Celebrating Canton’s Good News

Hello Canton. There has been a lot going on in town over the past month.

April was Earth Month. First celebrated in 1970, the first Earth Day marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement. While April 22 is Earth Day, the entire month is dedicated to raising awareness about the environment.

Christine Smith

In Canton, the town’s Sustainability Committee started early with its Rain Barrel program at the end of March. Water is a scarce resource and using a rain barrel to collect rain water is one way to conserve water and reduce stormwater runoff. By all accounts, it was a successful event with over 50 barrels distributed.

Earth Month itself was kicked off by Keep Canton Beautiful with the second annual Great Canton Cleanup on April 1. Hundreds of volunteers did not let a rainy day get in the way of picking up trash all over town. From Route 138 to downtown Canton and everywhere in between, trash was removed from streets, parks, wetlands, woods and trails in an effort to take Canton back from litter and pollution.

Earth Month culminated with an Earth Day event on April 22 sponsored by Canton Residents for a Sustainable, Equitable Future and the Canton High School Environmental/Climate Action Club. Held on the grounds of the Museum of American Bird Art at Mass Audubon, the event brought together individuals and organizations committed to improving the state of our environment and fighting climate change here at home. There were displays featuring electric cars, retrofitting your home to ensure net-zero energy usage, alternatives to gas stoves and sustainable merchandise as well as a presentation celebrating Canton’s climate champions. There was also opportunities for civic action, including a petition to the governor declaring there is no future for gas as well as information about a proposal on the town warrant establishing a Climate Action Plan for Canton (which hopefully has passed town meeting by the time this column is published).

In addition to the sponsoring organizations, other groups participating included the Canton Democratic Town Committee, Canton Energy Advisory Committee, Canton Farmers Market, Canton Sustainability Committee, Canton Walk, Bike & Hike Committee, and Navigators Chapter 314. Residents of all ages attended this event. It was a wonderful example of the positive things happening here in Canton by dedicated volunteers, both young and old, who want to make a difference in their community.

And we have more to look forward to in June! The Canton Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee is hard at work preparing for two signature events — starting with the second annual Pride Flag Raising on June 1 to kick off Pride Month. This is an important event, especially in light of the attacks across the country on LGBTQ+ individuals. It is a reaffirmation that our LGBTQ+ friends, family and neighbors are welcome in Canton. Later in the month, on Saturday, June 19, CDEI will host its third annual Juneteenth Celebration featuring spoken word artists, musical performances and face painting. Check back for more details on these events in upcoming issues of the Citizen.

Too often, we focus on the negative stories. There is certainly a time and place to cover and focus on news such as the most recent story dominating Canton. A full and thorough investigation is surely needed so that the truth and facts come out. However, I find in times of overwhelming bad news it is also important to look for all the good that is around us. Day after day and year in and year out there are hundreds of volunteers in Canton working to make a positive difference in our community. Their names and faces often do not make the news, but their impacts are felt all around us.

Christine Smith is a mother of three, an attorney and a longtime Canton resident.

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Posted by Christine Smith on May 12 2023. Filed under Featured Content, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.