In the News
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Environmental Monitor
Public Notices Alphabetically
by town
The BEAT News Archives
Advocacy News (Includes how to reach your legislators)
DEP Enforcement Actions In The Berkshire
|
CET announces 2009 Green Buildings Events
On Saturday, October 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., energy efficiency and solar technologies will be among the highlights of the 2009 Green Buildings Open House Tour. With today’s heightened awareness about energy and global climate change, this eighth annual green buildings event gives the public a unique opportunity to tour more than a dozen homes and businesses in the Berkshires to see clean, renewable energy at work and discover the ways people are conserving energy, saving money and protecting the environment.
Among the sites this year are a dome home, buildings with passive solar design features, several homes with new solar hot water systems, and numerous examples of solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays. Check www.nesea.org/greenbuildings for details on hours of operation and directions to each tour stop.
On Friday, October 2, at 5:30 p.m. the Center for Ecological Technology (CET) will co-host Greening Our Homes and Lives: Priorities and Practices, a pre-tour event at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield . CET is excited to announce that our featured speaker is Bruce Harley, a recognized expert on green building, energy efficiency and sustainable residential construction and renovation. Harley is the author of Cut Your Energy Bills Now: 150 smart ways to save money and make your home more comfortable and green. Following the presentation, Green Buildings Open House hosts will describe highlights of their homes and businesses that will be open to the public the next day. Locally produced hors d’oeuvres and a listing of Berkshire sites will be provided.
The Open House is part of a region-wide event organized by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) and coordinated locally by the Center for Ecological Technology (CET). Part of the American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour, the Open House presents an opportunity to learn firsthand how incorporating green elements can help reduce heating costs, increase energy conservation and comfort, and even generate surplus clean energy.
Some of the varied renewable technologies on the tour this year are roof and pole-mounted PV systems, a self-built hydropower plant and small wind turbine, and vacuum tube solar hot water systems. A few of the sites are older homes that have been retrofitted with green features, like solar for hot water, electricity or heating; energy efficiency upgrades including high efficiency heating systems, reduced air infiltration and added insulation, as well as renovations using reclaimed building materials. At 3 p.m., wrap up your tour with a solar brewed beer at the Barrington Brewery and conversation with renewable energy expert Chris Vreeland, PE, of Precision Decisions. The Brewery has the largest solar hot water array of any brewery in the region.
“Many people believe that our country’s energy problems, global warming, and fuel costs are beyond our control,” says Nancy Nylen, associate director of CET. “But the Green Buildings Open House shows specific steps we all can take to make a difference. The chance to talk with those who’ve already done so is inspiring and demonstrates how everyone can have a positive effect on local and global issues.”
To find out more about the Open House and energy efficient buildings, contact CET at 413-445-4556 ext. 25, visit www.cetonline.org or stop by the CET office at 112 Elm Street in Pittsfield, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tour goers can also visit the NESEA website at www.nesea.org, and follow the links to the Berkshire area buildings under Massachusetts .
CET is a non-profit energy and resource conservation organization that has served western Massachusetts since 1976. CET receives funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. CET is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Support for the Green Buildings Open House in Berkshire County comes from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and the SOHN Foundation.
return to top |
Sep 10, 2009
Managing our water resources
AS I SEE IT
By Julia Blatt
Would you take a cross-country trip in a car that had no speedometer, gas gauge, rearview mirrors or maps in the glove compartment? I wouldn’t.
When allocating water, the state is driving blind, with no road map for the future.
As a result, our rivers and streams are threatened. Poor management has led to over 100 Massachusetts rivers and streams drying up or suffering greatly diminished flows in the summer and early fall. Unchecked sprawl and unwise development means more and more water is pumped out of our aquifers and rivers each year. Dried up and depleted rivers are canaries in the coal mine: a warning to water suppliers, municipal officials and business leaders that the long-term sustainability of the local water supplies — our wells and reservoirs — is in jeopardy, too. If we continue a “business as usual” scenario, 44 communities across the state will exceed their water withdrawal limits by 2020.
To put us back on course, 42 legislators have filed and are supporting the Sustainable Water Resources Act (House Bill 834). This bill directs the state to determine how much water rivers and streams need to support fish and other aquatic life and to use that information to develop stream-flow standards so everyone knows what level of protection our rivers require.
