In the News
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Advocacy News (Includes how to reach your legislators) DEP Enforcement Actions In The Berkshire |
GE donations to river group stir controversy, Critics see attempt to sway Housatonic River cleanup |
Public Comments on GE's Revised CMS Now Available on the Web Here's the web link to the Informal Public Comments on GE's Revised CMS: http://www.epa.gov/region1/ge/thesite/restofriver/reports/cms/477441.pdf You may notice a glitch or two where comments appear to be in duplicative locations or under the incorrect bookmark. We are working to resolve a number of minor issues with the posting. Please contact me with any questions. Thanks. Jim Murphy |
Announcing: Bright green environmental study group starting in Lenox! Everyone welcome! This group is for everybody who’s feeling the urge to find new ways to understand and find solutions for our global predicaments. Join us for a bright green environmental study group! With the urgency of climate change increasing by the day, we definitely need a bold new approach to environmental problems and solutions. We are forming a regular study group of exploration. While we certainly have come a long way towards sustainability, a new school of environmental thinkers, entrepreneurs, and activists—referred to frequently as “bright green”—are beginning to question the very foundation of many long-held ecological ideas. They’re suggesting that as important as the impulse to preserve and protect the environment from human destruction has been, the next stage of environmentalism will require a new embrace of its traditional foes: technology, innovation, and the drive towards human progress. We've found a fantastic ‘curriculum’ of readings and audios that can give us direction in our exploration. This group of thinkers includes WorldChanging’s Alex Steffen, Cradle to Cradle’s Michael Braungart, futurist Ray Kurtzweil, British sustainability strategist Hardin Tibbs, and more. I’m thinking to meet every two weeks, and I’m suggesting Thursdays, from 6-7:30pm, or perhaps Thursdays, from 8-9:15am, meeting at the Lenox Town Hall . Please write to Susan Olshuff at saustown@aol.com with your interest, and she’ll tell you more about this exciting curriculum which can be the beginning of our discussions. Be sure to tell her if either of these times works for you. (If not, tell her what would work, in case many people are not able to make these times). It’d be great to start by mid-March. (There will be a fee only for materials) So jump on board. Start your spring time off with pushing into something new! For more information: Contact Susan Olshuff, saustown@aol.com, 413-637-2643. |
In the News: ELM's Green Budget Mass Environmental Spending Continues to Slide State environmental spending is now less than one percent of the total Massachusetts budget, a troubling low for a state that has long prided itself on its environmental innovations and protections, a new analysis shows. The Environmental League of Massachusetts, a group of 40 environmental organizations, says that budget cuts stemming in large part from the financial crisis have shrunk the fiscal year 2012 environmental budget to less than .6 percent, or $178.5 million. "Environmental budgets have taken disproportionate cuts and state agencies are now in danger of becoming dysfunctional," said George Bachrach, president of the Environment League. He said lag times in permitting and cleaning up polluted sites for future development could slow economic recovery. And if the state can't protect rivers and beaches, "we risk the jobs of our $14 billion tourism industry and the quality of life that attracts corporate leaders..." To view the full article, go here. |
America's Great Outdoors President Obama has announced an action plan under the America’s Great Outdoors initiative for conservation of outdoor spaces throughout the US. The initiative aims to revise conservation methods and reconnect Americans with the outdoors. The new report outlines ways the federal government will help communities accomplish their conservation and recreation goals, and is based on input from over 50 public listening sessions across the US. Mass Audubon president Laura Johnson also participated in a conference call with the Department of the Interior on this important initiative. Some of the newly released goals include:
The full report is available at: http://americasgreatoutdoors.gov/. Similarly, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced a draft 10-year plan for management of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The draft document, titled Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation includes nearly 100 management recommendations and was developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Wildlife Refuge Association. Among the draft vision’s recommendations are:
The draft plan is available for public comment until Earth Day, April 22, 2011. For more information visit: http://americaswildlife.org. Learn more about the National Wildlife Refuge System at http://www.fws.gov/refuges. |
Free Educator/Team Leader Workshop: The Junior Solar Sprint Experience In conjunction with the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), CET is hosting a Junior Solar Sprint workshop Tuesday, March 15 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Reid Middle School in Pittsfield . The workshop is designed to prepare teachers and non-formal educators in leading middle school students through the Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) experience. Since 1999, CET has organized the Berkshire Area JSS, a highly engaging and successful program where students design, build and enter their model solar electric cars in a friendly competition with other middle school students. These young engineers have a hands-on opportunity to deepen their understanding about solar energy, math, physical science and craftsmanship.
