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May 2023 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Bee Mindful - The World Is Ours to Build

Remember that consciousness is power. Tomorrow's world is yours to build. -Yuri Kochiyama

Showing Up - Rain or Shine

Our Earth Day celebration was nothing short of a success because of all of our fabulous volunteers and partner organizations. In spite of the possibility of rain (that held off till later that day!), we were joined by 300 volunteers who spent their Saturday morning across 12 sites in the city sweeping, raking, removing trash, and cleaning sites. We are so proud of our volunteers for all their work in contributing to the beauty and upkeep of our public parks and open spaces.    In addition to all of our volunteers, we want to extend a special thank you to community organization Elevated Thought and the Lawrence Public Library for tabling during the event with snacks, seeds and planters, and information about all of their wonderful program offerings. We also want to thank Lawrence Public Schools for lunch and our amazing sponsors ReVision Energy, Lawrence General Hospital, the City of Lawrence, and the Department of Public Works!

Better Breathing For All: Air Quality Dashboard

Groundwork Lawrence’s efforts around air quality monitoring started as part of the Resilient Corridors project. Looking at the way urban heat and poor air quality were linked, it is also a way to examine the correlation between those factors and the rise of chronic disease. We launched the work with an initial first run of 10 air quality monitors placed around Lawrence that let us test sites, refine the process, identify challenges, and work through the bugs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) then provided a grant so that environmental justice communities could get air quality monitors and we continued the work with lessons learned in hand.    By placing air quality monitors throughout the city, we collaborated with partner organizations including Lawrence CommunityWorks (LCW), Si Se Puede, and Lawrence Public Schools (LPS) and they got on board with supporting a monitor at their sites. With 10 active sensors throughout the 7 square miles of the city, we are able to collect statistically significant data. Using the gathered information, we are creating a dashboard that will serve as a repository and graphic representation of the air quality data, making it easily accessible to residents and allowing us to share the information more widely through websites, social media, and other engagement tools. This will, hopefully, help inform people about their environment and how to go about their day’s activities in the city in a safer, cooler way.   Next step of this project? We’ll be working the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (GLFHC) to share what this data means for Lawrence residents and their health and what they can do to keep themselves healthy.

The Friendly Pollinator:  The Beauty of the Bee

This time of year, we love taking a walk in and around Lawrence - along the Spicket River Greenway or through Den Rock Park or so many other wonderful spaces – admiring the foliage and flowers sprouting up around our city. You may have spotted Daffodils and Blue Stars popping up around the city, or admired the flowering trees in our parks and lining the streets (many of which have been planted by our Tree Guys). You don't have to look far to see that there are flora and fauna all around the city. The flowers are not only beautiful to look at, bees absolutely love them. Bees are pollinators, meaning they transfer pollen and seeds from one flower to another, fertilizing the plant so it can grow and produce food. Often bees get a bad rap and are lumped together with wasps and the aptly named “Murder Hornet” but the lovely bumblebee, mason bee, and honeybee are non-aggressive species that humans need to thrive and survive. In fact, these bees contribute to the production and proliferation of vast quantities of the food we eat today. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), approximately 90% of wild plants and 75% of crops around the globe depend on pollination.     Surprisingly enough, bees can be found in many different locations including marshes, sand dunes, soft cliffs, wetlands, quarries, gravel pits, sea walls and even post-industrial land. 1 With all of the natural and diverse habitats that exist in Lawrence bees can be found all over our community. Whether you are having a picnic at Storrow Park, or taking a short walk along the Merrimack River Trail, or just going about your day's activities, enjoy it while co-existing with our friendly bees. So, the next time you see a bee buzzing past you, say hi—it’s likely that bee was responsible for producing the veggies you’re eating at dinner, or the bouquet you received for your birthday!

💡Did You Know? Bees have smelly feet? Scientists from the University of Bristol have discovered that bumblebees have the ability to use their ‘smelly footprints’ to distinguish  between their own scent and the scent of other bees.

