The Forests Aren’t Fuels Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. As our rooted relations begin to leaf out and greet the Sun we ask you to consider how much they help us confront the very Climate Crisis we have created. How forgiving they are! One might think we would honor the trees and not cut them down and grind them up to incinerate and create even more climate chaos, yes? Maybe……not. Executive Director, Danna Smith of The Dogwood Alliance joins us to ponder our relationship with the trees and the soil that supports them. Also onboard, Rosemary Wessel from No Fracked Gas in Mass returns to give us the latest on the threatened trees in Otis State Forest, now in the path of yet another fracked gas pipeline from the climate criminals at Kinder Morgan. We’ll also take you to meet this week’s Fool-on-the-Hill and those fools in the White House, as well as a trip to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, but first it’s time for…………Revenge of the Critters! Beware golfers, BIG reptiles may be after your balls.

This week’s Fool-on-the-Hill is Rep. Doug Lamborn (Repugnican-Colorado) who was recently called out by a little girl in a town hall meeting regarding his sorry record on climate change. Lamborn has stated there are “a lot of contentious facts and claims about global warming and whether it is man-made,” adding there is “not much unanimity.” We guess Doug’s math skills are almost as weak as those dealing with science. In the past he claimed the federal government should not issue regulations for the domestic energy industry “designed to curb the possibility of climate change hundreds of years in the future” so perhaps Doug is weak on current events too. Anyway, he certainly is in step with his colleges in the U.S. House of Reprehensibles!

On to His Malignancy The Mad King! This week we find the Climate Criminal-in-Chief’s Secretary of the Sinking Ship of State caught between his old job as Oil Barron at Exxon and his old buddy Prince Putin, dictator of The Black Sea. It’s all about oil of course, and the old juicy lucrative deal T Rex Tillerson was going to cut with Putin that was scotched by that black guy in The White House who wouldn’t play along.  Now that Obama’s out of the way the games can begin! It’s filthy rich oil barons vs. Planet Earth. Here’s an angle from the many-angled cold prickly Mad King’s closet of skeletons few observers have focused on (because THERE ARE SO MANY!!). It’s about His Malignancy’s kleptocrat buddies going back years and all their deals and steals. Apparently the news hound at Talking Points Memo will be delving into this in the near future: Read all about it!  Now, off to the world of fiction……..Wait, we’re not there already?? Yes, and we think Dr. Strangelove’s friend Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper would be hard pressed to keep up with The Mad King when it comes to brinkmanship. After all, we’re not talking slow lumbering bombers armed with nukes anymore. Now we have fast acting nuclear armed missiles………without much margin for human error……and we have some very error prone humans lurking about these days. And this just in: His Malignancy appears to be going after the Antiquities Act and gutting Obama’s previous National Monument designations. Surprise!

How about some good news? Sorry, just kidding. Here’s our appropriate Quote of the Week:

“Trump’s America is brutal, perverse, regressive, insular and afraid. There is no hope in it; there is no light in it. It is a vast expanse of darkness and desolation.”  – Charles M. Blow at The New York Times

On to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber where we actually DO HAVE some good news: ” ‘We can save life on Earth’: study reveals how to stop mass extinction“. See, we’re not all that bad after all, right? Believe it or not we have more! Recall Glen’s recent references to the 50/50 solution put forth by E.O. Wilson? Here’ a piece from Resolve with the real deal. Now, how about that March for Science in Amherst! Here’s our favorite March as tiny as it was. On to the bad news! “What we’re doing to the Earth has no parallel in 66 million years, scientists say” reads the headline in the Washington Post. Do you think senators and congressmen in DC are reading their local paper? Do you think headlines like that catch their attention? How about a headline like THIS? What do you think about heading down there on April 29th and asking them?

 

After our conversation with the guests we take you to the Bus Stop Billboard:.

 

Friday, May 5th 5:30pm, Saturday, May 6th 5:30pm, & SundayMay 7th 3:30pm. The Wastelands Opera At the Holyoke Creative Art Center, 384 Dwight Street, Holyoke, MA. A FREE performance of The Wastelands where the opera first debuted in 2016. The Wastelands is an original experimental folk opera inspired by Dante’s Purgatorio and first in Children of the Wild’s “Rewilding Cycle.” Following Dante and Virgil through the seven stages of Purgatory, The Wastelands explores the seven stages of grief in a time of violent political and environmental unraveling. More Info: https://www.childrenofthewild.org/calendar?mc_cid=afe8b5ca1e&mc_eid=e30cdb63e1

 

Saturday May 6, 1:00- 3:00pm. “Environmental Justice and Nuclear Waste:The Road from Vermont Yankee to Texas.” A New England tour of speakers who will connect the dots between ‘our’ nuclear waste and impacts on Texas communities. First Congregational  Church, Greenfield, MA. Email: safeandgreencampaign@gmail.com

 

Sunday May 7, 12:30 to 7:30pm., Non-violence Training through the Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership, to be held at 40 Center St. Northampton, and repeated June 17TH, 9 AM to 5 PM. To register: www.truthschool.org. These are appropriate for Sugar Shack folks and others wishing to learn the skills and foundations of non-violence in order to consider risking arrest in non-violence direct actions.

 

Tuesday, May 9, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The Franklin Regional Council of Governments and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission will hold a Public Information Session at the lodge at the Berkshire East Ski Resort, 66 Thunder Mountain Road, Charlemont, MA. on the proposed State legislation to establish a Special Designation for the region [Yes, turn WMass into a Biomass Pellet or Wood Chip Plantation! Be sure to bring your hot air sickness bags!]

 

Tuesday, May 9, 7pm. 100% Renewables for All Informational meeting. Olver Transit Center, 12 Olive St., Greenfield Is it possible?  What are the benefits? How do we get there? Campaign Tool Kit – by Mass Power Forward. Next Steps in your community. Greenfield event Organized by:Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution (FCCPR) & Greening Greenfield. Contact: at info@fccpr.us;  413-624-6557

 

Saturday May 18, All Day. Green-Rainbow Party Convention. Worcester, MA. The theme this year, Building the Party and Expanding the Green-Rainbow Tent, accentuates the need for us to continue building our party in the face of today’s reality of a broken political system in America. Rosa Clemente spoke in 2008 of the Green Party as no longer the alternative, but the imperative, for us to live with social justice, freedom, and democracy. Her words were true in 2008 and still ring true today. Keynote speaker will be Jacqueline Patterson, the Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. Go to: http://www.gp.org/green_rainbow_convention_2017

 

Monday, May 22, 7 to 9pm. Climate Action Now! WMass monthly gathering at the Amherst Unitarian Society Meeting House, East Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org/

 

Monday, June 12, 6pm. Place TBD. Mass Clean Energy Future Tour stop in Springfield. The Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change is hosting hearings throughout the Commonwealth to get input from you on pressing issues in clean energy and climate. How do you think the legislature should keep our state healthy, sustainable and strong? Go to: https://malegislature.gov/cleanenergyfuture

 

OK, that’s all for now. Remember when you’re out there resisting to always listen to your Mother.

We’ll go out with Tom Neilson’s “Clearcutting the Trees”

 

 

The Renewably Wild Enviro Show

 

Greetings Earthlings. Can you define “renewable”? What works for you? Endlessly useful? Something of use now that dwindles with time? Is everything natural on the planet renewable? Is our very existence renewable? How? The Children of the Wild return to us in the studio to ponder this far reaching term and Ben Hellerstein of Environment Massachusetts calls in to talk about his take on the issues of so-called renewable energy. As usual we’ll introduce you to this week’s Fool-on-the-Hill and once again to His Malignancy The Mad King, as well as a side trip to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber but first it’s time for……..Revenge of the Critters! Who is the real “snake in the grass“? The one that crawls on its belly or the ones who trash the forest to create climate-trashing plantations?

In keeping with our theme we have brought back that renewable fool Repugnican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher for our Fool-on-the-Hill. A few years back the fool said: “Just so you’ll know, global warming is a total fraud and it’s being designed because what you’ve got is you’ve got liberals who get elected at the local level want state government to do the work and let them make the decisions. Then, at the state level, they want the federal government to do it. And at the federal government, they want to create global government to control all of our lives.”  We know your tricks, United Nations!

As previously noted, His Malignancy The Mad King presents us with a never ending, seemingly renewable source of lame-ass ideas. We posted one of the most recent on our Facebook page last week. Of course Grist did a bit of photoshopping on the visuals but in this case that doesn’t make it fake news. Then again, we guess it’s not news that The Mad King is the Climate Criminal-in-Chief, right? Let’s move on to Myron Ebell, the climate criminal who led Trump’s transition team for the Environmental Protection Agency which cursed the planet with Scott Pruitt. Ebell has said  “he fully expected Trump to keep his promise to withdraw the US from the global agreement to fight global warming”. According to Mother Jones “Ebell, who has returned to his role at the anti-regulation think tank the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said…. “The environmental movement is, in my view, the greatest threat to freedom and prosperity in the modern world.” We guess if he’s talking about the freedom to destroy the Earth for future generations we’d have to agree! As for prosperity, there seems to be plenty of that among the ruling elite…..for the time being. Also checkout this recent segment from Rachel showing His Malignancy’s lovefest with Dow Chemical. You may never have heard of the endocrine disrupting  pesticide Chlorpyrifos but The Mad King and his lackey at the EPA, Scott Pruitt just gave it new life so it can bring on the death to bees and brain damage to farm workers and children. Think about that as you watch The Mad King and the real Agent Orange grinning at each other in the Oval Office. You can sound off about this HERE.

Time for a little E-Valley-uation! Here’s some pending legislation on Beacon Hill that surely applies to our Valley: Bill S.1872

“Section 94A of chapter 164 of the General Laws is amended by inserting, at the end thereof, the following paragraph:

The department shall not approve any pipeline capacity contract or gas storage contract where new capacity is proposed to be created through the installation of gas infrastructure in land that, at the time the contract is submitted to the department for approval, is protected under Article 97 of the Articles of Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth. Subsequent siting approvals of gas infrastructure in such constitutionally protected land shall void departmental approval of related pipeline capacity or gas storage contracts.”  Does this effect Kinder Morgan/TGP’s pending plans in Otis State Forest? We’ll ask our in-house legal eagle, Glen.

 

Let’s open up The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and listen for what comes back to us, OK? How about “Study shows methane from power plants far exceeds EPA estimates” from E&E News via the Berkshire Environmental Action Team? Our Blog Action Link this week sends you right back into the renewed fight against the Keystone XL pipeline fight. Go HERE!  And this: Reuters reports “Hundreds of North American bee species face extinction”. We’re guessing Dow may have a hand in this, no?

 

Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week comes from the Oxford English Dictionary (so it must be correct, yes?):

Renewable is something “that is replaced naturally or controlled carefully and can therefore be used without the risk of finishing it all.”

 

After we delve into the meaning of “renewable” with our guests it’s off to the Bus Stop Billboard:

 

Thursday, April 20, 6 pm. The Biomass Monitor hosts a conference call live debate between physicist Hans Ohanion and Evan Dell’Olio, Director of External and Regulatory Affairs for Roberts Energy Renewables, over Middlebury College’s recent claim of achieving carbon neutrality through its biomass facility. RSVP on Facebook and/or respond to this email for call-in info.

