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DEP Enforcement Actions In The Berkshire
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Last Chance to Propose Workshop Topics and Speakers, Deadline--August 30, 2009!!
MACC’s Annual Environmental Conference (AEC) Planning Committee is currently gathering workshop proposals and suggestions for the next Annual Environmental Conference to be held on February 27, 2010, and is eager to hear from you. What issues do you consider top priority right now? What practical information do Conservation Commissioners need to know? Whom do you think could present that information most effectively? August 30th is your last chance to suggest a workshop topic, recommend speakers or submit a workshop proposal. For more information click on: http://www.maccweb.org/documents/call_for_speakers10.pdf
Please send your workshop suggestions and proposals as soon as possible to MACC in electronic form addressed to Lindsay.martucci@maccweb.org, or mail to: MACC, 10 Juniper Rd, Belmont, MA 02478, or fax to: 617-489-3935.
Please contact Michèle Girard at michele.girard@maccweb.org or 617-489-3930 if you would like further information or have any questions.
Thank you,
Amy Ball, Gregor McGregor, Linda Mack & Michèle Girard
AEC Planning Committee Members
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Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions
http://www.maccweb.org
10 Juniper Road
Belmont, MA 02478
US
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Local Currencies
by Judith Schwartz
"Time Magazine" July 12, 2009
With local economies flailing communities across the U.S. are trying to
drum up more action on Main Street. "Buy Local" campaigns are one way to go.
But many towns--from Ojai, Calif., to Greensboro, N.C.--are considering
going a step further and printing money that can only be spent locally.
Issuing an alternative currency is perfectly legal, as long as it is treated
as taxable income and consists of paper bills rather than coins. In the
U.S., where local currencies were popular during the Depression, the biggest
alterna-cash system is in Massachusetts' Berkshire County. Go to one of
several banks there, hand a teller $95 and get back $100 worth of
BerkShares, a nice little discount designed to reel in users. BerkShares are
printed on special paper (by a local business, naturally--a subsidiary of
Crane Paper Co., which has been printing U.S. greenbacks since 1879). And
since the program's inception in 2006, more than $2.5 million in BerkShares
have circulated through bakeries, vets' offices and some 400 other
businesses that choose to accept the colorful bills, which feature famous
former Berkshire residents, including W.E.B. Du Bois and Norman Rockwell.
What's the point of all this pretty, community-printed currency? Money spent
at locally owned companies tends to create more business for local
suppliers, accountants, etc. The New Economics Foundation (NEF), a London
think tank, compared the effects of purchasing produce at a supermarket and
at a farmer's market and found that twice the money stayed in a community
when folks bought locally. A study of Grand Rapids, Mich., released last
fall by consulting firm Civic Economics, concluded that a 10% shift in
market share from chain stores to independents would yield 1,600 new jobs
and pump $137 million into the area. "Money is like blood," says NEF
researcher David Boyle. Local purchases recirculate it, but patronize
mega-chains or online retailers, he says, and "it flows out like a wound."
Interest in cash alternatives has skyrocketed in recent months
BerkShares.org logged nearly 42,000 hits a day in April) as the recession
has encouraged more innovation. For example, a Vermont business association
is getting ready to launch a statewide cashless trading network. Ithaca,
N.Y., which has the nation's longest-running independent currency, agreed in
June to let people start using the 18-year-old bills to buy transit passes.
But how hard is it to manage and maintain these trade boosters? Ed Collom,
an associate professor of sociology at the University of Southern Maine, has
studied volunteer-run programs like Ithaca's and found that about 80%
failed, chiefly because of administrative burnout. That's why many newer
models, like BerkShares, are now set up as nonprofits, complete with
administrative support.
Beyond spurring local trade, alternative currencies build awareness about
the effect of consumers' choices. "It has started a conversation: Why local
currency? Why buy local?" says Oliver Dudok van Heel, who last fall helped
launch the Lewes pound to help a British town become more self-sustainable.
Local currency can generate customer loyalty, but not every business feels
as though it can offer a discount like the one built into BerkShares. "They
just aren't viable for us," says Beth Parsons, whose family owns a grocery
store in Lenox, Mass. But as a consumer, she likes the idea. Parsons
recently drove to a nearby town to buy some shoes instead of getting them
online. Afterward, she says, she passed a BerkShares sign "at the bank and
thought, 'Oh, I should've bought BerkShare bucks to save money on these.'"
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Massachusetts Industry Use of Asthma-Related Chemicals Overall is Declining
New Study Backs Need for Continued Toxics Use Reduction
LOWELL , Mass. — The cumulative use of asthma-related chemicals in Massachusetts declined by 27 percent from 1990 to 2005, according to a report released today by researchers at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at UMass Lowell, yet some asthma-related chemical usage is on the rise.
