Green Hudson September Newsletter
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| | A previous tabling effort where important information was distributed to visitors. |
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"Celebrate Hudson" is Saturday Sept. 19th —and Green Hudson Needs Volunteers! |
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"Celebrate Hudson" is sponsored by the Hudson Business Association—and Green Hudson needs more volunteers to help with our tabling that will be set up near Town Hall. We'll be offering information about Green Hudson and our many on-going projects. It's also a great place to learn about self-sustainability, composting and the importance of moving away from fossil fuels. |
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| | We also need help with our recycling efforts near the food trucks in the Avidia parking lot on South Street. You can sign up HERE, NOW! "Celebrate Hudson" is a really fun, family-friendly event. Come celebrate and spend an hour (or two) to help keep residents informed about the work that Green Hudson is doing and to help reduce the trash generated at this great town event. |
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| | Let's do more now and in 2027 to end our reliance on fossil fuels in daily life—in all its forms—since science is clear that burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of climate-changing pollution. |
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Green Hudson's monthly newsletter is back! We hope everyone was able to create some memories over this hot summer. But, it's worth noting that we are fortunate to live in New England where the impact of climate change is less terrorizing than the wildfires, floodings and droughts we're seeing others experience in the U.S. and across the world. |
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| | The Climate and Energy Committee is representing Green Hudson and collaborating with the Town of Stow on a grant application named Heat Smart/Cool Smart which would provide funding for community outreach for heat pumps and energy efficiency. |
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| | The Education and Outreach Committee is gearing up for the coming months—and we'd like to hear from you. Are you interested in seeing the return of Climate Cafes? If so, are there subjects you'd like to learn about? Email [email protected]. |
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| | The Plastic Reduction Committee is monitoring and enforcing the Plastic Reduction By-Law but it has been slow. We have noticed several businesses giving out “compostable” or “recyclable” plastic bags. These are not permitted under the Plastic Bag Ban by-law. The language is clear. We have also observed some restaurants still giving out plastic straws and utensils. Please let us know if you have seen this. We prefer that you fill out the form on our website to report non-compliant businesses, but if that is too cumbersome, please email us at: [email protected]. |
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| | To join the Plastic Reduction Committee of Green Hudson, please contact Elisa Pearmain at [email protected]. |
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| | The key piece of legislation is the Energy Affordability bill and it remains in conference committee. The Massachusetts Coalition for Affordable Energy (MCAE) is pushing a concerted effort to get several key components of the Senate Energy Affordability bill into a final bill that is expected to come out of the bill conference committee in October. It is likely the House members of the committee will be advocating for a narrow bill that does not include Gas System Enhancement Plan (GSEP) and other means to manage utility spending and profits. The House version also includes cuts to MassSave and support for climate programs that currently comes from Alternative Compliance Payments. |
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Coalition Plans and Website. The coalition has put up a website that provides the information we all need to understand what a climate-focused Energy Bill should look like. It includes position statements on MassSave, Alternative Compliance Payments, and GSEP. Check it out! The Coalition is working hard on informing all legislators about its vision of an affordability bill and some members are aiming to sponsor a lobby day on September 23 at 1:00 p.m. Stay tuned for more information on that event. A big turnout will be critical to getting the energy bill we need. |
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The Environmental Bond Bill is also in conference committee and includes a climate bank study, plastic bag reduction, municipal reforestation, and drought management. There will be more opportunities for advocacy in the next month to continue these efforts. |
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| | The Hudson Master Plan 2036 Is Here! |
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A steering committee with nine members worked tirelessly to bring together town municipal departments, boards, commissions and local organizations to create Hudson's Master Plan for 2036. And now, the Town invites residents, businesses, organizations, and community partners to review and share feedback by contacting the Planning and Community |
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| | The Master Plan can be accessed here. The plan is divided into 6 sections (listed to the right). Green Hudson members, and citizens in general, can review the proposal and provide feedback on any of your questions/suggestions. So, please make the most of this opportunity! |
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A SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT HUDSON PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT LIVABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT HARMONY WITH NATURE RESILIENT ECONOMY HEALTHY AND THRIVING COMMUNITY
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| | As You Prepare for November 3rd ... |
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There are many non-partisan, nonprofit websites that can provide important and accurate information as you prepare to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. |
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| | Can Avoiding Plastic Exposure for One Week
Decrease the Level of Toxic Chemicals in our Bodies? |
