...And the Green Globe Awards Go to...

Seventeen amazing individuals and organizations were nominated online by their neighbors for the First Annual Southie Green Globe Awards. After thoughtful deliberation, six nominees were selected by the Green Globe Awards Committee to be awarded with special thanks and recognized for their work towards a greener and healthier Southie.

Awards Ceremony and Celebration will be held on Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 7:00 pm at the Distillery. Optional mixing and mingling from 6:00 - 7:00 and 8:00 - 9:00 pm. RSVP and details. All are welcome to attend!

And the awards go to...drum roll please!....

Taking Time to Say Thank You

Please join Planet Southie & Friends for the
First Annual Green Globe Awards and
3 Year Anniversary Celebration!  
Thursday, September 26, 2013
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm (Awards Ceremony at 7:00 pm)
The Distillery Building, 516 East Second Street, South Boston, MA
Please RSVP here.

Nominate a neighbor below:

Announcing the First Annual Planet Southie 

Green Globe Awards!

August 22 Meeting Focus on Green-space and Development: Advocating for our quality of life

Tree cut on E 4th Street this week despite opposition

Development in South Boston is feeling increasingly out of control and is chugging along with little regard for our community members' quality of life.

Why aren't our families' needs for green spaces, trees, gardens, safety and other essentials more valued in planning? Who's benefiting? Certainly not Southie families.

Let's talk about it at the August Planet Southie Monthly Meeting!

Special Guests:
South Boston Grows
Southie Trees
More!


Meeting Details:

When: Thursday, August 22, 2013 from 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Where: The Distillery Building, 516 E 2nd Street, South Boston

As always, all are welcome at Planet Southie

***Post-Meeting Wrap Up***

Thanks to all who participated!

Great meeting with a civil and constructive conversation on the topics, including insights into the history and process of development in our neighborhood.

We plan to collaborate with neighbors, Southie Trees, neighborhood associations, elected officials and others on Good Neighbor Agreements and  the Master Plan process. Stay tuned!

Climate Change Focus at July 25 Planet Southie Meeting

Please join us on Thursday, July 25 from 6:30 - 7:30 pm at the Distillery Building. 

Why 350ppm? Find out here!

The meeting will open with a brief presentation by 350MA about the current state of climate change and its impact on human health.

For the remainder of the meeting, we will break out into small groups based on interest (ex: climate, bike, transit, walking, etc.).

As always, all are welcome at Planet Southie!




Meeting Details:

What: Montly Planet Southie Meeting: Focus on Climate Change
When: Thursday, July 25, 2013 from 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Where: The Distillery Building, 516 E 2nd Street, South Boston

I want a livable planet for my kid: One Southie mom's thoughts on climate change

Hey there residents of Planet Southie, it's Stefanie.

Some of you know me from Planet Southie meetings (I usually facilitate). This is a very different kind of blog post. 

Olivia and me

We usually blog about boring (but important) stuff, like meetings. Ultimately, the topic of climate change is a personal one, so this is a very personal post. It's also very long (sorry) and kinda intense (yikes). While climate change evokes images of far away polar bears and icecaps, the reality of it literally hits home when we start to think practically about what it means for our community and our families (more extreme weather, power outages, disease, stress, scarcity, etc.). Because my background is in public health and human rights, I tend to focus on how climate impacts people (not that I don’t love polar bears too).

As many of you know, Aaron and I became parents last year. You may have met our beautiful daughter Olivia (especially if you ride the #9 bus!). Since Olivia's arrival, we have felt an even greater urgency to confront climate head on. About three years ago, we started Planet Southie with hopes to connect with our neighbors to cultivate homegrown solutions (and it's worked!), but we have shied away from the term “climate change” out of silly worries over controversy. Time to stop worrying what people think and just go for it.

On Sunday, July 7: Sniff out gas leaks and walking hazards

On Sunday, July 7  from 4:00 - 6:00 pm, South Boston residents are invited to help reduce our utility bills, make our neighborhood safer, and fight climate change by participating in a walking hazard/gas leak-detection effort. 

Why are we mapping walking hazards?

