Earth Day comes just once a year, but environmental activism and education are a year-round occurrence.

Newtown residents were introduced to a variety of “green” coverage in 2022 that ranged from how to help nature thrive to how to achieve energy efficiency at home.

Starting in January, The Newtown Bee did a five-part series on Connecticut Audubon Society’s 16th annual “State of the Birds” report, which consisted of multiple scientific-based articles written by experts in the field.

The public was invited to get a closer look at the report and hear firsthand from those authors during a free virtual program titled, “Three Billion Birds Are Gone. How Do We Bring Them Back?”

Attendees, and Bee readers, learned why Connecticut bird populations are declining and how climate change is impacting those statistics. It was also an opportunity for people to learn how they can do their part to help restore bird populations.

That same month, Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) Education Fund hosted its 22nd Environmental Summit virtually on January 25 and 27. The event took place prior to the 2022 State Legislative Session that opened on February 9.

CTLCV Executive Director Lori Brown shared that, “The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters works with advocates and elected leaders from all parts of the state to fight for stronger laws to protect our environment.”

The two-day event discussed many topics, including state funding, environmental justice, clean energy, waste management, pesticides, transportation, and land conservation, and also gave first-hand insight from elected officials and youth of Connecticut.

Shortly thereafter, CTLCV announced its annual Environmental Scorecard on February 17, which included standings applied to members of the Newtown legislative delegation. Senator Tony Hwang, along with Representatives Mitch Bolinsky, Raghib Allie-Brennan, and Tony Scott were included.

CTLCV used the detailed report to grade Connecticut legislators based on their votes regarding key environmental issues during the 2021 Connecticut General Assembly session.

CTLCV worked with environmental organizations in Connecticut to identify important bills, consult with advocates during the session, and lobby lawmakers on initiatives. It then tracked politicians’ votes to produce the scorecard.

The Newtown Bee not only reported the CTLCV’s findings, it also contacted the Newtown officials that were referenced to get their direct feedback on the scorecard results.

On March 2, Sustainable Southbury presented a free Residential Energy Efficiency Webinar. Newtown’s Sustainable Energy Commission was invited to attend the online event.

There were lectures on various home energy conservation measures people can take, Eversource’s Home Energy Solution Programs, and financing options through CT Green Bank.

On April 9, Newtown Forest Association (NFA) hosted an Invasive Plants Task Force gathering at Holcombe Memorial Trail.

A group of environmentally conscious volunteers met up to continue the painstaking work of removing invasive plants, specifically the abundance of Burning Bush and Japanese Barberry. Volunteers did everything by hand or by using equipment, and no harmful pesticides or chemicals were used.

Experts on-site included NFA Executive Director Trent McCann, Newtown Conservation Commission Chair Holly Kocet, and Protect Our Pollinators (POP) member Christine St Georges. They offered insight for how to properly identify and remove the invasive plants, and shared preventative techniques to keep them from growing back.

After CTLCV released its Environmental Scorecard, where it cited Republican Senator Hwang as an “environmental champion,” they invited him to be among the speakers at its 2022 Environmental Legislative Debrief on May 6.

“The environment has no party affiliation,” Hwang said during the event.

The virtual session reviewed the climate, energy, and environmental bills that passed at this year’s Connecticut General Assembly.

Throughout 2022, Newtown’s own Real Food CT (formerly Real Food Share), hosted its Grow Your Own Garden Workshop Series at Sticks & Stones Farm. The monthly programming was designed to help bring out the inner farmer inside everyone — and get them started on achieving their gardening dreams.

The nonprofit organization maintains the farm’s Giving Garden, producing fresh produce for Newtown’s FAITH Food Pantry and similar organizations throughout Connecticut.

Real Food CT member and CT Master Gardener Nancy Zychek led the session on Seed Starting and Transplants on May 15 that The Newtown Bee attended.

The following month, Newtown Conservation Commission Chair Holly Kocet organized a workday for fellow commissioners and volunteers to get hands-on experience removing invasive plant species from Fairfield Hills Campus.

The group’s primary focus was to clear out all the Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergia) from the property, as well as any mugwort that continues to creep into the meadow. Both are invasive plants that are running rampant throughout Newtown, including at residential properties and the Newtown Forest Association’s nature preserves.

The plight of managing invasive plants is happening across the state. As a result, Kocet has teamed up with Monroe Conservation & Water Resources Commission Chair Barbara Thomas.

“We have started an initiative with support of other town commissions, land trusts, pathways, and like-minded groups to propose a Bill for the January 2023 Legislative Session to get something done about invasives in our state,” Kocet said.

Another Newtown resident creating a positive environmental impact in 2022 was Mark Forstrom. He has been dedicating his time and expertise to implementing an all-natural technique in The Victory Garden’s orchard at Fairfield Hills.

There is a total of 46 fruit trees in the orchard, mostly varieties of apples, such as fuji and honey crisp, as well as five peach trees, four pear trees, three cherry trees, and one nectarine tree.

“The goal in the orchard is to grow nutrient-dense fruit without pesticides and fungicides,” he said. “The system we are doing is called Holistic Orcharding. I found out about this on YouTube while searching two winters ago trying to find an organic way to grow fruit, as everything at The Victory Garden has to be organic.”

Lights Out Connecticut reminded people to do their part to help migrating birds by shutting off lights, especially at night. Billions of birds travel for a better chance of survival during the fall migration period, which takes place September 1 to November 15.

Lights Out Connecticut is a project created by Connecticut Ornithological Association in February 2022 to help reduce bird deaths caused by collisions with buildings in the state of Connecticut.

Protect Our Pollinators in Newtown participated in this initiative and encouraged residents to do so, as well. The nonprofit organization is devoted to public education and to the conservation of pollinators, which includes birds and their habitats.

On October 21, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) hosted an Informational Woods Tour for the public at the Lower Block of Paugussett State Forest.

The afternoon walk with DEEP representatives from the Divisions of Forestry and Wildlife welcomed more than a dozen residents, including State Representative Mitch Bolinsky, in the parking area at the end of Stone Bridge Trail.

Officials explained that they would be doing a guided walk through land referred to as W-457 that is scheduled for an upcoming forest product harvest by DEEP. The goal of doing the selection harvest in 41 acres is to expand habitat for the New England Cottontail and to create young forest growth conditions.

Rounding out the year for environmental coverage was The Newtown Bee’s four-part series recapping the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group’s 2022 virtual symposium on November 3.

The theme of the full-day webcast was “Strategies for Managing Invasive Plants: Assess, Remove, Replace, and Restore.” It featured multiple sessions that covered terrestrial and aquatic invasive plant topics.

These stories were just a fraction of the day-to-day efforts of Connecticut and Newtown residents doing their part to make a positive impact on the environment. For those conducting an environmental event in 2023, be sure to e-mail John Voket at editor@thebee.com to request coverage.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.