 

Saturday, April 22, Noon to 5pm. March for Science – Boston Common. The March for Science champions publicly-funded and publicly-communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. We unite as a diverse, non-partisan group to call for science that upholds the common good, and for political leaders and policy makers to enact evidence-based policies in the public interest. This group is inclusive of all individuals and types of science! Go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1283459638410385/

 

Saturday, April 22, 10am. All day. March for Science – Washington, DC. In Washington DC, our march through the streets will culminate in a rally on the Washington Mall. Co-hosted with the Earth Day Network, the rally will be both a call for politicians to implement science based policies and a public celebration of science.  The rally will feature main stage speakers and teach-in tents around the mall where scientists and science communicators from a wide variety of scientific fields will discuss their work and its impact on our everyday lives. Go to: https://www.marchforscience.com

 

Saturday, April 22, 10am. to 4pm. Amherst March for Science. Join us at KENDRICK PARK, at the North end of town on E. Pleasant St., in AMHERST from 9-10 AM on 4/22 in our own official Satellite City MARCH FOR SCIENCE. We will proceed from Kendrick park at 10:00 to the Town Common. Stay for the teach-ins, at the main demonstration tent on the Amherst Common for real-world science talks and demos. We will also have all-day activities and information at our booth. This is what SCIENCE looks like! Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/1072590262852992/

 

Saturday, April 22, 10am. – 4pm. Amherst Sustainability Fair. FREE educational AND fun for the whole family! Join us for a day of entertainment, local vendors, information on how to live a more environmentally friendly and healthy lifestyle, exhibits, and more. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/604124283126941

 

Sunday, April 23, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm. Shortnose Sturgeon Revival Celebration. Spring 2017 marks this species’ first free-swimming access from below the 1849 Holyoke Dam to its ancient, upstream Rock Dam spawning site in Turners Falls in 168 years! Join Amherst sturgeon expert and author Dr. Boyd Kynard and environmental journalist Karl Meyer for a visit to the Rock Dam in Turners Falls. The Rock Dam is the only documented natural spawning site for the federally-endangered shortnose in the Connecticut River ecosystem. Kynard covers this ancient creature’s life history and biology. Meyer covers the human and natural history of the spectacular Rock Dam site. Involves a short walk; steep dirt paths. Wear sturdy shoes. . Rain or shine; no pre-registration required. Directions: Cross the 11th St. Bridge in Turners Falls; at first stop sign turn left down G Street.  Meet at public lot at end of G Street, just before the entrance sign for the US Conte Fish Lab.

 

Monday, April 24, 7 to 9pm. Climate Action Now! MA monthly gathering. Unitarian Society of Northampton & Florence, 220 Main Street, Northampton, MA. Go to:  http://climateactionnowma.org/

 

Tuesday, April 25, 7:00pm to 8:00pm. Carbon Smart gardening/landscaping. Webinar Series Part 1. Gain ideas and inspiration for transforming marginal or vacant land into vibrant gardens for healthy food. Use low-cost, local resources and simple tools to improve or create low-maintenance gardens on urban lots, lawns, or small farms. No-till, carbon smart methods treat the soil as sacred, conserve water, help restore the climate, and promote food access.  Webinar presenters Deb Habib and Ricky Baruc  Seed of Solidarity Farm and Education Center in Orange MA, Go to: https://tufts.webex.com/tufts/j.php?MTID=m2c394f9a71457e2cce4bac394308afd9

 

Wednesday April 26, 7pm. Eversource Rate Case Hearing. Greenfield Middle School Auditorium, 195 Federal Street, Greenfield, MA.

 

Thursday & Friday April 27, 9am – April 28. Elders Climate Action Day. American University Washington College of Law & Capitol Hill, Washington DC, 4300 NW Nebraska Ave., Washington, DC Go to: http://www.eldersclimateactionday.org/

 

Saturday, April 29th, 2017. That’s the date of the People’s Climate Mobilization, a major march in Washington, D.C., when we will come together with hundreds of thousands of people to reject Trump’s attack on our communities and climate, and push forward with our vision of a clean energy economy that works for all. Go to: https://peoplesclimate.org/pledge/   BUS INFO from AMHERST/NORTHAMPTON/HOLYOKE: Check GoTo: ClimateMarch.org for updates
Climate Action Now is organizing buses for DC. Some subsidies available. Leaving from a variety of location including Holyoke and Northampton.
NORTHAMPTON:
Please visit GoTo: ClimateMarch.org to sign up and get the mailing address for payment. Tickets for the Northampton buses will be $65 dollars, plus merchant fees. Northampton buses will depart Sheldon Field around 12:00 AM and the Round House lot around 12:15 AM, and arrive in DC by 9:00 AM. They will depart DC around 6:00 PM, and will return home around 2 AM. Buses will stop at a rest area every two hours.
HOLYOKE:
We may have seats. Will update here.
AMHERST:
The Sierra Club has two buses leaving from Amherst. Tickets are $65 each, plus PayPal fees
sierraclub.org/massachusetts/chapter-store
Buses will leave UMass Amherst and Hampshire College around 9:30-10 PM on Friday, April 28, arriving in Washington DC Saturday morning, April 29. The buses will then depart Washington, DC around 7-8 PM, returning to their departure point early morning Sunday, April 30.
BUS INFO FOR BERKSHIRES: email Berkshires@350MA.org
#climatemarch #peoplesclimate #peoplesclimatemarch

 

Saturday April 29 10:30 am to Noon. Rally for Climate Jobs, and Justice. Energy Park, 50 Miles St., Greenfield, MA. On April 29th there will be a massive demonstration in Washington DC for “Climate, Jobs & Justice”. The Trump administration is rapidly doing away with any progress that has been made in saving our planet. For those who aren’t going to DC. there will be a sister March in Greenfield, that is being organized by the “Pint Huddle for Climate Change Rally” and is co-sponsored by FCCPR.

 

Friday, May 5th 5:30pm, Saturday, May 6th 5:30pm, & SundayMay 7th 3:30pm. The Wastelands Opera At the Holyoke Creative Art Center, 384 Dwight Street, Holyoke, MA. A FREE performance of The Wastelands where the opera first debuted in 2016. The Wastelands is an original experimental folk opera inspired by Dante’s Purgatorio and first in Children of the Wild’s “Rewilding Cycle.” Following Dante and Virgil through the seven stages of Purgatory, The Wastelands explores the seven stages of grief in a time of violent political and environmental unraveling. More Info: https://www.childrenofthewild.org/calendar?mc_cid=afe8b5ca1e&mc_eid=e30cdb63e1

 

Saturday May 6, 1:00- 3:00pm. “Environmental Justice and Nuclear Waste:The Road from Vermont Yankee to Texas.” A New England tour of speakers who will connect the dots between ‘our’ nuclear waste and impacts on Texas communities. First Congregational  Church, Greenfield, MA. Email: safeandgreencampaign@gmail.com

 

That’s all folks! Remember…..what? TO LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!

 

 

The Extreme Energy Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We air this time on the anniversary of the Three Mile Island Meltdown in 1979. Also we are up close and personal with fracked gas promoters here in the Commonwealth and down in the Belly of the Beast. We go critical on nukes with Deb Katz of Citizens Awareness Network and drill deep into fracked gas with our roving reporter & troubadour Tom Neilson. [Correction: I misspoke on the show saying AG Jeff Sessions was from Oklahoma. I meant EPA head Scott Pruitt – d.o. ] Also, another strolling troubadour of Earth First! fame, Casey Neill calls in about the upcoming Earth2Trump Roadshow coming to Northampton. As always, we’ll take you to visit our Fool-on-the-Hill and His Malignancy The Mad King, as well as a side trip to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber but first it’s time for………Revenge of the Critters! Iguana steals the show at the Miami Open….and freaks out herpetophobes!

This week’s Fool-on-the-Hill is Rep. Duncan Hunter, repugnican from California who questioned “Rear Adm. Kevin Donegan, the acting deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy at a March 19 hearing. Donegan began to answer a question about the Arctic when he uttered the words, “climate change,” and Hunter cut him off. “So I don’t care about the climate change stuff at all, frankly.”  Wait! There’s more: “Here’s what the EPA has done, they’ve destroyed American business,” Hunter said, to the jeers of many in [a Town Hall] audience and cheers from others [meeting in Ramona, CA on March 11]. Yes, another young repugnican descending the ladder to the dark side, and in California!

Time to visit The Mad King but there’s no need to kneel down in his presence as we have erected a wall between our fans and His Malignancy. Safety First! Grist by way of The New Republic tells us: “In Trump’s ideal world, the agency [EPA] tasked with protecting human health and the environment would be slashed by 31 percent to $5.7 billion, its lowest level in 40 years… Nineteen percent of the current workforce, or 3,200 agency employees, would be fired.” Yes, the Climate Criminal-in-Chief continues his campaign to turn Mother Earth into the Death Star. Here’s another peek into The Mad King’s “war on the environment”. On to his unfortunate pick for the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch!  “Throughout his career, Gorsuch has found creative ways of throwing judicial roadblocks in front of environmental litigation”, Mother Jones tells us with help from Grist. Hopefully, by the time you read this all of these guys will be perp walked out of their plush offices and brought before the dock………but probably not.

Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week is short but not at all sweet:

“Fukushima is the most terrifying situation I can imagine”   –  David Suzuki, award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster.

 

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we ask: Is all this talk of climate chaos making you sick? Guess what? It actually is! Extra, extra! Read all about it!! Here’s this week’s Blog Action Link. Some of us are ice hockey fans but terrorizing penguins for the show? We don’t think so!  Here’s one that makes it difficult to tell whose feet to lay it at, The Mad King or his enablers in congress; actually it’s both so we’ll stick it here in The Chamber by echoing Climate Central’s report, “Congress Targets Species Act and Its Climate Benefits”. It seems the Enemies of the Planet “have introduced at least 11 pieces of legislation that could weaken it or prevent some threatened wildlife from being protected.” BUT, who will protect them when the whole ball of wax comes undone? No one here in the Echo Chamber! Here’s one we can lay at the feet of the Gov and some folks on Beacon Hill: The Boston Globe reports “Mass. is enforcing its environmental rules less.” That not only sounds like bad grammar but policy as well! “Enforcement actions for serious violations have dropped by more than half, statistics show, as inspections also declined. Fines collected from violators plummeted during the same period by nearly 75 percent.”, the story notes. From here it looks like you taxpayers aren’t getting your dollar’s worth but you can pretty well bet it will be blamed on The Mad King…..even before he really starts punishing us! It looks like the exact opposite is going down on the other coast where enviros are building a Thin Green Line against greedy corporados.

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On to the Bus Stop Billboard:

 

Wednesday, April 19, 9:30 – 11:00 am. Silent Protest at the Bridge of Flowers (on the Buckland Side) with a variety of “No Pipeline” themed signs. MA Secretary of Energy Beacon is coming to talk about preparing for Climate Change. We want to show that the recent permitting of a fracked gas pipeline through our state forest contradicts his message of helping us to prepare for Climate Change. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/119492241932166/

 

Wednesday April 26, 7pm. Eversource Rate Case Hearing. Greenfield Middle School Auditorium, 195 Federal Street, Greenfield, MA. Show up, speak up, write a letter. Please attend even if you do not intend to speak – we need people power showing support for speakers. Eversource has asked the MA Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to approve: *A 10% rate increase for residential customers in western Mass
*  Increased investor profits to a guaranteed 10.5% (exceeding the average) *Imposition of confusing demand charges on unsuspecting consumers and new fixed charges on households with solar panels. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/782542465255923/  for details on sending testimony.

 

Saturday, April 22, Noon to 5pm. March for Science – Boston Common. The March for Science champions publicly-funded and publicly-communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. We unite as a diverse, non-partisan group to call for science that upholds the common good, and for political leaders and policy makers to enact evidence-based policies in the public interest. This group is inclusive of all individuals and types of science! Go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1283459638410385/

 

Saturday, April 22, 10am. All day. March for Science – Washington, DC. In Washington DC, our march through the streets will culminate in a rally on the Washington Mall. Co-hosted with the Earth Day Network, the rally will be both a call for politicians to implement science based policies and a public celebration of science.  The rally will feature main stage speakers and teach-in tents around the mall where scientists and science communicators from a wide variety of scientific fields will discuss their work and its impact on our everyday lives. Go to: https://www.marchforscience.com

 

Thursday & Friday April 27, 9am – April 28. Elders Climate Action Day. American University Washington College of Law & Capitol Hill, Washington DC, 4300 NW Nebraska Ave., Washington, DC Go to: http://www.eldersclimateactionday.org/

 

Saturday, April 29th, 2017. That’s the date of the People’s Climate Mobilization, a major march in Washington, D.C., when we will come together with hundreds of thousands of people to reject Trump’s attack on our communities and climate, and push forward with our vision of a clean energy economy that works for all. Go to: https://peoplesclimate.org/pledge/   MA bus sign-up HERE.

