The Devil's Tango Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Time to return to those days of yesteryear. You think the multiple nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan is old news?  Cecile Pineda, author of "Devil's Tango: How I learned the Fukushima Step by Step" calls in to remind us otherwise. Cecile will be speaking here in the Valley next week (see the Bus Stop Billboard). Like always we'll also checkout the situation with our own hopeless old nuke just up river during our E-Valley-uation segment. Also, the Enviro Show Echo Chamber catches up with the climate crisis and another upcoming visit, this time with Bill McKibben. We'll see who this week's Fool-on-the-Hill is and send along The Enviro Show Quote of the Week, but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters! Murdered cows strike back!

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we direct you to a new climate crisis alert by Bill McKibben in Rolling Stone. There's a "CALL FOR ACTION CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE" to be held on the morning of Saturday, September 8th, in Amherst. McKibben will be speaking at the Johnson Chapel at Amherst College the evening before the conference. His piece has generated some constructive criticism from activists in our region, including us! In addition, ocean acidification is worse than previously thought (don't let the headline fool you however, it's all part of the climate crisis). Our Blog Bonus Special this week: it seems the most important fish in the sea need your help here. And this: Plutonium from Fukushima made it all the way around the planet. Way to go, Plutonium! Also some good news: Free Larry!

Time for a little E-Valley-uation on that really old Vermont Yankee nuke (did we mention that it's the same old type of boiling water reactor as the ones melting down in Fukushima?.....maybe so). In any case, it seems that scary fuel pool sprang another leak due to human error. Those humans, always making errors! And speaking of errors, there's one on your calendar:  the SAGE Alliance has changed the date for that Flotilla Action in the Connecticut River.  Folks better get shipshape for the new date, of September 8. More info here.

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill recently topped the inmates-running-the-asylum list with his crazed remarks about the Colorado shooting and his defense of nut-job Michelle Bachmann's anti-Muslim McCarthyism, but here on The Enviro Show we're drilling down on Repugnican Louie Gohmert's 96% voting record in support of Big Oil and dirty energy. Hey, the guys from Texas!

Our Quote of the Week comes from this week's guest:
"To say that corporate enterprise has abrogated your right to ask questions, to raise objections, or to expose malfeasance tells only half the story," she writes. "Corporations are not people. We are people, and until we learn to protest en masse, until we make it impossible for corporations to continue stripping the planet, they will hijack our earth, and make all living things expendable. That means you. That means us." - Cecile Pineda

After our conversation with Cecile we'll move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday, August 2, 7 to 9pm. Join local events on August 4 to stop Mt. Tom Coal Plant, and end huge tax subsidies to  the fossil fuel industry.  The local Beyond Coal campaign (part of the Sierra Club) will host an activist training at Holyoke Rows, Jones Ferry Road, Holyoke. Contact: drew_grande@sierraclub.org 

Thursday August 2, at 7pm in the Edwards Public Library Community Room. To help ensure success at Town Meeting and beyond, we believe it’s imperative to “jump-start” the Friends of the Southampton Greenway.  We hope you will join us at an organizational meeting. Contact: Karen Adamski at kaarbb@hotmail.com or Michael Buehler (413) 527-4023

August 4-9. Walk for a Nuclear Free Future. A six day walk in the Connecticut River Valley. Hartford, Connecticut to the New England Peace Pagoda, in Leverett, MA. Call: Tim Bullock (413) 485-8469

Sunday, August 5, 5:30pm to 9:00pm. Cecile Pineda, Fukushima: The Nuclear Industry’s Gift to our Planet. Lyman Hall, First Churches, Northampton. At 7:45 proceed to Smith's Paradise Pond. At 8 PM for Hiroshima Day commemoration and floating candle ceremony.

Monday, August 6, 1:30pm to 3:00pm. Cecile Pineda at 142 High Street, Amherst.  Information: Hattie at 978.790.3074   or   hattieshalom@verizon.net

August 9-12, Climate Justice Direct Action Camp. Wheelock Mountain Farm. Northeast Kingdom, Vermont. Go here: www.theflashbulb.org/direct-action-camp.html or call: 802-338-1613.

Friday, September 7 at 7pm Bill McKibben on “Jail Notes: The Fight for the Planet Starts to Quicken” at the Johnson Chapel, Amherst college, Amherst, MA. Contact: margaretbj[at]aol.com

Saturday, September 8, 11:00am to 5:00pm. Our River Runs Through It: Flotilla & Rally to Stop VT Yankee Pollution. Flotilla & Rally to Stop VT Yankee Pollution on the Connecticut River. More info at: http://sagealliance.net/actions/river-9-8-12

Thurs. Sept 20 - Sat. Sept.22 Washington DC NUCLEAR FREE CONVERGENCE ON OUR NATION’S CAPITOL  Details: http://coalitionagainstnukes.org/no-nukes-rally-in-d-c/ 

OK for now. We'll be back! AND don't forget to.....listen to your Mother!

The Big Wind Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We've changed our broadcast time on VFR back to 6pm and it's high time to do the rounds on Big Wind once again. We'll checkout their latest spin with Audra Parker,  President/CEO of Save our Sound.  Speaking of spin, we'll look into the latest from those flat-Earth climate crisis deniers we'd love to ship off-planet. Also joining us to have a look at the previously  proposed Shelburne wind operation is our friend, Janet Sinclair. As usual we visit the Enviro Show Echo Chamber, do the Quote of the Week and do some E-Valley-uation, but first it's time for......Revenge of the Critters! You want to build windmills in Nantucket Sound? Watch out for angry seagulls!


In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we rewind Tim Egan's excellent op-ed in the New York Times, "The Fire This Time". It's climate change in biblical proportions folks (wonder why all those far-right bible bangers aren't listening?). The word from NOAA is that "The past 12 months have been the warmest on record for the mainland United States." That from State of the Climate - National Overview report. Of course, that's just science. Our Fool-on-the-Hill knows that's a lot of hooey.


This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is a perennial favorite. Yes, Senator James Inhofe, Repugnican of Oklahoma and arch foe of science and all us alarmist enviros has stood once again in the air conditioned gallery of the Senate and spoke the gospel (such as it is) of denial. [Warning: the link takes you to far-right La-La Land. Be prepaired for half-truths and obfuscations!]


Our Quote of the Week comes directly from Michael Cyrus, of SteelRiver Infrastructure Partners (great name, huh?) who have an interest in a proposed Hawaiian wind project actually named Big Wind!  “You have to go through this process of noise, where you let people feel that they had a platform to speak,” Cyrus said. “But you can’t let the noise distract you because time is a nemesis." Thanks for the feeling Big Wind!

Time to Meet the New Boss. Looks like Obama's Department of Justice has its priorities screwed up. The DOJ has been widely criticized for failing to bring to fruition investigations of Wall Street traders' crimes. However, in one instance, its investigators have been relentless: in January, indicting marine biologist Nancy Black, who faces 20 years in prison for allegedly lying to investigators about whether her crew might have illegally fed whales to attract their attention for a boatload of whale-watchers. What would the boss say??

Our E-Valley-uation segment gets pretty much taken up by one of our guests: Janet Sinclair joins us in the studio to talk about Big Wind in WMass, but first, here's an Enviro Show Blog Bonus on that scary nuke up river: Danger Zone: Aging nuclear reactors!


After a call-in from Audra Parker of Save our Sound we move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, July 18, Noon to 1pm. Progressive Heat Wave at Rep. Richie Neal's Office. Tax Carbon to Stop Climate Change! Brown Bag Lunch Vigil. 300 State Street, Springfield. Email: field@pdamerica.or

July 20 - 22. Occupy Nuclear Power. Annual Clamshell Alliance Reunion & Anti-Entergy strategy session. World Fellowship Camp and Conference Center, Conway, NH. A day-long Anti-Entergy strategy session will be held on Saturday, half-day on Sunday, to develop a unified opposition campaign targeting Entergy,  Please spread the word, check out the website, and make reservations. worldfellowship.org; reservations@worldfellowship.org

Beginning on July 25, Radical Action for Mountain People’s Survival (RAMPS) will be convening the Mountain Mobilization to shut down a strip mine and build momentum that will finish off mountaintop removal once and for all. Join the West Virginia Mountain Mobilization. Go to: http://rampscampaign.org/mountain-mobilization/register/ 

Saturday, July 28. The first national fracking action. Stop the Frack Attack is a coalition of more than 80 groups, including Public Citizen, that are coming together for four days of action, trainings, networking and lobbying, all culminating with a rally and march at the Capitol.  Go to: www.stopthefrackattack.org/


Saturday, July 28, 1-2 p.m. Tracks Along The River is a hands-on nature program for families about wildlife native to our rivers and wetlands. Join along with naturalist Dawn Marvin Ward for this nature exploration which will include stories, puppets and hands-on activities designed for children with an adult companion. Northfield Public Library. For further info, call Northfield Public Library 498-2455

This July 29th-31 the political and economic elite of the Northeast are meeting in Burlington, VT for the 36th Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers. In closed door meetings at the golf course and dinner table, greenwashed resolutions for trade, energy, climate change, transportation and infrastructure policies for the region will be developed.  The People are organizing too! JULY 29,12pm Welcoming March and Rally, City Hall Park. Go to: www.btvconvergence.net/wordpress/

Sunday, August 5 Cecile Pineda will be on a New England book tour August 5th -13th. She will talk about and autograph her new book "Devil’s Tango (how I learned the Fukushima step by step)"

First Churches, 129 Main Street, Northampton • Potluck at 5:30pm talk and book signing • 7:00 pm

Paradise Pond at Smith College for Hiroshima Day Ceremony and candle float • 8:00 pm

Monday, August 6. Meet with Cecile Pineda • 1:30 pm. for refreshments and book signing

Hosted by Dade Singapuri, 142 High Street, Amherst. 

