A Solar Steamroller Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. As you might imagine, we support solar power on this show but we are, at the same time, forest protectors and hopeless tree huggers. The current fad of clear cutting intact carbon capturing forests for the placement of industrial solar arrays is, as we speak, being challenged within the climate activist community. Heidi Ricci, Director of Policy at Mass Audubon joins us to shed light on the issue. [UPDATE: Interview HERE]  As always, we'll also take you to learn about this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and about our Abbin' with Biden, as well as a reminder "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and more but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters! Killer Whales are killing it off the coast of Spain & Portugal.

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is overgrown fratboy Rep. Matt Gaetz (Repug- FLA), top low life in Congress who can't even find many friends among his fellow Repugnican scum, and given their seditious record that's saying something. Gaetz was under investigation for possible sex trafficking by the DOJ when that arch toady, AG Barr was in charge and now, with a real Attorney General at the helm, the investigation is expanding to include a rogues gallery of other odious fascists. As probes deepen into the morally repugnant behavior of Gaetz and his cohorts (Roger Stone and Rep. Jim Jordan among them) it appears these Repugs did little to cover their heinous acts, making them utter fools besides being disgusting low-life and seditious traitors.  There. We said it and we're glad. 

We are still Abbidin' with Biden this week as he introduces his historic Infrastructure Plan, officially titled The American Jobs Plan. Delving into the plan however, we find some curious items such as the creation of a "Civilian Climate Corps" which seems undefined in its mission. Will the Corps just plant or replant trees without protecting and preserving existing forests? What does this mean: "Every dollar spent on rebuilding our infrastructure during the Biden administration will be used to prevent, reduce, and withstand the impacts of the climate crisis." Does that include natural carbon capture? When it says "President Biden’s plan will protect and, where necessary, restore nature-based infrastructure – our lands, forests, wetlands, watersheds, and coastal and ocean resources."  Does that mean our National Forests will become off limits to commercial logging so they can continue to capture and store CO2 emissions undisturbed? Here's a thought: How about WE ASK! (Chances are you'll just get a polite non-committal automated response. Think of that as an inducement to keep at it. 

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we find this headline and sub-head in The Guardian: "Disease outbreaks more likely in deforestation areas, study finds - Tree-planting can also increase health risks if it focuses too narrowly on small number of species, paper says".  The fore we've been talking about on this show since COVID-19 first raised its spiky little head, the latter is....um...interesting? The piece goes on to point out: "Even tree-planting can increase health risks to local human populations if it focuses too narrowly on a small number of species, as is often the case in commercial forests, the research found." Here's the LINK to the study in question.  And here's some  good  news from MassLive: The Zombie Dirty Biomass plant in Springfield had it's permit revoked by the MA State DEP! 

Time to remind all those Spring Break party goers out there that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!"  Rather than dump all the usual doom and gloom on you today how about we reference this upbeat piece, also from The Guardian about "using our imagination" and turn the deserts green!  This is intriguing: "Within a couple of decades, the Weather Makers believe, the Sinai could be transformed from a hot, dry, barren desert into a green haven teeming with life: forests, wetlands, farming land, wild flora and fauna. A regreened Sinai would alter local weather patterns and even change the direction of the winds, bringing more rain, the Weather Makers believe – hence their name."  Sounds like a plan, yes?     OK, enough feel good, let's get back to the grim: "Despite all the dire warnings, corporate pledges, and tree-planting promises, forests keep falling at an alarming pace. In a report out Wednesday morning, experts tallied up all the acres of the most important forests lost in 2020 and found that it amounts to an area the size of the Netherlands." That from Grist. Are we walking in balance now?

How about an Enviro Show Quote of the Week? 

