MARBLEHEAD — Environmental organization Sustainable Marblehead is shifting its focus to the place that has shaped the town’s history and economy — Marblehead Harbor.
The group announced specific ideas for helping keep the harbor clean even as it extended a wide-ranging invitation last week for people to join a discussion on ways to protect the harbor.
“We are currently talking to many people in our community who have commercial and recreational interests in the harbor to include their ideas and concerns into our future goals. Through this process, we are listening and learning about some of the most important issues impacting the harbor, including water quality, sea level rise and the environmental impact of recreational boating,” Sustainable Marblehead stated in an online post.
Local sailor James Ashton will lead an “Our Harbor One Ocean” working group to solicit ideas from residents, businesses and other community representatives.
The group’s mission, state Sustainable’s post, is “to commit to working with the Marblehead community to generate awareness and inspire action to protect our harbor and ocean.”
Sustainable has reached out to local boatyards to find ways to recycle marine shrink wrap used to cover boats during the winter. A recycling bin for boat shrink wrap is located at the town transfer station, 5 Woodfin Terrace.
Coronavirus social distancing precautions may alter dockside, pier and beach activity this summer and Sustainable Marblehead plans during the next few months to work with the organization, Sailors for the Sea, to share “best practices for clean, green boating,” stated Sustainable’s post.
Visit www.sustainablemarblehead.org. to learn more about Our Harbor One Ocean and Sustainable Marblehead’s articles on the June 29 Town Meeting warrant.
Sustainable Marblehead wants to make the town carbon-free through emissions and pollution reduction efforts by 2040.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck moment, and we’re all in this boat together,” stated John Livermore, Sustainable Marblehead co-founder and Northeast Director of the Center for Sustainable Energy. He also serves on the town’s Green Marblehead Committee.
