Massasoit's "Chair-ity" Project

The Massasoit "Chair-ity" Project is the result of a sustainability grant that was offered at the beginning of the Fall 2008 semester to art students at Massasoit's Canton Campus. The money ($250) awarded to Professor Janet Tooker, was used to buy sandpaper, brushes and paint to redo used, donated chairs.

Professor Tooker's assignment to the students was as follows: "You will be refurbishing an old wooden chair to create a unique piece of art which will reflect the influence of a particular artist from one of the periods we will study in History of Art II this semester." The sustainability issue is based on a statement from the Global Environment and Technology Foundation: "Rehabbing an existing piece of furniture requires 85 to 95 percent less energy than producing a new one."

The chairs will be auctioned to the public at the first Massasoit Community College Arts Festival held at the Canton Campus on May 16th and 17th, 2009. Proceeds from the sale of the chairs will go to the Canton Food Pantry.

MassRIDES Improves "Ridematching" Service

MassRIDES has upgraded its Ridematching service to feature instant ridematching! You can find others who share your commute! This ridematching service will scan a 15,000-member database for a match! Just create a profile and check if you have a match!

A free service of the Exective Office of Transportation, MassRIDES is the comprehensive transportation resource for people traveling in and around the Commonwealth.
MassRIDES can help you accomplish all of these things and more:
- Reduce your commuting costs
- Travel together in a carpool or vanpool
- Receive current transportation information
- Reduce traffic congestion within your community or at your worksite
Our database of thousands of commuters connects those who share similar commutes and are interested in carpooling or vanpooling. Whether you live or work in Massachusetts, sign up now.

Beware of Invasive Plants

The Landscaping Subcommittee hosted Kate Pawlin (right) of the New England Wild Flower Society. It was a very informative meeting!

One of the handouts that Kate provided was on “Invasive Plants.”

What are invasive plants? According to the New England Wild Flower Society “these non-native plant species are “overachievers.” Once established in natural areas, they outcompete native species. Invasive plants cause profound environmental and economic damage and are a major threat to native habitats worldwide. Some invasive plants have escaped from our home gardens and public plantings into natural areas. Each state has different problematic plants. Listed below are the top two dozen offenders.”

Although experts have determined that these plants are invasive in most of New England, and harmful to the region’s native plant communities, the plants listed in bold are still widely available through nurseries, in catalogs and on the Internet.

Norway maple
Bishop’s weed
Garlic mustard
Japanese barberry
Oriental bittersweet
Swallow-warts
Autumn Olive
Burning Bush
Glossy buckthorn
Himalayan jewelweed
Yellow flag iris
Blunt-leaved privet
Shrub-like honeysuckles
Japanese honeysuckle
Purple loosestrife
Japanese stiltgrass
Water-milfoils
Common reed
Japanese knotweed
Mile-a-minute vine
Common buckthorn
Multiflora rose
Water chestnut

For a list of recommended alternatives and information about removing invasive plants, visit www.newenglandWILD.org