Still Another Scary Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Once again Halloween is upon us, or as the ancients might say, Samhain where "in addition to being a time to honor family members, friends and pets who have passed away, Samhain is the final harvest holiday and marks the end—and therefore beginning—of a new cycle on the Wheel." That's a quote from Pagans of the present and speaking of the present, how about that scary Climate Crisis! Yes, it comes complete with ghoulish corporados and their enablers who feed on the planet and its inhabitants like vampires, thinking only of themselves and who or what their next victim might be. We are however, glad to report vampire slayers are hard at work driving a stake through the heart of business-as-usual and sounding the alarm to alert the townsfolk of the impending doom. Montserrat Archbald of Exticntion Rebellion WMass joins us to stir the pot and talk about the group's past and upcoming events Read Out/Die In   which includes dramatic readings from the IPCC Climate Report.  And, as usual, we will also drag you along kicking and screaming to see this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to witness all the dread in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber. That and more, but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters!  Beware Elephant poachers, you may become the prey! 

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is a repeat. He just keeps outdoing himself. It's North Carolina’s Repugnican representative Madison Cawthorn, who this time claimed society is trying to “de-masculate young men” and Cawthorn urged mothers to raise their sons to be “monsters,” in a blatant display of toxic masculinity. Wait, don't we have enough monsters out there already? 

Let's see what The Enviro Show Echo Chamber has in store for us this Halloween. National Geographic perhaps wins the prize for the most timely bit of news. "The discovery set [a researcher] off on a search for more examples of face-down, or prone, burials in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria....They are often compared to other practices, such as mutilation or weighing bodies down with stones, that were believed to thwart vampires and the undead by preventing them from escaping their graves." Here's one for kids of all ages, a page to help people overcome their needless fear of bats, especially at this time of year when these critters become tokens of fear. It's Mass Audubon's Bat Respect Activity Page. Since we're talking critters in terms of Halloween how about the ones who take black & orange to heart? 

Halloween or no, we fear there will always be those who need the reminder that......"It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!"  And, speaking of stupid: "Fossil fuel production planned by the world’s governments “vastly exceeds” the limit needed to keep the rise in global heating to 1.5C and avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis a report, produced by the UN Environment Programme has found. Despite increasing pledges of action from many nations, governments have not yet made plans to wind down fossil fuel production, the report said." And this: One of the dystopian aspects of climate chaos is the breakdown of societal norms and security. This is happening increasingly here at home and around the planet. It is manifested in political breakdown such as hatred, insurrections and mob violence (sound familiar?), mass immigration, food and energy shortages and more. It's scary, once the stuff of fiction and Hollywood disaster films come to life in the here & now and intrinsically tied to the Climate Crisis. Think about it!

 The Enviro Show Quote of the Week is right on target for this show:

“Adults keep saying we owe it to the young people, to give them hope, but I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is.”

                                                               -  Greta Thunberg

After our interview we move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Sunday November 14, 10am to Noon. Climate Disruptions and Dinner: How is climate change impacting our food systems? Food is a basic human need that is not equitably accessed across the United States and globally. As a threat multiplier, climate change will touch every aspect of the way we feed ourselves and our families, from challenges in food production, to supply chain disruptions, to exacerbating our existing food inequalities. This means our food system–from soil and seed to table–needs to become more resilient. Join us to learn more about current threats and solutions at different scales and intervention points.  Go HERE. 

Sunday, November 14, 1:00 p.m. March to ISO HQ to Fix the Grid.  Crosier Field (off MacKintosh Terrace), Holyoke, MA 01040.  We deserve an energy grid that is responsive to the needs of ratepayers and the people living with climate catastrophe and pollution, not fossil fuel executives and utilities.  Join us to march to ISO's doorstep and ask for an actual action plan to adopt our vision for a just and democratic energy grid that phases out fossil fuels and brings clean, renewable energy for all.   Go HERE.

