Saturday, May 25, 2013
There will be a clean-up in June.
Fresh off the heels of Sheep Shearing, the North Andover Merchants Association is teaming up with the Clean River Project to help clean up the local environment. And you can help. On June 15, from 9 a.m. to noon, NAMA and the Clean River Project will be cleaning the banks of the Merrimack River and Sutton Pond. Volunteers will meet at 200 Sutton St. to begin the clean-up. Rocky and Rolf's owner Lesley Carlson walked along the toewn's waterways and decided these were the areas most in need of a clean-up. And they could use as many volunteers as possible. For more information or to sign up, contact Rocky Morrison at CRPmorrison@yahoo.com. There will be two canoes and contests and prizes for participants. There will also be pizza and …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Does North Andover make it easy for you to live an earth-friendly lifestyle? What do you wish was different?
Towns across the country are getting new recycling centers, giving away rain barrels and installing parking meters with solar panels. Here at Patch, we want to know: What makes North Andover green? The Mother Nature Network recently listed their Top 10 Greenest Cities in the U.S. Of the top 10 greenest cities in the U.S., Massachusetts boasts two: Cambridge at No. 6, Boston at No. 3. TELL US: What does North Andover do to help you go green? Do you use any resources from the town to stay green? Share in the comments below.
Monday, May 13, 2013
The week encouraging bike-based activities is May 11-19.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation along with several other public and private entities have banded together to tell you to get out of your cars and onto your bikes this week. May 11 to 19 is Bay State Bike Week, a week unique to Massachusetts which celebrates all things bicycle. There are bike-based events going on around the Bay State this week, and several in the Boston area. The Bay State Bike Week website has provided a searchable calendar to find dates, locations and times for events closest to you. What would a statewide bike week be without a little friendly competition? The MassCommute Bicycle Challenge will award those who log the most miles by bicycle. Other local bike facts: Massachusetts has been recognized by the …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The kids made helped make the area a lot nicer.
- GOING GREEN
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Sunday, May 5
As part of the Building Respectful Communities and R.A.I.S.E initiatives (Respect, Achievement, Inclusion, Service, and Empathy), students at the Annie L. Sargent Elementary School were asked to show Respect for their school by giving Service to it. On Saturday, April 27, over 25 scouts, students, and parents showed up to clear away what the long winter left behind and beautify the school grounds. Participants picked up litter and sticks, cleaned and mulched gardens, swept and shoveled debris from driveways and parking lots, and cleared brush from the school’s Woodland Study Area (a forested area adjacent to the school used as an outdoor classroom to supplement science curriculum). This year's clean-up also included the planting 20 …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Check out the tool below to find out which pollen allergens are high in North Andover today.
Springtime has arrived and pollen is in the air. Thanks to the effects of climate change, experts say the pollen count this season will be higher than ever before. Now you can check the daily allergy forecast as easily as the weather forecast. The Allergy Alert tool from Pollen.com above shows which pollen allergens are high in North Andover today. Please note that an advertisement cycles into the tool.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Voters will decide if people can have more backyard chickens.
Why did the hen cross the road? Because she wasn't allowed at her North Andover home. But that might change at Town Meeting. Article 28 on the warrant seeks to change zoning by-law to allow more hens in your back yard, should you choose to have them. Current by-law allows a home with at least three acres to keep one hen per acre on their lot. Article 28 seeks to allow single-family homes with less than three acres to keep a maximum of six hens and single-family homes with more than three acres to keep three hens per acre. The article was submitted by Hillary Stasonis. "My husband and I looked into getting chickens last summer, since we have two young children, we figured it would be a great way to help them learn about where food comes …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
How much will you pay to recycle?
Selectmen approved changes to the price structure of use of the Cyr Recycling Center Monday night for the next fiscal year. Residents will pay $10 for an annual fee, up from $7. Seniors will still pay $7. The big changes will come for landscaping contractors. "There is encroachment on both resource areas and the adjacent recreation areas," North Andover Division of Public Works Director Bruce Thibodeau said in requesting the changes. "More importantly, the volume from commercial landscapers is an issue because there is no limit or charge for leaves and grass cuttings for landscape contractors to dispose of these at the facility." So now, a commercial landscaper will pay a $750 annual fees for the first truck, $250 for each additional truck…
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Advocates come together to let legislators know the water system needs funding to stay sustainable.
Pop quiz: If people in the greater Boston area consumed 340 million gallons of water per day in the 1980s, how much do you think they consume today? 400 million? 500? More? Less? The answer, thanks to sustained but largely behind-the-scenes efforts of conservationists, is that we consume dramatically less water today than in the 1980s. Last year, greater Boston consumed 200 million gallons. "The great result is we've saved a whole bunch of precious drinking water, which is important to our residents and to the state that that conservation effort has been successful," Fred Laskey, executive director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, said. Laskey was one of many conservationists at the State House Friday as part of the …
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The utility recent announced its support for the group in the hopes of helping develop green technology.
National Grid has announced that it will become a platinum sponsor of the 2013 Cleantech Open Northeast Business Competition and Accelerator Program, an inititiatve designed to help the development of innovative clean energy solutions. The program is run by the Northeast division of the Cleantech Open, a not-for-profit group that has helped 727 green energy startups raise over $800 million in capital since its founding in 2005. "The Cleantech Open has a very successful track record in helping companies develop their innovations through to investment and we’re thrilled to have a partner on board as dedicated to clean technology as National Grid is,” said Alexandra Adler, Northeast Regional Director, Cleantech Open. “This partnership will …
Thursday, March 21, 2013
If fuel efficiency is your number-one factor when looking for a car, here are five green automobiles we found on the North Shore, Andover and North Andover.
There are a lot of factors to consider when buying a car. If fuel efficiency is at the top of your list, here's a feature you'll enjoy. We scanned cars.com and AOL Autos for the greenest cars for sale on the North Shore and near Andover/North Andover. Here's what we found: * Obviously, mpg stands for miles per gallon but these cars all use some or all electricity. Here's a physicist explaining the drawbacks to using mpg as a measure. 1. 2010 Honda Insight EX — $16,395 This hybrid gets 43 mpg on the highway and 41 in the city. It has 26,041 miles on it and is for sale at Rockingham Honda in Salem, N.H. For more on this vehicle, check out the listing on AOL Autos. 2. 2013 Toyota Prius Plug-In — $32,477 This new Prius gets 49 mpg on the …
James McCarthy
8:08 am on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
One way we can take major steps to make North Andover a greener town is to plant native plants in our backyards. The North Andover Wildlife Team (NAWT) is here to help you! If you would like more information on how to sustain biodiversity and attract birds and butterflies to your yard please email me at jamesmccarthy87@gmail.com. We have plants ready and waiting to be planted in your yard! more ›