Welcome to the 2012 Green Up Clean Up season!

Green Up Clean Up is the award winning [2011 EPA Environmental Merit Award] program organized by Grace Episcopal Church in Medford, MA.  Through this program members of the church coordinate with members of the Medford Community,  the City of Medford, other local organizations and businesses to run Clean Ups of local parks and green spaces.  Past clean ups have included picking up trash, spreading mulch, pruning, weeding, painting, and more.  It is through this effort that we are able to stretch our tax dollars further by having the City provide the materials, while we provide the labor to improve our parks.

We are very excited to announce several upcoming Green Up Clean Up dates for 2012:

Saturday April 14, 1-3PM - Fells entrance at Winthrop St., Gate 1 - This is our first Clean Up at a DCR site!  We will be picking up trash around the trailhead that leads into the fells at this location.   

Saturday April 28 -  9:30 AM Earth Day Events in Medford Sq, 10:30 AM Mystic River at the Condon Shell.  Green Up Clean Up will be participating in Medford's Earth Day festivities this year, come meet us at our table at 1 City Hall Mall, the new site of the Medford Farmers Market.  Sign up for our email list, learn about upcoming Clean Ups and participate in the activities and clean up in Medford Square.   At 10:30 we will have a group joining the Friends of the Mystic River for their annual cleanup.  Our group will meet at the Condon Shell at 10:30 to do our part!  http://www.fomr.org/

Saturday May 5, 9AM - Noon -   Wright's Pond and Trails - Join us for our annual Wright's Pond Clean Up!  This is our biggest event,  organized by Rev. Noah Evans.   This year we're going to venture onto the trails next to the pond as well as the public swimming areas.  Please join us, there is always a lot to do here!

Saturday May 5 - 10AM - 1PM Brooks Estate - As is our tradition, we will be sending a group to help at the Brooks Estate annual clean up.   http://www.brooksestate.org/ 

Other Clean Ups that are still being organized for this Spring include Magoun Park, Victory Park & Logan Park.

If you are interested in helping with this effort, we could use a few more park leaders, donations of clean up supplies and snacks for the workers!  

For more details on the roles, and the type of work we can typically do at the clean ups,  please see the Team Leaders link on the Green Up Clean Up webpage: http://gracemedford.org/greenupcleanup/

We are also interested in hearing from you about which parks need attention or should have a Clean Up this year.   Please email us at greenupcleanup@gracemedford.org to let us know which parks you would like to see a Clean Up at.  We cannot do every park and green space in Medford, so we will try to focus our efforts where people see the greatest need.  

Clean Up Summary:

• Saturday April 14, 1-3PM - Fells entrance at Winthrop St., Gate 1 - Lydia Coty Gay

• Saturday April 28 -  9:30 AM Earth Day Events in Medford Sq  - Alicia Hunt

• Saturday April 28 - 10:30 AM Mystic River River Cleanup - Margaret Smist

• Saturday May 5, 9AM-Noon -   Wright's Pond and Trails - Rev. Noah Evans

• Saturday May 5 -  Brooks Estate - Allison Andrews 

• TBD Logan Park - The Hamel Family

TBD Magoun Park

• TBD Victory Park 

The 2012 Green Up Clean Up Organizing Committee

Alicia Hunt

Margaret Smist

Vin Maganzini

Lydia Cotty Gay

Daniel Smith

Green Up Clean Up: Park Leader Role

To coordinate so many park cleanups around town, we have found it helpful to clearly lay out what is expected from our volunteer Park Leaders and what they can expect from the GreenUp CleanUp Organizing Team.

Usually we divide the work as follows:

Park leader

• Picks a date
• Decides what work needs to be done at the park and lets the organizers know what your recommendations are for the park (email to greenupcleanup@gracemedford.org)
• Does local outreach to people who use the park or live/work nearby. (If at a special location, coordinate with that location, e.g., Brooks Estate Trustees, Friends of the Mystic River)
• Is in charge the day of the cleanup
• Sets up at the beginning and cleans up at the end of that cleanup.

