A Hot Take Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We here in New England may have escaped the Dog Days of August but not everyone out there was so lucky. Records for historic heat are, literally off the charts across the planet. The Climate Crisis, as we've been pointing out on this show since.......forever!, is upon us and it's an  unprecedented existential threat to life on Mother Earth. Got it? Juley Fulcher, Worker Health and Safety Advocate at Public Citizen and author of "Hot Take – Urgent Heat Crisis For Workers" joins us in the wake of Labor Day to talk about how workers are taking the heat, not just from the biosphere but from the bosses as well. [UPDATE: Interview HERE] Here's an Enviro Show Action LINK on this very subject. As usual, we will also try and cheer you up with a visit to this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and Those Whose Brains are Small, as well as an inspirational Enviro Show Quote of the Week and more, but first it's time for.......Revenge of the Critters! Ticks, mosquitos, bacteria, algae, even fungi are on the move, guess who's in the way?

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is not only a climate denier but, met with His Malignancy ahead of the Capitol attack and strategized about how they could block the results at the Jan. 6 electoral count. That goes way beyond foolish and runs smack into fascist insurrection but we still want to call him on his stupidity during this exchange with John Kerry regarding the Climate Crisis: "In the most heated confrontation, Republican Rep. Scott Perry accused Kerry of drumming up a “problem that doesn’t exist” in global warming. When Kerry asked why the world’s scientists and the 195 global governments behind the Paris climate accord would make up global warming, Perry responded, “Because they’re grifting, like you are,” drawing gasps from lawmakers." No gasps here, only ill will, if for no other reason than he's making a bundle trashing the planet. 

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber the New York Times tells us: "The Biden administration on [last] Tuesday lifted protections from pollution for millions of acres of wetlands, three months after the Supreme Court found that it lacked the authority to regulate them." Remind us why we call that court "Supreme"?? We have an Action Link where you can join with United Farm Workers to tell OSHA: Provide heat stress injury protections for farm workers! And, speaking of workers, Bernie has a message for all of us HERE.  Are you a resident of Newton, MA? Is so, go HERE! Finally some good news, The Sierra Club tells us the American Marten is returning home to the Keystone state.

Just in case that good news is getting you all Pollyanna let us remind you "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" The good news here is Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and other South American leaders have formed a pact to protect the Amazon Rain Forest. "We are going to COP28 with the aim of telling the rich world that if they want to effectively preserve the forest that exists, they need to pay money not only to take care of the canopy, but to take care of the people who live under it," Lula said. The bad news is it may be too late. "Global warming is driving leafy tropical canopies close to temperatures where they can no longer transform sunlight and CO2 into energy, threatening total collapse if the thermometer keeps climbing, according to a study" The study points to a lack of law enforcement as the contributing factor. Wake-up people! More bad news (sorry): "Fungal infections are rising worldwide and climate change may be to blame. Medicine isn’t ready." Click on the link, if you dare. Finally this headline from Common Dreams: " 'The Pyrocene Is Well and Truly Here': Climate Crisis Made Eastern Canada's Fires 2 Times More Likely" Had enough?

We promised you an inspiring Enviro Show Quote of the Week at the top of the show (and you deserve one after that last segment) so here it is:

“Choose only one master—Nature.”        –Rembrandt

Time to remember "Their Brains Were Small and They Died" and that we have such dinosaurs treading the Earth to this day. One such example is Alex Epstein. The New Republic (now recovered from its rocky past) tells us: "Epstein began his career at the Ayn Rand Institute, where he rose to prominence with op-eds on subjects like abortion, animal rights, and keeping the United States hooked on oil, which he described in 2006 as “a wonderful, life-sustaining product.” In 2011, after leaving the organization, he founded the Center for Industrial Progress; per its website, CIP is devoted to “helping industry fight for its freedom, with new ideas, arguments, and policies that will improve our economy and our environment.”Nuf' said?