Sunday, November 14,  3:00 pm. H.1003 Teach-In.  Wendell State Forest Alliance (WSFA) has submitted Bill H.1003 (An Act to Ensure Accountability and Public Rights Regarding Commercial Tree Harvesting on Commonwealth-owned Lands) in order to solidify the rights of public participation in decisions concerning our public lands, and to hold our agencies accountable to existing laws designed to minimize climate disruption and environmental damage. Why is this necessary?  DCR claims that these laws don't apply to their commercial logging contracting activities, and a Superior Court judge told us we could do nothing about it because there is no legislation establishing a mechanism for people of the Commonwealth to intervene.  The bill establishes how We the People may exercise our right to a substantial voice regarding whether and how we take care of the public forestslands that take care of us.  Access the language here:  https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H1003 Join us at this link:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82671880461?pwd=cER0d2g5R0NMTW1PbTVlTUxqVlhWZz09
or go to this link and plug in Meeting ID: 826 7188 0461 and Passcode: 705369
Or call in from any phone by dialing +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)Or find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcdOqdlaH6   

Sunday November 14, 7pm. Livable Future -How Can Massachusetts Lead on Climate?  Bill McKibben, Cabell Eames, Rev. Vernon Walker introduced by Sen. Ed Markey Register HERE.  

Monday November 15, 3pm.  COP will fail. Biden has failed. The people must rise up. Boston will be underwater. Boston XR action. JFK Federal Building, Boston, MA. Go HERE.  

Monday November 15, 7pm. Fair Share Ammendment - Investing in Our Communities asnd Ensuring the Ultra-rich Pay Their Fair Share. Prof. Richard Wolf, Merrie Najimy & Max Page. We’ll dive into the inequities of our current tax system that put disproportionate burden on working people, and why the passage of the Fair Share Amendment is a once in a generation opportunity to invest in our communities. Register HERE.  

Wednesday, November 17, 12:00 – 1:00pm. Ask Me Anything about Recycling in MA.   Ever wonder what we really mean when we say “clean and dry?”  Unsure about that bottle cap?  Have a burning question about a specific type of plastic bag?  This is the webinar for you!  The team at Recycle Smart MA are excited to host an hour of Ask Me Anything about Recycling in MA.  We’ll briefly discuss the history behind RSMA, our mission, some of our resources, and then we’ll get right into the Q&A.  Join by registering at the link below.  Space is limited for this lunch and learn session!  https://www.thebeatnews.org/BeatTeam/event/ask-me-anything-about-recycling-in-ma-2/ 

Sunday November 21, 3:30 to 4:30pm.  Karl Meyer :Living Rivers Run Downstream" presentation at Wilbraham Public Library, 25 Crane Park Dr., Wilbraham, MA 01095. Lectures will be streamed on the big screen in the Brooks Room.  People may also view from home by going to bit.ly/RCLSlivestream.

Contact:   rootcauselectureseries@gmail.com

Monday November 22, 7pm. Climate Action Now Virtual General Meeting. Special guest State Rep. Paul Mark introduced by State Rep. Linsay Sabadoza. Register HERE.  

OK, we're out of here but please remember to listen to your Mother.

 

Another CT River Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We return to our beloved and beleaguered Connecticut River again with environmental journalist and river champion, Karl Meyer who points out in a recent blog post:
"For 49 years the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Station has been the number # 1 ecosystem disruptor and fish predator in the 4-state river system comprising today’s S.O. Conte Connecticut River US Fish and Wildlife Refuge." Not much refuge there we guess. As usual we will also introduce you to this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and see if there's been any Backslidin' With Biden (or just some Ridin' with Biden). Also we'll bring you The Enviro Show Quote of the Week and who knows what all, but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters! Neither cartoon magpies Heckle nor Jeckle had an attitude like this bird Down Under. 

Another dangerous Fool-on-the-Hill who we should have trashed months ago is Rep."Mo" Brooks Jr., Repugnican from Alabama's 5th congressional district. Brooks was one of the instigators who spoke at the infamous "Stop the Steal" rally at the White House just prior to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6th by fascist thugs and followers of His Malignancy The Mad King. “Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass,” barked Mr. Brooks from the podium, mistaking domestic terrorists for patriots. “Are you willing to do what it takes to fight for America? Louder! Will you fight for America?” If that sounds like incitement to riot well, ......yeah! 

It looks like a good week for the Prez and not much Backslidin' with Biden. That said, according to Earth Justice's Biden Climate Scorecard  he's not ending new coal, oil, and gas leasing on federal lands or stopping new fossil fuel infrastructure, exports, and pipelines like Dakota Access and Line 3. On the other hand "President Biden announced that he will restore protections to the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a nearly 5,000-square-mile area southeast of Cape Cod, and signed proclamations restoring full protections to Bears Ears and Grand-Staircase Escalante national monuments in Utah. And the New York Times tells us "The Biden administration will lift travel restrictions at the borders with Canada and Mexico starting in November for fully vaccinated travelers, reopening the doors of the United States to tourists and separated family members who have been sealed out of the country during the pandemic." O wait, didn't Faux "News" say unvaccinated immigrants were pouring across the border??  And, that Biden has secured a historic agreement with nearly 140 countries to create a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15%, which will help shut down the use of offshore tax havens. Finally, the League of Conservation Voters points out: "The White House has just announced a proposal to revoke parts of a [Mad King]-era rule that completely gutted the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), one of the most damaging and far-reaching environmental decisions of [His Malignancy's] years."

