Franklin Matters

The Franklin Downtown Partnership will be holding the annual Harvest Festival rain or shine on Sunday, Sep 30, 2012.

Note: as a member of the Downtown Partnership, I won't have a booth for Franklin Matters. Rather, I'll be spending time at the Franklin Food Pantry and helping to spread the word about the work that the Food Pantry does. We are located in the Rockland Trust parking lot and if you visit the kids area during the Festival, be sure to stop by!

Going "Car-Free" September 17-23

This is a real challenge for those in Franklin who work outside of Franklin and other than Boston. At least if you work in Boston, the commuter rail could be a commuter option. If you work in NH or RI, there is not a realistic commuter option other than car pooling with co-workers.
Have you tried getting around Franklin without a car? The GATRA bus is one option. Bicycle and walking may be options for some trips.

What do you think? Could you go car-free?

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Going "Car-Free" September 17-23

via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 9/13/12

The Patrick-Murray Administration is encouraging residents who are able to leave their cars in the driveway and try going "car-free" – by bicycling, walking, public transit, carpooling or vanpooling for Massachusetts Car-Free Week, September 17-23.
Massachusetts joins over 1,000 cities in 40 countries across the globe in an effort to showcase the community, environmental, and quality of life benefits of reducing the number of vehicles on the road.

For the third year in a row, Massachusetts will be celebrating an entire week of going car-free or "car-light," which includes carpooling or vanpooling instead of driving alone. No other state in the nation has proclaimed a statewide Car-Free Week celebration.

This year, those who take car-free and "car-light" modes of transportation during Car-Free Week and year-round can start earning discounts and incentives from area businesses through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's rewards program, NuRide, the nation's largest travel rewards program for individuals who take greener trips, and is free for anyone who lives or works in the Commonwealth.

"Car-Free Week is a great time to remind individuals to sign-up for NuRide and be rewarded for their efforts to commute green," said MassDOT Secretary Richard A. Davey. "NuRide is a free program, it is easy to use, and it enables MassDOT to reward travelers for incorporating sustainability into their daily commutes."

Massachusetts Car-Free Week supports GreenDOT, MassDOT's comprehensive environmental responsibility and sustainability initiative launched to support the Global Warming Solutions Act, signed by Governor Deval Patrick in 2008. The Act requires a 25% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2020, the first step toward a required 80 percent reduction by 2050. The transportation sector generates more than one-third of the total greenhouse gas emissions produced in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Car-Free Week is a collaboration between the MassDOT, MassRIDES, the statewide travel options program, and MassCommute, the Massachusetts Transportation Management Association. For more information, visit www.mass.gov/massdot/carfree or email Johanna Blue, Johanna.Blue@state.ma.us

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Trader Joe’s now open at Patriot Place

The Franklin Food Pantry is already benefiting from Traders Joe's opening. The Pantry will be picking up some food items every other week that they'll be able to share with Franklin residents.

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Trader Joe’s now open at Patriot Place

via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by Paula Vogler/CORRESPONDENT on 9/13/12

FOXBOROUGH - Hoping to fill a void in an area without local access to one of its stores, Trader Joe's opened Friday, Sept. 7, at Patriot Place in Foxborough with an eye toward drawing loyal and new customers alike.
Calling the chain a neighborhood grocery store, Trader Joe's Northeast Regional vice president Chris Maguire said the store sells everything from the basics like fruit, vegetables and milk to unique items like ethnic entrees.

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Thursday, September 13, 2012

Anti-Bullying Training

A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Good Afternoon

The Franklin Public Schools, in collaboration with MARC (Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State University) is holding an Anti-Bullying Training on September 19th at 6:30 P.M. at the Mercer Auditorium at Horace Mann Middle School. The presenter is Dr. Elizabeth Englander. The training is open to adults, faculty and community members.

To see the flyer, click here: http://franklindistrict.vt-s.net/Pages/FranklinDistrict_News/0196706F-000F8513

or go to the district web site under District News.

This e-mail has been sent to you by FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. If you wish to discontinue this service, please inform FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT IN PERSON, by US MAIL, or by TELEPHONE at (508) 613-1777.