The Importance of Land Acknowledgements 

Thank you for joining us at this year’s Glow Gala! We had a dazzling time, filled with friends, food, dancing, silent auctions, raffles, Eco-Art and, most of all, fun coupled with amazing generosity! As we commemorated 20 years of the Green Team, our current members took the stage to share stories about their very first job—being part of the Green Team! We hit our fundraising goal, and for that we offer a heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for your unwavering support. The money raised will help Groundwork Lawrence plant more trees, offer more cooking classes, pay our Green Team members a fair wage, and continue our community programming. The Eco-Art gallery featured many interesting and beautiful pieces focused on one of the 4 Rs—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair, including a piece by former Green Team leader and staff member Hannah Muhlfelder. Our board outdid themselves with beautiful baskets for silent auction, and a special thank you to Mayor Brian DePeña, City Council President Marc Laplante, and City Councilor Jeovanny Rodriguez. Thank you to everyone who made Glow such a special night—we can’t wait to see you again next year. Mark your calendar now - November 21, 2024!

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On November 8th, The Barr Foundation in Boston hosted a gathering of leaders focused on exploring the question: how can the social sector advance climate justice? The event emphasized the need toprioritize equity in addressing environmental challenges, underscoring the importance of understanding how our efforts impact communities and how the responsibility of this work is shared by all of us.

The event brought together a diverse group of speakers including Kalila Barnett, Senior Program Officer for Climate Resilience at Barr Foundation, Kate Grundy, Executive Director of Devonshire Foundation, Marissa Zampino, Community Organizer at Mystic River Watershed Association, and GWL’s Director of Community Programs, Eddie Rosa. These individuals, deeply involved in climate justice initiatives, engaged in an interactive panel discussion that delved into the challenges faced and the emergent opportunities that could propel climate justice work forward. Participants also explored strategies to prioritize grassroots nonprofits and the communities they serve in their collective efforts. Another important opportunity of the panel was expressing the need for philanthropic dollars to be more flexible and less prescriptive when funding projects and programs. The event served as a platform for knowledge exchange, leaving panelists and participants inspired and equipped with new perspectives to further the work of climate justice. 

Dayanna De La Rosa is Groundwork Lawrence’s first Urban Agriculture Manager. Working at GWL allows her to serve her community in a realm that is nature-based and fills her heart and soul. In her new position, she is most excited to have the opportunity to hold space for community building in a way that will remind the community of the fact that they are nature itself. Prior to joining Groundwork, Dayanna served as farmer at the nonprofit Gaining Ground where she practiced regenerative farming and led and educated volunteer groups. Dayanna’s experience in farming, biodiversity, and leadership makes her an integral part of the GWL team! Learn more about Dayanna and the rest of our amazing staff on our website.

Apple of My Eye: 

The Feaster Five Thanksgiving Day Road Race! 

On the morning of November 23rd, the Merrimack Valley will buzz with excitement as the annual Feaster Five Thanksgiving Day Road Race kicks off! Since its inception in 1988, the race has been a cherished tradition, drawing in over 10,000 participants– one of Massachusetts' largest races and a Thanksgiving Day favorite in New England! And what’s sweeter? A little bonus prize to all Feaster Five finishers – a delicious Table Talk Apple Pie to savor at the end of the race! The Merrimack Valley Striders have been generous partners of ours and of the community at large. Proceeds from the Feaster Five are donated to Merrimack Valley non-profits. We greatly appreciate being one of the beneficiaries this year! Good luck to all of the racers and we hope to see you there! 

Interested in signing up for the race? Want to volunteer? There’s still time to sign up! Check out the Feaster Five website for more information! 

The Spicket River is one of Lawrence's natural gems. Beginning in Hampstead, NH, the final few miles of this 18-mile long tributary of the Merrimack flow through Lawrence. GWL has worked to improve the health of the Spicket River for over 20 years--we’ve removed thousands of pounds of trash from the river, cleaned up contaminated riverfront sites, and created parks along the river’s banks. Now we’ve partnered with the Cities of Methuen and Lawrence as well as the Merrimack River Watershed Council to develop the Spicket River Watershed Based Plan. The plan develops solutions to improve the river’s health and make Lawrence and Methuen eligible for funding to reduce pollution in the river. To develop the plan, the team surveyed residents about their perceptions of the river, collected water quality data to identify the types of pollution in the river, and engineers have been reviewing ways to improve infrastructure to reduce pollution in the river. Bacteria and phosphorus have been identified as the primary pollutants impacting the river’s health. The sources of these pollutants are generally associated with pet waste, fertilizer, and failing septic systems. Please join the team for one of the public meetings to learn more. We welcome questions you may have about the work.The meetings will be held on December 5 at Nevins Library in Methuen and December 6 at the Lawrence Public Library. Both meetings are at 7pm.