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Please send items of interest to kristen@thebeatnews.org
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North Adams Rally Calls Out Big Business
By Jennifer Huberdeau, North Adams Transcript
Local residents called for an end to corporate welfare and for boycotts of the country's five largest banks and corporations during a rally held on the steps of City Hall Tuesday afternoon.
The rally, which included a march through downtown, was organized by the local April 4th Coalition and Western Mass Jobs With Justice to mark the six month anniversary of the original April 4th rally earlier this year and to reinvigorate the local grassroots movement supporting the working class, the unemployed and the underemployed.
"We're being told [at the federal level] that we can no longer afford services for the poor, the hungry, the weak, the elderly, the young or the middle class; but we can afford tax breaks for the very rich," Dana Rapp, president of the MCLA Faculty Union and April 4th Coalition steering committee member, said to the a crowd of about 30 people gathered at City Hall. "We're told we can no longer afford to pay teachers, firefighters, police officers or postal workers, but we can afford increased profits and tax relief for multi-national corporations. We're being told we can no longer afford to pay for roads, even disaster relief or higher education, but we can pay for two unjustifiable wars. What lies!"
He added, "By coming here today, you are part of the historic struggle in Massachusetts and the United States People like you are now protesting non-violently on Wall Street, occupying public space.Today, you are part of the ongoing struggle for social justice. Let your voices be heard." <MORE>
BEAT Note: The theoretical lack of money is not just for social programs. There is no money for environmental protection. No money to save endangered wildlife. No money to protect air and water quality. But there is plenty of money for the corporations that "externalize" all these hidden costs on to the rest of us. This is an issue that unites us all.
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Restore the River. Stop the State from weakening the Clean-up of the Housatonic River
WE NEED YOUR VOICE!
Our goals are simple…
- NO TOXIC WASTE DUMPS in the Berkshires
- Maximum Community Involvement in all stages of the clean-up
- Maximum REMOVAL of PCBs including Connecticut
- Openness to Explore Alternative Technologies
- Flexibility to Modify Clean-up Plans as needed.
The Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection and Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife will be there to discuss their plan.
WHERE: Lenox Town Hall, 6 Walker St.
WHEN: Wednesday, October 12 @ 6:30 pm,
Rally @ 5:30 (bring signs)
Contact: Tim Gray 413-243-3353 or Phyllis Skaller for more information 413-274-6014
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New England Experienced Fewer Unhealthy Air Quality Days During Past Summer
(Boston, Mass. – Sept. 29, 2011) – EPA today confirmed that New Englanders experienced a decrease in the number of unhealthy air quality days this year, compared to 2010. The decrease in number of days with unhealthy air quality is related to weather conditions and because emissions of the chemicals that create ozone continue to decline.
Based on preliminary data collected between April and September 2011, there were 16 days when ozone monitors in New England recorded concentrations above levels considered healthy. By contrast, in 2010 there were a total of 28 unhealthy ozone days.
The number of unhealthy ozone days in each state this summer is as follows:
-14 days in Connecticut (compared to 24 in 2010)
-10 day in Rhode Island (15 in 2010)
-6 days in New Hampshire (6 in 2010)
-3 days in Massachusetts (6 in 2010)
-2 days in Maine (9 in 2010)
-1 day in Vermont (0 in 2010).
The decrease in the number of days with unhealthy air this year was directly related to the decrease in the number of hot days this year. Sunlight and high temperatures speed the formation of ground-level ozone smog. For example, at Bradley Airport near Hartford, Conn. there were 34 days when the temperature was at or above 90°F, during the summer of 2010, compared to only 15 such days this year.
Although the number of unhealthy days may vary from year to year due to weather conditions, over the long-term, New England has experienced a decreasing number of unhealthy ozone days and peak ozone concentrations have decreased significantly over the last 30 years. In 1983, New England had 113 unhealthy days, compared with 16 this summer.
“We can all feel proud - and breath easier - thanks to the progress we have made in reducing air pollution,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “The days this past summer when we experienced poor air quality remind us that our efforts to protect peoples' health by improving air quality should continue. Everybody can save money and protect the air by taking common-sense steps to conserve energy in our daily lives.”