“Incrementalism and those little steps are not enough. Not right now. Not on climate change…We have a global crisis  We have got to move urgently - urgently and boldly.”     - Bernie Sanders

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

Tuesday April 13, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm. Climate Emergency Declaration Meeting. MCAN will be hosting a meeting on Climate Emergency Declarations on April 13th at 5pm. Representatives from the Cape Cod Climate Emergency Initiative and Green Acton will talk about their successful attempts to pass climate emergency declarations in their towns and what other communities can learn about the process. If you would like to learn more, contactrose@massclimateaction.net

Tuesday April 13, 7 to 8:30pm. MICROORGANISMS: A Key Solution for Climate, Soil, Food, and Our Health. We routinely kill beneficial microorganisms, with disastrous consequences for human and environmental health. Instead, we can promote beneficial microorganisms to help change dangerous trends that threaten our future. Through regenerative agriculture, the interconnected microbiomes of soil, food, and humans can help stabilize the climate, rebuild degraded soils, secure our food supply, and reverse and prevent chronic disease. One of the most effective actions a person can take to help the climate is to eat healthier food. Register HERE. 

Wednesday April 14,1:00 pm - 2:00 pm.   Rethinking the utility-regulator relationship. If you could build the utility of the future from the ground up—unencumbered by current constraints or old ways of thinking—what would it look like? Would the utility and regulatory visions be radically different, or do the two parties have more in common than they realize? Utilities and regulators have been trained to view each other as adversaries, so we were curious to find out what would happen if we set the suspicion aside and engaged a utility executive and a regulator in an honest conversation about the future we want to build. The result is this provocative webinar. REGISTER NOW 

Thursday April 15, 4pm. BlueWave Solar Meeting.  The Northfield Planning Board will establish an agenda for the continuation of the public hearing, and is scheduled to meet again. The meeting can be accessed via Zoom at zoom.us/j/97532725214, with the Meeting ID: 975 3272 5214. 

Saturday, April 24, 10:30 – 12:30pm. THE GREAT EARTH WEEK WALK FOR RIVER JUSTICE .Honor Earth Week on an “unnatural” history walk via the Franklin County Bikeway through the magnificent French King Gorge to the giant tunnels of the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Station. The Connecticut is sucked backward here daily, killing tens of millions of fish and aquatic animals annually. Northfield is a VT Yankee nuclear vestige that’s killed here for 49 years. Its Canadian owners want a new 50 year federal license. Join this river revival walk for future generations. Community leaders, energy experts and stakeholder/journalist Karl Meyer will speak along the way. Kids and bicycles welcome. Bring water, a snack, and your mask. Please leave pets at home. Directions: Meet for this 1-1/2 mile walk (3-mile round trip) at Dorsey Rd., Erving, beneath the French King Bridge. Via Rt. 2 E, go across the French King Bridge. Dorsey is 1/3 of a mile on the right. Traveling 2 W, continue past the bowling alley. Dorsey is the left turn immediately after the MA Highway Garage sign on the right. Head down Dorsey to the bridge.** NOTE: This walk is on level terrain, and turns around at Ferry Rd./Pine Meadow Rd. in Northfield. Route is both paved and dirt, and may not be suitably wheelchair accessible. For further information contact: anna.gyorgy@crocker.com Or phone: 413-773-0006

OK folks!  Do remember to........LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER! 

    

 

A Riverkeepers Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. You may recall past shows where we dove deep into matters of the Connecticut River, often with enviro journalist, Karl Meyer? This time we'll be hosting John Lipscomb of Riverkeeper Patrol and George Jackman, Senior Habitat Restoration Manager at Riverkeeper. As usual, we'll also bring you along to witness this week's Fool-on-the-Hill do his or her worst down in DC and try some Abiden' with Biden, asa well as a reminder "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" but first it's time for..........Revenge of the Critters! Not sure how this one has escaped us but Tawney Crazy Ants down south are attacking smart phones and other electronics!