Time for another Enviro Show Quote of the Week:

“We must begin thinking like a river if we are to leave a legacy of beauty and life for future generations.”  

- David Brower

 After our conversation with Karl we go over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday October 28, 11am.  Up in Smoke: How incinerators pollute MA and should scare all of us! You’ll hear stories from community leaders on the frontlines of the fight against the trash incinerator in Saugus, learn from experts in the field how incineration harms all of us, and get plugged into actions you can take to fight back. Go HERE. 

Friday October 29, 3pm. Fossil Free Future event. young people are rising up across the world to demand an immediate end to the funding of fossil fuel expansion. 425 Washington St, Boston, MA 02108  More here: info@futurecoalition.org.   Register   HERE.

Sunday  October 31, 1 to 2:30pm. Read Out/Die In in Pulaski Park, Northampton. See Above. Wear black. It's Halloween! Over the next two weekends, Extinction Rebellion WMass be hosting public dramatic readings of the latest IPCC report in local Valley towns. These events are designed to draw in passersby, let them know about COP 26, and emphasize the urgency of climate action. At each READ OUT/DIE IN, a small group of rebels and friends will take turns reading a page or two from the IPCC report with all the emotion it stirs up, then lying down on the grass to "die." We encourage participants to wear black or costumes of mourning. The Red Brigade may make an appearance, too! Sign up HERE.  . More info https://www.xrwesternmass.org/cop26  

Wednesday, November 3, 11am. and Thursday, November 4, 11am. 5th International Rights of Nature Tribunal to be held alongside the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26). Due to COVID and traveling restrictions, this Tribunal will be a hybrid event – online through Zoom and in person at the Auditorium of Strathclyde University in Glasgow.

Saturday November 6,  11am to 12:30pm.  Read Out/Die In on the Greenfield Town Common. Over the next two weekends, Extinction Rebellion WMass be hosting  public dramatic readings of the latest IPCC report in local Valley towns. These events are designed to draw in passersby, let them know about COP 26, and emphasize the urgency of climate action. At each READ OUT/DIE IN, a small group of rebels and friends will take turns reading a page or two from the IPCC report with all the emotion it stirs up, then lying down on the grass to "die." We encourage participants to wear black or costumes of mourning. The Red Brigade may make an appearance, too! Sign up HERE.  . More info https://www.xrwesternmass.org/cop26

Monday November 15, 3pm.  COP will fail. Biden has failed. The people must rise up. Boston will be underwater. Boston XR action. JFK Federal Building, Boston, MA. Go HERE. 

OK, we're out of here but please remember to listen to your Mother.

 

 

An Animal Experimentation Enviro Show

 

Greetings Earthlings. The image to your left took up an entire page in the September 10, 2021 issue of the Amherst Bulletin and took some of us by surprise. UMass Amherst is still doing animal experimentation? Apparently the folks at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) think so. Neuroscientist Katherine Roe at PETA joins us to discuss their findings. If you'd like to ask the Chancellor at UMass what on Earth they think are doing here's the contact info: phone 413-545-2211/fax 413-545-2328
chancellor@umass.edu. Speaking of endangered animals, we will also take you to meet this week's Fool-on-the Hill and to poke around The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, as well as checkout if we are still Backslidin" with Biden, but first it's time for Revenge of the Critters! People who "take in the natural, undisturbed beauty" should probably not swim in Beaver ponds! 

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill was also last week's Fool-on-the-Hill and probably will be in the coming weeks, but Margie Greene isn't just a fool, she is totally unhinged and a lot like her idle the fascist former Mad King. This from Salon: "From endorsing the execution of several Democratic lawmakers prior to her election to Congress to her downplaying of COVID-19 to her role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, — during which she was apparently gleeful....Greene is not new to controversy." To put it mildly. 