Faded crosswalks, sidewalks with out curb ramps, perilous intersections and poor lighting are among the hazards that seniors, kids, people in wheel chairs and baby stollers, and other pedestrians face daily in South Boston. When reported, these are easily and affordably fixed and the payoff is big. A walkable community benefits small local businesses, has less crime, fewer cars, healthier people and, of course, fewer injuries.

Join us for the July 7 waking hazards/gas leaks mapping event to help document and report these hazards to make it easier for the City of Boston to know where they need to make repairs. We will use resources provided by WalkBoston to map and report walk hazards.

Why are we mapping gas leaks?

Many gas pipelines are old or leak-prone and we, the consumers, pay the cost. As reported by Clean Water Action, natural gas companies collected nearly $40 million in 2010 from customers statewide for gas that never made it to our homes. In Boston alone, recent scans detected over 3000 gas leaks. These leaks also release methane into the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

June 27 mtg cancelled. Stay tuned for announcement about walk hazards/gas leaks mapping opportunity!

Hi from the Planet Southie team,

We just wanted to make two quick announcements:

1) Tomorrow's (6/27) monthly Planet Southie meeting is cancelled. 

2) Stay tuned for info about a Summer gas leaks and walk hazard mapping project! We will be needing lots of volunteers to help. Equipment will be provided by the Northeastern scientist doing gas leaks the study. More about gas leaks and why they matter to Southie below. While we are mapping the gas leaks, we might as will also document walking hazards to boost our walk safety advocacy.

Sorry for the short notice about the meeting. We were hoping to confirm the gas leaks/walk mapping date in advance of sending out the newsletter. We will make an exception to our "one email a month" rule and send out an announcement about that mapping date asap.

Many thanks and stay cool,

The Planet Southie Team

PS: South Boston Grows would like to share an announcement about a very important meeting tonight to support open space and organic food growing in our neighborhood. Tonight 6:30 pm at the Condon School. Info about the meeting and how to volunteer in the garden this summer.

Planet Southie Meeting 5/23: It's Time to Fix Gas Leaks in South Boston!

Look what's lost in the pipeline (click image to enlarge)

A high percentage of our pipelines are old or leak-prone, and we pay the cost. 

Natural gas companies collected nearly $40 million in 2010 from customers for gas that never arrived or got consumed. Customers are unwittingly signing big checks back to the gas companies for this polluting “gift.”

And if all that wasted money isn't bad enough: Gas leaks underneath Boston are releasing methane – a very potent greenhouse gas – at an alarming rate. Methane is 20 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2.  Read more here.

At the next Planet Southie meeting, we will strategize a neighborhood gas leak mapping project to find potentially hazardous leaks; advocate for their repair; and keep our hard-earned cash from leaking out the distribution pipelines. Planet Southie Bike, Walk and Transit Teams will meet after this brief discussion.

Please join us at the next Planet Southie Meeting!
Thursday May 23, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: The Distillery Building 516 East 2nd St, South Boston

As always, all are welcome!

On Tuesday, May 25: Share our dream for Southie with Rep. Linda Forry

We have arranged for a meeting with Rep. Linda Forry to share a green healthy vision for South Boston. At the April monthly meeting, neighbors met to imagine and share dreams for our community. This vision will guide our work. Please feel welcome to add your own ideas as well!

Above is some of what was envisioned at the April meeting.
On May 21, we will share this vision with Rep. Forry. Click to enlarge image.

Meeting Details:

Tuesday, May 25, 2013
5:00 - 6:00 pm
At the Distillery

Please RSVP here.

As always, all are welcome at Planet Southie!

le TOUR de SOUTHIE

Join Planet Southie Bikes for a casual bicycle ride around the neighborhood. Nicole Freedman, Director of Boston Bikes, will be our special guest for the ride. Nicole will share with us the City's plans for bicycle lanes that may be in the works for Southie residents, and we will also have the opportunity to share our thoughts about what its like to ride here and where we'd like to see improvements.

Cyclists of all abilities are encouraged to attend. Please keep in mind that we'll be sharing the road with other vehicles. Helmets & smiles mandatory.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 6:30pm
450 West Broadway - Parking lot

Facebook Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/544095912299557/

Looking forward to seeing you there!