Welcome!
Founded in 2017, Westfield Green Together (WGT) promotes and educates about sustainable practices in the city of Westfield, Indiana. To receive our newsletter, subscribe on our website at https://wgtogether.org
Also check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/WGTogether/
What’s Happening in Westfield?
WGT had a booth at the annual Westfield “Green Day” event on April 26th. Over 130 free trees were distributed!
WGT took over stewardship of Raymond Worth Park last year, and has made incredible progress in eliminating invasive honeysuckle and Callery pear and planting over 100 native trees and plants on the property! Arial photos show the progress of the park since the land was donated to the city in 1998. The public is invited to join Westfield resident and naturalist Randall Tatum for a free hike at the park on either June 11 or July 16 at 6:00 p.m.
WGT board member, Bobby Jean Kimball, is hosting a garden tour at her home on June 24th at 6:30 p.m. More information will be available on our Facebook page.
The community sharing garden, located behind The Wandering Peacock pottery studio, is coming along nicely with the help of students from the Shamrock Connections Program at Westfield High School. Come by and see how the garden is progressing along with murals being painted on the new fence by local nonprofit organizations. Better yet, join our group on Tuesday mornings at 8:00 a.m. or Sunday evenings at 4:30 p.m. to help maintain the garden. A public tour of the garden is being planned for Sunday, August 23rd.
WGT planted a new pollinator garden along the Monon Trail just north of State Road 32. Check it out!
Easy Ways to Reduce Your Impact on the Earth
The Indiana Office of Energy Development recently announced the new Indiana Energy Saver Program to help eligible Hoosiers save energy and money on their utility bills. The program includes rebates for ENERGY STAR-certified heating, cooling and water heating equipment, insulation, air sealing, duct sealing, appliances and lighting improvements. For more information, visit www.IndianaEnergy Saver.com
Outdoor grilling season is upon us and one quick, easy and inexpensive way to reduce your impact on the planet is to reduce your beef consumption. Raising beef accounts for about 14% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions from methane generated by cow burps, manure and fertilizer. Chicken and poultry have a smaller climate impact.
Fun Green Resources
Thinking about “going solar?” Attend the Solar 101 information session at the Carmel Library on Thursday, August 21, at 6:00 p.m. to learn about solar basics for your home or business. RSVP for the free program at www.surveymonkey.com/r/SolarInfoSession
Check out HortusScope at https://hortusscope.info for a list of “green” events and educational tidbits in central Indiana.
The Indiana Native Plant Society provides a wealth of information about protecting natural places and how to add native plants to your garden. Check them out at https://indiananativeplants.org
Get involved in a popular hiking program through the Central Indiana Land Trust. The “Trek Our Trails” challenge invites Hoosiers to visit six nature preserves before the end of the year and receive a little gift pack. For more information, visit https://conservingindiana.org/trek-our-trails/
Green Book Club
We are currently reading “Waste Wars: The Wild Afterlife of Your Trash” by Alexander Clapp. Discussion will take place on June 23rd at 6:30 p.m. Please register here for further details:
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Earth Overshoot Day 2025 will be announced on June 5, 2025, which is World Environment Day. This date indicates when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceed what the planet can regenerate in that same year. We are using more resources than the Earth can produce – essentially “borrowing” resources from the future. The Global Footprint Network calculates this date. In 2024, Earth Overshoot Day fell on August 1.
Feeling grumpy and stressed? Try taking a “forest bath.” Forest bathing is the act of spending time in nature which studies show helps boost your immune system, lower blood pressure and may also help with depression. If you don’t have a forest nearby, an urban park or trail will do. And, just like the “food pyramid” of healthy eating, the “nature pyramid” suggests ways to help achieve the benefits of forest bathing.
It is the start of hurricane season. Most scientists believe that hurricanes and tornadoes have been increasing in intensity as the planet has warmed due, mostly, by the burning of dirty fossil fuels for energy. Some people, as a result, feel it is time to start naming weather emergencies/disasters after corporations that are the largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions rather than human names as has been done since The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) started maintaining the list. If you feel compelled, you can contact the WMO at wmo.int/contact-us and send a message such as the following:
“I would like to suggest the idea of naming hurricanes after corporate brand names, specifically those that have contributed the most to the intensification of extreme weather. If a corporation doesn’t want to be listed, they could be given the option of paying into a fund to mitigate damage to hurricane-affected communities.”
Westfield Green Together 