Greetings Earthlings and
greetings to Spring, the Vernal Equinox has arrived once again.While it is the
beginning of Spring it's also "The End of Ice". Dahr
Jamail calls in to talk about his recent book and his travels in a troubled
world. And speaking of trouble we will also take you to see this week's
Fool-on-the-Hill and His Malignancy The Mad King, as well as reminding those
who aren't paying attention that It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid! All that and
more (as they say) but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters!
Easter Bunnies take
over Florida neighborhood. Another oldie.
This week we present a
bevy of Fools-on-the-Hill: The exclusively white, male, and Republican
leadership of the Congressional Western Caucus who recently hosted a “policy
forum” on the Green New Deal — a “Green Pipe Dream,” as they call it — flanked
by a who’s who of the country’s most prominent climate deniers, including the
Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Myron Ebell to ClimateDepot founder Marc
Morano. Ceremoniously, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, ate a hamburger, apparently in
reference to the GND's concern about cows affect on the climate. On the other
side of the isle Dems are trashing the GND too. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is a
longtime supporter of fossil fuel interests, which have donated prolifically to
his campaigns over the years. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J. — who was instrumental
in killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s resolution to create a Select
Committee on the Green New Deal — has taken in hundreds of thousands of dollars
from polluting industries. We know history will trash these Fools but now is
the time for them to just get out of the way!
His Malignancy has officially
nominated David Bernhardt to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior. The guy
has more conflicts of interest than any other nominee for a Cabinet position
nominated during The Mad King's administration, according to a new analysis from the Center
for American Progress. Just sayin'! We guess you won't be surprised to hear His
Malignancy's call
for a review of more than two dozen recent national monument designations was
a sham. Surprise! Here's an indicator of just how far down the rabbit hole
we've gone with The Mad King: Shell Oil is asking His Malignancy's enablers to regulate
them! And this: The gritty
details of Mad King's Budget for a Ruined America. Read it and weep (or
better yet, RESIST!). Finally, it looks like the Climate Crisis has
been.....delayed? His Malignancy's EPA head climate criminal, "Andrew Wheeler
told CBS News in an interview airing Wednesday that climate change is “an
important issue,” but most of the threats it poses are “50 to 75 years out” and
it’s “unreasonable” for the 2020 Democratic candidates to focus so much on
it." Someone's not paying attention!
Once again, in case YOU haven't
been paying attention.....It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid! First the good news:
On Friday March 15 millions of students world-wide walked out of class in a Strike
for the Climate! We hope the whole world was watching,
especially climate change deniers like the one we saw giving junior high school
kids on Martha's Vineyard the thumbs down. Wake-up, grumpy old white men! Do
the research/Stop letting Faux "News" fascists tell you what to
think. Now this:
"On Monday, March 4th, 2019
a precedent-setting case was filed with the European General Court in
Luxembourg challenging the treatment of forest biomass as a renewable fuel in
the European Union’s 2018 revised Renewable Energy Directive (known as RED II).
The case argues that RED II will accelerate widespread forest devastation and
significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions by not counting CO2 emissions
from burning wood fuels. Wood-fired power plants emit more CO2 per unit of
energy generated than coal plants, but RED II counts these emissions as zero.
The treatment of forest biomass as low or zero–carbon renewable energy in both
RED I and RED II has and will continue to increase harvesting pressure on
forests in Europe and North America to
meet the growing demand for woody biomass fuel in the EU." Got it?
OK, so you're sick and tired of our doom and gloom and just want to veg out
on....what? re-runs of Sex and the City? Try Umbra's 21-Day Apathy Detox!
BTW, The Enviro Show and many other defenders of the planet have co-signed a letter
to the Gov (PDF) voicing our opposition to his promotion of commercial wood
biomass heating and its consequences to our climate. Finally, here's our
guest's latest piece on the Climate Crisis in Truthout. It's getting hot in
here!
In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber
we find this
Guardian piece informing us "About 70% of
fresh produce sold in the US has pesticide residues on it even after it is
washed, according to a health advocacy group. According to the
Environmental Working Group’s annual analysis of US Department of Agriculture
data, strawberries, spinach and kale are among the most pesticide-heavy
produce, while avocados, sweetcorn and pineapples had the lowest level of
residues." Yet another reason to buy organic! Checkout our International
Day of Forests Tour of UMass when the proclamation was left on DCR's door. Our friends at Beyond Nuclear reminded us that March 28 is the 40th anniversary of the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown in Pennsylvania.
