Earth Day, ever day in Massachusetts

April 22^nd marks Earth Day every year across the globe, an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by Earthday.org.

Here in Massachusetts, the Red Cross is working toward efficiency in all our mission areas, and helping our local communities share and recycle precious resources.

Here are three ways we’re making Massachusetts a cleaner, better place to live.

• We partner with Windward Trading to help recycle clothing rather than it being placed in landfills. Depository bins across Massachusetts accept clothing no longer needed. Clothing items are then processed and sorted for further use or recycled into other products. You can find a Red Cross clothing bin near you by visiting this website – https://www.redcross.org/local/massachusetts/ways-to-donate/clothing-donations.html

• Our Boston Food Pantry is composting its food waste. When buying fresh produce in bulk like we do, it’s inevitable that some food will not be fit for distribution to our clients. Rather than adding the waste to a dumpster, this material is composted by a local Massachusetts company and used as fertilizer. The Boston Food Pantry is one of the only food pantries in eastern Massachusetts that composts all its food waste.  Since July 2023, the pantry has recycled 18,112 pounds. 

• The Boston Food Pantry was recently awarded a Green Grant through the American Red Cross Green Micro Investment Program.  The Green Grant funded a filtration system in the pantry for drinking water. Our volunteers are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles when working at the Pantry. The filtered water bottle filling station serves as an alternative to plastic water bottles by encouraging the use of filtered tap water rather than single-use plastics bottles.