August 9-12, Climate Justice Direct Action Camp. Wheelock Mountain Farm. Northeast Kingdom, Vermont. Go here: www.theflashbulb.org/direct-action-camp.html or call: 802-338-1613.

That's all folks!......except don't forget........listen to your Mother. 

The Last Minute Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We were down to the wire with this show given that our annual Pilgrimage to the Sea fell during production time and SOME people didn't do their homework. Be that as it may, we managed to get Amy Donovan, Program Director of the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District calling in for an update on....well, solid waste! Also we'll find time for a visit with the Fool-on-the-Hill as well as The Enviro Show Echo Chamber. We can do some E-Valley-uation and maybe Meet the New Boss as well, but first it's time for...Revenge of the Critters! Roo stalks Aussie Woman (Disclaimer: this comes from Faux "News")

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill goes once again to former car thief, Rep. Darrell Issa who continues the Repugnican safe energy witch hunt in his capacity as head of the House Inquisition...er...Oversight Committee.

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber this AP headline certainly caught our attention while zoning out by the sea on the Cape: "Sea level rising fastest on East Coast". And....sadly...this: Earth summit bombs...again. It gets worse: fishermen who spoke out at the summit were murdered! Meanwhile, closer to home, it looks like it's the Roseate Tern's turn to try and shutdown the Pilgrim nuke in Plymouth. On June 28, 2012, "Pilgrim Watch and the Jones River Watershed Association challenged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, saying their approvals for Entergy's relicensing are arbitrary and capricious and not based on credible data". Also, an Enviro Show Blog Bonus Action Link: the Massachusetts House will vote on a bill to expand the state's most successful solar program this week. Add your voice here.

In our E-Valley-uation segment we take a look at Sunday's "Declare Independence from Entergy" action at the gates of that dangerous dilapidated old nuke in Vernon, VT. 40 protesters were arrested. All were released on personal recognizance ('cuz Vermont knows they are the good citizens as opposed to the corporados at Entergy). And, from the June 28 issue of The Montague Reporter we learn "Shad Rebound in Annual River Count", a fascinating article with quotes from Karl Meyer and others on the problems with the Turners Falls fish ladder. You'll have to pick-up a copy at your news stand 'cuz The Reporter is traditional, it doesn't do digital.

Our Quote of the Week: "Licensing a nuclear power plant is in my view, licensing random premeditated murder. First of all, when you license a plant, you know what you're doing--so it's premeditated. You can't say, "I didn't know." Second, the evidence on radiation-producing cancer is beyond doubt. I've worked fifteen years on it [as of 1982], and so have many others. It is not a question any more: radiation produces cancer, and the evidence is good all the way down to the lowest doses." -- John Gofman

Finally, it's time to scope out the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, July 4,9am by the Brattleboro high school gather to be part of the No Nukes contingent in the parade! If you need inspiration, here's a few ideas: "Clean it up and mooooove it out!" is a message that fits the float. Our message from the July 1st action "Declare Independence from Entergy!" has a patriotic ring to it! And the 4th is always a good time to "Defend Democracy!" Contact Ed at ema@svcable.net

Wednesday July 4, 4 - 8 pm. July 4th Pitch-in Picnic. Rain or Shine. 3 McClelland Farm Rd, Deerfield. A wonderful place for the picnic and a great variety of ways to enjoy it. Can you come? Can you bring your own utensils? folding chairs? Can you volunteer for a task? RSVP to joanjon@gogtt.net or call 413-467-3944

Wednesday,July 10,11 a.m., Rally at the Courthouse on Obery St. in Plymouth to support the Plymouth14 protesters. For details contact Cape Downwinders, David Agnew, dagnew@gmail.com

Thursday, July 11, 6pm there will be a Public Hearing on Easthampton Bicycle Ordinances 50 Payson Ave., Second Floor Meeting Room, Easthampton. Call Eli Damon at 413-530-3861

Tuesday,July 17,7pm. A Public Lecture by Michael Klare based on his new book,"The Race for What's Left". Will provide a global overview of the corporate drive to exploit what's left of the world's oil, natural gas, coal, uranium, rare minerals, food, water, and land. Bring your questions about hydro-fracking, rare earths, the new oil boom, etc. - and what can be done to address these issues. SMITH COLLEGE, 103 McConnell Hall, Northampton.

July 20 - 22. Occupy Nuclear Power. Annual Clamshell Alliance Reunion & Anti-Entergy strategy session. World Fellowship Camp and Conference Center, Conway, NH. A day-long Anti-Entergy strategy session will be held on Saturday, half-day on Sunday, to develop a unified opposition campaign targeting Entergy, (which also owns many GE BWRs including VY). We invite activists organizing against Entergy-owned nukes Vermont Yankee, Pilgrim, Indian Point, and Fitzpatrick (NY), (and also activists from New Orleans, site of Entergy HQ, and the Entergy-owned Palisades nuke in Michigan). Additional discussion led by Linda and Paul Gunter of Beyond Nuclear on national and international resistance to nuclear power, the aim to shut the 23 US GE Boiling Water Reactors that are twins to at Fukushima, Japan, and lessons learned from Germany, Italy, India, and elsewhere. World Fellowship is an affordable, child friendly location in the White Mountains, founded and run by progressives. Camping and rooms are available, and rates include three excellent meals served family style each day. Please spread the word, check out the website, and make reservations. worldfellowship.org; reservations@worldfellowship.org

Beginning on July 25, Radical Action for Mountain People’s Survival (RAMPS) will be convening the Mountain Mobilization to shut down a strip mine and build momentum that will finish off mountaintop removal once and for all. Join the West Virginia Mountain Mobilization. Go to: http://rampscampaign.org/mountain-mobilization/register/

That's it. We are so out of here. Did you remember to listen to your Mother?

July 1st Declare Independence from Entergy!

The Enviro Show Goes Extinct

Greetings Earthlings. Will the show become extinct? Let us know below if you'd miss us if we vanished from the face of the Earth. Les Knight of the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement phones in to talk about "the hopeful alternative to the extinction of millions of species of plants and animals [being] the voluntary extinction of one species: Homo sapiens... us." Besides the disappearing act, we'll also be celebrating (while we still can!) the upcoming Summer Solstice with our favorite house witch, Michelle. And, like always, we'll checkout The Fool-on-the-Hill, The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and do some E-Valley-uation, but first it's time for.......Revenge of the Critters! Hyenas Wreak Havoc in Karatu!

In our E-Valley-uation segment The Shut It Down Affinity Group Brings Health Information to Entergy Headquarters (just in case they weren't aware of the health and safety issues relating to their old crumbling nuke!). Then we set Michelle lose on you for the Summer Solstice!

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, who (for some reason) leads the energy and mineral resources subcommittee under the House Committee on Natural Resources. Lamborn censored a photo that was going to be displayed at a hearing about the effects of mountaintop removal coal mining. The picture showed a kid bathing in the murky water that results from mountain top removal. Even though Lamborn never saw the photo he called it "child porn", presumably because he abhors photos that don't support his world view. We thought photos of destroyed mountains were porn! Did we mention Lamborn got in trouble last year for comparing President Barack Obama to a "tar baby" on a radio show. No? Did we mention that people actually voted this man into office....into the U.S. House of Representatives??