Using data available under the state’s Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA), UMass Lowell researchers have determined that more than 350 million pounds of chemicals associated with asthma and other health problems continue to be used in the state. One chemical category that’s increasing is diisocyanates, which are used in applications such as polyurethane foam production. The chemical is a significant cause of occupational asthma.
The analysis examined the extent to which chemicals that are capable of causing the initial onset of asthma or triggering asthma attacks are being used and released by Massachusetts industries that report chemical usage under TURA. The report includes lists of communities with the most use and release of asthma-related chemicals.
The report recommends supporting Massachusetts industries in efforts to reduce their use and release of asthma-related chemicals by substituting with safer alternatives. The TURA program’s Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell has conducted trainings, workshops and research for the last 20 years to help Massachusetts companies find alternative substances and processes that are economically viable and safer for health and the environment. “After helping companies examine their use of hazardous substances and evaluate alternatives, many often make the switch to safer chemicals or processes,” said Pam Eliason, TURI industry research program manager. “It is possible to both help companies be successful and reduce disease risks.
TURI’s future ability to provide services to companies making such changes is in jeopardy as the Commonwealth eliminated its funding, rolling it into the University of Massachusetts budget.
“While progress has been made, this report serves as a reminder for decision-makers in government and the private sector to include strategies that minimize exposure to asthma-related chemicals as they look for ways to reduce the burden of asthma,” said Dr. Matthew Sadof, chair, Massachusetts Asthma Advocacy Partnership, and director of Baystate Children’ Hospital Asthma Intervention Program. “Comprehensive asthma prevention and control agendas should include researching and adopting safer substitutes for chemicals associated with asthma.”
The full report is accessible on the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production’s Web site: www.sustainableproduction.org and on TURI’s Web site: www.turi.org.
UMass Lowell, with a national reputation in science, engineering and technology, is committed to educating students for lifelong success in a diverse world and conducting research and outreach activities that sustain the economic, environmental and social health of the region. UML offers its 12,000 students more than 120 degree choices, internships, five-year combined bachelor’s to master’s programs and doctoral studies in the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Management, the School of Health and Environment, and the Graduate School of Education. www.uml.edu.
The Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at UMass Lowell uses rigorous science, collaborative research and innovative strategies to promote communities, workplaces, and products that are healthy, humane, and respectful of natural systems. The Center is composed of faculty, staff, and graduate students at the University of Massachusetts Lowell who work collaboratively with citizen groups, workers, businesses, institutions, and government agencies to build healthy work environments, thriving communities, and viable businesses that support a more sustainable world. www.sustainableproduction.org
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EPA Offers Tips to Save Water and Money
August is peak water use season and with a few simple tips from EPA's WaterSense program homeowners can save water and as much as $110 annually on their water bills.
“Peak water use can be expensive, taxes local water systems, and threatens future water supply and quality,” said Peter S. Silva, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Water. “A few simple changes can help consumers reduce their water bills, and in turn, save them money.”
On average, an American household uses about 260 gallons per day, but this amount climbs to around 1,000 gallons per day during peak water use season with some households using as much as 3,000 gallons a day.
Here are some tips to help reduce water use:
* Water yards only when needed.
* Consider using WaterSense labeled toilets, faucets and faucet accessories, which use at least 20 percent less water and can save $60 per year.
* Water landscapes only when needed. Watering in the very early morning or evening is best.
* Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes, and scrape dishes instead of rinsing when loading the dishwasher.
* For summer refreshment, keep a pitcher of water in the fridge instead of running the tap until it is cold.
* Put your favorite handyperson to work fixing leaks around the home, which can waste about 200 gallons per week. Fixing leaks can add up to about $50 in utility bill savings annually.
In 2008 alone, WaterSense labeled toilets, faucets, and faucet accessories helped Americans save more than 9.3 billion gallons of water and realize more than $55 million in savings on water and sewer bills. That is enough water to supply 100,000 average households for a year.
WaterSense is a partnership program sponsored by EPA to protect the future of our nation’s water supply by promoting and enhancing the market for water-efficient products and services.
More tips and information on WaterSense: http://www.epa.gov/watersense/water/peak.htm
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Six New Alternative Methods Available for Testing Regulated Contaminants in Drinking Water
EPA has published a final action in the Federal Register that approves six analytical methods as optional alternatives to previously promulgated methods for analyses of regulated contaminants in drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
The alternative testing methods were evaluated and determined to be as effective as the promulgated methods for the same contaminants.
The methods include:
* 1 EPA method for 29 purgeable contaminants
* 3 vendor developed methods for turbidity
* 1 vendor developed method for nitrate and nitrite
* 1 vendor developed method for free cyanide
EPA is using the expedited method approval process under SDWA to approve the alternative methods, rather than using the notice-and-comment rulemaking process, so that these new, equally effective methods will be available to our stakeholders more quickly. Approval time has been cut from several years to less than a year.
