News Headlines
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Governor Patrick Lifts Moratorium on Incinerators
Bald Eagles are Back!
Berkshire Museum Presents River Paintings by Henry Ekman Klein Now through June 30, 2013
Berkshire Publishing Group Announces Completion of 10-Volume Encyclopedia of Sustainability
Honing in on Zoning
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Up to $9 Million Available from EPA for 2013 Diesel Emission Reduction Grants
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TURI Community and Business Grants Available
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Receives 2013 Brownfields Grant
The Pack Project: Making Connections to Your Natural World
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Please send items of interest to Kristen.
Governor Patrick Lifts Moratorium on Incinerators
from 350 Massachusetts
Terrible decision by the state of Massachusetts to allow incineration technologies like gasification and pyrolisis back in the state. Bad for economy, health, climate.
Here is some of the news coverage:
WAMC: MassDEP Releases Updated Waste Management Master Plan
http://www.wamc.org/post/massdep-releases-updated-waste-management-master-plan
Boston Globe:
Boston Business Journal (coverage of Don’t Waste Mass coalition):
WBUR (coverage of Don’t Waste Mass coalition): http://www.wbur.org/2013/05/08/mass-incinerators-moratorium
BEAT Note: BEAT submitted comments against lifting this ban.
Bald Eagles are Back! 
A recent survey by the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game (DFG) found 30 active Bald Eagle nests in Massachusetts, including eight along the Connecticut River and one in Pittsfield. The survey is proof of the species’ continued increase in Massachusetts since being reintroduced to the Quabbin Reservoir in the mid-1980s. The species was down-listed from “Endangered” to “Threatened” status in Massachusetts in 2011 and removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007.
Just goes to show what getting toxic chemicals out of the environment can do to help wildlife and the environment. Now if we can just get General Electric Company to get their toxic chemicals (PCBs) out of the Housatonic River!
You can learn more about recent Bald Eagle trends in Massachusetts in Mass Audubon’s State of the Birds report.
Berkshire Museum presents River Paintings by Henry Ekman Klein Now through June 30, 2013
Berkshire Museum presents the new exhibition, River Paintings, by Berkshire-based artist Henry Ekman Klein. The paintings focus on nature and the evolving landscape, expressed in exuberant brushstrokes and a rich, saturated palette. “I give my audience the ringside seat, viewing stories about the characters: Rocks, Water, Gravity,” says Klein. He employs an innovative en plein air technique in his work producing real-size views of the terrain in a one-to-one ratio. The exhibit is located in the Ellen Crane Memorial Room and will be on view through June 30, 2013.
A conservation technician at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, Klein is used to detail work, which translates to his paintings and the intimacy with which he portrays objects in nature. A graduate of Northwestern Connecticut Community College, Klein came to the area in 1991 for a residency at the Contemporary Artists Center in North Adams, MA. He started out by making abstract paintings, but he found himself drawn to the outdoors and the New England landscape. His paintings in the Crane Room reflect his fascination with the processes of nature that surround us every day.
Klein, who lives in Adams with his wife, is a recipient of the Frederic Remington Award for excellence in studio art. His work has been widely shown at many galleries in the Berkshires, including the Harrison Gallery, Gallery 51, Carrie Haddad Gallery, and the Plum Gallery; in a solo show at the Springfield Museums; and at galleries in Northampton, New Haven, Troy, and New York City.
Located in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts, at 39 South St., Berkshire Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit www.berkshiremuseum.org or call 413.443.7171. 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. Ansel Adams: Masterworks and Nature Magnified: Photographs by Andreas Feininger are on view through June 2, 2013. Objectify: A Look into the Permanent Collection is ongoing. Little Cinema is open year-round. Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation, Worlds in Miniature, Aquarium, and other exhibits are ongoing.
Berkshire Publishing Group Announces Completion of 10-Volume Encyclopedia of Sustainability
Great Barrington, Mass., 16 May 2013 –Berkshire Publishing Group, a major independent publisher specializing in China, the environment, and global connections, is pleased to announce publication of the ten-volume Berkshire Encyclopedia of Sustainability (eds. Anderson, Ray, et al.) in both print and online versions.