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| | (From an abbreviated version of an article on the Beyond Plastic website.) In April 2026, Nature Medicine published findings from scientific research done in Australia and New Zealand. They found that everyone in their small research cohort of 211 adults had high levels of phthalates and bisphenols in their urine. These two groups of chemicals are commonly used in plastics production and have well-known health impacts because they affect the endocrine system. They knew from prior studies that people ingest these chemicals through food, plastic packaging, cosmetic products, air, and water. They also knew that these chemicals are quickly excreted from the body, making the effects of a change easy to document. |
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| | In the study, they divided the 211 adults into two groups. One group went about their lives for one week with no changes in plastic exposure. The second group was given food carefully sourced to minimize contact with plastic, from production to packaging. They were also given plastic-free kitchenware to prepare the food and personal care products with less plastic. |
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| | After one week, those with controlled plastic exposure had phthalate (mono-n-butyl phthalate) levels reduced by 44%, and bisphenol levels dropped by more than 50%. The other group had no change. |
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This study gives us hope that by carefully limiting our exposure to foods, packaging, kitchenware, toiletries, and cosmetics |
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| | made of or with plastic, we can reduce levels of these dangerous chemicals in our bodies. This could be especially helpful for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and children. |
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See more on the research here. And the Natural Resources Defense Council suggests 9 ways to avoid these hormone-disrupting chemicals in this article. |
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| | What Happened Over the Summer ... |
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| | June 13th was the annual HudsonFest event. With the temperatures close to 90° (about 12° above normal), it may have kept some people home as attendence seemed lighter than years past. But at the end of the day, our volunteers had collected: Trash—29 lbs. / Recycling—51 lbs. / Compost—51 lbs. An excellent result to culminate a 5-year plan to minimize the trash generated at this event. |
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| | On July 13th, Green Hudson hosted storyteller and environmentalist Diane Edgecomb at the Armory under a tent on a beautiful day for a powerful program called Channeling Rachel Carson. Read the complete recap here. |
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“How could intelligent beings seek to control a few unwanted species by a method that contaminated the |
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| | entire environment and brought the threat of disease and death even to their own kind?”
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring |
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| | On Saturday, August 15th, ten Green Hudson volunteers were at the Elks Club field on Park Street helping the patrons at the Rotary Club's Spirit of Hudson Brewfest separate their recyclable and compostable items from their trash. Thanks to their efforts the 4-hour event generated only 3 bags of trash. The many bags of cans were collected by the Boy Scouts to redeem, and the cardboard, plastic and glass were taken to the recycling center at the Transfer Station. And thanks also to Black Earth Compost for picking up the 8 bags of compost that were diverted from landfills or incineration. |
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| | Green Hudson did some tabling at the Hudson Farmers Market where Senator Eldridge stopped by to share some information from the state senate as well as learning what we're up to as we finish up 2026 and plan for 2027. |
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| | Do You Know About the 0% DOER MLP Z-Loan? |
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The DOER MLP Z-Loan is a zero-interest loan program that provides an affordable financing option for energy efficiency and clean heating and cooling upgrades for households in communities served by Municipal Light Plants (MLPs)—like Hudson! |
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Modeled on the Mass Save HEAT Loan, the Z-Loan will help households reduce upfront costs and provide important long-term grid resilience benefits by ensuring more efficient electric homes. Before beginning any upgrades, a qualifying home energy assessment (HEA) must be completed. Z-Loan financing is available for eligible measures recommended through the HEA. Read all about it here. |
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| | Understanding and Acting on Climate Change: New Course |
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Elders for Climate Action (ECA), a national organization of environmental volunteers, is offering a 5-week online course on Wednesdays, 3:30–5:00 pm (ET), starting on October 21 and running through November 18, 2026. This no-cost course is open to anyone, any age, from anywhere, who wishes to learn more about climate change. |
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We’ll explore the current status of the climate crisis, solutions to address it and the role each of us can play in preserving our planet for future generations. Class size is limited. Register now. |
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Some homework is suggested. For more information, contact the instructor, Gloria Mog at [email protected]. |
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| | Anthropocene Magazine provides a great article on the benefits and downsides to sorting or not sorting recycling and other factors that determine overall energy use and carbon creation in the recycling process. Includes a comparison done between the U.S. and Europe. Click here to access the article. |
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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 NEW ADDRESS: First Federated Church,
200 Central St. Hudson SEPTEMBER 20th |
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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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