SustainaVille Week Returns April 27 - May 4
|
|
|
You're invited to the 3rd Annual SustainaVille Week, Somerville's community-wide celebration of sustainability and climate action! This year we've partnered with a number of partners to put on eight days of events for all ages and all interests. Here are just a few highlights:
- On Saturday, April 27th, nature lovers can join the Somerville Conservation Commission to identify and document plant and animal species in Draw Seven Park as part of the City Nature Challenge, a global effort to document urban biodiversity. Afterwards, head up to Somerville Central Library to plant trees and learn about raised bed gardening at the Growing in the City: Arbor Day and Urban Gardening Festival.
- Home chefs can reduce their carbon footprint at home by getting inspired to cook more meat-free meals on “Meatless Monday" by attending Somerville Public Library’s popular potluck-style Supper Club at Remnant Brewery on Monday, April 29th. April's meeting will celebrate SustainaVille Week by sharing recipes from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. Be sure to sign up ahead of time because spots fill up quickly.
- If you have been hearing a lot about changes to recycling and wondering what it means for Somerville, come to the Waste Myth Busters event on Thursday, May 2nd. There will be a panel of local recycling experts ready to explain the complex recycling industry and to answer your questions like, why can’t I put plastic bags in my recycling bin?
- Other new events this year include a workshop on climate justice by the Green Team at Groundwork Somerville and a sustainability tour hosted by the Climate Coalition of Somerville.
- Favorites from prior years will be returning as well, including the Annual Spring Clean-Up, the Somerville Bike Committee's Bike Month Kick-off at Aeronaut, and Earth Day story times for kids hosted by each SPL branch.
|
|
Are you a landlord? We want to hear from you!
|
|
All landlords in Somerville are invited to take a short survey about energy efficiency and sustainability. The Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change put together this survey in order to get a better understanding of the choices landlords face when considering energy efficiency improvements to their units. This survey was developed with input from the Office of Sustainability and Environment and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development - Housing Division and the results will help inform how the City designs energy efficiency programs for rental buildings.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and please share it with any local landlords you know.
|
|
- Help shape the future of shared mobility in Somerville by taking a brief survey designed to help City planners better understand how to plan for emerging shared mobility options, like bike sharing, ride-hailing, and autonomous vehicles. Take the survey and learn more on the shared mobility page.
- Last chance to share your favorite books on climate change and sustainability. To help celebrate SustainaVille Week in April, the Somerville Public Libraries will be recommending books and movies about sustainability, climate change, and the environment. Share your favorites through this form, and your recommendations might be featured in library displays, blog posts, and on social media during SustainaVille Week.
|
|
Upcoming Events
- There are two upcoming opportunities to get involved with Vision Zero - the global movement that the City of Somerville joined to help eliminate traffic crashes that result in death or severe injury. Learn more at somervillema.gov/visionzero. Come join the conversation:
- Community Meeting: TONIGHT! Wednesday, March 27, 6:30 p.m., in the East Somerville Community School auditorium
- Community Meeting: Wednesday, April 24, 6 p.m., in the East Somerville Community auditorium.
- Wednesday, April 10 - Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change Meeting from 7:00-9:00pm in the 3rd floor conference room of City Hall.
|
|
SOMERVILLE CLIMATE FORWARD SPOTLIGHT
Somerville Climate Forward, Somerville's climate action plan, prioritizes 13 action areas to address climate change. Each month I will highlight one priority and share some ways you can get involved.
Priority 5 - Stormwater Management
Flooding from extreme precipitation is one of the three major impacts of climate change that was identified by the 2017 Somerville Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment. Warming temperatures trap more water vapor in the air, leading to an increase in the frequency and intensity of precipitation in our already wet region. As a dense, urbanized city with aging infrastructure, more intense precipitation events will result in an increased burden on our infrastructure and could lead to flooding.
There are two priority actions in Somerville Climate Forward to improve stormwater management and minimize the risk of precipitation related flooding:
- Update our existing stormwater management policies to include climate change projections in the design criteria for City infrastructure projects and new development.
- Develop a more equitable funding mechanism to pay for the infrastructure improvements required to minimize the risk of stormwater flooding.
What's happening today?
These two priority actions will take some time to fully implement, but work to improve stormwater management in the city is already underway. The Somerville Ave Utility and Streetscape Improvements project (SAUSI) is in full swing and will address stormwater flooding issues in Union Square. Projects like the SAUSI are critical to improve Somerville's resilience to climate change.To help better manage stormwater, a 14-foot by 6-foot stormwater box culvert (a large rectangular concrete pipe) will be installed in Somerville Ave, and the work zone will facilitate intricate connection  s to our existing system. 60% of the rain that falls in the City passes through Union Square, and travels via infrastructure coming from locations such as Porter Square, Davis Square, and Prospect Hill.
The initial steps to install the connections structures have begun. As of late March, the support of excavation around the edges of the work zone is being installed and is 15-25 ft. deep depending on the location. Once that's complete, the City's contractor can excavate this area and then begin installing concrete drainage structures that have been fabricated in New Hampshire. These structures include culvert sections and manholes as big as 10-feet in diameter that will be lowered in by crane. Once this portion of work is completed over the summer, the work will continue with installation of more box culvert sections along Somerville Ave. For more information on the project, please visit the project website. |
|
|
Have a happy start to spring!
Sincerely,
Hannah Payne
Sustainability Coordinator, Office of Sustainability and Environment
www.somervillema.gov/sustainaville
|
|
|
|
