News Headlines
Take Action to Pass the Bottle Bill
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Senate Adds Bottle Bill Update to its Budget
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USGS Study Confirms U.S. Amphibian Populations Declining at Precipitous Rates
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Wal-Mart Pleads Guilty To Federal Environmental Crimes And Civil Violations And Will Pay More Than $81 Million
“Open Spaces” Will Showcase Pittsfield Parks History for National Get Outdoors Day June 8
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Help Clean Up the Housatonic River!
Green Drinks Digest, May 21, 2013
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2013 NOFA Summer Conference Workshops Announced!
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Community Planning Internship Opening
Take Action to Pass the Bottle Bill
If you haven’t heard the good news, last week, the State Senate passed the Bottle Bill Update as an amendment to the state budget! Thanks to you – and activists throughout the state – thousands of emails were sent to your State Senators. The effect was noticeable, and it’s clear that their action was a result of your strong support! The next step in the process is that the House and Senate Budget will be reconciled by a joint conference committee, made of up 3 Representatives and 3 Senators.
Again, we’re asking you to take action by contacting your State Representative, asking him/her to urge the speaker to pass the bottle bill section of the budget.
Background:
· The Bottle Bill is the state’s most successful recycling and litter prevention program.
· It reaches containers that curbside cannot in nearly a 3-to-1 ratio.
· It will prevent litter and increase recycling.
· It’s supported by 77% of the public.
· It will bring us in line with our neighboring states that have updated their bottle bills.
· Moving this forward via the budget process makes sense; it’s exactly how Connecticut updated their bottle bill.
Senate Adds Bottle Bill Update to its Budget
Senator Benjamin Downing contacted BEAT to let us know that, on day two of the Massachusetts Senate’s FY14 budget debate, the Senate voted to adopted Amendment #222 as redrafted. The redrafted Amendment #222 expands Massachusetts’ bottle redemption law to cover more beverages, such as water and energy drinks. Specifically, the Senate budget exempts “dairy products, beverages containing a minimum of 10 percent juice, infant formula and medicines” from this expansion, but does capture a range of new beverage containers defined as “noncarbonated soft drinks, including, but not limited to mineral water, flavored and unflavored water, spring water, fruit drinks that contain less than 10 percent juice, sports drinks and other water beverages, coffee and coffee-based drinks.” So all the 100% juice containers are not covered.
Upon the completion of the Senate budget debate the final House and Senate budgets will be forwarded to a 6-member conference committee that will be tasked with drafting a compromise final budget. As the House budget does not include this Outside Section, it will be subject to negotiation by the conferees.
Should you wish to review the Senate’s budget language or follow along with the budget debate, you can do so online by visiting http://www.malegislature.gov/Budget/FY2014/Senate/ChamberActions.
USGS Study Confirms U.S. Amphibian Populations Declining at Precipitous Rates
The first-ever estimate of how fast frogs, toads and salamanders in the United States are disappearing from their habitats reveals they are vanishing at an alarming and rapid rate.
According to the study in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, even the species of amphibians presumed to be relatively stable and widespread are declining. And these declines are occurring in amphibian populations everywhere, from the swamps in Louisiana and Florida to the high mountains of the Sierras and the Rockies.
The study by USGS scientists and collaborators concluded that U.S. amphibian declines may be more widespread and severe than previously realized, and that significant declines are notably occurring even in protected national parks and wildlife refuges.
“Amphibians have been a constant presence in our planet’s ponds, streams, lakes and rivers for 350 million years or so, surviving countless changes that caused many other groups of animals to go extinct,” said USGS Director Suzette Kimball. “This is why the findings of this study are so noteworthy; they demonstrate that the pressures amphibians now face exceed the ability of many of these survivors to cope.”
On average, populations of all amphibians examined vanished from habitats at a rate of 3.7 percent each year. If the rate observed is representative and remains unchanged, these species would disappear from half of the habitats they currently occupy in about 20 years. The more threatened species, considered “Red-Listed” in an assessment by the global organization International Union for Conservation of Nature, disappeared from their studied habitats at a rate of 11.6 percent each year. If the rate observed is representative and remains unchanged, these Red-Listed species would disappear from half of the habitats they currently occupy in about six years. Read full article.
Wal-Mart Pleads Guilty To Federal Environmental Crimes And Civil Violations And Will Pay More Than $81 Million
Retailer admits violating criminal and civil laws designed to protect water quality and to ensure proper handling of hazardous wastes and pesticides
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. pleaded guilty today in cases filed by federal prosecutors in Los Angeles and San Francisco to six counts of violating the Clean Water Act by illegally handling and disposing of hazardous materials at its retail stores across the United States. The Bentonville, Ark.-based company also pleaded guilty today in Kansas City, Mo., to violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) by failing to properly handle pesticides that had been returned by customers at its stores across the country.
As a result of the three criminal cases brought by the Justice Department, as well as a related civil case filed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Wal-Mart will pay approximately $81.6 million for its unlawful conduct. Coupled with previous actions brought by the states of California and Missouri for the same conduct, Wal-Mart will pay a combined total of more than $110 million to resolve cases alleging violations of federal and state environmental laws.
According to documents filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, from a date unknown until January 2006, Wal-Mart did not have a program in place and failed to train its employees on proper hazardous waste management and disposal practices at the store level. As a result, hazardous wastes were either discarded improperly at the store level – including being put into municipal trash bins or, if a liquid, poured into the local sewer system – or they were improperly transported without proper safety documentation to one of six product return centers located throughout the United States.
“By improperly handling hazardous waste, pesticides and other materials in violation of federal laws, Wal-Mart put the public and the environment at risk and gained an unfair economic advantage over other companies,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Today, Wal-Mart acknowledged responsibility for violations of federal laws and will pay significant fines and penalties, which will, in part, fund important environmental projects in the communities impacted by the violations and help prevent future harm to the environment.”
