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!