After our conversation with Dahr
we move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:
Monday, April 8, 2019, 9:30 – 3:00 pm. Millennials
for 100% Renewable Energy Lobby Day to bring the voices of millennials to
Beacon Hill. Massachusetts State House (meet in room 350) . Questions: Contact Ben Hellerstein, ben@environmentmassachusetts.org,
617-747-4368
Tuesday, April 9, 6:00 to 8:00pm. Public Information Session on fate of Hadley Barn Swallows. U.S. Fish and Wildlife is holding a public informational meeting about the Bri-Mar Stable Environmental Assessment (EA). This is your best opportunity to directly ask questions and/or comment on the EA and to learn more about the issue. Please attend the meeting if you can to show you care about the Fort River Barn Swallows! U.S. Fish and Wildlife Regional Office, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA Go to: https://www.facebook.com/SaveOurSwallows/
Tuesday, April 9, 6:00 to 8:00pm. Public Information Session on fate of Hadley Barn Swallows. U.S. Fish and Wildlife is holding a public informational meeting about the Bri-Mar Stable Environmental Assessment (EA). This is your best opportunity to directly ask questions and/or comment on the EA and to learn more about the issue. Please attend the meeting if you can to show you care about the Fort River Barn Swallows! U.S. Fish and Wildlife Regional Office, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA Go to: https://www.facebook.com/SaveOurSwallows/
Saturday April 14, 10:30am. The Rock Dam: a fragile endangered sturgeon sanctuary.
Join
sturgeon expert Dr. Boyd Kynard and journalist Karl Meyer for a short
hike to this exceptional and beleaguered aquatic refuge where endangered
shortnose sturgeon and other species have spawned for thousands of
years. Kynard recounts their biology and his results from decades of
sturgeon research at the Rock Dam pool; Meyer gives an overview of this
embattled river reach, including geology and human and industrial
history. Free.
No pre-registration necessary. Meet at public lot off G Street in Turners Falls, near USGS Conte Fish Lab sign. Includes brief, steep, rugged terrain; not handicapped accessible. Walk best suited for ages 10 and above. Heavy rain cancels.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at 7 – 9pm. Reading Climate Change & Consciousness. Deb Koffman's Art Space, 137 Front St, Housatonic, MA. d.o. will be reading his new climate poem! Readings selected for participation in the April 16 event will also be eligible for publication in a Spring 2019 special edition of the online magazine Fired Up! Creative Expression for Challenging Times, edited by Jennifer Browdy and Jana Laiz.
Wednesday April 17, TBA. Extinction
Rebellion Boston begins its non-violent uprising against the long-standing
criminal inaction on our planet's ecological breakdown. Our governments and the
media have failed to tell the truth about the climate crisis and local
environmental emergencies, and failed to communicate the need for drastic
action in order to save life on our planet. Because of these crimes against
humanity, we will gather at the site of the Boston Massacre at noon and demand
truth from media sites in downtown Boston. We will then take publicly
disruptive, non-violent action to declare what we know to be true, and upend
the repressive silence around the climate emergency. Some of us will commit
civil disobedience. The rest of us must bear witness to their courage, and stand
with over 200 groups around the world participating in XR's week of action. If
you cannot make it to the action in person, we will outline disruptive actions
you can take from afar -- but we hope we will see you there! We are the ones
we've been waiting for. With love & rage, XR Boston. Go HERE.