Our Quote of the Week from George Carlin is right on theme: "The planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we’re gone, and it will heal itself, it will cleanse itself, ’cause that’s what it does. It’s a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be renewed. And if it’s true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new paradigm: the earth plus plastic. The earth doesn’t share our prejudice toward plastic. Plastic came out of the earth. The earth probably sees plastic as just another one of its children. Could be the only reason the earth allowed us to be spawned from it in the first place. It wanted plastic for itself. Didn’t know how to make it. Needed us. Could be the answer to our age-old egocentric philosophical question, “Why are we here?.....Plastic.”

There's enough going on out there to fill several Enviro Show Echo Chambers but we'll keep it to a dull roar. First off, the BIG news from the journal Nature: are we at a planetary-scale 'tipping point'? Well, have you been listening for say, the past few decades?? May as well stick an Enviro Show Blog Action Bonus in here: help protect the majestic Blue Fin Tuna, OK? And, speaking of Bluefins, their Pacific cousins have shown up on the Other Coast radiated from Fukushima. The BIG news on the nuclear front comes from the New York Times: Court Forces a Rethinking of Nuclear Fuel Storage (not that the NRC pays much attention to such things).

Bob Dylan's "When the Deal Goes Down", from his Modern Times album takes us to our interview with Les Knight of Voluntary Human Extinction Movement. Then it's on to the Bus stop Billboard:

Wednesday, June 20, 5:30 - 9:00 p.m. Seeds of Resistance Gathering. Join us to Occupy/Resist the BIO Int'l Convention! NO to Monsanto! NO to GMOs! Join us to build community power, resistance, justice, and autonomy! COUNTER CONFERENCE Spontaneous Celebrations, 45 Danforth Street, Jamaica Plain. Contact: ashley@ciclovida.org, 774-460-1274

Thursday, June 21, 11am. Day of Action Against Biodevastation. Dewey Square (near South Station & the Boston Convention Center). Join the Ciclovida team in working to build power in resistance to BIO International, an annual gathering of some of the biggest behemoths in industrial agriculture and the big pharma industry. Contact ashley@ciclovida.org, 774-460-1274

Thursday, June 21, 7pm. Habitat Restoration & the Montague Sand Plain with Tim Simmons. Pre-lecture walk at 5:30 (call first). Great Falls Discovery Center, Avenue A, Turners Falls. Call (413)863-3221.

Monday, June 25, 8:30 am—12:00 pm. Massachusetts Regional WasteWise Forum, EcoBuilding Bargains, 83 Warwick Street, Springfield. Who Should Attend: Businesses, Institutions, Non-profits, Recycling Professionals, Colleges & Universities, Municipalities, and Other Organizations. RSVP: June 18, (413) 586-7350 x 289.

Wed June 27 10:30 – 12:30. Frogs 'N Friends for the Family. Join naturalist Dawn Marvin Ward for a two hour hands-on science program about some special wetland creatures at the Leverett Library. All ages of children are welcome (accompanied by an adult) however the program is geared for 3rd grade and under. This program will start inside with an introduction slide show then head outside (weather permitting) for a walk to a stream. Call: 367-9562

Thursdaqy, June 28th Regional Occupy gathering at Occupy New Haven perhaps with a true All New England March that evening, then the next day Occupy Caravan goes to Occupy Wall Street en route to final overnight in Newark June 29th before reaching Philly for the 5-day National Gathering on June 30th (the big day there will be the final day, July 4th). Go to: occupycaravan.webs.com/

Thursday June 28: COMMUNITY FORUM ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS Thursday June 28 6:45 – 9:00 p.m. Greenfield Middle School Auditorium, Greenfield MA. Come hear what the emergency preparedness plans are and bring your questions about potential nuclear meltdown, etc. Emergency response personnel present will be: Mayor William Martin; Bob Strahan, Director of Emergency Response; Bob Berry, MEMA; Nicole Zabko, Dir of Gfld Dept. Public Health; Tracy Rogers, FRCOG Medic vet expert in radiation emergency Contact : Sandra Boston 413-774-5952, Dorothy McIver 413-772-3747 Sponsored by Citizens for Emergency Preparedness http://sagealliance.net/event/greenfield-6-28-12

Thursday, June 28 at 7:00pm Pioneer Valley Green Rainbow Party Meeting in the Frances Crowe Community Room, 60 Masonic Street, Northampton

Sunday July 1, 10am. Independence from Entergy! Brattleboro Common. After a 45 minute Rally, school buses will be leaving the Common for the gates of the Vermont Yankee nuke. A small donation will be asked for before boarding the bus. Alternatively, we encourage people to join a bicycle procession from the Common to Vermont Yankee in Vernon. This is a relatively flat 8 mile ride. All riders should be able to keep pace with a large group of Adult riders. Once assembled at Vermont Yankee we will engage in non-violent civil disobedience action involving blocking the reactor’s main gates. People engaging in the CD will need to have had nonviolence training, and be in affinity groups. Buses will return to Brattleboro from VY at the conclusion of the action. Email: safeandgreencampaign@gmail.com

Wednesday July 4, 4 - 8 pm. July 4th Pitch-in Picnic. Rain or Shine. 3 McClelland Farm Rd, Deerfield. A wonderful place for the picnic and a great variety of ways to enjoy it. Can you come? Can you bring your own utensils? folding chairs? Can you volunteer for a task? RSVP to joanjon@gogtt.net or call 413-467-3944

Wednesday,July 11th, 8 AM - Rally at Plymouth District Courthouse in support of the Pilgrim 14. Email: gogreens@comcast.net

That about does it for us. Shall we continue on or go extinct? Your call! Drop us an email at enviroshow@valleyfreeradio.org or leave a comment below, and remember: listen to your Mother!

The Entergy Endtimes Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. This time around, as we dwell once again on that scary Vermont Yankee nuke and get a call from Deb Katz of Citizens Awareness Network, we'll focus on the nuclear reactor's owner/operator, Entergy. These corporados aren't just threatening the health and well-being of you and your loved ones here in the Valley, they are all over the map with their crap. We will hip you to regional campaigns getting in Entergy's corporate face as well as turn you on to The-Fool-on-the-Hill and some E-Valley-uation, amongst other things but first it's time for....Revenge of the Critters! Little critters shutdown devilish nuke.....again!

We're going plural again with Fools-on-the-Hill. This time it's unnamed Repugnican teabaggers in the House trying to strip bike path funding from the Transportation Bill. Sorry kids, you'll just have to take your chances out there in the traffic. It's the Repugnican way!

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we first ask you to take action on the global consequences if that unstable reactor #4 nuclear fuel pool at Fukushima collapses. Then we rewind Rachel Maddow's recent blog post on old King Coal's recent astroturf effort. Check it out: they really are "job creators". Finally, something good comes from Kentucky: to protect batsthe USDA Forest Service renewed an order that closes all caves and abandoned mines on national forest lands in the Southern Region. Also, this good news (we hope) for the beleaguered Brown Bat. And, a powerful actionby women of Appalachia meeting at the West Virginia state capitol wearing white and shaving their heads to represent the stripping of the land. They stood in solidarity with the mountains that have been stripped of their trees, plants and top soil.

We have an E-Valley-uation segment here on our blog (we'll get into the issue on the show at a later date) concerning wind turbines on Mt. Tom. Who wins? Who loses?......Well, sounds like the endangered rattlesnakes lose for sure. What do YOU think?

Time for the Quote of the week: "Eight years involved with the nuclear industry have taught me that when nothing can possible go wrong and every avenue has been covered, then is the time to buy a house on the next continent." - Terry Prachett

Now for our Enviro Show blog tour of Entergy operations around the region. You know, your friendly local radioactive threat? Actually, it's a tour of citizen campaigns AGAINST the friendly local radioactive threats. Let's start right here in the Bay State with the folks hoping to shutdown Entergy's Pilgrim nuke in Plymouth (yes, it's another scary old BWR reactor, just like the one at VT Yankee......and just like the ones melting down in Fukushima!). The folks at The Pilgrim Coalition just got the bad news from the NRC that the nuclear lap-dog.....err...watch dog? has extended Pilgrim's license to radiate...opps, sorry...that's operate. We had the distinct pleasure of demonstrating to a captive audience on the Sagamore Bridge with the folks from the Coalition recently during the usual weekend traffic jam. As you may know, there's only two bridges going off the Cape and if an evacuation was ever necessary due to a Pilgrim nuke meltdown, well....don't think about that. Look over here! It's Entergy's Indian Point nuke (talk about evacuation problems). Indian Point Energy Center is a three-unit nuclear power plant located in Buchanan, New York just south of Peekskill. It sits on a small earthquake fault on the east bank of the Hudson River, 38 short miles north of New York City. Unit 1 is already decommissioned due to safety issues. Unit 2and Unit 3 are operational right now. There are several anti-nuke/pro-safe energy groups trying to shut this sucker down but in the city Shut Down Indian Point Now is our favorite. These guys are connected to Occupy Wall Street's Enviro Solidarity working group. Speaking of New York, up in Scriba the Alliance for a Green Economy is working to shutdown Entergy's Fitzpatrick reactor, the only one of its kind in the nation that did not install a hardened vent system that could reduce the severity of a nuclear accident. And that brings us back to Western Mass & Southern Vermont where Entergy's VT Yankee nuke radiates away on the shore of the Connecticut River just upstream from us. Of course, the SAGE Alliance, consisting of some 40 affinity groups, is flat-out in Entergy's & the NRC's face looking to put an end to the dangerous BWR with all that hot nuke waste sitting in a swimming pool seven stories above ground. We've covered that extensively here on The Enviro Show, but did you know that Entergy is part of the far-right corporate American Legislative Exchange Council? How much worse can it get??

