🌍 Happy Earth Month 🌎

When it comes to sustainability, no one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Learning more, sharing that knowledge with friends and family, and advocating for broader system-level change are among the most impactful steps we can take.

In the mean time, here are some practical ways to support a more sustainable future while saving money.

Come to the Resilient Watertown Eco Fest. This annual event is a free, family-friendly event with hands-on activities, local vendors, and practical ideas for greener living. Saturday, May 10, 11am-2pm, Commander’s Mansion, 440 Talcott Ave. See you there!

Cut home energy use (and bills). This is a big one! 

• Get a free home energy assessment + insulationu/air sealing (via HomeWorks Energy / Mass Save) 

• Join Watertown Electricity Choice for more renewable power, stable rates, and consumer protections.  

• Switch to LED lighting

• Use smart power strips to cut “phantom” energy

• Set thermostats a few degrees lower in winter / higher in summer

• Insulate

• Consider adding solar or heat pumps

• Transition to electric appliances and tools (cooktop and oven, lawn mower etc) when you can

  
  

Reduce waste and buy fewer new things

• Borrow instead of buy with the Library of Things (soil tester, planting tools, canning set, a thermal camera, a bike repair kit, an energy monitor, push lawnmower, sewing machine and so much more)

• Make, mend, or repair at Hatch Makerspace

• Give/receive items at the Swap Shop. When, where, and what. 

• Join Buy Nothing Watertown or Everything is Free Watertown (Facebook groups). Watertown has 4  hyperlocal Buy Nothing groups; find yours.

• Visit the Harvard Recycling and Surplus Center (free items in Allston)

• Shop secondhand or swap clothing; Sister Thrift, our local shop, supports animal shelters

  
  

Dispose of waste appropriately

• Compost food scraps for free with Black Earth curbside pickup

• Recycle textiles with for free with HELPSY curbside collection

• Be sure your yard waste is free of invasive plant matter; put that in your kitchen trash

• Bookmark Recyclopedia so you can always find out if that odd item is NOT RECYCLABLE. (I made MANY errors in my past lives! Don't wishcycle!)

  
  

Help manage stormwater to protect the Charles River

• Upgrade your asphalt sidewalk strip; the city will remove it and put down loam and grass seed for free

• Consider replacing hour asphalt driveway with more permeable materials

• Buy a discounted rain barrel, and cut your summer watering costs

• Plant a rain garden

• Adopt a drain by keeping it clear of debris; pick your drain here

• Scoop the poop to prevent harmful bacteria from ending up in our water

  
  

Support local ecology

• Request a free street tree. Be sure to water it when you get it, and keep our mortality rate of 8% lower than industry standard of 10%).

• If of your sidewalk strip is asphalt, plant a pollinator garden (use the City planning guide)

• Is your yard all natural? Request a yard sign and to be on the pollinator garden map

• Stay on top of invasives that are spreading across our community.

  
  

Get around with less impact

• Walk, bike, or take transit when you can

• Explore MBTA passes 

• Senior reduced fee Charlie Card for age 65+

• Consider an electric or hybrid vehicle when replacing a car

• Combine trips and carpool when driving

  
  

Eat for your health—and the planet

• Eat more plant-based meals

• Cut back on red meat and dairy

• Choose local, seasonal foods

• Buy organic/sustainably produced when possible

• Plan meals and use leftovers to reduce waste

  
  

Use less water

• Fix leaks and install low-flow fixtures;

• Monitor your usage with the City's EyesOnWater app

• Water gardens early in the day; use rain barrels

• Choose native, drought-tolerant plants

  
  

Get involved locally

• Watertown Faces Climate Change

• Forests for Watertown

• Trees for Watertown

• Friends of Bees/Pollinator Pathways

• Watertown Community Gardens