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Earth Day 2022
take the sustainability questionnaire
The Framingham Sustainability Committee is looking for your feedback on climate change, sustainability, and ways that they can support the community. Take the survey using the links below:
- Framingham Sustainability Survey - English
- Framingham Sustainability Survey - Portuguese
- Framingham Sustainability Survey - Spanish
BECOME MORE SUSTAINABLE
There're a variety of ways to help our planet this Earth Day, April 22, 2022. To learn more about opportunities you can take advantage of to become more energy efficient, protect the environment, reduce waste, and save money in the process, take a look at the list of actions and resources below:
attend the Framingham earth day festival
Join members of the community from 11 am - 3 pm on Saturday, April 23, 2022 at the Framingham Earth Day Festival. In addition to live music, interactive art, and activities for children, the Festival will be a great opportunity to learn more about what the community is doing to be more sustainable and how you can help!
Please see the flyers below for more information:
- Framingham Earth Day Flyer - English
- Framingham Earth Day Flyer - Portuguese
- Framingham Earth Day Flyer - Spanish
Learn about our climate
- Check out last year's Rising to the Challenge series: Organized by the Framingham Public Libraries, the Rising to the Challenge: Adapting to Life in a Changing Climate series offers an array of events, activities, and resources to learn about climate change and how to become more sustainable and resilient. Click here or on the image below to visit the Framingham Public Libraries landing page for this series.
- Learn about local climate resiliency efforts - did you know that the City conducted a Community Resiliency Workshop in 2019 that helped our community plan for the impacts of climate change? You can learn more about Framingham's strengths and vulnerabilities as well as priority actions that the City is working on to improve local climate resiliency in its Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Report.
IMPROVE YOUR ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY
- Search for energy savings at home - Celebrate Earth Day by scheduling a no-cost Home Energy Assessment that can help you save energy, lower your monthly utility bill, and make your home more comfortable by keeping the right temperature inside all year round! Visit FraminghamMA.gov/SaveEnergy today for more information and to get started.
- Adjust your thermostats – turning down your heating or air conditioning setpoints by a few degrees can make a big difference over time in energy and cost savings and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Even more, using thermostat setbacks when you are not in your home to turn the temperature 7 - 8 degrees from its normal setting could help you save 10% or more a year on cooling and heating costs.
- Learn about clean energy technologies - Learn about how solar panels, air-source heat pumps, and ground-source heat pumps (geothermal) work and about how you can explore these technologies can work for your home. While the MetroWest Solar + Clean Heat Challenge has ended, the program's website still provides a solid background on the benefits of these technologies and incentives that may be available to help you install them.
SAVE WATER & Protect local water resources
- Check your faucets and showerheads – did you know that the average household's water leaks can account for nearly 10,000 gallons of water wasted per year? Even small leaks can contribute to large wastes of water and energy; check your faucets and showerheads to make sure they are completely off when not in use.
- Turn off your faucet when brushing – even a simple measure like turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth can have a big impact and help you save over 200 gallons of water per month if done consistently!
- Get involved with the Conservation Commission - Check out the Conservation Commission's page on ways that you can support the local environment by working with your local Conservation Commission.
- Reduce your use of pesticides and fertilizers in lawn care and use green alternatives - the use of excess fertilizers and pesticides on your lawn and garden can contribute to polluting local ponds, bays, reservoirs, and other bodies of water. Check out the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection's tips for designing and caring for your landscaping.
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
- Utilize local library resources - use your library card to access Framingham Public Libraries' Library of Things to borrow games, tools, consumer electronics and more.
- Learn the right way to recycle - check out the Waste Wizard to learn more about the proper way to recycle different types of items and wherever possible, try to cut out disposable plastics like bottles, straws, and bags to avoid them going into the waste stream.
- Recycle old cooking oil - did you know that you can give a new life to old cooking oil in powering diesel engines and home heating systems? Check out the DPW's page on this for more information on how you can recycle cooking oil at the City's Recycling Drop-Off Center (RDC).
- Think before you print – unless it is to sign, draw, or write, try to read documents on your computer as opposed to printing them out and use two-sided printing to minimize paper and ink use.
- Plant seeds from fruits and vegetables – whether in your backyard or in household pots with good access to sunlight, try growing plants from the seeds of fruits or vegetables like peppers or tomatoes as a great way to jump into gardening.
- Compost at home when possible - composting is a great way to divert materials from the solid waste stream while also enhancing the health of a home garden. Check out the DPW's page on composting to get some helpful tips.