Blog Archive

Friday, May 25, 2007

The Valley "Clean Energy" Plan Enviro Show



Jean’s off to Germany this week to do battle with the G8. As G8 leaders meet in Germany, masked behind fences and soldiers, intent on leading us further towards catastrophic and irreversible climate chaos now’s the time to take direct action and shut them and their climate criminal industry friends down. June 8 is the International Day of Action Against Climate Change and the G8 called by the Rising Tide Network. Closer to home, we have a look at The Valley Clean Energy Plan. Jana Chicoine, spokesperson for Concerned Citizens of Russell returns to these microphones to discuss that. Also, hopefully, a call-in from David Kroodsma, an Amherst resident biking across country on the Ride for Climate, but first, as always, it’s time for....Revenge of the Critters! The BEST EVER!!! Sparrow dumps on the Emperor! Footage here!



Then it's on to the Enviro Show Echo Chamber: From the New York Times, capitalism in action! Oil Industry Says Biofuel Push May Hurt at Pump. AND, you’re gonna’ love this one from Vermont TV: Snowmobiler to testify about global warming on Capitol Hill. Ha! It really IS the Age of Irony. Here's an Enviro Show Blog Exclusive: The Cape Cod Times reports that the Guv is considering privatizing even MORE of the Commonwealth's coastline! Apparently the concept of energy co-ops and municipal power companies isn't on Patricks mind. Hmmm, must be all that corporate training.




What’s that sound, Glen? It’s the Darth Cheney theme! What a surprize!. What’s the countdown, anyway? OK, these guys are so vile it defies belief. We’ve linked to an interview on Democracy Now! about the Bush regime’s trashing of science and stonewalling on solutions to the climate crisis, and we’ve talked here on past shows about their efforts to undermine climate action at the G8. Here’s a Reuters follow-up piece, Spineless Dems beg Bush to be nice...err...maybe that’s not really the headline. AND, would you believe it? "Environmental enforcement has declined under Bush, says new report". ALSO, checkout the Indymedia Climate site for fascinating news on climate crisis politics, like how the present legislation proposed in Congress is too little, too late. Attention Kryptonians, get with the plan!! Finally, maybe pious King George and the far-right bible-bangers will appreciate this one: Greenpeace rebuilds the arc!. Hey, that might come in handy!



"Rockets", by Cat Power takes us to our interview. Joining us once again is Jana Chicoine, spokesperson for Concerned Citizens of Russell and the Pioneer Valley Preservation Coalition to talk about the The Pioneer Valley Clean Energy Plan. We invited the authors and proponents of the plan onto the show but after agreeing to join us they withdrew last week citing the following reasons (it’s multiple choice time, listeners: choose which one you like best!): 1) a schedule conflict; 2)won’t appear without the one w/the schedule conflict; 3) fear of ambush!

Hmm, they might ambush folks down at the pass or on the rightwing noise machine, but we have no such intentions on the Enviro Show. We have conversations, even debates, but ambushes? We don’t think so.....at least not yet. By the way, for a sence of the ongoing debate between proponents and opponents of the Energy Plan checkout the Advocate blog. OK, for openers, what’s with all of the players here using the term, "Pioneer Valley"? My dictionary says pioneers are "a person who is among the first to enter or settle a region". Does that describe the immigrants who pushed the Pocumtucks and Norowotucks out of this valley?



Once again we checkout the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, May 30, 7-9pm. PIONEER VALLEY COALITION TO CHANGE & CHALLENGE WAL-MART. Porter Lounge (3rd Floor) or another room, Converse Hall, Amherst College, Rts 116 & 9, Amherst. Contact Dan Clifford, Wake Up Wal-Mart, 732-6209 x14

Sat, June 2, Noon. Join us at Wells Fountain for a coordinated Die In!! Wells Fountain, Linden and Main St, Brattleboro, VT. Show what it could be like if there was a catastrophic event at Vermont Yankee. For the full 3-5 minute test, people will stop their activities and freeze or fall to the ground. A group will be meeting at 11 am at the Harmony parking lot to walk through downtown and distribute literature and talk with people about what is going to be happening.
Contact Daniel Sicken 802-387-2798 or email dhsicken@yahoo.com.

Friday 8th June 2007; International Day of Direct Action against Climate Change and the G8. Direct Action for Climate Justice – Resistance is Self-Defense! Go to: www.risingtide.org.uk and http://risingtidenorthamerica.org


Saturday, June 9, 2007, 10 - 7pm. RiverFest 2007- Celebrating Energy That's Clean & Green; Shelburne Falls, MA. There will be street musicians and vendors, singing and storytelling, children's games, a mask- and puppet-making workshop (you don't have to be a kid!) leading up to the fabulous "Frog & Flower Parade" PLUS this year's "Quilting Challenge," art contests, trolley rides, fly-tying demonstrations, book, tag and bake sales, and much, much more.

Sunday, June 10, 11am. Flower Festival Ceremony. New England Peace Pagoda, 100 Cave Hill Road, Leverett. Reawakening our highest purpose for life on this precious Earth. Call (413)367-2202.

Sunday, June 10, 1pm. Brushy Mountain Hike. Meet at Leverett Elementary School on Montague Road. Sponsored by the Rattlesnake Gutter Trust.



OK, that's it for us (are we fired?). Next time it's The Endangered Species Enviro Show, something all of us may relate to soon enough, ey? Remember: listen to your Mother AND to us, same bat channel, same bat time!

