As a resident and recent homeowner in Cambridge, MA, I've taken a heightened interest in my community.

Alewife Area of Cambridge

My main efforts are now focused on the planned development of the W. R. Grace site in Cambridge.  You might recall that they were one of the prime defendants in "A Civil Action," a book by Jonathan Harr, and later a movie starring John Travolta and Robert Duvall.  I've also been involved in convincing Genetics Institute of Cambridge to be more environmentally conscious in developing their proposed site adjacent to the Alewife Brook Reservation, in what I consider to be a significant success for the environment and the neighborhood.  The Grace Site, however, has been an ongoing struggle for the community to try to curtail the ravages of overdevelopment in an environmentally sensitive area, that also has problems with widespread contamination of various kinds (primarily cancer-causing), traffic, and flooding.