavy” but important discussion on the impact of mountain-top removal coal mining on Appalachia. We will have a preview/review of the movie The Last Mountain, currently playing nation-wide, which highlights the terrible effect of this practice on people and the environment. There will be also be time to take action through letter-writing.

Thank you Sierra Club -- report on "local food" event

2011-03-30T16:03:00.002-04:00

Thank you to the Framingham Sierra Club for an informative, well-attended meeting on local food at the Framingham library last night (March 29th). I've added some new links to "places to find local food" on the lower right side of this blog page -- Silverwood Organic Farm in Sherborn and the Mass Local Food Co-op that may be coming to Framingham. Contact Kelly O'Connor: president@masslocalfood.org if you are interested in the Mass Local Food Co-op (note, this isn't a commitment to participate) or interested in volunteering to help run a drop-off site in Framingham (driving, helping to distribute orders, co-ordinating, etc.)
Anyone else attend the meeting, or know of places (markets, farms, etc) that I should add to our local food list? I have the feeling I have not found everything yet! I would love to find more place to buy eggs, for example.

Earth Hour -- tonight -- Saturday, March 26th, 8:30 - 9:30 p.m.

2011-03-26T11:28:00.000-04:00

Can you turn off all your lights and electronic devices for one hour tonight? This has become an annual event -- check out the website for more information on "Earth Hour" -- http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx?intro=no. I just saw this on today's Carbon Fast -- and like most of the things on the fast, I think it's worth a try.

Lenten Carbon Fast -- Discussion

2011-03-13T15:11:00.001-04:00

Lent started this week and some of us are signed up for the Lenten Carbon Fast -- sponsored by the New England Council of Churches -- you can still sign up here.

The fast gives you daily email suggestions of things to do and prayerfully consider. Here's a summary so far:

Day 1 -- commit to the fast!
Day 2 -- pick a lightbulb anywhere in your home and take it out for the duration of the fast
Day 3 -- slay "vampire power" in your home -- unplug power plugs needlessly using electricity
Day 4 -- sign up for an energy audit through NSTAR or your own power company
Day 5 -- consider how 20% of the earth's population use 80% of its resources

I was a little dubious at first thinking I'm "ahead of the curve" on some things and at my limit on others. But then I found an extra light-bulb in my bathroom that turns on every time I turn on the bathroom light -- I get along fine without it. If all 1,000 people in the fast do the same, that's not insignificant. I went looking for vampire power and found two things I'd forgotten about. I got to pat myself on the back for already having an energy audit. And the thought for Day 5 prompted me to get some laundry on the line today, even though the weather is a bit borderline, and the girls had a great time running through the towels. A clothes dryer is quite a luxury in the grand scheme of things -- after all I'm lucky to have a washer compared to a lot of mothers around the world. And you can't play "run through the towels" when they are in the dryer.

So looking forward to the next 35 days -- anyone else have any reactions to the fast?

Response to "No Impact Man"

2011-02-26T13:28:00.000-05:00

Thank you to the brave souls who came out on a tough weather night to share good popcorn and a good movie.

If you are thinking of doing your own, "no impact" project for Lent or on your own time-table, our youngest viewer would love to hear from you. She has been inspired to create her own earthcare blog (really, on her own, I only found out what she was up to after helping to spell various words like "styrofoam," "transportation," etc.), you can find it here: http://www.earthcarebyakid.blogspot.com/. We can't wait to hear what projects this may have inspired!

Free movie night -- "No Impact Man" -- Friday, Feb. 25th

2011-02-19T13:40:00.002-05:00

Free Friday Night Flick with Earthcare Education!

Featured Movie: “No Impact Man”

Friday, February 25, 7 – 9 p.m.

Grace Congregational Church, UCC; 76 Salem End Rd., Framingham

We’ll provide the movie, snacks (Framingham’s Stearns Farm popcorn!), and plenty of food for thought.

Edwards Church UCC and Grace Congregational Church UCC present another in our series of Earthcare events. Find out what happens when a “New York liberal decides to practice what he preaches for one year . . . Turns off the electricity, stops making garbage, gives up TV . . . all while taking his baby daughter and caffeine-loving retail-obsessed TV-addicted wife along with him." Then discuss how you could dial down YOUR impact this Lent with a “carbon fast.” Sponsored with the generous support of the Barnes Foundation.

Call the Grace office 508-872-3342 for more information, see the Grace website for directions.

Next Event -- Dessert and Book Discussion -- RESCHEDULED to Mon., Nov. 22nd 7:30 p.m.

2010-10-23T16:12:00.003-04:00

Note: we've moved the date from Nov. 9th to Nov. 22nd. This will allow us to attend the first Framingham Sierra Club meeting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9th at the Framingham Public Library (all welcome!). But otherwise, same details, new date.