Registration is required. Sign up on the events page for the workshop at www.cetonline.org CET is a non-profit energy and resource conservation organization serving western Massachusetts for over 30 years. CET receives funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. CET is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. |
State-Run Recycling: Welfare for Waste According to the Athens, Georgia-based Product Policy Institute (PPI), Maine’s new Governor Paul LePage (R) is proposing to keep state recycling programs on the dole, and cut fee-based take-back programs paid for by manufacturers and their customers to recycle or safely dispose of certain kinds of waste. |
Join the Task Force on Building Organic Waste Capacity in Massachusetts Please consider joining a new Task Force sponsored by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to examine opportunities and challenges related to siting new facilities that will manage organic material diverted from waste in Massachusetts, and to recommend actions that the Commonwealth can take to ease the development process for these facilities. The Task Force will hold its first meeting on Friday, March 4, 2011, starting at 9:30 AM in Conference Rooms 1-3 on the 21st floor of the McCormack State Office Building at One Ashburton Place, Boston. Please note that these meetings are open to the public, but MassDEP is requesting that you notify us at dep.recycle@state.ma.us if you plan to attend. This Task Force will build on a number of earlier discussions about facilitating the development of new organics capacity and recycling facilities that led to the inclusion of aggressive goals for increasing the diversion of materials from waste to more productive uses in the Commonwealth’s Solid Waste Master Plan, and in a variety of other forums. The Task Force’s charge is described below. An agenda for the first meeting will be posted on MassDEP’s web site in the next week. We will email you to let you know when it is available. We anticipate that the Task Force will meet three times between March 4 and early May to develop specific recommendations for overcoming challenges and capitalizing on opportunities to significantly increase our organics capacity in Massachusetts, and doing so in an environmentally sound way. We also hope that you will continue to provide advice as our agencies develop strategies to implement these recommendations. The recommendations of this Task Force will help us achieve a number of goals that are important for both our environment and our “clean energy” economy. Please reply to this email address (dep.recycle@state.ma.us) to let us know whether you can attend the Task Force’s first meeting. Sincerely, Task Force Charge Introduction: The draft 2010-2020 Massachusetts Solid Waste Master Plan sets goals of reducing the quantity of waste disposed of by 30% (2 million tons) by 2020, and by 80% (5.2 million tons) by 2050. The Plan also sets a sub-goal for 2020 of diverting an additional 350,000 tons of organic material from disposal by that year, over the 650,000 tons that were diverted in 2009. Meeting this goal will require significant increases in in-state capacity at anaerobic digestion, composting, and recycling facilities. These aggressive targets are consistent with the recently released Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020. Achieving the goals of both of these Plans will produce important environmental benefits. An expansion of in-state recycling/processing capacity will also create jobs and economic development opportunities. Expanding in-state capacity to process diverted organic material will have important co-benefits for Massachusetts farms and will help anaerobic digestors at MA wastewater treatment plants operate more efficiently and economically. Task Force Charge
The Task Force recommendations will identify what needs to be done, who needs to do it, and how each action should be structured. As the appropriate state agencies implement these recommendations, participants are strongly encouraged to continue to stay involved and provide review and advice. Background: During the past two years, MassDEP has held a number of discussions on these issues, including Organics Summit conference sessions, three Solid Waste Master Plan workgroup meetings on “Eliminating Barriers to Siting Waste Diversion Facilities”, and public comment on the Draft Solid Waste Master Plan. While there was considerable support at these meetings for increasing in-state capacity to handle organic material that is diverted from the waste stream, many concerns were identified. A summary of these discussions is available on the MassDEP web site: http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/committee/swmpwkgp.htm, scroll down to “Siting Waste Diversion Facilities Workgroup”. This Task Force is a joint effort of several agencies in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs: the Department of Agricultural Resources, the Department of Energy Resources, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center will also participate. |
Berkshire Grown looking for Outreach Associate Intern.
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State Announces Clean Energy Internships The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the New England Clean Energy Council will provide up to 50 college students and recent graduates with paid internships this summer. The new $300,000 program will link students with companies in the clean energy sector that state government is subsidizing and looking to grow. |