Spring is just around the corner, which means… Hubway bikes are too. Hubway is gearing up for another season of bike sharing in Boston. The first season was wildly successful and the excitement heading into this season is palpable. While I haven’t used the system myself (I live and work in Newton, which isn’t served by Hubway–yet), I love seeing the bikes and the stations when I’m out and about in Hubway territory.
For those who aren’t familiar with Hubway here’s a quick lowdown. There are currently 60+ bike stations with 600+ bikes around Boston, and there are plans to expand to other neighborhoods and surrounding towns this year. In order to ride you need to purchase a membership–annual if you plan to ride regularly ($85); casual 24-hour ($5) or casual 3-day ($12) if your use will be short-term. Whatever plan you choose, you get an unlimited number of rides up to 30 minutes each.
The beauty of the system–and what makes it work–is that you can check a bike out from one station and return it to another. Which means that Hubway provides an alternative to walking and public transportation. It’s green, it’s healthy, it’s convenient for residents and visitors alike. It’s brilliant, if you ask me.
The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, or NESEA, is the nation’s leading regional membership organization promoting sustainable energy solutions. NESEA has been around for more than 35 years and during this time has become a driving force behind the advancement of sustainable energy and green building policies and practices throughout the Northeastern United States. NESEA’s signature programs are its annual Building Energy Conference and its annual Green Buildings open house. If you are considering building or retrofitting your home for energy efficiency, you should check out these events.
LivableStreets Alliance is a non-profit organization that believes urban transportation has the power to make Metro Boston more connected — and more livable. They challenge people to think differently and to demand a system that balances transit, walking, and biking with automobiles. They promote safe, convenient, and affordable transportation for all users in urban Boston so that our streets can better support neighborhoods and business districts.
If you love the local food scene or would like to get involved – check out The Federation of Mass Farmers Markets, a non-profit organization, whose mission is, “To partner with farmers, consumers, and communities to foster, enhance and sustain farmers market in Massachusetts in order to improve regional farm viability, consumer nutrition, and community social and economic development.” Whether you’re looking to see what’s in season or where to find a farmer’s market (by zip, day or vendor) this is a great resource to connecting with food growers and purveyors. New this year is the ability to become a consumer member – and become even more involved with local agriculture.
Do you love the idea of home grown vegetables? Do you have visions of coming home from work and heading out to your backyard garden to figure out what’s for dinner? Many of us have these visions but don’t have the time or the know-how to bring them to fruition. Enter Green City Growers, a Boston-based backyard farming operation. Green City, which uses organic methods, specializes in installing customized raised beds in urban and suburban settings. Raised beds make it possible to grow vegetables virtually anywhere: pavement, rooftops and poor soil are all equally suitable locations for a raised bed garden. Green City also offers a variety of maintenance and education plans, which makes them a great option not just for your backyard but also for your school, community center or company.
Residents of Boston’s Cape & South Shore take note: You don’t have to travel to Terrene or The Green Depot in order to visit a green design show room. You have access to great eco-friendly, non-toxic products and finishes much closer to home. When it comes to home products like cabinets, countertops, tile and flooring, seeing and touching is believing. Some things are amenable to online ordering and some things are not. That’s one reason why G Green Design Center is such a great resource. The other is that they have done all the green vetting for you. They meticulously check the green credentials of all of their suppliers so that you can shop green with confidence. The Mashpee location also offers great workshops. If you haven’t yet visited the newest arrivals to the green design center scene, I urge you to pay a visit.
A founding member of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), SBN of Greater Boston’s mission is to “engage business and community leaders in building economies that are green, local and fair.” On October 2, 2010, SBN presented Boston’s first annual local food festival, featuring 100+ vendors and 30,000+ visitors. Another exciting initiative is their Sustainable Business Leader Program, which assists local businesses in greening their business practices.
Next Step Living is a Boston-based energy efficiency start-up offering energy assessments, upgrades, and “deep retrofit” services to residential customers in New England. As a MassSave partner, Next Step Living offers free energy assessments to Massachusetts residents. Diagnostics tests to determine the location of air leaks and insulation levels are also available for a fee. In my experience, these tests are well worth the price for those homeowners considering significant investments in the energy performance of their home. Next Step Living also oversees the recommended air sealing and insulation work, and ensures quality control. Finally they offer green construction services for residential customers.
Project Green Schools is a small non-profit with a big mission: to create greener and healthier learning environments. Founder and Executive Director, Robin Organ, knows first-hand about the havoc that environmental toxins can wreck on personal health. Her own experience with toxic overload inspired her to found Project Green Schools and work to transform our schools into green & healthy spaces. Project Green Schools offers educational programs for staff, parents and students to help improve indoor air quality, food and nutrition, and resource conservation. They currently work with over 70 schools and are establishing new relationships all the time. Folks in the Boston area can learn more about them by visiting one of the many Community Green Fairs that they host over the course of the year.
No they don’t sell hay or baby chicks. Yes they do sell local produce, sustainably raised meat, and fair trade coffee. City Feed and Supply is a Jamaica Plain “people feed” grocery store and cafe with a passion for local food and a strong commitment to sustainable business practices. If I lived in JP (which I don’t) I might have to move into this store I love it so much. For a small store, they carry an impressive selection of green & healthy food, their breakfast and lunch menu is delicious and the vibe is just outstanding. If you live, work or play in JP and haven’t been to City Feed & Supply you must pay them a visit.
