Boston Flora

Tag: Carbon Footprint

  • Massachusetts Agriculture Specialty License Plate

    Whether you drive a hybrid, pick-up, Hummer, or Smart Car, we all have to renew our license plates every two years. By reserving a Massachusetts specialty agricultural license plate, you will also help ensure a sustainable and vibrant agricultural community for generations to come. Proceeds from the renewal fee go to the Agricultural Trust Fund to fund programs and services to help the agricultural community of Massachusetts remain sustainable and vibrant for future generations. Order the “best-looking-specialty-license-plate-around” Ag Tag today! Contact Anna Waclawiczek at 617.626.1703 or Anna.Waclawiczek@state.ma.us for more information. The clock is ticking as the Agricultural Trust Fund tries to reach its goal of 1500 reservations. Once that goal is reached, the Registry of Motor Vehicles will begin production of the plates.
    As of September 2009 they are over halfway there. . As they work towards reaching our number, they thank their “early adopters” for their patience and perseverance. To newcomers they hope you will consider making an investment that says you support “Go locally grown!”

    Benefits:
    • Help preserve 520,000 acres of open space and the beauty
    • Protect 13,545 jobs and the value that local agriculture has on our economy
    • Help shrink our carbon footprint by reducing the distance our food travels to market
    • Enjoy fresher and better tasting food and the security of knowing where your food comes from

    Proceeds from the sale of these plates will go to the Massachusetts Agricultural Trust Fund to support programs and services that help farmers remain on the cutting edge in today’s market i.e. innovative practices, research, improvements in managing resources, marketing, training and education. Proceeds will not be used to subsidize individual farmers or the state’s Department of Agriculture.

    It’s easy to sign up. Simply download and fill out the Ag Tag reservation form here [PDF]. Make out a check in the amount of $40 to the Registry of Motor Vehicles; mail both the completed form and check back to the Department of Agricultural Resources, Attn: Anna Waclawiczek, 251 Causeway St., Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114.

  • Garden Club of the Back Bay Holiday Wreaths – Supporting Environmental Awareness

    Part of the mission statement of The Garden Club of the Back Bay is to educate the public on horticultural and environmental issues.  In furtherance of that mission, we organize an annual series of lectures and meetings with prominent speakers.  Guests are welcome and encouraged to attend almost all meetings, which are listed on the Calendar page of this website (scroll down past the calendar grid for complete descriptions).   We love a theme, and this year we are exploring the topic of “The Ethical Gardener.”  Should we garden organically?  Should we design our gardens with native plantings?  Should be buy food locally from the farmers markets or CSA’s?  Do our floral centerpieces need to be made with imported tropical blooms with a high carbon footprint?  What about saving the birds by drinking shade grown bird friendly coffee?  So many issues, and not all of them are clear cut.  Proceeds from our wreath sales help subsidize the contributions we make to the organizations (mostly not for profit) who provide the speakers for our programs.  Please do plan a trip into the Back Bay on one of our meeting days, and know that all are welcome to join our Club.  We have no geographic restrictions on membership!  To order a wreath or poinsettia, click here.

  • Sunday, November 1, 7:00 – 9:00 pm – Boston Night to Combat Climate Change

    Boston’s premier 2009 fundraising event showcasing New England’s leaders in the fight against global climate change will take place Sunday, November 1, from 7 – 9 pm. All proceeds from the event will go to organizations working to combat global climate change, including Oxfam America and National Resources Defense Council.

    Hosted by Worthy Causes, Inc. at the Cambridge Royal Sonesta, the Boston Night to Combat Climate Change event will feature big name speakers, networking opportunities, a silent auction, dancing, entertainment, and fine food and drink.

    The carbon footprint of the event will be measured and offset, and those in attendance will receive an event package containing earth-friendly products and information on ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

    The event will focus on raising awareness among the estimated 250-500 guests, while also celebrating the efforts of innovators working to protect the environment and combat climate change and its impact on poor people.

    Location:
    Royal Sonesta
    40 Edwin Land Boulevard
    Cambridge , MA 02142

    Sponsor: Worthy Causes, Inc.
    Time(s): 7 pm – 9 pm
    Cost: $150
    Phone: (617) 491-1996
    Fax: (617) 720-2320
    Email: inquiry@worthycausesinc.org
    http://www.worthycausesinc.org/

  • Tuesday, October 6, 6:00 pm – No Impact Men with Colin Beavan and David Owen

    Hear two authors speak at the Boston Public Library Abbey Room, 700 Boylston Street, on Tuesday, October 6, beginning at 6 pm.  Meet the two men who are concerned about the environment, and about leaving as little impact on the environment as possible.  No Impact Man (a book and a movie) is a deeply honest and riveting account of the year in which Colin Beavan and his wife attempted to do what most of us would consider impossible: buy nothing, waste nothing, and reduce their carbon footprint to zero – while living with a young child in a 9th floor Manhattan apartment. He’s known as the guy who went a year without toilet paper.

    In a persuasive and provocative challenge to established environmental thinking, David Owen’s Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less are the Keys to Sustainability challenges much of the conventional wisdom about being green and shows how the greenest place in the United States isn’t Portland, Oregon or Snowmass, Colorado, but New York, New York.  For more information, log on to www.bpl.org.

    "No Impact Man" by Colin Beavan Farrar, Straus and Giroux