Max Rome is Boston’s Office of Green Infrastructure’s new Director of Green Infrastructure. Max lives in Allston and brings experience advancing nature based designs from his time with the Charles River Watershed Association, and from his research into the restoration of the Charles River during his Ph.D at Northeastern University. Max completed his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Northeastern University in 2022. His dissertation “From Water Quality to River Health” focused on improved monitoring of algal blooms and understanding how urban rivers recover from eutrophication. As part of his research, Max worked with the Charles River Conservancy to deploy a floating wetland and document its potential as a tool for phosphorus removal and for supporting improved ecological function through the provision of novel habitats. He may be reached at max.rome@boston.gov after the first of the year.
The City of Boston, the Boston Society of Landscape Architects and the Franklin Park Coalition invite the public to participate in a Poster Design Competition celebrating the physical and cultural icons of Franklin Park, Boston’s largest open space.
Nestled in the heart of the City, Franklin Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1885, is a beloved destination for residents and visitors alike.
Historically, iconic destinations and landmarks in public parks have often been celebrated through collector-worthy poster series. Artists have captured the magic and beauty of beloved public spaces across the United States, from the stunning posters created through the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project in the 1930s to feature our national parks to the more recent series created in the mid 1990s for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is time for Franklin Park, a celebrated gem of Boston’s Emerald Necklace, to receive the same attention.
Mayor Michelle Wu has announced the Annual Mayor’s Garden Contest highlighting the hard work of Boston’s urban gardeners. The competition provides the perfect opportunity to recognize the skills of all Boston residents who contribute to the beauty of the city’s landscape.
Boston’s green thumbs have until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9 to submit their gardens for award contention. The contest recognizes gardeners who have landscaped, planted flowers, trees, shrubs, and, in the process, helped beautify Boston’s neighborhoods.
Gardeners or those nominating their favorite gardeners may find printable and online nomination forms HERE. The preferred method of entry is to submit photos through the online application. Alternatively, contestants may request an application by emailing their name and address to gardencontest@boston.gov. Paper applications are also available in English and ten additional languages.
Judges will fan out across the city visiting finalists in late July. Once the votes are tallied, first place winners will receive the coveted “Golden Trowel” award from Mayor Wu while second and third place winners will be awarded certificates. The traditional awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in the Boston Public Garden in late August
Gardeners who have won three or more times in the last ten years will be automatically entered into the Hall of Fame. These distinguished Hall-of-Famers are not eligible to enter as contestants but are invited to return as judges.
First place winners are eligible for a drawing for a JetBlue Grand Prize consisting of round trip flights for two to any nonstop destination from Boston. Terms, conditions, and blackout dates apply. In addition, Mahoney’s Garden Centers will provide gardener’s gift bags to the top three winners in each category, as well as gift certificates for the 2025 Hall of Fame winners.
For details and to enter the contest, visit the website.
Celebrate the businesses, community groups, and individuals taking innovative action to support Boston’s decarbonization, energy transformation, resilience, and waste reduction. Learn more and submit nominations at https://boston.gov/climate-awards/
Get ready for an unforgettable challenge at the Boston Parks and Recreation’s First Annual Duck-Boat-Pull —a brand-new event taking place in the heart of the Boston Common on Saturday, April 12, where teams of 10 will race against the clock to pull a 21,000-pound duck boat across a designated course. Think you’ve got what it takes to out-pull the competition?
This exciting event isn’t just about muscle—every pull you make directly benefits local youth sports and fitness programs that keep our kids active, healthy, and thriving. All proceeds go toward funding essential sports leagues, tournaments, and fitness initiatives managed by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department for all of Boston’s youth.
This event is in partnership with theBoston Duck Tours. The event is free to watch, and teams of ten will pay $1,000 in support of Boston’s Youth Sports. To sign up contact Tiffany Clark at 617-233-2305, or send an email.
The Charles River Watershed Association, the Neponset River Watershed Association, and the Mystic River Watershed Association invite you to participate in an effort to make our community more climate resilient. If you see street or sidewalk flooding in Boston, let them know. By visiting bit.ly/floodsurveyboston and completing a brief form with a photo (a less than perfect shot from your phone is just fine!), the City of Boston Office of Green Infrastructure will develop a map of flood-impacted areas to inform policy decisions and design flood mitigation efforts. You may spot a corner drain that always overflows, a dip in the sidewalk that becomes a pond in heavy rain, or something much more significant, but please do report it. Add the link to notes on your phone so you have it the instant you see something.
