Another Not Really Renewable Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Just in case you are thinking us crazed tree huggers are the only ones going on and on about the critical need to protect and preserve as many trees as possible in these times of climate chaos and that wood pellet and chip produced energy is not really renewable, we have invited Sasha Stashwick , Senior Advocate for Energy, Transportation and Food and Agriculture Programs at  the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to join us this week. [UPDATE: INTERVIEW HERE] Given that NRDC "combines the power of more than three million members and activists with the expertise of some 500 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild" maybe you'll give us dirt worshipping tree huggers a bit more cred on this issue? We hope so. As always, we'll also take you to visit this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to see His Malignancy The Mad King, as well as a trip to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, but first it's time for...........Revenge of the Critters! It's deer hunting season once again here in WMass so it seems a good time to once again run a piece about the hunted turning the tables on the hunter.

Our Fool-on-the-Hill this time is none other than the Senate Majority leader who garnered this recent headline: "Mitch McConnell says his top goal as Senate leader is to remake the judiciary, a higher priority even than tax reform." Of course his idea of "remake" is what we used to call packing the court, in this case with unqualified reactionary far-right ideologues. It's party over country with these guys and, if they have their way, you can kiss the biosphere and your constitutional rights goodbye.

His Majesty The Mad King is next in line for our.......admonitions? We may not be big on buying in to the term "consumers" but unlike some of His Malignancy's recent picks for agencies meant to protect folks who might call themselves by that dehumanizing moniker we're not trying to shaft them.   The most prominant of these is longtime Repugnican operative, Mick Mulvaney who is trying to upend the Consumer Finance Protection Agency our senator Liz Warren created to go after Wall Street. Another protector of so-called consumers is the Consumer Product Safety Commission that The Mad King wants pro-corporate litigator Dana Baiocco to drive off the cliff.  Over at what we used to call the Environmental Protection Agency [inset hysterical laughter here] His Malignancy's troll continues to hack away at the branch. We have a Blog Action Link HERE calling for an investigation. O, and the Repugs in the Senate confirmed The Mad King's pick for head of the Mine Health and Safety Administration, of course he slithered out from under one of those violation prone mining corps. How about having a lawyer who was "most recently at the Hunton & Williams law firm, whose client list includes the American Petroleum Institute, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, the American Chemistry Council and the National Association of Manufacturers" head the EPA Office of Air and Radiation?  What could go wrong! Finally, the White House Council on Environmental Quality garners this headline: "More Than 300 Scientists Pen Letter Opposing Trump's Pick for Top Climate Post, but Senate Committee Confirms Her Anyway" That would be Kathleen Harnett White, she of little knowledge.

How about a video Quote of the Week this time? Checkout our "Silent Friends" 

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we rerun The Guardian's report on how our recent hurricanes have influenced people's thinking about the Climate Crisis. "About 54% said that climate change worsened the extreme heat waves, wildfires, and hurricanes that pummeled the country in 2017." Maybe 46% weren't watching TV or are Flat-Earth enthusiasts? And this from HuffPo: Leonard Higgins found guilty of shutting down tar sands pipeline after being barred from mentioning climate chaos in court!  The Berkshire Eagle, that's been doing excellent coverage of the Otis State Forest vs. Kinder Morgan issue all this time, has an eye-opener concerning the toxic water KM/TGP has created in our state forest. Read all about it!


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



Tuesday December 19th at 11am 350MA will be traveling with great cheer around the Massachusetts State House to deliver  actual holiday wish lists to their offices. PLEASE SIGN your name onto the list headed to your legislators by filling out this form. If you are available, come help us deliver them!


Wednesday December 20, 6 to 7:30pm. Celebrate the Winter Solstice! Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge, Hadley, MA. RSVP: Required online  The Winter Solstice, and the longest night of the year, is fast approaching. Solstice means “sun stands still,” giving us a moment to pay homage to the stillness of this seasonal turning point, the stillness of the natural world, and our own inner stillness through the practice of mindfulness.

Join the “if Trump fires Mueller” Rapid Response Team – Sign up to join our local MoveOn.org's "Mueller Firing Rapid Response" campaign. It's at 50 State St (Springfield MA U.S. District Court Building) in Springfield. This is one of 350 events planned nationwide if Trump fires Mueller. But, it's not just a reactive plan—our efforts are already making news, helping show that there will be an immediate backlash if Trump fires Mueller.  RSVP here to join.     

That's all  folks! Until next time remember: Listen to your Mother, OK?