A Garden State Reevaluate Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Do you recall our previous conversations regarding so-called "Early Successional Habitat"?  How the term is one of the more recent euphemisms for clearcutting? Recently the state of New Jersey sued itself for engaging in such climate crimes. Ken Dolsky of New Jersey Forest Watch and Silvia Solaun of Friends of Sparta Mountain join us to parse the issues. [INTERVIEW UPDATE HERE] As always, we will guide you along to meet this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and those whose Brains Were Small, as well as a reminder to anyone who just returned from extended time travel that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" but first it's time for....Revenge of the Critters! Another Zoo Keeper meets a 400-pound  Bengal Tiger in the wrong place. 

 

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL)who has been racking up fool's points for some time now. On June 16 he tweeted a rant “In case you forgot the sham #January6thcommitteehearings are purely for TV ratings,” Steube wrote in a since-deleted tweet, “Pelosi let The Communist News Network [CNN] build a full TV set"..[from the floor of the Capitol].  Actually it was a CNN studio set with a backdrop.  On February 2021 during a debate in the House on the passage of the Equality Act, Steube read from the Bible: "A woman must not wear men’s clothing nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this”.  That may have passed muster some two thousand years ago, but hey Greg, check your calendar.

 

We're figuring Greg is not much of a science believer but even so he should know "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and on Earth Day there were countless folks out in the streets letting everyone know. There were tens of thousands in the UK outside of Parliament for "The Big One". "The climate and ecological crisis isn't something that is going to happen in the future, it is already here, we can see it with the noticeable lack of insects and wildlife every spring and summer," said Zoe Cohen, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion. Activists are demanding that the U.K. government "end all new licenses, approvals, and funding for fossil fuel projects as we begin a transition to a fair society centered on reparatory justice for all life on earth." It's no wonder actions like that took place across the planet. This from NBC: "The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are now losing more than three times as much ice a year as they were 30 years ago, according to a new comprehensive international study. Using 50 different satellite estimates, researchers found that Greenland’s melt has gone into hyperdrive in the last few years." Que Tom Neilson.

 

This week we award a "Their Brains Were Small & They Died" trophy to Repugs in the Michigan Senate for this headline: "Half of State Senate GOP votes to keep Michigan’s 92-year-old ban on unmarried cohabitation."  There are only two states in the entire Union that still have such faux moralistic laws on the books and yet we still have thinking like this: “This type of family structure lends itself to instability and is not the optimal environment for raising children,” Sen. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, said. “The problem with this reform is that it fails to recognize the secondary effects. ... This is a policy I cannot get behind, because there is clear and overwhelming evidence to show that it is better for children to be in a household with married parents.” Such evidence was apparently not presented, most likely because it doesn't exist. 

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we find this PETA graphic [PDF] in all our local newspapers, some being full-page, speaking truth to power on UMass Amherst's torture of marmoset monkeys mutilated and killed for experiments. PETA also released a 30-second video spot that will air on TV streaming services showing footage of the terrified animals imprisoned in tiny, barren cages, cowering and screaming as a voiceover describes the suffering they endure in experimenter Agnès Lacreuse’s laboratory.

 

 Another week/Another Backslidin' with Biden, sad to say. This time Common Dreams tells us: "Climate advocates....denounced the "hypocrisy" of the Biden administration, which doubled down on the White House's push for the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline late last week, just as President Joe Biden was pledging a renewed commitment to environmental justice."  Such sleight-of-hand reminds us of the Obama Admin, wonder why? Some activists were pushing back recently.  That said, The Prez also threw some money globally "President Biden announced the US government would deliver $1 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the first US contribution to the GCF since 2017. This announcement from the Administration further emphasizes the President's commitment to lead strong climate action internationally." That last bit of editorializing from the World Wildlife Fund. And finally, another "Watch what they do, not what they say" moment from Inside Climate News: "The Biden administration completes inventory, launches plan for new rules on "climate resilience" for forests. Meanwhile, logging continues in carbon-rich federal stands."  We'd call that a bad look. 

 

With that, how about an Enviro Show Quote of the Week? You don't have to go far for this one:

"When we don't advance and live up to our own rhetoric and standards, we set a terrible message of duplicity and hypocrisy."