Join The City of Boston, The Trustees, and Grow Boston on September 28 at Nightingale Park for a day of celebrating and learning about urban agriculture and climate justice work across Boston. This fair will have climate justice related activities and games and hands-on demos, like apple cider pressing and pickling. Enjoy food from Fresh Food Generation, music by Tjovi Ginen and fresh produce sold from local urban farms. Submit your most impressive harvests to our urban vegetable competition and win a prize! Fun and learning for all ages. Free & Welcome to all.
Co-hosted by a coalition of organizations including: Mothers out Front, Save the Harbor Save the Bay, The Food Project, Bowdoin St Health Center, Resonant Energy, Grow Boston, Extinction Rebellion, Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corp, ABCD, Dorchester Food Coop, Agriculture Hall, Boston Area Beekeepers, and more.
Harvest Competition Details:
Please bring your submissions by 10:30 a.m.
Bring produce from community gardens, urban home gardens, and urban farms to the fair this fall! Win prizes in each category listed below.
Fruits and Berries
Preserved Foods (canned, fermented and pickled foods)
Calling all of New England’s masterful food makers – chefs, fishermen, farmers, and food artisans! Join culinary craftsman for the 2024 Boston Local Food Festival on Sunday, September 15th. On the 15th, we will savor the flavors of Massachusetts and beyond. From chef demos to a Family Fun Zone and a thrilling seafood throw-down, there’s something for everyone.
SBN’s Boston Local Food Program is thrilled to report that last year, the 2023 Boston Local Food Festival was the largest and most successful festival we’ve organized in our 13-year history. The day was a true celebration of local food and the power of community. Hurricane Lee took a break from its torment and allowed for perfect weather that brought people out of their homes and to the festival’s heart. We couldn’t have done it without every one of you – our vendors, sponsors, volunteers, the City of Boston, the Greenway Conservancy, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
Our annual Boston Local Food Festival has been hailed as one of Boston’s top 10 food events since 2010. We are thrilled to be able to continue celebrating and supporting New England local food producers and businesses with our festival.
The Boston Tree Alliance Program is a grant program for tree planting, care, and education. The program focuses on expanding access to trees and their benefits in under-canopied, Environmental Justice communities in Boston. This program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) through the City of Boston. Mass Audubon is contracted with the City to facilitate the distribution of grant funds and administer the program. This grant program provides funding support for nonprofit and community based organizations to pursue tree planting, care, and educational activities in partnership with land owners on non-publicly owned lands.
Through the program – the “Alliance” – a coalition of nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, and urban forestry professionals – works collectively to equitably grow and care for the urban forest. As the program’s fiscal agent, Mass Audubon oversees Alliance convenings that inform the program’s development. The Alliance works alongside the City of Boston to support and advance the goals of the Urban Forest Plan and the Heat Plan. For questions regarding the B.T.A. Tree Planting Grant, please email BostonTreeAlliance@massaudubon.org. Someone from the program team will be in touch with you.
The Friends is excited to once again steward the annual Holiday Lights on the Mall. For the first time, the Holiday Lights will extend all the way to Kenmore Square! Join us at the Mayors lighting ceremony on the first block of the Mall on November 30, beginning immediately after the Boston Common Tree Lighting.
The iconic holiday light display along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall was the vision of Parks Commissioner Justine Liff and philanthropists Joan and Ted Bernard Cutler, inspired by the illuminated tree-lined boulevards of Paris. Their sense of civic pride inspired others in the neighborhood to support the cause and the all-volunteer Committee to Light the Commonwealth Avenue Mall was born.
In 2022, the Committee joined with the Friends, creating a new committee to work with the Friends staff to raise the funds necessary to make this annual light display possible and to support the ongoing care of the park.
The Friends is proud to be stewards of this special holiday tradition and excited to work with our community to increase support for the Mall year round.
Today, the lights illuminate the park from early December to April each year and, beginning in 2023, stretch from Arlington Street to Kenmore Square. To donate, and for more information on times, visit https://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/holiday-lights/