After our interview with Deb it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

* As we speak, the Solar rollers are spreading the anti-nuke/pro-safe energy gospel throughout Vermont. You can follow their progress on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/SolarRollersRideAgain

We call for a global mobilization on 5 June (World Environment day), on June 18 against the G20 (which this time will focus on “green growth”) and the progress of the People’s Summit on 20 June in Rio de Janeiro and in the world, social and environmental justice, against the “green economy”, the commodification of life and nature and the defense of the commons and rights of peoples. Go to: occupytheearth.net/

Thursday June 7, 9:15am. The NRC's licensing board is having a hearing in Boston at the McCormack Building, 5 Post Office Square. The hearing concerns NRC orders meant to enhance the safety of U.S. nuclear reactors using lessons learned from the disaster at Fukushima, Japan in March 2011. We feel the NRC's proposals are "band-aids" and inadequate for the Pilgrim nuke. Go to: www.pilgrimcoalition.org/contact/

Friday, June 8, 7pm. Screening of "Just Do It", a year in the secretive world of nonviolent environmental direct action. Frances Crowe Community Room, 60 Masonic Street in Northampton. Enter via Woodstar Cafe, at the front of the building. The venue is accessible. Email: info@northamptoncommittee.org

Saturday, June 9, 10:30 am - 11:30 pm. Renewable Energy. The Great Falls Discovery Center staff will be holding activities exploring water wind and solar power. Join us for a craft afterwards. 2 Avenue A., Turners Falls, Call: 413.863.3221.

Monday, June 11, 2012. In keeping with the SAGE Alliance request for civil resistance at Entergy HQ in Brattleboro, the Shut It Down Affinity Group plans to risk arrest during a presence at Entergy headquarters at 1:30 pm . Shut It Down invites other affinity groups to join us in this civil resistance in accordance with the Shut It Down plans for the day or to attend the action as legal witnesses. Shut It Down trusts that SAGE Alliance members and affinity groups will not betray this plan to any members of the law enforcement community nor to any Entergy employees or officials. This invitation is tendered to the SAGE Alliance on behalf of the Shut It Down Affinity Group. If you want to join the June 11 presence, please contact Hattie Nestel at hattieshalom@verizon.net or haley.antique@verizon.net. Shut It Down does not expect participating affinity groups to adopt our pro se, no bail, no fines guidelines. Shut It Down does expect participating affinity groups and individuals to honor nonviolence.

Tuesday June 12, Noon. STATE-WIDE DAY OF ACTION FOR TRANSIT JUSTICE. MA State House, Boston. Current proposed fare hikes and cuts in both of the MBTA and Pioneer Valley region (PVTA) are disproportionately impacting the elderly, disabled and young. If implemented on July 1st, an adult bus rider taking a trip requiring one transfer will see a fare increase of 20% on the MBTA and 67% in the Pioneer Valley. Seniors taking the same trip will see an increase of 66% in Boston and 79% in Springfield, while disabled clients relying on paratransit will see increases of at least 200%. Call (617) 723-2639

Tuesday, June 12, 7:30pm, 9:00pm. Shutdown Indian Point demo. Tompkins Sq. Park (Avenue A and 7th Street, NYC). 30 years ago on June 12th, over a million people gathered in Central Park to protest against nuclear energy and weaponry. To commemorate the beautiful memories and break through of the anti-nuclear movement, we are going to walk again! Come march/dance/shout with live n.o.n.u.k.e.s. DJs via WBAI NY, 99.5FM! Bring your own radio or boombox to the march and tune to 99.5FM at 8PM. If you are not in NY, listen live on WBAI.org and join the demo wherever you are.

Thursday, June 14, 7 - 8:30pm. A public meeting that DCR will be holding at the Notch Visitoe Center, 1500 West St. (Rt.116) in Amherst relative on the preparation of a Resource Management Plan for the Mount Holyoke Range Planning Unit, including Holyoke Heritage State Park, Joseph A. Skinner State Park, Mount Holyoke Range State Park, and Mount Tom Reservation. Call: (413) 626-4974

Saturday, June 16 9:00am to 12:00 Citizens Awareness Network 21st Anniversary and Annual Membership Meeting. Elections, Year in Review, and the Road to Close VT Yankee. First Congregational Church in Greenfield, 43 Silver St , Greenfield. Breakfast, prepared by Chef Brian Knox, will be served by from 9:00-10:30 am to the first 100 people who RSVP by June 6th. Reply to nukebusters27@gmail.com

Monday, June 18th, at 8am until 10am. Occupy Monsanto, Millions Against Monsanto, & food democracy activists. A Sidewalk Session – An open mic for activists to share & expose the dangers of the biotech industry. The biotechnology industry is conspiring to unleash more GMOs into the environment along with more toxic pesticides. WHERE: Sidewalk in front of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, 415 Summer Street, Boston. Go to: occupy-monsanto.com/occupy-the-bio-international-conference/

Monday, June 25, 8:30 am—12:00 pm. Massachusetts Regional WasteWise Forum, EcoBuilding Bargains, 83 Warwick Street, Springfield. Who Should Attend: Businesses, Institutions, Non-profits, Recycling Professionals, Colleges & Universities, Municipalities, and Other Organizations. RSVP: June 18, (413) 586-7350 x 289.

June 28th Regional Occupy gathering at Occupy New Haven perhaps with a true All New England March that evening, then the next day Occupy Caravan goes to Occupy Wall Street en route to final overnight in Newark June 29th before reaching Philly for the 5-day National Gathering on June 30th (the big day there will be the final day, July 4th). Go to: occupycaravan.webs.com/

Thursday, June 28 at 7:00pm Pioneer Valley Green Rainbow Party Meeting in the Frances Crowe Community Room, 60 Masonic Street, Northampton

That's it for Entergy....so to speak. Next time it really is the end of the world as we know it, so remember: listen to your Mother!

The Hidden Risk Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We knew mercury makes us stupid, didn't we? I can't remember. In any case, "mercury accumulation, previously considered a risk for aquatic ecosystems, is also found in many wildlife species living on the land", that according to the Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) and the Nature Conservancy. Allyson Jackson, Mercury in Forest Songbirds Project Leader and Associate Wildlife Research Biologist for BRI's Migratory Bird Program calls in with the details and our co-host, Glen calls in on another line as well, maybe from poolside at some fancy conference center. You know how Glen gets all mercurial on us when the subject of heavy metals comes up. BTW, Robin from Farm to Fork will join us on the board. As always, we'll checkout The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, visit the Fool-on-the-Hill and some E-Valley-uation, but first it's time for....Revenge of the Critters! Bengal tigers attack busload of tourists!

In our E-Valley-uation segment we think you might want to checkout the fledgling falcons and their parents nesting on top of the UMass library. We've been watching since the three chicks were eggs. Very cool (though you might not care for feeding time). Meanwhile, up in Maine, the Biodiversity Research Institute have their own eagle cam here. BRI has a Raptor Program as well. Since we're straying from the Valley here, checkout where Garrett and Maure from our anti-nuke SAGE Alliance strayed to: one of Entergy's other radioactive horror shows out at Plymouth, MA.

Speaking of cool, in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we pass on this excellent story from Grist. Also, eco-warrior Capt. Paul Watson finds himself in another legal dust-up, this time in Germany facing extradition to Costa Rica on trumped-up charges after monkeywrenching some shark fining operation. Treehugger has the update. And, Treehugger also gives us an update on that North Sea mega-gas drilling leak we covered on an earlier Enviro Show. It looks like the leak has finally been plugged. But guess what: oil & gas drilling leaks and blowouts happen all the time, it goes with the territory (and everything in the territory suffers). Finally, an Enviro Show Blog Bonus Action Link: bats are victims of a hidden risk as well. Please help them out!