With the launch of the 10-volume encyclopedia Berkshire has begun to develop a new range of publications and forums on academic topics that have practical value in solving today’s pressing environmental and economic challenges. Berkshire encourages its expert authors to provide broad context and rich analysis, offering the reader the “How?” and “Why?” of a subject, not just the Who, What, When, and Where.
Jim MacNeill, Secretary-General of the Brundtland Commission and chief architect and lead author of Our Common Future (1984–1987), said of the ten-volume set, “This is undoubtedly the most important and readable reference on sustainability of our time.” Denis Hayes, principal organizer of the first Earth Day, said, “It’s past time for proponents of sustainability to move beyond empty slogans and baby steps. Everyone who is ready to get serious will profit from this robust, comprehensive, diverse collection of cutting-edge thinking from some of the smartest members of our species.” See what other experts have said about the series here; here is a link to a flyer with more information about the series.
This interdisciplinary print and online publication is focused on solutions, and draws from the natural, physical, and social sciences – geophysics, engineering, and resource management, to name a few – and from philosophy and religion. The result is a unified and organized resource on sustainability that connects academic research to real-world challenges and provides a balanced, trustworthy perspective on global environmental issues in the 21st century.
The late Ray Anderson, the editor-in-chief of the series, was an industrialist-turned-maverick environmentalist who ensured that the series’ environmental coverage included the business community; the second volume, in fact, is titled The Business of Sustainability.
The encyclopedia features:
• Ground-breaking sustainability-related subjects including Big History and the “IPAT Equation,” (i.e., Environmental Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology) as well as more common topics such as Organic Agriculture and Mining
• International contributors (1,000 authors in 70 countries contributed to the Encyclopedia of Sustainability)
• Case studies on everything from the 1984 Bhopal disaster to sustainability in cities such as Phoenix, Dhaka, London, and Jakarta
• Balanced, objective articles on sensitive topics such as fracking and nuclear energy
Berkshire invites journalists and other interested parties to contact them at the email address below for books and articles for review, or for interviews with the publisher, authors, or editors. Berkshire is interested in promoting dialogue on complicated issues and encourages telling of the stories that often lie behind environmental news.
About Berkshire Publishing Group
Berkshire Publishing Group, based in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, is a leader in resources for international education, with staff and authors around the world and an office in Beijing. Karen Christensen, Berkshire’s CEO and co-founder, is an environmental author who does much work in China and who likes to “mix things up”: she doesn’t agree with many environmentalists’ all-or-nothing stances on many topics and thinks that rebuilding community is the often-overlooked secret to many of the world’s environmental (and other) woes. She has served as editor or co-editor on dozens of publications, including the Encyclopedia of Leadership, the Encyclopedia of Modern Asia, and the Encyclopedia of Community. She is the author of many books, including Home Ecology and The Armchair Environmentalist. Karen would be happy to speak to journalists interested in learning about the difficulties and satisfaction of putting together such a mammoth work in today’s uncertain publishing environment.
To request a book or article(s) for review, or to request an interview with the publisher, authors, or editors, please email Bill Siever at bill@berkshirepublishing.com.
Honing in on Zoning
from Mass Audubon’s Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup
The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government will hold a hearing this Tuesday on bills related to zoning and land use. Mass Audubon will be testifying in support of An Act promoting the planning and development of sustainable communities (H.1859), which would provide cities and towns with better tools for planning and zoning, enabling them to be more economically competitive, to protect natural resource areas, and to increase the supply of moderately priced housing. Preceding the hearings, will be a 1:00 p.m. zoning reform rally at the State House Nurse’s Hall.
Up to $9 Million Available from EPA for 2013 Diesel Emission Reduction Grants
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of up to $9 million through the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program (DERA) for Fiscal Year 2013 for new projects to reduce emissions from the nation’s existing fleet of diesel engines.
The DERA program has significantly improved air quality and provided critical health benefits by reducing air pollution and saving millions of gallons of fuel. Diesel pollution is linked to a range of serious health problems including asthma, lung and heart disease, other respiratory ailments, and premature death. EPA estimates that clean diesel funding generates up to $13 of public health benefit for every $1 spent on diesel projects.