Green Up Clean Up Organizing Committee

• Coordinates all the dates
• Communicates with the City about what materials and tools are needed on each date for each park cleanup; they make any special arrangements that might be necessary (e.g., getting bathrooms opened out of season for volunteers, unlocking parking lot gates for the clean up, etc)
• Does central & city-wide outreach, including email, press releases (but Park Leaders are welcome to do this as well)
• Maintains the webpage:   http://gracemedford.org/greenupcleanup
• Brings the large lemonade cooler, cups
• Brings work gloves, garbage, recycling & yard waste bags

Snacks and Beverages
Some year we have a volunteer who is able to solicit donations of food and beverages (coffee, water) for the cleanups.  Sometimes the Park Leader organizes snack, either through donations or bringing something on their own.   For 2012 we don't yet have a volunteer (yet) to organize this, and we'd be happy to have someone volunteer, or for businesses to contact us directly.

Examples of Clean Up Activities
We are happy to report to the City Park's Department whatever you want them to hear about the park.  Typical activities they are able to support us doing include:

• Raking
• Sweeping sand
• Picking up trash and recycling
• Spreading mulch (they have provided mulch, shovels, wheel barrows)
• Spreading safety wood chips (they have provided wood chips, shovels, wheel barrows)
• Spreading sand (they provided sand, shovels, wheel barrows, rakes)
• Pulling weeds
• Removing graffiti (the City has special graffiti removal cleaner)
• Painting (the City has provided paint, brushes)
• Pruning (sometimes the City will send one of their staff with power tools)
• Planting flowers and sprucing up local gardens

The City is happy to supply the tools and supplies we need, within their budget, provided we make the request in a timely manner and it is something they have available.

If you are interested in organizing a Clean Up, but you're not sure where, or what to do,  members of the organizing committee and the Medford Parks Department have recommendations on locations that could use volunteer help.


Thank you for volunteering!
Green Up Clean Up Committee
Grace Medford
greenupcleanup@gracemedford.org

GreenUp CleanUp Archive from 2011

This post is an archive of the 2011 GreenUp CleanUp page.  Please see http://gracemedford.org/greenupcleanup for the latest information.

Join Grace Church in our 2nd spring GreenUp CleanUp of Medford's Parks & Open Spaces

Grace Church is continuing its parish-wide environmental stewardship program, Greening Grace.  This spring in partnership with the City of Medford and numerous local businesses we will host the 2nd annual GreenUp CleanUp to clean up Medford's parks and open spaces.

Join Us! for 2011 CleanUps

• April 9th - Grace Church
• April 30th - Mystic River CleanUp with Friends of the Mystic River,  Condon Shell - 10 AM - Margaret Smist
• May 7th - Carr Park - 1-3 PM Cecilia Talamantes & Joni Cyr
• May 14th - 9AM-12PM Wrights Pond - Rev. Noah Evans
• May 14th - Brooks Estate - Allison Andrews
• POSTPONED: May 15th - 1-3 PM Playstead Park - Medford Brownie Troop 65007 
• May 22nd -  1-3 PM Playstead Park - Medford Brownie Troop 65007
• June 4th - 10AM-12PM Barry Park - Chris DesAutels
• June 18th - 9-11 AM Cummings Park - Laura Brereton
• June 18th - 1:30-3:30 PM Roberts School Grounds - Jaeda Hamel 
• August 27th - 9AM - 12PM Tufts Park 

You do not need to be a member of Grace Church to lead a park cleanup!  Interested in leading a cleanup at a park or open space or making a donation to the project? Contact greenupcleanup@gracemedford.org to discuss how you can help!

Google Map updated for 2011

View GreenUp CleanUp in a larger map

If you have questions about the GreenUp CleanUp project, please email the team at GreenUpCleanUp@gracemedford.org or speak to a member of the team:

• Margaret Smist
• Alicia Hunt

We look forward to together as a parish with the greater community to achieve our mission of preserving God's green earth!

