City Releases Schedule of Earth Week (Month) Events, Initiatives & Activities
The City of Melrose is thrilled to announce the return of Earth Week, a series of social and educational events dedicated to driving awareness of celebrating the earth. While activities will be taking place all month, Earth Week will be officially observed by the City of Melrose from April 22 (Earth Day) to April 30 as the Department of Public Works lights up the City Hall Clock Tower green.
Continue reading to learn how you can participate in Earth Week 2022!
Earth Week (Month) 2023 Schedule of Events
All Month: The Litter Letters are BACK
When: All month long!
Where: Corner of Lynn Fells Parkway and Tremont St.
What: This weekend, the Litter Letters have returned to the corner of Lynn Fells Parkway and Tremont St. The 5 feet tall letters made of mesh wire and PVC pipes are hollow receptacles into which volunteers can deposit the littered bottles and cans they recover during Keep Melrose Beautiful’s community-wide cleanup, taking place tomorrow, Saturday, April 15, or anytime a passerby needs a recycling receptacle.
In years past, the Litter Letters have spelled the words “REUSE” and “REDUCE”. This year, the word will be a surprise, so residents will need to bring their recyclables down to the corner of Lynn Fells and Tremont St. to discover this year’s theme. Learn more by reading this news article.
Celebrate Earth Week All Month Long with Melrose Public Library
The Melrose Public Library offers many ways to celebrate the earth all month long! Check them out below.
Introducing "Creativebug", Brought to you by the Melrose Public Library
For the entire month of April, Melrose residents have access to thousands of award-winning art & craft video classes, including eco-friendly crafts, taught by recognized design experts and artists through a partnership with Creativebug. Using their library card and PIN, community members can create their own account for free and nurture your creative side with 1000+ video classes in painting, knitting, crafting, sewing & more! To view the eco friendly crafts available on Creativebug, visit https://melrosepubliclibrary.org/databases/fun-on-creativebug/. Questions? Contact our librarians at mel@noblenet.org or (781) 665-2313.
Explore the Earth Day Book List for Adults, Teens
Melrose's Librarians have curated an Earth Day book list for residents. To view the adult book list, visit https://melrosepubliclibrary.org/collections/celebrate-earth-day-all-month-long/. To view the teen book list, visit https://melrosepubliclibrary.org/collections/teen-reads-for-earth-day/. Don't forget to check out their in-house library display during the month of April the next time you visit in person.
Now Until Supplies Last: The Melrose Public Seed Library
When: Now until supplies last (and only during Library hours)
Where: Seeds are available at the Melrose Public Library, 263 W Foster St.
What: Thanks to a partnership between the Melrose Community Garden and Melrose Public Library, community members can take advantage of a free seed library at the Melrose Public Library, which features a multitude of varieties of open-pollinated and heirloom fruit, vegetable, and flower seeds are offered by the library for free. The Melrose Public Library is proud to have signed the Safe Seed Pledge, showing our commitment to providing socially responsible seeds.To learn more, visit www.melrosepubliclibrary.org/seed-library/
April 15: Keep Melrose Beautiful Spring Community Clean Up
When: Saturday, April 15, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Where: To view the list of neighborhood locations or add a location that needs some litter-clean-up-love, visit https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/20f044eaea62fa7fb6-spring
What: Melrose residents can get a head start on Earth Week by volunteering to participate in Keep Melrose Beautiful’s Spring Community Clean Up taking place on Saturday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Families, friends, and neighbors can sign up to clean up a location in the City that they care about. Hosted by Keep Melrose Beautiful & Melrose Conservation Commission, community members can "sign up to clean up" their neighborhood or another area in Melrose. Participants should wear gloves and boots, and bring a garbage bag and any other tools for collecting litter and debris.
April 15: DPW Motor Oil/Antifreeze/Gasoline Collection Event
When: Saturday, April 15, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Where: City Yard, 72 Tremont St.
What: The DPW will host the Motor Oil/Antifreeze/Gasoline collection event at the City Yard on April 15 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. DPW will also be accepting electronics, metal goods, tires, CFL bulbs, and mattresses/box springs for an associated fee. View the Schedule of Fees list. Residents may also drop off books, textiles, mercury items, and DRIED latex paint for FREE. Learn more, including everything you can recycle at this event, by visiting https://melroserecycles.wordpress.com/2022/04/08/melrose-dpw-motor-oil-gas-antifreeze-collection-event/
April 15: Melrose Energy Commission Launches Climate Action Website
When: Saturday, April 15
What: The Melrose Energy Commission will officially launch its Melrose Climate Action website on Saturday, April 15, and will post daily articles about sustainability from April 16 to April 22. Topics will range from Home Energy Assessments to Transportation, to Electric Lawn Equipment. The City will reveal the website once it’s live, so stay tuned!