A major factor in the long-term decline in unhealthy days is the substantial decrease in air pollution emissions. For example, since 2004, new cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, and mini-vans have stringent new emission standards resulting in vehicles that are 77 to 95 percent cleaner than older models. In addition, to further reduce air pollution, on July 7, 2011, EPA announced the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, that requires 27 states to significantly reduce power plant emissions that contribute to ozone and/or fine particle pollution. By 2014, combined with other final state and EPA actions, the new rule will reduce power plant sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions by 73 percent and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 54 percent from 2005 levels.
Ground-level ozone is the main ingredient of smog. In 2008, EPA made the ozone standard more stringent. Ozone levels are unhealthy when average concentrations exceed 0.075 parts per million over an 8-hour period. Ground-level ozone is formed when volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen, chemically react in the presence of sunlight. Cars, trucks, motorcycles and buses give off the majority of the pollution that makes smog. Fossil fuels burning at electric power plants, which run at high capacities on hot days, emit substantial amounts of smog-making pollution. Gas stations, print shops, household products like paints and cleaners, as well as gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment, also contribute to smog formation.
Although the 2011 ozone season is ending, pollution from small particles in the air is a year-round concern. The daily air quality index forecast will continue to be available (http://www.epa.gov/ne/aqi/). New Englanders can also sign up at this address to receive air quality alerts. These alerts are issued by e-mail, whenever necessary, to notify program participants when high concentrations of ground-level ozone or small particles are predicted to occur, in their area.
Historical charts of unhealthy air days from 1983 through 2011 are available for each New England state on EPA New England’s web site at: www.epa.gov/ne/airquality/standard.html. A preliminary list of the unhealthy readings recorded this summer by date and monitor location, and corresponding air quality maps for each day, can be found at: www.epa.gov/region1/airquality/o3exceed-11.html.
# # #
Learn More about the Latest EPA News & Events in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/newsevents/index.html)
Follow EPA New England on Twitter (http://twitter.com/epanewengland)
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Oil Sands Imports Could Be Banned Under EU Directive
from the London Guardian
Oil from controversial and environmentally destructive tar sands is likely to be all but banned from Europe after a decision on Tuesday. The move also casts doubt on the future of other controversial energy sources such as shale gas.
Tar sands (also known as oil sands) have been a target of green campaigners for several years, as the extraction of low quality oil from sands – chiefly in Canada to date – produces far greater greenhouse gas emissions than conventional oil drilling operations, and requires vast quantities of water. The exploitation of tar sands has also led to the destruction of swaths of forest and is blamed for water and air pollution.
In a victory for Connie Hedegaard, the EU's climate change commissioner, the commission has decided to back a new directive on fuel quality. This will set minimum environmental standards for a range of fuels, including tar sands, coal converted to liquid and oil from shale rock.
Hedegaard said: "With this measure, we are sending a clear signal to fossil fuels suppliers. As fossil fuels will be a reality in the foreseeable future, it's important to give them the right value.''
For more see the London Guardian, United Kingdom.
BEAT Note: Visit the Tar Sands Action website for more information on citizen action working to stop the Tar Sands in the United States.
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Industrial Solvent TCE Even More Dangerous To People
By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times
September 30, 2011
EPA finds trichloroethylene causes kidney and liver cancer, lymphoma and other health problems. <Full Story>
One of the most widespread groundwater contaminants in the nation is more dangerous to humans than earlier thought, a federal agency has determined. The final risk assessment for trichloroethylene by the Environmental Protection Agency found that the widely used industrial solvent causes kidney and liver cancer, lymphoma and other health problems. That lays the groundwork to reevaluate the federal drinking-water standard for the contaminant: 5 parts per billion in water, and 1 microgram per cubic meter in air, officials said.
The Pentagon had demanded greater proof that industrial substances cause cancer before raising cleanup costs at more than 1,000 polluted sites.
"This risk assessment is a big deal because it will strengthen protections for people who live and work above TCE plumes — and there are a lot of them — and could force serious rethinking about the extent of cleanup efforts," said Lenny Siegal, executive director of the Mountain View, Calif.-based Center for Public Environmental Oversight, which posted a letter Monday signed by activists across the country, demanding that the final risk assessment be released. It was released Wednesday.
