Blog Archive

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Yet Another Fuelish Enviro Show









Greetings Earthlings. We return to the timely subject of energy, this time with a call-in from Ricky Baruc of Seeds of Solidarity. What fuels your transportation, your home, your workplace; these once mundane matters are now among the issues of the day. The Seeds of Solidarity School & Farm are off-grid and sans Big Oil. How can we join them? We get a brief call-in from Everglades Earth First! as they battle the corporados to save old-growth cypress. Also, The Enviro Show Echo Chamber looks into more fuelish issues; we checkout The Quote of the Week; and bring our old E-Valley-uation segment back from the grave; but first it's time for..... Revenge of the Critters! Birds demand airspace and the return of abducted chicks!



On to the Quote of the Week!
"Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive ourselves".
~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau



It's the return of our E-Valley-uation segment. This week and AS WE SPEAK!: "Why Nuclear Power? A Debate and Community Forum" during our show? How could they?? It's Tuesday Feb 3 (Snow Date Feb 11); 6:30 – 9:30 pm at the Buckland Town Hall, 2nd Fl, State St, Shelburne Falls. Listen to the Enviro Show as you travel to the forum! ALSO, we read Peter Vickery's recent letter to The Daily Hampshire Gazette concerning the Mt. Tom Coal plant.



"No business like oil business" bumps us into the Enviro Show Echo Chamber where King Coal takes a hit in South Dakota from Obama's EPA!
ALSO, it looks like the new Obama soundbite may be "nil baby, nil" on offshore oil drilling (sorry, Sarah!). AND this from the AP: Obama faces tough choice on Cape Cod wind farm. We guess! FINALLY, Two Enviro Show Blog Bonuses: One is like "An Inconvenient Truth" meets Bread & Puppet here. The other is a plea to our new Interior Secretary to protect the Polar Bear.



Then it's on to our interview with Ricky about Seeds of Solidarity and their excellent work blowing off Big Oil and King Coal while cluing in the kids at the same time. Talk about ambidextrous!



Finally, we scope-out the Bus Stop Billboard:


Wednesday, Feb. 4, 7pm. The First 100 Days: Climate Change and the Dawning of a New Administration. David Orr & Hunter Lovins. Gamble Auditorium, Mt. Holyoke College, S. Hadley

Thursday, Feb. 5, 7pm. "In Praise of the Earth", Screening of film about and reading by Amherst poet Wally Swist at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment, West Street, Amherst. Admission charge.

Friday, February 6th, from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Community Power Kickoff. Bangs Community Center in Amherst (70 Boltwood Walk, Amherst, MA). This kickoff convention features a variety of projects seeking to address community needs.

Saturday, February 7, 2009, 8 to 10 a.m. QUABBIN WINTER WALK. Join exceptional birder and naturalist John Green as he shares stories and takes you through his favorite habitat, the Quabbin Reservoir.
Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006.


Friday, February 27 - Monday, March 02. Washington, DC. Power Shift 2009 is the second national youth summit to solve the climate crisis. Young people from across the country will take a message ofbold, comprehensive and immediate federal
climate action to Washington. Go to: http://www.powershift09.org/


Monday March 2. Take part in a civil act of civil disobedience outside a coal-fired power plant near Capitol Hill. 1,000 or more people will come to Washington, D.C. to encircle the coal plant that provides power to the U.S. Capitol buildings. There will be many hundreds of young people participating following the conclusion of the PowerShift 09 national conference and lobby action. Also participating will be authors and activists Bill McKibben and Wendell Berry. Go to: www.capitolclimateaction.org.


We'll go out with an "Anti-corporate rant",by Patrick Dodd. Sooooo, until next time remember: Listen to your Mother! OK?

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The Bush Be Gone Enviro Show!