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we echo some groups who are deeply concerned about critters with whom we share the planet. We should point out before we start, this New York Times piece on the 23 species that have just recently become extinct. Welcome to the Sixth Extinction! Let's start now with The Endangered Species Coalition and frightening plight of the Florida Manatees. They are losing their fight for survival at alarming rates. Already this year, 890 manatees have died, breaking the annual record of 830 manatee deaths in 2013. Loss of seagrass, water pollution, and boat strikes are taking a deadly toll on these gentle giants. The USFWS lowered their protection level from endangered to threatened in 2017. They need to reclassify manatees as endangered once again, to save them from extinction. From the water to the sky, the Monarch Butterfly is still in big trouble regardless of recent encouraging signs here in the Valley. National Geographic has the rundown. Longtime listeners may recall our past reports on the highly endangered Rhinos. Now there's a bill in congress concerning the Black Rhino now and The African Wildlife Foundation is asking for your help.

Sad to say, we've found some more Backslidin' with Biden. In the wake of the Prez's UN General Assembly speech last week there was some grumbling among the NGO's: "President Biden wants to 'rally the world' to action and speaks about leading by example. In order to truly lead, the United States must genuinely do its fair share of climate action," said Brandon Wu, ActionAid USA's director of policy and campaigns. "That means drastic domestic emissions reductions, and massively scaled-up climate finance to enable reductions and support frontline communities in poorer countries." And this: "The Line 3 Pipeline expansion project continues to move forward in Minnesota without so much as a word from President Biden despite protests that have been going on for years." How about having a word with him about that......again? BTW, "the Biden administration argued recently that climate change ”does not present sufficient cause” to halt its plan to expand offshore drilling, and that it plans to move forward with the expansion" according to Civic Shout? O, and this from Food & Water Watch: "During the campaign, Biden made it clear where he stood: “No more drilling on federal lands, period.” From a climate perspective, Biden’s pledge was prudent and necessary; fossil fuel development on federal lands accounts for almost a quarter of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Since taking office, however, the Biden administration has approved thousands of new oil and gas drilling permits. Food & Water Watch has been comprehensively tracking the many pro-fossil fuels statements and decisions made since the start of the administration." Too much Backslidin'! 

Time for our Enviro Show Quote of the Week which calls for yet another journey into the Wayback Machine:

“The assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance is a positively outrageous example of Western crudity and barbarity. Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality.”
                                                             ― Arthur Schopenhauer,

"It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" or is it "Blaa, blaa, blaa"?  You decide!

After our conversation with Katherine Roe we move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

October 11-15, All Day . President Biden: Build Back Fossil Free. Fossil fuel pollution and climate disasters are already disrupting millions of lives. We deserve a world beyond fossil fuels: a world in which workers’ rights, community health, and our shared climate come before corporate profits. That’s why we are coming together to ensure Biden becomes the climate president he promised to be before attending the global climate talks this November. Indigenous people, pipeline fighters, water protectors, young people, scientists, faith leaders, and more are saying enough is enough: it's time to finally place people over fossil fuels. [Wait! what about the Trees??] Go HERE. 

Friday, October 15⋅9:00 – 11:00am. Zoom DCR Stewardship Council Meeting. Usually Monthly on the second Thursday, but this time it is on Friday.  Description:Zoom Meeting ID: 834 5403 8777 Password: 976809 Internet access link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83454038777?pwd=R1lEc2JKUUJBMGhUam1Bazd4WkxBZz09 Telephone access details: (646) 558-8656; 83454038777# 

October 17 & 18.  Faiths 4 Climate Justice.  As people of faith, we believe that the Earth and all people are sacred.  UU Ministry for Earth and Side With Love are joining with thousands of other faith groups and community organizations around the world for a global, multi-religious action on October 17 and 18.   

Friday October 22, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm. Half-Earth Day 2021 is almost here! On October 22, 2021, the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, in partnership with the Eden Project and presenting sponsor CBRE, will convene Half-Earth Day. The event will be held virtually with live streams from the U.S. and The Royal Geographical Society in London. This is our moment for biodiversity. In this year of biodiversity, when the world is gathering to chart a path forward to protect all life on Earth from the extinction threat, we gather to raise our voices for the hopeful solution of Half-Earth. This is our moment to leave no species behind. Hear from E.O. Wilson, Sir David Attenborough, Sir Tim Smit, Razan Al Mubarak, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Johan Rockström, and many other distinguished speakers in panel discussions, plenary sessions, inspiring films, and talks. Go HERE. 

Tuesday October 26, 7 to 8:30pm.  Climate Action Now Monthly Gathering. We currently meet on Zoom on the 4th MONDAY evening of each month from 7- 8:30. All are welcome! Look out for zoom registration details before the next meeting in our newsletter or on Facebook. https://climateactionnowma.org/ 

OK folks, we are out of here but for one thing...........remember to listen to your Mother.