 

Friday, May 5th 5:30pm, Saturday, May 6th 5:30pm, & SundayMay 7th 3:30pm. The Wastelands Opera At the Holyoke Creative Art Center, 384 Dwight Street, Holyoke, MA. A FREE performance of The Wastelands where the opera first debuted in 2016. The Wastelands is an original experimental folk opera inspired by Dante’s Purgatorio and first in Children of the Wild’s “Rewilding Cycle.” Following Dante and Virgil through the seven stages of Purgatory, The Wastelands explores the seven stages of grief in a time of violent political and environmental unraveling. More Info: https://www.childrenofthewild.org/calendar?mc_cid=afe8b5ca1e&mc_eid=e30cdb63e1

 

We go out with our roving reporting troubadour, Tom Neilson and one of our favorites, “That Pipeline Ain’t Gonna Pass” 

That’s all folks! (for now). Until next time remember, Listen to YOUR Mother!

Beware the Ides of March Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Isn’t this the right moment for us to take down the emperor one word at a time? Isn’t it us who really have the best words!  An untold number of poets, wordsmiths and strolling troubadours call in with all that (we trust). As usual we’ll also treat you to visits with His Malignancy himself and our Fool-on-the-Hill as well as a visit to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber but first it’s time for………….Revenge of the Critters! King Alexander of Greece ruled from June 1917 until his untimely death at 27 in 1920. He was bit by a domestic Barbary macaque and died of an infection (et tu pet!).

This week’s Fool-on-the-Hill may have sponsored the shortest legislation in the history of the U.S. House of Reprehensibles. Florida Repugnican, Matt Gaetz introduced H.R. 861. This beyond sketchy bill reads: “The Environmental Protection Agency shall terminate on December 31, 2018.” Full stop. We’re thinking, given the state of education in the state of Florida, Matt may have decided not to go too much into detail.

We may have stumbled on the reason His Malignancy’s senior aide, Stephen Miller always seems to come across a bit off. First we thought he might actually be Pee Wee Herman’s evil twin BUT then this came along! Yes, Miller may well be one of those mind-controlled robots reported about recently on NPR. Now, just guess whose mind controls him! Hint: The KGB was always interested in psychics! On to His Malignancy’s troll in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who has just stuck his oily foot in his mouth again. You can hear Scott Pruitt state: “carbon dioxide is not a primary contributor to global warming” HERE.  Let’s move on to another of the emperor’s appointees, T Rex the man from Exxon/Mobil…..or is it “Wayne Tracker”? Whatever you call him it seems like obstruction of justice is the name of the crime! This one may qualify as Great Moments in Wasted Efforts: MIT profs are trying to lobby His Malignancy about one of his chief climate deniers. Good luck with that, professor! It seems the emperor’s Forest Service has changed its priorities……but actually they’ve just gotten worse than ever. Read all about it here. Getting back to the subject at hand, we would mostly like to see the emperor taken down by the peaceful machination of the state. If you’ve been following the Valley’s own Rachel Maddow these past few weeks you’re fully aware that the evidence for running His Malignancy out of town on a rail is building. Watch this space.

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber our friends at Grist recently reported that the new and removed EPA has given Big Oil & Gas a pass on methane (so to speak). OK, that stinks, right? How about this: Antarctica sea ice has just hit its lowest level ever. No word on whether such levels are as low as the ones reached by the repugnicans in Washington. Here’s our Enviro Show blog Action Link for this week. Please do it for the bees! A few more repugnican assaults on life here on planet Earth to cover: Endangered species? Endangered species! We doin’ need no endangered species!!

We have an E-Vally-uation segment coming soon that should be of great interest. Sooooo, don’t just watch Rachel’s space as noted above, watch THIS SPACE as well, OK? And this: Our friend Karl Meyer has written a piece regarding the Connecticut River and pumped storage that puts new meaning to the term carrying water for the corporados. It’s a must read for anyone who loves the river that our valley embraces.

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week comes from Albert Hoffman via Glen:

In field and forest, and in the animal world sheltered therein, indeed in every garden, a reality is perceptible that is infinitely more real, older, deeper, and more wondrous than everything made by people, and that will yet endure, when the inanimate, mechanical, and concrete world again vanishes, becomes rusted and fallen into ruin.

 

After we take down the emperor it’s time for the Bus Stop Billboard:

 

 

Wednesday, March 22, 2:00 – 3:00 pm eastern. “Too Dirty, Too Dangerous: Why Health Professionals Reject Natural Gas”. Are you concerned about fracking and natural gas pipelines? Concerned about climate change? If you are—and you should be—you should join PSR for a webinar. Go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/255494997792545283

 

Wednesday, March 22, 6pm. Native American Ceremonial Landscapes – Otis State Forest. First Church, 27 East Street, Pittsfield, MA. 73 Ceremonial Stone Landscapes (CSLs) have been identified along the proposed route of the Kinder Morgan Ct. Expansion pipeline through a survey conducted by several Tribes in the second half of 2016. According to Mr. Harris, a full one-third of these CSLs will be disturbed or destroyed during the construction of this pipeline. To learn more go here.

 

Wednesday, March 22, 7:00pm. People’s Climate March Planning Meeting for Greenfield, 12 Federal St. Greenfield, MA 01301. Join our kick off planning meeting to be involved in all aspects of planning and organizing our community for the People’s Climate March! This is one of hundreds of planning meetings happening around the county dedicated to organizing, planning, and recruiting for the April 29th People’s Climate March in Washington D.C. Go HERE. Call: 413-320-7222.

 

Thursday, March 23, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Poetry reading and creative writing workshop featuring Don Ogden, author of Bad Atmosphere. A free copy of d.o.’s book will be given to the first 20 participants to arrive. Part of the Talking Truth: Finding Your Voice Around the Climate Crisis series. Room 2601, UMass Library , Amherst, MA. Contact: Madeleine Charney

 

Thursday, March 23, 6:00 – 9:00pm. VT Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel meting. Brattleboro Area Middle School Multi-Purpose Room, 109 Sunny Acres, Brattleboro, VT. Representatives from the Vermont Public Service Department, Agency of Natural Resources and Attorney General’s Office will provide the state’s overview of the Certificate of Public Good petition that Entergy and NorthStar have filed with the Vermont Public Service Board. Remote Access (via GoToWebinar) will be available for the March 23, 2017 meeting.  Please email Tony Leshinskie, Vermont State Nuclear Engineer at anthony.leshinskie@vermont.gov or via PSD.NDCAP@vermont.gov to request a remote access connection.  Remote access requests should be made no later than 12 noon on March 23, 2017.

 

Monday, March 27, 7:00 to 9:00pm. Climate Action Now! Monthly gathering. Unitarian Society of Amherst, 121 N Pleasant St, Amherst, MA. (Handicap accessible and on a bus line. Everyone is welcome!). Climate Action Now is a people powered, grassroots Western Massachusetts based organization dedicated to building a powerful, unstoppable climate justice movement. We work in our communities and in collaboration with diverse partners across the region to educate, advocate, and mobilize for climate action. Newcomers are welcome! Let’s work together to create an inclusive, unstoppable movement for climate justice!  VISIT OUR WEBSITE!

 

Saturday, April 1, 9am. to 5pm. Sugar Shack Alliance Non-violent Direct Action Training. Mt. Toby Friends Meeting House, Rt. 63, Leverett, MA. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/1788344298150406/

 

Thursday, April 6 — doors open at 6:15 p.m. and show starts at 7 p.m. Earth2Trump Resistance Roadshow, an evening of music and activism. Academy of Music Theatre, 274 Main St., Northampton, MA . The Earth2Trump Resistance Roadshow is coming to Northampton on April 6.Featuring exciting musicians and speakers, the roadshow will entertain, inspire and provide opportunities for everyone to help fight Trump’s disastrous environmental policies and attacks on Native Americans, including the Dakota Access Pipeline. Go here: http://biologicaldiversity.salsalabs.com/o/2167/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=83085

 

 Thursday April 6, 7pm. Vermont regulators want to hear what we think about Entergy selling VT Yankee to a new decommissioning company. An informational presentation by the Dept. of Public Service will be held at 6:00pm. The Public Service Board will begin hearing the people speak at 7:00pm. The hearing will be at Vernon Elementary School, on Governor Hunt Road (across the street from Vermont Yankee) in Vernon, VT. For details go to our Decommissioning Resources page and our news post here.

 

Wednesday, April 12, 7pm. Eversource Rate Case Hearing. Springfield City Hall, School Committee Meeting Room 220, 36 Court St., Springfied, MA. Eversource is proposing a bill increase to you that would increase their revenue by about $100 million dollars. Eversource is asking the Department of Public Utilities to give them a guaranteed return on equity of 10.5%, which would be among the highest rate of any utility in the country. There are many parts of this proposal that are bad for solar, including imposing “demand charges” on residential customers and higher “fixed customer charges”; which will both have the effect of lowering net metering credits. The proposal is also bad for low income households (western MA families could end up with an annual bill of $500 before they even turn on the lights!), and for energy conservation. Go to: http://www.massclimateaction.org/

 

Wednesday April 26, 7pm. Eversource Rate Case Hearing. Greenfield Middle School Auditorium, 195 Federal Street, Greenfield, MA. (see above).

 

Saturday, April 22, Noon to 5pm. March for Science – Boston Common. The March for Science champions publicly-funded and publicly-communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. We unite as a diverse, non-partisan group to call for science that upholds the common good, and for political leaders and policy makers to enact evidence-based policies in the public interest. This group is inclusive of all individuals and types of science! Go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1283459638410385/

 

Saturday, April 22, 10am. All day. March for Science – Washington, DC. In Washington DC, our march through the streets will culminate in a rally on the Washington Mall. Co-hosted with the Earth Day Network, the rally will be both a call for politicians to implement science based policies and a public celebration of science.  The rally will feature main stage speakers and teach-in tents around the mall where scientists and science communicators from a wide variety of scientific fields will discuss their work and its impact on our everyday lives. Go to: https://www.marchforscience.com

 

Thursday & Friday April 27, 9am – April 28. Elders Climate Action Day. American University Washington College of Law & Capitol Hill, Washington DC, 4300 NW Nebraska Ave., Washington, DC Go to: http://www.eldersclimateactionday.org/

 

Saturday, April 29th, 2017. That’s the date of the People’s Climate Mobilization, a major march in Washington, D.C., when we will come together with hundreds of thousands of people to reject Trump’s attack on our communities and climate, and push forward with our vision of a clean energy economy that works for all. Go to: https://peoplesclimate.org/pledge/   MA bus sign-up HERE.

 

We are very much out of here now. Remember: Listen to your Mother, right?

The Love Your Planet Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. An old Mass Earth First! bumper sticker says: “Earth, Love it or Leave it” and we really mean it when it comes to the new regime in Washington. Those climate criminals should be banished to the Phantom Zone for life so we can get on with the business of confronting the Climate Crisis for future generations on this beloved planet. Speaking of those generations, Phil Gregory from Our Children’s Trust calls in with news of their Landmark U.S. Federal Climate Lawsuit. “Their complaint asserts that, through the governments affirmative actions in causing climate change, it has violated the youngest generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, property, as well as failed to protect essential public trust resources.” There it is. And we guess this new cabal of evil doers in congress and the White House need to be hauled into the dock and punished for their crimes. We’ll get into this love fest soon enough, as well as take you to meet our Fool-on-the-Hill, His Malignancy and a trip to our Echo Chamber, but first it’s time for……..Revenge of the Critters!