Jennifer Sass, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the decision "launches new arguments about what the safety standards should be. In the meantime, people impacted by this pollution can now link their disease to it in litigation with more confidence because the science is no longer in dispute. TCE causes cancer."
The public can be exposed to TCE in several ways, including by showering in contaminated water and by breathing air in homes where TCE vapors have intruded from the soil. TCE's movement from contaminated groundwater and soil into the indoor air of overlying buildings is a major concern.
"Vapor intrusion represents toxic exposure which is continuous and difficult to avoid," Siegal said. "It's not like you can live on bottled air in your own home or school."
<Full Story> louis.sahagun@latimes.com Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times
BEAT Note: The Rose Disposal Pit, located on Balance Rock Road in Pittsfield, has been managed for toxic waste since 1980. TCE is just one of the contaminates that has been found there.
"Two plumes of contaminated groundwater were discovered moving to the east and south away from the disposal area. Approximately 100 people live within 1 mile of the site and may be affected by the contaminated drinking water."-- from the EPA's webpage on the Rose Disposal Pit
After decades of cleanup efforts, water collected from this site still does not meet drinking water standards.
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Keep Children Safe - Visit "This Vinyl School"
Our children go to school to learn, play and make friends. Yet PVC, the most toxic plastic for our children's health and well-being, is everywhere in most of our schools.
CHEJ developed This Vinyl School, an interactive website to raise awareness about this toxic plastic and how schools can switch to safer and affordable alternatives. Visit This Vinyl School to learn about safer solutions to this unnecessary plastic.
Harmful chemicals in vinyl products are chock full of toxic chemicals, like phthalates, which have been banned in children’s toys but are widespread in products like flooring in our schools.
Phthalates have been linked to asthma, learning and developmental disabilities, and obesity - chronic health problems that are on the rise in children and inhibit their ability to learn. These chemicals are not just in the products, but are getting into our children’s bodies. Every month, new studies come out that find PVC chemicals are harmful to children’s health, such as a recent study by researchers at Columbia University that found phthalates appear to be harmful to children’s brain development.
Major corporations like Google, Target and Apple are going PVC-free, and we think our schools should too. Don’t you?
Visit This Vinyl School today, and then pass it on to friends, family, parents and teachers you know. Together we can build a healthier, toxic-free future for all.
For a PVC-free future,
Mike Schade, Campaign Coordinator
Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ)
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October Is Non-GMO Month!
2011
- The year Monsanto added sweetcorn, sugar beets and alfalfa to the list of GMO crops that already included field corn, cotton, canola, soy, and papaya - without regulations to protect organic farmers from contamination and no labels to respect consumers' right to know.
- The year Monsanto couldn't hide its failure any longer, as its GMO crops toppled over and were strangled in the fields, attacked by the very insects and weeds they were genetically engineered to resist.
October 2011
- When the non-GMO movement in the US got reenergized, reorganized and started a new strategy to win!
October 2011 is Non-GMO Month, and we can make it the biggest month of action this issue has ever seen in this country. What can you do to make that happen?
Would you collect a thousand signatures? Would you walk from New York City to the White House? Would you join a Millions Against Monsanto Rally for the Right to Know on World Food Day?
What would you do to win our right to know about genetically engineered food?
Get involved:
Nationwide - Oct 15 & 16 - Millions Against Monsanto World Food Day Events
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Vandana Shiva: The Biggest Threat Is Monsanto
"We are in a food emergency. Speculation and diversion of food to biofuel has contributed to an uncontrolled price rise, adding more to the billion already denied their right to food. Industrial agriculture is pushing species to extinction through the use of toxic chemicals that kill our bees and butterflies, our earthworms and soil organisms that create soil fertility. Plant and animal varieties are disappearing as monocultures displace biodiversity. Industrial, globalized agriculture is responsible for 40 percent of greenhouse gases, which then destabilize agriculture by causing climate chaos, creating new threats to food security.
"But the biggest threat we face is the control of seed and food moving out of the hands of farmers and communities and into a few corporate hands. Monopoly control of cottonseed and the introduction of genetically engineered Bt cotton has already given rise to an epidemic of farmers' suicides in India. A quarter-million farmers have taken their lives because of debt induced by the high costs of nonrenewable seed, which spins billions of dollars of royalty for firms like Monsanto."