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) who actually goes way, way beyond foolish all the way to seditious and aiding and abetting domestic terrorism but we don't want this gun-totin' cowgirl to go by unnoticed on the show on a mere technicality. Some of Boebert's own colleagues back on the Front Range don't take kindly to her, having sent an open letter to Boebert....demanding [she] resign. "The events of January 6th 2021, which you incited and directly encouraged, were a blatant assault on our country," the letter reads. "Your role in [the] violent failed coup makes you unworthy, and undeserving of the honor of representing Colorado in Congress." Of course, foolishly Boebert doubled down protesting not being allowed to enter the House chamber packing, that in the wake of targeting Speaker Pelosi during the siege and encouraging the domestic terrorists outside. Does anyone know why she's still even there??

We are Abiden' with Biden now and pretty much OK with his administration's efforts at confronting the pandemic, unlike the total lack of effort on the part of the Repugs. In fact, some of those guys act like ambassadors for the virus.  The COVID Relief bill itself, which the Prez supported and promoted, was historic according to economist Paul Krugman.  And......SURPRISE! Not a single Repug voted for it because, remember, they are working for the virus and against the planet and most of those who live on it. On the other hand, President Biden wants to "move fast" on the Climate Crisis.  Remember, President Biden issued an executive order, calling for conservation of 30 percent of US lands and waters by 2030? He just had his EPA restore the climate change page the Mad King had deleted. More to come.....we trust.

In the midst of COVIDaze, crazed Repugs trying to destroy the Constitution, government and the planet, and keeping up with the latest in Washington we would do well to remember......."It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!"  In case you know someone[s] who doesn't think so maybe you should show them this: "The Amazon rainforest is most likely now a net contributor to warming of the planet, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis from more than 30 scientists." Meanwhile, up North we find headlines like this: "Boreal forest being driven to tipping point by climate change, study finds."  Soooo, here we are stuck in the middle with you. What to do!  Redouble our efforts at saving more land would help. We bet you can think of other things! 

Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week is spot on for this show:

"I always saw pollution as theft, and I always thought, 'Why should somebody be able to pollute the air, which belongs to all of us, or destroy a river or a waterway, which is supposed to belong to the whole community?'     - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

On to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday, April 1, 1:30pm. Join League of Conservation Voters Board Member and former Representative Donna Edwards for a conversation with newly confirmed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and LCV Vice President of Government Affairs Sara Chieffo. They'll discuss strategy for a bold economic recovery legislation, supporting clean energy, building a more just society by creating a new sector of clean energy jobs, good paying union jobs, and advancing environmental justice.  Go HERE.  

Monday April 5 & Tuesday April 6, 7pm.  Transforming Crisis. A semester-long series partnership between University of Massachusetts School of Earth & Sustainability (SES) , the Fine Arts Center (FAC), and the Master of Fine Arts for Poets and Writers (MFA) is devoted to illuminating ecological crises and addressing climate injustice .  Go to:  https://www.umass.edu/ses/event/transforming-crisis-art-science-activism   

Tuesday April 6, 6:30 to 7:30pm.  While trout live in streams, you will learn how much they rely on the forested land around them to sustain healthy populations. Vermont Coverts hosts Jacob Fetterman (Project Coordinator, Trout Unlimited) and Katy Crumley (District Manager, Bennington County Conservation District) who will share about the importance of forests for fish, specifically streamside forests for trout, and their landowner outreach efforts to improve habitat. Katy will concentrate on the role of native vegetation on streambanks and her work with landowners to make plantings possible. Jacob will focus on the in-stream benefits of streamside vegetation, which ultimately contributes to the quality of the habitat in the stream. After we will have time for you to ask the experts your forest/fish related questions!  Register here.  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

Wednesday, April 7, 5:30pm.  Coyotes of the Northeast.  As one of the few predators still present and successful in the Northeastern landscape, coyotes are an important feature of local and native ecosystems. Chris Schadler, a researcher and advocate for coyotes, will present on the population dynamics of coyotes, their past and present range, and their behavior, habits, and group dynamics. Interspersed with personal stories and a good dose of humor, this is a presentation every wildlife lover will enjoy! Co-hosted with NH Wildlife Coalition. This event will occur online through Zoom Webinar. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_CwC63W_8Sk6C3KkdeUomYw