Friday April 19, 11am to 2pm. Youth Led Climate Strike! Statehouse, Beacon Hill, Boston MA. Meet at 11am in front of the State House to fight for our future! Entirely youth-led protest for students from Massachusetts and the greater New England area!. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/1042235505987607/
Saturday April 20, 10am to 4pm. Greenfield Earth Day Events,
Vision of Greenfield Pollinator Corridor, and Trip report: Ireland’s Pollinator
Plan. John Zon Community Center, 35 Pleasant St., Greenfield, MA. Go to: PollinatorsWelcome.com
Sunday, April 21, 2019 at 3 – 5pm. Screening of "The Lost Forests of New England" at Gateway City Arts92 Race St, Holyoke, MA. In celebration of Earth Day, come enjoy a film showing of "The Lost Forests of New England: Conserving Our Remnant Old-Growth Forests." This documentary by Ray Asselin includes stunning footage of our region's rarely seen old-growth trees, and tells the story of central New England's old-growth forests: what they once were, what changes have taken place since European settlers arrived, and what our remnant old-growth stands look like today. Bob Leverett, co-founder of the Native Tree Society and an old-growth tree expert, is featured in this fascinating film. Following the 1-hour screening, there will be a Q&A featuring Bob Leverett, Ray Asselin, and botanist Jared Lockwood, hosted by Lee Halasz, Kestrel's TerraCorps Regional Conservation Coordinator. Come for Brunch at The Bistro at Gateway City Arts prior to the Film!
Monday April 22, 2 to 8pm. Green New Earth Day Dance, March and Forum.
First Churches of Northampton, MA, 129 Main St, Northampton, MA. A Call: Energize your passion for healing the Earth and helping her children by dancing, marching, and learning about the GREEN NEW DEAL! Join with MuZen Theater's giant puppets, Cellist, Stephen Katz, The Climate Action Band, Berkshire Bateria, and more! Followed by a March For Climate Action to the Forum for A Green New Deal at Northampton High School. For Our Children And Our Grandchildren And Their Children And Their Children’s, Children’s, Children’s, Children! Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/249294522680797/
Monday April 22, 7:30 to 9pm. The New Green Deal. On Earth Day, join the Amherst College Democrats and Amherst College Office of Environmental Sustainability to hear from New Consensus Policy Director Rhiana Gunn-Wright! Gunn-Wright has been called "the architect of the Green New Deal" and will be speaking about the process of creating what many say is the boldest and most progressive piece of climate legislation in American history. This event is free and open to the public. Johnson Chapel, Amherst College, Amherst, MA.
Saturday April 27, 10am to 4pm. Amherst Sustainability Festival. Amherst Town Common. Join us for a day of family fun and education! Information on sustainable practices, resources and products for sustainable homecare, as well as live entertainment, face painting, live demonstrations and MORE. There’s something for everyone. More details to come! Questions? Contact Stephanie Ciccarello at ciccarellos@amherstma.gov
Saturday April 27, All Day. Local Environmental Action Conference. Worcester, MA. Some big challenges we’re facing are climate change. Pollution from landfills and incinerators. Environmental racism and discrimination against working class folks. Toxic water coming out of kitchen taps and school water fountains. Lack of political will to leave the fossil fuel industry behind. We’re up against some big problems, and we know we can’t face them all alone. That’s why hundreds of activists across our region come together every year for Local Environmental Action—to build a movement where we’re all working together to bring about a better future.
Join us! Register for the Local Environmental Action conference on Saturday, April 27 in Worcester, MA.
Monday April 22, 7:30 to 9pm. The New Green Deal. On Earth Day, join the Amherst College Democrats and Amherst College Office of Environmental Sustainability to hear from New Consensus Policy Director Rhiana Gunn-Wright! Gunn-Wright has been called "the architect of the Green New Deal" and will be speaking about the process of creating what many say is the boldest and most progressive piece of climate legislation in American history. This event is free and open to the public. Johnson Chapel, Amherst College, Amherst, MA.
Saturday April 27, 10am to 4pm. Amherst Sustainability Festival. Amherst Town Common. Join us for a day of family fun and education! Information on sustainable practices, resources and products for sustainable homecare, as well as live entertainment, face painting, live demonstrations and MORE. There’s something for everyone. More details to come! Questions? Contact Stephanie Ciccarello at ciccarellos@amherstma.gov
Saturday April 27, All Day. Local Environmental Action Conference. Worcester, MA. Some big challenges we’re facing are climate change. Pollution from landfills and incinerators. Environmental racism and discrimination against working class folks. Toxic water coming out of kitchen taps and school water fountains. Lack of political will to leave the fossil fuel industry behind. We’re up against some big problems, and we know we can’t face them all alone. That’s why hundreds of activists across our region come together every year for Local Environmental Action—to build a movement where we’re all working together to bring about a better future.
Join us! Register for the Local Environmental Action conference on Saturday, April 27 in Worcester, MA.
That's it for now Earthlings but
remember when you're out there to listen to your Mother!
That's it for
