The BEAT News February 6, 2014

News Headlines

Berkshire Museum Presents WeeMuse: 10 Days of Play – February 14-23

[Pittsfield, Mass.] – We’re doing it again! For the second year, Berkshire Museum will present the popular WeeMuse: 10 Days of Play during February vacation week. The Museum’s Crane Room will be filled with recyclable materials, from cardboard boxes and tubes to fabric and tape, all ready to be completely transformed by children’s imaginations. 10 Days of Play gives children of all ages the opportunity to recognize, explore, and express their natural play instincts through this celebration of child-directed play.

“Ten Days of Play is all about children leading playtime as they see fit,” says Craig Langlois, Berkshire Museum’s education and public program manager. “We’ve all seen a child open an expensive gift only to play with the cardboard box instead. This program inspires kids to use common everyday items for creative play. Just about anything lying around the house can be used to spark a child’s imagination.”

WeeMuse:10 Days of Play will be held daily Friday, February 14, through Sunday, February 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Participation in 10 Days of Play is free with Museum admission. The 10-day play festival is presented in partnership with the Transition Team of Pittsfield and Pop-Up Adventure Play. The recyclable materials used for 10 Days of Play are donations from community sponsors. The program is sponsored in part by a grant from the Pittsfield Cultural Council.

WeeMuse: 10 Days of Play Community Night

On Wednesday, February 19, from 5 to 7 p.m., join us for WeeMuse: 10 Days of Play Community Night, as we mark the beginning of a national play tour with our partners, Pop-Up Adventure Play. Innovative “play” will take over the whole Museum! Participate in play in its many forms and experience a giant shadow puppet screen, an instrument petting zoo, marble tracks, and our popular child-directed play center among other family-fun play stations. Sponsored in part by the TD Charitable Foundation. The event is free and open to the community.

Pop-Up Adventure Play is a team of skilled professionals who utilize their experience and expertise in a range of fields, from child development to playwork, environmental and experiential learning, design, and community organizing, to provide rich, innovative play experiences at venues in the U.S, the U.K, and around the world. On February 19, Pop-Up Adventure Play principals Anna Housley Juster, Morgan Leichter-Saxby, and Suzanna Law will embark on an 8-week road trip to take Pop-Up Adventure Playgrounds and workshops across the U.S. The Berkshire Museum is honored to be the first of more than a dozen stops planned for the tour. Our Pop-Up Adventure Play partners will be at the Museum on Wednesday, February 19, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., working with visitors, parents, Museum staff, and educators to share their concepts of child-directed play. They will also be participating in the Community Night activities before departing on their tour. For more information, visit www.popupadventureplay.org.

10 Days of Play is part of Pittsfield’s annual 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival, coordinated by the City of Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development and Barrington Stage Company, and sponsored in part by Berkshire Gas.

About the Berkshire Museum

Located in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts, at 39 South St., the Berkshire Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $13 adult, $6 child; Museum members and children age 3 and under enjoy free admission. For more information, visit www.berkshiremuseum.org or call 413.443.7171.

In association with the Smithsonian since 2013, Berkshire Museum is part of a select group of museums, cultural, educational, and arts organizations that share the Smithsonian’s resources with the nation.

Established by Zenas Crane in 1903, Berkshire Museum integrates art, history, and natural science in a wide range of programs and exhibitions that inspire educational connections between the disciplines. Berkshire Collects is on view through May 11, 2014; Objectify: A Look into the Permanent Collection is on view through spring 2015. Little Cinema is open year-round. Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation, Worlds in Miniature, Aquarium, and other exhibits are ongoing.

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The Great Chicken Debate!

When: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at 6 pm

Where: The Berkshire Athenaeum auditorium

Who: Marlboro Drive neighbors and citizens interested in backyard chickens

 

We recently filed for a permit to keep up to 6 hens in our backyard. The birds would be kept as pets and for egg production and soil enrichment. Though our plan meets zoning requirements, some neighbors have expressed concerns. In response the Zoning Board has given us additional time to meet with neighbors in order to better explain our intentions and address any concerns that neighbors might have about our project.

We would like to invite you to meet with us on Wednesday, February 12, in the auditorium at the Berkshire Athenaeum (Pittsfield Public Library). We will provide refreshments and give a brief presentation on backyard chickens and why we think that they are a good fit in our neighborhood. Afterward we would be more than happy to answer questions. Please consider attending this event and joining in the conversation. If you cannot attend, please feel free to contact us with questions or concerns prior to the next Zoning Board meeting on February 19. We can be reached by emailing Kristen at kristen@thebeatnews.org.

