When Melissa Mazzeo and Micah Prescott heard about a meeting of CSNDC’s Climate Justice Alliance, they knew they needed to jump in. Melissa had recently moved into Micah’s home in Four Corners, and they were both looking to be more active in the community.
“My personal passion is environmental sustainability,” says Melissa. “I was just looking around to see what was going on in the community and what efforts were already underway. I’ve been more drawn to local efforts recently, compared to the national and international efforts which captured my attention earlier in my life.”
This passion plays out in Melissa’s business, Merry Go Rounds, a consignment shop for kids’ clothing and toys previously owned by her mother, which Melissa now runs in two locations – its original location in Easton and a second location at 1737 Dorchester Avenue in Dorchester, which just opened in May. “Encouraging people to shop secondhand is one way to encourage more sustainable consumption,” says Melissa.
Micah immigrated with his family to Dorchester from Dominica. After several years living in other areas, he moved back to Dorchester during the pandemic and began to seek a deeper connection to his neighborhood.
“I wanted to learn how this community works and who makes the decisions,” says Micah. “When we started going to the Climate Justice Alliance meetings, we started meeting people from different parts of Dorchester. It was a nice entry point into what’s going on in our community.”
At about the same time, Micah began a new job as a Project Manager in the Climate, Equity, and Impact Department at Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), where he helps income-eligible residents access energy resources from Mass Save. “It’s a nice marriage between my work and my community,” he says.
At one Alliance meeting, Melissa and Micah heard about the mini-grants CSNDC is offering to support community-based projects. They reached out to the pastor at Faith Christian Church, where Micah’s mother is a member, and asked what they might do for the church if they were to apply for the grant money. Together they came up with the idea for a community cleanup and resource fair which included representatives from other local nonprofits.
“We had a great day cleaning up around the church and sharing some of the climate and health resources that are available to them,” says Micah. “It was a nice opportunity to bind a few siloed parts of the community together.”
