Another Carbon Capture Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. You may have run across more than a few stories from Corporate America about the wonders of industrial carbon capture even though none of it seems to work or is still on the drawing board. Hey, how about carbon capture that actually does work! You know, things like oceans, intact prairies and wetlands, regenerative farming and gardening, forests and yes, the trees in your neighborhood. Michael Kellett of Restore the North Woods returns to the show to help us catch the latest on carbon capture. As usual, we will also bring you along to meet this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to checkout our new Charlie Baker Good Riddance Countdown Timer, as well as a reminder to the Gov and whomever "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!". That and more but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters!"  Is it really wise to imprison a highly deadly African Pit Viper as a pet? We don't think so!

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Repugnican Chip Roy from Texas who apparently is fool enough to believe everything he sees on Twitter. Recently he convinced himself Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had fled to the States in fear of a group of truck drivers who are protesting vaccine mandates. Rather than do a bit of double checking, Chip forged ahead with classic far-right trolling like “Is there a more gutless and cowardly display than a tyrant on the run?” A day later, he posted: “If Justin Trudeau is hiding in the United States, we should return him to Canada and make him face his own people immediately.” Trudeau never left home, whereas Chip spiraled off into the Qmosphere 😉

 We bet Chip Roy is welded to his party line when it comes to climate chaos but we can't stop reminding them......."It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!"  And with that, how about this: "Marine scientists have discovered deep sinkholes -- one larger than a city block of six-story buildings -- and ice-filled hills that have formed "extraordinarily" rapidly on a remote part of the Arctic seafloor."  We've talked about sink holes opening up in the permafrost up north numerous times in the past but sink holes in the bottom of the Arctic?? Also, somebody tell Joe Manchin his f'ing coal mines are emitting more "super polluting methane than venting & flaring from gas & oil wells"! According to a study in Global Energy Monitor, "Coal mining emits 52 million metric tons of methane per year, more than is emitted from either the oil sector, which emits 39 million tons, or the gas industry, which emits 45 million tons, according to the report.." How about some potential good news?  "Scientists have discovered a new and tiny marine predator which is capable of naturally sequestering carbon. They say the single-celled microbe could be "a secret weapon in the battle against climate change" as oceans get warmer and more acidic. According to the team at the University of Technology Sydney, in Australia, the critter could be cultivated to help offset carbon emissions." Chances are good the microbe in this finding isn't "new", only new to us suicidal humans but we'll take help from anyone no matter how small! 

Time for our new improved Charlie Baker Good Riddance Countdown Timer!

      

Glen will have something to say about this, for sure. In fact, some ears must still be burning from his recent tirade during a DOER Zoom hearing on dirty biomass. Stay tuned!😏

How about an Enviro Show Quote of the Week? 

"I think it is quite responsible to support robust research into whether or not it might in the future become possible to safely capture and sequester CO2 from coal plants. But we should not delude ourselves about the likelihood that that´s going to occur in the near term or even in the mid term. It is extremely expensive. There is not a single large scale demonstration plant anywhere in the US. The research is one thing. We must avoid becoming vulnerable to the illusion that this is near at hand. It is not." 

                                                                      - Al Gore 

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we find this eye opening quote that deals directly with the theme of this show: "With his climate agenda stalled in Congress, President Joe Biden has managed to win billions in federal spending for one pillar of his platform that is gaining increased attention globally: carbon capture. In a major win for oil, coal, utilities and other industries, the federal government is poised to make its largest investment ever—more than $12 billion from last year’s infrastructure bill—in technologies that capture carbon dioxide from smokestack emissions or straight from the air."  We'll ask our guest about his thoughts on that one. 

In our conversation with Michael about the effort to get H.912 & H.1002 passed on Beacon Hill the subject of funding came up. With that in mind please go to  https://www.restore.org/donate    and help support their critical work saving forests in the Commonwealth, OK? Thanks. Now,  it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard: 

 

 

Wednesday April 20, 7-8:30pm. "Native Plants for your Garden" with Uli Lorimer
Director of Horticulture at Native Plant Trust. Please join Uli Lorimer, Native Plant Trust’s Director of Horticulture, for a presentation highlighting our region’s spectacular plant diversity and varied habitats. With so much under threat from a changing climate, invasive species, habitat loss and fragmentation, and declining numbers of birds and insects, planting natives in your garden is one step we can each take to make a difference. Register here! 

