March 2026 Newsletter

In This Issue

  • Get Engaged
  • We Want to Hear from You!
  • Learning from Ten Years of Local Climate Work to Prepare for the Next Ten
  • Get a Rain Barrel!
  • Come to Senator Jamie Eldridge's Green Advisory Committee Meeting this Saturday

Get Engaged!

Achieving our sustainability goals is up to each of us. Consider participating through these local groups and activities.



We Want to Hear from You!

The Energize Stow newsletter strives to provide you with practical information you can use to make Stow a more sustainable community. We would love to hear from you about what you would be interested in reading or learning about. Please email us at GreenAdvisory@stow-ma.gov with your ideas. Thank you!

Learning from Ten Years of Local Climate Work to Prepare for the Next Ten

For the past ten years, countries and communities of all sizes have set goals to limit the threat of climate change. At the local town level, we have installed solar, added EV cars, and charging stations, insulated our homes, and added heat pumps to homes and town buildings. We have learned to value native plants and begun to protect critical pollinators. 


It’s hard to recall our initial reactions to new technologies like solar cells on house roofs. Few of us understood heat pumps. Remember the first time you saw or drove an EV or hybrid car?


We should recognize the progress Stow, and our neighboring towns have made as a base for future plans. We are in this together and our efforts must continue if we are to be successful.

 

Recently, representatives of Green Acton, Green Maynard, Green Hudson, Sustainable Stow and Stow’s Green Advisory Committee met to learn about the progress across our towns. We were joined by State Senator Jamie Eldridge. They presented to a crowd gathered at First Parish of Stow and Acton on one of the snowiest nights in a long time. What they shared was inspiring. It seemed as if no two of the towns have approached the puzzle of building a better climate or environment in quite the same way. We plan to do more sharing of approaches and successes in the months ahead.


View the video from this multi-town meeting here.

Get a Rain Barrel!

Did you know that our area is in a drought? In anticipation of another dry summer, Sustainable Stow is hosting a rain barrel sale in partnership with the Great American Rain Barrel Company. The Company will offer barrels to residents at cost to support community water conservation.


Stow residents and those in surrounding communities, can order a barrel online through the company’s community sales page, selecting Stow from the list of participating towns. There are several types of barrels to choose from ranging in price from $80 to $89. The deadline for ordering barrels is May 10. Barrels will be available for pickup on May 23 from 1 to 3 pm at the Stow Highway Department at 88 South Acton Road in Stow.


Note: The Great American Rain Barrel is a local food-import company that has been repurposing food grade shipping drums into Rain Barrels since 1988.

Come to Senator Eldridge's Green Advisory Committee Meeting this Saturday

Senator Jamie Eldridge’s next Green Advisory Committee meeting is this Saturday, March 21st, at 10:00 am upstairs at the Acton Villageworks, 525 Mass Ave.



This meeting is a great opportunity to hear the latest about what is happening with climate legislation on Beacon Hill this session as well as share your thoughts, discuss activities in your town, and meet other climate activists from surrounding communities.