The bill also gives water suppliers new authority to raise funds to protect their water supplies, promote conservation and upgrade pipes, pumps and other water supply infrastructure. It also makes it easier for the state to remove abandoned dams.
The Sustainable Water Resources Act is needed because the state of Massachusetts manages each community’s water supply as an island, disconnected from other water supplies. The state does not consider the cumulative impact of multiple water withdrawals in a single river basin such as the Blackstone or Nashua. A recent Department of Fish and Game report showed that of 11 large rivers evaluated for the health of their fish populations, only one is in good health. More importantly, the state lacks goals and standards for how much water to leave in our rivers and streams to keep them healthy and our water supplies safe — we currently have no destination, no road map or way to know if we have arrived.
Massachusetts is not alone in wrestling with stream-flow issues. Maine, Connecticut and Michigan have all recently enacted legislation or revised state regulations to better balance water uses and protect stream flows. Unfortunately, the work in Connecticut is being used to create fear and misunderstanding in Massachusetts. Let me clear up some of these misconceptions.
Connecticut’s proposed regulations acknowledge that not all streams and rivers are the same, and that different conditions call for different management strategies. They explicitly create room for “working rivers” where water supply is a primary purpose of the river or stream. And of course, the state can suspend its regulations or requirements in the case of an emergency, such as a severe drought.
More importantly, Massachusetts must develop its own approach to balancing water use. The bill does not impose stream-flow standards from other states. The Sustainable Water Resources Act simply directs the responsible agencies to get on with the process. This will be a public process, with plenty of opportunity for input by water suppliers, residents, businesses, and others.
It is interesting that opposition to providing adequate water for a healthy environment occurs at a time when overall statewide water use is declining, as it is in Worcester. The city of Worcester estimates that its water supply system can provide up to 29.5 million gallons of water per day. Yet currently, the city uses on average of 24 million gallons per day, including the water it sells to other communities. Why not use some of the remaining water to improve the health of local rivers and streams?
Why is this critical now? Climate change models predict dramatic changes to our water resources — hotter, longer summers, increased droughts, and intense rain events. An increasing number of communities will face water shortages in the next decade. Planning now for better management of our water resources clearly makes sense. It also allows water to be a calling card for Massachusetts, enabling growth and attracting new business.
We can act now to make sure that we manage our water resources sustainably, or we can wait until we reach a crisis. By then, the stakes will be higher and solutions more expensive. The Sustainable Water Resources Act is a long overdue step to ensure that our use of water takes into account the needs of our rivers and that our water supplies are sustainably managed into the future.
Julia Blatt is executive director of the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, a statewide nonprofit organization working for river protection.
return to top
|
GRANT OPPORTUNITY FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND SCHOOLS
Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire supports culture, humanities and interpretive sciences projects.
The Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire (CCNB) invites local artists, individuals, and community organizations to apply for money through the Massachusetts Cultural Council for upcoming 2010 projects. The CCNB will accept grant applications postmarked by Thursday, October 15, 2009. The CCNB grants funds received through the Massachusetts Cultural Council to support local artists, community organizations and school projects that are focused on the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences. There is also an “Individual Artist” grant offered. Details on that are available on the CCNB website: culturalcouncil.wordpress.com. Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend one of two grant-writing workshops on Tuesday, September 15, or Thursday, October 1, both 6-7:30 pm, at the North Adams Public Library. Workshops are free and open to the public. New this year, a broadcast version of the grant application process will air on local public access television. Check your local public access television site for schedule details.
Grants will be awarded after considering the project’s benefit to the community, the qualifications of the individuals and the organization involved, the planning process, and the population segments served. Priority is given to artists and organizations living within the 11 municipalities represented by the CCNB. The CCNB gives preference to proposals that reach underserved populations, collaborative projects between cultural groups and community organizations, proposals involving local artists or projects, especially those concerning arts, humanities or interpretive sciences, which are underrepresented in our communities.
