SUSTAINABILITY & RESILIENCE NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER 2022

UPDATE: This newsletter has been updated to reflect a new mattress collection program available to Lexington residents starting on November 4th. It also has a corrected link to the Science Café event. All other information is the same.

Police Department Rolls out New Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

Consistent with the Select Board's Green Fleet Policy, the Lexington Police Department has put two new hybrid vehicles on the road with two more currently being outfitted and expected soon. The 2022 Hybrid Ford Explorers replaced Dodge Chargers and serve as patrol vehicles, which are use 24/7 to provide services to the community. The Police Department has also purchased their first fully electric vehicle that will be used by the School Resource Officer. They look forward to the reduced fuel use as a result of these new vehicles and are committed to continue exploring the use of hybrid and electric vehicles in their fleet.

Effective Nov 4: New Mattress and Box Spring Collection Program

Effective November 1, 2022, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has added mattresses to the list of materials banned from disposal in Massachusetts.

Starting Friday, November 4th, the Town of Lexington will have a new way to dispose of mattresses through the company UTEC. This service is free for Lexington residents.

What to know:

  • Mattress collection occurs bi-weekly on Fridays

  • You can schedule your mattress collection online

  • Your mattress needs be on the curb, or else UTEC will not pick it up

How to schedule a pickup:

  • Visit UTEC’s website

  • Scroll down to “Schedule Service” and choose “Lexington”

  • Click the date and time

The Town also encourages you to discuss recycling or collection options with the retailer from whom you purchased your mattress. If the retailer does not provide this service, consider these other ways to dispose of your mattress.

• Find a local mattress recycler
• Donate to a charity using MassDEP's Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory (just type "mattress" into the search bar).

More information available on the Town website and the MassDEP website.

Green your Halloween at Lexington's First Town Wide "Pumpkin Smash"

What will you do with your pumpkin after Halloween? You could put it in with your yard waste, but how much more fun would it be to smash it? 

All smashed pumpkins will be composted by Black Earth Composting. When you compost your pumpkin, you are reducing waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and creating a valuable amendment for our soils. It's going to be a smashing time! 

Make sure you remove any candles or decorations from your pumpkin (no paint or glitter please).

Friday, November 4

12:00 PM - 2:00PM

Lincoln Park Fields (100 Lincoln St)

Sponsored by LPS Green Teams and the Town of Lexington.

LexCAN: Can a New Utility Business Model Green the Grid? Restructuring for Resilient Renewables.

To get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 we need to act today! This event will explore how we get there. 

#1 Reform our utility model to eliminate structural barriers to resilient reliable renewables. We welcome Mark Sandeen, Lexington Select Board Member and Former Chair of the Sustainable Lexington Committee, to inform us on how utilities could lead the way to renewable energy powering the grid. 

#2 Green our heating and cooling in an equitable way, without straining our electric grid or raising our energy bills. Audrey Schulman, Co-founder and Co-Executive Director of HEET will explain how to persuade gas utilities to install networked ground source heat pumps instead of new gas infrastructure.

Thursday, November 10

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Virtual 

Get more information and register.

Lexington Living Landscapes: What Every Homeowner Should Know About Their Trees

Wondering what you could be doing to keep your trees healthy? When to call an arborist, and how they can help? What to do if you’re concerned that a tree is threatening your house? Join us for a wide-ranging conversation with two experienced arborists, Stephen Vernon of Harrison McPhee and Greg Mosman of Barrett Tree Service East, to discuss what every homeowner should know about their trees. We’ll save some time at the end for a period of audience Q&A. If you have trees on your property, or are thinking of planting one, this program is for you.

Monday, November 14

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Virtual

Register and find more information.

Co-sponsored by the Lexington Tree Committee and Lexington Friends of Trees.

Science Café: Making the Long Dream of Fusion Energy a Reality Now

The Science Café at the Cary Library is pleased to welcome MIT Professor Dennis Whyte, Director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Professor Whyte has paved an innovative and faster path to producing fusion energy, which promises to be a clean, safe and virtually limitless energy source.

Whyte leads the fusion project SPARC--a compact, high-field net fusion energy fusion device--in collaboration with the private fusion startup Commonwealth Fusion systems. Read more about Whyte's work.

Sponsored by Cary Library, LexCAN, Mothers Out Front, and Town of Lexington Sustainability.

Tuesday, November 15

7:30 PM

Cary Library Living Room or Virtual

To attend via Zoom, register online.

Upcoming Waste Disposal Events

Waste that is not disposed of properly can create unnecessary emissions and pollution. By taking advantage of Lexington's waste disposal events you can help keep our environment clean.

Saturday, November 5:

Hazardous Waste Collection

Looking for more? Find out how to get rid of items that shouldn't be thrown away, recycle just about anything, start composting, or donate unneeded items!

QUICK LINKS

Questions? 

Maggie Peard

Sustainability & Resilience Officer

(781) 698-4538

[email protected]

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