Book Choice: Eaarth by Bill McKibben
At Edwards Church, UCC; 39 Edwards St., Framingham

Join us if you’ve read the book cover-to-cover, just dipped into the first chapter, or are just curious why this book spells “earth” incorrectly. Bill McKibben has a powerful argument to make about the fate of our earth, a sobering argument that yet leaves room to hope. Come share your thoughts and share some food.

Dessert and beverages provided!

For directions see http://www.edwardschurch.org/directions.html , or call the Edwards office: 508-877-2050. We will most likely meet in the fellowship hall building nearest the parking lot, not the main church building, look for cars parked near, lights on, and an "Earthcare" sign!

Fall Work Day -- Stearns Farm, Oct. 16, 2010

2010-10-23T09:11:00.000-04:00

The Grace church group joined Stearns sharers, staff, and other volunteers to help plant over 7,000 garlic this past Saturday. The weather was great, the group enthusiastic, and we had 7 kids with us who turned out to be garlic clove peeling and planting naturals. These work hours are part of our commitment to providing a winter share for the food pantry -- this year's "winter" share will extend into March, so we're looking forward to picking up spinach, kale, and root veggies in a warm greenhouse in the snow as 2010 turns to 2011.

Thank you to Amelia, our 9 year-old photographer. You won't see her in the photos because she was behind the lens!

Trees for Framingham, Trees for Tanzania

2010-10-10T23:19:00.004-04:00

We did it! 10/10/10 was definitely a success!

One beautiful afternoon, three beautiful trees, three very skilled guys from Framingham Parks and Rec, one truck, many shovels, one shovel on a bike, and thirty incredible volunteers, who along the way contributed $150 to help plant three million trees on Mt. Kilimanjaro. What a great day -- no matter which number you look at. And hopefully drawing some attention to the big number "350."

Thanks to all who came!

UPDATE (10/23/10): We have now raised $350 towards the Mt. Kilimnjaro tree project, with some additional donations and matching funds from the Barnes Foundation. Thank you so much too all who contributed -- you can find out more where we are sending the $ here.

Global Work Party for the Earth -- 10/10/10 -- Trees for Framingham, Trees for Tanzania

2010-08-18T12:45:00.004-04:00

It's all coming together! The Earthcare group will be working with the Town of Framingham to plant 3 new trees at spots around town on 10/10/10 - part of the http://www.350.org/ "Global Work Party for the Earth"
Meet at Christa McAuliffe Library, Framingham
2p.m., Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010

-- Interfaith blessing and planting of a new tree outside the library; followed by carpool, bike, driving to Long’s Field and Cushing Park in Framingham to plant two more trees.

-- Thank-you reception with hot cider, coffee, snacks at Grace Congregational Church, UCC, 76 Salem End Rd., Framingham 4:00-5:30 p.m. , to celebrate three new trees for Framingham and many more for Tanzania.

-- Free-will offering at each planting and the reception to support trees for the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro – donation to be made to Kilimanjaro Environmental Conservation Programme, Tanzania, through the Interfaith Power and Light Carbon Covenant Program – see http://www.co2covenant.org .

Thank you to Mass ReLeaf for providing trees and training, the Town of Framingham for permission, supervision, and expertise, and to the Barnes Foundation for continous support.

Food, Inc. -- Discussion?

2010-07-10T12:55:00.002-04:00

So last night we had an amazing potluck dinner -- all kinds of summer fruit, veggies and salads, cold soup, hot soup, bread, cheese, GMO-free chips, regular chips, even ice-cream cones! Thanks so much to all who came -- it was heartening to see 20+ folks willing to come out and face where our food really comes from on a busy summer evening.

My thoughts on the movie -- what did you all think of the comments from the Stonyfield Farms founder at the end? Do you really think consumers have the power to change our food system through choices at the supermarket? What bothered me about that statement is that there is so little actual "choice" at most supermarkets. And many communities don't even have access to the level of choice in our suburban markets -- just convenience food for miles around. Any thoughts on this issue? On a more upbeat note, has anyone been inspired to change their eating h
abits in some way by the film? Or maybe those of you already deep into local and sustainable food want to share their tips? Click on "comments" below to contribute. It's a moderated discussion so your comment won't appear right away, but you don't need any special account to contribute, anonymous posts are fine. All good food for thought!

P.S. If you've been inspired to action, the website for Food, Inc. is a good place to start.

Next Event --- "Food for Thought" -- Friday, July 9, 6 p.m.

2010-06-26T17:42:00.000-04:00

"Food for Thought" Stone Soup Dinner and Movie Night -- at Grace Church, 76 Salem End Rd., Framingham

Dinner at 6 p.m., Viewing of the Film "Food, Inc." at 7 p.m. We will also show "Wall-e" for the kids.

Bring an appetizer or dessert if you can, we'll provide the soup, movie, and plenty of food for thought. Please come to share our dinner and film night. All are welcome!