Thursday, April 8, 5pm.  The Climate Emergency: Identifying Leverages of Power. This workshop will describe the overall scope of the climate crisis and why it is so crucial to recognize where things stand right now. From there, we will go into the varied and numerous ways where people can influence decisions on the kinds of projects and campaigns that will get us closer to zero emissions before it is too late. Participants will leave this class understanding how to communicate the urgency of the climate crisis to their communities and will have a framework for knowing how to identify where they can make a practical impact from whatever level of awareness and influence they possess. FREE! Register here: https://truthschool.org/.../the-climate-emergency.../ 

Thursday April 8, 7 to 8:30pm.  WMass Extinction Rebellion general meeting. Here's a registration link:https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAvc-qsqDIsEtWVHoKeEbVTGgEuww8sQnaA

  

Saturday April 10, 9 to 11am. The Wonder of Vernal Pools. Join us outdoors for this Learning with the Land event as we visit a vernal pool to look for signs of breeding by amphibians and invertebrates that are specially adapted to the unique conditions of these seasonal wetlands.  Distinguished biology professor Steve Tilley will help you explore the fascinating life cycles that take place in these unique spring features of  our forests at MacLeish Field Station in Whately.  Go to: https://www.kestreltrust.org/calendar/the-wonders-of-vernal-pools/ 

That's all folks! But do remember to........LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER! 

The Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. As you may recall, we've covered the inland pine barrens in the Commonwealth on this show several times in the past. This time we head out to the gateway of Cape Cod, the Town of Wareham in Plymouth County, Massachusetts which is home to the rare habitat of the Atlantic Coast Pine Barrens. We guess, given the challenges faced by our inland pine barrens, that the coastal barrens are threatened as well? Yes, but while government and the academy is mostly the cause of problems here in the hinterlands, commercial development seems to be the big problem out by the coast.  Meg Sheehan returns once again to the show on her work at Community Land and Water Coalition  and this time is accompanied by Frank Mand, Vice President of Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens Alliance; Kathy Pappalardo of the Wareham Land Trust; and Geoffrey Day, Executive Director of the Sea Run Brook Trout Coalition all of whom are defending the Barrens and its critters from The Machine. [UPDATE: checkout our Facebook page for video on this] As always, we will also bring you along to see this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to do some Decidin' with Biden (wait, how about Abidin' with Biden?) and to remind those who need reminding that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters!  Another listener suggestion: "Man killed by his own rooster during cock fight" ? 

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman, Senator Joe Manchin who, it is said: "..is strongly committed to developing a balanced national energy plan that utilizes all of our resources. He believes that a balanced, commonsense approach that considers the needs of our environment and the demands of our economy can and must be developed if we are to achieve energy independence and address the challenges of our changing climate." We guess by "all of our resources" the hack who wrote that is talking about coal, given Joe is the Ol' King Coal of the U.S. Senate? We sure fracked gas, oil & nukes fit in there as well though. "Changing climate" is an interesting term too. Manchin also was one of the few Dems who voted against the $15 minimum wage. 

It seems President Biden did some decidin' about Michael S. Regan, the President's choice for Environmental Protection Agency administrator. Regan is African-American so naturally his Senate confirmation isn't coming up any time soon while the party of white supremacy looks for reasons to reject him. The good news is Regan said in the past, "“I don’t see a future in wood pellets,” in 2019 while he was serving as head of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality. “The big thing Michael Regan did here [in North Carolina] was to specifically reject wood pellets and biomass as a pathway for the state’s clean energy future,” Danna Smith, executive director of the North Carolina-based Dogwood Alliance, notes. “He questioned the carbon neutrality, found it to be suspect and said that it should be challenged at the international level. That was a pretty strong statement coming out of a state where the wood pellet industry is ground zero and expanding rapidly." [UPDATE: Reagan is confirmed!] Our friends at Grist are keeping tabs on the Prez and climate issues with this ongoing effort, The First 100.

