Greetings Earthling. Sometimes we refer to corporados still desperately clinging to the energy sources of the 19th century as Fossil Fools. They are all the more foolish for overlooking young activists bound and determined to put them out of business. Climate activist Morgan Brown-McNeil joins us for some youth perspective on climate action and, perhaps, some poetry as well. [UPDATE: Interview HERE]As always, we will also bring you along to meet this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and those Whose Brains Are Small. Also we will take a peak into The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and remind anyone asleep at the wheel that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters! in which the old expression "worming its way into your thoughts" gets new life.
This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is none other than Repugnican Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy who, according to Left Action "announced an impeachment investigation into President Biden, even though McCarthy can't actually give a single reason why." They go on to say, "Simply put, this effort is a joke. McCarthy is doing the bidding of the wild-eyed Republican extremists in the House, and their idiotic conspiracy theories." You can add your thoughts HERE.
Here's a "Their Brains Were Small and They Died" segment we should have done back in 2021 except Glen hadn't dreamed up this segment until more recently. Probably everyone knows someone who was or is a COVID anti-vaxer, right? Sadly, when trash talking vaccinations became a political position, a whole lot of folks made some bad decisions. What was worse, were far-right talk show hosts talking up COVID conspiracy theories. Who knows how many of their listeners took such trash talk to heart and dearly paid the price. Sometimes those hosts paid the ultimate price themselves. We guess "Their Brains Were Small and They Died".
OK, time to remind anyone not paying attention that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" There's been more than a few news stories lately concerning world-wide flooding, "Eight catastrophic floods in 11 days" and here in Massachusetts yet another "Once in a Hundred Years" event . Climate chaos is upon us and chances are it will only get worse. Meanwhile, life-threatening periods of high heat and humidity are spreading rapidly across the world while "
saboteurs attacking the power grid nation-wide? Actually, that's NOT fiction, it just sounds like it and seems like a good Enviro Show Echo Chamber post from Politico. There's a lot of that going on and nobody's reporting on it. What's THAT about?? Here's another thing that's not being reported much: "..... energy development is additive: Although we think of types of energy as displacing each other — so that renewables replace natural gas, say, or coal replaced wood fires — humanity has largely added energy capacity since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. The world burned more coal last year than it ever has before. Although statistics are more scarce, biomass consumption — wood-burning — is said to also be at an all-time high." Leave it to us humans to just keep piling it on.
Time for The Enviro Show Quote of the week to take us to our guest:
“The secret message communicated to most young people today by the society around them is that they are not needed, that the society will run itself quite nicely until they - at some distant point in the future - will take over the reigns. Yet the fact is that the society is not running itself nicely... because the rest of us need all the energy, brains, imagination and talent that young people can bring to bear down on our difficulties. For society to attempt to solve its desperate problems without the full participation of even very young people is imbecile.”
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Monday October 2, 11am to 1pm. PUBLIC RALLY to Stop Private Jet Expansion
at Hanscom or Anywhere. Meet at Boston State House steps, 24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA.
Please do your best to attend–and bring your friends & neighbors! Attending the rally is one of the best ways you can help right now. Numbers matter when we need to demonstrate that the will of citizens is to STOP this and any other private jet expansion to protect the climate. Following the outside portion of the rally, where we will hear remarks from Senator Barrett and others, we will deliver our (now more than!) 10,000 petition signatures to Governor Healey by her office with a message that: Massport’s plans are a direct and immediate threat to Massachusetts efforts to combat climate change–and we citizens look to her to show bold climate leadership by using her influence with Massport to cancel the project. RSVP & more info HERE
Monday, October 2, 11am. Growing Solar, Protecting Nature: Release Event. Solar energy development has come at too high a cost to forests, farmlands, and biodiversity. That’s why Harvard Forest and Mass Audubon have teamed up to publish the Growing Solar, Protecting Nature report that analyzes Massachusetts’ pathways for future solar development. The results, which are broadly applicable to every state in the Northeast, are promising: with key changes to policy incentives and land use planning, Massachusetts can meet its ambitious goals for solar while protecting the majority of natural and working lands. WWF&C firmly supports integrated policy approaches that balance clean energy and nature, like the ones outlined in this report. Register for this event
Tuesday, October 3, 11 am. To speak in favor of S.1976/H.2989 – An Act establishing an Indigenous Peoples Day, folks must register by Sept. 29at 5 pm. Written testimony (which can be brief) needs to be submitted by Wednesday, Oct. 4th at 5 pm. HERE. Massachusetts has been honoring Columbus, and teaching our school children to do likewise, for far too long, though he is the father of slave trading in the Americas, and according to his own diaries, a rapist and perpetrator of genocide against Indigenous People. Let us follow the lead of Maine, Vermont, and many other states in declaring the second Monday in October a day to honor and celebrate the Indigenous People of this land, rather than their enslaver. Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight HERE.
Tuesday October 3, 4-6 p.m. Amherst Solar Bylaw Working Group meeting. The final SBWG meetings present an opportunity for the public to voice an opinion, either through email or a comment during the public comment portion of the meetings on Zoom. Go HERE.
Thursday, October 5, 6—7pm. Rodent Control: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Dexter Hall, Charlton Public Library, 40 Main St., Charlton, MA, 01507 Join Gary Menin, advocate for R.A.T.S. (Raptors Are The Solution) for a presentation on the catastrophic effects of rodenticides on owls, hawks, falcons, eagles, and other wildlife. He will also discuss alternatives to rodenticides, current proposed legislation, and ways we can all help to preserve our treasured wildlife. Registration is requested HERE.
Thursday October 5, 8 – 9pm. Join us for a virtual Townhall discussion of why Article 14.3 of the Constitution prevents our former President Donald Trump from running for office. We cannot wait until the next election cycle, we need to act now to protect our democracy. Join us to learn how we can protect our vote and our voice in our democracy. Go HERE.
Monday, October 2, 5:30 p.m. Please join Western Mass Science for the People for an open
Zoom meeting with Bart Bouricius of the Wendell State Forest
Alliance. Bart will share the Alliance's mission and current
projects, and there will be plenty of time for Q&A. Find out
how you might get involved, and let's brainstorm how we can be
resources for their work.Go HERE.
Wednesday October 18, 6:00 pm. Panel Discussion "Peoples Forum on Nature Based Solutions". Open Space Plan; Tree Canopy; Heat Impacts, Inland Flooding and Extreme Weather & Environmental Justice. In person at the Audubon Nature Center in Mattapan or Virtual Zoom link TBD. Crane Ledge Woods Coalition (CLWC) T: 617.690.7848 E: craneledgeinfo@gmail.com W: www.savecraneledgewoods.org
Monday, October 23, 7 - 8:30 p.m. Climate Action Now Gathering via Zoom. Hear from Louisiana Bucket Brigade Director, Anne Rolfes and other frontline organizers in Cameron Parish working to end the expansion of LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) exports. Learn about what's at stake and the strategies they are using to hold government and industry accountable for the true costs. Register here
Wednesday, October 25, 6:30-8:00pm. Lawrence Buell—Henry David Thoreau: Thinking Disobediently. The Walden Woods Project, 44 Baker Farm Rd., Lincoln, MA. Doors will open at 6:30 pm for a wine and cheese reception with the author. The talk will begin at 7:00 pm. Register HERE.
That's all for now, folks but please remember to listen to your Mother!
