Originally published in the Daily News of Newburyport by Caitlin Dee, April 29, 2026. Reposted with thanks to ACES - The Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards for their support in bringing this piece to print.
Editor's Note: This story has been edited since publication to reflect the correct date of the community meet-up.
NEWBURYPORT - A group of dedicated volunteers is grabbing their gardening gloves and getting to work to better the community this spring by planting a pollinator garden at Cushing Park.
The idea to create the garden came through the PEG Center for Art and Activism, a nonprofit organization that operates locally as a creative hub for social and environmental justice.
It all began when the center launched its program, The Future We Choose, inspired by a book about the climate with the same name.
Paula Estey, executive director of the PEG Center, said after reading the book, she became inspired. As a result, the center decided to do a "communitywide read" of the book and even gave out hundreds of copies.
Then, the center held book group meetings where people who read "The Future We Choose" discussed the content.
In March, as part of the program, the center decided to launch four initiatives to improve the environment. They revolve around what participants can do on a personal level, a community level, a civic level, and a regional level.
It was decided that to fulfill the community initiative, the PEG Center would team up with another local nonprofit, Pollinator PowerWorks, to create a pollinator garden in the park and to allow community members to get involved.
Pollinator gardens are made up of primarily native plants and designed to attract beneficial wildlife, such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, among many others.
"They are collaborators with the PEG Center on this pollinator garden," Estey said of Pollinator PowerWorks. "So, they bring a lot of expertise and knowledge, and experience in this area."
The PEG Center also has experience caring for gardens in the community and maintains three plots in Newburyport.
Sections of the garden will be planted this spring and fall, and then the volunteers will prepare the rest of the plot for next spring, when they will tackle the remainder of the planting.
After planting concludes, volunteers will continue to maintain the area to ensure it thrives, Estey said.
"It will take a year or two of volunteer efforts to maintain it, weed it, and just encourage it along before it takes off on its own," she said.
Estey said the garden will be good for Newburyport and its residents in more ways than one.
"I feel like it's one way of spreading hope," she said of the garden project. "There are things that we can do alone and together in our own homes and in groups that make a difference to the climate, to the quality of our lives, and the future of our nation in a lot of ways."
On May 9, the groups will hold a community meet-up at the park from 11 a.m. to noon when those interested can learn more about the project and get involved, officially kicking off the project.