The Dove is a symbol of love, right? So it stands to reason that this bird might take the opportunity to………occupy a cop car, right! And guess what? The cops helped out!

He’s baaaaack! This week’s Fool-on-the-Hill was last week’s (and possibly the week before that, who knows!). Yes, it’s House “Science” Committee chair and major Texas climate criminal, Lamar Smith again. This time he is busy trying to pump life into another NOAA “scandal”. Yes, it’s Climategate#2, more bad science to prove climate science is…..well, bad? What do they put in the water down there in the Lone Star state that creates folks like Lamar? Oil? Methane? Mercury? (that last one got the Mad Hatter after all).

We’re ditching our New Boss segment for the duration given that the present Boss is assuredly not the “same as the old boss” or any other boss in our memory for that matter. Soooo, a new bumper tune perhaps for the new “His Malignancy” segment? Let’s see what the Climate Criminal-in-Chief has been up to in his effort to destroy the plant. Of course, his so-called executive orders to restart DAPL & Keystone XL were expected, albeit disasters in the making. Then there’s his order to government agencies to ditch two existing rules before initiating a new one. It’s like a rollback for rolling over what’s left of the planet. By the time you read this Oklahoma climate criminal Scott Pruitt may have already been enthroned at the EPA by His Malignancy and his fellow enemies of the Earth in the U.S. Senate. So just how much damage can Pruitt do at the EPA? We go to MIT for the answer. But wait! Maybe the poor present occupant of the White House…..um…OK, so not poor…..maybe he just needs help?  A vacation to the Phantom Zone, as noted above, could give him and his cohorts in the Administration some much needed rest, yes?

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we learn that The Commonwealth of Massachusetts doesn’t actually need all that fracked gas Kinder Morgan’s been trying to fool us about. Surprise! Meanwhile, someone should tell the new occupants in the White House that “If Trump does not pull back from implementing these orders [DAPL & KXL], it will only result in more massive mobilization and civil disobedience on a scale never seen of a newly seated President of the United States.” Remember on our last show we said The Scientists’ March on Washington hadn’t set a date for their event? Now they have. The Paper of Record told us it’s Earth Day, of course!

After our conversation with Phil we head over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

 

Wednesday, February 22, 3:30. Mass Rally at TD Bank, Main Street, Brattleboro, VT. Please show up and take a stand against TD’s investments in tar sands, the Keystone XL & DAPL & Trump’s green lighting the Keystone XL & DAPL. Be a Witness to Our Peaceful, Direct Action. Bring your great signs & songs. Contact: BEREAL@VERMONTEL.NET  OR call: 802.869.2141

 

Thursday, February 23, 6 to 9pm. Sen. Ed Markey Town Hall. Ed Markey is a defender of the planet and was spot-on in the struggle to stop Trump appointee Scott Pruitt from taking over the EPA. Show up and thank him! Smith College Sweeney Concert Hall, 144 Green Street, Northampton, MA. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/1836458143289148/

 

Friday, February 24, 12:30-2:00 p.m. Meeting Our Ancestors: Exploring the Future Through the Present Moment, Campus Center, Room 917, UMass, Amherst, MA.  A sacred “deep time” practice session, inspired by the work of activist and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy. In this workshop we will consider how we might act like ancestors of future generations and reinvigorate our commitment to climate justice action. The group is facilitated by Tim Beaucage, graduate advisor/teaching associate at UMass Amherst. Go to: http://blogs.umass.edu/talkingtruth/

 

Saturday, February 25, 10am. – 4pm. Non-violent Direct Action Training in Northampton, MA. This one is being organized by American Friends Service Committee although the trainers are also on the Sugar Shack roster. There will be some folks there who are training for purposes other than joining Sugar Shack Alliance to participate in our actions as members of Sugar Shack affinity groups. However, we want to encourage you, urge you, implore you to sign up for this training which will well prepare you for joining us. To register and get more information, go to www.AFSCwm.org and click on trainings at the top in bright green.

Saturday February 25, 1-4pm, The 350 Mass staff is coming to the Berkshires to hold a training to talk about techniques for new member outreach, how to act on our 100% renewables campaign, and how to be involved in our legislative work  at the UU Church in Pittsfield (175 Wendell Ave). Please register for this event here: https://goo.gl/LU7P50.  Contact: Talita Elizeu, Organizing Intern
350 Mass for a Better Future. Call: 617-435-9200. Email: talita@betterfutureproject.org

 

Sunday, February 26, 2:00pm – 4:00pm. An Evening with Jacqui Patterson – NAACP Env. & Climate Justice at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, 121 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA . Environmental injustice, including the proliferation of climate change, has a disproportionate impact on communities of color and low income communities in the United States and around the world. The NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program was created to support community leadership in addressing this human and civil rights issue. Call: (413) 253-2848

 

Sunday, February 26, 6:30pm. Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution‘s Climate Crisis Task Force meeting at Green Fields Market, 144 Main Street, Greenfield, MA. Go to: http://fccpr.us/taskforces/climate-crisis-taskforce/

 

Sunday, February 26, 7-8:30pm. Mass. Forest Rescue Campaign’s Monthly Phone Seminar: “The meaning of carbon neutral and why wood fuels such as wood chips and pellets do not qualify for this designation.” with Guest lecturer, Bill Moomaw, Professor of International Environmental Policy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, where he is the founding director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy, the Tufts Climate Initiative and co-founder of the Global Development and Environment Institute. Register before 2/26 at: massforestrescue@gmail.com

 

Monday, February 27, 2017, 7:00 – 9:00pm. Climate Action Now Monthly Gathering. Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, 220 Main St., Northampton, MA. We come together once a month to meet each other, plan, and imagine how to contribute, in our corner of the world, to the urgent fight against climate change . Help us organize to protect constitutionally protected conservation land from Kinder Morgan, stop gas leaks statewide and biomass in Springfield, create a clean and renewable energy future in Massachusetts, and figure out how to build up urgency in the public so that we can pressure institutions as a movement. Go to: https://climateactionnowma.org

 

Saturday, March 4, 9:30am-5:30pm.  Non-Violent Direct Action Training with Sugar Shack Alliance in Great Barrington, MA! Exact location to be determined. This highly interactive training will give us a chance to evaluate our role in the CT Expansion Pipeline Resistance, both individually and collectively. Sugar Shack will provide us with great tools and information on building Affinity Groups within our community. Please leave your email on here or PM me if you’d like a direct update on the location once that’s been established. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/sugarshackalliance/

 

Sunday, March 5, 9am./All Day. 30th Annual Local Environmental Action 2017 Conference. This registration page is for both Toxics Action Center and Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN) participants: https://tpin.webaction.org/c/72/t/12703/shop/shop.jsp?storefront_KEY=5  More info here: http://www.localenvironmentalaction.org/

 

Saturday, April 22, Noon to 5pm. March for Science – Boston Common. The March for Science champions publicly-funded and publicly-communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. We unite as a diverse, non-partisan group to call for science that upholds the common good, and for political leaders and policy makers to enact evidence-based policies in the public interest. This group is inclusive of all individuals and types of science! Go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1283459638410385/

 

Saturday, April 22, All Day. March for Science – Washington, DC. In Washington DC, our march through the streets will culminate in a rally on the Washington Mall. Co-hosted with the Earth Day Network, the rally will be both a call for politicians to implement science based policies and a public celebration of science.  The rally will feature main stage speakers and teach-in tents around the mall where scientists and science communicators from a wide variety of scientific fields will discuss their work and its impact on our everyday lives. Go to: https://www.marchforscience.com

 

Saturday, April 29th, 2017. That’s the date of the People’s Climate Mobilization, a major march in Washington, D.C., when we will come together with hundreds of thousands of people to reject Trump’s attack on our communities and climate, and push forward with our vision of a clean energy economy that works for all. Go to: https://peoplesclimate.org/pledge/

 

Ok, that’s it for now. Remember, when you’re out there resisting, listen to your Mother, OK?

 

The Resist Much/Obey Little Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We knew it would be bad but this?? It’s one thing to be the laughing stock of the civilized world as we become totally ruled by creepy clowns who have parked their creepy clown car on the People’s Lawn, but it’s quite another to have bonafide climate criminals enthroned in the few places left in the nation’s Capitol that were somewhat able to push back The Machine, albeit ineptly. Now The Machine and U.S. Government are one. Corporate America has overthrown the United States of America…….for the time being.  Susan Theberge and Irvine Sobelman of Climate Action Now WMass return to examine the remains and ask the inevitable question: Where do we go from here? Legislatively speaking we can start right HERE.  Our roving reporter and bard, Tom Neilson calls in from FLA to talk water. As usual we will also drag you over to Meet the New Boss (better bring your hot air sickness bags!) and see the Fool-on-the-Hill (if we can decide which one of soooo many to choose from), as well as visit The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, but first it’s time for…………Revenge of the Critters! My Goddess, isn’t THIS ONE worth a replay?? The nation’s preeminent symbol expresses outrage!

So many fools, so little time. This week we take you to meet repeat offender, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman and climate criminal Repugnican Rob Bishop of Utah. Rob, we guess in his position as guardian of all things natural, is working hard to gut the Endangered Species Act (where’s that angry Bald Eagle when we really need him?). He claimed recently the act “has never been used for the rehabilitation of species. It’s been used for control of the land”, which the eagle, for one, could easily refute. We guess Rob’s ill-advised effort will sail through congress and land on the Climate Criminal-in-Chief’s desk soon enough. We also guess history will remember these criminals and it won’t be pretty.

We have Breaking News! Kinder Morgan/TGP (in their eternal wisdom) “has filed a renewed request for Notice to Proceed with Tree Felling for the entire CT Expansion Project.  (Their initial request was filed last March, after receiving the FERC certificate.) KM is anxious to complete tree felling before March 31st, during the “environmentally preferred window” to protect migratory birds. [Yesterday] they filed their Biweekly Status Report, again claiming to have ‘received all federal permits needed for tree felling.’ That’s not quite true. In addition to not having a final section 401 water quality certification from MassDEP (because of our ongoing appeal), there are several issues as yet unresolved that must be completed before FERC can consider allowing tree felling for the project.  Please comment on Docket No. CP14-529 ! Obviously this is a time-sensitive request. (How to eComment.)  [from MassPlan].  Also go HERE regarding Native stone sites at Otis. 

The sketchy New Boss is, not unexpectedly, off to a rocky start in his new position as Climate Criminal-in-Chief, but right off, let’s let our own Rachel Maddow reveal what may be THE most unsettling aspect of the Boss’ reign: how he got there in the first place. OK, putting aside all the lies and lame-ass deception for the moment, it appears a host of federal employees are worried about the Boss, no doubt sensing the same sinking feeling many in Washington are feeling, including the Boss’s staff. On Wednesday the entire senior staff of the U.S. State Department was fired unexpectedly by the New Boss or their new boss, that guy from Big Oil.  Some other federal employees find themselves being muzzled by the Boss for disseminating those old-fashioned facts called…..well, facts. Some of them don’t much care for a two-bit Ministry of Truth coming down on them with gag orders so they are launching their own real news.  Scientists are not pleased with all this unscientific behavior and have just invented a….. Scientists March on Washington! Look out Secret Service and DCPD, it’s angry geeks wielding bunsen burners & pipettes! Back to fake news, it’s no longer just those creepy never heard of sites that troll onto your Facebook news feed anymore, now it comes straight out of the Oval Office and from down the hall. Adding insult to injury, another climate criminal and familiar troll (and former repeat offender Fool-on-the-Hill winner) thinks the White House is the ONLY PLACE you should get your news!  This should be in the news soon enough: The Boss is closing in on his choice to help congressional obstructionists stack the Supreme Court with some far-right ideologue (who, of course, would never dream of being one of those activist judges!). And you’ve probably already heard about the Climate Criminal-in-Chief’s executive order on DAPL and Son of Keystone XL, yes? Goddess knows we could go on and on, the Boss is an endless gushing sewer of polluted proclamations and twisted thoughts, but we have a show to put on. More next time!