States, tribes, local governments, and non-profits are eligible to apply for DERA grants. Projects can reduce air pollution from older school buses, transit buses, heavy-duty diesel trucks, marine engines, locomotives, and other diesel engines. The projects will help achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions in terms of tons of pollution reduced and reductions in diesel emissions exposure, particularly from fleets operating in poor air quality areas. The closing date for receipt of proposals is June 25, 2013.
Since the first year of the DERA program in 2008, EPA has awarded over 500 grants across the U.S. Many of these projects fund cleaner diesel engines that operate in economically disadvantaged communities whose residents suffer from higher-than-average instances of asthma, heart, and lung disease. From FY 2008-2010, grantees took steps to retrofit, replace or repower more than 50,000 vehicles and equipment in a variety of industries and these projects reduced emissions by at least 203,900 tons of NOX and 12,500 tons of PM over the lifetime of the engines. As a result of these reductions, EPA estimates that the health benefits associated with up to 1,400 fewer premature deaths and fewer hospital visits, among other impacts, will total between $3.4 billion and $8.2 billion.
More on the Request for Proposals and other documents: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel/prgnational.htm
More on the National Clean Diesel campaign:
http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel
Community and Business Grants Available
Apply for a TURI Community & Small Business Grant
The Toxics Use Reduction Institute is pleased to invite proposals from community organizations, municipal departments, small businesses, and regional and state-wide organizations or collaborative groups for support under our Community and Small Business Grant Program.
You have the opportunity to create and promote healthier communities throughout the Commonwealth by initiating projects that raise awareness and educate people about safer alternatives to toxic chemicals.
State-wide or regional projects funded up to $20,000. Local projects funded up to $10,000. Submit your proposal by June 28.
Apply for a TURI Business Grant
TURI’s incentive grants are available to help companies adopt safer technologies and to demonstrate solutions to other companies.
Process modification and cleaner technology demonstration site grants are available.
These grants can help make implementation of your toxics use reduction opportunity possible and can help Massachusetts industry continue its progress toward creating a safer and more sustainable economy.
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Receives 2013 Brownfields Grant
EPA’s Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country cleanup and revitalize brownfields sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission for two brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct a brownfields inventory and perform two Phase I and four Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to support community outreach activities. Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct the same tasks at sites with potential petroleum contamination. Activities will focus on the traditional manufacturing towns and cities in Berkshire County.
The Pack Project: Making Connections to Your Natural World
Applications Due: June 1, 2013
Outdoor Nation and Merrell are proud to announce the launch of the 2013 The Pack Project Grants Program – working to increase participation in active outdoor recreation while also creating meaningful connections to the natural world. Merrell believes in encouraging everyone to get outside, be active and have fun. The Brand’s mission is to increase participation in the outdoors through causes like Outdoor Nation.
In 2013, Merrell will be awarding a total of $25,000 to a minimum of 10 projects through their ambassador program called The Pack. There will be two cycles of the grant program, one in spring and one in late summer. Grants will be awarded to the most innovative, impactful and sustainable projects focusing on increasing outdoor recreation in communities across the country while also creating significant relationships with the environment. Applications are being accepted from individuals between the ages of 18 and 28 and 501c3 non-profits. Please note that individuals are eligible to apply but must have a 501c3 non-profit partner to act as the fiscal agent for the grant.
Deadline: Proposals must be submitted by June 1, 2013.
Award Amount: Individuals and/or non-profit organizations can be awarded up to $2,500 for submissions that meet the stated requirements. The top 5 ideas will be awarded funding along with technical support and guidance from The Outdoor Foundation. There will be a second cycle of this grant program in the fall awarding an additional 5 projects.
Selection and Notification Process: Criteria for The Pack Project Grants have been established by Merrell and The Outdoor Foundation. Based on a rigorous review and selection process, Merrell and The Outdoor Foundation will announce the grant recipients for the first cycle of the grant on June 24, 2013.
Questions: Contact Ivan Levin at ilevin@outdoorfoundation.org with questions regarding this program.
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