Complete listing of blog posts on GreenUp CleanUp

Two GreenUp CleanUps this weekend

Join us for not one, but two GreenUp CleanUps this Saturday, June 18th:

• Cummings Park - 9-11 AM led by Laura Brereton
• Roberts Elementary School Grounds 1:30-3:30 PM led by 3rd grader Jaeda Hamel

Come to one or both and lend a hand picking up trash, raking leaves and generally making our green and open spaces nicer for our kids and friends.

These are the last two scheduled this spring unless some additional leaders step forward to lead another park cleanup. Don't miss your chance to make a difference.

Green Up Clean Up Events this weekend plus a Memorial Tree Planting for Richard Lee

There are several Green Up Clean Up community park cleanups this weekend and we hope many of you can attend one or more of them.

On Satruday, May 14, 2011, from 9AM to Noon is the clean up at Wright's Pond. There is much to do there, including gardening, in addition to the regular cleaning up. Please bring a water bottle, work gloves and dress to work! If you'd like to contribute, but can't go we're accepting donations of perrenials to be planted in the gardens.
Immediately following the cleanup, at noon, the Medford Arts Council, Friends of Wright's Pond, Grace Episcopal Church and the City of Medford invite you to the planting of a memorial tree in honor of Richard Lee, who served the Medford Community and loved our City.
The tree planting portion of the event is sponsored in part by a grant from the Medford Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Also on Saturday, from 10AM to 2PM is the annual spruce up at the Brooks Estate. Green Up Clean Up is sending a group to help with their event. There will be both indoor and outdoor tasks. Volunteers are welcome to come all day, or just for an hour. More information about that event is at http://www.brooksestate.org/events.php

POSTPONED to Sunday May 21st, from 1-3PM is a Green Up Clean Up event at Playstead Park. This event is being led by Brownie Troop 65007 from St Raphael's School. Come help the Brownies rake, pick up litter and paint equipment on Sunday!
For more information about Green Up Clean Up, please see http://gracemedford.org/greenupcleanup
Additional scheduled cleanups include:

June 4th - 10AM-12PM Barry Park - Chris DesAutels

June 18th - 9-11 AM Cummings Park - Laura Brebreton

August 27th - Tufts Park

This entry is cross-posted from Alicia's blog on the Medford Patch.

Successful GreenUp CleanUp at Carr Park

Over 20 adults and children gathered for a community cleanup at Carr Park as part of the Green Up Clean Up effort organized by Grace Church. It was a beautiful spring day and volunteers quickly spread out around the park picking up trash and recycling, raking leaves and painting benches.

Local residents Cecilia Talamantes and Joan Cyr coordinated the efforts of volunteers from the church and local residents. While many people came intentionally to help clean the park, some volunteers joined on the spot. One mother was following her young son who was picking up trash said "We came to play in the park, but he says he doesn't want to play, he wants to help out!" John Falco of the School Committee was at the baseball field with his sons for a little league game, but stopped to help pick up trash and rake leaves while his youngest climbed on the equipment.

Unfortunately after about 50 minutes of cleaning it started to rain and a light sprinkle quickly became a down pour with lighting and thunder. Many of the workers tried to wait out the rain, but eventually they realized that they had done a solid job on the park and there was no end to the rain in sight. They consolidated the bags of trash and recycling down to just a few and loaded the equipment provided by Medford's DPW back onto the DPW truck for later pickup.

It was a rewarding and fun afternoon and we look forward to several more successful community clean ups over the coming weeks:

• May 14th - 9AM-12PM Wrights Pond - Rev. Noah Evans
• May 14th - Brooks Estate - Allison Andrews
• May 15th - 1-3 PM Playstead Park - Medford Brownie Troop 65007
• June 4th - 10AM-12PM Barry Park - Chris DesAutels
• June 18th - 9-11 AM Cummings Park - Laura Brebreton

GreenUp CleanUp 2010

This post is to preserve the contents from the GreenUp CleanUp project for 2010 as we plan the 2011 series of cleanups.

Come join Grace Church in our spring GreenUp CleanUp of Medford's Parks

Grace Church has embarked on a parish-wide environmental stewardship program, Greening Grace.  This spring's GreenUp CleanUp aims to organize over 250 members of the Grace Church and our surrounding community to clean up some of Medford's shared open spaces (such as parks and playgrounds).

