The End of Ice Enviro Show

 

Greetings Earthlings and greetings to Spring, the Vernal Equinox has arrived once again.While it is the beginning of Spring it's also "The End of Ice". Dahr Jamail calls in to talk about his recent book and his travels in a troubled world. And speaking of trouble we will also take you to see this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and His Malignancy The Mad King, as well as reminding those who aren't paying attention that It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid! All that and more (as they say) but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters!

Easter Bunnies take over Florida neighborhood. Another oldie.

This week we present a bevy of Fools-on-the-Hill: The exclusively white, male, and Republican leadership of the Congressional Western Caucus who recently hosted a “policy forum” on the Green New Deal — a “Green Pipe Dream,” as they call it — flanked by a who’s who of the country’s most prominent climate deniers, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Myron Ebell to ClimateDepot founder Marc Morano. Ceremoniously, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, ate a hamburger, apparently in reference to the GND's concern about cows affect on the climate. On the other side of the isle Dems are trashing the GND too. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is a longtime supporter of fossil fuel interests, which have donated prolifically to his campaigns over the years. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J. — who was instrumental in killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s resolution to create a Select Committee on the Green New Deal — has taken in hundreds of thousands of dollars from polluting industries. We know history will trash these Fools but now is the time for them to just get out of the way!

His Malignancy has officially nominated David Bernhardt to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior. The guy has more conflicts of interest than any other nominee for a Cabinet position nominated during The Mad King's administration, according to a new analysis from the Center for American Progress. Just sayin'! We guess you won't be surprised to hear His Malignancy's call for a review of more than two dozen recent national monument designations was a sham. Surprise! Here's an indicator of just how far down the rabbit hole we've gone with The Mad King: Shell Oil is asking His Malignancy's enablers to regulate them! And this: The gritty details of Mad King's Budget for a Ruined America. Read it and weep (or better yet, RESIST!). Finally, it looks like the Climate Crisis has been.....delayed? His Malignancy's EPA head climate criminal, "Andrew Wheeler told CBS News in an interview airing Wednesday that climate change is “an important issue,” but most of the threats it poses are “50 to 75 years out” and it’s “unreasonable” for the 2020 Democratic candidates to focus so much on it." Someone's not paying attention!

Once again, in case YOU haven't been paying attention.....It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid! First the good news: On Friday March 15 millions of students world-wide walked out of class in a Strike for the Climate!   We hope the whole world was watching, especially climate change deniers like the one we saw giving junior high school kids on Martha's Vineyard the thumbs down. Wake-up, grumpy old white men! Do the research/Stop letting Faux "News" fascists tell you what to think. Now this: 

"On Monday, March 4th, 2019 a precedent-setting case was filed with the European General Court in Luxembourg challenging the treatment of forest biomass as a renewable fuel in the European Union’s 2018 revised Renewable Energy Directive (known as RED II). The case argues that RED II will accelerate widespread forest devastation and significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions by not counting CO2 emissions from burning wood fuels. Wood-fired power plants emit more CO2 per unit of energy generated than coal plants, but RED II counts these emissions as zero.  The treatment of forest biomass as low or zero–carbon renewable energy in both RED I and RED II has and will continue to increase harvesting pressure on forests in Europe and North America to meet the growing demand for woody biomass fuel in the EU."  Got it? OK, so you're sick and tired of our doom and gloom and just want to veg out on....what? re-runs of Sex and the City? Try Umbra's 21-Day Apathy Detox! BTW, The Enviro Show and many other defenders of the planet have co-signed a letter to the Gov (PDF) voicing our opposition to his promotion of commercial wood biomass heating and its consequences to our climate. Finally, here's our guest's latest piece on the Climate Crisis in Truthout. It's getting hot in here!

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we find this Guardian piece informing us "About 70% of fresh produce sold in the US has pesticide residues on it even after it is washed, according to a health advocacy group.  According to the Environmental Working Group’s annual analysis of US Department of Agriculture data, strawberries, spinach and kale are among the most pesticide-heavy produce, while avocados, sweetcorn and pineapples had the lowest level of residues." Yet another reason to buy organic! Checkout our International Day of Forests Tour of UMass when the proclamation was left on DCR's door. Our friends at Beyond Nuclear reminded us that March 28 is the 40th anniversary of the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown in Pennsylvania. 

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

Monday, April 8, 2019, 9:30 – 3:00 pm. Millennials for 100% Renewable Energy Lobby Day to bring the voices of millennials to Beacon Hill. Massachusetts State House (meet in room 350) . Questions: Contact Ben Hellerstein, ben@environmentmassachusetts.org, 617-747-4368


 Tuesday, April 9, 6:00 to 8:00pm. Public Information Session on fate of Hadley Barn Swallows. U.S. Fish and Wildlife is holding a public informational meeting about the Bri-Mar Stable Environmental Assessment (EA). This is your best opportunity to directly ask questions and/or comment on the EA and to learn more about the issue. Please attend the meeting if you can to show you care about the Fort River Barn Swallows! U.S. Fish and Wildlife Regional Office, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA Go to: https://www.facebook.com/SaveOurSwallows/

 Saturday April 14, 10:30am. The Rock Dam: a fragile endangered sturgeon sanctuary.