Greetings Earthlings. It's PARTY TIME!! Time to pile on the so over Bush regime. Yes, after eight years of THE WORST administration EVER in the White House it is FINALLY time to say: don't let the door hit you on the way out.....no, never mind, let it! We are soooooo done with Darth Cheney and the boy emperor, so done that we've pulled the plug on The Enviro Show Bush countdown clock. That's right, no more Darth Cheney theme; no more bad news from the Bush regime 'cuz that regime's done gone! And, with that in mind we'll turn to this..."George Bush you're going to hell",by Barry P. Smith



With that out of the way it's on with the show! Peter Vickery local lawyer, politico and friend of the planet joins us to talk about the new Prez, enviro politics and King Coal. As always we'll checkout the latest news in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and have at The Quote of the Week, but first it's time for.....Revenge of the Critters! Raging bull attacks house. Talk about a housing crisis!



The Enviro Show Quote of the Day comes from none other than the boy emperor. Remember this one? "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." That was August 5, 2004, in the bad old days.



In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we checkout Chu's energy views from our friends at Grist, BUT the New York Times notes some backpedaling at Chu's confirmation hearing (hope THAT'S not a sign of things to come). On the other hand, Obama's appointee for the Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson promises that science will trump politics at the EPA. Now THAT'S novel! ALSO, another coal waste spill from the TVA. AND from the AP: The Guv's still ga-ga over Cape Wind (groan).



Keeping in the spirit of the times "Down with the King" by the group Chiefly takes us to our interview with Peter Vickery. So it's down with all the kings!




Finally, on the Bus Stop Billboard:


Thursday, January 22, 7-8pm. wonder why birds stay here for the winter? Do you know if you're feeding them the best foods? Great Falls Discovery Center. 2 Avenue A., Turners Falls. Scott Surner founding member and current president of the Hampshire Bird Club and a contributing author to the Bird Finding Guide to Western Massachusetts will be here to answer these questions and more. Ph 413.863.3221.

Thursday-Sunday, Jan 22-25, Women & tracking. Rowe Conference Center. Spend a fabulous long weekend learning and practicing the art of tracking in both inner and outer landscapes. Rowe’s diverse ecosystem includes mixed hardwood forests where fisher, fox, and coyote roam, rocky ridges that are habitat for bobcat and bear, and wetlands that are home to mink, otter, and moose. Call (413) 339-4954for info.

Friday, January 23, 7-9pm. Friends of GFDC present Poetry & Prose, Science and Nature open mike with special guest, Paul Richmond. Bring your original work or a favorite piece of writing- as long as it's related to science or nature! First come, first on the list, so come early to get signed up. Delicious home-made goodies, donation appreciated. Event is free and open to the public. The Enviro Show will be there!


January 23-25, 2009. The Peoples Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle will hold its Winter Gathering at the Greenfield High School, 1 Lenox Ave., Greenfield, MA. Go to: www.peoplesmusic.org

Tuesday Feb 3 - Snow Date Feb 11; 6:30 – 9:30 pm. WHY NUCLEAR POWER? A DEBATE AND COMMUNITY FORUM. Buckland Town Hall, 2nd Fl, State St, Shelburne Falls, MA. For more info Call: Harvey Schaktman at 413-625-6177 or Pam Walker at 413-625-9671.

Saturday, February 7, 2009, 8 to 10 a.m. QUABBIN WINTER WALK. Join exceptional birder and naturalist John Green as he shares stories and takes you through his favorite habitat, the Quabbin Reservoir. Pre-registration is required; please call Hitchcock Center for the Environment at (413) 256-6006.



OK folks, this party will hereby adjourn to the next celebratory venue. Next time we visit with Rick & Debby of Seeds of Solidarity. Until then remember: listen to your Mother, bye George!

Friday, January 02, 2009

Runoff with The Enviro Show











Greetings Earthlings. Our first show in '09 is all about runoff, from your roof, from the yard, from the streets, malls and parking lots. Dr. Dylan Ahearn a hydrologist at Herrera Environmental Consultants in Seattle phones-in with everything you ever wanted to know about runoff but were afraid top ask. As always, we checkout The Enviro Show Echo Chamber for the news and go over to the dark side to see what outrages Darth Cheney and his sock puppet, George have undertaken as they slither away into the night (better check that White House silverware, guys!). Of course, we'll do the Enviro Show Quote of the Week and groan over the TVA's Kingston Coal Ash Containment Area Blowout, but firsts it's time for..... Revenge of the Critters! Jealous rhino rage! An Enviro Show listener tip.