Previously funded projects include storytelling at the Clarksburg Town Library, cultural diversity murals at Drury High School; Minerva Stage’s Student Independent Film Festival with Images Cinema; artist Ven Voisey’s “An Artist Is A Person In Your Neighborhood” public art projects; ballroom dancing for Pine Cobble 3rd and 4th grade students; Hoosic River Watershed’s river writing contest; and Heron Cove Twilight Concerts among others.
Applications and guidelines are available at local libraries and town halls or online at www.mass-culture.org. Three copies of the completed application must be postmarked by Thursday, October 15, and mailed to the CCNB, PO Box 227, North Adams, MA 01247. For more information contact Sandra Thomas, 458-1039, sandra@imagescinema.org, or Juliana Haubrich, 458-5369, jhaubrich@williamstown.net.
return to top |
CET NoHo moves!
After 20 years on Market Street in downtown Northampton, we were feeling a bit packed in--too many bodies and supplies in a pretty small office. So our Pioneer Valley staff began September on the other side of town in a spacious new office. Our new home in the Cutlery Building beside the Mill River at 320 Riverside Drive in Florence will provide more elbow room for our expanding staff. In setting up the new office space, we employed such green strategies as deconstructing and reusing shelving from the other office, using cotton insulation and low-VOC paints to construct a new interior wall, obtaining used, but new-to-us furniture, and contracting the Pedal People to haul our recyclables and trash by bicycle. This is all part of our work to lower CET's overall carbon footprint and walk our talk. Phone and fax numbers and email addresses will remain the same.
return to top |
CET closes the loop and now carries 100% post-consumer recycled copy paper!
We made the switch from 30% post-consumer (PC) recycled copy paper and now sell 100% PC recycled copy paper. Using recycled paper is an easy way for businesses to meet their sustainability goals. It works as well as virgin paper and has multiple environmental benefits. It is processed chlorine free and for every 3 cases used, these are saved/reduced: one tree, 663 gallons of water, 132 pounds of air emissions and 60 pounds of solid waste. Discounts continue to apply for CET Recycling Services customers. Contact Jamie Cahillane at 413-445-4556 ext. 14 for more information.
return to top |
Legislative Hearings Update
(from the Environmental League of Mass. - ELM)
Off Road Vehicle Bill Hearing Wednesday
Last Friday ELM was notified that several bills dealing with Off Road Vehicles were going to be heard this past Wednesday by the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. We're sorry we weren't able to give advance notice to our members and several individuals have commented on the poor form on the legislature's part for scheduling hearings on such short notice. We are considering what we can do to communicate our concern to the legislative leadership-stay tuned. It is not too late, however, to submit written testimony - ideally by September 18. The bill of most interest that ELM's supports is Rep. Smizik's bill, HB 3330. Text can be found here.
Upcoming Hearings
Wednesday, September 16th, several bills dealing with forestry issues will be heard by the Natural Resources Committee at 11 am in Room B-1. Bills scheduled to be heard are:
HB744: An Act relative to the Forest Stewardship Incentive Program, (Rep. Anne Gobi, Sponsor).
HB748: An Act relating to the forest products industry, (Rep. Denis Guyer, Sponsor)
HB765: An Act prohibiting clear cutting in state forests and parks, (Rep. Peter Kocot, Sponsor)
HB774: An Act authorizing the establishment of old growth forest reserves, (Rep. Stephen Kulik, Sponsor)
HB791: An Act designating a portion of the Captain William K. Webb Memorial State Park as Mary's Pointe, (Rep. James Murphy, Sponsor)
SB374: An Act relative to the forest products trust fund, (Senator Stephen Brewer, Sponsor)
SB383: An Act relative to improving the Massachusetts rural economy for the farm, forest, and wood products industry, (Senator Stephen Brewer, Sponsor)
SB390: An Act to protect the Commonwealth's hemlock trees, (Senator Cynthia Creem, Sponsor)
Tuesday, September 29th, the CPA Reform bill (SB 90), An Act to Sustain Community Preservation, sponsored by Senator Creem and Representative Kulik), will be heard by the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business. The hearing is at 11 am in Gardner Auditorium and will be preceded by a rally at 10:30 and followed by a lobby day. For more information contact the Community Preservation Coalition at 617-367-8998.