 

Sincerely,

The Laney Family

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Foundations Band Together to Get Rid of Fossil-Fuel Investments

By DIANE CARDWELL, NY Times

Seventeen foundations controlling nearly $1.8 billion in investments have united to commit to pulling their money out of companies that do business in fossil fuels, the group plans to announce on Thursday.

The move is a victory for a developing divestiture campaign that has found success largely among small colleges and environmentally conscious cities, but has not yet won over the wealthiest institutions like Harvard, Brown and Swarthmore.

But the participation of the foundations, including the Russell Family Foundation, the Educational Foundation of America and the John Merck Fund, is the largest commitment to the effort, and stems in part from a push among philanthropies to bring their investing in line with their missions.

“At a minimum, our grants should not be undercut by our investments,” said Ellen Dorsey, executive director of the Wallace Global Fund, which is practically divested of fossil fuels already and is coordinating the effort among foundations. “If you owned fossil fuels in your investment portfolio, it became increasingly clear to foundations that they own climate change, and they’re potentially profiting from those investments,” at the same time as they make grants to fight the issue.

She said she expected several larger foundations to commit to the effort, which includes moving investments to renewable energy or other sustainability ventures, in the coming months.

Among the largest in the current group is the Park Foundation, with a portfolio worth roughly $335 million, and the Schmidt Family Foundation, with about $304 million, co-founded by Google’s executive chairman, Eric E. Schmidt.

The divestiture campaign is modeled on earlier efforts aimed at ending apartheid in South Africa and ceasing to support tobacco companies. Many groups are involved, but the movement has largely been escalated by a grass-roots organization, 350.org, whose name refers to 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which some scientists say is the maximum safe level, a threshold already exceeded.

In addition to the foundations, 22 cities, two counties, 20 religious organizations, nine colleges and universities and six other institutions had signed up to rid themselves of investments in fossil fuel companies, frequently defined as the top 200 coal-, oil- and gas-producing companies identified in a report from the Carbon Tracker Initiative based in London.

The campaign’s expansion comes as institutions like public pension funds are changing their investment strategies to reflect a calculation of the so-called carbon bubble. That idea holds that most of the coal, oil and gas reserves owned by fossil fuel-based companies cannot be burned without dire climate consequences, meaning that the value of those companies will plummet once governments start strictly limiting emissions.

Read more here

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Milne Public Library Showcases the Photography of Bob Wiley

The David and Joyce Milne Public Library in Williamstown is pleased to announce a photography exhibit by Williamstown resident Bob Wiley. He specializes in landscape photography and he travels throughout the United States capturing the stunning beauty of America. Included in the show are large panoramic photos of Mt. Greylock and the Taconic Range.

Bob is a lifelong backpacker and adventurer who has gone deep into America’s wilderness areas. His hope is to share images of spectacular places and to promote awareness of the need to preserve America’s wilderness heritage.

Bob’s work has been shown at the Honey Sharp Gallery, The Becket Art Center, and Canyon Ranch of the Berkshires. He has published two photo posters of the Berkshires, and has sold a popular line of photo note cards.

The show will open on February 3rd and run through March 1st.

For more information or to reserve exhibit space please contact Pat McLeod, Library Director at (413) 458-5369 or pmcleod@williamstown.net

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Connecticut Seeking More Control of Fracking Waste

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and environmental groups in Connecticut want to establish regulations before further requests are made to dump toxic fracking waste in Connecticut. Connecticut seeking more control of fracking waste

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EPA Releases Climate Assessment Update to National Stormwater Calculator

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released phase II of the National Stormwater Calculator and Climate Assessment Tool package. The updated calculator includes future climate vulnerability scenarios.

 

The calculator, a part of President Obama’s Climate Change Action Plan, is a desktop application that estimates the annual amount of stormwater runoff from a specific location. The calculator now includes changes in seasonal precipitation levels, the effects of more frequent high-intensity storms, and changes in evaporation rates based on validated climate change scenarios by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

 

“Climate change threatens our health, our economy, and our environment,” said Gina McCarthy, EPA Administrator. “As part of the President’s Climate Action Plan, this tool will help us better prepare for climate impacts by helping build safer, sustainable, and more resilient water infrastructure.”

 

The updated calculator includes climate models that can be incorporated into the calculation of stormwater runoff. This adds future climate scenarios to last year’s phase I release, which included local soil conditions, slope, land cover, historical rainfall records.

 

Users can enter any U.S. location and select different scenarios to learn how specific green infrastructure changes, including inexpensive changes such as rain barrels and rain gardens, can reduce stormwater runoff. This information shows users how adding green infrastructure, which mimics natural processes, can be one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce stormwater runoff.