There's that awful theme again, BUT it just may be the last time you hear it on this show. Glen? will it REALLY end? When?? Darth Cheney and the boy emperor still have two weeks to continue trashing the planet. Their minions in the so-called Environmental Protection Agency just had their snarky industrial pollution exemption reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals. They're "disappointed". Tooooo bad! BUT these guys are anything if not persistent: they've declared oil-shale waste as non-hazardous. Guess we can use it as a food additive now! Are they gone yet? No way. They just denied protection for the Arctic Seals, AND , least we forget, these enemies of the Earth are still trying to gut the Endangered Species Act.



Our Enviro Show Quote of the week comes from Wendell Berry:

"How would you describe the difference between modern war and modern industry—between say, bombing and strip mining, or between chemical warfare and chemical manufacturing? The difference seems to be only that in war the victimization of humans is directly intentional and in industry it is "accepted" as a "trade-off." Were the catastrophes of Love Canal, Bhopal, Chernobyl, and the Exxon Valdez episodes of war or of peace? They were in fact, peacetime acts of aggression, intentional to the extent that the risks were known and ignored."



"If I don't take care of the land", by Sarah Barchas takes us to the Enviro Show Echo Chamber where we segway into today's topic with the sorry tale of the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Coal Ash Containment Blowout. Talk about runoff!! Closer to home, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission has a relatively new project in place to address some runoff issues relating to the CT River.



Then it's on to Dylan's phone-in and some good old-fashioned nepotism (yes, we're very related), after which we visit the Bus Stop Billboard:


Saturday, January 10. Washington, DC or...? Keep Winter Cold Polar Bear Plunge. We chose this date because the newly-elected U.S. Congress will be returning to Capitol Hill around this time. The new President will be inaugurated 10 days later. Our plunges into cold bodies of water will say loud and clear to our state and national government leaders that the time for strong action is now!Go to: http://www.keepwintercold.org.


January 9-11, 2009 - Please join us for our annual Winter Retreat for Earth Lovers, to be held at Earthlands in Petersham, Massachusetts. Take some time to reflect in the depths of winter while connecting with the natural world and with one another. Spaces are limited, so sign up soon! Please see our website for a retreat flyer with details and registration information, http://sacredearthnetwork.org/updates/


Saturday, January 17th, All day. Join the Northeast Organic Farming Association for the 22nd Annual Winter Conference, Organic Farming: The Roots of a Sustainable Community. The conference will be held at Worcester Vocational Technical High School in Worcester from 9:00am-5:30pm. Pre-registration is now open. For more information, visit the NOFA/Mass website or contact Conference Coordinator, Jassy Bratko at (978) 928-5646


Fridays, January 16 to February 27, 2009 ; Session 1: 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; Session 2 1 to 3 p.m. NATURE DISCOVERY PRESCHOOL: WINTER WONDERS. Hitchcock Center for the Environment, Amherst. Enjoy the beauty and wonder of winter with cozy indoor activities and fun outdoor exploration. Explore how nature changes with the winter season. Discover the ways animals adapt to the cold and snow. This program is designed for children ages 3-5 accompanied by an adult. The group will go outside for a short exploration each day unless temperatures are extreme. Space is limited so pre-registration early is recommended. Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006.

Thursday-Sunday, Jan 22-25, Women & tracking. Rowe Conference Center. Spend a fabulous long weekend learning and practicing the art of tracking in both inner and outer landscapes. Rowe’s diverse ecosystem includes mixed hardwood forests where fisher, fox, and coyote roam, rocky ridges that are habitat for bobcat and bear, and wetlands that are home to mink, otter, and moose. Call (413) 339-4954for info.



That will be it for this week. Stay tuned to WXOJ for more enviro hi-jinx next time when we delve into our inner-child with Frank Grindrod of Earthwork Programs. Until then remember: listen to your Mother!