Summer Farmers Markets Are Here

It's always exciting as the seasons change. As we leave winter (and spring) behind, our summer markets are getting ready for their debut. Our 2023 summer market season will begin Wednesday June 14 and runs through the end of October. Three days a week (Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays) at three different locations, you can find a market convenient (and fun!) for you.  Check out our flyer for times and locations. Join us, your neighbors, and future friends in supporting local farmers and producers.  And be sure to stop by our last winter season farmers market on Saturday, May 27 from 10-4pm at 50 Island Street, Entrance B.   We Accept / Aceptamos  Cash, Debit, Credit, EBT/SNAP/Food Stamps, HIP, WIC, Senior Coupons, and Groundwork Lawrence coupons.   Interested in being a vendor at one of our markets?  Since 2016 our four markets combined reached over 100,000 customers, and in 2022 we had a total of $616,461 in sales. Check out our guidelines and application form and contact Maria to get involved!

Cometa, Chichigua, Chiringa: Celebrating the Kite/ S.A.L.S.A. FestivalKite

What do you call 🪁? Kite Select Chichigua Select Papagayo Select Cometa Select Chiringa Select Another word not listed Select There is something nostalgic about kite flying--reminding us of the joys of childhood. Whether used for sport or recreationally, for religious holidays, or to showcase changing seasons, kites play an important role in our communities. Our annual Kite Festival, in partnership with Lawrence’s S.A.L.S.A. event (Supporting Active Lifestyles for All), is an exciting family-friendly gathering for all Lawrence residents to enjoy!    GWL’s Kite Festival engages participants in the history, creation, & practice of kite flying. The event offers music & kite activities and gives folks the opportunity to meet organizations providing healthy-living resources and participate in fun activities, and games. The Kite Festival also serves as a kick-off for Lawrence’s free summer meal program. This year’s festival is scheduled on Saturday, June 3rd from 11-3pm at Pemberton State Park. Groundwork Lawrence extends a special thank you to the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, UMass Nutrition, Lawrence Public Schools Summer Meals Program, Lawrence Cultural Council, and Mass Cultural Council for providing and sponsoring health and community resources to our residents.

Fun Volunteer Opportunities at Costello! The smell of fresh dirt and grass clippings are familiar scents at GWL's Urban Farm at Costello Park and signal that planting season has begun! Our largest food production site, Costello carves out 19,600 square feet of growing space. Just this past year, we harvested 2400 lbs. of produce and grew 20 diverse crops including baby spinach, cabbage, arugula, carrots, asparagus, tomatoes, garlic, eggplant, potatoes, peppers, onions, scallions, and leeks. Costello also serves as a work site for our So Fresh Green Team cohort and hosts volunteers (individuals and groups) that spend time getting their hands into the soil to help grow good food. One of the things we love about Costello is all of the student visitors we get over the course of the year! Students learn so many valuable skills through the lens of growing food, gain appreciation of the importance of the environment in both Lawrence and the country, and participate in hands-on, rewarding projects.    Get your hands dirty and sign up for a volunteer session at Costello Urban Farm! Whether you want to spend an hour planting, weeding, harvesting or looking for a day of helping out with farm maintenance, we welcome volunteers of all ages and abilities to join us for a day at the farm. Sign up to volunteer today or email Eddie for more information!

Changing Systems:  Resources on Environmental Justice

Our feature “Changing Systems” has been a welcome addition to our newsletters. Providing resources to our community on topics we are passionate about is important to us, and Kochiyama reminds us of the importance of building a world we are proud to call home. This month, we want to share Farming While Black written by Leah Penniman and recommended by Gladys Wangeci (she/they), a Kenyan-born writer, teacher, and activist living in Lawrence, Massachusetts.     Wangeci writes, “In Farming While Black, Leah Penniman has put together a philosophical, poetic and practical guide on how to live off the land and honor it in a symbiotic way. The book, written in 16 chapters to mirror the 16 tenants of the Ifa, a religious practice in the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria, outlines how to buy land, cultivate it, what texts to read to decolonize your philosophy of land, and how to honor indigenous deities of the land.”   Additionally, in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we also want to spotlight Yuri Kochiyama. Kochiyama, a Japanese American political and civil rights activist who spent her life working with leaders like Malcolm X to end race-based discrimination and contribute to the liberation of people of color across the United States and the world. Kochiyama is the author of memoir, “Passing It On” first published in 2004.   Check out  these great books and more at your local public library, purchase them from your favorite bookstore, or from our community partner and local Lawrence bookstore, El Taller Cafe & Bookstore.  If you would like more resources, please reach out to Dariana for more information.

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www.groundworklawrence.org

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