                                                               -  John F. Kerry 

 After our conversation with Silvia & Ken it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Saturday May 13, 10am: Rally and march in support of protections for Climate Forests like Telephone Gap and against biomass electricity! The Save Public Forests Coalition is planning a rally, march, and "tree theater" on Saturday May 13th in Burlington, VT. Meet at the north end of the Church St Marketplace at 10am. The march will go about one mile and last for approximately one hour. Come dressed as a tree! If you are interested in helping us put together a fun skit, please get in touch with Laura Simon at simonlaura06@gmail.com.  

 

Tuesday May 16, 2023 10:00-11:30am. TRITIUM AND THE US NUCLEAR POWER SECTOR. A question and answer period will follow the Zoom presentations. What is tritium? Why is it harmful? What damage can it do in our environment and how does it get into the food chain and into our bodies? And are there alternatives to releasing it? Stop Holtech rad dumping in Cape Cod Bay!  Go HERE.  

  Wednesday, May 17, 12pm Noon.  New Programs for Fleet Electrification in Massachusetts. Fleet vehicles represent a major portion of emissions and air pollution in Massachusetts. Electrifying these trucks, buses, and light-duty vehicles can reduce both CO2 and particulate matter pollution emissions for all communities in an equitable manner while meeting the Commonwealth’s zero emission goals. Zoom presentation HERE. 

Thursday May 18, 4:00–5:00pm. Cutting Ties With Plastic – Making Progress! What are you doing and learning about single-use plastic (SUP) reduction? Your ideas are important so we share what positive solutions are possible. We will be sharing about lots of new things happening at all levels from industry redesign of plastic to be recyclable, state and local ordinances to ban SUPs, and new reprocessing methods. We must work together to reduce the methane emissions by SAYING NO and finding alternatives. Push back to the fossil fuel companies and the packaging industry, and to stores we frequent. Filter out Microplastics. Watch what we buy – reduce consumption. Interested in learning more about the Take the Pledge campaign? Click HERE

 

Saturday, May 20, Noon, (Rain date: May 21). End the Springfield, MA Pipeline Project. Stearns Square, Springfield MA. Add your voice to our call for an end to the proposed Eversource pipeline project and a halt to new gas system expansions until Massachusetts develops an effective plan for a just and rapid transition to the clean energy future we need to maintain a livable global ecosystem. We encourage you to arrive anytime between 12:00 and 12:45 PM for a family-friendly event with tabling, music, activities for kids, and time for connecting informally. Our rally with speakers, chants and music will start at 1:00 PM sharp, followed by a short march past the Bliss St. gas regulator station. To learn more go to our website   

 

 

Sunday, May 21, 12 noon. “Let’s Advocate for Political Action on Our Environment”.  We will be hosting a panel of four advocates: State Senator Jo Comerford, Bram Moreinis, Leigh Youngblood and Al Norman. This event is free and open to the public. The Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew at 8 Church Street in Greenfield, MA. Please enter the church through the main doors facing Federal Street. Snacks will be available. If you have questions please email Ella Ingraham at ejmai127@gmail.com or call her at 860-694-4420. 

 

 

Monday, May 22  7-8:30pm via Zoom. Climate Action Now monthly gathering. Featured speaker. Billy M. Williams, Executive Vice President, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, American Geophysical Union. Leading a global initiative for the development of an Ethical Framework for Climate Intervention: https://ethicsandequitycenter.org/  

Thursday May 25, 7 pm Balancing Sustainability, Growth & Development in Plymouth, MA. Plymouth Great Hall, 26 Court Street.  Zoom and In Person. Community Land and Water Coalition will be a featured speaker on the panel for this discussion about development in Plymouth. Please join us! Contact sustainableplymouth@gmail.com with questions.

 

Wednesday, May 31, 4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Community Connections for Climate Action. Fitchburg Senior Center, 14 Wallace Ave, Fitchburg, MA 01420. 4:30 p.m. - film screening of Marion Stoddart:: The Work of 1000. 5-6 p.m. - Find Your Place to Help Resource Fair - an opportunity for people to learn about all the different groups in the region working on environmental and climate justice issues. 6-7 p.m. - A moderated conversation with Melissa Hoffer, Massachusetts’ first ever Climate Chief. Hoffer has focused on place-based climate initiatives such as those involving forests, farms, buildings, and communities.

