The BEAT News September 26, 2012

News Headlines

Still Time to Dive into River Cleanup: Volunteers & Divers Needed to Join Massive River Cleanup

 

Greenfield, MA September 14, 2012 – On Saturday September 29, thousands of volunteers in four states will fan out to clean up trash and debris along the Connecticut River and its tributaries in Vermont , New Hampshire , Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Connecticut River Watershed Council’s 16th Annual Source to Sea Cleanup – always held in early fall – is not only a very important event for the cleanliness and health of the Connecticut River and tributaries, but is also a wonderful neighbourhood event for families and community groups throughout the watershed.

 

“It’s not too late to join one of over 50 registered groups by going to our website, www.ctriver.org,” said Jacqueline Talbot, CRWC’s Cleanup Coordinator. “If you don’t find a group in your area accepting new cleanup volunteers or want to go out on your own, just download our trash tally form and let us know what you picked up.”

 

“This year we have a particular need for divers willing to join us in the cleanup effort, assisting with a large submerged trash site in the Wethersfield , CT area,” says Talbot. If you or someone you know is a certified diver and would like to get involved, please contact CRWC directly at cleanup@ctriver.org or 860-704-0057.

 

For the past 15 years, the Watershed Council has organized thousands of adult and child volunteers who have removed more than 707 tons of refuse from along waterways in four states during the biggest single-day river cleanup in New England . CRWC fields a variety of trash site suggestions, coordinates the work of individual groups and supplies them with bags and gloves.

 

“Be sure to register by September 20 so we can get you supplies and other information in enough time to make your participation a success,” Talbot said. The Watershed Council welcomes donations of cleanup supplies such as heavy duty work gloves & trash bags. Interested donors may go to www.ctriver.org and donate to CRWC to help cover the costs of this year’s Cleanup.  Questions may be directed to Jacqueline Talbot at cleanup@ctriver.org or 860-704-0057.

 

Based in Greenfield , MA , the CRWC has been a nonprofit advocate for the 11,000 square-mile watershed of the Connecticut River since 1952 and is proud to celebrate 60 years of hard work for the river this year.

 

NRG Middletown Power and TransCanada are the 2012 Cleanup’s lead sponsors. Other major support is provided by Lane Construction, the Metropolitan District Commission, CDM Smith and Covanta.

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Barr Foundation Awards $230,000 to Monitor and Communicate About Global Warming Solutions Act

The Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) today announced a $230,000 grant from The Barr Foundation that will fund the development of a groundbreaking performance management tool for Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) initiatives.

“As we work to accomplish the most aggressive greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in the nation, it is essential that we clearly track our performance,” said EEA Secretary Rick Sullivan. “This new tool will allow us to assess and communicate our accomplishments and impact policy-making for generations to come. We are grateful to the Barr Foundation for its continued support of our clean energy and climate-related goals.”

The system, or dashboard, will track and communicate successes as Massachusetts implements the plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. Plans include a web-based scorecard to communicate the Commonwealth’s progress and a feedback mechanism to allow for input from stakeholders and the public.

“To hit these aggressive goals will take all hands on deck,” said Patricia Brandes, Barr Foundation Executive Director. “Without a system to monitor performance and make progress transparent, there is no way to know whether our collective efforts are aligned and adding up to the change that we seek.”

“I am thrilled about the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ acquisition of this grant from the Barr Foundation. The Barr Foundation has shown its continued dedication to improving the quality of the environment,” said Senator Marc Pacheco. “This funding, which will help develop a monitoring program for the Global Warming Solutions Act, will go a long way toward implementing this nationally-recognized law as intended by the legislature.”

“I am pleased to hear that the Barr Foundation will provide funding to Massachusetts to help monitor state compliance with the environmental goals that the legislature set forth in the Global Warming Solutions Act in 2008,” said Representative Frank Smizik. “It is critical for our state, and our country that Massachusetts demonstrates success in slowing down green house gas emissions and helps make this a safer planet.”