You probably won’t be surprised to find our Enviro Show Quote of the Week referencing the New Boss but how about us quoting……ourselves? It’s true, d.o. can’t resist a little bit of poetry regarding the Boss and his proposed cabinet, something that has our in-house poet reflecting on Dr. Caligari’s Cabinet. Check it out HERE.

Over here in The Echo Chamber we find the Humane Society here in the Commonwealth working to bypass this week’s Fool-on-the-Hill with some state sponsored endangered and threatened species legislation. You can add your voice to that effort, OK? Did you know that two commonly used pesticides are likely to harm 97% of Endangered Species in the U.S.? We shudder to think what a Pruitt led EPA would do……rather, NOT do about this information. After you’ve voiced your concern and/or outrage we have a gift for you! Stop by our table at this Saturday’s “Climate Action in a Time of Crisis” in the sanctuary of First Churches, 129 Main Street in Northampton for some of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Endangered Species condoms!  (yes, it’s the exploding human population that endangers the other lifeforms on planet Earth). If you miss us there just drop us an email and we’ll get some to you.

 

After our conversation with Susan and Irvine we take you to the Bus Stop Billboard:

 

Wednesday, February 8, 2017, 2:00pm. Public hearing on MA Global Warming Solutions Act. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), under its authority pursuant to the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), sections 3(c), 3(d), 4 and 7, will hold public hearings at the Springfield Central Library, 220 State Street, Springfield, MA. Testimony may be presented orally or in writing at the public hearings. MassDEP will accept written comments until 5:00 PM on February 24, 2017. Written comments may be submitted in the following three ways: through the online portal available at: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/air/climate/section3d-comments.html, by email to climate.strategies@state.ma.us or by mail to: Jordan Garfinkle, MassDEP, 7th floor, One Winter Street, Boston, MA 02108. For special accommodations for these hearings, please call MassDEP Diversity Office at 617-292-5751. TTY# MassRelay Service 1-800-439-2370. This information is available in alternate format upon request.

 

Wednesday, February 8, 4pm. #HoDAPLLastStand! TD Bank, 175 Main Street, Northampton, MA. On February 7th the US Army Corps of Engineers gave notice of intent to grant the final easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross the Mni Sose (Missouri River). They are skipping the Environmental Impact Statment ordered in December, and skipping the congressional notification period required by law. This is a response to President Trump’s Presidential Memorandum directing the Corps to expedite approval of the project. The Water Protectors still on the ground have made a call for an INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EMERGENCY ACTIONS on WEDNESDAY FEB. 8. In Western Massachusetts we are answering that call. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/1799108267008398/

 

Thursday, February 9, 4:00pm. The Changing Landscape: Environmental Journalism in the Age of Trump . Ziff Gallery, S414 Integrative Learning Center, 4th Fl. (located in the center of the UMASS campus, between the campus pond and Campus Center, map). Editors for global conservation news service Mongabay.com will share how they developed careers covering this beat, how they see the media landscape changing during this pivotal period, and the role of nonprofit and entrepreneurial journalism in 2017 and beyond. Contact Erik Hoffner to learn more about these events or to arrange a meeting, erik@mongabay.com or 413-429-5296

 

Thursday Feb 9, 7:00pm. Changes to the Land: Discussion & Live Podcast Taping w/ Harvard Forest & Mongabay. Holdsworth Hall #308 (UMASS campus, third building north of campus parking garage). Harvard Forest scientists will discuss with Mongabay.com editors their landmark report “Changes to the Land,” about forest fragmentation, climate change, and more in the Bay State and the wider region. [Be sure to ask them why increased logging in this age of Climate Crisis??] Come hear this discussion and query the panel about climate change and other changes to the land, regionally to globally. Contact Erik Hoffner to learn more about these events or to arrange a meeting, erik@mongabay.com or 413-429-5296
Thursday, February, 9, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Finding Work with Meaning in the Anthropocene: Panel Discussion, Room 2601, the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, UMass Amherst. Part of Talking Truth: Finding Your Voice Around the Climate Crisis Spring 2017 series. Gain insights into your personal journey toward forward-thinking work in sustainable living and community building within the fields of education, entrepreneurialism, and green building, with Ofer Sharone, assistant professor, Sociology, UMass Amherst, Sara Schley, co-founder of the sustainable consulting firm Seed Systems; Ezra Small , UMass Amherst Sustainability Manager; Sarah Hebert G’13, Trinity Solar employee; and John Fabel, building and construction technology adjunct faculty member, UMass Amherst. More information on our blog: http://blogs.umass.edu/talkingtruth/
And Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingTruthUMass/

 

Saturday, February 11, 9:30am. to 5:30pm.  Multi-generational NVDA Training, First Churches, Main Street, Northampton, MA. This workshop will introduce you to the spirit of nonviolence and to the continuum of Non Violent Direct Actions (NVDA) and will prepare you to be part of Sugar Shack Alliance actions. The day includes time for personal reflections on Civil Disobedience, an introduction to the basic tenets of consensus decision making and horizontal leadership, exploring the purpose of affinity groups and learning about the structure of Sugar Shack Alliance. An important part of the day is to raise awareness of dynamics related to power and privilege. Please register HERE. You will  receive a confirmation email with details. Contact sugarshackalliance@gmail.com 

 

Sunday, February 12, 6:30 to 8:00pm. Frankin County Continuing the Political Revolution Climate Crisis Task Force. Green Fields Market, 144 Main St, Greenfield, MA. Go to: http://fccpr.us/taskforces/climate-crisis-taskforce/

 

Saturday, February 25, 10am. – 4pm. Non-violent Direct Action Training in Northampton, MA. This one is being organized by American Friends Service Committee although the trainers are also on the Sugar Shack roster. There will be some folks there who are training for purposes other than joining Sugar Shack Alliance to participate in our actions as members of Sugar Shack affinity groups. However, we want to encourage you, urge you, implore you to sign up for this training which will well prepare you for joining us. To register and get more information, go to www.AFSCwm.org and click on trainings at the top in bright green.

 

February 26, 2:00pm – 4:00pm. An Evening with Jacqui Patterson – NAACP Env. & Climate Justice at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, 121 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA . Environmental injustice, including the proliferation of climate change, has a disproportionate impact on communities of color and low income communities in the United States and around the world. The NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program was created to support community leadership in addressing this human and civil rights issue. Call: (413) 253-2848

 

Saturday, March 4, 9:30am-5:30pm.  Non-Violent Direct Action Training with Sugar Shack Alliance in Great Barrington, MA! Exact location to be determined. This highly interactive training will give us a chance to evaluate our role in the CT Expansion Pipeline Resistance, both individually and collectively. Sugar Shack will provide us with great tools and information on building Affinity Groups within our community. Please leave your email on here or PM me if you’d like a direct update on the location once that’s been established. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/sugarshackalliance/

 

Saturday, April 29th, 2017. That’s the date of the People’s Climate Mobilization, a major march in Washington, D.C., when we will come together with hundreds of thousands of people to reject Trump’s attack on our communities and climate, and push forward with our vision of a clean energy economy that works for all. Go to: https://peoplesclimate.org/pledge/

 

That’s all folks! For now. Remember, when you’re out there, listen to your Mother.

The Worst New Boss Ever Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Yes, we said it and we’re glad. There’s no way we’re going to be all nice and civil with a president who is not. Admit it, your new president is a monster, THE worst president ever. Chances are the office was stolen anyway through foreign influence, voter suppression, hacking, and the work of the Devil. We’ll spend most of the show trashing the man who is about to trash the nation, OK? If turning the entire show into one long New Boss segment offends you, just wait a few days until he actually occupies the Oval Office and starts taking down what remains of your government. Anyway,  Paki will be calling in from DC with an update on the action. As usual, we’ll also take you to visit our Fool-on-the-Hill and into The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, as well as a listen to our Quote of the Week, but first it’s time for……..Revenge of the Critters! You’ve probably heard that the New Boss’ sons are trophy hunters, yes? This one became a kind of trophy himself! Mother Earth had him mounted on her mantle!

Our Fool-on-the-Hill may well be your next U.S. Attorney General, Yes, Senate Repugnican Jeff Sessions has a long history of climate change denial he will bring with him into the top-cop office, should he be confirmed. Do you think Sessions will be enforcing any of the dwindling environmental laws on the books? Ha,ha,ha,h,ha,ha,ha,ha……

Our Quote of the Week is, of course, about our subject this week: “”Donald Trump is not a leader or a presidential candidate. He is an outcome, a viral manifestation of a serious malignant illness … He is the outcome of the rich being able to buy anything, including our democracy … He is the outcome of an insanely violent culture, increasingly unkind with more bullying, that normalizes cruelty, industrializes punishment and declares endless war on its own citizens.” – Eve Ensler

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we pass on this news from Reuters confirming “many projections that 2016 will exceed 2015 as the warmest since reliable records began in the 19th century”. Guess what? The Northeast U.S. is THE warmingest! :O  We’re thinking The New Boss might agree that’s one hot “Chinese conspiracy”! Maybe he can explain away why “a chunk of ice bigger than New York’s Long Island is hanging on by a relative thread” in Antarctica?…….Nah!  Meanwhile his ill-advised pick for Secretary of Oil…..O, wait, that’s State, Exxon/Mobil’s Rex Tillerson is taking a great deal of heat as his Senate confirmation hearing proceeds. Meanwhile, the Boss’ pick for head of the EPA, Oklahoma climate criminal  Senator Scott Pruitt’s Senate confirmation hearing starts tomorrow, January 18. As Common Dreams reported recently, “Pruitt has deep ties to the fossil fuel industry and the rightwing billionaires Charles and David Koch.” O wait, did we mention he’s a Climate Crisis denier? Here’s your Enviro Show Blog Action link on that one! Some sort of good news from Metropolis that seems not to involve the Boss at all: the Indian Point nukes situated dangerously close to New York City and about a gazillion people is set to be finally shutdown in April of 2021. What’s the rush, Entergy?? And this: Our own AG Maura Healey kicks Exxon/Mobil’s oily butt.

How about a bit of E-Valley-uation? Our friend, fellow traveler & roving reporter, Tom Neilson has applied for one of those Trump Ambassador positions! Hear all about it HERE.  Also, our friend and regional hero, Elizabeth Kolbert, author of “The Sixth Extinction” is the headliner at The Jones Library in Amherst these days. The Jones’ On The Same Page program features the book as part of this reading program and YOU can be a part of it. Then, after a series of related events (see here) Elizabeth makes a guest appearance at the Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium on Tuesday, February 28 starting at 6:30pm. See you there!

We have Broken News! (from the Wall Street Journal of all places) Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau calls for phase out of tar sands oil! That should go over well with the New Boss. And this just in: Karl Meyer tells us NOAA has a once-in-a-lifetime op to help those endangered sturgeon in the CT River deadfall. Your support is needed HERE.

 

After we’re done insulting The Climate Criminal-in-Chief we take you to the Bus Stop Billboard:

 

Saturday, January 28, 3pm. “Climate Action in a Time of Crisis” in the sanctuary of First Churches, 129 Main Street in Northampton. Featured will be State Senate President Stan Rosenberg and other representatives from the Massachusetts legislature, climate scientists and activists to discuss the problem and an action plan that will protect our earth from climate destruction. The forum will be one step in forming our segment of the massive movement that will be necessary to protect our earth and the generations to come. Contact Marty Nathan at martygjf@comcast.net

 

Sunday, January 29th, 7-8:30pm. Mass. Forest Rescue Campaign’s Monthly Phone Seminar with guest lecturer, author, scientist Bill Moomaw, Professor of International Environmental Policy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, where he is the founding director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy, the Tufts Climate Initiative and co-founder of the Global Development and Environment Institute. Bill will cover the following topics:

1) The meaning of “carbon neutral” and why wood fuels such as wood chips and pellets do not qualify for this designation.

