Save the Date—November 21st for Senator Jamie Eldridge's Upcoming Green Advisory Committee (GAC) Meeting |
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| | The GAC meetings have been an opportunity for activists, municipal officials, business leaders, and non-profit members to come together and share ideas on how to better protect our environment and combat climate change, including what people are up to in their own community. |
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This meeting is scheduled for Saturday, November 21st from 10 AM–12 PM at Maynard Fire Station’s Community Meeting Space at 30 Sudbury St. Maynard, MA 01754. A complimentary light breakfast and coffee will be provided. |
| | | We will be joined by Lisa Cunningham, Director of Zero Carbon Massachusetts, and Alexander Gard-Murray, the Executive Director of Passive House Massachusetts. The topic of the upcoming GAC meeting will be focused on achieving net-zero and dive into how sustainable housing development can play a pivotal role in getting us there. |
| | | Lisa Cunningham was a lead petitioner for Brookline’s groundbreaking 2019 fossil fuel-free building legislation and has continued advocating for building electrification and sustainable development. She co-founded the statewide non- |
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profit ZeroCarbonMA, which is working to facilitate legislative action with over 100 communities in Massachusetts. She also recently co-founded the Massachusetts Coalition for Affordable Energy. Lisa holds a Master of Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and is a principal of her architecture firm. |
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| | | Alexander Gard-Murray is a building decarbonization advocate, researcher, and educator. He was previously the Director of the Greenhouse Institute, where he helped build a national movement to accelerate space heating electrification and streamline permitting. Before that he taught and researched energy policy in the Government Department at Harvard and the Climate Solutions Lab at Brown. Alexander holds a Doctorate in Politics and a Master’s in Politics Research from Oxford, and a Bachelor’s in Politics from Brown. |
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| | | | | | Please feel free to share this invite with others in our community so they can learn more about the Commonwealth’s net-zero goals and green transition. |
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The Climate and Energy Committee
We are looking forward to January and hoping the Community Outreach grant submitted with Stow receives funding. The mural committee continues to meet with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation on the Mass Central Rail Trail mural proposal for the tunnel under Chestnut Street. The school superintendent and school committee chairperson is continuing to discuss clean energy project proposals for school buildings with Sara Ross, Director UndauntedK12. |
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The Education and Outreach Committee
Please email [email protected] with your ideas of events you'd like to see in 2027. |
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The Plastic Reduction Committee
Hudson’s Plastic Bans: How Are We Doing? The Plastic Reduction Committee continues to monitor compliance with the Non-Recyclable Plastic Reduction By-Law, which officially went into effect on January 1, 2026. |
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As a reminder, Hudson restaurants should no longer use Styrofoam, black plastic, or plastic utensils and straws. Furthermore, businesses are required to operate on an "upon request" basis—meaning you should not be given condiments, utensils, straws, stirrers, splash sticks, or chopsticks unless you explicitly asked for them. Retail establishments are also restricted from selling these single-use plastics unless nearby alternatives are provided. And don't forget: plastic shopping bags have been banned in town since 2020! |
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Why this matters: These items cannot be recycled. When disposed of, they leak into our rivers, soil, and oceans. Single-use plastics take up to 500 years to decompose. Instead of disappearing, they break down into toxic microplastics that threaten our wildlife and ecosystems. |
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Unfortunately, several local businesses are still not complying with these by-laws. However, Green Hudson wants to extend a massive thank you to the many establishments that are doing their part. |
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We are especially delighted to congratulate New City Microcreamery and the Crose Nest / Evergreen Room! Both of these fantastic local spots have officially earned Green Hudson’s “Stamp of Approval” for their sustainability efforts. |
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"Stamp of Approval" presented to New City Microcreamery. Pictured: Dylan Bourassa, Manager; Lauren Antonelli, Director, Health Department; Tina Grosowsky, President, Green Hudson; Karim El-Gamal, owner. |
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| | Jim Whalen of Green Hudson presents the "Stamp of Approval" to Kinsey Rosene, owner of the Crose Nest. |
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Help Us Celebrate Our Green Businesses! If you know a local business that is fully complying with the plastic reduction by-laws, please encourage them to apply for our Stamp of Approval. They can submit their application directly HERE. Let's keep working together to keep Hudson green! |
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The conference committee attempting to reach agreement on an energy affordability bill session continues to haggle behind closed doors. Bones of contention include: - The House proposal to cut Mass Save by $1 billion.
