Earth Month 2020-it’s still on!

Virtual Earth Week Events Hosted by Tufts

Other Virtual Events

For both the Earth and You!

For the Earth:

• Specialty recycling from home- Get into the habit of collecting plastic film; recycle it to your local grocery store or other community plastic film recycling center.
• Take action- Contact your local and state policy makers about enacting environmentally preferable legislation. The sooner they take action, the better!
  • Consider signing on to the call for a Green Stimulus package. In response to a shrinking economy, academics, policy experts, advocates, and organizers are pushing for a stimulus package focused on transitioning to a financially and environmentally sustainable economic model.
  • Take your town through Mass Climate Action's Local Clean Energy Checklist, and choose from some of their suggested projects and action items.
• Clean up- More of us are finding ourselves outside these days. Whether its a trek through the woods or a walk around the block, put on some gloves and pick up litter around the area as you go!
• Start your own compost- For many of us, sheltering in place means losing access to commercial composting. Maybe it's always been lingering on a to-do list somewhere, maybe it's never crossed your mind, but now is a great time to start an at-home compost.
  • Check out this beginner's guide to backyard composting.
  • Tip: if you don't have a yard, consider freezing your compost. No smell, no bugs, and self preserving until it can be brought to a commercial compost bin.
• Participate in Earth Day Live for a three-day call to action/education event focused on halting the climate crisis in its tracks. April 22-24 hear from Indigenous leaders and youth activists, learn about the power of divestment campaigns, and get involved in electing leaders fit for securing a sustainable future.

For You:

• Walk and talk—Try going for a walk and talking on the phone with a friend, who may even be in another time zone.
  • Get some fresh air while staying connected to friends and loved ones.
• Take caution around rural communities when planning treks to nature.
  • Be mindful of taking pit stops in rural communities during your trip. Some small towns (while they may have great climbing and hiking) might not have adequate medical support nearby, so it's important to avoid any chance of spreading the virus to rural areas!
  • Make sure to do any supply shopping in your own neighborhood before you leave to avoid contact with new groups of people.
• Meditate outside- Take some time to connect with yourself and the natural world around you. This can be as ambitions as an hour on a mountain top or as accessible as ten minutes on your front stoop.
  • Don't have a quiet spot outside? Check out this audio library of guided meditations.
• Rethink your food system- As COVID-19 continues to shake up our daily lives and reshape our routines, take a moment to consider something often taken for granted; our groceries.
  • How far do they have to travel? How many people carry them along and are they being equitably paid? What are the environmental impacts of their cultivation?
  • Consider what you could do to benefit your local food system, like shopping from worker-owned food providers or online farmer's markets listed below.

• MassFoodDelivery online farmers market
• VeggieGo online farmers market
  • To register for VeggieGo, choose “I am a customer looking for home delivery”from the drop down menu, and select “Somerville/Cambridge” from the customer distribution location.  Be sure to look at the special instructions on right.
  • They are currently working with some local food groups to be sure they can take SNAP and HIP for this service. If you are interested please contact Kelsey@heronpondfarm.com.
• Neighborhood Produce (near Magoun Square) is open with safe practices, and taking online orders

• BBC: Will Covid-19 have a lasting impact on the environment?
• CNN: Satellite images show less pollution over the US as coronavirus shuts down public places
• New York Times: EPA, citing coronavirus, drastically relaxes rules for polluters
• U.S. News: How Pollution Aggravates the Impacts of Coronavirus