The BEAT News March 6, 2013

News Headlines

BEAT Environmental Studies Scholarship

Each year a student in the Environmental Studies program at Berkshire Community College is selected to receive the Berkshire Environmental Action Team Scholarship for Environmental Studies. This scholarship was originally endowed by the Housatonic River Museum and has been furthered by loyal supporters of BEAT. Thank you to everyone who has made this scholarship possible!

If you would like to donate to the BEAT Scholarship fund:

online – go to http://www.berkshirecc.edu/donatingonline

  • click on “click here to donate”
  • check the “Named Scholarship/Fund” box
    •  enter the amount you wish to donate,
    • in the “please designate” box type BEAT Fund

by check – make check payable to the Berkshire Community College Scholarship Foundation and in the memo write BEAT Fund.
Mail to: Attn: Ann Phillips, BCC Scholarship Foundation, Berkshire Community College, 1350 West Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201

Thank you for helping us support environmental education in the Berkshires.

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New Pittsfield Farmers’ Market

The City of Pittsfield, Alchemy Initiative and downtown Pittsfield Inc. are working together to start a new robust and exciting farmers market in Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District on the First Street parking lot across from the Common. Lots of free parking and a very central (and visible) location!

 

We are now accepting applications from farmers and food producers! Click here for more information and the application form>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/v4pb4u6rt83jbxu/Pittsfield%20Farmers%20Market-%20Farmer%20Application.pdf?m

 

We will also be including a limited number of artisan vendors. Here for more information>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/zuw0j8k8hc0b8ez/Pittsfield%20Farmers%20Market-%20Artist%20Application.pdf?m

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Shell Pulls Out of Arctic Drilling This Summer

from the Center for Biological Diversity

Great news for the Arctic, polar bears and other creatures of the Far North: Shell Oil has announced it won’t drill in Alaska’s Beaufort or Chukchi seas this summer. Wednesday’s announcement follows a series of mishaps for Shell in the Arctic, including one of its drilling rigs running aground earlier this year.

The Center for Biological Diversity and allies have been pushing for years to stop drilling in the Arctic ocean, home to polar bears and other imperiled creatures that would be devastated by an oil spill. More than a million people sent messages to President Obama last year urging him not to allow Arctic drilling. Shell began exploratory drilling operations last summer but was beset by a series of mishaps.

“Although Shell calls this simply a ‘pause’ in its plans for Arctic drilling, we think it ought to be a permanent stop,” said Rebecca Noblin, the Center’s Alaska director. “Drilling in the Arctic can never be made safe for polar bears, whales and ice seals or the fragile ecosystems where they live. President Obama ought to use the opportunity to rethink his support for Arctic drilling and take if off the table forever.”

Coincidentally, Wednesday was also International Polar Bear Day. What a great way to celebrate.

Read more in The New York Times.

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EPA Recognizes Individuals, Organizations for Climate Change Leadership

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Center for Corporate Climate Leadership hosted the second annual Climate Leadership Awards, with the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO), the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and The Climate Registry (TCR). Twenty three winners will be given awards for their leadership in reducing carbon pollution and addressing climate change.

“Our Climate Leadership Award winners are leading by example with their outstanding actions to reduce carbon pollution,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “These organizations are tackling the challenge of climate change with practical, common-sense, and cost-saving solutions to improve efficiency and cut waste.”

The national awards program honors corporate, organizational, and individual leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in internal operations and throughout the supply chain. A wide array of industries are represented by these organizations, including construction, finance, defense, transportation, retail, energy and technology.

Organizational Leadership Award: Boulder County, Colo.; City of Austin, Texas; Intel Corporation; Port of San Diego; and Sonoma County Water Agency

Individual Leadership Award: Tamara ‘TJ’ DiCaprio, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability, Microsoft Corporation; and J. Wayne Leonard, Former Chairman and CEO of Entergy Corporation

Supply Chain Leadership Award: Cisco Systems, Inc.; IBM; and San Diego Gas & Electric

Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Achievement Award): Abbott; CSX Transportation, Inc.; Limited Brands, Inc.; Office Depot; Raytheon Company; Staples, Inc.; Tiffany & Co.; and Turner Construction Company

Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate): Bank of America; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC); SC Johnson & Sons, Inc.; and Wells Fargo and Company

“The 2013 Climate Leadership Award winners are leading the way on integrating climate response into their organizational culture,” said Daniel Kreeger, ACCO executive director. “They are demonstrating true commitment to managing and reducing GHG emissions in internal operations and throughout the supply chain, as well as integrating climate related risk management into their operational strategies. The winners are not only exemplary corporate, organizational, and individual leaders, but their actions provide a blueprint to catalyze the efforts of other organizations and individuals.”

