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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Monday, March 18, 2024

Medford hosts its ninth annual Harvest Your Energy Festival

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The logos for the Green Energy Consumers Alliance and the Medford Office of Energy and Environment, the hosts of the Harvest Your Energy Festival, are pictured.

Nearly 80 people attended the ninth annual Harvest Your Energy Festival at the McGlynn Elementary and Middle School in Medford on Oct. 13. The festival focused on informing citizens about green products and practices by hosting several environmentally friendly companies. There was also document shredding, opportunities to recycle electronics and textiles and tours of a wind turbine.

Hosted by the Medford Office of Energy and Environment and the Green Energy Consumers Alliance, the festival was a part of the Go Green Medford initiative. Go Green Medford is a program of the City of Medford that raises awareness around local environmental issues, according to its website. The Green Energy Consumers Alliance shares a similar goal of promoting environmental protection by finding more cost-effective ways to access green energy, according to its website.

The Harvest Your Energy Festival allows the Medford community to come together and learn about energy sustainability initiatives that aim to protect the environment, according to Lauretta James, a member of the Medford Energy and Environment Committee and an organizer of the event. James said that she focused on corporate outreach and selecting the companies who attend the festival.

“It is important for the companies to showcase their practices and energy-saving products,” James said. “We [Medford] are one of the only [towns] who have an environmental festival.”

Barry Ingber, a member of Go Green Medford Committee, said that the committee has been working on concrete policy actions to promote environmental sustainability.

“We work with the mayor and the community to promote environmental policy,” he said. “We’ve supported the plastic bag ordinance and the plan for community aggregation of electricity.”

The event also provided a platform for Medford High School students to advocate for sustainable practices and environmental protection.

Auderulca Ashmarah, a senior at Medford High School, shared statistics about the number of gas leaks in the Medford area. She said that the city can repair the gas leaks in homes that have been neglected in order to improve environmental safety.

“I was educated about climate change and want to help other people be aware of the problems that face our communities,” she said.

Several other companies, including Boston Sports Club and Borealis Community Yoga, were also at the event.