Saturday, June 3, 10am-12pm.  Establishing Young Forest Habitat in the Ware River Watershed. Meets at: DCR DWSP Oakham Field Office, 578 Old Turnpike Rd Oakham. 

https://goo.gl/maps/QhLn1AhgaYWs4KF16We will carpool to the walk site. Curious how active management of a forest can help establish young forest habitat? [Is it all b.s.?]   Join DCR-DWSP staff for a walk through the Ware River watershed forests and learn how we manage our forests to promote new growth, and how active forest management leads to healthier environment for our region. Register HERE.  

Saturday June 17, 11am.  Preserve October Mountain State Forest. The  intersection  of Washington Mtn. Road and West Branch Road, Washington. At October Mountain State Forest (here for map). At 16,500 acres, October Mountain is the largest state forest in Massachusetts. You'll find trails for any level of hiking experience, and you can also visit nearby Tanglewood, popular music venue and home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. 

Should we be logging and managing this area? Or should it be protected like a National Park? For more information please contact: Susan Purser and Janet Sinclair - savemassforests@gmail.com

Belated Arbor & May Day greetings, folks so please remember to listen to your Mother! 

 

 

A Turf Battle Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Now that it's Springtime a lot of us are thinking about green things. Some folks out there are trying to convince us that artificial turf is green but actually it only looks green. Kyla Bennett director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibilityand Aalana Feaster of Restore and Preserve Morton Street Tree Canopy return to the show to have a closer look.[UPDATE HERE ] As always we will also bring you along to meet this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and our candidate for "Their Brains Were Small & They Died", as well as a trip to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and more but for now it's time for......Revenge of the Critters! Far-right Indian politician taken out by a group of rhesus macaques.

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill was foolish enough to say that the Uvalde shooter could have murdered all those kids with his hands or a baseball bat since he had so much time? Texas Sen. Bob Hall, a Repugnican repeated that tired old pro-gun phrase: "It's not the gun, it's the person." without thinking the shooter's AR-15 is what kept the out-gunned police in the hall. So again, why haven't repugs agreed to ban AR-15 assault rifles? 

"There brains were small and they died" refers to both the dinosaurs and those among us who seem stuck in some sort of Reptilian mindset. This guy may qualify: "The man behind a massive leak of U.S. government secrets that has exposed spying on allies, revealed the grim prospects for Ukraine’s war with Russia and ignited diplomatic fires for the White House." Jack Teixeira [Ta shay ra] is reportedly a young, racist anti-Semite gun enthusiast who shared highly classified documents with a group of acquaintances searching for companionship. Maybe all their brains are too small?  

We pretty sure both Jack and Bob, before him don't give a damn that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and apparently neither does the Fossil Fool's industry 'cuz they are going full bore according to the New York Times.  "The data reflect a surging fossil fuel industry that has rebounded to prepandemic levels of growth...Much of the growth is taking place in traditional oil- and gas-producing nations such as the United States, Saudi Arabia and Norway. Gas, in particular, is booming. Qatar is planning to unveil the world’s biggest gas production facility in 2025. In the United States, the fracking of shale rock beds for gas is resurgent, accounting for many times the level of investment and extraction as a project like Willow." Read it and weep, Enviro Show listeners...then go out and Stand Up/Fight Back!  And this bit of disturbing news: "Melting ice around Antarctica will cause a rapid slowdown of a major global deep ocean current by 2050 that could alter the world’s climate for centuries and accelerate sea level rise, according to scientists behind new research. The research suggests if greenhouse gas emissions continue at today’s levels, the current in the deepest parts of the ocean could slow down by 40% in only three decades." 

On to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber where we have yet more doom & gloom for you, this time in, what we used to call, far off Japan. As you may know, radioactive emissions know no bounds. "Images released [recently] by the operator of Japan's destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant showed significant damage on the inside of one of the facility's three melted reactors, heightening fears that another earthquake in the region could spark a fresh radioactive catastrophe." Yes, the meltdown was twelve years ago but, guess what? Nobody really knows what to do about it. 