For more information, go to EPA’s Web site at http://epa.gov/safewater/methods/analyticalmethods_expedited.html or call Pat Fair (513) 569-7937.
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Wild Oats Market Hosts Local Foods BBQ on August 14
BBQ Celebrates End of “Eat Local Challenge”
Williamstown, MA, August 5, 2009.
Wild Oats Market, a cooperatively-owned market located at 320 Main Street and specializing in local and organic foods, will bring the “Eat Local Challenge” to an enjoyable end on August 14 with a Local Foods BBQ, which will take place outside the store from 5:30 to 8 pm. All are invited to participate.
Wild Oats Chef Greg Roach will be grilling locally raised meats, poultry and vegetables and preparing delicious side dishes made with fresh, local ingredients for sale. Local musicians will provide entertainment, and the store will raffle off a basket of local foods and other local items. Anyone who has participated in the “Eat Local Challenge” is eligible to enter the raffle.
Wild Oats is sponsoring the”Eat Local Challenge” from July 16 through August 14. There are two levels to the “Challenge”: Level One participants are encouraged to eat local foods for one meal out of every three, and Level Two participants are challenged to make two out of every three meals local. So far, 28 Wild Oats members and customers have signed up for the “Challenge”. Many of those who have signed up for the
“Challenge” are available to speak to the press about their experience.
Please email marketing@wildoats.coop <mailto:marketing@wildoats.coop> or call Robin Riley at (413) 458-8060 if you wish to interview an “Eat Local Challenge” participant about the “Challenge” and their reasons for “eating local”.
Wild Oats defines local as food that is grown or produced within a 100-mile radius of the store. It marks locally produced items with an orange tag to make them easy to identify when shopping.
Wild Oats Market is a member-owned, cooperative-based whole foods market. One need not be a member to shop at Wild Oats, although membership offers several benefits. The market carries a wide selection of organic and naturally-made products, including: meats, eggs, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, breads, pastas, oils, cereals, juices and chocolate. In addition, the store offers a hot foods bar, a fresh grab-and-go deli, and breads, rolls and pastries freshly baked on-site. Wild Oats Market also carries healthful supplements and personal care products, as well as environmentally-friendly household supplies. The co-op is located at 320 Main Street in Williamstown.
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The Wildlands &Woodlands Partnership has 3 new members!
The Wildlands and Woodlands Partnership has announced three new members:
Since 1998, the Urban Ecology Institute (UEI) and its community and educational partners have been improving the health of urban ecosystems through environmental education, action, and advocacy programs.
Pittsfield Tree Watch was formed in 2004 as a citizens group whose purpose is to protect and preserve existing Pittsfield trees on public land, encourage tree-planting on private property and to provide public education programs about the economic, social and environmental benefits of trees such that Pittsfield's urban forest is reconstituted and sustained over time.
The Rensselaer Plateau Alliance is a coalition of local organizations, trail users and private land owners that envisions a wildlife corridor of protected land connecting existing State Forests, State Parks, private easement lands, and the County’s Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center
in one of the largest and most ecologically intact native habitats in New York State.
Know of an organization or coalition that we should have in our partnership? You can invite them yourself, or pass along a contact person and I can follow-up. If you use the W&W Vision as a filter, there are not that many groups out there that don't have something to offer your effort in your region to increase the pace of conservation and the quality of care for both wildlands and woodlands whether in rural, suburban, or urban areas.
Cheers,
Bill
--
Bill Labich
Regional Conservationist
Highstead
127 Lonetown Rd.
Redding, CT 06875
(413) 658-5308 (mobile)
(203) 938-8809
(978)724-3302 ext. 238
blabich@highstead.net
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Governor Patrick is bringing his 2009 summer town hall meetings to the Berkshires
from Green Berkshires
Governor Patrick is bringing his 2009 summer town hall meetings to the Berkshires. This event is free and open to the public. Bring your friends, your family and your neighbors; comewith questions, suggestions and solutions. This is your chance to speak directly with the Governor.
PLEASE TELL THE GOVERNOR IN PERSON
THAT YOU OPPOSE HIS
WIND ENERGY SITING REFORM ACT.
Governor Deval Patrick is hosting three town-hall meetings in western Massachusetts, and we very much hope you can attend at least one of them to tell him that you strongly oppose his proposed Wind Energy Siting Reform Act.
If enacted, his Act would create preferential treatment for wind developers by allowing them to bypass local zoning bylaws, exempting them from state environmental laws, and establishing a process to open public lands for industrial wind turbines, new roads and transmission lines, and other associated infrastructure.