 

Thursday April 21, 7pm. "A Liveable Commonwealth: Trees as a Public Good" A Zoom forum with Representative of the Wampanoag Nation Darius Coombs; Bob Leverett, co-founder of the Native Tree Society, the co-founder and President of   Friends of Mohawk Trail State Forest, a senior advisor to American Forests on the Champion Tree Program, co-founder of the Champion Tree Certification Cadre, and Chair of the Massachusetts DCR Forest Reserves Science Advisory ; Yvonne Lalyre, Friends of Melnea Cass Boulevard; Marc R Welch, Deputy Commissioner City of Forester, City of Newton Parks, Recreation & Culture and Quinton Zondervan, Cambridge City Councilor. This online forum will educate people about (1) the community services and climate mitigation that mature trees provide and (2) how to strengthen legal protections for urban and rural tree canopies. Like water and air, trees are public goods that must be protected because the loss of even a single tree impacts air quality, heat levels, and storm water drainage for half a city block. This is an environmental justice issue. Neighborhoods and towns with less wealth and more people of color have fewer trees and thus are “heat islands” with poorer air quality and more flooding, putting residents at greater risk for health and climate emergencies. Zoom link TBA. Contact:  climate@ourrevolutionma.com  

 

 

Earth Day, Friday, April 22, 3:30 pm Freedom From Fossil Fuels Tour to visit the various local institutions that collaborate with the fossil fuel industry. We will call out the financial, legal, and governmental powers most guilty, march, and dance in the streets à la discobedience style. That's right, get ready to dance for climate action! This is the beginning of XR Boston's 2022 "No New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure" campaign. RSVP here. 

 

 

Friday April 22 , 4:30-6pm.  Earth Day Celebration in Greenfield Energy Park! Miles Street (off Main), Greenfield, MA.Empower yourself to care for this planet and prepare for a green future! Land Acknowledgement David Brule of Nolumbeka Project; Morris Dancers: Wake Robin &Juggler Meadow; Music with Annie Hassett and more; Tree Planting with the Greenfield Tree Committee; Community Art Project; Tables & more. 

 

 

Friday April 22,  6:30pm. Vigil for Truth. Pulaski Park, NorthamptonAs we mark another Earth Day, we reckon with both what we've accomplished and what's left to be done. In a month including a rally, a dance mob, street actions, and educational events, this Vigil will hold a space for us to stand together in our truths: what we love about the world we share, what we worry about for our collective future, and what we dedicate our action to in the year to come. This will be a space for sharing and ritual, possibly with an appearance by the ethereal Red Brigade. Everyone who loves the world and wants to build a better one is welcome to join us! 

 

Saturday April 23, 10am to 4pm. Hadley Climate Day at the Hadley Senior Center and Hadley Public Library complex. Limited capacity. To register for the day, go to: tinyurl.com/hadleyclimateday.  For more information about the event and to submit pieces of art, up to four per person, send email to hadleyclimatechangecommittee@gmail.com.

 

Saturday April 23, 11:00 - 11:30am. Earth Day Flash Mob. We will take downtown Amherst by surprise by bursting into dance on the Common. Come join us! Whoever you are, you are part of this! We dance to celebrate Our Nature: the environment around us. We love it and we need it. We protect nature because it sustains us. And we dance to express Our Nature: the spirit within us. Our nature is generous and strong. Our nature is to learn, grow, and adapt. RSVP to sign up as a dancer – no experience necessary! Contact: • info.ma.pioneervalley@mothersoutfront.org

 

Saturday April 23, 12:00pm – 4:00pm. Springfield Eart Day Celebration. Lawn and parking lot of 227 Mill Street, Springfield, MA 01108. Join us for a fun afternoon and see the work Springfield is doing to build a just, sustainable, and cooperative economy and world ! Info HERE. 

 

Monday April 25, 7 to 8:30pm. Climate Action Now Monthly Meeting via Zoom. All welcome. Register in advance HERE.  

Tuesday April 26, 7-8:15pm. Massachusetts Pollinator Network Monthly Meeting. We will hear from guest presenters from the Metrowest Conservation Alliance's Native Pollinator Task Force about their exciting Ambassador Program and other projects they have been taking on! Register here!

 

Wednesday, April 27, 12:00pm. The Dangers of Cooking with Gas - and the Benefits of Induction Stoves. More and more research is showing that gas stoves are dangerous for homeowners and the planet. A recently released paper from Stanford University finds that "the climate and health impacts of natural gas stoves are greater than previously thought."  Register HERE.  

 

Saturday April 30, 8:30 to 11:30am. Community Tree Planting in Greenfield, MA. SAVE THE DATE! Please join us for our all-volunteer community tree planting on April 30th. We will plant about two dozen trees, with your help. Great family event and opportunity to meet new people and do something good for our City and our environment.  Meeting place TBA.  For updates go HERE. 
 

 

 OK, we are out of here but one last thing: Please listen to your Mother, yes?