It's time now to remind those who haven't been paying attention that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!"  Longtime listeners may recall past shows when we talked about climate chaos effects on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or the more folksy term the "Atlantic conveyor belt" that pushes warmer water from the south up our way and folds under colder Arctic water back toward the south. Sad to say, the conveyor belt's in trouble, it's "now moving more slowly than it has in at least 1,600 years. That's the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience from some of the world's leading experts in this field." And this: Bill McKibben and Elizabeth Kolbert have both been taking another look at atmospheric hacking, classic treat the symptom not the illness geoengineering of our climate. Rather than create more problems by playing at Sky God pumping chemicals skyward, McKibben points out "...if we want to, as a civilization, we can devote the next decade to an all-out effort to transform our energy system. And the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said that, if we do—if we cut our emissions forty-five per cent from 2010 levels by 2030—then we have a shot at limiting the temperature rise to the 1.5-degrees-Celsius target set in the Paris accord." Sounds like a plan! 

OK, after speaking with our guests we head over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday, March 25, 7:00-8:00pm.  Local Energy Solutions. Episode 1 will lead with a video excerpt from a Naomi Klein speech, followed by panel presentations and a round of questions. In her speech, from a 2014 climate conference, Klein explains how little government has achieved in 30 years due to ideological privatization, deregulation, austerity, and free trade. Register HERE.  

Tuesday, March 30, 8-9am.  At our March Sustainable Concord Coffee, Sharon McGregor will explain how Net Zero will get us only so far along the path to climate stabilization. A commitment to achieving Net Carbon Sink, which incorporates and fine-tunes Net Zero as an interim milestone, is necessary to take us the rest of the way in the attainment of both nature and climate renewal… Click here for further information, and to register.

Tuesday, March 30, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Climate Action Now - Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration Series:  Beyond Stopping Emissions: How Healthy Soil and Plants Can Help Restore Climate Balance. Maintaining living plant cover is one of the essential practices of building soil health. This talk will provide practical guidance on using cover crops in a small-scale, non-mechanized, no-till context to improve soil health both for growing more nutritious food and for sequestering atmospheric carbon into the soil to help heal climate change. Register HERE. 

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

Jean's Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. A very special person has moved on from our lives, someone unique and dedicated to her friends and to social and environmental justice. Jean Grossholtz was still teaching at Mt. Holyoke College when I (d.o. ) encountered her at a meeting she called to organize a Valley response to corporate globalization in the late '90s. I was immediately drawn to her no nonsense feistiness, her in-your-face outrage at all the injustice taking place in our world. It was that spirit, and her deep knowledge and experience of matters both political and ecological that made her the perfect co-host to share the microphone with myself and Glen Ayers on The Enviro Show almost from the show's start in 2005. In radio we have something called The Seven Deadly Words, seven swear words not to be spoken over the "public" airwaves at risk of garnering a hefty fine from the FCC or worse. Being plain spoken and often....outraged?  Jean launched into one or more of the Seven Words more than a few times during the show, making for some awkward moments on live radio, and perhaps a few chills in the front office. But that was Jean, quick to call b.s. when she saw it and to suffer no fools. It is a sort of honesty we so much appreciated and loved from Jean. She will be missed. She is missed.

With this in mind, some of Jean's dear friends and radio colleagues join us for the hour to share their remembrances. [UPDATE: Listen HERE ] State Senator Jo Comerford, Attorney Michael Aleo, Chauncy Young, Valley Free Radio's own Paki Weiland & Bob Gardner join us to honor Jean Grossholtz.  Also, Jean was a lover of many of the Earth's critters and pretty much a dog person, so in remembrance of her and the dogs on the other end of the leash who used to drag her around on the ice (often for the worse) it's time for..........Revenge of the Critters! Coyotes attack U.S. Marines....on their own turf?      

Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week is a two-fer from Jean herself:

"All that I have supported, worked for, believed in has always been possible because of large numbers of people who were willing to go to the streets to stand up for fairness, for equality, for freedom. It is these people who have inspired me, comforted me, and urged me onward. And I have found them all over the world." 