Although the best winds are found along the coast and offshore, the Patrick Administration is focusing on our end of the state to meet its goal of 2,000 megawatts of wind by 2020. It commissioned a study identifying 52 locations on public and private land in western Massachusetts with enough acreage and wind to support a total of 710 industrial wind turbines. Nearly 80% of those would be on ridgelines in state-owned forests and parks.
It's impossible to say whether or not all those turbines would be built. But we can say that the governor's legislation would mean that communities would no longer have veto power over the location, construction, and operation of industrial wind facilities. And the Act would allow industrial turbines to be built not just in locations supporting five or more turbines, but also in places where a single 2-megawatt turbine (400 feet tall) could be squeezed.
There's a lot of support in eastern Massachusetts for wind turbines out here. If we want to stop this legislation, it will be up to us to rally together to oppose it. We are making progress in getting our message of opposition to the legislature, but we can't succeed without your help.
Please ask your friends to sign our petition at (www.greenberkshires.org), and please attend the Governor's town-hall meeting. Thursday, August 13th - Adams Visitor Center (3 Hoosac Street, Adams) 6:30-8pm
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EPA Seeks Public Input on Clean Water Enforcement Action Plan Through Online Forum
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched an online discussion forum to receive public input on the future direction of EPA’s national water enforcement program. The public will be able to provide feedback through the EPA Web site, between now and August 28, giving them a forum to address any concerns about EPA’s efforts to protect the water in their communities
The forum is part of a larger agency effort to improve the performance and enhance public transparency of state and federal Clean Water Act enforcement programs. In a memo issued on July 2, Administrator Lisa Jackson called for stronger enforcement performance at federal and state levels and a transformation of EPA’s water quality and compliance information systems. As part of this effort, Jackson directed the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance to develop an action plan. All ideas from the public will be evaluated and considered for recommendations to the EPA Administrator about the future direction for EPA’s water enforcement program.
More information on the development of the clean water enforcement action plan: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/cwa/cwaenfplan.html
To comment on the action plan: http://blog.epa.gov.cwaactionplan
R226
Note: If a link above doesn't work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.
View all news releases related to compliance and enforcement
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Skills and Games day at Dyken Pond
August 15th from 10:00 to 3:30
Presented by Tamakoce Wilderness Programs
Come join us for a day of wilderness based games and outdoor skills at
Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center.
Fire Making
AtlAtls (ancient spear throwing)
Canoe and Kayak rentals ($10)
Shelter building
Rabbit stick (throwing stick)
Bark craft
Nature awareness games
And lots more
Something for everyone in the family to enjoy.
Some refreshments will be provided, but bring a lunch and water bottle.
A donation to the center of $10 per person and $25 per family of 3 or more is suggested.
Pre-registration is requested. Please contact:
Dan Yacobellis at:
518 658-0328
info@tamakocewildernessprograms.com
For more info about Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center:
518 658 2055
dykenpond@fairpoint.net
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New Forest Service Report on Forests, Water and People Available
The United States Forest Service (USFS) has recently released a new report, Forests, Water and People, which indicates that, in the Northeast and Midwest, approximately 50% to 75% of the population relies on surface water as their municipal drinking water source, and more than 52 million people receive clean drinking water from nearly 1,600 community water systems. The new USFS report identifies those watersheds located in areas important for surface drinking water supplies, are privately owned, and are in need of protection from development pressure.
Download the report and state maps>>
For questions or more information about the report contact: Martina Barnes
Regional Planner
United State Forest Service
212-637-3863
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The Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA) is pleased to release the 2010-2011 AmeriCorps Request for Proposals. The application is now available on MSA's website: www.mass-service.org
Intent to Apply: Friday, August 28, 2009
Application due: Monday, September 14, 2009 (by 12:00pm)
To assist interested organizations with the application process, MSA will host three technical assistance sessions. These sessions are optional.
If you plan to attend a session, please contact Lisa Frederick at least 3 days prior to the scheduled training date to register. You may register by phone (617-542-2544, ext. 226) or email (lfrederick@mass-service.org).
Please specify which TA session you will attend and include your name, organization, contact phone number and email, and number of people attending.
If you wish to attend, but are unable to do so, individualized technical assistance phone calls can be arranged by contacting Lisa Frederick at (617) 542-2544, ext. 226.
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Technical Assistance Sessions
DATE TIME LOCATION
August 24 11:00am - 1:00pm Webinar
This is a virtual training event which you can access
from your own desk. To connect to the webinar, you
will need a computer with internet browser and a
phone.
August 27 9:30am - 11:30am Springfield City Library
220 State Street, Springfield
August 27 10:00am - 12:00pm Massachusetts Service Alliance
100 North Washington Street, 3rd Floor, Boston
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All TA sessions are wheelchair accessible.
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