After our conversation with Juley we head over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Saturday September 16, 11am to Noon. Members and supporters of Traprock's Franklin County for Peace gather on the Greenfield town common in support of the march in New York City the following day calling for an end to government support for fossil fuels. The Saturday vigil gives local residents not joining the NYC march the opportunity to publicly call for reduction of military spending and emissions and prevent both nuclear war and a related climate meltdown by signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Sunday September 17,10am,  Join The March to End Fossil Fuels at the Amherst Town Common downtown! We all want fresh air to breathe, good soil and native forests and a planet where our lands and waters thrive. But in the massive midst of plastic pollution,heat waves, fires, and floods, the continued burning of coal, oil, and gas is threatening our future while wealthy fossil fuel CEOs rake in record profits. Email HERE. 

Sunday September 17, Noon to 1:30pm. Event-Farming in the Climate Crisis: Panel and Action Plan with Local farmers and State Rep Natalie Blais. The Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew, 8 Church Street, Greenfield, MA.   

 Sunday September 17,  1pm. March to End Fossil Fuels.The march will start at 1pm at the intersection of 5th Ave and W 59th St, near the southeast corner of Central Park. Please keep in mind that thousands of people (let alone dozens of buses) can not all meet at the same intersection. We will provide more detailed instructions for buses and group meeting locations closer to the date of the march. The exact route and end point of the march are still being determined. We will update this website HERE  If you are organizing a bus, please email griffin@climateorganizinghub.org so we can keep you updated. WMass , MA. buses HERE  

If you are unable to travel to NYC ON 9/17, there is a local action in solidarity in Bedford, MA you may wish to join: 160 Great Road, Veterans Memorial Park, Bedford, MA from 2:00-3:00 pm.  Our support will be noticed!Contact marjorieroemer38@gmail.com for more information.  

The morning after the historic March to End Fossil Fuels, thousands of us will converge on Wall Street to demand that President Biden choose People over Climate Change Profiteers. As we choke on the smoke of burned homes, bake and die in heatwaves, and live in societies increasingly destabilized by climate chaos, President Biden continues to put the interests of Wall St. and his donors above life on this planet. Join us and engage in a historic Mass Civil Disobedience targeting President Biden and Wall St. and calling on Biden to end the era of fossil fuels. Whether you can risk arrest or not, we need everyone to join us to support those risking arrest to end this fossil fuel industry. Go HERE. 

Sunday September 17, 1pm. March to End Fossil Fuels in Shelburne Falls. Meet at Memorial Hall, 51 Bridge Street. 1:30pm March to bandshell at Bucklend Shelburne Elementary School. Bring signs and costumes. 2pm on rally & music.  

September 18 to 21, Various Times. Extinction Rebellion Boston's 2023 Week of Rebellion. The calendar is still forming, as action planners meet and collaborate to prepare an electrifying (get the pun?) series of events. The daily drumbeat of climate disaster headlines about forest fires, extreme drought, flooding, record-breaking heat domes, and life-threatening storms leave no doubt that these consequences of our failure to break our addiction to fossil fuels are now a part of daily existence. And it's not just happening "somewhere else, far away." It is happening HERE. With 3 months to go, 2023 is already the worst "year of disasters" ever, with 23 "natural" disasters costing more than $1 Billion each.Be sure to check in for updates on our website calendar: https://xrboston.org/action/  

Monday September 18,  5p.m. Public Hearing H.2193/S.1339 An Act expanding after-death care options. LINK TO PRE-REGISTER TO TESTIFY: Persons who wish to testify in person or virtually or submit written testimony may do so by completing this form linked here (http s://forms.gle/bP4yBVNp8MgvFko28). DEADLINE TO PRE-REGISTER: Persons planning to testify virtually must sign up no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 18, 2023. Individuals and groups testifying in person are strongly encouraged to register using the form above prior to the deadline. Registration by the deadline is required for those who wish to testify virtually during the live hearing and encouraged for those who wish to testify in person. WRITTEN TESTIMONY: If you would like to provide written testimony, please include the bill number in the subject line of the email, as well as your name, address, phone number, and organization, if any, on the submitted testimony. Written testimony is encouraged and will continue to be accepted after the hearing until the relevant bill is acted upon. Such testimony may be submitted via email to JointCommittee.PublicHealth@malegislature.gov. Please include "Public Health Committee Testimony, [Relevant Bill Number]" in the subject line of the email. Those who plan to submit only written testimony may do so before or after the signup deadline. If you have any questions, you may email Marisa.Bartolotta@mahouse.gov and Alexander.Nally@masenate.gov.  