• Sunday, April 11th - Kick Off Event at 11:30am for ice cream and information 
• Saturday, April 24th, 10am - 12noon - Mystic River - lending our hands to the Friends of the Mystic River spring cleanup
• Saturday, May 1st, 10am - 12pm - Cummings Park - Ann Frenning Kossuth
• Saturday, May 8th, 10am - 12pm - Brooks Estate- lending our hands to the Brooks Estate Spring Spruce-up
• Saturday, May 15th, 10am - 1pm - Wright's Pond - Jonathan Hunt
• Saturday, May 22nd 
• 9am - 11am - Carr Park - Linda Rogers
  
• 9am - 11am - Barry Park - hris DesAutels
• Saturday, June 5th, 9am - 12pm Capen Street Park - Melanie Tringali

View GreenUp CleanUp in a larger map

Click here if you are having trouble with the form above to volunteer to help with these events

If you have questions about the GreenUp CleanUp project, please email the team at GreenUpCleanUp@gracemedford.org or speak to a member of the team:

• Ann Frenning Kossuth
• Jonathan Hunt
• Rachael Pettengill
• June Pietrantoni
• Linda Rogers
• Margaret Smist
• Chris DesAutels
• Melanie Tringali

We look forward to learning how we can work together as a parish to achieve our mission of preserving God's green earth!

Complete listing of blog posts on GreenUp CleanUp

Update on GreenUp CleanUp at Tufts Park

Tomorrow morning from 9-11am Grace Church is hosting another GreenUp CleanUp to clean Tufts Park! This is a part of the Sept 11th Day of Service.

Tasks include:

• raking sand
• laying out mulch
• planting bulbs
• pruning trees
• weeding the infield
• and hanging out with our neighbors!

Tufts Park is located on Main Street in South Medford.

View Larger Map

If you have any questions, you can contact Rachael Pettengill (rachael@gracemedford.org).

Sign up through the Day of Service site at:
http://diomassintern.eventbrite.com
select Grace, Medford

See you there!

GreenUp CleanUp of Tufts Park - Saturday, September 11th

Grace Church is organizing another Green Up Clean Up. We will be cleaning Tufts Park on Saturday, September 11th from 9-11am. This park clean up will be part of a larger effort to involved the whole Diocese in a Day of Service, our site is one of twelve who will be recruiting people in our community to serve. 

To learn more information and to sign up please visit: http://diomassintern.org/911/Welcome.html or speak with Rachael Pettengill (rachael@gracemedford.org).

Working together in the Lord's name we can move mountains (of leaves)

Today, with the wind blowing hard and the sun shining, a few people started to gather, and then more and eventually we had a crowd gathered together. As Mathew wrote,

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20

The Lord was certainly there in our midst as we toiled and labored to clean up Wright's Pond.  We had an amazing showing from Grace Church, the community of Medford and beyond.  In the short span of a few hours, a few more than 75 people (21 from Grace) collected 113 bags of lawn waste, a half dozen big bags of garbage and several bags of recyclables from around the pond and along the trails.  We also cleaned, scraped and painted three picnic tables, the Wright's Pond letters and the main gate, not to mention all the planting and weeding done in the various flower beds.

In addition to the amazing outcomes from today's work, including some statements like "I have to check that Grace place out" and "Maybe I'll switch teams to Catholic lite," we also experienced some miraculous generosity from the parish and community.  I have been pleasantly shocked by how generous our local businesses have been for this worthy cause.  We had a wonderful lunch today thanks to Kelly's Roast Beef, Mayor Michael J. McGlynn & Whole Foods Medford.  The City of Medford provided tons of tools and supplies as well as access to the parking and bathrooms at Wright's Pond.  We had delicious coffee thanks to the Magnificent Muffin & Bagel Shoppe as well as numerous individual contributors that helped make this amazing day possible.  The Friends of Wright's Pond helped to organize and publicize today's event and we had gloves and pokers thanks to the Friends of the Mystic River.  Thank you to everyone else who volunteered today and help make it happen.