“When Massachusetts passed the GWSA in 2008, it allowed us to lead the nation. But reducing our carbon footprint economy-wide requires not only government action, but also leadership from business, labor, academics and advocates,” said Environmental League of Massachusetts President George Bachrach. “This Barr Foundation grant will allow the GWSA Implementation Advisory Committee to better track and communicate progress. We must all be held accountable for our participation in this critical effort.”

When completed, the system is expected to serve as a regional and national model that other states can adopt to analyze their efforts to reduce GHG emissions.

The GWSA, signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick in 2008, requires EEA, in consultation with other state agencies and the public, to set economy-wide GHG emission reduction goals for Massachusetts that will achieve reductions of:

  • Between 10 percent and 25 percent below statewide 1990 GHG emission levels by 2020.
  • 80 percent below statewide 1990 GHG emission levels by 2050.

The GWSA offers a unique and historic opportunity for the Commonwealth to develop innovative solutions that will help prevent the devastating and costly negative effects of climate change while improving the quality of our environment and public health, save households and businesses money thru energy savings, create jobs, and spur economic development, especially thru our rapidly growing clean energy sector. For more information, visit www.mass.gov/eea/gwsa.

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Vote whether Corporations are Entitled to Constitutional Rights of Human Beings

Check out this op-ed by Common Cause Massachusetts director Pam Wilmot noting that more than a third of Massachusetts voters will weigh in this November on identical local ballot measures declaring that corporations are not entitled to the constitutional rights of human beings and that Congress and the states may place limits on campaign contributions and spending. Many organizations worked with a huge coalition of volunteers to qualify these measures. Partners included Common Cause, Move to Amend, Occupy, AFL-CIO, the League of Women Voters, MASSPIRG, Free Speech for People, Public Citizen and others.

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TURI Awards $75K to Community Groups to Reduce Toxics

 

UMass Lowell’s Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) awarded $75,000 to five Massachusetts community organizations for educating the public about safer products and methods to avoid the negative health effects of toxic chemicals.

 

Project leaders will educate consumers and small businesses, specifically dry cleaning shops and hair and nail salons, about the availability of safer alternatives.

 

“With toxic chemicals pervasive in everyday products, there’s a critical need to make the public aware of safer products and that’s what these project leaders will do,” said Joy Onasch, TURI community and small business program manager.

 

“Through workshops, research, demonstrations and materials, project leaders will reach a wide audience – from low-income children and adults and diverse populations to the general public. We all have a lot to learn to keep our families safe.”

 

TURI awarded grants to the following organizations:

 

Montachusett Opportunity Council (MOC), Fitchburg, “Green and Clean in North Central Massachusetts,” $20,000

The project team will educate residents in North Central Massachusetts – including the Hmong population, Spanish speakers and low­income individuals as well as professionals working with vulnerable populations – about toxins in cleaning supplies and safer, less expensive alternatives. They will conduct workshops with community groups, translate materials into Hmong and Spanish and distribute free samples of safer cleaning products for trial. To increase regional and state-wide impact, MOC will present tips, cleaning product recipes and cost comparisons at the 2012 Southern New England Community Action Conference and state-wide Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Child Care and Head Start meetings. MOC will pilot the use of safer deodorizers and disinfectants in its own WIC program and present the results to 80 WIC staff at the state-wide meeting.

 

Norfolk County 7 Public Health Coalition, “Helping Salons Achieve Green and Clean Project,” $20,000

Building on a project that began last year, the Norwood County 7 Public Health Coalition will work with hair and nail salons in the Norfolk 7 area (towns include Canton, Dedham, Milton, Needham, Norwood, Wellesley and Westwood) to implement safer practices. The project team will create a “Green and Clean” certificate standard to encourage salons to make their work environments safer for employees and customers. The certificate will be awarded to businesses that replace toxics and improve air quality. The salon’s success will be promoted through the press, advertising and social media. The project team will continue to distribute nail polish that does not contain the “toxic trio” – toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate. They will develop resource materials that will educate salons and help them find alternatives to hair straightening treatments that may contain formaldehyde.