 

Tuesday  September 19, 4pm. Where Do the Birds Go? ABC's Newest Strategies to Bring Back Migratory Birds. The  American Bird Conservancy's webinar to learn more about the incredible journey that migratory birds take each fall, the perils they face, and how ABC is working with a wide range of partners to scale up habitat conservation in the places they need it most. Go HERE.  

Wednesday September 20, 8:30am and on. Critcal Mass Day at MA Staehouse. 

Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02133. Volunteers from a coalition of climate and community groups stand outside the State House every business day from 9-5, demanding that our leadership take immediate action to ban new fossil fuel infrastructure. In full public view, we process climate grief, sing, engage passerby in conversation. On Critical Mass Day, we're inviting YOU to stand with us. This is a great event for climate-conscious folks who want to make a risk-free statement. We'll have our normal Stand-Out in the morning, then we'll gather for a lunchtime celebration between 12 pm and 1 pm, after which we'll all write postcards and deliver them to Governor Healey in a giant group around 2 pm! We'll clean up and head home around 4:30 pm. Everyone is welcome to join for any portion of the day. Go HERE.

Saturday September 23, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Forest Walk: This is our third in a series of forest walks. This event will be at the Quabbin Reservoir and guided by experts Dr. Bill Stubblefield, biologist, and Michael Kellett, Executive Director of RESTORE: The North Woods. Exact meeting place to be announced soon.  

Saturday, September 23, to noon on Sunday, September 24, Berkshire Biodiversity Days at Greenagers’ April Hill Education and Conservation Center. This year’s program is packed with guided walks, presentations, and demonstrations led by experts. Presentation topics include leaf-mining insects from Charley Eiseman, fungi and mushrooms from John Wheeler, arachnids from Joseph Warfel, and native bees from Aliza Fassler, who will also lead a wild bee walk. Professor Tom Tyning will lead an amphibian and reptile walk that will involve checking under cover boards — a common surveying method used by herpetologists. Rene Wendell from Hoffmann Bird Club will lead an owl prowl and early morning bird walk, and Ben Nickley of Berkshire Bird Observatory will also conduct a bird banding demo. You can find a detailed schedule of the program at www.berkshirebioblitz.org. 

 

 

Wednesday September 27, 5:45pm.  Clean Energy Incentives for All - A Public Forum & Discussion. Westfield State University. If you are interested but unable to attend in-person or watch the livestream, you may watch the forum through a recorded video available approximately two weeks after the event through the member libraries of the PVLC (see below for a listing of libraries). The Forum’s goal is to highlight existing MA and federal clean energy incentives for individuals, homeowners, renters, businesses, municipalities and nonprofits. Attendees will learn how to access these federal and state tax-based incentives that are available for implementing cleaner means of heating and cooling, transportation, energy efficient appliances, and whole-building energy efficiency. Go HERE. 

 

 

Saturday September 30, 10am to 4:30pm. First Annual Gathering of Standing Trees & Save Public Forests Coalition. Can you believe how far we've come since we came together as a community in 2020? Join us at the Chittenden Reservoir on Saturday September 30th for outdoor fun, great food, and wild friends at the first-ever annual gathering of Standing Trees and the Save Public Forests Coalition. Please RSVP HERE  to help us plan, to join a carpool, and to make sure you get updates as the event approaches.