 

Every year billions of gallons of raw sewage, trash, household chemicals, and urban runoff flow into our streams, rivers and lakes. Polluted stormwater runoff can adversely affect plants, animals, and people. It also negatively impacts our economy – from closed beaches to decreased fishing in polluted areas. Green infrastructure can reduce the damage caused by climate change by improving water quality in streams and rivers, protecting groundwater sources, and enhancing recreational activities. Using the calculator to choose the best green infrastructure options for an area is an innovative and efficient way to promote healthy waters and support sustainable communities.

More information on the National Stormwater Calculator and Climate Assessment Tool package:
http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/wswrd/wq/models/swc/

 

More information about the virtual climate resilience toolkit:

President27sclimateactionplan

 

More information on EPA’s Green Infrastructure research:

http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/index.cfm

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EPA and Freddie Mac to Cut Carbon Pollution and Increase Affordability of Multifamily Buildings

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Energy Star program and Freddie Mac have signed an agreement that will help to cut carbon pollution while increasing the affordability of multifamily housing properties. The agreement outlines strategies to save water, energy and money for multifamily property owners and residents.

“Boosting energy and water efficiency not only saves money and makes these properties a better investment for owners and more affordable for families who live there — it is also an important step in the President’s commitment to fighting climate change by cutting energy waste in our nation’s buildings,” said Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “By making it easier to secure financing for energy efficiency investments and providing data about energy use and efficiency opportunities, these strategies will create lasting environmental and public health benefits while making multifamily buildings more efficient and valuable.”

“Freddie Mac is proud to partner with the EPA in this effort,” said Mitchell Resnick, Freddie Mac Multifamily vice president of loan pricing and securitization. “As one of the largest Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS) issuers in the country, we are looking to guide the industry and the CMBS market towards a greater sensitivity to environmentally responsible lending and investing. This partnership is the first of what we hope are many steps in that direction. We are looking at how energy efficiency improves the financial viability of the apartments we finance, and most importantly its impact on the affordability of rental housing.”

Roughly one-third of Americans live in apartments within multifamily buildings, spending approximately $22 billion on energy every year. Rising energy costs are contributing to the decline in affordability for many of these Americans. Housing industry studies have projected that multifamily properties can become 30 percent more efficient by 2020, unlocking $9 billion in energy savings and preventing more than 35 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

In support of the President’s Climate Action Plan, this memorandum of understanding outlines key strategies to make multifamily housing more affordable by encouraging building owners and tenants to benchmark their energy and water performance and take steps to improve efficiency. Among those strategies:

  • Freddie Mac will explore the collection of energy and water performance data from property owners during the loan underwriting and asset management processes.
  • By demonstrating the financial value of energy and water efficiency to lenders and borrowers, Freddie Mac hopes to be able to influence lending practices in ways that encourage investments in energy efficiency and make multifamily housing units more affordable.
  • EPA will assist Freddie Mac with these, and other, goals, by providing technical and educational support in the use of the Energy Star Portfolio Manager® energy management and tracking tool as well as other Energy Star resources.

The President’s Climate Action Plan calls for helping multifamily buildings cut waste and becoming at least 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020. While EPA has already been working with Fannie Mae and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, this latest agreement with Freddie Mac is another critical step forward in meeting the President’s goal. Together, these three organizations influence the largest sources of residential and multifamily lending in the country.

Products, homes and buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR label prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency requirements set by the U.S. EPA. In 2012 alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $26 billion on their utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the annual electricity use from 35 million homes. From the first ENERGY STAR qualified computer in 1992, the ENERGY STAR label can now be found on products in more than 70 different categories, with more than 4.5 billion sold over the past 20 years. Over 1.4 million new homes and 20,000 office buildings, schools and hospitals have earned the ENERGY STAR label.

More information on EPA’s ENERGY STAR buildings program: www.energystar.gov/buildings

More Information on Freddie Mac: www.FreddieMac.com

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Protecting New England from the Devastation of Tar Sands Gas

from the Conservation Law Foundation

 

In the battle to arrest and then decrease our collective carbon emissions, tar sands oil is the equivalent of a carbon bomb. The process of extracting oil from this primordial ooze makes the end product the most carbon intensive fuel in the world — not to mention the corresponding environmental devastation to extraction sites. For these reasons, any group serious about climate change, including Conservation Law Foundation, vigorously opposes the efforts by oil companies like Shell or ExxonMobil to expand the markets for this bomb through pipelines or rail transit.