 

Clean Water Fund, Boston, “Educating Dry Cleaning Consumers about Healthier Alternatives,” $20,000

In partnership with collaborating organizations, Clean Water Fund (CWF) will educate consumers across the state on the health and safety of different types of dry cleaning options – including the most widely-used toxic chemical perchlorethylene and safer alternatives such as professional wet cleaning, hydrocarbons and GreenEarth. By understanding the health effects of each option, consumers will be able to accurately evaluate their local dry cleaning shops and avoid being swayed by “greenwashing.” The team will conduct a survey to identify cleaners who are using professional wet cleaning, an advanced technology that allows “dry-clean-only” clothes to be effectively washed with water in computer-controlled machines, and promote these cleaners to consumers.

 

Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH), Boston, “Cleaning for a Healthy Head Start,” $10,000

The project team’s goal is to eliminate toxic chemical use in Head Start child-care facilities in underserved Boston neighborhoods, contributing to improved environmental health and environmental awareness for low-income children and adults. With their partners, MassCOSH will promote safer cleaning agents and the implementation of toxics use reduction practices. They will establish an environmental committee of staff and parents that will develop education and outreach strategies. This will lead to the development of new, safer cleaning policies at 25 Head Start facilities that will serve as a model that can be easily replicable across the Commonwealth.

 

Mill City Grows, Lowell, “School Garden Pilot Project,” $5,000

Mill City Grows will educate the community about the risks of using herbicides, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in gardening and landscaping. In partnership with the Lowell School Department, the project team will plant four garden beds at the Dr. An Wang and Pawtucketville Memorial Schools in Lowell. Students, teachers and parents will grow vegetables, flowers, herbs and fruits that will in turn function as a training and resource center on how to reduce the use of toxic chemicals in the garden. Mill City Grows’ School Garden Pilot will be a model for organic food production in the school community setting. Through the documentation of the creation

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EPA Settlement with UMASS Amherst Resolves PCB Violations and Requires Cleanup of PCB Contamination at a Building on Campus

(Boston—September 12, 2012) EPA and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMASS) have reached a settlement that will resolve violations of federal polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) regulations at the Lederle Graduate Research Center.

After completing a $4 million dollar caulk decontamination project in 2009, UMASS discovered that the window glazing at the Lederle Graduate Research Center was contaminated with high levels of PCBs.  Further sampling of the window glazing revealed PCBs at concentrations of 50 ppm or greater , which are levels not authorized for use under the PCB regulations.. The long-term remedy called for in this settlement requires replacing and disposing of all 900 PCB-contaminated windows currently installed at the Research Center, at a cost of about $3 million dollars. The long-term project is expected to take fifteen years, and will allow UMASS to plan for and incorporate this capital expense into other building upgrade projects.

To reduce the likelihood of unsafe exposure to PCBs while the long-term project is taking place, EPA has approved an interim plan to encapsulate the contaminated window glazing.  The settlement also requires a comprehensive long-term monitoring and reporting plan. That plan requires UMASS to take annual surface wipe and air samples, address any exceedances of cleanup levels, and report results.  The cost of implementing the interim measures is about $560,000. The settlement agreement also includes a $75,000 civil penalty that will be waived if both the long term remediation plan and interim encapsulation plan are completed.

With limited exceptions, PCBs are no longer manufactured, but may be present in products and materials produced before the 1979 PCB ban. These compounds are persistent in the environment. PCBs have been demonstrated to cause cancer, as well as a variety of other adverse health effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system.   Some buildings built or renovated between 1950 and the late 1970’s still contain PCBs.  Although the PCB regulations allow certain uses of PCBs to continue, they do not permit the continued use of PCBs in caulk or window glazing if the PCBs are present in concentrations of 50 ppm or greater.  If identified, these materials must be removed. EPA enforces the PCB regulations through the Toxic Substances Control Act.
To learn more about PCBs visit: http://www.epa.gov/pcbs.