We may be Backslidin' with Biden if he can't rein in one of his own agencies. "U.S. government agencies are expected to quantify the climate impact of their actions under new guidance issued by President Joe Biden’s administration at the start of this year. But last month, the U.S. Forest Service decided to move forward with a 16,000-acre logging project [clearcut actually] on the border of Yellowstone National Park without applying the new White House guidance, which would have involved a detailed projection of the resulting greenhouse gas emissions."  OK, so who's in charge down in DC anyway??  O and this:  "On Back of Willow Project, Biden DOE Approves 'Another Carbon Bomb' in Alaska."  It seems The Alaska LNG Project hopes to export around 20 million metric tons of fracked gas per year starting in 2030. We guess that's part of his "Clean Energy Revolution"?? 

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

Thursday April 27, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm.   Join Speak for the Trees and Professor Mwalim to learn more about the traditional Indigenous perspectives on trees, which were dismissed as mystical nonsense by colonizers that later proved to be scientific fact! Event is held in the East Room of the Non-Profit Center, 89 South Street,  Boston, MA 02111. Registration: in-person HERE  or on Zoom HERE. 

 

THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 7-8:30pm.  Online. “Why Concern about Wireless?" FCC and Health Court Defeat, Smart Meter Risks, Citizens’ Petitions. When the Pittsfield Verizon cell tower was activated in 2020, symptom onset and illness drove people from their homes. The neighborhood has been seeking assistance for nearly 1000 days due to the nuisance toxin, as confirmed by the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards Contact:  Safetechmillis@gmail.com

Saturday April 29, 8:30am. Greening Greenfield Nature Walk. Join wildlife ecologist and naturalist Pat Serrentino for a walk in Highland Park to explore the many habitats in this urban park, and look and listen for the animals that reside year round in the park, as well as those that migrate to our area in the spring. To add your name to the registration list email: ediesh82346@gmail.com; simply write: “I wish to join the April 29th nature walk” and give your name(s) and phone number(s).

Saturday, April 29, 9am to noon.  Invitation from the Plainfield Tree Alliance:  Join our Arbor Day tree planting event.  We are meeting at 32 South Central which is the first house on the left south of the stop sign at the corner of Rt. 116 (better known as Mr. Tire). The house is grey, set back from the road with a smaller grey cottage sitting to the north of it. The Tree Warden from Northampton will be demonstrating the correct way to plant bare root trees shortly after 9am so getting there on time is encouraged. However, you are under no obligation to stay so feel free to leave whenever anyone needs to.

 

Tuesday May 2, 11am.  Asthma Justice Rally organized by Clean Water and the Green Justice Coalition   in front of Dudley café located at 15 Warren St, Boston, MA 02119. The event is free to attend and will feature health experts, lawmakers, and grassroots organizers who are working to improve the health of Massachusetts' Environmental Justice Communities. You will have the opportunity to learn about these issues and how to take action on World Asthma Day. To RSVP: please visit our Facebook event page.  

Thursday May 4, 10am.  The legislative sponsors of the Municipal Reforestation bill (Senator Cynthia Creem, Rep. Steven Owens and Rep. Jennifer Armini) are hosting a legislative briefing for legislators on May 4 at 10 a.m. in Room 428 of the State House, to describe the purpose of the bill and to encourage their colleagues to co-sponsor the bill. Organizations devoted to planting more trees in urban areas and maintaining and preserving the ones we have are invited to attend. This will give you an opportunity to learn more about the Municipal Reforestation bill, as well as the Public Shade tree bill, and also to meet legislators and their staff who attend.  Zoom link HERE. Contact HERE.