April 22-April 30: The Department of Public Works Lights Up the City Hall Clock Tower Green
As in years past, the City of Melrose DPW will light up the City Hall clock tower green for Earth Week! Don’t forget to look up at the tower beginning on Earth Day—Saturday, April 22.
April 22: Winthrop School Kindergarten & 1st Graders’ Earth Day Grocery Bag Project
When: April 22, from 6 a.m. until supplies last
Where: Shaw’s Supermarket, 34 Essex Street
What: As part of the City’s efforts to increase awareness of Earth Day, Winthrop Elementary School kindergarten and 1st-grade art students will participate in the Earth Day Grocery Bag Project, where they will decorate 200 Shaw’s Supermarket paper grocery bags. The bags will be provided to Melrose Shaw’s customers on Earth Day (April 22!).
April 22: Friends of the Fells Earth Week Hikes!
As part of their Park Serve Day 2023, the Friends of the Fells and DCR have partnered to host a series of Earth Day clean-ups!
Trash pick up at Flynn Rink
When: April 22, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Where: Flynn Rink parking lot, 300 Elm Street Medford
What: Help DCR and the Friends of the Fells get this state park ready for the busy spring and summer season by helping clean up litter and leaves. Suitable for adults and children ages 8 and up. To learn more and to register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dcr-park-serve-day-at-the-middlesex-fells-flynn-rink-tickets-588233270547?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Trash pick up at Straw Point
When: April 22, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Where: Straw Point Parking Area, 49 New South Street, Stoneham
What: Help DCR and the Friends of the Fells get this state park ready for the busy spring and summer season by helping clean up litter and leaves. Suitable for adults and children ages 8 and up. To learn more and to register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dcr-park-serve-day-at-the-middlesex-fells-straw-point-tickets-588248255367?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Kid Friendly Pollinator Garden Work at Botume House
When: April 22, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Where: Botume House Visitor Center, 4 Woodland Road, Stoneham
What: Help DCR get this state park ready for the busy spring and summer season by helping clean up litter and leaves, perform invasive removal, planting, mulching, pruning, and enjoy a child-centered activity. Suitable for children and adults of all ages. To learn more and to register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dcr-park-serve-day-at-the-middlesex-fells-botume-house-visitor-center-tickets-588220803257?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
April 24: Melrose High School Cafeteria Composting Program
When: The program will launch on April 24
Where: Melrose High School Cafeteria
What: Two students at Melrose High School are playing a big part in caring for the environment. After pilot testing for a year, Sophomores Maizie Frakt and Kensington Ludlum will roll out the school’s very first Cafeteria Compost Program—an effort dedicated to reducing food waste at the high school and locally reducing local methane emissions and contributing to the production of nutrient-rich soil—on Monday, April 24 (just in time for Earth Week). As members of the Melrose High School Environmental Club, the students are solely responsible for this environment-forward program and have collaborated with the City’s Department of Public Works, High School Administration, and Cafeteria workers to make their idea a reality.
Coming Soon: All Taste, Zero Waste
Zero Waste Melrose will soon launch a new initiative, All Taste, Zero Waste, intended to help restaurants focus on what they do best—create great food and happy customers, just with less waste—by helping the businesses commit to cutting back on the amount of disposable packaging and food waste generated when Melrosians dine out and order takeout. Through All Taste, Zero Waste, restaurants will select from 12 actions to reduce waste. The 12 options give restaurants flexibility to decide which actions fit their operational and customer needs. Some restaurants will start with one action, while others will be able to do more. All of these actions benefit the environment and some also save the businesses money.
While restaurants implement changes, Zero Waste will do public outreach to let Melrosians know how they can be supportive of the participating businesses. Each action matters and small changes add up. As restaurants implement actions, Zero Waste Melrose will spotlight each restaurant’s progress for the community through social media and other outreach. The goal is that by the end of 2023, all Melrose restaurants will have committed to at least one action from All Taste, Zero Waste. Over time, restaurants will continue to add more waste-reduction actions.
Stay tuned for more Earth Week news and updates on April 15.