Our Fool-on-the-Hill has once again morphed into a plural Fools-on-the-Hill. Remember last year (or was it the year before?) when we reported on the record of the worst Repugnican Congress ever? Well guess what, they've out done themselves and beat their own record!

One of our favorites, "Nature Hatin' Blues" by The Lone Tones takes us to our interview with Allyson Jackson and our experiment with the phones. Then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, May 23, 12:30 - 1:30; Brown Bag lunch - Noon. GreenWork. Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO Hall, 640 Page Boulevard, Springfield. GreenWork (the Western Mass Green Economy Working Group) consists of advocates for a Green Economy which serves local communities; guarantees workers' rights to organize; and promotes community-owned sustainable projects. Call: 413-565-2381

Wednesday May 23 5:30 - 8:30pm NRC Open House on VY Yankee Multipurpose room, Brattleboro Union High School Brattleboro VT The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be in Brattleboro on Wednesday, May 23, to discuss the 2011 performance assessment for Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. An open house will kick off the meeting, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by a public meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The 2011 assessment was issued on March 5. NRC staff will be available to answer questions on its role in ensuring safe plant operation. In addition, the NRC will host a question and answer session, during which members of the public will be able to ask questions or make statements in a public meeting. There will not be a formal NRC presentation during the public meeting. There are plans underway for street theater and other actions. More info: info@safeandgreencampaign.org or http://www.safeandgreencampaign.org/ai1ec_event/nrc-open-house-on-vy-yankee?instance_id=307

Friday June 1. Wade Rathke | The Battle for Lower Ninth: ACORN and the Rebuilding of New Orleans. 11:30am, lunch & discussion on the anniversary of the Springfield area tornado, 640 Page Blvd, Springfield. We need a head count – RSVP to (413) 827-0301 or wmjwj@wmjwj.org. 7pm, discussion & book signing, Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College St (Routes 116 & 47), in the Village Commons, South Hadley; 534-7307 or 800-540-7307; odysseybks@aol.com; www.odysseybks.com

Friday May 25 to Thursday Jun 14 Solar Rollers Ride Again Brattleboro, VT and throughout the 14 counties of Vermont. The Solar Rollers are an anti-nuclear bicycling group formed to ride to Seabrook in 1978. Their first stop was the Vermont Yankee nuke – and they’ve been working to shut it down ever since.Beginning May 25th at 9:00am , the Solar Rollers will ride again, for their 34th anniversary tour. They will travel through all 14 counties of Vermont, talking to citizens along the way at potluck gatherings, through local media, and handing out informational fliers about the campaign to close VY. The Solar Rollers pedal what they preach – Turn on the Sun; Turn off the Nuke. They’ll bring that message to every corner of Vermont this spring.We need the informed citizens of the entire state behind us when we shut Vermont Yankee down – and the Solar Rollers need your help to reach ‘em. So get on a bike and join the Solar Rollers, or make a donation to their outreach tour; contact: 413-863-9296 for more information. Support events in different locations are being planned. Complete itinerary at: http://sagealliance.net/actions/vermont-solar-rollers-5-25-12

SATURDAY JUNE 9, 9 AM – 6 PM NEW ENGLAND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SUMMIT. Clark University, Higgins University Center, 950 Main Street, Worcester. At this daylong event, community residents and activists, EJ advocates, citizens, lawyers, and policymakers will meet to discuss environmental issues in New England and their impacts on low-income people and people of color. Summit workshops will cover toxics and women’s health, energy justice, urban and rural issues, food justice, and a workshop on Title VI geared to lawyers interested in assisting environmental justice groups. Free breakfast/lunch/child care. Free admission. Go to: http://newenglandejsummit.eventbrite.com

That's it. We are out of here. Please be sure to listen to your Mother.....OK?

Calling all Enviro Show fans!

Do you remember almost six years ago when everyone was so enthusiastic about having our own low-power community radio station in the Valley? We really need that kind of enthusiasm again in these troubled times. WXOJ-LP Valley Free Radio is struggling to survive, but we won’t let the Great Recession, the corporate media and endless distractions throw this community radio station under the bus. Together, we can not only keep VFR on the air broadcasting The Enviro Show and other excellent programs like the new Farm to Fork, but work to build a NEW Valley Free Radio! We’re just putting the finishing touches on our new website and putting out the call for new shows. We REALLY need you to help create the momentum going forward.

Only with your support can VFR broadcast shows like ours that go way beyond mainstream environmentalism. Only with your help can new programmers from community start their own shows on WXOJ-LP. On May 6 through 12th Valley Free Radio will be hosting our annual Spring On-air Fund Drive. We’ll have all sorts of premiums and incentives for listeners who pledge to keep VFR up & running. The Enviro Show will have the usual premiums like Tom Neilson CDs and those zany endangered species condoms, but this year we'll have a few extra surprises as well.

Please tune-in to 103.3fm Tuesday evening at 6:30 or catch our webcast at http://www.valleyfreeradio.org/ and help support progressive community radio. You can call in your pledge during the drive at (413)584-1160. But there’s no need to wait until next week. You can donate right now!

Go to http://www.valleyfreeradio.org/ and click on the “Donate” button to make your pledge. Help progressive programming on VFR by pledging your support now or by calling in during your favorite show.

OK, here's an Enviro Show Spring Pledge Drive Special Premium. There's only one of these on the face of the planet. It's the original art work for the Mass Earth First! logo done by Wendell artist Bob Ellis. The graphic is 15x20" posterboard suitable for framing. If you make a $250 pledge tonight on the show it's yours:

Pledge Drive or no, we still want to take a peek at the Bus Stop Billboard.

* Wednesday May 9, 16, 23, & 30 4-5pm CLOSE VERMONT YANKEE AS PLANNED Weekly Rallies In front of the Vermont State House, Montpelier, VT The Vermont legislature gets it, the PSB gets it and we get it: Entergy is a rogue corporation manipulating Vermont's democratic process Bring your banners and signs! Bring your chants and songs! Bring your friends! Call: (802) 476-3154

* Thursday, May 10, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Western Mass. Affinity Group Cluster Meeting Location: Equity Trust, 177 Avenue A. Turners Falls. More info: tracy.sharon@gmail.com

* Sunday May 13 Noon No Escape from the Cape Demonstration Rt. 6 Cape Cod side of the Sagamore Bridge Mobilize to call attention to the serious dangers of the continued operation of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Reactor in Plymouth and the fact that the Cape Cod bridges will be closed in the event of a radiological accident. More info: Paul Rifkin

* Tuesday May 15, 7pm, Northampton UU Meetinghouse. Why ending Corporate Personhood at the local level is the right place to do the work. 150 communities in seven states are doing just that, banning harmful corporate activities in their own back yards. Paul Cienfuegos , known for his advocacy of "rights-based organizing," will speak, sponsored by the Occupy Affinity group of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

* Wednesday May 16, 7am-10am, Bay State Bike Week is quickly approaching, and the Northampton Bike Week on the courthouse lawn kicks it off. Email: jmontgom@smith.edu

* Sunday May 20 1pm Shut Down Pilgrim NOW! Plymouth, MA, near the main gate of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. Park at 1 Elliot Lane, Plymouth, Ma and walk to Pilgrim gate. Groups of concerned citizens from across New England will gather in Plymouth to demand that the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Reactor's 40-year operations expire with it's present license: by June 8, 2012. The General Electric Mark 1 Boiling Water Reactor is the same design that failed at four reactors in Japan. For more information, contact David Agnew or Diane Turco

* Wednesday May 23 5:30 - 8:30pm NRC Open House on VY Yankee Multipurpose room, Brattleboro Union High School Brattleboro VT The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be in Brattleboro to discuss the 2011 performance assessment for Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. There are plans underway for street theater and other actions. More info: info@safeandgreencampaign.org or http://www.safeandgreencampaign.org/ai1ec_event/nrc-open-house-on-vy-yankee?instance_id=307

* Friday May 25 to Thursday Jun 14 Solar Rollers Ride Again Brattleboro, VT and throughout the 14 counties of Vermont. We need the informed citizens of the entire state behind us when we shut Vermont Yankee down – and the Solar Rollers need your help to reach ‘em. So get on a bike and join the Solar Rollers, or make a donation to their outreach tour; contact: 413-863-9296 for more information.

OK, that's it for now. Please support the show and.....listen to your Mother!

