In an escalating climate crisis whose impacts are increasingly impossible to ignore, LexCAN dedicated its time and resources in 2024 to educating and rallying the Lexington community to proactively meet the climate challenge head-on – both in their private lives and through aggressive advocacy for local and state initiatives to mitigate and adapt to the causes and manifestations of this crisis.
LexCAN is in its 20th year of doing this work. We have been advocates to address climate change and taking action which you can see from the list of accomplishments in 2024, on the information sheet and our posterboard’s center panel lists many more accomplishments over the past few years. I do want to highlight our overwhelming success in meeting our tagline: Educate. Advocate. Collaborate. These verbs are in the active voice as all of our work is intended to encourage and engage Lexington residents, landlords and businesses to take action. Action that will mitigate the effects of climate change by while also adapting to the changes that are already here and coming.
In addition to mitigation and adaptation, I believe that LexCAN also works to build a mycelium network with partners that also have the goal of reversing the damage that has been done and regenerating our ecosystems so we, our children and grandchildren, have a liveable planet. If we stop burning fossil fuels, stop filling our air with pollution, we can stop the damage and eventually reverse its effects. We need healthy communities, forests, oceans, flora and fauna, and watersheds to make this possible.
We know from various leaders like Bill McKibben and Kathrine Hayhoe, that the most important thing we can do about climate change is talk about it. Have you ever been in conversation with family, friends or neighbors and climate change came up? What did you say? It is not easy to be faced with someone who is very worried, but we need to have these conversations so that every person feels they have agency in this issue.
While global issues can be overwhelming, we are an important and influential part of this mycelium network— interconnected residents of planet earth—where each one of us can play a role in changing the course of climate change. Every individual action counts! Each time you burn less oil, compost your food waste, plant pollinators and edible vegetation; plant trees; walk, bike or take public transportation, you are taking climate action. Thank you for each action. Is there more you would like to do? Let’s work together and help each other meet their own goals.
Business Update
First, LexCAN wants to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to LexCAN in 2024. I hope our list of accomplishments demonstrates that we are using your donations carefully to have maximum impact.
Five years ago, we created a comprehensive 2021-2024 strategic plan for LexCAN. We are happy to report that this plan was a success – that we have accomplished almost all of goals and objectives we set for the organization. This plan was truly transformative in every area of LexCAN’s work. Now we have launched the process of creating a 2024-2027 strategic plan. We are engaging members of the community in this process and invite you to give us your ideas of what you would like LexCAN to do over the next few years by either writing to us at [email protected] or writing your ideas on the pad here on the easel. Please add your name if we can follow-up with you.
LexCAN’s work is guided by a Board of Directors that meets monthly and five active standing committees: Advocacy, Communication, Programming, Finance and Membership. One important factor in the accomplishment of our goals, and in the consideration of how we will approach our next stage of growth, was that we elected in three new board members in 2024: Andy Joynt, Rachel Summers and Kavitha Venkatesan. Each of them brings outstanding intelligence, expertise and enthusiasm to address the challenge of climate change. And, with tremendous gratitude, we say “goodbye” to Mary Yardley, a member of LexCAN for 8 years, a Board member, and the outstanding Chair of LexCAN Communications, as she moves to Maine. We look forward to her finding a climate group where she can share the energy and compassion she’s shown in all of her work with LexCAN.
I’d also like to introduce the newest hire for LexCAN, Esther Jun, who is our Clean Energy Advocate. Esther will be organizing the Sustainability Fair in 2025 on March 22 and helping LexCAN get the word out to the whole community through many avenues.
Please also take a look at the handout from our annual meeting, detailing our 2024 accomplishments and budget.
A few brief words on our planning for 2025, so far. We will continue to advocate for climate and resilience action through the LexElectrify program; hold programming on the state of our climate and new ways to combat this threat; and work with our Sustainability and Resilience Officer, Maggie Peard, and the other environmental groups in Lexington.
Plans for 2025 include
March 22, 2025: Sustainability Fair 2025 will be held at LHS!
April 17: Talk with Dr. Casey Thornbrugh a citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and climate scientist to discuss on Indigenous care of our land.
Book groups: Let’s talk about our climate, sustainability and resilience.
Food and our climate
In-person discussions: to generate impactful ideas on how LexCAN can best serve the community.
We hope you will join us!
Ricki Pappo, Chair