"This is the story of a rural kid who grew up to be a professor at an elite women’s college in Massachusetts and a political activist with an arrest record as long as your arm."  

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we've collected some links relating to Jean, like this one from the Daily Hampshire Gazette.  where they totally overlooked Jean's radio daze. More from the grassroots is this My Keeper site which is interactive, as is this one from Legacy.  Jean also has a Wikipedia page. A Virtual Memorial is being planned for Sunday March 7th 2021 at 10am EST. You are invited to share memories, photos, recordings and get details of virtual event at  https://www.mykeeper.com/profile/JeanGrossholtz/

Now it's time for the Bus Stop Billboard:

Saturday March 6, 3 to 6pm. Mobilizing  Extinction rebellion Worldwide!  We need mass civil disobedience in 2021. And this requires thousands of people to mobilise, organise, and get good at it. All around the world, amazing people are developing great ways to stand up and we need to support one another. An alliance of dedicated XR members in different countries are creating this event so we can come together to celebrate the vital work we are doing, to enjoy great talks and testimonies, and discover concrete tactics that work in a range of workshops. Go HERE 

Sunday March 7, 10am to 1pm. Online Memorial for Jean Grossholtz to remember her. You're invited to attend and join us virtually via zoom and share your memories of Jean. Please RSVP so that we can email you the zoom link. Here is the zoom link for our gathering:  https://harvard.zoom.us/j/98669203489?pwd=YWhMVnBQSHJMS3VJa1lCRU01L0NJUT09&from=addo

Tuesday March 9, 7:30PM.  WMass Extinction Rebellion meeting. Please register here and you'll be sent the link.

Monday March 8, 6:30pm.  Virtual Panel on Our Climate.  Representatives Paul Mark, Joan Meschino and Adrian Madaro at the Sunderland Public Library for a virtual panel on recent climate legislation, environmental justice and the work of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy in the 192nd session.  RSVP here: http://bit.ly/3a3aqdq

Thursday, March 11, 4:30-5:30pm. A Vigil will mark ten years of the radioactive disaster in Fukushima, Japan at Pliny Park, (High & Main Streets, Brattleboro, VT 05301) At the vigil we will honor the 130,000 nuclear refugees, and the land, air and water contaminated by radiation which to this day cannot be cleaned up. Please join us. This will be a Covid safe event; wear a mask, stay socially distant, and bring a poster if you wish. Feel free to share the flyer below. More info HERE. 

Monday March 15, 6:30 to 8pm.   Michael Kellett of Restore: The North Woods and Janet Sinclair of Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, the authors of two recently filed forest protection bills, will explain the bills and how we can help get them passed. There will be time for questions and discussion.  HD.2871, An Act Relative to Forest Protection, sponsored by Representative Michael Finn - 6th Hampden District. https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/HD2871

AND  HD.3197: An Act Relative to Increased Protection of Wildlife Management Areas, sponsored by Representative Lindsay Sabadosa - 1st Hampshire District. https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/HD3197    HD 3197 Fact Sheet    Zoom meeting link HERE.

Wednesday March 17, 5:30pm. Wild Carbon. Mark Anderson, PhD. will share recent and ground-breaking science on carbon sequestration and storage in wild, old, and unmanaged forests. Join this presentation to deepen your understanding of how forests interact with the atmosphere, and discover the powerful role of protecting wild forests in the race against climate chaos. From air to leaves to fungal networks, this presentation will take participants on a journey through the forest that goes far beyond what the human eye can see.  Go HERE. 

Tuesday, March 30, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Climate Action Now - Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration Series:  Beyond Stopping Emissions: How Healthy Soil and Plants Can Help Restore Climate Balance. Maintaining living plant cover is one of the essential practices of building soil health. This talk will provide practical guidance on using cover crops in a small-scale, non-mechanized, no-till context to improve soil health both for growing more nutritious food and for sequestering atmospheric carbon into the soil to help heal climate change. Register HERE.

