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Last week, the Sun reported that Lowell City Manager Bernie Lynch may eliminate the city’s recycling program because not enough people are participating to make it cost effective. The only thing more shameful than the city losing $500K a year on this important, under-utilized program is not recycling at all. If more people recycled, the city would recoup its costs and generate significant savings in trash disposal fees, not to mention doing the right thing for our environment. Every one percent of trash costs about $55K, so increasing the recycling rate will SAVE MONEY by reducing trash. Another option, of course, is to institute a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) program, such as the one they have in Worcester where recycling rates are about 50% compared to Lowell’s paltry 10%. As unpopular as increased fees are, I’d rather be charged per bag of trash—an incentive to recycle—than pay more overall disposal fees or lose recycling entirely. Recycling makes economic, environmental and moral sense. Get involved in this issue now and make sure recycling not only remains a city service, but grows to significantly reduce trash disposal.

Attend a meeting on the Lowell Recycling Crisis tomorrow night, 4/16, 8 p.m., at the Pollard Memorial Library or contact Jay Mason, a member of the city’s Green Building Commission, at 978-459-2004, for more information. Also, express your concerns to the manager and the city council, so they know recycling is important to Lowell residents. Talk it up to your neighbors and do your part to heighten public awareness: We’ve got to get more folks recycling! 

Last night’s Lowell Green Drinks volunteer event at the Brewhouse brought dozens of folks out to learn more about how to get involved in this growing movement as well as get firsthand information from local groups working to improve our environment, such as Keep Lowell Beautiful, Clean Canals, Toxic Use Reduction Institute, Interfaith Power & Light, and members of the city’s new Green Building Commission (website under construction). The commission, which the city manager established in October to help make Lowell a “greener” city, is comprised of a public-private team of business professionals, concerned citizens, students, and university representatives. At last night’s meeting, they distributed a flyer of Ten Easy Steps to Save Energy and Money, which you can see for yourself by checking: more »

Today, we happened upon an old issue of the Boston Globe dated exactly two years ago–March 9, 2006. In it, an article reported that oil prices at that time were $60.02 a barrel. According to Bloomberg News, March of this year saw a record high in the cost of oil at $106.54 a barrel. Bloomberg goes on to quote an analyst’s assessment: “At some point the fundamental news, either rising inventories or falling demand, will be so stark that prices will have to drop.” Maybe the prices will drop, maybe not. Regardless, something that absolutely must change is our reluctant attitude toward conservation and our limited commitment to renewable energy sources. Like you, I feel it at the pump and each month when I have to pay rising utility bills, but there is something we can do about it. Rather than simply complaining, be part of the solution by finding out about local recycling and conservation opportunities, pushing for more government leadership in these areas, and of course, voting for candidates who are committed to addressing environmental concerns.

While reading LiL’s post on the proposed power plant in Billerica, I couldn’t help wishing we could capture this passion regarding conservation. For instance, where is the outrage concerning the city’s appalling lack of residents who recycle? With that in mind, I want to remind folks that Tuesday, March 11 from 6 to 7 p.m at the Brewhouse (second floor, 201 Cabot Street), the group Green Drinks of Lowell will gather to share ideas and learn about environmental projects in the city, as well as coordinate efforts regarding different projects and groups already underway. Get involved in work to make Lowell a greener city, find out how you can help, and meet others who want to be part of the solution to make our local environment and quality of life better for all residents. For more information on the event or to host a table for your organization, contact Stephen Greene at greenesh@comcast.net.

