Tag Archives: Nature

Sustainable Yard & Garden Tour – Sunday, 6/22, 3–5:30 pm

Posted on June 6, 2025 | Comments Off on Sustainable Yard & Garden Tour – Sunday, 6/22, 3–5:30 pm

From Helen Dewey, of Medfield Environment Action –

Sustainable Yard and Garden Tour

Medfield Environment Action will be hosting another Sustainable Yard and Garden Tour on Sunday, June 22, from 3 – 5:30 pm. Attendees will travel to four different gardens in Medfield. The homeowners will walk attendees through the yard and provide an overview of their garden and what makes it sustainable. Homeowners will discuss what they have planted, how they maintain it and any equipment that they use. The garden on Pine St and the one on Stagecoach Rd. were featured in the last tour in September, 2024. Come see the gardens in full bloom in June! It will be set up like a crawl in which folks move from garden to garden, at specific times, providing their own transportation. Car-pooling is encouraged!  There is no cost to attend, and all are welcome. Register ahead of time at tinyurl.com/SustainableGardenTour-2025 to receive more information about each garden and any weather related updates.

Why would one want to strive for a yard that has a low impact on the environment? Conventional yard care can be time consuming, is destructive to the eco-system and harmful to an entire food web. For example: poison the grubs, birds are harmed by eating the grubs, use chemicals to achieve green grass, storm water becomes contaminated, moreover turf offers nothing in the way of food for nature. In addition, children and pets can be harmed when exposed to grass and yards with a lot of chemicals.

The homeowners on the tour will show how a sustainable, low impact yard is a work in progress but the benefits include lower maintenance costs, cleaner air to breath, (no gas powered leaf blowers), improved visual appeal, no secondary poisoning through the food web, re-use or composting of leaf materials on-site, conserving water, supporting biodiversity, “the living earth”, precious time available to focus on other activities and a sense of helping rather than harming, everybody wins.

Whether you are an avid gardener interested in learning some sustainable practices that you can implement or just curious as to what it is all about, join us on Sunday, June 22 to take a walk around some beautiful, thoughtful and eco-friendly gardens in Medfield. The flyer with the addresses of the gardens is posted on the MEA website, meamedfield.org. Any questions please email meamedfield@gmail.com

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Posted in Environmental, Events, Green, Medfield Environmental Action

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Outdoor Fires are Banned

Posted on November 12, 2024 | Comments Off on Outdoor Fires are Banned

Medfield Outdoor Fire Ban Extended Through November 24


Any Outdoor Fire may Spread and Threaten People and Property


Medfield – As drought conditions spread across Massachusetts and the wildfire risk continues to
grow, Medfield Fire Chief Carrico and municipal leaders are prohibiting any outdoor fires at least
until Friday, November 24.
Historically low rainfall, bright and breezy weather, and bone-dry fuel sources mean that any
outdoor fire will quickly grow out of control. Every firefighter battling a preventable wildfire is
one who cannot respond to a house fire, car crash, or medical emergency. Help us help you. Please use caution and common sense and refrain from any outdoor activity that could spark a fire.
Burning yard waste is already prohibited across Massachusetts through January 15th and year round in some communities under 310 CMR 7.07, the Open Burning regulation. Today’s order
additionally restricts the outdoor use of fire pits, chimineas, candles, cooking/heating equipment, and other ignition sources under Section 10.10.2 of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code. The Code grants fire officials the authority to prohibit any and all open flames and other ignition sources under certain hazardous conditions, including extreme drought. This restriction does not apply to gas grills and smokers.
Any requests for permits for outdoor fires, hot work such as cutting/grinding, and other activity
will be decided in light of the ongoing fire risk.
All of Massachusetts, including Medfield, is facing an unprecedented fall wildfire season.
Statewide, fires in October rose 1,200% above the historical average, and the 133 fires reported in the first week of November represent more than six times the average for the entire month. Many have damaged homes and other properties. The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, and the Department of Conservation & Recreation’s Bureau of Forest Fire Control & Forestry, almost all of these fires start with human activity and can be prevented by limiting outdoor activity that involves open flames, sparks and embers, hot engines or gasoline from power equipment, and other ignition sources.
Months without meaningful rainfall, abundant dead leaves and vegetation, bright sunshine, and
gusty winds make the current and expected weather conditions ripe for a wildfire in every city and town in Massachusetts. At the same time, static water sources like lakes and ponds are supplying less water and water pressure to extinguish these fires. Because about 45% of Massachusetts homes are in or near wooded areas, almost any significant wildfire will threaten residential areas.

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Posted in Fire Department

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