News/Events

To the editor:

Some of you may have read about Maine’s passage of the first-in-the-nation producer responsibility legislation for paper and packaging.  You may have even seen the editorial in this newspaper (”Shifting some recycling costs where they belong,” July 21) supporting producer responsibility for Massachusetts.

So what are we talking about? What is producer responsibility?

Start by thinking about all the products we purchase and the containers and packaging that they come in (especially now with so many products direct shipped to our front doors). What happens to all that material and the product itself when we are done with them? We place them in the trash or in our recycling, if recyclable. We then put them out on the curb for pick up or bring to our community’s transfer station. The cost for the collection and management of our unwanted stuff falls on our municipalities, who have no control over that product or what people purchase. Our waste management systems were not designed to handle the ever-changing array of products and packaging in the marketplace. Producer responsibility legislation shifts the cost from the current backwards model to where it belongs: on the manufacturers/ producers! What a concept!  

What can you do? Send an email, letter or call your state senator and representative(s) and ask them to support producer responsibility for paper and packaging set forth in House Bill 878/ Senate Bill S610 and Senate Bill 517.   These bills would create a producer responsibility system for paper, traditional packaging and containers of all types, such as food and beverage containers, shampoo bottles, flowerpots and more. When producers must pay the cost of managing these items at the end of their life, producers are incentivized to design these items so that they contain less material, use material that is easier to reuse/recycle/compost, and is less harmful to our environment.  

Read More »Letter: Support Producer Responsibility Legislation in Gloucester Daily Times- July 29,2021

Carbon Sequestration Work Group Update:

Following the protest of tree removal at Halibut State Park, led by Annette Dion. (https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/local_news/felled-halibut-point-trees-raise-backlash/article_48a3d220-0145-592f-8766-edd0282eff9c.html) and a stirring by Anna Solomon and our own Alice Morris, our group has undergone renewed enthusiasm.

We continue to focus on:

a) Tree Protection Policy, which passed in Manchester-by-the-Sea, currently being rolled out and put to the test and Tree Protection Policy under discussion in Rockport – already very far down the track;

b) Tree Planting:  Friends of Manchester Trees – a 501(c)3 in Manchester since 1973 – does annual street tree plantings, in the 10s of trees. Manchester has been a Tree City USA (Arbor Day Foundation) for about 30 years. And Rockport citizens, under the enthusiastic leadership of Nathan Ives and Don Southard, planted 100 Elms in April for the benefit of the town streets. These warriors are already corralling North Shore towns – the 4 Cape Ann towns, Ipswich and beyond – to do a larger planting in 2022. Lastly, Manchester high school student, Will Kenney, celebrated Arbor Day (April 30) this year by raising money for One Tree Planted and handing out saplings and shrubs for local citizens to plant.

Eric Hutchins of Rockport is marking Wharf Storm Surge lines to raise awareness. 

Read More »June 29, 2021-Cape Ann Climate Coalition Action Groups Update

RSVP and Zoom Link: https://towngreen2025.org/rsvp

Read More »Cape Ann Climate Quarterly Meeting- Tuesday, June 29, 2021

On Monday, March 15 @7:00 pm Cape Ann Climate Coalition (CACC) will hold its fourth Zoom meeting about electric buses titled: “Beverly School District Transitions to Electric School Buses” to discuss the advantages and challenges associated with switching school bus fleets from diesel to electric. Given that the transportation sector generates the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions, it is critical that we tackle the electrification of buses, cars, and trucks now. Everyone is invited to this free event.

Contact Us for Zoom link to meeting.

Read More »March 15 Meeting- School Districts Transitioning from Diesel to Electric School Buses with Dana Cruikshank, Beverly School District

Call To Artists:  Climate Change and The Arts In Our Community

We invite you to join the Climate Arts group of the Cape Ann Climate Coalition Zoom Happy Hour Saturday, March 20, between 5-6pm. We are celebrating the life and vision of the late Rockport artist and environmental activist Elaine MacGray Starrett in a video interview produced by Lisa Smith.

Webinar space is limited; sign up today to reserve your spot:  https://towngreen2025.org/rsvp

The video “Without Just Grounds”, features Elaine reflecting on her “deep concern for the protection of open space and natural resources” and the series of paintings that she created in response to her concerns. The series of eight stunning, 6-foot-high paintings represent native wildflowers that are precariously rooted in photomontages of severely degraded Cape Ann landscapes. “There they become the speakers for everything in nature that is displaced or denied its natural heritage.”

Read More »Climate Arts Webinar- March 20, 2021

• Municipal Aggregation:  The Renewable Energy Workgroup has been working steadily with the goal of significantly increasing the share of electricity that is clean energy in all four of our Cape Ann communities.  The municipal aggregation program has a real chance to accomplish this goal over the next few years.  For any questions, or to help this effort, email Candace Wheeler at candacepwheeler@gmail.com.

• Orientation to the CACC:  The Organizing Committee of the CACC has authorized a new orientation program to help people new to the Coalition to find a good match for their volunteer, skills and talents, and the needs of the CACC. Please email Susan Hoague with you interest in participation in this program:  hoague1@comcast.net.
• The Climate Arts Workgroup has produced an interview and video of the artwork and environmental activism of the late Rockport artist, Elaine MacGray Starrett. A Zoom webinar on Elaine’s work, premiering the video by Lisa Smith ‘Without Just Grounds’ and featuring a panel of two renowned artists and scientist/daughter of Elaine MacGray Starrett, will be held on March 20, 2021. See Events page for more details and Registration.  Our goal is to inspire local artists to consider including climate crisis themes in their own works. For more information about the Climate Arts Action Group, please contact Susan Quateman:  susiequateman@gmail.com.

Read More »Winter Meeting CACC Update