- "Resisting the Corporate Theft of Seeds," by Vandana Shiva, The Nation, September 14, 2011
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Clean Air Action Alert
Just wanted to let everyone know there are some important bills coming up for a vote in Washington, possibly this week. Please consider contacting your U.S. Congressman and letting him know your views.
H.R. 2681 would delay important Clean Air Act safeguards for cement plants.
H.R. 2250 would delay important Clean Air Act safeguards for boilers and incinerators.
According to Earthjustice, boilers and cement plants are the second and third largest sources of dangerous mercury emissions in the nation. Mercury is a powerful neurtoxin particularly harmful to children. If these bills become law, they will reduce important public health protections and give polluters a permanent exemption to burn scrap tires, plastics, spent chemicals and solvents and other wastes without any requirements to control, monitor or report their toxic pollution. In addition, they will undermine efforts to address environmental justice and community right-to-know concerns.
Both of these bills will result in increases in a broad range of toxic air pollutants, many of which are widely recognized as public health threats and can lead to respiratory illness, heart disease and premature death.
CASE has already written to Congressman Paul Tonko and Congressman Chris Gibson to strongly urge them to vote NO to both H.R. 2681 and H.R. 2250.
If you would like to contact your Congressman, please go to the following link:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
Thanks to all and best wishes!
Elyse Kunz
Co-Founder
Community Advocates for Safe Emissions (CASE)
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Action Alert: Move the Bottle Bill Forward!
Help us get the updated Bottle Bill moved out of the committee that is reviewing it and to the House floor for a vote! The bill (H.890/S.1650) has been in review since its hearing in July before the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (TUE). It’s time for a push from its supporters to move it forward – our goal is to see it recommended favorably out of committee by November 1!
If your state legislator is a member of this committee (check here: http://www.malegislature.gov/Committees/Joint/J37), please contact them and tell them you support the Updated Bottle Bill, and ask for action on the bill by November 1.
If your representative or senator is NOT on the committee, please contact your own state representative (we will concentrate on the Senate later), tell them you support the Updated Bottle Bill and ask for their help getting the bill out of committee. You can find your state representative here: www.wheredoivotema.com.
Thank you for joining us in support of this important and long overdue legislation!
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MACC Seeks Nominations to Our Board of Directors and Committees
Here is your chance to help guide a 2,500-member organization with a major role in protecting wetlands, open space and biological diversity through education and statewide and local advocacy. There are two seats available on MACC’s Board and several opportunities for those interested in volunteering on a specific committee.
Nomination submittals will be accepted through October 15, 2011.
For more information: Board Nominations
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Mass Audubon’s Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries Annual Bird Seed Sale
Benefit Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries by purchasing high quality birdseed during our Annual Birdseed Sale Fundraiser.
We offer the highest quality seed from this year’s crop.
Our Audubon Special Mix is a special blend of 20% sunflower, 50% white millet, 25% cracked corn, and 5% peanut hearts, with no fillers.
The Sunflower Blend is a mix of striped and black-oil seed, attracting a wide variety of birds.
The Thistle Seed (Nyger), is excellent food for finches.
Fine ground Cracked Corn can be used for ground-feeding birds such as doves.
The Suet Cakes are a mixture of suet and mixed seed and will fit in standard wire suet feeders.
The Peanut, Suet & Seed Cake also contains peanuts.
We are also offering Mass Audubon’s A Guide to Backyard Birds, a full-color laminated guide with more than 50 birds you might see at your backyard feeder.
TO ORDER: Request an ORDER FORM by calling or stopping by our office at Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries, 472 West Mountain Rd., Lenox
Call (413) 637-0320.
Orders are due by Wednesday, October 19, 2011.
PICK UP:
When: Saturday November 5, 2011 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Where: Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary 472 West Mountain Rd, Lenox, MA
Proceeds from this fund-raiser directly benefit Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries by providing funds for wildlife conservation and educational programs.
Thank you for your support!