Mimi’s post on LiL yesterday talks about, among other things, improving recycling efforts in Lowell, which would save the city trash fees and be good for the environment.  I just got back from a trip to California where we spent a few days on Mammoth Mountain. One thing that immediately struck me about this huge ski resort was the concentrated focus on recycling. Every trash container included separate bins for recycling cans, paper, and plastic, as well as significant signage making folks aware of their responsibility to diminish waste. This is not unique to California. I also noticed it at UMass Amherst last spring, where the cafeteria trash containers featured recycling bins right next to them. Contrast that to Lowell, where the schools, theaters, cafes, restaurants, and streets only provide trash disposal receptacles—no containers for recycling—even if you want to do it. I’ve also heard that Worcester, a sister city to Lowell in many ways (except bigger), manages to recycle 50% of its waste while we coast along recycling only 10%. City and school leaders should work together to aggressively improve recycling, and here are a few ways to start: First, provide the receptacles and pick up necessary for public buildings and along busy streets. Second, make it mandatory for businesses to participate and support their efforts to do so, and third, conduct a comprehensive public awareness campaign to make Lowell citizens aware of the importance of recycling. As a city with a history of initiative, innovation, and partnership, it is unacceptable that we don’t take the lead on this important economical and environmental issue.

Knowing chilly weather is coming soon, I figured I should appreciate the warm temperatures while we still have them. So, when my husband announced he was taking a few hours off from work and did I want to join him on a bike ride, I immediately dropped the project I was in the middle of and grabbed my shorts. We rode from the Highlands over the Rourke Bridge and headed on the pathway toward Sampas Pavilion. This stretch is always busy on a nice day and today was no exception. We saw people of all ages enjoying the river: from babies being pushed in carriages, to tikes on training wheels, seniors with canes, folks walking dogs, and even a few young women on roller blades. Once we passed the beach and the public bathrooms, the crowds thinned out significantly until we reached University Avenue and saw college students heading over the bridge. As we continued down Pawtucket to Aiken Street, I noticed a lot of weeds overhanging the sidewalk, blocking the path, and making it difficult to pass (great project for a community cleanup). At Aiken, we left the road and went down to the dirt path along the river where the trees have been cut recently. It was great to open up the view especially if the overgrowth was impacting the river’s health. (A delicate balance of vegetation is needed to support aquatic life and water quality.) I sure hope they’re not done down there. From our vantage point, the tree stumps looked horrible—like ugly amputated limbs—and the path was covered with branches and leaves so that it was difficult to ride. The area, though, has incredible potential as an outdoor, scenic space for biking or walking along the river. Speaking of scenic rides, the Jericho Road Project is holding its annual bike-riding fundraiser this Sunday, so check it out. Meanwhile, if you haven’t been out much today, savor these last gasps of heat—maybe a late-night stroll with your honey by the light of the moon…

My previous post on recycling compared Lowell’s effort to that of Worcester, to Lowell’s detriment. But there is more to the story.  On the plus side, Lowell’s recycling program seems to be newly-energized, with bi-weekly columns in the Lowell Sun by Recycling Coordinator Gunther Wellenstein and a page on the city website that lists FAQs, upcoming events and hazardous waste days.  The Mission Statement on the website sums up the problem and the approach — I thought it was well worth copying in part: 

Massachusetts’ waste generation continues to outpace the state’s disposal capacity resulting in the need to export trash to other states. Increasing pressure is being placed on each state, by the Environmental Protection Agency, to provide disposal capacity for all the waste it generates. Incinerators and landfills are both sources of pollution affecting the quality of our air and water; building more of these facilities is not the answer. Therefore, the mission of Lowell’s Recycling office is to reduce the amount of trash generated by our City.

By perusing the site, I learned that Lowell has a ‘freecycle’ list where residents can post items they would like to get rid of for free–cool! You can also purchase compost bins and read about how to compost your yard and kitchen waste, which has given me the impetus to start up my compost pile again. I’ve gone from feeling slightly apologetic about my recycling compulsion to someone on a mission to spread the word about recycling – starting with my family!   

As my family will readily admit, I am a bit of a recycling nut.  I am always pulling cans out of the trash and rinsing bottles and pointing out to family members all of the items that can be recycled. I even had a compost pile for a while.  Thus, I was thrilled to see the great recycling effort at the Lowell Folk Festival.  I got my free bag of compost and learned that “the Festival has been recognized as a national model of sustainability, since over 90% of the festival trash is turned into garden quality mulch in just one year!” (www.lowellfolkfestival.org).   