Monday October 2  11am to 1pm. MA Statehouse for a Rally & Presentation of our Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom Airfield Petition Signatures to Governor Healey & Climate Chief Hoffer! We will send a resounding message to the Governor that citizens across the state are urging her to do everything within her power to stop this outrageous private luxury jet expansion which so clearly runs contrary to her—and our efforts—to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.  Sign & circulate the petition to the Governor here!  To date, we have over 8,000 signatures!  Let’s reach 10,000 by the Oct 2 rally!

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. 

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 

OK Earthlings,  please remember to listen to your Mother and support workers everywhere 

 

 

 

A Massachusetts Engagement on Procurement Enviro Show ?

Greetings Earthlings. We know it sounds wonky but a state Executive Order (EO) like THIS can encourage state agencies and departments to give preference to vendors that avoid  deforestation and intact forest degradation. Jennifer Skene, Natural Climate Solutions Policy Manager, International Program at NRDC joins us to cut through the jargon and find if this is something we can apply to the Commonwealth. [UPDATE: Interview HERE]  As always we will introduce you to this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and those Whose Brains Were Small, as well as pass on our perennial reminder that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and more but first it's time for....Revenge of the Critters! Are you ready for one of the best?

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Rep. Ralph Norman (Repug-SC) who, as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee discussing disapproval resolutions that would curtail the Biden administration’s protections for two species stated: "I see the bald eagle; that makes sense. I see the bears; that makes sense. But long-eared bats? I hope the white-nose syndrome wipes all of them out." Hmmm, we guess he missed the memo......or he's just another fool. 

Would we surprised if Ralph is also just another climate denier? Nah! Anyway, "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" Some of the news coverage on the horrific fires on the Hawaiian island of Maui is pointing toward the unusual drought-like conditions that were present before that conflagration. Interestingly, there's also talk of how Lahaina, where some of the worst damage occurred, was once mostly wetland. “Lahaina wasn’t always a dry, fire-prone region. It was very wet and lush, historically. Boats would circle the famous Waiola Church. Lahaina was also the breeding place of aquaculture. It had some of the world's first and most innovative systems of fish ponds. But at the dawn of the 18th century, sugar barons arrived and illicitly diverted the water to irrigate the lands they had stolen" Native resident Kaniela Ing noted. Too make matters worse "In the wake of the devastating Hawaii wildfires, experts fear a broader environmental catastrophe is only just starting to unfold." Add to that the recent corporate welfare subsidy for illusive industrial carbon capture reminds us of "clean coal". If you REALLY want carbon capture #EndLoggingOnPublicLand and stop trashing oceans, wetlands, prairies, and farmland, OK?? Finally, some good news on the climate front: "‘Game-changer’: judge rules in favor of young activists in US climate trial."

Our newest segment, "Their Brains Were Small and They Died" has us thinking the U.S. Forest Service has always behaved like the reptiles of long ago, browsing about without any awareness of....well...much of anything? USFS latest...um..thinking? Is sadly, the same as it ever was. "The Forest Service faces criticism for projecting that forests could become carbon emitters by 2070 instead of continuing as carbon sinks." Now, why on Earth would they think that? 😏

Are you ready for an Enviro Show Quote of the Week? You'll have to climb into the Wayback Machine for this one:

"Love every leaf… Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you have perceived it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day, and you will come at last to love the world with an all-embracing love. "  - Fyodor Dostoyevsky 

It looks like we're Abidin' with Biden this week after he protected one million acres around the Grand Canyon National Park. "Based on a proposal led by Tribal Nations, this move will conserve a key source of clean drinking water in the region. The National Monument designation will protect the Grand Canyon and its unique ecosystems from uranium mining and other destructive projects", that from the League of Conservation Voters. That said, 57 percent of U.S. folks disapprove of Biden’s handling of climate change, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll.  But how many of them are MAGA Death Cult types or people who just don't follow the news? Then there's the climate activists noted above who don't buy the Prez's claim that he "practically" declared a Climate Emergency. Count us among them, so are we really abidin'?  Nah! Worse, check this out: "The White House argues that a court order it opposes and is appealing requires federal officials to lease more than 78 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico for fossil fuel exploration. Environmental groups, however, assert that federal law gives the administration broad discretion over whether or not to hold such sales.  In fact, Biden’s officials have instead used that power to officially declare that the warnings in the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report “does not present sufficient cause" to reevaluate the drilling plan and that "there is no constitutional right to a stable climate system,” according to court records  Whoa! Given Biden's campaign pledge we guess that's some serious backslidin'.  

