Climate-change theme leads more than 400 to flood EcoFest

UPDATED, March 25: More than 400 people attended EcoFest, whose theme readiness for climate change was expressed in a variety of ways at Town Hall on Saturday, March 19.

Charlotte Milan, town recyling coordinator, reported that, to estimate the number of attendees, she consulted with an official counter.

Keynote speaker Cammy Peterson, clean-energy manager for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, led a forum about preparedness for regional climate change. Learn more about Peterson here >>

Photos from EcoFest and before

Participants were asked to let the public know about their involvement, and the following did:

Amanda E. Maltais of represented LexFarm (Lexington Community Farm) at EcoFest. LexFarm is on Arlington’s border, next to the town reservoir — “and we feel as much a part of the Arlington Community as we do Lexington.

“EcoFest was so fun! Our booth had info on the farm, a worm compost bin and seeds to plant.

“Both children and adults had fun planting their own seed to bring home to their garden and feeding or just looking at our worms.

“We want to thank Sustainable Arlington for inviting us and putting on a great event and all the awesome eco-conscious residents who came out.”

Thompson effort

Among those presenting were students from the Thompson School. Vivianne Do, an East Arlington resident and Thompson parent, reported that much activity took place before EcoFest.

Thompson recently joined other schools in the district to start its own local Green Team. Thompson parents Christa Kelleher and Elizabeth Rocco, both climate-justice advocates and activists, did not hesitate to take the lead and gather Earth-conscious students and their like-minded parents. Their mission statement:

“The Thompson Green Team cares about the Earth, the environment and all living creatures. It aims to empower and support students and the broader Thompson community to take action to protect and preserve our environment. Guided by student interest, ideas and energy, the Green Team provides opportunities and coordinates activities that will have a meaningful and positive impact.”

The team’s first initiative was to build a sculpture to submit to the Trashformations Student Art Exhibit at EcoFest. The team worked every Friday on minisculptures to incorporate into their final large sculpture titled “Create a Wave of Climate Solutions to Keep Our Oceans Wild and Blue!”

On March 12, they also invited the rest of the school community to contribute to the sculpture at the school’s Science EXPLO. Students and parents had their choice of trash to incorporate into their sea-creature creations. The finished products were on display at EcoFest. See photos in the link to this story.

Kelleher and Rocco are members of the grass-roots organization Mothers Out Front, which had a table at EcoFest.

Kelleher, a candidate for Town Meeting, is aiding an Arlington Mothers Out Front’s campaign for community choice aggregation for the town. The issue is the subject of warrant article for this spring’s Town Meeting. If adopted, the effort would allow the town to aggregate electricity demand to procure alternative energy supplies while maintaining the existing electricity provider for transmission and distribution services.

Rocco is an East Arlington community organizer and is an activist on social- and climate-justice issues. She brings her children to climate rallies and gathers community members to reflect and take action for a more just future for all.

Event schedule 

This was the event schedule as posted to the town website before March 19:

10:30 AM Family Music Concert with Liz Buchanan, Lyons Hearing Room, second floor

11:30 AM Forum Regional Climate Change Preparedness with Cammy Peterson, Clean Energy Manager, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Lyons Hearing Room, second floor

12:30 PM Musical performance by Leonard Solomon: The Bellowphone Show, Lyons Hearing Room, second floor

Trashformations on the Town Hall stage. A student exhibit of recycled art. The theme this year: Climate Change Effects on Wildlife. Check out World Wildlife Foundation and New England Aquarium for information and ideas.

Trashformations registration form and additional criteria here.

Compost: fill your own container with some high-quality, local and free compost made from Arlington’s own yard waste. Town Hall parking lot.

Food Link Cafe: Garden hallway, free treats, coffee/tea/lemonade $1 or free with your own mug- More about FoodLink

Raffle: Thank you to local Arlington businesses for their generous donations in support of EcoFest

Vendors – Visit these businesses and organizations to help prepare yourself, and your community, for the effects of climate change:

Best Bees Bee-keeping services;

Biodiversity for a Livable Climate Restoring ecosystems to reverse global warming;

Community Plan-It  A local engagement game designed to make community planning fun;

Compost instructor and blogger Jeremy Marin, Compost demonstration by teacher from Arlington Community Education;

Department of Pubic Works– Compost Bins for sale;

“e” Inc– Science discovery programs for all ages, including summer camps;

Food Link Rescuing food, nourishing the community;

Friends of Alewife Brook Reservation Preserve Alewife Urban Wild FAR into the Future;

Friends of the Libraries supporting the Arlington Libraries Foundation;

Great American Rain Barrels Re-purposed our shipping drums become complete water collection systems, order ahead;

Home Harvest Edible landscapes;

Ideal Concrete Block Co. Permeable driveway pavers to help control stormwater runnoff;

Lexington Community Farm Growing Community, Community Grown;

Light and Shade Garden Design Practical sustainable design for all seasons;

Mothers Out Front  Coming together to make climate change an issue that our leaders can no longer ignore;

Mystic River Watershed Association Your Community, Your Watershed;

Old Schwamb Mill Our historic 19th Century Mill;

Picture Posts Creating more tools in Arlington for us to help monitor our environment;

Robbins Farm Learning Garden  Once upon a time Arlington had 60 farms: Educational material here;

Time Trade and True Story Theater;

Tree Committee Promoting, protecting, planting and caring for Arlington’s trees;

Vision 2020 Volunteer for the Environment with the Reservoir Committee, Spy Pond Committee or Sustainable Arlington; and