“After a year of record heat and drought, action on climate change and clean energy is more urgent than ever,” said C2ES President Eileen Claussen. “We join EPA in applauding the winners of the Climate Leadership Awards. These companies, organizations, and individuals demonstrate every day the possibility of a prosperous low-carbon future. Hopefully, their accomplishments will spur and challenge others to take steps that are good for both the economy and the environment.”

“The Climate Registry applauds the meaningful action taken by this year’s impressive award winners to demonstrate leadership in their response to climate change,” said David Rosenheim, executive director of TCR. “These deserving organizations lead the way for reducing carbon pollution through greater transparency and consistent data, contributing to a stronger platform for energy and climate policies to build from.”

The awards were presented at the Climate Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

More about the recognition categories and the Climate Leadership Award winners: http://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/awards/2013winners.html

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Beat Back Fracking in Massachusetts Update

Good news. Thanks to your phone calls and emails, the bill to ban fracking in Massachusetts (H. 707) now has the support of more than 20 state representatives and senators, Paul Mark and Tricia Farley-Bouvier from the Berkshires among them. You can see who they are by going here and clicking the tab labelled “miscellaneous.” If your legislators are on the list, please take a moment to thank them for co-sponsoring the bill.

 

Now I’d like to tell you about two upcoming events: one in the eastern part of the state and the other here in the Pioneer Valley.

 

There will be an anti-fracking meeting later this month in Cambridge in response to a “safe fracking” panel that the MIT Enterprise Forum has scheduled. The anti-fracking meeting is organized by the GreenRainbowParty, Progressive Democrats of America, Better Futures Project/350 Massachusetts, and Environment Massachusetts. If you have friends in the Cambridge/Somerville area please spread the word to them. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 14, 7:00 p.m. in the Democracy Center, 45 Mt. Auburn Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge.

 

Closer to home, the Beat Back Fracking campaign is organizing a public meeting for May 23 in Westfield, where a company called Pioneer Valley Energy Center (formerly Westfield Land Development Company, LLC) wants to build a natural gas power station. Official estimates suggest that the facility would release approximately one million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. And for cooling purposes the plant would need plenty of water — up to two million gallons per day — from the Ashley Reservoir in Holyoke.

 

If you’re not happy about wasting water and burning more fracked gas in the Pioneer Valley, come along to Westfield Public Library on May 23 and make your voice heard.

 

Thank you for all you do,

— Peter

Peter Vickery, Esq.

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Keystone Application Deadline Extended

 The application deadline for the Keystone Project annual training has been extended to March 11th.
The Keystone Project trains landowners and community leaders who are in a position to have a conservation impact on their community.

This 3-day, retreat style training covers a variety of conservation topics, including:  forest ecology and management, wildlife management, and land conservation.  Learn more about the Keystone Project.

This year’s training will be April 11 – 14th at the Harvard Forest in Petersham.  Applications are due March 11th. Download an application.

Take this opportunity to submit your application.  You won’t regret it.  Below is a quote from a recent Keystone Cooperator:

“Thank you for a wonderful, educational, inspiring weekend. I come away with great motivation and courage to implement some new ideas!”

This year’s training is thanks to our generous sponsors:  DCR’s Service Forestry Program, Harvard Forest, and the MA Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.


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Berkshire Grown’s March Maple Dinner Features Extraordinary Chefs

 

Berkshire Grown features a special slate of chefs for the March Maple Dinner on March 18, 2013 at Cranwell Resort in Lenox to celebrate the first harvest of the season. The dinner will benefit Berkshire Grown and Share the Bounty, which buys shares in local farms for food pantries.

 

This year’s March Maple Dinner chefs cut their cooking teeth at either Wheatleigh or Blantyre in Lenox and Stockbridge. Many of these young chefs went on to other triumphs—Brian Young is now Executive Chef at Tavern on the Green in NYC; Hung Huynh, winner of Top Chef Season 3, is now Executive Chef at The General in NYC.

 

No matter where these cooks now cook, their hearts have remained in the Berkshires and this is the first time all will gather to produce a meal in support of Berkshire Grown and its Share the Bounty project.