Saturday, May 12, 2007

The Nightmare on Elm Street Enviro Show


Welcome Earthlings. The nightmare is the Dutch Elm disease and tonight we’ll see if your favorite tree-huggin’ dirt-worshippers and all-around nair-do-wells’ are barking up the wrong tree in our dismay over the destruction of a big healthy elm over here on Pine Street in Florence to make way for a…are you ready?..new warehouse door! Ed Cotton of Cotton Tree Service, and a regional treasure when it comes to awareness of our rooted relations, joins us along with our usual news and views, but first it’s time for.... Revenge of the Critters! Chimps arm themselves! Arrgghhhhh!



Then it's on to our new segment: The Enviro Show Eco Chamber! The corporate news enviro headlines! This from Time Magazine:Eastern U.S. to get hotter. And this warm, fuzzy headline from MSNBC: "U.S. seeks softer warming stand at G8 summit". U.S.? Do they mean you & me? We don't think so! Try "White House"!




There's the Darth Cheney theme, yet again! Oy, Glen! How much longer must we wait?? Used VP free to any evil empire! First come, first serve! Yes, Darth Cheney went to the dark side long ago even before his infamous Energy Task Force. Checkout the link on our blog to the PBS Frontline show Hot Politics, in which Former head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Christine Todd Whitman describes the Bush regime’s withdrawal from the Kyoto agreements: 'The way it happened was the equivalent to flipping the bird, frankly, to the rest of the world [now, who does THAT remind you of?] ... on an issue about which they felt so deeply' ... Soon after, the Bush administration withdrew any U.S. support of the Kyoto protocols and then began a process of stifling the dissemination of key findings by government scientists about climate change". EVERY THING CHANGES, EVERYTHING STAYS THE SAME: Today’s Bush lackey heading the EPA, Stephen Johnson, refused to tell the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee how soon he will comply with a Supreme Court ruling and decide whether to regulate carbon dioxide, the leading gas linked to global warming. ALSO: Iraqi oil workers strike over privatization. AND privatization of Iraqi oil by.....guess who??



Here's our blog bonus: URGENT ACTION ALERT! YOUR HELP NEEDED in the NEXT FEW DAYS! to stop dangerous genetically engineered tree outdoor field trial! Go to: http://globaljusticeecology.org/. AND: Help stop offshore drilling in Virginia
HERE.



"The Tree of Life", by Ethan Miller & Kate Boverman from their "If all the land would rise" CD takes us to our interview with Ed Cotton. You are in for a real treat here, dear listener. We're nominating Ed for the position of Valley Tree God (with the Goddesses permission of course).


As always, next we hop on board the Bus Stop Billboard:

May 15-22, The Valley’s fifth annual Bike Commute Week. Events are designed to encourage Valley citizens to commute by bicycle to work, to school, and for short trips in their communities. For a list of events go to: http://www.massbike.org/mbpv/bikeweek/index.html or call Ruthy Woodring (586-8591)

Wed., May 16, 7pm at the Bridge Street School, Northampton: Attend the Paradise City Forum discussion on the Exit 19 expansion. Visit http://noexit19.net, download a petition opposing the project. Collect signatures and send to: Paradise City Forum PO Box 472 Northampton, MA 01061-0472. For more information, contact Lilly Lombard, jollypair@comcast.net

Saturday, May 19 Benefit concert in Leverett for small-scale development projects of Aymara Indians in Bolivia (see qbl.org.) Annie Patterson is performing contemporary and traditional folk songs from Appalachia and the British Isles and Eduardo Reyes, performing Latin American folk songs and Brazilian jazz with vocals and classical guitar. Potluck at 6, concert at 7:30, at the Mount Toby Friend Meeting, 194 Long Plain Road in Leverett.

Sunday, May 20, 10am. Tom Neilson & potluck brunch. 110 Prospect St., Northampton. Call 413-584-4607 for info. 4pm. ALSO: Tom & potluck desert will be at 30 Grove St., Turners Falls later that day. 10 bucks gets you in the door. Eat! Sing! Fight!!

Sunday, May 20, 1 p.m. Happy Birthday, Rachel Carson. Donna Dufresne, Historical Performer, as Rachel Carson. Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 525 S. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged and can be done by calling (413) 256-6006

Wednesday May 23rd. George W. Bush will be speaking at the commencement ceremony of the Coast Guard Academy at 31 Mohegan Dr. in New London
Join patriotic students, soldiers and veterans, activists and more to protest Bush's visit. To become a co-sponsor, get involved, or for updates call 203-404-9965 or email Connecticut@answercoalition.org

Saturday, May 26th. Protest Darth Cheney at West Point. 8:30 am at the Veteran’s Park in
Highland Falls, NY on Main Street. March to Thayer Gate into West Point for a rally. Go to: http://www.westpointrally.org/ or contact: bennett@westpointrally.org

Fri, June 8, International Day of Action Against Climate Change and the G8. Direct action and civil disobedience are the rational response in this time of
crisis. Support the 8th of June International Day of Direct Action against Climate Change and the G8! Tell us about planned actions for climate justice being planned in your community. Contact us - contact@risingtidenorthamerica.org.



Yes! Another hour of your life enhanced with our Enviro Show Magic Elixir. What better way to celebrate Spring, rite? We'll be back in two weeks. Same bat time, same bat channel!
[We went out with a listener's suggestion: Amherst musician, Paul Kaplan, composed the song "Run, Al, Run", which the listener said "is beginning to achieve national publicity". The song's at: http://www.draftgore.com/RunAlRun.mp3]