The Root for the Trees Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Watershed advisory councils giving bad advice, our trees being clearcut and hauled away to Canada, junk science run amok in the forests, who isn't seeing the forest for the trees in the Commonwealth? Chris Matera of Mass Forest Watch returns to help us clear the air. Did we say air? In the E-Valley-uatiuon segment we note that all those trees being cut down used to be busy cleaning the air! We'll also be checking in with this week's Fool-on-the-Hill, as well as a trip to the Enviro Show Echo Chamber, but first it's time for....Revenge of the Critters! Zoo enthusiast and lame Repugnican presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich attacked by penguin!


Let's start off with some serious E-Valley-uation, shall we? The Enviro Show was proud to be one of the sponsors of that SAGE Alliance anti-nuke rally in Brattleboro last Saturday. We were also glad to be there to here Bernie Sanders read the riot act to the corporados at Entergy. Here's his speech. Checkout WHMP's "VT Yankee: Power Struggle debate here. And this op-ed from the NY Times reminds us that all those trees being clearcut from the Quabbin watershed are actually better left standing! Who knew!!



Another past fool returns to this week's Fool-on-the-Hill. Once again Darrell Issa, House Oversight Committee Chairman, and former car thief turned congressman, mounts the Hill to proclaim that the federal loan guarantee program that helps fund solar energy development discourages solar energy development. Actually the solar energy sector grew enormously in 2011 compared to 2010, more than doubling in the U.S. Two major factors drove this surge in U.S. investment. One was the 1603 grant program, which replaced tax credits, thus making it easier and cheaper to finance projects. The other was the loan guarantee program. Maybe that was an oversight on Darrell's part.


In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber this just in: Greg Palast blows the cover off BP's OTHER disastrous blowout! And this: the Prez makes the point that Wall Street speculators are one of the big reasons you're paying so much at the pump for gas. Of course we've been saying that for months, even as high-profile enviro reporters like Elizabeth Kolbert and others seem oblivious. And this: biomass blaze in the UK sheds light on what one might call the Kalfka clause! Remember the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Well, if you order now you can get it free with Japanese radiation!


Speaking of radiation, while on one hand we applaud the New Boss for his slamming greedy speculators on inflated gas prices, on the other hand the Boss seems to think nukes are renewables!


Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week is spot on for the show's theme. It was Massachusetts' favorite son, Henry David Thoreau said:

"I come home to my solitary woodland walk as the homesick go home. I thus dispose of the superfluous and see things as they are, grand and beautiful."

O, by the way, last week's Guess the Quote? That was President Bill Clinton.



After hanging out with Chris we'll wander over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday April 25, Noon to 1:30pm. GREENWORK ROUNDTABLE. Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO Hall, 640 Page Boulevard, Springfield. GreenWork (the Western Mass Green Economy Working Group) consists of advocates for a Green Economy which serves local communities; guarantees workers' rights to organize; and promotes community-owned sustainable projects. Contact: Mary Vogel, 413-565-2381

Friday, April 27, 10:30 am. Greenfield Middle School, 195 Federal Street..Arbor Day will be celebrated by planting a disease-resistant elm tree at the Greenfield Middle School, 195 Federal Street. Superintendent Dr. Susan Hollins, Greenfield Middle School students and teachers will participate – all are invited. “It is hard to imagine our town without our beloved trees,” says Cindy Pomeroy, Greenfield Tree Committee member and organizer of Arbor Day. “We are healthier in body and spirit because of them.” For more information call 774-5667.

Saturday, April 28, 10am & 2pm. Unwanted Drug Collection. Ensure that unused drugs are disposed of safely by bringing them to a Saturday collection at Wildwood Elementary School, 813 N Pleasant St (enter off Strong Street) in Amherst. Antibiotics, Vitamins, prescription, non-prescription & veterinary meds are welcome. No liquids will be accepted.

Tuesday, May 1 A Day Without the 99%: May Day 2012. On May 1st we will take the streets to reclaim our jobs, our communities, our lives. Occupy Wall Street stands in solidarity with the calls for a General Strike, a Day Without the 99%, and more! There will be actions throughout the day, including a 4 p.m. rally at Union Square that culminates with a march to Wall Street at 5:30 p.m. Contact: mayday@nycga.net

April 30-May 5, 2012. Climate Impacts Action Week: We need volunteers! Action on the Coolidge Bridge. Rush-hour (8 to 9am & 5 to 6pm) groups of 10 or more people will stand on the sidewalk of the Coolidge Bridge between Hadley and Northampton. Main Event: Saturday, May 5, 8-9:00am, 5-6pm. Show your support for a world without fossil fuels. Sign up now:
 johnpberk@gmail.com, or 413-625-6374

Tuesday, May 8. 6p.m. Organic Lawn Care” lecture at Better Life Whole Foods, 1492 Allen St, Springfield. Registration call: (413)783-9424

Tuesday May 15, 7pm, Northampton UU Meetinghouse. Why ending Corporate Personhood at the local level is the right place to do the work. 150 communities in seven states are doing just that, banning harmful corporate activities in their own back yards. Paul Cienfuegos , known for his advocacy of "rights-based organizing," will speak, sponsored by the Occupy Affinity group of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.


So much for that. Next time it's the Valley Free Radio on-air fund drive. That's the part where YOU come in. We can't do this without your support. It's as simple as that. How about sending your donation right now? Just go here and click on the blue "donate" button near the top of the page. Thanks for that and remember, listen to your Mother!

Rally Saturday! - Shutdown VT Yankee Nuke/Suppport VT

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
VT Governor Peter Shumlin
Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell

to speak at
RALLY TO SUPPORT VERMONT

Citizens from Vermont and surrounding states show support for the democratic will of the people and Vermont elected officials and learn why and how we must act now to decommission Vermont Yankee rather than extend its original 40-year license.
Saturday, April 14, 2012, Noon to 2:00 pm
Brattleboro Common, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301


Also Statements issued from

Former Governor Madeline Kunin
and other elected officials

Special Musical Guest:
Fenibo (a rousing 12-piece Afro-beat ensemble)



The rally will:

• Acknowledge the state’s work to replace Vermont Yankee with sustainable energy solutions and prevent further radioactive contamination of the soil, air, and water surrounding the reactor.
• Support Vermont’s resolve to stand up to the Entergy Corporation’s arrogance and intimidation.
• Recognize Vermont Yankee’s impact on neighboring states and growing national momentum to close 24 antiquated Fukushima-type reactors like VY nationally.
• Demand Entergy Corporation stop using courts to delay fulfilling its agreement with the state to begin, as of March 21, 2012, a responsible, jobs-creating decommissioning of the reactor and clean-up the site.

• Inform the community of the urgent need to work together now to secure the funds needed (while they still exist) to get the job done.



Rally sponsors include: Citizens Awareness Network (CAN), Safe & Green Campaign, Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), Nuclear Free Vermont, Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Alliance, New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution (NEC), Beyond Nuclear, Greenpeace, SAGE Alliance, Vermont Citizen Action Network, Vermont Toxics Action Center, The Enviro Show, Clamshell Alliance, the Sierra Club, Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR -- representing 1,180 Vermont companies).

The Seeing Redd Enviro Show

Greetings Earthling. Time once again to check the spin cycle on the old greenwashing machine. Jeff Conant, Communications Director for our friends at the Global Justice Ecology Project joins us to look into Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation or REDD. While being hyped as oh so green such programs will have serious negative impacts and will not mitigate climate change. Also on the show: the Fool-on-the-Hill, our E-Valley-uation segment, The Enviro Show Quote of the Week, and a trip to the Echo chamber, but first it's time for......Revenge of the Critters! Fox mugs large human for groceries!

House Budget Committee chairman Repugnican Paul Ryan once again wins the prize: the biggest Fool-on-the-Hill. Ryan rode his stupid Trojan Horse up the Hill to a sort of pyrrhic victory with the expected passage of his draconian budget in the Repugnican dominated House. Obama called it "a prescription for decline". We call it a steaming pile of toxic waste (and that's just for when we're on the air in mixed company).

This time our Enviro Show Quote of the Week is actually a Guess the Quote. Who said:

"First, I worry about climate change. It's the only thing that I believe has the power to fundamentally end the march of civilization as we know it, and make a lot of the other efforts that we're making irrelevant and impossible".

We have a special prize for anyone who guesses correctly.

"Judi Bari"by Dave Rovics takes us to the Echo Chamber where we find the ghost of Judi Bari back in the news. Also this interesting piece in HuffPo. So, protect the atmosphere, right? How about protecting it from this Total disaster? A six mile long plume of gas, maybe going on for months in the North sea? Did someone say BP-like blowout 2.0? In our Dept. of Useless Humans we have the meth-head who burned down a 3,500-year old tree while taking pictures of it with her cellphone. And this: cowboys & corporados are fixin' to close the door forever on Navajo and Hopi food and water sovereignty, security and self-reliance. You can do something about it here. And speaking of doing something, how about pledging to protect Bluefin Tuna here?