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EPA Opens Registration for New Campus RainWorks Challenge

EPA is now registering student teams from colleges and universities across the country to participate in its new design competition, the Campus RainWorks Challenge. Participating teams will compete to develop innovative approaches to stormwater management. To compete, student teams, working with a faculty advisor, must submit design plans for a proposed green infrastructure project on their campus. Winning entries will be selected by EPA and announced in April 2013, and winning teams will earn a cash prize of $1,500 – $2,500, as well as $8,000 – $11,000 in funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure. To be considered, teams must register by October 5 and submit their entries by December 14.  To learn more and register: www.epa.gov/campusrainworks

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October Pie Contest and Full Moon Hike at Sheep Hill

 

Whether you have just discovered a wonderful new pie recipe or have a traditional family favorite, consider entering the 9th Annual Williamstown Pie Contest on Saturday, October 27th.  Sponsored by the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (WRLF), the Pie Contest is held at the WRLF Sheep Hill headquarters in Williamstown.  Pie tasting for the public will happen at 7 pm. After 8 pm, if the weather allows, pie eaters can walk off their pie in the moonlit meadows. A panel of distinguished pie aficionados will judge the pies in three categories: Adult Home-Bakers, Youth Bakers (16 and under), and Professional Bakers. Each entrant bakes two pies from the chosen recipe: one for the panel of judges and one for public sampling and a shot at the People’s Choice Award. Both sweet and savory pies are welcomed. Bakers are encouraged to use ingredients from local farms and markets; judges award extra points for local ingredients! Entry forms accompanying the two pies must be delivered to Sheep Hill on October 27th between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. Judging begins promptly at 6:00 pm. The judging panel will award first and second prizes in each of the three categories. At 7:00 pm the public is invited to sample the pies and vote for the “People’s Choice” pie.   All prizes will be announced soon after 8:00.

Entry forms are available at Sheep Hill, the Milne Public Library, and Wild Oats Market. Forms are also downloadable from the WRLF website at www.wrlf.org. For an emailed form, contact lre@wrlf.org.

For more information about the pie contest or general information about WRLF, call 413-458-2494, or go to www.wrlf.org.

 

The WRLF is a non-profit, member-supported land conservation trust celebrating its 26th year in 2012.  Sheep Hill is located at 671 Cold Spring Road (route 7) in Williamstown, about 1 mile south of the Williamstown rotary.

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New Homeschool Class in Pownal VT. at Quarry Hill Farm

This class will be for 6-12 yr. olds and will be from 9:30 – 2:30 on fridays. Below are the details and a brief description. Please pass this on to those you think might be interested and contact me with any questions. A registration form is attached here and completed forms with $50 deposit can be mailed to:

Tamakoce Wilderness Programs
95 crandall rd.
Petersburgh, NY 12138

Wandering and exploring the land makes up a lot of our days. Along the way, we always find, treasures and mysteries that inspire us to ask questions and learn more. Animal sign, edible and poisonous plants, what different trees can be used for are some of the things we constantly are learning about. Crafts and skills like bow making, natural cordage, bark and burned containers, fire by friction, storytelling, unaided navigation and shelter building are also a large part of each class. Not to mention the many nature based games that we play to improve our awareness, build muscle and have lots of fun! The days fly by and there never seems to be enough time to do everything we want. There’s just so much out there!!

Come join us and see for yourself.

– 10 weeks
– Fridays starting Sept. 28
– 9:30-2:30
– Quarry Hill Farm
– Sliding Scale $300-$500

Dan Yacobellis
tamakocewildernessprograms.com
518-658-0328

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