Join sturgeon expert Dr. Boyd Kynard and journalist Karl Meyer for a short hike to this exceptional and beleaguered aquatic refuge where endangered shortnose sturgeon and other species have spawned for thousands of years. Kynard recounts their biology and his results from decades of sturgeon research at the Rock Dam pool; Meyer gives an overview of this embattled river reach, including geology and human and industrial history. Free.

 No pre-registration necessary. Meet at public lot off G Street in Turners Falls, near USGS Conte Fish Lab sign. Includes brief, steep, rugged terrain; not handicapped accessible. Walk best suited for ages 10 and above. Heavy rain cancels. 

Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at 7 – 9pm. Reading Climate Change & Consciousness.  Deb Koffman's Art Space, 137 Front St, Housatonic, MA. d.o. will be reading his new climate poem!  Readings selected for participation in the April 16 event will also be eligible for publication in a Spring 2019 special edition of the online magazine Fired Up! Creative Expression for Challenging Times, edited by Jennifer Browdy and Jana Laiz.

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Wednesday  April 17, TBA. Extinction Rebellion Boston begins its non-violent uprising against the long-standing criminal inaction on our planet's ecological breakdown. Our governments and the media have failed to tell the truth about the climate crisis and local environmental emergencies, and failed to communicate the need for drastic action in order to save life on our planet. Because of these crimes against humanity, we will gather at the site of the Boston Massacre at noon and demand truth from media sites in downtown Boston. We will then take publicly disruptive, non-violent action to declare what we know to be true, and upend the repressive silence around the climate emergency. Some of us will commit civil disobedience. The rest of us must bear witness to their courage, and stand with over 200 groups around the world participating in XR's week of action. If you cannot make it to the action in person, we will outline disruptive actions you can take from afar -- but we hope we will see you there! We are the ones we've been waiting for. With love & rage, XR Boston. Go HERE.

Friday April 19, 11am to 2pm.   Youth Led Climate Strike!  Statehouse, Beacon Hill, Boston MA. Meet at 11am in front of the State House to fight for our future! Entirely youth-led protest for students from Massachusetts and the greater New England area!. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/1042235505987607/

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Saturday April 20, 10am to 4pm. Greenfield Earth Day Events, Vision of Greenfield Pollinator Corridor, and Trip report: Ireland’s Pollinator Plan. John Zon Community Center, 35 Pleasant St., Greenfield, MA. Go to: PollinatorsWelcome.com

 Sunday, April 21, 2019 at 3 – 5pm. Screening of "The Lost Forests of New England" at Gateway City Arts92 Race St, Holyoke, MA. In celebration of Earth Day, come enjoy a film showing of "The Lost Forests of New England: Conserving Our Remnant Old-Growth Forests." This documentary by Ray Asselin includes stunning footage of our region's rarely seen old-growth trees, and tells the story of central New England's old-growth forests: what they once were, what changes have taken place since European settlers arrived, and what our remnant old-growth stands look like today. Bob Leverett, co-founder of the Native Tree Society and an old-growth tree expert, is featured in this fascinating film. Following the 1-hour screening, there will be a Q&A featuring Bob Leverett, Ray Asselin, and botanist Jared Lockwood, hosted by Lee Halasz, Kestrel's TerraCorps Regional Conservation Coordinator. Come for Brunch at The Bistro at Gateway City Arts prior to the Film!


Monday April 22, 2 to 8pm. Green New Earth Day Dance, March and Forum.

First Churches of Northampton, MA, 129 Main St, Northampton, MA. A Call: Energize your passion for healing the Earth and helping her children by dancing, marching, and learning about the GREEN NEW DEAL!  Join with MuZen Theater's giant puppets, Cellist, Stephen Katz, The Climate Action Band, Berkshire Bateria, and more! Followed by a March For Climate Action to the Forum for A Green New Deal at Northampton High School. For Our Children And Our Grandchildren And Their Children And Their Children’s, Children’s, Children’s, Children! Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/249294522680797/


 Monday April 22, 7:30 to 9pm. The New Green Deal. On Earth Day, join the Amherst College Democrats and Amherst College Office of Environmental Sustainability to hear from New Consensus Policy Director Rhiana Gunn-Wright! Gunn-Wright has been called "the architect of the Green New Deal" and will be speaking about the process of creating what many say is the boldest and most progressive piece of climate legislation in American history. This event is free and open to the public. Johnson Chapel, Amherst College, Amherst, MA.