And we are not stopping here.  Next Saturday, we are doubling the stakes and taking on the cleanup of two parks:

Saturday, May 22nd 9-11am

• Barry Park (Chris DesAutels)
• Carr Park (Linda Rogers)

Join us and sign up to volunteer or donate something for GreenUp CleanUp!

Enjoy the slideshow from the event:

Adding 2 More Parks to GreenUp CleanUp

The Cummings Park cleanup on May 1st was amazing with over 50 people working hard to make the park a better place for our community.  They filled 41 lawn waste bags and made countless other improvements.  Stay tuned to hear about the wonderful time from Ann.

As a result of the success at Cummings Park, new leaders from the community have stepped forward and offered to organize additional GreenUp CleanUp events at two other Medford Parks:

• Barry Park on Saturday, May 22nd from 9am-11am (same time as Carr Park on other side of Medford)
• Capen Street Park on Saturday, June 5th from 9am-12noon

Stay tuned for more details about these and other upcoming GreenUp CleanUp events.  For the full list of events and to sign up to help by donating refreshments, equipment and/or your time visit

GreenUp CleanUp

Amazing things happen when you get the community organized around such a wonderful and positive thing.

Mystic River Clean Up a Great Success

For where two or more are gathered together in My Name, I am there in the midst of them."
-- Matthew 18: 19-20

This morning way more than two gathered together in Jesus's name.  By the end of our cleanup we had a crew of 18 from Grace Church and friends in Medford cleaning along the Mystic River.  The kids were especially helpful at reaching under the brush to gather the trash where the adults could not reach.  John Rogers had made some pick-up sticks for us and our friend Joni and Cecilia brought a tiny rake which was perfect for fishing plastic bags and bottles out of the river as well as raking up the numerous broken glass bottles we found.

Check out some of the exciting things we found below in the slide show.  The count for balls, was 3 softballs, 2 lacrosse balls, 2 tennis balls and a couple golf balls.  Ironically, we pulled a receipt from a recycling yard from the river.

Come join us next Saturday, May 1st beginning at 10am at Cummings Park for our next GreenUp CleanUp community gathering and fun cleanup of the park.  We are still looking for some donations, so please let us know by filling out the form at GreenUp CleanUp if you will join us or want to help in another way.

Here are some images from our fun today:


May the Lord be with you!

Happy Earth Day!

Today we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day.  I hope you will take a few minutes today to appreciate the wonderful gifts God has given us and think about what we can all do to help preserve and protect them for ourselves and future generations to come.

Last night's Earth Day Eve Movie Night was great.  We had a fun time learning and experiencing together over pizza, movies, popcorn and ice cream.

Be sure to sign up and join us for our GreenUp CleanUp project.  Our first clean up starts this Saturday at 10am in the Church Parking Lot when we will be helping to clean up the Mystic River.  Margaret is going to register us and get the supplies from the Friends of the Mystic River folks and then we'll head down as a group to the section of the Mystic River we overlook.  Advanced sign ups preferred, but don't let that stop you from coming over Saturday morning.

Happy Earth Day 2010!

Join Us Sunday 4/11 for GreenUp CleanUp Kick Off with Ice Cream

Grace Episcopal Church has embarked on an environmental stewardship program. This spring's "GreenUp CleanUp" effort aims to organize over 250 members of the community to clean up some of Medford's shared open spaces (such as parks and playgrounds).

The organizers will be holding an open information session about the spring "GreenUp CleanUp" at Grace Church at 160 High Street on Sunday, April 11th following the 10 o'clock service.
If you are interested in learning more, please come either to the 10 o'clock service or enter the church hall afterward at 11:30 to enjoy our special GREEN ice cream social!

Also, please visit our GreenUp CleanUp site to learn more about this project and to sign up in advance. One lucky person on the pre-sign-up list will be randomly drawn for a special prize!

Remember, get the '411' on 4/11!