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Job Openings at The Berkshire Museum
Full-time Natural Science Education Specialist
Berkshire Museum seeks full-time Natural Science Education Specialist, reporting to the Education and Public Program Manager and interacting with the education, collection, and exhibition teams, the aquarium manager and audiences of all ages. Responsibilities include helping to develop, facilitate and evaluate natural science public programs, presentations, seminars and workshops; helping to design, facilitate and evaluate educational programs; lead sections of the museum’s offsite afterschool/outreach programming and assist in the creation of afterschool programming; manage the museum’s Living Landscapes curriculum; work as part of the exhibition development team on the development of natural science based exhibits and programs. Candidate must be computer literate with a strong knowledge of current MS applications, on PC platform. Three years of experience conducting education/ public programs and a BS in Environmental Education, Biology, Marine Biology, Botany, Natural Science, or related museum education field required. Experience working with a living collection is a plus. Advance degree preferred. Experience working with children in an informal or formal education preferred. Flexible schedule as needed including evenings, weekends, and holidays; reliable transportation a must. Submit cover letter and resume to Human Resources, 39 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 or email to jprovost@berkshiremuseum.org. Berkshire Museum is an EOE.
Collection Assistant (Minerals)
Berkshire Museum seeks Collection Assistant (Minerals), reporting to the Collections Manager/Registrar. The Collection Assistant (Minerals) will work with the Natural Science Coordinator and outside experts to catalogue the museum’s permanent collection of minerals (c. 3,400 specimens) into the museum’s collection management software, Past Perfect; re-house and reorganize these collections as needed; and conduct research on specimens as directed. Qualifications include a bachelors degree in geology or mineralogy, or equivalent experience; experience in museum collections management preferred; excellent organizational and communication skills; and knowledge of computer databases. This position is a temporary one-year part-time position. Submit cover letter and resume to Human Resources, 39 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 or email to jprovost@berkshiremuseum.org. Berkshire Museum is an EOE.
Collection Assistant (Shells)
Berkshire Museum seeks Collection Assistant (Shells), reporting to the Collections Manager/Registrar. The Collection Assistant (Shells) is responsible for completing the inventory, research, cataloguing, re-housing and reorganization of the Berkshire Museum’s shell collection according to AAM standards. Qualifications include a bachelors degree in malacology or marine biology, or equivalent experience; experience in museum collections management preferred. Candidate should have excellent organizational and communication skills and knowledge of computer databases. This position is a temporary one-year full-time position. Submit cover letter and resume to Human Resources, 39 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 or email to jprovost@berkshiremuseum.org. Berkshire Museum is an EOE.
Part-time Accounting Assistant:
Berkshire Museum seeks responsible, self-motivated, detail-oriented candidate for a part-time Accounting Assistant. Ideal candidate should possess Peachtree Accounting Software experience, along with working knowledge of MS Word & Excel. Qualifications include: 3-5 years of accounting/bookkeeping experience, excellent organization skills, good oral and written communication skills, ability to multi-task. Submit cover letter and resume to Human Resources, 39 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 or email to jprovost@berkshiremuseum.org. Berkshire Museum is an EOE.
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MACC Is Hiring!
Permanent, Part-Time Administrative Assistant/Database Manager
For more information: MACC Jobs
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Conservation Programme Director Opening in Brussels
Ready for a change of scenery?
BirdLife Europe is the European Division of BirdLife International, and is one of the six BirdLife regional offices around the world. It is composed of an international team of permanent staff working on conservation, capacity building, policy, management, finance, fundraising, advocacy, science, communication, marketing and administration. Stichting BirdLife Europe supports the European and Central Asia Partnership of BirdLife International, which consists of 45 independent, grassroots Civil Society Organisations, governed by a democratic programme.
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of autonomous, national non-governmental conservation organisations, with a large grassroots membership, in 117 countries and territories. BirdLife works together as a Partnership to conserve wild birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, by working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. BirdLife is the global authority on the status of bird species, has unparalleled technical expertise in bird and biodiversity assessment, and provides a global outreach through its national Partners and decentralised Secretariat.
The overall purpose of this job is to strengthen BirdLife International’s and HeidelbergCement’s ability to achieve sustainable development and in particular provide better protection for biodiversity at local (site), national and international levels and increase the scientific knowledge around the high value of quarries to biodiversity. The Conservation Programme Coordinator will be responsible for setting up and implementing a Conservation Programme for 2011-2014 which includes the formulation of joint biodiversity projects in different European countries in phase 1, the follow-up of the proximity analysis during phase 2 and the implementation and documentation of the first pilot projects in Europe during phase 3.
More Info.
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