Swampscott will host its fourth annual Earth Fest on Saturday, May 2, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Town Hall lawn.

The free event celebrates Earth Day and the community, with giveaways, activities, information booths, and food available for purchase from Grab A Bagel. In the event of rain, the festival will be relocated to the Clarke School.

The Friends of the Swampscott Rail Trail will share updates on the Rail Trail project. Volunteers will also staff a pop-up bike kitchen, where residents can bring their bikes and learn how to tune them up for the season.

The Swampscott Tree Committee will give away 100 American plum tree seedlings, limited to one per household. Free packets of native seeds from the New Yankee Garden will also be available.

The Solid Waste Advisory Committee will provide information on recycling.

The Northeastern Marine Science Center will bring intertidal creatures for residents to meet.

Natural materials artist Hannah Cloud Sharpless will offer artwork made with foraged inks for purchase.

Grab A Bagel will sell bagels, cookies, and pizza bagels.

Children can also participate in a Pokémon Go safari for prizes.

Leaders told the Swampscott Tides that the town is environmentally strong but still has progress to make.

Climate change is already evident in Swampscott and across the North Shore. One of the biggest impacts is the sea level rising, which, according to the Massachusetts Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health, has risen about nine inches since 1900. The water could rise another two to four feet by 2070, the bureau suggests. 

This will mean more frequent flooding, even during “normal” high tides. Storm surges during nor’easters and hurricanes can be stronger as well, and all of this leads to potentially damaged roads, homes and waterfront businesses. 

“Our whole town is subject to a lot of those environmental changes going on,” said Ted Dooley, who was the chair of the Harbor and Waterfront Advisory Committee at the time of the story and is now a Select Board member.

Tania Lillak, the chair of the Open Space and Recreation Committee, said her group and the Climate Action and Resilience Committee are focusing on working with property owners to institute resilience measures for storm surges and other effects to climate change.

While coastal flooding gets a lot of attention, the region is also warming. Summers are bringing more frequent extreme heat days. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) often cites that temperatures have increased by about 3° Fahrenheit since the late 1800s, and days above 90° are increasing. This can pose health risks, especially when nights offer little relief from the heat.

Pavement and buildings absorb heat during the day. Richard Frenkel, a member of the Climate Action and Resilience Committee, noted that the geothermal system, which uses the constant temperature of the earth to provide heating and cooling, at the elementary school will save the town a lot of money over time.

Swampscott has a climate action plan, which was adopted unanimously at Town Meeting in 2023. The plan aims to transition to net-zero buildings; prioritize low-carbon mobility; and prepare for climate-driven emergencies; provide equitable access and protection to open spaces, tree canopies and water resources; as well as create a waste management system that reduces the energy demand and emissions.

“We’re a green community. We’ve been a green community since 2010,” said Martha Schmitt, who chairs the Climate Action and Resilience Committee and has driven a lot of environmental changes in town. “Especially on the municipal level, the town’s done well pursuing grants, upgrading HVAC systems, making the buildings more efficient.”

Last year, Swampscott was announced as a climate leader community, which makes the town eligible for up to $1 million in decarbonization grants as well as up to $150,000 to fund technical studies necessary to design municipal clean energy projects.

“We can’t just shrug our shoulders and say nothing is happening at the federal level, so we’re going to give up. Everyone has to take it on themselves and do what they can to promote environmental protections going forward,” said Toni Bandrowicz, the chair of the Swampscott Conservation Commission.