2) The Effects of wood fuel production on forest ecology and climate.

3) What do we need to know about what really qualifies as “renewable” energy and what does not? (

4.) What might we do to preserve forests to sequester carbon and toxins out of the atmosphere and prevent these forests from being cut down and used as fuel for large commercial uses?

To participate in the call/receive call-in information register before the 29th at: massforestrescue@gmail.com

 

Monday, January 30, 6:30pm. DOE is coming to western Massachusetts to do two trainings for people who are interested in this “Solar in your Community” grant solicitation. Co-op Power will host one training in Northampton likely at the MLK Middle School. Call: 413-552-6446. Go to: https://energy.gov/eere/sunshot/sunshot-prize-solar-your-community-challenge

 

Tuesday, January 31, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Landscape Heroes: Carbon, Water, and Biodiversity. UMass Amherst Campus Center. Northeast Organic Farming Association presents: in-depth, inspiring conversation on carbon sequestration. Come and learn about practical steps you can take to make a positive impact in your interactions with the landscape. From yards to farms to greenways to commons to gardens, how we treat our soils impacts the climate. read more here.

 

Tuesday, January 31, Noon. #Resisttrump #2. Keep Resisting! Senate Repugnicans are trying to jam as many confirmation hearings through their respective committees as possible to confirm Trump’s notorious nominees. It must be stopped. Rally to Resist Trump’s Nominees at Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey’s Springfield District Offices, 1550 Main St, Springfield, Massachusetts. Elizabeth Warren confirmed Ben Carson to HUD?? We need to keep up the pressure and ensure that she does not confirm anymore! Go to:moveon.org/jan31  or https://www.facebook.com/events/249468255479285/

 

Tuesday, January 31, 7 p.m. Climate Change and the Connecticut River: What Unexpected Events We Should Begin to Expect – Dr. Richard Palmer explores what we can expect to occur to with respect stream-flows in the Connecticut River basin as we move into the 21st century. The talk will begin with a brief introduction to why our climate is changing and evidence for that change. The impact of these changes on stream-flows in the Connecticut River and the related impact on hydro-power and the river’s ecosystems will also be discussed. Woodbury Room, Jones Library, Amity Street, Amherst, MA. For more info and other related events go to: http://www.joneslibrary.org/onthesamepage

 

Monday, February 6, Rally & Hearing on Otis State Forest Settlement. 1pm Rally around Park Square, Pittsfield/ 2pm. Hearing in Berkshire Superior Court, Pittsfield. On December 29, 2016 the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office announced that, on behalf of the Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), they reached a settlement with Kinder Morgan for the pipeline Right of Way through Otis State Forest in Sandisfield.. A hearing on this settlement will take place on at 2:00 pm at Berkshire Superior Court, 76 East Street, Pittsfield, MA. 1:00 pm – Stand-Out in Opposition to the OSF Settlement on the Sidewalks around Park Square area
(See maps for acceptable protest locations and parking)

 

Wednesday, February 8, 2017, 2:00pm. Public hearing on MA Global Warming Solutions Act. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), under its authority pursuant to the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), sections 3(c), 3(d), 4 and 7, will hold public hearings at the Springfield Central Library, 220 State Street, Springfield, MA. Testimony may be presented orally or in writing at the public hearings. MassDEP will accept written comments until 5:00 PM on February 24, 2017. Written comments may be submitted in the following three ways: through the online portal available at: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/air/climate/section3d-comments.html, by email to climate.strategies@state.ma.us or by mail to: Jordan Garfinkle, MassDEP, 7th floor, One Winter Street, Boston, MA 02108. For special accommodations for these hearings, please call MassDEP Diversity Office at 617-292-5751. TTY# MassRelay Service 1-800-439-2370. This information is available in alternate format upon request.

 

Saturday, February 11, 9:30am. to 5:30pm.  Multi-generational NVDA Training, First Churches, Main Street, Northampton, MA. This workshop will introduce you to the spirit of nonviolence and to the continuum of Non Violent Direct Actions (NVDA) and will prepare you to be part of Sugar Shack Alliance actions. The day includes time for personal reflections on Civil Disobedience, an introduction to the basic tenets of consensus decision making and horizontal leadership, exploring the purpose of affinity groups and learning about the structure of Sugar Shack Alliance. An important part of the day is to raise awareness of dynamics related to power and privilege. Please register HERE. You will  receive a confirmation email with details. Contact sugarshackalliance@gmail.com 

 

Saturday, April 29th, 2017. That’s the date of the People’s Climate Mobilization, a major march in Washington, D.C., when we will come together with hundreds of thousands of people to reject Trump’s attack on our communities and climate, and push forward with our vision of a clean energy economy that works for all. Go to: https://peoplesclimate.org/pledge/

 

OK, our work is done here….for now. Remember to listen to your Mother!

 

The Land Sakes Alive Enviro Show!

 

Greetings Earthlings. Believe it or not, there are some good things to focus on in the New Year. Leigh Youngblood, Executive Director of the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust joins us to talk land preservation in the Age of Destruction. There are several land preservation efforts underway in our region like this and Leigh is the go-to person for info on that subject. We’ll get into that as well as another scary visit with the New Boss and this week’s Fool-on-the-Hill and an excursion into The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, but first it’s time for………Revenge of the Critters! You may have read recently that the world’s fastest critter, the Cheetah is quickly headed for extinction. And, you might be wondering what bad actors are responsible for this sorry situation, yes? OK, we’re here to say not all bad actors are responsible, some are just there to take the hit!

Last time we had a look at The New Boss he was assembling his Cabinet of Deplorables like some fiendish Dr. Caligari on steroids. This week our friends at Grist help us drill down into one of the Boss’s local New York City projects that speaks volumes about what his administration will mean for issues of climate justice. On the matter of endangered species, referenced above and in the Echo Chamber below, The Endangered Species Coalition has some critical info for the Boss that we’re sure will be filed away in…..um…..the shredder? We don’t know if this Trump Chump qualifies for the Boss’s Cabinet but he sure fits the MO. It’s Climate Crisis denier South Carolina Representative Mick Mulvaney for head of the Office of Management and Budget who asks ““do we really need government-funded research at all”?  Finally, here’s one we couldn’t resist: Even Trump Voters Oppose Trump’s Climate  Agenda. Enough!

We’ve been holding back on you, dear Enviro Show listeners. It seems the…..um….interesting? state of Tennessee has an entire collection of fools to choose from for the dishonor of being our Fool-on-the-Hill, so in keeping with the coming Fool’s Era (and as a New Year’s treat) we leave it to you which fool to pick from HERE. Our favorite is Rep. Chuck Fleischmann who, when asked his opinion about global warming during a candidate debate said: “I think we ought to take Al Gore, put him on an iceberg, and put him way out there.” So much for southern hospitality, but he’d better get busy with it ‘cuz icebergs are becoming……well….endangered!

Here’s our timely Quote of the Week and it’s just a short hop in the old Wayback Machine to reach the source:

“Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day.”  – Giffort Pinchot

Just when it’s time to take out the old and bring in the new we noticed things are piling up in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber. Let’s start with this mind bending  eye-popping multi-media show from CNN (of all people) on the mass extinction crisis. The folks over at The National Geographic brought this “Pipeline Through Paradise” to our attention. This may be the next Big Oil pipeline fight but if not, how about this one!  The Pilgrim Pipeline on Native land? That didn’t go so well for the fossil fools last time around. And speaking of land preservation, Obama has made another parting shot at the despoilers out west by creating two more National Monuments. Sadly, “The monument designation… does not affect valid existing rights for oil, gas, and mining operations, military training operations, and utility corridors.” Rights?? Finally, our Enviro Show Blog Action calls on the Dems to get some spine and block climate criminal, Scott Pruitt from taking down the EPA. 

 

After our conversation with Leigh we head over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Tuesday, January 3, 2017, 12:00pm – 1:00pm. Ongoing Tuesday noon Greenfield Standing Rock vigil TD Bank, 324 Main Street, Greenfield, MA. Vigiling every Tuesday noon til 1 pm TD bank Greenfield Corner of Main and Federal. Questions? Contact: Hattie hattieshalom@verizon.net.

 

Sunday, January 8, 11:45am. Climate Change and the Developing World.  Join Dr. Elliot Fratkin for the USNF January Hawkins Majumder lecture and discussion at the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence. 220 Main St. Northampton, MA. Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org/.

 

Sunday January 8, 2:00-4:30pm.  Valley Mothers Out Front House Party in Amherst. An introductory presentation and discussion about MOF, including state, local, and individual climate solutions, and the company of other motivated mothers and others. RSVP Ellen ellentmiddleton@gmail.com.

 

 

Monday, January 9, Noon to 1pm. Day Against Denial!  Join 350MA for a rally with music and skits, encouraging our Senators to be bold in opposing Trump’s Cabinet of Climate Deniers, and urging Governor Baker to speak out against those nominees and for the climate! Part of 350’s nationwide Day Against Denial. Park St T Station, Boston Common, Boston. RSVP here, and like/share the FB event.

 

 

Monday, January 9, 1pm. Rally at the Pilgrim Nuke Gate! Stand together, step out on the street and demand the NRC shut Pilgrim NOW. Ring in the New Year right! 600 Rocky Hill Road, Plyouth, MA. A recent alarming email from an NRC seasoned special inspector reveals the unvarnished truth that public safety cannot be assured. “We are observing current indications of a safety culture problem that a bunch of talking probably won’t fix.” This exposure of the poor safety climate, ongoing mismanagement, lack of maintenance, training, and resources demands bold leadership from Governor Baker, Senator Markey, Senator Warren, AG Healey, and others, including the MA General Court to speak up for public safety now. The NRC needs to hear from us all! #Mobilize4Survival! Sign up to drive or ride:  https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/pxbo4q Go to: http://www.capedownwinders.info/.

 

Monday, January 9, 4 to 5pm. “Stop the Climate Denier Cabinet”! The environmental group 350.org is encouraging scores of actions decrying Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks in a nationally organized day of protest called “Stop the Climate Denier Cabinet”. As part of that coordinated effort, Climate Action NOW Western Mass will hold a standout on the Calvin Coolidge Bridge in Northampton from 4 to 5 pm demanding that climate deniers be rejected in Senate confirmation hearings. SPONSORS: 350.org, Climate Action Now, Western, MA, Represent.Us Western Mass. Contact: Climate Action Now

 

 

Saturday, January 14, 7pm. Contradance to protect Otis State Forest / Sandisfield from Kinder Morgan’s Connecticut Expansion Pipeline. at the West Cummington Parish House, W. Main Street, W. Cummington, MA. Proceeds to support the legal work of Pipe Line Awareness Network for the North East (PLAN-NE). Music by Steve Howland and other great local musicians, Contradance Calling by Sadie Stull, Soup and Refreshments from Alice’s Kitchen! Suggested Donation $25 – All amounts accepted. For more information call 413-634-8043.

 

Wednesday, January 18, 7:00 – 8:30pm. AG Maura Healey’s Post-election Town Hall Meeting. Faith United Church, 52 Sumner Ave, Springfield, MA. [Be sure to ask why on Earth the state is NOT defending Article 97 of our Constitution at Otis State Forest!]