Good news in the E-Valley-uation segment: Occupy Holyoke Community College General Assembly passed a proposal to endorse the movement to Shut Down Vermont Yankee - As Scheduled In 2012 ! More and more Occupiers are becoming aware of the radioactive threat the corporados at Entergy are laying on us. Also this: recent letters in the Valley Advocate in favor of continued clearcutting in the Quabbin watershed have generated some push back. With that in mind, we announce this year's winner of the Enviro Show Big Green Clearcutter's Award !

After our visit with Jeff we take a peek at the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, April 11, 7:30 to 8:30pm. Panel on Oil. Michael Klare & Michael Lynch debate "Can the U.S. rely on oil as a source of energy in the future? Smith College Campus Center, Carroll Room. Email: nh10@hampshire.edu

Saturday, April 14, Noon. Rally to Support Vermont Shut Down Vermont Yankee. Brattleboro, VT Town Common. Keynote speaker: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders with Special Musical Guests, including the 12-piece Afro-beat ensemble, Fenibo. Please join us for a rally to support the democratic will of the people and elected officials of Vermont to shut down the dangerous Vermont Yankee nuke rather than permit it to operate beyond its original 40-year license. Go to: http://sagealliance.net

Sunday, April 15, 9:30am 99% Spring Training - Pioneeer Valley Central Labor Council., 640 Page Boulevard, Springfield. Call: (413) 732-7970

Friday, April 20, 21, 27, 28, at 8 PM, and April 22, 29, at 2 PM, in Shea Theater, 71 Avenue A, Turners Falls. Based on real events, Radium Girls tells the story of young American women who went to work painting watch dials for the U.S. Radium Corporation in 1917. Decent and good paying jobs for women were hard to come by. U.S. Radium paid top dollar and thousands of women went to work painting watch dials with a glow-in-the dark radium-based paint. Numerous women became sick with a crippling illness and died. The corporation blamed the victims and practiced a cover-up. But the “Radium Girls”, in the face of death, refused to go quietly. Called “a genuine theatrical gift” by the Chicago Stage Review, Radium Girls is a compelling drama. Tickets are available at the door, can be purchased at the World Eye Bookshop, Greenfield, and the Jones Library, Amherst. Contact: Robert Freedman, 413-586-6095, http://www.arenacivictheatre.org/.

Saturday April 21, 10:00 AM - 4:00pm. The 3rd Annual Amherst Sustainability Festival on the Amherst Town Common. Bring unwanted clean & dry clothing, rags & household textiles to benefit the Amherst Survival Center & Fisher Home Hospice Shop. Tree identification activities and games led by Jim Terruso, Mt Tom Park Ranger. Participate in the Eco-Hero Hunt and win great prizes! Learn about home energy savings, renewable energy options, tree care, waste footprint reduction, sustainable energy, tree planting demonstration. Support local businesses, local artisans, environmental organizations, and the environment.

Saturday, April 21, 2:00pm – 5:00pm. Would you support a food co-op in downtown Amherst? Meeting at Food for Thought Bookstore, 106 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA. We invite you to attend a community interest meeting about the Amherst Community Market, a food cooperative for our town. A cooperative business is one that is owned and operated by and for the community it serves.

Sunday, April 22, 1:00pm - 6:00pm. Earth Day Festival 2012. Library Lawn, UMass Amherst Campus. Join over 35 student organizations at the sustainability fair to learn about how students are making UMass Amherst the greenest campus! Contact: Ezra Small, esmall@facil.umass.edu (413) 545-0799

Sunday, Apr 22, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM. Occupy Earth Day. BP Gas Station, 300 Lafayette St., New York City. Occupy Earth Day begins with a second line funeral march for the Gulf Coast commemorating the anniversary of the BP Deep Water Horizon oil spill in 2010. We will march from the BP station to Union Square for a rally reclaiming Earth Day from corporate greenwashers and bringing it back to its radical roots. Email: owseswg@gmail.com

Monday, April 23, 10:00am - 1:00pm. Ignite is an energizing, geek event hosted in over 100 cities worldwide. At the event, UMass Amherst student and alumni presenters will be given the exciting opportunity to share their ideas about sustainability to an audience of colleagues, friends, professors, and students via 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds for a total of five minutes. Student Union, UMass, Amherst.

Saturday, April 28, 10am & 2pm. Unwanted Drug Collection. Ensure that unused drugs are disposed of safely by bringing them to a Saturday collection at Wildwood Elementary School, 813 N Pleasant St (enter off Strong Street) in Amherst. Antibiotics, Vitamins, prescription, non-prescription & veterinary meds are welcome. No liquids will be accepted.

Next time we drag Chris Matera into the studio for a few rounds of whack-a-mole...err...we mean clearcutter. They keep popping up! Until then remember: listen to your Mother!

The Next Big Thing......

The Antibiotic Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. So, you think the FDA is there to protect you from the abuse of antibiotics? Maybe not. Kyla Bennett, Director of New England Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility returns to these microphones to take the cure....no wait! to TALK about the cure. That covers the antibiotics (which is more than the FDA seems concerned about). We get into some probodiotics with a report-back from the healthy direct action on the body politic at VT Yankee's corporate Entergy office in our E-Valley-uation segment, as well as some positive news in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber. As usual we double down on the bad news (of course!) with The Fool on the Hill and when we Meet the New Boss, but first it's time for....Revenge of the Critters! This week it's teeny, tiny critters who are seeking revenge against......are you ready? Antibiotics!

In The Enviro Show E-Valley-uation segment it's reportbacks from last Thursday's direct action at Entergy headquarters in Brattleboro. Everyone was there.....except for Entergy! Without a corporado in sight, it looked like we scared them off leaving only us, the media and the friendly cops, the 99%, to act out our parts in the theater of protest. Maybe next time we should just show up unannounced, like the Shut it Down Affinity Group does all the time. Now we're coming up on the 33 anniversary of the nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island. Here's D.O.'s thoughts on that fiasco. And this: Rivers & streams getting low? Remember two summers ago when we found the Sawmill River in Leverett with barely any water? Fish and other aquatic life cannot survive in rivers and streams that are chronically desiccated in summer and fall. Please go here to help protect them and our rivers & streams.

The Enviro Show Echo Chamber leads off with an important Blog Bonus Action link. We need to convince the Gov that logging in the Quabbin Watershed is ...well, not such a good idea. Go here and let your voice be heard. Here's that positive news we mentioned earlier, it's from Grist: former corporado seeks to save the planet! On to the bad news: No deaths from Fukushima? Stay tuned on that one. O, and speaking of disasters, Science Daily tells us that not only did oil affect the ecosystem in the Gulf during the BP blowout, but it was still entering the food web after the well was capped. Yum! Toxic sludge is good for you. No? OK, how about ending corporate welfare for Big Oil? By the by, it's not just Big Oil who is picking your pocket at the pumps, it's their friends on Wall Street too. Finally, this from Treehugger: corporados wrote the law requiring climate denial being taught in Tennessee schools. Not so smart ALECS we'd say.

Our Fool-on-the-Hill is freakin' Florida Repugnican Rep. Cliff Stearns who wants to sell off our National Parks! Hey, if he waits a few months we can have actual fire sales out West!

This time we Meet the New Boss as he "stood in a red-dirt field before acres of stacked pipeline pieces on Thursday to illustrate his support for expedited construction of the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline" (You know, the one that's intended to spew dirty tar-sands oil off to China? The one he opposed before he supported it?). Obama said "We’ve added enough new oil and gas pipeline to encircle the Earth and then some". Aren't you impressed? Also, The Washington Post revealed this weekend that the White House has a current offer "still on the table" to make billions of dollars of cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Democratic Leaders in Congress, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, grudgingly agreed to the deal, according to the Post. All such cave-ins to the corporados and far-right extremists means more scrambling for survival by the rest of us which, in turn means less consideration for a failing biosphere and a deeply troubled planet.

