In 2021, Newtown experienced a variety of environmental events that highlighted changes and achievements happening locally.

For more than 15 years, the Town of Newtown has been actively working to generate and receive more of its electricity through solar-powered technology.

Newtown’s Sustainable Energy Commission (SEC) — whose mission is to identify, implement, and support renewable energy use, energy efficiency, energy conservation programs, and strategies for sustainable material use — has worked with agencies in Newtown, including Public Works, to help implement more solar energy options at town-owned buildings.

Through its many initiatives, the town has become a trailblazer for the solar energy movement on a municipal level, with plans to grow its reach.

The commission also took part in making insightful contributions to current school projects, including supporting the installation of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). SEC was able to be a resource to the Board of Finance and inform them on more cost-efficient methods for funding different lighting projects.

“There are programs available for the utilities in the state where you can get it done a lot less expensively,” SEC Chair Kathy Quinn explained.

A reoccurring topic in town throughout the year was about recycling.

Residents got a crash course in how to recycle properly from Public Works Administrator Arlene Miles, Public Works Director Fred Hurley, and Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority (HRRA) Executive Director Jennifer Heaton-Jones.

Later in the year, HRRA conducted a press conference to share the news that its glass recycling program — that was piloted in Newtown — had officially begun.

The new system will permit local residents to either bring glass recyclables to the Newtown transfer station or continue putting qualified glass recyclables in their curbside recycling containers. The Town of Newtown then unveiled a recycling survey that month that was available to fill out until October 1.

The public engagement on the Town of Newtown’s Facebook post about the recycling survey resulted in mixed reactions and many comments. Many noted that they wished there was a section to write in feedback instead of just multiple-choice answers.

Another environmental story that garnered a lot of interest from residents this year introduced Newtown Forest Association’s first-ever salaried director Trent McCann. The NFA announced that McCann was hired as the group’s first executive director. Previously, the NFA operated as an entirely volunteer-run organization throughout its nearly 100-year history.

The private nonprofit land trust is not only the oldest in the state, but it also oversees more than 1,400 preserved acres of land.

Another article recapped McCann’s official meet and greet event in December.

Those walking the trails at Fairfield Hill Campus may have noticed a lot of activity this year up at the High Meadow.

In October Newtown Bee readers learned about the Conservation Commission’s Vegetative Study Area High Meadow Restoration Project taking place on five acres of land.

Holly Kocet, chair of the Conservation Commission, explained, “The idea was to have some scientific data on how meadows progress naturally compared to the managed areas and also give guidance on future meadow projects the town may endeavor to do.”

Botanist Dr Bryan A. Connolly, who is an assistant professor for the Department of Biology at Eastern Connecticut State University, has been visiting the site, obtaining plant samples, and documenting his observations. He gave a detailed report to the Conservation Commission of his findings. Connolly did notice a concerning amount of invasive mugwort that needed to be removed.

It required swift action, so Kocet was joined by Protect Our Pollinators (POP) member Christine St Georges and her sister, Laura Mitchell, for a walk-through of High Meadow on November 18. Kocet and her team have worked to stop the spread of mugwort by cutting seed heads at the meadow trail crossing.

Another section of the Fairfield Hills Campus that had some work done this year was Tammy’s Garden, located in the Newtown Municipal Center’s courtyard.

Tammy’s Garden was designed by POP member Sarah Middeleer and installed in 2019 as a tribute to beloved Newtown resident Tammy Hazen, who passed away in December 2015.

POP member Mary Wilson told The Newtown Bee that Hazen was “a long-time employee of the Land Use Department whose big smile and loving heart touched everyone who knew her. Tammy loved gardens, butterflies, and other pollinators, and had wanted to join POP.”

A July 30 feature chronicled how Middeleer, Wilson, and POP member Joan Cominski visited the garden to observe the newly installed markers for each plant.

Since then, a permanent sign for the garden has also been installed and a formal dedication ceremony for Hazen’s relatives and friends to attend is being planned for Spring 2022.

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