 

Thursday, January 19. 8am. FERC’s Commission Meeting Action! For over two years, Beyond Extreme Energy has joined friends and allies in disrupting this meeting. It’s held once per month, is open to the public, and involves little to no risk of arrest. Please join us as we seek to pack the FERC Commission Meeting room and show the commissioners that we have the power to stop their rubber stamp machine! 8am: Meet in the Union Station, Washington, DC food court to go over the plan. 9:30am: Walk down to FERC (nearby). Info: Lee Stewart, BeyondExtremeEnergy.org 703-999-2634

 

Friday, January 20, All Day. Protest the Trump Inauguration. Thousands of protesters who have mobilized nationally since the election of Climate Criminal, Donald Trump are planning a massive convergence in Washington against the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20. ANSWER, which organized a number of major anti-war protests since its founding 15 years ago, is one of many groups mobilizing against the inauguration. Other groups planning inauguration protests range from anarchist collectives to networks of immigrants and women. Online organizers, including some associated with Occupy Wall Street, have also floated proposals for a nationwide general strike. See: https://popularresistance.org/trump-era-protests-escalate-with-inauguration/

 

Friday January 20, 6 to 8pm. Resist Trump: Occupy Inauguration Boston! Boston Common – Parkman Bandstand, Tremont Street, Boston, MA. Go to: http://masspeaceaction.org/event/resist-trump-occupy-inauguration-boston/

 

Saturday, January 21, All Day. The Million Women’s March on Washington Stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families [and our planet!] — recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country. Starts 10:00 am – 11:00 pm Location: Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. Greenfield, MA bus info HERE.

 

Saturday, January 21 at 11 AM – 3 PM. Boston Women’s March for America. Boston Common,
Tremont Street, Boston, MA. Unite in Boston to march in solidarity with communities most affected by the hate, intolerance and acts of violence being perpetrated throughout the nation — among many are communities of women, immigrants, people of color, and people who identify as LGBTQIA and people with disabilities. We stand for religious freedom, human rights, climate justice, racial justice, economic justice and reproductive justice. Together, we will send a message to our leaders and the world that the United States of America stands for values of human decency, equal rights and freedom from discrimination. ALL ARE WELCOME. On the day after the Inauguration, people from Massachusetts and hundreds of thousands of Americans from other cities, towns and schools across the nation and the world will march together in sister marches. Be part of history! We have LOTS of information about the March at our website—from transportation to schedule to volunteering. We also have official March t shirts and a hat—and you can chip in to help us pay for the March.
PLEASE register at our website http://www.bostonwomensmarchforamerica.org/
Or at Eventbrite bit.ly/boswmfa
PLEASE join the Boston Women’s March for America Community Page as well: Security Check Required

 

Saturday, January 21, 12:30pm. In solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington, women and their allies will gather on the Greenfield Town Common (Court Square) for a rally. Echoing the message of the Washington March, local speakers, songs, signs, and personal testimony will focus on standing together for women’s and human rights. Intended as a call to action, the rally will provide information about the concrete actions participants can take to protect their rights, safety, health, and families. To volunteer to help with organizing or for more information, visit the rally’s Facebook event page at: bit.ly/2hs06Ce or call 877-925-2999.

 

Saturday, January 21, 1:00pm. Listening to a Continent Sing – Birdsong by Bicycle from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA. Join birdsong expert Donald Kroodsma as he presents his ten-week, ten-state bicycle journey that he traveled from the Atlantic to the Pacific, lingering and listening to our continent sing as no one has before. On remote country roads, over terrain vast and spectacular, from dawn to dusk and sometimes through the night, you will gain a deep appreciation for the natural symphony of birdsong many of us take for granted. More information: 413-863-3221 or greatfallsdiscoverycenter.org

 

Monday, January 23, 2017, 7 – 10pm. Climate Action Now Monthly Gathering. Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, 121 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA. Find out about upcoming actions on the national and local level. Join a break-out session: Welcome for Newcomers, Legislative Action, Soil and Forests as Carbon Sinks, and Movement Building in a Time of Climate Emergency. Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org

 

Tuesday, January 24, 2017, 6 – 8pm. “Refinery Town – Big Oil, Big Money and the Remaking of an American City”. Book talk with author Steve Early. Greenfield Public Library Meeting Room, Main Street, Greenfield, MA. Steve Early, the author of this soon to be published book, recounts the struggles of the people of Richmond California against the Chevron oil company. The people of this small city put together a coalition that despite millions of dollars spent by Chevron, elected a progressive City Council. Bernie Sanders wrote the forward to this interesting book. Join us for pizza at 6:00; talk starts at 6:30. Go to: http://fccpr.us/

 

Wednesday, January 25, 10am. – 2:30pm. Mass Power Forward Lobby Day. Meet with your representatives and senators to make the case for clean energy. We’ll push for at least 50% clean power by 2040, expanded investments in solar (especially community and low-income solar), and further action on gas leaks. And we’ll call on our legislators to say no once and for all to pipelines and nuclear power. Join us! Massachusetts State House (exact location within State House TBD!), 24 Beacon St., Boston, MA. Please register with » this Google Form so that we can help you arrange meetings with your rep or senator.

 

Saturday, January 28, 3pm. “Climate Action in a Time of Crisis” in the sanctuary of First Churches, 129 Main Street in Northampton. Featured will be State Senate President Stan Rosenberg and other representatives from the Massachusetts legislature, climate scientists and activists to discuss the problem and an action plan that will protect our earth from climate destruction. The forum will be one step in forming our segment of the massive movement that will be necessary to protect our earth and the generations to come. Contact Marty Nathan at martygjf@comcast.net

 

Monday, January 30, 6:30pm. DOE is coming to western Massachusetts to do two trainings for people who are interested in this “Solar in your Community” grant solicitation. Co-op Power will host one training in Northampton likely at the MLK Middle School. Call: 413-552-6446. Go to: https://energy.gov/eere/sunshot/sunshot-prize-solar-your-community-challenge

 

Tuesday, January 31, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Landscape Heroes: Carbon, Water, and Biodiversity. UMass Amherst Campus Center. Northeast Organic Farming Association presents: in-depth, inspiring conversation on carbon sequestration. Come and learn about practical steps you can take to make a positive impact in your interactions with the landscape. From yards to farms to greenways to commons to gardens, how we treat our soils impacts the climate. read more here

 

Wednesday, February 8, 2017, 2:00pm. Public hearing on MA Global Warming Solutions Act. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), under its authority pursuant to the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), sections 3(c), 3(d), 4 and 7, will hold public hearings at the Springfield Central Library, 220 State Street, Springfield, MA. Testimony may be presented orally or in writing at the public hearings. MassDEP will accept written comments until 5:00 PM on February 24, 2017. Written comments may be submitted in the following three ways: through the online portal available at: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/air/climate/section3d-comments.html, by email to climate.strategies@state.ma.us or by mail to: Jordan Garfinkle, MassDEP, 7th floor, One Winter Street, Boston, MA 02108. For special accommodations for these hearings, please call MassDEP Diversity Office at 617-292-5751. TTY# MassRelay Service 1-800-439-2370. This information is available in alternate format upon request.

 

Saturday, April 29th, 2017. That’s the date of the People’s Climate Mobilization, a major march in Washington, D.C., when we will come together with hundreds of thousands of people to reject Trump’s attack on our communities and climate, and push forward with our vision of a clean energy economy that works for all. Go to: https://peoplesclimate.org/pledge/

 

Let’s ditch the New Year fear and take it from here, OK? Until next time, remember: Listen to your Mother.

A Halloween Enviro Show

 

Greetings Earthlings. Happy Samhain, All Hallows Eve or whatever. In Pagan times this was the beginning of Winter but given that we’ve pretty much vanquished that to climate chaos we’ll take chemical laden candy instead. The Good Green Witch joins us for an extended stay to….enlighten? us about the dark and that very thin veil to the other world, as well as her new book. OK, so do you know what you’re going to be for Halloween yet? How about a creepy orange monster clown with a wig, sticking his chin out and getting all alpha male? No? Enough of that? We’re going to be……away from our desk for Halloween! Bonfires, potions, you know the drill. Anyway, after we light the fire in the studio we’ll take you on a spooky visit with our Fool-on-the-Hill, deep into the dark and dank Enviro Show Echo Chamber and more, but first it’s time for……….Revenge of the Critters! Scary Spider bites Australian man on penis……again!

Soooo, there’s no fool like an old fool we’re told and we guess that might explain repugnican Senator John McCain’s recent remarks about continued repugnican blocking of Supreme Court Justice nominations if $hillary wins in November. “I promise you that we will be united against any Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton, if she were president, would put up,” this week’s Fool-on-the-Hill declared.

Time for a visit with the New Boss who very recently wrote an op-ed that “promotes his vision for humans on the Mars surface in the 2030s”. Say what?? What about Earth in the 2030s! We doubt we’ll be here to experience that but the grandkids will. We applaud The Boss for signing into law H.R. 2494, The Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt (END) Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016 that will “further protect endangered species that have been targeted by poachers” but how about our endangered kids and grandkids? We need an all-out effort to confront the Climate Crisis right here on our favorite planet, never mind that barren ball of rock and dust a gazillion miles away! One can only wonder what the new New Boss will have in store for us. If that is $hillary we know what she really thinks about us enviros. If it’s that creepy clown guy, well…..we guess we can all bend over and kiss our ass goodbye. Tune in to our Election Night Enviro Show. It may be scarier than Halloween.

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber of Horrors we venture beyond “The Point of No Return”! And if that’s not horrifying enough how about “11 of the last 12 months hit record high temps”? No? Greenland’s Ice Sheet Melting Faster Than Previously Thought? And this: “Throughout the U.S., trees are dying at an astonishing rate.” Here in the Northeast U.S. those of us actively trying to save the trees are usually just ignored, right? Some corporate Dems seem to think we need to “get a life” for trying to confront the Climate Crisis these days but in the Global South such activists actually get to have their lives taken away! That’s enough horror for one day. How about we pray for…. Big Oil? (that’s not some Halloween trick, kids). OK, how about we treat you to one of the bravest climate actions yet to come down the pipeline. That would be this “Act of Love”. You can donate for their legal support here.

How about a Halloween Special Quote of the Week? Ready?

“The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn’t real. I know that, and I also know that if I’m careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle.”    – Stephen King

We have Broken News! It seems Sunoco, a Dakota Access pipeline co-conspirator, has just allowed 55,000 gallons of gasoline to pollute the Susquehanna River. Maybe those prayers for Big Oil aren’t doing so well?

 

After our conversation with The Good Green Witch we’ll take you trick or treating to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Saturdays 10am. to 12pm.Weekly Standout for the Green Party. Court Square, Greenfield, MA. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/1171357796292170/

 

 

Thursday, November 3, 10am to 5pm. & 6:00 – 8:00pm. Overview and discussion of potential regulations MassDEP intends to hold two stakeholder meetings on potential new Green House Gas regulations. The Worcester meetings will be held during the day, and will include discussion of different sources and regulations under consideration and will also include an early evening session for stakeholders who may not be able to attend during the day. Governor Baker signed Executive Order 569 which directed MassDEP to promulgate regulations that satisfy the mandate of Section 3(d) of Chapter 21N of the General Laws with the objective that these regulations ensure that the Commonwealth meets the 2020 statewide emissions limit mandated by the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), and to establish an internet portal through which to receive input. The Department welcomes and encourages input from the citizens of the Commonwealth and all interested parties regarding regulatory approaches to meet the requirements of section 3(d). RSVP for in-person attendance here. Additional meeting information, including a draft agenda, directions, and RSVP instructions, will be provided when they become available. MassDEP Worcester office. More information, along with instructions for submitting comments, is available on MassDEP’s web site at http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/air/climate/section3d-comments.html, which will be regularly updated as additional information becomes available. Please see the following links for directions to the MassDEP office in Worcester. If you have questions about the stakeholder meetings, please contact Jordan Garfinkle at jordan.garfinkle@state.ma.us or 617-292-5904.