Hands Across the Sand -- 11 a.m., Saturday, June 26 -- Beaches Around the World

2010-06-24T09:44:00.001-04:00

A few members of the Earthcare group will be trying to get to the beach this weekend -- not just because Saturday looks to be a beautiful day, but to say "never again!" to the disaster in the Gulf and call for support of clean energy. We will be holding hands across a beach protesting off-shore oil drilling. Would you like to come?

See "Hands Across the Sand" for more information.

Planting Day at Stearns Farm -- May 22, 2010

2010-05-22T18:32:00.000-04:00

Quick report -- We had 10 adults and 8 children at our planting day at Stearns Farm. We planted peppers, saved spinach from evil larvae, moved mulch, potted flowers, removed dead beet plants, had a great lunch, and even found time to play on the swing (some of us!). The weather was perfect, and we can't wait to come back and pick those peppers! We know the food pantry will appreciate the share of food we will start bringing to them in June.

(Now from a kid's point of view.) At the beginning we had a limited choice of jobs, but later in the day we were allowed to do more things. Except pepper planting. Some of us played half the time. It's really fun, and I think more kids should come. The lunch could have been better. But the grown-up's liked it. Some of us kids like planting veggies more than eating them.

Next event -- Work Day at Stearns Farm -- Saturday, May 22, 2010

2010-05-05T13:16:00.000-04:00

Coming up on May 22nd -- Grace church's annual spring work day at Stearns Farm, Framingham. We will work as a team to fulfill the hours for our farm share for 2010. Work begins at 9:45 a.m. and ends at noon with an optional stone soup lunch. It's always a fabulous day outside and there is work for all ages and abilities. You do not need to be a Grace church member to participate. Contact Mary Memmott (memmottm@gmail.com) to sign up in advance.

Our proceeds of the harvest are shared throughout the year with the "Hope" food pantry in Framingham. If you can't come to the work day, you can still help us collect the harvest on Friday afternoons and/or deliver to the pantry on Saturday mornings throughout the summer and fall. This is rewarding work in absolutely beautiful location, right here in Framingham! Just let us know if you are interested and we can train you in the collection and distribution procedure. It's simple and fun.

Enjoy the slideshow of pictures from our fall work day 2009-- planting garlic bulbs that we will soon harvest as "garlic scapes" this spring!

Styrofoam Collection Day -- Sat., April 24, 2010 -- biggest collection yet!

2010-04-18T22:14:00.000-04:00

This was our third styrofoam collection day at Grace Church, and we collected more styrofoam than ever. The 5 hour collection event filled a 14-foot truck and and a half -- cars and pick-up's were unloading styrofoam all day. Many thanks to all that helped -- including many new friends who stopped by for a drop-off and stayed to help load and sort the styrofoam. All hands were much appreciated!

You can see this article from the Metrowest Daily News for more background on ReFoamIt, the company that collected the styrofoam. Styrofoam is NOT recycled in Framingham, nor in most towns in MA, and ReFoamIt is one of the few companies in New England working on a sustainable way to recycle this material. We all enjoyed seeing their display of how the foam is recycled, and a field trip to their plant is in the works!

The next recycling date will be Saturday, July 24, 10 a.m. -3 p.m. Keep posted here for more details.

Our First Earth Care-Cooking Workshop -- Sunday, April 11

2010-04-11T21:55:00.000-04:00

We made 3 great dishes, sampled "kale pesto," and had 18 participants from ages 7 to ?. Thank you all for coming! We hope to do this again in the near future.

Great Recipe Sources

2010-04-10T13:37:00.011-04:00

Here's a start on where to find more recipes like the ones from our workshop on April 11.
Workshop recipes -- spicy Moroccan tofu, carrot soup, healthy breakfast bars.

Please comment and add more!

1. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution -- just a few recipes, but a lot of inspiration!

2. Epicurious -- great variety of recipes, easily searchable

3. Green Earth Institute -- a CSA in Illinois with an awesome recipe database

4. All Recipes -- not "all healthy" by any means but it is an incredibly diverse database of recipes!

5. Great Article from "The Take Away" on NPR on canning fruits and vegetables with a super-easy recipe for tomato sauce (and if you freeze instead of can, even easier)

6. How to make Kale Pesto -- at Homegrown.org -- a basic recipe to adapt to your favorite greens -- at a website of interest to farmers, gardeners, CSA-members, etc.

New CSA in Framingham -- Hanson's Farm

2009-11-07T14:57:00.000-05:00

Has anyone tried the Hanson's Farm CSA? Nearby Stearns Farm (see picture) is full with a long waiting list. Stillman's Farm CSA also delivers to Framingham (I have been a member for 8 years and love it!). But demands for community-supported agriculture has grown, and now there is another choice locally. So, did anyone try Hanson's this year and how did it go? For more information on Hanson's: http://www.hansonsfarm.50webs.com/csa.html