OK, enough for now, just remember what Jean always said: Listen to Your Mother 

The Flawed Roadmap Enviro Show

UPDATE: We are sad to announce that our former co-host Jean Grossholtz has moved on to that great studio in the sky. Our next show will be for her, Jean's Enviro Show . She is and always will be missed.

Greetings Earthlings. No one likes to get lost because of poor directions, right? We're thinking the folks driving the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEOEA)'s  Decarbonization Roadmap need to hear that voice say "Re-CALC-ulating" more than a few times. Meg Sheehan returns to the show for a course correction and her work at Community Land and Water Coalition  and Melissa Ferretti, of the Herring Pond Wampanoag on solar siting flaws here in the Commonwealth.  As usual, we will also introduce you to this week's Fool-on-the-Hill (so hard to choose!) and to do some Decidin' with Biden, as well as a reminder that "it's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and maybe even a return to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber but first it's time for...............Revenge of the Critters!  Here's the headline: "An iguana wearing a bandanna attacked a man in Miami because 2020 isn’t weird enough" We just can't make this stuff up!

We think it's pretty obvious calling Quazy QAnon Georgia Repugnican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene a fool is putting it lightly, so let's just take better aim and say besides being a Fool-on-the-Hill Marge is also a murderous toxic psycho who should be banished from The Hill immediately if not from the planet, OK? As it stands now, Quazy Marge has been stripped of her committee assignments in the House in a bi-partisan vote.......but not bi-partisan enough. A vast majority of Repugs remain partial to domestic terrorism, something that will haunt them throughout history.

We are Decidin' with Biden when he says things like “This is not a time for small measures. We need to be bold” but like Mom always used to say, "The proof is in the pudding". Last week the Prez started assembling the ingredients for that pudding, he set a national goal of conserving at least 30 percent of the nation’s lands and oceans by 2030 and calling for an indefinite halt of new oil & gas leasing on federal land and waters, as a precursor to ending the dependence of the United States on fossil fuels. Also, he signed executive orders elevating racial justice and scientific integrity as two pillars of his climate program and an executive order stating the federal government will use its buying power to help support clean electricity and electric vehicles. Clean electricity.....what a concept! We learned on Thursday the Biden administration is putting a temporary stop to road construction andlogging in roadless areas of national forests. This is more-or-less a defacto moratorium on logging in our public lands, something we've been advocating for on this show.......forever! Now, it's time to work toward making it policy and doing away with the U.S. Forest Service's "sustained yield mission".  Stay tuned. 

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, speaking of the U.S. Forest dis-Service, Popular Resistance brought this to our attention: "For decades the U.S. Forest Service and BLM has been seeking out and cutting large dead trees in Federal forests to prevent areas from being listed as critical habitat for endangered species." We guess that's part of their "sustained yield"? 

Time to remember "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and time for yet another wake-up call from The Guardian: "The melting of ice across the planet is accelerating at a record rate, with the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets speeding up the fastest, research has found. The rate of loss is now in line with the worst-case scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change." Here's an eye-opening headline: "The Atlantic Hurricane Season Typically Brings About a Dozen Storms. This Year It Was 30". The article goes on to point out, "A record Atlantic basin hurricane season was fueled by warmer than normal ocean and Gulf waters that scientists say were, at least in part, caused by climate change. In all, there were 30 named storms, the most on record and almost three times the typical number. The basin includes the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico."  OK, that's enough bad news for the time being, how about we go do something!

Yes, it's the Bus Stop Billboard where things happen:  

TODAY, Right now, you can send an email to Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Commissioner Woodcock to withdraw the amendments to the Renewable Portfolio Regulations pertaining to biomass. Email or call Jane Strong, DOER  Executive Assistant 617-626-7332;jane.b.strong@mass.gov. Here is a sample script. Modify it as you wish. You can copy & paste it for an email, and if you call Ms. Strong, you can shorten it.