More information about the case: URL http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/waste/cases/walmart.html
Help Clean Up the River!
Saturday, June 22, 9 am – 1 pm, meet at the parking lot at Wahconah Park, Pittsfield
Saturday, July 27, 9 am – 1 pm, meet at the parking lot at Wahconah Park, Pittsfield
On Saturday, June 22 and Saturday July 27, please come out and help clean up the West Branch of the Housatonic River in Pittsfield. We will meet at 9:00 am in the parking lot of Wahconah Park, 105 Wahconah Street, Pittsfield. These cleanups are organized by the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) and Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) with help from First Church Park Square and South Congregational Church.
Cleanup groups will be organized to work north and south of the Wahconah Park canoe access and in other parts of the river. Canoes will be used to move collected trash to an exit point. Thanks to donations from local businesses, volunteers will enjoy morning coffee, snacks and lunch. Thank you to American Rivers for providing trash bags, and to the City of Pittsfield for hauling away all the trash we pull out of the river.
What to Bring: For all clean ups, please wear old clothes and either wear old sneakers or waders. A few pairs of waders will be available to borrow. You will get wet and dirty! Please also bring a water bottle – we will have jugs of water that you can refill from. And you may want to bring sunscreen, bug repellant, and a hat. Pouring rain and thunder cancels a cleanup.
Registration is encouraged – so we know how many people to expect. To register or if you have any questions, please contact us: Alison at HVA adixon@hvatoday.org or 413-394-9796; or contact Jane at BEAT jane@thebeatnews.org or 413-230-7321.
Founded in 1941, HVA protects and restores the land and waters of the Housatonic watershed from its source in the Pittsfield, Massachusetts area to Long Island Sound. Visit www.hvatoday.org for more information.
BEAT works to protect the environment for wildlife, keeps the public informed of current local issues that could have an impact on the environment, and helps people work together to take action to protect the environment. Visit www.thebeatnews.org for more information.
Green Drinks Digest May 21, 2013
By Dana Drugmand
PITTSFIELD — Alison Dixon from the Housatonic Valley Association was on hand at this month’s Pittsfield Green Drinks to present on the number 1 water quality problem going into our lakes and rivers.
The problem she described is stormwater runoff from streets and impervious surfaces. This runoff makes its way into storm drains and picks up pollutants and waste along the way. As Dixon pointed out, all kinds of waste ends up in storm drains, including motor oil, gas, road salt, animal waste and fertilizer, soap, dirt and oil from washing cars, soil due to soil erosion, and thermal pollution. Eventually these pollutants get deposited into lakes and rivers.
“Pittsfield basically has to manage their stormwater better,” said Dixon.
Some things everyone can do to help reduce pollutants accumulating in runoff include picking up pet waste, washing cars on a lawn or in a car wash, maintaining a vegetative buffer along streams and waterways, and planting rain gardens.
“Vegetative buffers are a key thing to have along our riverways,” said Dixon.
Rain gardens are also key to help filter runoff. “Soil is a natural filter,” Dixon explained. They are generally planted with native plants that soak up the rainwater and remove sand, dirt, oil, metals, phosphorus, nitrogen and other nutrients carried by stormwater. “They’re beautiful, they increase the habitat, they increase the biodiversity, they attract butterflies, birds, they’re an asset,” said Dixon. She mentioned that there are nine rain gardens on North Street, working to help filter stormwater and improve the quality of water flowing into our streams and rivers.
2013 NOFA Summer Conference Workshops Announced!
Join NOFA for a weekend of learning, networking, and fun with people who are transforming the food system in the Northeast. In addition to hundreds of practical skills and farming workshops, the conference features live entertainment, children’s and teen conferences, a country fair, organic meals, 100 exhibitors and much more. The conference will take place August 9-11 on the University of Massachusetts, Amherst campus.
Featuring Over 200 Workshops
Complete workshop list now available
Including eight specialized workshop tracks:
Beginning Farmer, Community Supported Agriculture, Grazing, Nutrient Density, Organic Land Care Track, Permaculture, Cooperatives, Winter Growing and Season Extension
Five half-day preconferences – Friday, August 9th
· “Farming Smarter, Not Harder” with Richard Wiswall
· “Honeybee Hive Products” with Ross Conrad
· “Growing with the Biological System” with Dan Kittredge
· “Homestead Poultry Flock” with Jim Adkins
· “Growing and Marketing Cut Flowers” with Diana Doll
For more on preconference presenters, read recent “NOFA Summer Conference Features Wide Ranging Preconference Topics” article from Summer 2013 Issue of The Natural Farmer.
Affordable Registration & Creative Financing
Conference registration is now open, with early bird rates through July 9th
Camping and dorm housing are available, as are creative financing options like work exchange and the Farming Education Fund.
New this year: Group discounts of $100 per person are available to groups of 5+ adults with an organization, college/institution, or farm. Bring the whole farm crew to the conference affordably!
Listen to Previous Summer Conference Workshops
We are releasing complete MP3 audio recordings of numerous Summer Conference workshops from 2012 to 2011 (many with power point presentations) for free download. A great resource!
NOFA Summer Conference Audio Project
www.nofasummerconference.org
For information about sponsoring the event, contact Bob Minnocci — bob@nofamass.org
Community Planning Internship Opening
Mass Audubon’s Advocacy Department is looking for a community planning intern this summer to help prepare for the publication of the next edition of Losing Ground, Mass Audubon’s acclaimed report that documents land-use trends across the Commonwealth.
For more information on this internship please visit: http://www.massaudubon.org/Jobs/index.php?type=Internships#Advocacy.