"The End of the World" by Marie Mason, Danny Dollinger & Darryl Chemey & friends takes us to our interview with Kyla Bennett, then we checkout the Bus Stop:

Wednesday, March 28, Noon to 1:30pm. GreenWorks Roundtable. 640 Page Blvd., Springfield, MA. Contact: maryvogel@builtbest.org

Wednesday, March 28th 6:30 pm, "Permaculture:TheGrowing Edge" a film about sustainable care for the earth, its people and the future [What, only people??] by Donna Read and Starhawk that offers an antidote to environmental despair, a hopeful and practical look at a path to a viable, flourishing future. Greenfield Public Library (back door), Main St. in Greenfield.Discussion will follow. Offered by Greening Greenfield Energy Committee and Transition Town Greenfield. For more info call 773-7004

Friday, March 30, Noon. Occupy the EPA to rally and launch the American Spring with a demonstration at the headquarters of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. The demonstration will start at 12:00 noon at Franklin Square Park (13thand I Sts, NW, Washington, DC) and the march will head down 12th Street to the EPA Headquarters. Call: 410-591-0892

Friday & Saturday, March 30-31, The 30th National Pesticide Forum Healthy Communities: Green solutions for safe environments Yale University -- New Haven, CT. Go to: www.beyondpesticides.orgor call (202)543-5450

Saturday, March 31,1:00 PM. What’s So Cool About a Vernal Pool? Come to the Leverett Library to find out all about what a vernal pool is and some of its special features. Dawn Marvin Ward will present a hands-on program designed for families and beginner naturalists. This program will begin inside and then venture outside to visit the library’s own vernal pool (weather permitting). All ages are welcome BUT this program is designed for children ages 8+ and accompanied by an adult. If extremely inclement weather; indoor activities will be available. For more information contact Dawn 367-9562 or Leverett Library 548-9220.

Sunday, April 1, 12:30 to 3:30pm. Pioneer Valley Green-Rainbow Regional Convention. Umass Amherst Campus Center, Room 101, Campus Center Way. Presidential candidate Jill Stein will be speaking around 1 pm! Stein was recently endorsed by Noam Chomsky and has been traveling around the country, meeting activists and discussing her proposal for a "Green... New Deal" for the USA. Email: crustacean99@gmail.com

Sunday, April 1, 2-3 PM, Leverett Library. "Moths: Better than Butterflies" with Ted Sargent. Join Ted as he discusses his 50 years of observation and research (as a naturalist and Professor of Biology, UMass) on moths and their interactions with birds and the effects of those interactions on the evolution of the moths.

Tuesday, April 3, 6pm public hearing on Springfield's Combined Sewer Overflow long term control plan at Springfield City Hall (36 Court Street). Twelve years after they put together a draft document, Springfield will unveil its 20+ year plan for significantly reducing CSO discharges into the Connecticut River. Find out why they don't think they can achieve full elimination. This is your chance to let them
know you care about water quality in the river.

Tuesday, April 3, 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Public meeting on the reconstruction of the Norwottuck Rail Trail. Hadley Elementary School, 21 RiverDrive, Hadley (Rt. 47). The Department of Conservation and Recreation will hold an informal meeting and information session about the long awaited reconstruction of the Norwottuck RailTrail. Plans for the new trail will be on displayand trail users are encouraged to come and voice their opinions. Email: Morrisfri@aol.com

Saturday, April 14,Starting at Noon- 2:00. Rally to Support Vermont & Shutdown Vt Yankee! Keynote speaker: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders with Special Musical Guests (including the 12-piece Afro-beat ensemble, Fenebo). Gov Shumlin has also been invited to speak in addition to a number of other people!! More details to follow. Contact Deb for more info 413-339-5781

So much for that show. Stay tuned for our April 10 Enviro Show on "A Darker Shade of Green: REDD Alert and the Future of Forests". Until then remember: listen to your Mother!

Another Ides of March Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Time once again to beware the Ideas of March. This time we send the warning out to Entergy, owners of that ticking nuclear time bomb just to our north on the shore of the Connecticut River in Vernon, Vermont. Warning, warning corporados! The people are coming! We talk with Randy Kehler of the Safe & Green campaign about the issues and area residents rising up to defend their homes from nuclear meltdown and corporate criminal behavior in the wake of the first anniversary of the ongoing multiple meltdown in Fukushima, Japan. Also, we hear from The Fool-on-the-Hill, our Enviro Show Quote of the Week, echos from the Echo Chamber and who knows what all, but first it's time for.....Revenge of the Critters! Think climate disruption when camels attack!

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is leading the charge against the President's clean energy proposals........you know, the ones he was for before he was against? McConnell and the Repugnican crazy choir are trying to make fun of algae biofuel advances, labeling them pipe dreams or worse. Did someone say crazed ideologue? No? Maybe pathetic hypocrite? Meanwhile it's still that tired old call for "drill, baby drill" on the far-right even though Big Oil is......are you ready? exporting dirty U.S. petro instead of keeping it here at home! And speaking of Repugnicans difficulty relating to the planet, checkout this.

Our Quote of the Week is on message from Ronny Raygun: “All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk.” The question is: whose desk!

In our E-Valley-uation segment we do a run-down on all the area actions around the scary Vermont Yankee nuke.....you know, that old crusty boiling water reactor just like the ones melting down in Fukushima? Checkout coverage on The Commons site here and here as well as an excellent letter to the editor from the CT Watershed Council here. And here's a link to the latest news on the VT Yankee struggle in the courts. There were Fukushima anniversary events at Vt Yankee and everywhere. Here's Beyond Nuclear's coverage. Also this: Tell MA House Speaker DeLeo to advance the Updated Bottle Bill. Go here. Finally, if you're on Facebook here is an excellent & creative way to remind Gov. Patrick that logging in the Quabbin watershed is a truly bad idea.

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we find Repugnicans in the U.S. Senate failed in trying to ram an amendment into the Transportation Bill to move ahead on the Keystone XL dirty oil pipeline. While we're on the topic of Big Oil checkout Greg Palast's in-depth analysis of the new BP oil disaster settlement down in the Gulf region. Looks like BP gets off easy.....once again. Let's not forget King Coal! Here's an Enviro Show Blog Bonus action link telling the EPA to limit carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants. Do it for the Polar Bears! Now, how about doing one for the Manta Rays?

Our favorite no nukes anthem, "Shut 'em Down" by the late great Gil Scott Heron takes us to our interview with Randy, then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Now thru March 23: Remember Fukushima - 19 day walk for a new spring 2012. A nineteen-day walk from Seabrook Nuclear Power day Plant in NH to Plymouth Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth, MA on the anniversary of the catastrophe at Fukushima, Japan and ending the walk in Vernon, VT at Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. For more information or to support the walk when it comes to your community contact: Tim Bullock at 413 413-485-8469 or email: walk4newspring@gmail.com

Thursday, MARCH 15, 3:00PM. Save Our Homes Front of Bank of America, 1 South Pleasant Street, Amherst. Go to: http://pol.moveon.org/event/saveourhomes/127683

Saturday, March 17, 1 to 2:15pm. The Puzzle of New England's Predators. Predators such as bobcat, coyote, and fishers live locally, but do we really know that much about them? Join naturalist John Foster of the New England Naturalist Training Center for a slide show of New England's predators. Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A., Turners Falls. Call: 413-863-3221

Wednesday, March 21,7:00 to 9:00pm. Creating Democracy and Challenging Corporate Rule. Join David Cobb from Move to Amend for an action meeting to determine our community’s response to the court's ruling and what we can do to join the national movement to Abolish Corporate Personhood. Fracis Crowe Community Room, 60 Masonic St., Northampton.

Thursday, March 22,11am. Entergy your time is up! Town Common, Brattleboro, VT. Non Violent Affinity Groups from around the Evacuation Zone and beyond are telling Entergy Their time is UP!! Meet on the town common and walk up to Entergy Headquarters on Old Ferry Rd. You need to join an affinity group and attend non-violent training. To join an affinity group contact David at: reporter@montaguema.net

Friday, March 23, 7pm. Forks over Knives .Two nutrition researchers argue that a vegan, whole-food diet reduces one's risk of heart disease, cancer, and other health problems. Northampton Committee Friday Night Films. Frances Crowe Community Room, 60 Masonic Street in Northampton.

Saturday, March 24. "Day of Solidarity with Vermont. Actions by our sister reactor communities around the United States. Go to: www.BeyondNuclear.org/FreezeOurFukushimas

Wednesday, March 28th 6:30 pm, "Permaculture:TheGrowing Edge" a film about sustainable care for the earth, its people and the future [What, only people??] by Donna Read and Starhawk that offers an antidote to environmental despair, a hopeful and practical look at a path to a viable, flourishing future. Greenfield Public Library (back door), Main St. in Greenfield.Discussion will follow. Offered by Greening Greenfield Energy Committee and Transition Town Greenfield. For more info call 773-7004

That's it 'til next time BUT remember: listen to your Mother!