 

New England is very much at risk, because of the proposed reversal of the pipeline that now carries oil from Portland, Maine, to Montreal, coursing through communities in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont and along, under or over prized rivers, lakes and wild life areas. The proposed reversal would see tar sands oil pumped from Montreal to South Portland and then out through Casco Bay — a proposal that has concerned communities in all three states since it was first raised years ago. You can read more about the threat of this proposal in this Fact Sheet. The transport of tar sands oil from western Canada to markets in the U.S. presents real and catastrophic risk to communities and natural resources, as we have so tragically learned from spills in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, and the towns of Mayflower, Arkansas and Lac-Mégantic, Quebec.

 

Tar sands oil also poses the very real threat of dramatically increasing the carbon foot print of gasoline in the Northeast, taking us backwards in our efforts to combat climate change. As this recent report from NRDC makes clear, at present, the region is virtually tar sands free but if ExxonMobil and others have their way, as much as 18% of the regions fuel supply could be derived from tar sands oil. CLF is committed to ensuring that tar sands-derived gas does not play a role in our energy future and is instead continuing to work to enact a clean fuel standard for the region.

 

While most in New England have yet to experience firsthand the devastation wreaked by the extraction and processing of tar sands in Western Canada, CLF is proud to sponsor, along with other partners, a speakers tour of people with unique perspectives who live with and have recorded this travesty. The tour will be making stops in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine. Listening to the stories of people directly impacted by tar sands oil extraction is an opportunity to make tangible just how damaging this carbon bomb is today. I hope you’ll join us at one of the venues.

 

The post Protecting New England from the Devastation of Tar Sands Gas appeared first on Conservation Law Foundation.

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Babies Near Gas Wells More Likely to Have Birth Defects

Women who live near natural gas wells in rural Colorado are more likely to have babies with neural tube and congenital heart defects, according to a new study. As natural gas extraction soars in the United States, the findings add to a growing concern by many activists and residents about the potential for health effects from air and water pollution. Environmental Health News

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2014/jan/natural-gas-wells-and-birth-defects

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Distinguishing Invasive Plants and Native Look-A-Likes in Late Winter and Early Spring

Thursday March 27, 8:30 – 5:00

led by Bill Moorhead

Come learn to identify woody invasive plants in the field! Late winter/early spring is prime season to touch up on your skills and get a jump on these pesky plants. This time of year is ideal for management but identification can be tricky. With the help of consulting field botanist Bill Moorhead you will learn to identify invasive woody plants in both terrestrial and wetland ecosystems, and distinguish them from those native plants with which they may be confused.

A brief introductory classroom session will be followed by visits to a number of field sites. In the event of weather too severe for field work, the workshop may be changed into a lab/classroom session using fresh collected specimens.

BILL MOORHEAD is an independent consulting field botanist based in western Connecticut. He has specialized for 25 years in the search for populations of rare plants and their habitats, and the study of plant communities and the factors determining their species composition and distribution.

For more information/registration please contact us at (860)542-5125 or contact@atonforest.org

—

Aton Forest, Inc.

P.O. Box 509

270 N. Colebrook Rd.

Norfolk, CT 06058

(860)248-9205

 

www.atonforest.org

www.sandybrook.org

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Check out the workshops at this year’s Local Environmental Action Conference

The list of workshops for Local Environmental Action 2014 has been finalized!

For those already registered for Local Environmental Action 2014: we’re excited to see you March 2nd at Northeastern University. If you haven’t registered yet, register now, and don’t miss out on discounted Early Bird prices, available through February 14th! Here are some of the workshops that you can choose from at this year’s conference:

• Citizen Science: Taking Pollution Monitoring into Your Own Hands

• Natural Gas in New England: Pipelines, Power Plants, Fracking, Oh My!

• What’s Coming Out of that Smokestack? Tips for Understanding, Measuring and Monitoring Air Pollution from Fossil Fuel Power Plants, Trash Incinerators, and More

• Community Organizing Bootcamp: Learn the Core Skills and Tools for Organizing Your Community and Winning Your Campaign

• Cooperatives and the New Sharing Economy

Not registered yet, but see something you like? Register today and don’t miss out on discounted Early Bird prices, available through February 14th! For more information and our full list of workshops check out our conference website.

Hope to see you in March!

 

Sylvia Broude

Toxics Action Center

Executive Director

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Do you have something to talk about?

From the Berkshire Museum

We’re looking for anyone who wants to promote their work, share a hobby, or present on a particular passion! Bring your ideas to the stage on February 20th with the PechaKucha Pittsfield Night #9.