 

Thursday, November 3, 7pm.  Sneak preview screening & fundraiser for “Power Struggle” A film by Robbie Leppzer in association with HBO and NHK- Japan. A full-length documentary about the grassroots political battle to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.at Latchis Theater, Brattleboro, VT.  Go to: http://www.PowerStruggleMovie.com

 

Friday, November 4, 12 to 4pm. The Native American Students Association and Divest UMass, in collaboration with the Student Farmers’ Market, are hosting a #NoDAPL Standing Rock Solidarity Farmers Market at the Goodell Lawn at UMass, Amherst, Massachusetts. There will be a Speak-Out happening at 2 pm- don’t miss this important opportunity to hear native voices from our campus community speak to what’s going on in ND! November is Native American Heritage Month, and this Student Farmers market will be a moment to SHOW UP for the water protectors resisting the Dakota Access Pipeline! This is a moment for everyone to come together to spread the word and show our support for the incredible front line leadership defending the right of native tribes to their water and way of life, and resisting the violent reign of the FF industry, and the environmental and cultural genocide native tribes have faced in our country for centuries. Contacts for this event: Sarah Jacqz, sjacqz@umass.edu; 978-518-0057. Shawn Provost, stprovost@umass.edu 603-313-5804. Andreus Ridley, dreus81@gmail.com;
nasa@umass.edu; 978-496-7041

 

Saturday, November 5, 7am. Quabbin Reservoir Naturalists Exploration Field Trip. Millers River Environmental Center, 1o0 Main Street, Athol. Carpooling available, pre-registration required. Email: dave@dhsmall.net

 

Wednesday, November 9, 6 – 8pm. Screening of Sea Shepherd’s first full-length film, “Why Just One?” on at Café Evolution, 22 Chestnut St, Florence, MA. A 30 min. Q & A session with Vic Guerin of Sea Shepherd will follow. Free Cafe Evolution treats will be provided , but feel free to bring your own vegan finger foods too. This wonderful new documentary exposes the courageous battle Sea Shepherd has taken on to save sea turtles, the world’s last dinosaur. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/cafe-evolution-116705117589/

 

November 12, 9:30am. – 5:30pm. Non-violent Civil Disobedience Training at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, 121 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA. A minimum of 30 folks needed to sign up for this to work and we are especially reaching out to college age folks but everyone is welcome. OTIS STATE FOREST IS AT STAKE! The full-day training has lots of interactive opportunities including a long role play simulation of an actual action. The Sugar Shack Alliance will also help you form or find an Affinity Group which will be necessary to participate in a non-violent direct action where we are intentionally risking arrest, and, to be part of the decision-making process of the Alliance. There is no charge, but we do pass a hat to cover costs of materials, gas and time for the trainers. Folks usually throw in from $5 to$20 each. Email: sugarshackalliance@gmail.com  Go to: https://www.facebook.com/sugarshackalliance/

 

November 28, 2016, 7:00pm – 9:00pm. Climate Action Now Monthly Gathering. Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, 121 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA. Reports from Action/Work Groups Including: Food Justice, Healthy Soil and Sustainable Farming, Building the Climate Justice Movement in the Face of the Climate Emergency, Five College Students and more. Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org

 

 

 

Scary enough for you? Just wait ’til our next show on Election Day! :O  Until then remember to listen to your Mother, OK?

The Quabbin National Park Enviro Show

 

Greetings Earthlings. Given that the Climate crisis is upon us and aiming to take everybody out of here shouldn’t we be doing EVERYTHING possible to mitigate the circumstances? Our friend Michael Kellett of Restore the North Woods returns to help us blaze a new trail. Also, our intrepid roving reporter & bard Tom Neilson calls in from the road with news of the western forests.  As always we’ll also take you to meet our latest Fool-on-the-Hill and to Meet the New Boss as well as a side trip to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber but first it’s time for………..Revenge of the Critters! Black Bear not pleased with Sunoco’s pipelines in PA!

We have another twofer for this week’s Fool-on-the-Hill. Utah Repugnicans Congressmen Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz take the prize for both old-school Manifest Destiny thinking and for…..well….just being damn fools! They want to take 100,000 acres of Ute tribal lands and hand them over to oil and mining companies.  Just when you thought the GOP couldn’t get any worse they come up with shit like this!

Time to Meet the New Boss and just when you thought he was coming around on enviro issues and doing the right thing he disappoints you with outrageous actions like THIS!  DeSmog Blog reports: “the Obama administration… quietly auctioned off thousands of acres of [public] land for oil and gas drilling in national forests, opened up 119 million acres for offshore drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico, and delivered a blow to the Endangered Species Act” last week. Of course, this is the ugly manifestation of his ongoing support for fracking’s Bridge to Nowhere! So much for that legacy, Boss.

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we get The Rolling Stone’s take on a Trump energy policy which, you may NOT be surprised to learn, turns the planet into more of a commodity than she is already….mistaken for. But wait, there’s more! Trump’s choice for Secretary of Interior (you know, the guy who would oversee our national parks?) is an oil billionaire! Did we say wait? Wait again! The Donald has also chosen a climate change denier to lead his EPA transition team! (should he ever, Goddess forbid, transition). Why stop there! Trump just picked a fracking lobbyist and Koch Industry hack, Mike Catanzaro to lead his Energy Team. Of course it goes without saying (not that we won’t) the implications would be Yuuuuge! We may as well stick with the bad news, right? How about the warmest on Earth in 2 million years? No? How about Fukushima worse than reported? Does that qualify, huh? We’ll wrap this trip into the Chamber with a good news/bad news medley: For the first time ever some bees have been listed by U.S. Fish & Wildlife as endangered but only in Hawaii  which leads to the obvious question: WTF! Ok, ok, enough.

Time for the Quote of the Week: “”There is just one hope of repulsing the tyrannical ambition of civilization to conquer every niche on the whole earth. That hope is the organization of spirited people who will fight for the freedom of the wilderness.”  – Bob Marshall, Co-founder, The Wilderness Society.

 

Our E-Valley-uation segment is all about what our guest will be covering, so after that we’ll take you to the Bus Stop Billboard:

 

Thursday, October 20, 1 – 3pm. Speakout on the Pilgrim Nuke. Come join State Senator Dan Wolf and others speaking up for public safety. With Entergy’s Pilgrim nuclear reactor one step from federally mandated shutdown, we do not accept the risk of ongoing operation. After the speakout, we will deliver another letter to Governor Baker calling on him to use his position as chief safety officer of the Commonwealth to demand the Nuclear Regulatory Commission close Pilgrim NOW. Check our website for updates at www.capedownwinders.info or contact us at capedownwindersinfo@gmail.com.

 

Thursday, October 20, 6 pm. Biomass Monitor Conference Call: The Future of Biomass Energy in New England with Evan Dell’Olio, Director of External and Regulatory Affairs for Roberts Energy Renewables, who has analyzed current trends to lay out his predictions for the future of biomass energy in New England. RSVP on Facebook or go to: thebiomassmonitor@gmail.com to receive call-in number and code.

 

Thursday, October 20, 7pm. Film screening and discussion of “How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change” directed by Josh Fox. Floor 26, Du Bois Library, UMass, Amherst. A funny, tragic, inspiring documentary that introduces a host of climate change “warriors” while examining the intricately woven forces that threaten the stability of our planet. Go to: www.facebook.com/TalkingTruthUMass/

 

Saturday, October 22, 10:00 am – 1:00pm. Tree ID Using Bark and Habitat Clues. Join naturalist Nancy Goodman and take a close look at trees and other botanical wonders we encounter at Northfield Mountain. Become familiar with the characteristic bark of different trees in different habitats and at different stages of growth, as well as identification from leaves and other clues.  Bring binoculars, water, lunch, sturdy walking shoes. Meet in the Riverview parking area at 10 or at the Northfield Mountain Visitors Center at 9:45 a.m. for a short walk to Riverview. For ages 16 and older. FREE Pre-register by calling 800-859-2960

 

Saturday October 22, 1pm. 45th Annual New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution Membership Meeting. Helping Nature Heal the Vermont Yankee Nuke Site is a narrated photo-presentation by NEC technical adviser Ray Shadis. Between 1997 and 2005, Ray negotiated record-setting environmental surveys, spent-fuel protections and radiological clean-up for the Maine Yankee site. The general public is welcome and encouraged to attend. “118 Elliot” at 118 Elliot Street, Brattleboro,VT. Fully ADA accessible. Your RSVP at 802-257-0336 if you are planning to attend is helpful, but not required.

 

Sunday, October 23, Gathering starting a 1PM – Ride Starts at 1:30pm. Springfield Complete Streets Bicycle Network Family Ride. Rain or Shine. Meeting at Parking Lot by Picknelly Field outside Route 5 Entrance to Forest Park. 16.4 Mile Loop Around Forest Park, East Forest Park, 16 Acres Neighborhoods, Watershop Ponds, Plumtree Road Bike Lane, Forest Park. WalkBike Springfield -Information: email betsy@bgjohnson.com. Go to: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17149478

 

Sunday, October 23, 2pm. Sneak preview screening & fundraiser for “Power Struggle” A film by Robbie Leppzer in association with HBO and NHK- Japan. A full-length documentary about the grassroots political battle to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. Academy of Music, Main Street, Northampton, MA. Go to: www.PowerStruggleMovie.com

 

Monday, October 24, 7 to 9pm. Climate Action Now! meeting. Unitarian Universalist Society, Main Street, Northampton, MA. All welcome! Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org/

 

 Sunday, October. 30, 2-5p.m. Springfield Area Interfaith Climate Justice Meeting, First Church of Christ, 763 Longmeadow Street (Hwy 5), Longmeadow. Leaders, activists, and concerned individuals from Springfield area congregations of all faiths will explore ways of working together to address concerns of global warming and climate change. For more information, contact Joelle Million, (413) 754-3550 jmillion46@gmail.com

 

Thursday, November 3, (TBA) MassDEP intends to hold two stakeholder meetings on potential new Green House Gas regulations. The Worcester meeting will be held during the day, and will include discussion of different sources and regulations under consideration and will also include an early evening session for stakeholders who may not be able to attend during the day. Governor Baker signed Executive Order 569 which directed MassDEP to promulgate regulations that satisfy the mandate of Section 3(d) of Chapter 21N of the General Laws with the objective that these regulations ensure that the Commonwealth meets the 2020 statewide emissions limit mandated by the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), and to establish an internet portal through which to receive input. The Department welcomes and encourages input from the citizens of the Commonwealth and all interested parties regarding regulatory approaches to meet the requirements of section 3(d). Additional meeting information, including a draft agenda, directions, and RSVP instructions, will be provided when they become available. MassDEP Worcester office. More information, along with instructions for submitting comments, is available on MassDEP’s web site at http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/air/climate/section3d-comments.html, which will be regularly updated as additional information becomes available.

Thursday, November 3, 7pm.  Sneak preview screening & fundraiser for “Power Struggle” A film by Robbie Leppzer in association with HBO and NHK- Japan. A full-length documentary about the grassroots political battle to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.at Latchis Theater, Brattleboro, VT.  Go to: http://www.PowerStruggleMovie.com

 

Saturday, November 5, 7am. Quabbin Reservoir Naturalists Exploration Field Trip. Millers River Environmental Center, 1o0 Main Street, Athol. Carpooling available, pre-registration required. Email: dave@dhsmall.net

 

November 12, 9:30am. – 5:30pm. Non-violent Civil Disobedience Training at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, 121 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA. A minimum of 30 folks needed to sign up for this to work and we are especially reaching out to college age folks but everyone is welcome. OTIS STATE FOREST IS AT STAKE! The full-day training has lots of interactive opportunities including a long role play simulation of an actual action. The Sugar Shack Alliance will also help you form or find an Affinity Group which will be necessary to participate in a non-violent direct action where we are intentionally risking arrest, and, to be part of the decision-making process of the Alliance. There is no charge, but we do pass a hat to cover costs of materials, gas and time for the trainers. Folks usually throw in from $5 to$20 each. Email: sugarshackalliance@gmail.com  Go to: https://www.facebook.com/sugarshackalliance/

 

We are so out of here…until our very scary Halloween show on October 25! Until then be sure to have a frightfully good time and remember: Listen to your Mother, OK?