 After our conversation with Jennifer it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday August 30, 7pm.  Put Gas in the Past. No more new gas infrastructure expansion! We’ve seen how petition signatures are helping us move forward. Signatures signify widespread support for an issue, which is why Gas in the Past petition signatures were cited in Governor Healey administration's decision to send Eversource's proposed pipeline through Springfield and Longmeadow back to the drawing board! The fight isn't over yet, though. We have over 6,000- but our goal is 10,000 petition signers! Join this historic work, learn how to collect petition signatures, practice these skills, and meet new people passionate about climate justice.  Go HERE. 

Beginning Wednesday, September 6 through October 18, we'll Zoom meet from 7:00-9:00 PM ET to delve into almost every aspect of plastic pollution and what we can do, as both individuals and a society, to address it head on. You can learn more about the class and register here.

Tuesday September 5, 12 – 3pm. Western Massachusetts Solar Forum, Session 1: Solar in Massachusetts – Past, Present, and Future. Introduction; Solar Energy Basics; The Solar Market in 2023; State Climate Goals; Current State Laws, Regulations, and Planning; Future Needs for Electricity, Solar, Energy Storage, and the Grid. Register and learn about other sessions HERE.   

Tuesday, September 12th from 12-2 pm. Join NDN Collective, Amnesty and many more for a rally to Free Leonard Peltier RSVP here! We will meet at the White House (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW) on the Lafayette Square side) Go HERE.  

Tuesday September 12, 6 to 8:30pm. Climate-Oriented Forest Management Guidelines - Public Input Session. The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs invites you to join a public meeting about a comprehensive effort to conserve and manage forest land in the Commonwealth known as the Forests as Climate Solutions Initiative. This meeting is intended to obtain general input on the approach and content of the Guidelines.  A second public meeting will be held in November to seek feedback on specific issues related to draft Guidelines. An Agenda, meeting link, and other information will follow.Written feedback is also welcome. Please send suggestions and ideas to: guidelines@mass.gov

Wednesday September 13, 3pm. Join our webinar to find out how to bring Direct Pay to YOUR community.What if every city hall had solar panels and every school used electric vehicle charging stations to charge their school buses? What if all public housing was weatherized and energy efficient? What if we could create good jobs in your community? Go HERE.  

Thursday September 14, 11 a.m. Join the Center for Biological Diversity Population and Sustainability Campaigner Kelley Dennings and other population advocates on for a webinar hosted by Population Connection. We’ll discuss the Population Institute’s recent report on how climate change affects the most vulnerable communities worldwide.  Register today to join the webinar. 

Sunday September 17, Noon to 1:30pm. Event-Farming in the Climate Crisis: Panel and Action Plan with Local farmers and State Rep Natalie Blais. The Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew, 8 Church Street, Greenfield, MA.   

 Sunday September 17,  1pm. March to End Fossil Fuels.The march will start at 1pm at the intersection of 5th Ave and W 59th St, near the southeast corner of Central Park. Please keep in mind that thousands of people (let alone dozens of buses) can not all meet at the same intersection. We will provide more detailed instructions for buses and group meeting locations closer to the date of the march. The exact route and end point of the march are still being determined. We will update this website HERE  If you are organizing a bus, please email griffin@climateorganizinghub.org so we can keep you updated. WMass buses HERE.

 OK, time to go but reminder to........listen to your Mother!