Wednesday, October 7th, several versions of an updated bottle bill will be heard by the Joint Committee on Telecommunication, Utilities, and Energy. The need for a bottle bill update has grown acute as the popularity of bottled water and sports drinks has exploded - neither category was included in the 1981 bottle bill so there is no 5 cent deposit, unlike other beverage containers. The time and room number for the hearing has not yet been announced and we will keep you posted.
return to top |
Housatonic Heritage Walks 2009
The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area is holding its annual "Heritage Walks Weekends", on Saturday and Sunday: September 19th and 20th AND October 3rd and 4th.
Enjoy more than 40 free, guided walks, offered throughout the heritage area that includes portions of Berkshire County, MA and Litchfield County, CT. History – Culture – Natural Resources.
www.Heritage-Hikes.organd includes access to some exceptional places and people. "Free and Open to the Public"
return to top |
Limit Your Exposure To Cell Phone Radiation
For more information, visit the Environmental Working Group's website.
Four billion people around the globe own cell phones. As the market for new devices has grown, so have concerns about the safety of cell phone radiation. EWG’s Guide to Reduce Cell Phone Radiation Exposure
Recent studies find significantly higher risks for brain and salivary gland tumors among people using cell phones for 10 years or longer. The state of the science is provocative and troubling, and much more research is essential.
We at Environmental Working Group are still using our cell phones, but we also believe that until scientists know much more about cell phone radiation, it’s smart for consumers to buy phones with the lowest emissions.
The U.S. government ought to require cell phone companies to label their products’ radiation output so that consumers can do the numbers at the point of sale. Tell the FCC and the FDA to modernize their cell phone radiation standards!
It doesn’t, so EWG has created this user-friendly interactive online guide to cell phone emissions, covering over 1,000 phones currently on the market.
return to top |
EPA's Water Laboratory Alliance Plans Full Scale Exercise
From Water Headlines for the week of September 14, 2009
Water Headlines is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water
EPA is conducting a full scale laboratory exercise in the north-eastern US. This exercise, which is scheduled to take place beginning September 14, 2009, will test EPA's Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA)/Environmental Response Laboratory Network (ERLN), and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Laboratory Response Network
LRN) emergency response procedures. It will be used to assess the effectiveness of coordinated laboratory activities across multiple laboratory networks in response to combined chemical and biological warfare agent attacks. This coordination of laboratory response activities across multiple states will provide an initial test of the new Water Laboratory Alliance Response Plan and other laboratory response protocols. This full scale exercise will also test inter-agency coordination between EPA, CDC, Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). For more information regarding the WLA please visit: http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/wla.cfm
return to top |
The people who put together the PBS "Poisoned Waters" show that aired on Frontline a few months ago are offering it, for free, together with a discussion guide, for use by watershed groups and others who are interested. Here is the description:
"The materials pair ten five-minute video segments with ten companion essays in a 26-page discussion guide that addresses the state of America's waterways, new pollution threats, and strategies for combating pollution and habitat disruption. The kit, which comes in a compact packet the size of a DVD box, is suitable for environmental groups, college university and high school science and environmental teachers, park rangers and natural refuge guides, garden clubs, soil conservation districts, water keepers, and grass roots activities engaged in public education and community organizing. It is not for sit-down viewing. The material is suitable for an adult audience, not for elementary and middle schools."
If you would like a copy of these materials, please contact Ian Cooke at Cooke@neponset.org by Wednesday, September 23. Please provide your name and a mailing (not just email) address so NepWRA can mail this out to you.
Julia Blatt
--
Executive Director
Massachusetts Rivers Alliance
62 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02110-0990
massriversalliance.org
617-850-1747 (tel)
617-350-3139 (fax)
The Massachusetts Watershed Coalition
....Creating a Network of Watershed Partners.
return to top |
Natural Resource Professional
Fulltime position with the Eastern Connecticut Conservation District, an environmental non-profit.
Writing, public speaking, computer, organization, and prioritization skills needed.
Includes field work. BS degree minimum. Resumes due by September 30, 2009.
Job description and other information are on line at
http://www.ConserveCT.org/eastern.
Email cover letter and resume to: kate.johnson.eccd@comcast.net
return to top |