Great CleanUp at Grace

This past Saturday we had great weather and a great time cleaning up Grace Church inside and out. Many thanks to the volunteers that came out to help and especially to Steve Viggianni for coordinating the event. We had volunteers of all ages helping out. Enjoy the some photos of the day courtesy of John Rogers and be sure to join us for ice cream and more information about the GreenUp CleanUp project after the service on Sunday, April 11th.

More photos below the fold

Grace Church Eco-Bottles Available While Supplies Last

The shipment of Grace Church's "eco-water bottles" has arrived and will be available during coffee hour on Sundays and dinner on Wednesday nights while supplies last.  The reusable eco-bottles are $12.50 and proceeds go to support the GreenUp CleanUp project this spring.  The eco-bottles are 26oz stainless steel and are BPA free and FDA compliant.  They feature a wide mouth so that you can add ice to keep your water cold.  They are not insulated and are not intended for hot beverages.


Be careful of the slip of paper with cleaning instructions and warnings inside (like not dishwasher safe).  Ellie was so excited about her bottle that she filled it up with the paper still inside.  If you want to reserve your a bottle for you (even better several for your family), be sure to fill out the eco-bottle reservation form and we will set them aside for you.

The eco-bottles are compatible with Klean Kanteen, a popular brand name stainless steel water bottle, so you can get a sports cap if you prefer that to the wide mouth for drinking. They run about $4 on Amazon.com.

Have a Blessed Day!
The GreenUp CleanUp Team

GreenUp CleanUp

Grace Church has embarked on a parish-wide environmental stewardship program, Greening Grace. Our team includes: Ann Frenning Kossuth, Jonathan Hunt, Rachael Pettengill, June Pietrantoni, Linda Rogers, and Margaret Smist. This spring's GreenUp CleanUp, which aims to organize 250 members of the Grace church and community to clean up some of Medford's shared open spaces (such as parks and playgrounds), represents the first fruits of this endeavor.

The team will be holding an open information session about the GreenUp CleanUp

at Grace Church Sunday, April 11th following the 10 o'clock service 

If you are interested, please stick around for green ice cream in fun flavors!

Please sign up in advance! There will be a random prize given to one lucky person on the pre-sign-up list!  Remember, get the '411' on 4/11!

Seek out any member of the team for more information or email the group at GreenUpCleanUp@gracemedford.org.  We look forward to learning how we can work together as a parish to achieve our mission of preserving God's green earth!

Complete listing of blog posts on GreenUp CleanUp

Get Your Eco-Bottle to Support GreenUp CleanUp

Reusable water bottles ("eco-bottles") save money and the environment by reducing the need to purchase water bottled in plastic.

The GreenUp CleanUp Project will be selling 100 shiny blue 26oz stainless steel eco-bottles for $12.50 each as a promotional fund-raiser for the church.

These lovely bottles make wonderful gifts for friends and family members and the wide mouth means you can even use normal ice cubes to cool your drinks.

We will unveil the new eco-bottles at 12 noon at the start of the Saturday, March 27th Clean-Up, organized by Steve Viggiani.  Members of the GreenUp CleanUp team will actively be taking pre-orders in advance.

For questions about the bottles or the GreenUp CleanUp project please ask one of the  team: Ann, Jon, Linda, Margaret, June, or Rachael.

Also, be sure to join us for the GreenUp CleanUp Kick Off Event after the 10am service on Sunday, April 11 to get the '411' on 4/11.  We need your help, so please sign up today.


Thanks,
GreenUp CleanUp Team

Sign Up for GreenUp CleanUp

Grace Church is organizing the community of Medford to cleanup several parks this spring. We will be hosting an information session on Sunday, April 11 at 11:30am. Come get the '411' on 4/11 and enjoy some green ice cream.


Complete this web form to volunteer or speak with any member of the GreenUp CleanUp Team for more information:

• Rachael Pettengill
• Ann Frenning Kossuth
• June Pietratoni
• Linda Rogers
• Margaret Smist
• Jonathan Hunt

Join Us as we work together to improve the environment around us!

Thanks,
GreenUp CleanUp Team