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 1– 4:00pm. Proposed legislation for pesticide reform and pollinator protection is expected to receive a public hearing before the Joint Committee on Environmental and Natural Resources at the Massachusetts State House in Boston (and on-line). This public hearing is a critical opportunity to demonstrate support from the movement for healthy living landscapes and toxins reduction. We encourage all supporters to submit written testimony and are seeking subject matter experts and grassroots leaders to speak the day of the hearing.  Please indicate your interest to receive details and updates from NOFA/Mass: https://docs.google.com/.../1ybkVv.../edit 

 

Saturday May 13, 10am: Rally and march in support of protections for Climate Forests like Telephone Gap and against biomass electricity! The Save Public Forests Coalition is planning a rally, march, and "tree theater" on Saturday May 13th in Burlington, VT. Meet at the north end of the Church St Marketplace at 10am. The march will go about one mile and last for approximately one hour. Come dressed as a tree! If you are interested in helping us put together a fun skit, please get in touch with Laura Simon at simonlaura06@gmail.com.

Thursday May 25, 7 pm Balancing Sustainability, Growth & Development in Plymouth, MA. Plymouth Great Hall, 26 Court Street.  Zoom and In Person. Community Land and Water Coalition will be a featured speaker on the panel for this discussion about development in Plymouth. Please join us! Contact sustainableplymouth@gmail.com with questions.

Saturday May 6, 11am to 1pm.  Conway Woods Walk. Conway residents and the public are invited to join a woods walk to tour Town Farm Forest. Forester Mary Wigmore,  Mass Audubon ecologists, and Indigenous leaders will run the walk to discuss the property's current forest stewardship climate plan and options for future forest stewardship. Town Farm Forest,  Meet at Cricket Hill Rd in Conway, MA  Park by the cemetery about half a mile up Cricket Hill Rd on the left. Go HERE.  

That's all for now folks but please do remember to listen to your Mother!

Ēostre's Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We are decidedly back and what better time than when Pagans celebrate Spring and rebirth of the Earth. Glen has returned from a road trip to the Southlands so we pick up from where we left off in late January giving thanks for the forests, trees & critters that have survived the onslaught of certain humans. Christine Hatch, UMass Amherst Extension Associate Professor joins us to continue the conversation. As always we will also bring you along to meet this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to remind everyone "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and see if we're "Abidin' with Biden", as well as a peek into The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and more but first it's time for ......Revenge of the Critters!  A gift from the Sargasso Sea to Gov. DiSantis & company!

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Kentucky Repugnican Thomas Massie. You may recall this Repug as one of the MAGA Cult's gun freaks who posed his whole family holding their arsenal for a Christmas card photo (after he saw Rep. Boebert do the same). Massie also introduced a one-sentence bill that would abolish the U.S. Department of Education, perhaps an indicator of the Repug's aversion to intelligence. And we read, "Massie has emerged as one of the G.O.P.’s most dedicated critics of liberal climate plans."[ Hold on, they are scientific climate plans, OK?]  So, stupid is as stupid does and this fool surely fits that profile.

We are most assuredly not Abidin' with Biden these days given his recent betrayal on the climate killer Willow Project.  You may recall on the campaign trail candidate Biden committed to end new oil and gas drilling on public lands and waters? Well, that was then and this is now:  "Three environmental groups... filed a 30-day notice of their intent to sue the Biden administration for refusing to respond to a petition to wind down fossil fuel extraction on public lands and waters." That said, we are pleased to report The Administration plans to restrict toxic PFAS chemicals "requir[ing] utilities to remove from drinking water two toxic chemicals found in everything from waterproof clothing to dental floss and even toilet paper". We guess that's a start but given how pervasive these "Forever Chemicals" are we can only wonder how effective any restrictions might be.

We know of 18 Republican attorneys’ general  who need to be reminded that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!"  The Repugs hoped to "intervene in a... suit by youths claiming the U.S. government has breached its duty to protect their rights to a life-sustaining climate, a move advocates took as a signal the case could have new life....The suit was filed back in 2015 by Our Children's Trust,... Judge Aiken denied the federal government's bid to have the suit dismissed in October 2018, saying the plaintiffs had standing to sue." Longtime Enviro Show listeners may recall our coverage on this effort. And this: "Carbon emissions from wildfires in boreal forests, the earth’s largest land biome and a significant carbon sink, spiked higher in 2021 than in any of the last 20 years, according to new research." Sounds like another tipping point candidate from here! 😒 Finally this on the recent IPCC report: "The world now needs to cut emissions by 60 percent by 2035 — compared with 2019 levels — to avoid increasingly severe heat, flooding, drought and extreme weather that will make parts of the world unlivable. That's a key conclusion of the latest assessment from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is made up of the world’s leading climate scientists." Just sayin' 