  This is all well and good, but what about the City of Lowell? There seems to be a feeling out there (and in my house) that recycling doesn’t really save money since all that stuff has to be handled and sorted and disposed of in different ways. Well, after talking with Lowell’s Recycling Coordinator, Gunther Wellenstein, I have learned some interesting facts about recycling.  First of all, 24% of household waste is estimated to be glass or plastic and able to be put in the green bin; 39% is paper and cardboard.  Yard waste is another 14% and 6% is waste that could be composted (kitchen scraps). If every bottle, can and carrot was disposed of through recycling or composting, it would divert 83% of our total waste from the State’s incinerators.  Currently the city only diverts around 10% (although this number was skewed lower by the huge amount of debris resulting from the 2006 floods; we are actually closer to 13%).  Why is this important?  Well, the city is charged by the ton for non-recyclable waste – the trash in barrels at the curb that are picked up by BFI.  When BFI takes the waste to the State incinerators, it is weighed and the city is charged again. Recyclables are only charged once and at a lower rate.  At one point, it was estimated that each 1% of waste that could be diverted from the incinerators would save the city $53,000.  This may not seem all that impressive until you realize that Worcester (a much larger city) is consistently able to divert around 50% of its waste.  Do the math, and think of the teachers, police cars, sidewalks or snow-plowing we could pay for with that savings. The difference may be that Worcester has a ‘pay-as-you-throw’ program, forcing people to be mindful of how many garbage bags they put at the curb on trash day. Is this what it will take to increase recycling in Lowell?  

When we moved here 15 years ago, people drove their dogs to Tyler Park to do their business. Now, people arrive in limos to have their wedding photos taken here, they picnic on blankets, or they sit on the benches and enjoy the shade. And during the summer, they come and listen to free Concerts in the Park—held the third Thursdays of June, July and August—starting tonight! The festivities begin at 6 with music from 7-8 p.m. It’s fun to spend a summer evening on the gently sloping lawns and listen to music amid the many new trees and gardens. Much of that change is due to the city, the Lowell Parks Department under the direction of Tom Belleguard, and especially, the work of a handful of committed citizens. (Disclosure: my husband, Jay Mason, is president of Friends of Tyler Park.) In addition to restoring the park, hosting cleanups, and sponsoring concerts, the Friends work closely with arborist John Coppinger and Jane Calvin from the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust to replace aging oaks with young trees so the park will live on for future generations. Three weeks ago, 10 new trees were planted, making a total of 30 new trees. In a nod to its history and famous designer, the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted (noted landscape architects of Central Park, Golden Gate Park, and the Emerald Necklace), only organic pest control and fertilizer are used—yet another reason to attend the concert tonight. Did I mention the band, Jen Kearney and the Lost Onion, is fantastic too?

We had a huge elm tree in front of our house when I was a kid; unfortunately, it was dead. So instead of being a beautiful and graceful shade tree, it was rather scary looking and potentially dangerous and had to be removed. 

Well, did you know that there are more Elm Streets than Main Streets in the U.S.? Apparently, this is because of the immense popularity of the tall, fast-growing, vase-shaped trees that created majestic archways over neighborhood streets all over the eastern part of the country. Besides our one dead elm tree, I recall my mother lamenting the loss of the beautiful trees that she remembered from her childhood. One-by-one they all succumbed to Dutch Elm disease, a deadly fungus that was introduced into this country in the 1930s by beatles in a shipment of lumber (one of the perils of globalization, I guess).  

Now, I am happy to report that a disease-resistant variety is available at Home Depot! These trees grow six feet a year, and are very hardy, especially in urban settings. For more information, listen here. 

I know Jackie’s depressed about voter turnout and to be sure, there is much that is wrong with our world – a lot of it of our own making. However, the return of the American Elm gives me some hope, hope that we can save ourselves, that science can help us out of the mess we have made of things, that we really can, in the words of the Jewish commandment tikkun olum, heal the world.