 SAMPLE BIOMASS SCRIPT:  “Dear Commissioner Woodcock: I live near Springfield and am very concerned about plans to build a biomass incinerator there. Rather than being renewable and non-carbon-emitting as Palmer Renewable Energy claims, biomass burning instead produces half-again the CO2 of coal for an equal wattage of electricity generated. And it certainly isn’t clean: Its smoke is laden with lung-destroying particulate matter, as well as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic chemicals, mercury, lead and hydrochloric acid. All this would be pumped into a city which was named the “Asthma Capital” of the country for two years running. As you know the Springfield City Council has issued a strong protest to building this plant. And you also know that Attorney General Maura Healy recently released a report showing biomass incineration to be a mistake for our Commonwealth. I join with the City Council, Attorney General Healy, and many of my fellow Valley residents objecting to allowing our Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards (RPS) to permit inefficient biomass like the Palmer Energy plant to qualify for subsidies.”

Thursday February 18,  5 - 6:30pm.  The Climate Emergency - Identifying the Leverages of Power.  Dr. Marty Nathan and  Ernesto Cruz.  This workshop will describe the overall scope of the climate crisis and why it is so crucial to recognize where things stand right now. From there, we will go into the varied and numerous ways where people can influence decisions on the kinds of projects and campaigns that will get us closer to zero emissions before it is too late. Participants will leave this class understanding how to communicate the urgency of the climate crisis to their communities and will have a framework for knowing how to identify where they can make a practical impact from whatever level of awareness and influence they possess.  Go to:  https://truthschool.corsizio.com/c/5fd27fe5204846f7fdf49dd9

Thursday February 18, 7pm.  The Northampton City Council will have the second reading of their Climate Resilience and Regeneration Plan. The meeting is open to public comments of up to 3 minutes from 7PM to 7:30PM. If you're a local resident, we encourage you to attend and speak! There are a few talking points in the slides linked above, but in general we support the city's commitment to addressing climate change and also call for greater urgency, including being carbon net zero long before the plan's deadline of 2050. Details on joining the meeting are here.

By February 19, we’re asking legislators to pass last session’s climate bill into law — with or without the Governor’s signature. Join our call for climate action by posting on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #MAClimateDeadline 

Wednesday February 24,  7pm. Join Standing Trees Vermont for a virtual conversation with Dr. William Moomaw about Proforestation. For years we have listened to the forestry timber-speak about sustainable forest management, afforestation and reforestation, and various other terms all of which ultimately involve logging. But a new word and a new concept - Proforestation - is gaining traction and deserves our support! Come learn from a proforestation pro! Bill Moomaw is part of a team who is working to change the narrative about forests and climate. Go to: https://actionnetwork.org/events/proforest/ 

Thursday February. 25, 4 pm. An Ecological Civilization: The Path We’re On.  The path toward an ecological civilization moves us from an uncivilized society based on selfish wealth accumulation to one that is community-oriented and life-affirming. You’re invited to a virtual conversation on the ways communities are already working toward that goal—and how you can be a part of it. This event will feature contributors to our upcoming issue of YES! Magazine—Vandana Shiva, Leah Penniman, Winona LaDuke, and Jeremy Lent.

Saturday March 6, 3 to 6pm. Mobilizing  Extinction rebellion Worldwide!  We need mass civil disobedience in 2021. And this requires thousands of people to mobilise, organise, and get good at it. All around the world, amazing people are developing great ways to stand up and we need to support one another. An alliance of dedicated XR members in different countries are creating this event so we can come together to celebrate the vital work we are doing, to enjoy great talks and testimonies, and discover concrete tactics that work in a range of workshops. Go HERE  

Sunday March 7, 10am to 1pm. Online Memorial for Jean Grossholtz to remember her. You're invited to attend and join us virtually via zoom and share your memories of Jean. Please RSVP so that we can email you the zoom link. Go to: https://www.mykeeper.com/event/jeans-virtual-online-memorial/  

 That's all for now, remember to listen to your Mother, OK?

 

 

Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/miami-com/funny-stories/article247944510.html#storylink=cpy