Happy New Year!  I thought I’d share a few ideas with those of you who have resolved to make a difference in your community this year.

First of all, a good and not-so-good effect of no snow this winter (at least not at this writing). While this is great for the retail world  — esp. our neighborhood businesses — and the Boston real estate market, the streets aren’t looking their best without any plant life or snow to disguise the litter. This leads me to my first painless suggestion toward improving the Roslindale and Jamaica Plain communities:  I encourage you to pick up at least one piece of street trash each day and put it in a nearby receptacle or, if necessary, take it home. You’re probably thinking this won’t make a difference, but multiply your action by those of many like-minded citizens, and before you know it the streets will be in such good shape for the City’s annual “Boston Shines” cleaning day that we won’t even need all those funds and they can be directed to more needy programs.

If you want to jump on my bandwagon to help Roslindale look its best this winter, stay tuned for more information on my plan to organize at least one cleaning day — a Saturday in the near future —  for Washington Street outside of Roslindale Village. If you’re new to Roslindale, this will be a great chance to meet some neighbors and for longer-term Roslindalians, a chance to catch up with old friends.

To get involved with an established pro-environment group in Roslindale, look into  Roslindale Green & Clean. The members of this team of community “beautifiers” share a passion for gardening and landscaping and focus on creating and maintaining public green spaces in and around Roslindale Village.  Check their website for designated Tuesday evenings from May through September to volunteer for their “flash-mob” style maintenance projects.

GreeningRozzie is another team of locals who strive to keep Roslindale, well, green!  GreeningRozzie has a series of ongoing projects whose goal is to make Roslindale a more sustainable and cohesive community. Not only do they offer volunteer opportunities, they also provide useful information and resources for making environmentally-positive decisions in your everyday life. Break the ice and break bread with fellow community members by attending their Roslindale Community Kitchen event this Saturday afternoon, January 7th at the Community Center.  Folks will be preparing delicious vegetarian dishes together and will then divide up the meals for everyone to take home.  Stay well, stay involved, and see you out there!

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2012!

Linda Burnett

Jamaica Plain/Roslindale Real Estate Maven
Keller-Williams Boston-Metro Real Estate
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