By Michael Coughlin Jr.
As spring blossoms and the weather gets a bit nicer, several organizations are hosting events that will allow residents to get involved and show their love for East Boston’s environment.
The upcoming string of events, dubbed Earth Week, begins this weekend and coincides with a few initiatives or celebrations coming down the pike.
These celebrations include Love Your Block, a citywide initiative focusing on “community engagement and neighborhood beautification,” according to the city’s website, Earth Day and Arbor Day.
“I’m really excited about Earth Week because it’s all about neighbors coming together to take care of the community we all live in,” wrote Valinda Chan in an email, who is affiliated with several local groups like Mothers Out Front.
Tree Eastie’s Founder, Bill Masterson, also expressed his excitement about the upcoming events and wrote in an email, “This is quite a lineup of events in every corner of East Boston made possible by residents of all ages and nationalities giving back to the community and making Eastie a better place to live.”
Specifically, on Saturday, April 20th, countless organizations are hosting events in different neighborhood areas.
GreenRoots is holding an Earth Day celebration at the Urban Wild at 300 Condor Street from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., which will include clean-ups, tree plantings, and more.
The organization is planning to provide breakfast and lunch. For more information, visit https://greenrootsej.org/get-involved/events/earth-day-2024.
The Friends of Belle Isle Marsh is inviting all comers to a cleanup of the marsh, which is also sponsored by the Department of Conservation and Recreation from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Those interested in attending should meet at the CVS at 1150 Saratoga Street.
Organizers noted that participants should wear boots and that supplies like gloves and trash bags will be provided.
The Harbor View Neighborhood Association is inviting residents to participate in a Love Your Block cleanup event from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Participants should meet at the Brooke Charter School on Byron Street to clean up several areas in the neighborhood.
Friends of the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway is holding an Earth Day cleanup from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Those interested in attending should meet at the Gove Street Greenway crossing. There are plans for general cleanup, and there will be snacks.
The Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) is hosting a Love Your Block cleanup at 10:00 a.m. to spruce up three locations: the Garden at 243 Border Street, the Urban Wild at 310 Condor Street, and the planters outside its office at 143 Border Street.
For more information on NOAH’s event, email Manlio Mendez at [email protected].
Mothers Out Front East Boston is holding a cleanup for areas like Border Street, Meridian Street, and more at 10:00 a.m. Participants should meet at Central Square Park; tree mulching, litter pickup, and more will be planned.
The Harborkeepers are also planning a cleanup of the Boston East Shoreline scheduled for 10:00 a.m.
In addition to all the cleanups mentioned above, Speak for the Trees, in conjunction with the East Boston Public Library, is hosting a tree identification walk to celebrate Earth Day.
The tree identification walk, which will begin at the library on Bremen Street from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will teach participants more about trees and their importance.
For more information about the event, you can visit https://treeboston.org/events/event/tree-id-walk-east-boston-public-library/.
After a jam-packed day of events on Saturday, several groups, including Extinction Rebellion Boston (XR), Mothers Out Front, and Eastie Farm, are hosting a Jenga event at Eastie Farm’s greenhouse at 6 Chelsea Terrace on Sunday, April 21st, at 2:00 p.m.
At this event, residents can play a giant version of Jenga and learn more about “biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse,” according to XR’s website.
If the weekend events left you wanting more, you are in luck, as more events are scheduled for next week to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day.
On Monday, April 22nd, Earth Day, Eastie Farm, in collaboration with organizations like Friends of the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway, Tree Eastie, and more, is holding a community work day from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Participants will meet at Eastie Farm’s Green House at 6 Chelsea Terrace as part of this event. There will be a short conversation about Earth Day, and then folks will go to different areas like Eagle Hill, Gove Street, and Jeffries Point to take on various tasks.
Other aspects of the event include a collaboration between the city’s Green Infrastructure Department, Eastie Farm’s Climate Corps, and staff to rehab and maybe even install a new rain garden, tree planting with Tree Eastie, planting at Eastie Farm sites, and more.
Late next week, Tree Eastie will hold events to celebrate Arbor Day. Specifically, Tree Eastie and the city’s Parks Department will plant trees and perform maintenance at Memorial Park on Arbor Day — Friday, April 26th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Additionally, Tree Eastie will plant nine new trees in Brophy Park on Saturday, April 27th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to replace trees that were lost in a wind storm last year.
Finally, another upcoming event to keep an eye on is a Block Party and Spring Kick-off ride on Saturday, May 4th, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The event, hosted by Bike Winthrop, which is partnering with groups like the Friends of Belle Isle Marsh, is set to take place on Morton Street between Douglas and Read Streets in Winthrop.
There are plans for a kids’ bike ride at 11:30 a.m., a group greenway ride at 1:00 p.m., and other activities. The event will also allow folks to learn more about a proposal to extend the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway into Winthrop. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/BikeWinthrop/.
Ultimately, there are tons of events coming up for residents looking to get involved in their neighborhood.
“It’s so important, especially for us in environmental justice communities, to tackle local environmental issues, improve our health, and work together to create positive change right where we live,” wrote Chan.
For more information about all of these events and rain dates, visit bit.ly/EarthWeekEastBoston.