Profiles in Belmont: Dean Hickman

 Environment, July/August 2023, Newsletter, Recycling  Comments Off on Profiles in Belmont: Dean Hickman
Jun 302023
 
Profiles in Belmont: Dean Hickman

By Elissa Ely Before he became chair of Sustainable Belmont, before the PhD in pharmacogenetics, before moving to the United States, certainly before any awareness of the environmental needs of a Massachusetts town next to Cambridge, Dean Hickman was picking up litter.  “Have been picking up trash anywhere I go since I could walk,” his Instagram says. Growing up in farm country west of London, traveling the footpath systems, Dean took the “Keep Britain Tidy” campaign of the 1960s to heart. Many decades later, on a late rainy afternoon when he could have been enjoying a mug of tea, we [READ MORE]

Share

Healthy Lawns Works to Limit Leaf Blowers

 Air Quality, Environment, March/April 2022, Newsletter  Comments Off on Healthy Lawns Works to Limit Leaf Blowers
Mar 032022
 
Healthy Lawns Works to Limit Leaf Blowers

By Barry Kaye, Dean Hickman, Ruth Smullin, and Thomas Nehrkorn Gasoline-powered leaf blowers are not only a nuisance to anyone trying to enjoy a peaceful time in their backyard or a neighborhood walk, but they also present real risks to human health, most significantly to the operators. These are detailed in previous BCF articles published on this subject (See “Leaf Blowers Damage Belmont’s Environment,” Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter, September/October 2021.) The town is trying to address this issue.  Healthy Lawns Initiative Sustainable Belmont recently started hosting a Healthy Lawns Initiative to promote more environmentally sustainable lawn care practices. Currently, we [READ MORE]

Share

Changing Economics Alter Belmont’s Recycling

 Environment, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Recycling  Comments Off on Changing Economics Alter Belmont’s Recycling
May 032020
 
Changing Economics Alter Belmont's Recycling

By Terri Goldberg According to the US EPA, in 2017, the latest year for which they have published data, the United States recycling and composting rate was about 35%. The country’s recycling rate has been stuck in the low- to mid-30 percent range since the early 2000s in spite of the extensive efforts to improve it. In part, the recycling system has been working to keep up with the changes in the materials generated by households, businesses, and institutions. Over the past decade, the composition of municipal solid waste has been evolving away from newsprint, office paper, and glass containers [READ MORE]

Share

The BCF’s Next 20 Years

 January 2020, Newsletter  Comments Off on The BCF’s Next 20 Years
Jan 062020
 
The BCF's Next 20 Years

By Grant Monahon The goal of protecting Belmont’s small town environment has taken many forms for the Belmont Citizens Forum (BCF) during the last 20 years, and it will undoubtedly take many more directions over the next 20 years. Belmont’s efforts to preserve its natural and historical resources, limit traffic growth, and enhance pedestrian safety will only become more challenging, not less, and we will continue to pursue issues identified as important to our supporters. As a board, we are mindful that we will need new and younger leadership. We are not going away, but new perspectives would add great [READ MORE]

Share

Belmont Goes Solar Offers Solar Discounts Through April

 January 2016, Newsletter, Solar Power  Comments Off on Belmont Goes Solar Offers Solar Discounts Through April
Jan 132016
 
Belmont Goes Solar Offers Solar Discounts Through April

By Alix van Geel The shortest days of the season have passed, and now is the perfect time to consider adding solar to your Belmont home or business. For a limited time through April 30, 2016, Belmontians can take advantage of discount pricing for solar rooftop panels to provide electricity, thanks to Belmont Goes Solar. Belmont Goes Solar is a group of volunteers working to expand small-scale solar energy installations in town. Belmont Goes Solar is supported by the Board of Selectmen and includes members of the Belmont Energy Committee, Sustainable Belmont, Mothers Out Front, and Belmont Light. The group’s [READ MORE]

Share