Our other new segment "Their Brains Were Small & They Died" is were fools who are not on The Hill go to enjoy the light of day being shined upon their appalling stupidity or moral deficiency. Yes, we do judge them and for the most part they are universally guilty as charged. Sorry, it just is what it is. You might agree when you learn about this week's candidate, State Rep. Paul Sherrell (Repug-Sparta) who wants to bring “HANGING BY A TREE” back to Tennessee as an amendment to....are you ready?...a firing squad bill!  Like the state slogan says: "Tennessee - America at Its Best." 😉

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we come upon a news story in Grist that brings the Climate Crisis and the Sixth Great Extinction together: "Protecting existing [animal] populations and restoring others to their natural habitats often improves the natural capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide within ecosystems, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Climate Change." Sound like common sense?  Of course, but it's also science.  Read on. How about hearing from Glen on his fave moments during his loooong road trip out West? Finally, here's an update on Cop City and the clearcutting in progress in  a section of the Weelaunee Forest near Atlanta, GA.   

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

Thursday April 13, 6:30pm.  Turning a Barren Lawn into Thriving Habitat, by naturalists Charley Eiseman and Julia Blyth – ZOOM talk. Email contact: info@greeninggreenfieldma.org  

Thursday April 13, 7pm. MA Sierra Club  The Forest Protection Team is dedicated to protecting and preserving forests and trees throughout Massachusetts through education, advocacy and community involvement. All are welcome to attend! Go HERE.  

Saturday April 15, 9am to 4pm. Vernal Pool Workshop. We'll begin in the classroom at Berkshire Community College (BCC) with a lecture from Tom, then check out BCC's vernal pool. There will be a break for lunch, which BEAT will provide participants, and then we'll head over to Balance Rock State Park to learn about the vernal pool complex there and examine the species that inhabit them. There is a 24-person capacity limit for this workshop. There is a fee (plus the Eventbrite registration fee) to participate.   Register HERE.  

Saturday April 15, 12pm.  Save the Forest and Build the Voke.  1 Church Street Wakefield MA - Lake Quannapowitt. A demonstration aimed at saving our beloved forest, Saturday, April 15 at 12pm at 1 Church Street Wakefield, MA Lake Quannapowitt at the Gazebo. As you may be aware, the forest is threatened to be cut down as early as mid-April. Last week, 75 folks came out to the march. Let's make the next two even bigger! Watch the video here!   Please spread the word and invite your friends and family to join us.

Tuesday April 18, 5:30pm.  Great Trees and Forests of the Northeast, Past and Present. Bob Leverett, and his wife Monica Jakuc Leverett, will take us on a virtual tour of treasured trees and forests in New England and New York. We’ll learn about the many values of old-growth forests, from both a scientific and spiritual perspective. This online program will include a Q&A session after the presentation. Go HERE.  

Wednesday April 19, 5pm.  Biomass Logging: Bad for Communities, Climate & Forests. An in-depth discussion of biomass logging & biomass logging in the Southeast United States, the impacts it has on local communities, the main corporations benefiting from these practices and how biomass logging is harming forests and our climate.  Go HERE. 

Wednesday April 19, 6:00pm. Join us to discuss H.3150/S.2117 An Act advancing clean energy, equity, and innovation within municipal utilities. This is an exciting opportunity to learn from a fantastic panel of experts and legislative partners about why this legislation is an important part of the Commonwealth’s effort to combat the climate crisis and advance climate justice. Take action and join us by RSVPing here. 

 

Thursday, April 20, 7 p.m  We celebrate both Earth Day and the Act’s stunning record of success. You’ll hear from Center for Biological Diversity staff who’ll share stories of protecting some of the most iconic species and their journeys toward recovery. The event is free, but registration is required, so sign up and check your email for a link.  