 

The March Maple Dinner celebrates the return of spring with a maple-inspired five-course dinner featuring these creative chefs:

  • Jeffrey Thompson, Executive Chef at Wheatleigh
  • Brian Young, former cook at Wheatleigh and Executive Chef at Tavern on the Green
  • Hung Huynh, former cook at Wheatleigh and winner of Top Chef Season 3, current Executive Chef at The General in New York
  • Chris Brooks, Former Executive Chef at Blantyre and current owner of The Chef at Your Table catering company and chef at Austin Riggs
  • Michael Roller, former Executive Chef of Blantyre and current owner of Savory Harvest Catering
  • Shirl Gard, former Pastry Chef at Wheatleigh and current Pastry Chef at The Old Inn On The Green
  • Host Chef, Carl Deluce, Executive Chef at Cranwell Resort

 

The evening will feature a Live Auction with two exciting items:  a wine dinner for eight at The Old Inn on the Green, and a one-week stay at Casa Miel, a home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

The evening begins at 6 pm with hors d’oeuvres and a complimentary tasting of beverages by Barrington Brewery, Berkshire Mountain Distillers & M.S. Walker Wines with a cash bar available. Dinner follows at 7 pm. Chefs will feature maple syrup from local farms.

Tickets, by reservation only, are $100 for Berkshire Grown members, $125 for non-members. For reservations call the Berkshire Grown office at 413-528-0041; for more information visit http://berkshiregrown.org/march-maple-dinner.

 

The Mansion at Cranwell Resort is located at 55 Lee Road/Route 20 in Lenox, MA. Special lodging price for the event night at Cranwell Resort, call 413-637-1364 for rates and reservations. Mention the March Maple Dinner to obtain discount.

 

Berkshire Grown is the “go to” network linking farmers and the Berkshire community. Through events, workshops, promotions, advocacy and education highlighting locally grown and produced food, Berkshire Grown helps to create a thriving local food economy.

 

For more information:

Barbara Zheutlin, Executive Director of Berkshire Grown

barbara@berkshiregrown.org

413-528-0041

www.berkshiregrown.org


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Lottery Open for Front Lawn Food 2013

The Front Lawn Food lottery for 2013 is now open!  Ten lucky names will be drawn out of a hat at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 15th. To add your name to the hat (eligibility requirements outlined below), please email Greenagers at Quinn@greenagers.org and info@greenagers.org or call us at 413-644-9090.

Entering its fourth year, Greenagers has had a great response to this initiative, which places raised bed vegetable gardens in the yards of ten Southern Berkshire County residents. To be eligible you must have children living at home, and be willing to give six hours of your time over the year volunteering at a local nonprofit that is environmentally and/or community focused. Priority is given to families with moderate or low income. If you’re picked from the lottery, we do ask for $20 to help offset the expense of installing the garden.

The ten garden recipients receive:

  • Three 3′ x 8′ raised beds (installed by Greenagers staff and youth volunteers), constructed from locally harvested and milled timber
  • Bi-monthly maintenance and harvest support throughout the summer provided by Greenagers staff and volunteers
  • The multiple benefits of fresh vegetables all throughout the summer!

Many thanks to those who have shown interest in the project in the past; it is the support of the community that makes this work possible.

Happy Gardening!

Greenagers
33 Rossetter Street
Great Barrington, MA 01230


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Volunteer in Sailyugem National Park

The Altai Project has a unique opportunity to bring 4-5 volunteers to Altai’s remote Sailyugem National Park for two weeks this summer.

In collaboration with our long-term partners at Arkhar NGO, WWF-Altai-Sayan, and SUNY-ESF, this summer TAP will conduct a pilot project to prepare for the launch of a comprehensive summer research program next year in southeastern Altai in and around Sailyugem National Park. This program will attract volunteers from around the world to help local scientists monitor and protect snow leopards, argali sheep, and other important species in the region. Volunteers will survey animals along monitoring routes, document Altai argali sheep and other wild animals via spotting scopes, install and collect data from camera traps, and other tasks, all under the close supervision of local wildlife scientists and experts.

Upon arrival in the region, the program will include a day in Gorno-Altaisk, two days of road travel, and ten glorious days in Sailyugem, near the Russia-Mongolia-China border. In addition to science tasks, we will share a few days in the mountains with a local mountain-climbing group, interact with local herder families, and enjoy a cultural program.

When fully launched in 2014, this volunteer-driven research program will not only help to protect Altai’s wildlife and contribute to conservation science, but it will also bring international attention to Altai and provide income to local Altaians. For more information see the website.

Contact Jennifer Castner for more details and an application form. – Jennifer@altaiproject.org or 510-393-5525.
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