The innovative, inspiring, and super-fast presentation style PechaKucha was devised by Klein Dytham Architecture and is known globally as the 20 x 20 format where 20 power point points slides progress automatically every 20 seconds, creating a visually arresting 6 minute, 40 second presentation for each presenter.

For more information on becoming a presenter at this or future PechaKucha Nights please contact: clanglois@berkshiremuseum.org

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2014 Berkshire Land Conservation Summer Internships

 

Berkshire Natural Resources Council, a private, non-profit land trust based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is offering its 2014 Rice Fellowship to individuals exploring a career in environmental fields.

 

The internship dates are May 15 to September 1, with flexibility on both ends.

 

The 40-hour/week fellowship provides a stipend and lodging in a rustic cabin on Onota Lake in Pittsfield. There is a mix of approximately 70/30 field/office work. Fellows will gain valuable experience in resource management at a successful environmental organization while performing meaningful work in the Berkshires. BNRC is a small organization (staff of five) unburdened by administrative formality. Rice Fellows enjoy an unusual level of independence compared with many internships; a large amount of self-motivation is required.

 

Primary responsibilities

  1. Fee land management
  2. Public outreach
  3. Trail maintenance
  4. Conservation restriction stewardship

 

Specific duties

  1. Easement monitoring
  2. Establishing baseline documents
  3. Invasive-plant control
  4. Trail maintenance and construction
  5. Assistance with public outreach events (e.g., leading hikes and coordinating events)
  6. Other land management tasks as required

 

Requirements

  1. Solid writing and communication skills;
  2. Ability to work unsupervised and comfort with being alone in the woods;
  3. Personal transportation
  4. Willingness to work outside in all weather conditions

 

Fellows will gain:

  1. Field skills in GPS and map-and-compass navigation
  2. Leadership skills
  3. Trail building skills
  4. Knowledge of global positioning systems (GPS)
  5. Orienteering and boundary maintenance skills
  6. Understanding of ecological restoration theory and practice
  7. Basic understanding of land management techniques and challenges for land conservation
  8. Topical experience with Arc 9.3 GIS (mapping)

 

Applicants should email cover letter, résumé, and contact information for three references by February 19th 2014. Please be in touch by e-mail with questions and send application to:

 

Michael Leavitt

Berkshire Natural Resources Council

20 Bank Row

Pittsfield, MA 01201

mleavitt@bnrc.net (413) 499-0596

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Youth Environmental Opportunities

• Outing Club Feb-Apr Schedule: https://www.google.com/calendar/b/1/render?tab=oc&pli=1

o The Outing Club is open to youth ages 14-25 and offers a variety of activities from recreational hikes to days of community service aimed at helping our natural heritage.

o Find us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/South-County-Outing-Club/519634254716265

• Berkshire Community College Internships

o http://blogs.berkshirecc.edu/servicelearning/fall-2013-courses/environmental-science/

• Great Barrington Phenology Trail (Anytime!)

o Volunteer opportunities including installation, maintenance, and data collection/entry. Contact Collin if interested: americorps@greenagers.org

• Project Native Film Festival (March 29-30, 2014)

o Featuring the award-winning film REVOLUTION by Rob Stewart.

o FREE admission

o http://projectnative.org/Film_Festival.html

• Individualized Internships, Independent Studies/Projects

o Collin at Greenagers is always open to working with students to develop their individual passions for the natural world by helping develop personalized internship and independent study opportunities. If it is something he is unversed in then he is committed to helping connect students with those who work professionally in the environmental/conservation industry. Contact Collin if interested: americorps@greenagers.org

• AMC Teen Trail Crews: http://www.outdoors.org/conservation/trails/volunteer/trailopps/vol-crews-schedule.cfm

o Experience the back country while getting hands-on experience building and maintaining trails! These trail crews will take teens on an unforgettable journey.

• Berkshire BioBlitz: Blitz the Trails!

o 24-hour bio assessment of the Three Mile Hill Trail/Fountain Pond State Park. The goal is to identify as many species as possible! Birds, reptiles, mammals, plants, fish… everything!

o Save the Date! June 13 & 14, 2014

o More information will be coming out in the coming weeks. See www.berkshirebioblitz.org for more info and to see what previous BioBlitzes have looked like.

Collin Adkins, AmeriCorps Member – MassLIFT

Service Learning Coordinator

AMC-Berkshires, South Egremont, MA

Greenagers, Great Barrington, MA

(508) 471-0184 americorps@greenagers.org

 

http://www.mountgrace.org/masslift-americorps

Home

http://amcberkshire.org/

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