April 21-24, All Day. The Big One. This invitation is for everybody to Unite to Survive – and come together from the 21st to the 24th April at The Houses of Parliament, Westminster, UK. Go HERE. 

 

 

Saturday, April 22, 1 pm - 4pm. Quantifying Carbon in a Living Tree: Part of "To Understand a Tree," an Arts Afield series.  Bob Leverett will demonstrate how to measure the carbon sequestration capacity of a typical New England forest tree. Focusing on the 80-year-old red oak tree at the center of Artist-in-Residence Gina Siepel’s To Understand a Tree project, Bob will discuss the important role that mature trees play in the mitigation of climate change.  Register HERE.

  

 

Saturday & Sunday April 22 & 23, 1:00-2:00pm. The Earth and Fire Arts Fest spans the week leading up to the Earth Day Weekend. Workshops run by professional artists include visual arts, storytelling and multi-disciplinary experiences around the theme of sustainability and our relationship with nature. The final weekend includes a free family parade, and a ticketed exhibit and performance about care for the planet that sustains us. Go HERE.  

 

 

Sunday April 23, 1pm.  Climate Action Festival. Arcadia Wildlife Center, Easthampton, MA  Creativity & Community Building to Celebrate the Power of Youth Voices in the Climate Conversation. 

 

 

 

Sunday April 23,  2p.m.  SAVE OUR RIVER-  "No to the relicense of the Northfield Mountain Pump  Storage!" Gather at the Northfield Pump Station, right on the Connecticut River, Northfield, MA! Ferry Road intersection with Pine Meadow Road just off Rt. 63. It's where the Riverview Picnic Area is located. See: https://ctriverdefenders.org/  Contact: ctriverdefenders@gmail.com

 

Monday April 24, 7pm.  Climate Action Now Gathering with Melissa Hoffer - First ever Climate Chief in the Commonwealth. Go HERE.  

 

 Tuesday April 25, 7pm. Elders Climate Action Monthly National Call. What You Need to Know About Permitting Reform with Dana Nuccitelli. Permitting reform has become the key climate policy of 2023. Citizens’ Climate Lobby Research Coordinator and climate journalist Dana Nuccitelli will discuss what permitting reform is, why it’s so important for America’s climate targets, what the Biden Administration and Congress can do to achieve it, and why some climate justice organizations are concerned about it.  Go HERE.  

 

Thursday May 4, 10am.  The legislative sponsors of the Municipal Reforestation bill (Senator Cynthia Creem, Rep. Steven Owens and Rep. Jennifer Armini) are hosting a legislative briefing for legislators on May 4 at 10 a.m. in Room 428 of the State House, to describe the purpose of the bill and to encourage their colleagues to co-sponsor the bill. Organizations devoted to planting more trees in urban areas and maintaining and preserving the ones we have are invited to attend. This will give you an opportunity to learn more about the Municipal Reforestation bill, as well as the Public Shade tree bill, and also to meet legislators and their staff who attend.  More info soon. Contact HERE.   

..  

Thursday May 25, 7 pm Balancing Sustainability, Growth & Development in Plymouth, MA. Plymouth Great Hall, 26 Court Street.  Zoom and In Person. Community Land and Water Coalition will be a featured speaker on the panel for this discussion about development in Plymouth. Please join us! Contact sustainableplymouth@gmail.com with questions.

Wednesday, April 26, 7 – 8 p.m. ACLU Virtual Advocates Academy: Preparing Written and Oral Testimony. One of the best ways to appeal to our elected officials is by giving testimony at public meetings in cities, towns, and the State House. But if you've ever been to one of these meetings, you know that it's not always easy for speakers to get their point across effectively. Go HERE.  

Saturday May 6, 11am to 1pm.  Conway Woods Walk. Conway residents and the public are invited to join a woods walk to tour Town Farm Forest. Forester Mary Wigmore,  Mass Audubon ecologists, and Indigenous leaders will run the walk to discuss the property's current forest stewardship climate plan and options for future forest stewardship. Town Farm Forest,  Meet at Cricket Hill Rd in Conway, MA  Park by the cemetery about half a mile up Cricket Hill Rd on the left. Go HERE.  

That's all for now folks but please do remember to listen to your Mother, OK?