By Setarreh Massihzadegan
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Greener days are on their way to Linden Ponds, and not just because spring  has sprung. Plans for this year’s Earth Day celebration highlight expanded efforts by the community’s active Environmental Committee.

As the Linden Ponds community continues to grow, so does the effort to keep its residents environmentally aware.

“[We] try to blow away the old myths of recycling,” says Bruce McHenry, who worked with the National Park Service for more than three decades before he retired. “If you start looking around, there’s practically nothing you can put in the trash.”

Recently, McHenry—who lives at Linden Ponds and is the chair of the Environmental Committee—put together a show called “Trash Talk” for the community’s TV station. Using his own trash, he sorted out the confusion as to what’s recyclable and what’s not.

Recycling efforts
Almost a year after its inception, the recycling program at Linden Ponds is well followed, with help from the Environmental Committee. Each month, the committee meets and tracks how much residents are recycling, comparing pounds recycled with pounds thrown away.

Since the program began, more than 150 people have moved into the community. The Environmental Committee says that new moves inevitably equate to more trash, particularly as people are getting rid of things and learning the recycling guidelines. On average, Linden Ponds recycled 16% of its garbage in 2007. Though the committee is not satisfied with the number of  people recycling, McHenry says, “We apparently are doing better than most people in the Boston area,” based on figures from neighboring towns and cities.