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Hudson Fest is Coming Right Up!!

Five years ago, we at Green Hudson brainstormed ways to bring to Hudson more awareness and participation in recycling and composting. One of our strategies was to make Hudson Fest waste-free by 2026 (a 5-year plan).

This is our fifth year! Each year we have increased the recyclable and compostable share of our refuse—significantly reducing the amount of trash/waste. This year, with the help of you, our vendors, and Hudson's recently adopted end to single-use plastics bylaw, we hope to achieve close to 100% recyclable and compostable materials, resulting in almost ZERO trash going into the dumpster.

Please come have a good time at Hudson Fest on Saturday, June 13th. You'll find info posters at our four refuse stations that let everyone know what goes in each bin. It gets easier over time and is something you can adopt in your home!

And please stop by our Green Hudson tent to learn more about what we're about and to enter our "count the nips" contest: guess how many nip bottles there are in this partial representation of what was collected on Hudson's Clean-up Day on April 25th. Closest to the actual total number wins a tote bag full of sustainable products!

REMINDER: Thank the vendors at Hudson Fest who adhere to our 2026 Plastic Reduction Bylaw by using recyclable or compostable materials with all of their products.

There are several 1-hour shifts that still need staffing at the four recycle/compost/trash stations throughout Hudson Fest—and we need your help in filling these unassigned openings. Do you have an hour on June 13th to help us? Here is a sign-up sheet that you can use to choose a time that works for you. This year—with the help of the newest Plastic Reduction Bylaw—we hope to get to Zero trash!

At your chosen time on June 13th, come to the Green Hudson tent where we will go over the directions and show you to your station (printed directions will be there as well). Green Hudson members will be circulating throughout the day to help you. It's a very easy task!

SPECIAL NOTE: Our Next Newsletter Will Be in September.

Committee Reports

The Climate and Energy Committee. The Energy Committee is working with the Hudson Town Planning Department to pass a new Specialized Stretch Energy Code in the late fall at Town Meeting.

The Education and Outreach Committee. Plans for September through the end of 2026 are being prepared as we take a break from activities at the end of June until September 1st. Have a great summer, everyone! If you have any questions, please email Janice Habermehl.

The Plastic Reduction Committee. The Plastic Reduction committee continues to monitor restaurants and stores in Hudson for compliance with Hudson's 2026 Non-Recyclable Plastic Reduction Bylaw. We ask that you please report any stores or restaurants that are not in compliance to us through our website form found here.

We hope to be rewarding our first Green Hudson Stamp of Approval stickers this month. If you’d like to report a restaurant that is fully compliant with the Bylaw please do so on this form.

Check out our Plastic Reduction pages on our website to read the full bylaw and to get a better idea of what is banned and what is not.

Visit our tent at Hudson Fest on June 13^th to speak with us and learn more about our plastic reduction efforts! For more information, contact Elisa Pearmain.

Legislative Update

Save Mass Save—There's Still Time to Act. Advocates hear that the Senate version of the Energy Affordability bill has been drafted, and we are hopeful that it does not include significant cuts to Mass Save or the Alternative Compliance Payment (ACP) investments in decarbonization that are contained in the House version of the bill. But, we still need to build support among rank and file senators and representatives to preserve Mass Save and ACP funding.

Instant Action. If you have not yet contacted your legislators about Mass Save and the ACP, you can go here right now to quickly craft and send a note. Better yet, go here to make a call and draft an email.

In the Senate bill we will be looking for preservation of a number of positive elements in the House version of the Energy Affordability Bill and some creative and progressive means to save ratepayer dollars—including ways to limit returns to utility investors, reign in infrastructure costs, and offer discounts to households in need.

Advocates continue to advocate for a climate bank, forest protection, plastic and PFAS control, and other issues to include in the Environmental Bond bill or pass on their own this session. If you need more information about these bills, please contact Tina Grosowsky.

Indoor Methane Consistently Above Outdoor Levels in
Homes with Natural Gas Service

Massachusetts' scientific research points to another important reason to electrify your home. You can read the full report here. For a quick overview, listen to this 5-minute podcast from ZeroCarbonMA.

Free Pollinator Kits

Growing Wild Massachusetts is offering free pollinator starter kits while supplies last. Join the movement to provide thriving native plant habitat that supports pollinators, birds, and other wildlife throughout the Commonwealth.

Kits are available starting 5/29/26 and are on a first-come, first-served basis. So act quickly!

They include:

Nursery Partners:

Mahoney’s Garden Center–Winchester

Mahoney’s Garden Center–Chelmsford

Weston Nurseries–Chelmsford

Weston Nurseries–Hopkinton

Two one-gallon native perennial plants
Native seed packets
Educational resources on pollinator-friendly gardening
Growing Wild Massachusetts sticker

Find your local participating nursery on their website and pick up your pollinator kit today!

What's Happening at Hanscom Airport?

Delays, delays, and more delays. It appears the developers are trying to get commitments from private flight operations to ensure business viability and keep pushing back any proposal submissions.

The proposed hangar expansion has roiled activists and officials alike. Critics fear that a spike in air traffic will bring extra noise and emissions, as private flights are widely considered to be the most polluting source of transportation. Read more here.

Channeling Rachel Carson at the Hudson Armory

Save the date for an empowering one-woman show coming Saturday, July 11th at 3:00pm at Under the Tent at the Hudson Armory.

Storyteller Diane Edgecomb shines light on the many ways we can find our way home to the wonder of the natural world. It brings to life the Sense of Wonder Rachel Carson wrote about so movingly at the end of her life.

The ability to Wonder is a sense that brings renewal and a gift from those that take us by the hand and bring us back to our love and delight in nature. Oracle-award winning author and storyteller Diane Edgecomb skillfully weaves a hauntingly beautiful tale of her own journey of

poignancy, joy and light.

There will be an immersive post-show workshop for the audience—ages 12 and up—with storyteller and author, Diane Edgecomb. For more information, call 781-640-9499.

The SUASCO Climate Collaborative is Holding
Their Second Community Meeting

The 2nd community meeting will be on Thursday, June 25th at 6:30 p.m. in the Ashland Public Library located at 66 Front Street in Ashland, MA.

This is a great opportunity to share your thoughts, concerns, and experiences related to climate change in the SuAsCo watershed and learn more about the regional climate resilience planning effort currently underway.

Several people from Hudson attended the first meeting.

Recycling Volunteers Needed!

Have fun! Meet your neighbors and make new friends while helping the planet. Recycling volunteers needed Saturdays.

For more information:

contact [email protected]

Green Hudson's monthly general meetings are open to the public and held the third Sunday of each month, from 6–7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson, 80 Main Street in Hudson.

JUNE 21st

The Assabet River flows through the town of Hudson providing a powerful reminder of why we want to protect the beauty the earth provides. Scientists are alarmed as we witness climate change happening. We need to do more to stop to the threat.

Join Green Hudson to learn more.

You are invited

Do you have suggestions for articles, resources of note, inspirations, relevant books to recommend, etc.? Send to [email protected] with the subject line "Green Hudson".

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