- The House call for a 70% cut to the Alternative Compliance Payment (ACP) funds that go to municipalities and clean energy programs.
- The Senate proposal to phase out the Gas System Enhancement Program (GSEP).
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| | | MA Coalition for Affordable Energy (MCAE) opposes the House cuts and supports the GSEP phase out. While the House cuts would lead to some very modest reduction in electric and gas bills, those savings would be at the expense of both short- and long-term savings related to energy efficiency and clean energy programs. Meanwhile, other efforts are underway to get low and middle income residents to take advantage of existing discounts and consider relief for heating bills proposed by the Healey administration. |
| | | Advocacy Efforts. MCAE recently sponsored a phone and email blitz to all legislators to urge them to save Mass Save and the ACP funded programs and phase out GSEP. They are also asking advocates to email their local municipal officials to advocate as the ACP funds local clean energy initiatives. Please see this information: Municipal leaders sign-on letter. |
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Fall Colors and the 20-Mile Trail Challenge |
| | | Late fall is one of the best times of year to be on Hudson's trails. The bugs have quieted down and the woods are lit up in copper, gold, and russet. With the leaves coming down, views open up that stay hidden the rest of the year: the bend of the river through the trees, an old stone wall running off into the woods, the far side of a pond. |
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| | Nowhere is this more true than along the Assabet River. A walk beside the water on a crisp November morning, with oak leaves underfoot and the river moving slow and dark beneath the bare branches, is about as good as it gets in Hudson. You don't need to drive anywhere special to find it. It's right here in town. |
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Make it the first miles of your 20-Mile Trail Challenge! If a fall walk has you wanting more, the Hudson Land Trust's 20-Mile Trail Challenge is the perfect next step. The idea is simple: walk 20 miles on Hudson's trails, at your own pace, |
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and earn an iron-on 20-Mile Trail Challenge patch. It's free, and every walk counts, whether it's a solo morning stroll, a Sunday hike with the kids, or an after-work loop with the dog. |
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| | | The challenge is really an invitation to discover how much trail this town has. Beyond the Assabet River Nature Trail, there are the Assabet River and Mass Central rail trails, Danforth Falls, Tripps Pond, Gates Pond, Goodale Forest, and Old North Road. Many people who have lived here for years have never walked half of them. |
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| | | There's no better time to start than now. Cool, dry days are ideal for walking, and a couple of outings a week will put you well on your way to 20 miles before the snow flies. One tip for November: it's hunting season, so a hat or vest in blaze orange is a smart choice. |
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| | | Getting started. Visit hudsonlandtrust.org/20-mile-challenge to download the mileage log. Jot down each walk as you go, and when you reach 20 miles, send the form back to the Land Trust to receive your patch. |
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| | | Grab a jacket, head down to the river, and count your first miles while the last of the leaves are still hanging on. We'll see you on the trails. |
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Massachusetts Sets Big Battery Goals and the Policies
to Back Them Up |
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Energy storage is taking off as the state moves to make development easier and more profitable, but the horizon isn’t all clear for the sector. |
| | | Massachusetts has ambitious clean energy goals and some of the highest electricity prices in the country. Batteries, the state figures, can help with both. They can store energy when power is cheapest and cleanest —like on sunny days when solar farms are producing in abundance—then send it back onto the grid during times of heavier demand, |
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| | | | | Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey holds a ceremonial signing celebration in Boston for climate legislation in late 2024. |
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cutting down on the need to generate pricier, dirtier power. Battery systems can also bolster resilience, reducing outages during increasingly extreme and erratic weather. |
| | | There are roughly a half dozen projects at various stages taking advantage of the policies Massachusetts has put in place to help reach its goal of getting 5 gigawatts of battery storage capacity online by 2030, with another 5 GW to follow by 2035. |
| | | Read the whole story HERE. |
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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] |
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| | 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 First Federated Church,
200 Central St. Hudson
NOVEMBER 15th |
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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 put a stop to the threat. Join Green Hudson now to learn more. |
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| | | 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". Share Green Hudson’s Newsletter If you found something of value in this newsletter, please forward it to others who might be interested. And, if you’re reading someone else’s copy and would like to receive your own newsletter each month, please subscribe by emailing [email protected]. For more information on Green Hudson ... visit our website at www.greenhudson.org. |
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