 Saturday April 27, 10am to 4pm. Amherst Sustainability Festival. Amherst Town Common. Join us for a day of family fun and education! Information on sustainable practices, resources and products for sustainable homecare, as well as live entertainment, face painting, live demonstrations and MORE. There’s something for everyone. More details to come! Questions? Contact Stephanie Ciccarello at ciccarellos@amherstma.gov 


 Saturday April 27, All Day. Local Environmental Action Conference. Worcester, MA.  Some big challenges we’re facing are climate change. Pollution from landfills and incinerators. Environmental racism and discrimination against working class folks. Toxic water coming out of kitchen taps and school water fountains. Lack of political will to leave the fossil fuel industry behind. We’re up against some big problems, and we know we can’t face them all alone. That’s why hundreds of activists across our region come together every year for Local Environmental Action—to build a movement where we’re all working together to bring about a better future.
Join us! Register for the Local Environmental Action conference on Saturday, April 27 in Worcester, MA.

That's it for now Earthlings but remember when you're out there to listen to your Mother!

That's it for

The 2019 Ides of March Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. One of these Ides of March is bound to take out some pretender to the throne, non-violently of course, yes? We're hoping it's the present one and his enablers who are literally destroying the planet and what's left of democracy here in the U.S. of A.  Sorry, maybe we've been smoking too much hopeium? Sarah Duckett and Sean Donaghy from the Boston Sunrise Movement call in to update us on how the Green New Deal is going. Also, Saraphina Foreman of the just forming Valley Sunrise Movement joins us in the studio. As always we will also take you to see our Fool-on-the-Hill and His Malignancy The Mad king and his enablers, as well as our Quote of the Week and more, but first it's time for..........Revenge of the Critters! It was an oldie but goody when "killer rabbit" zeroed in on President Carter back in the day. Not sure if it was a March Hare but we guess the bunny had issues with Jimmy's choice of fishing spots.

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is none other than old-school Dem Senator Dianne Feinstein who maybe should think about stepping out of the way given her obnoxious disrespectful interaction with young Sunrise Movement activists near her office late last month. Our friends at Grist set the scene: “Some scientists have said we have 12 years to turn this around,” a little girl told the senator. “Well, it’s not going to get turned around in 10 years,” Feinstein responded, which is the political equivalent of telling a kid that the tooth fairy doesn’t exist. Except maybe meaner." The Fool then went on to condescend, "I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I know what I’ve been doing. You come in here and say it has to be my way or the highway. I’ve gotten elected. I just ran. I was elected by almost a million vote plurality and I know what I’m doing. Maybe people should listen a little bit." Actually, maybe old fools should do some listening? SNL took a piece out of her HERE.

On to The Mad King of Fake Emergencies! His Malignancy not only concocted the fake Mexican Wall "emergency" in his effort to overrule that pesky Congressional thingy in the Federal Government, but his lackeys in the Environmental "Protection" Agency (EPA) have schemed up "so-called "emergency" approvals to spray sulfoxaflor—an insecticide the agency considers "very highly toxic" to bees—on more than 16 million acres of crops known to attract bees. Of the 18 states where the approvals were granted for sorghum and cotton crops, 12 have been given the approvals for at least four consecutive years for the same "emergency", reports EcoWatch.  Also, His Malignancy's lackeys at U.S. Fish & Wildlife are about to end wolf protections nationwide (did we mention they have an office on Rt.9 in Hadley?). And this: It's official, Old King Coal's favorite climate criminal, Andrew Wheeler has been confirmed as the nation’s 15th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Grist reports: "Wheeler’s record-breaking reign as acting administrator was marked by an unprecedented assault on greenhouse gas regulations amid historic wildfires and hurricanes that scientists say offer a preview of the rapidly warming world to come. In August, Wheeler unveiled a proposal weakening fuel economy standards for new vehicles... as a “giant giveaway” to oil companies even as electric auto technology made huge leaps forward. Weeks later, he proposed gutting a landmark Obama-era power plant regulation, allowing....enough pollution to cause an additional 1,400 premature deaths per year."  Have you ever wondered how many instances of climate censorship have taken place in The Mad King's court of climate corruption? How about 194? Here's the tracker. 

In case you haven't been paying attention: It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!! (sorry....but it is). Here's a new-to-us aspect of climate chaos: We knew there was ocean warming but underwater heat waves? How about some good news for a change? Youth-led Climate Protests Sweep Across Europe. Guess what rest of the world.....you are next. Here in the Commonwealth on Friday March 15, 11am to 3pm at the State House in Boston. And: "Our planet just set a scary new CO2 record"

Here's our timely Quote of the Week;
"We are not looking to the right or left. We look forward. Together, we will change this country and this world, sure as the sun rises each morning."  - Sunrise Movement

Finally in The Enviro show Echo chamber our friends at Grist have an eye-opening headline for you: "Plastic has a long lifespam. It's probably shortening yours." Of course, if you've been a long-time listener to this show you probably already figured this one out, but check the link in case you missed anything.  Since we're on the subject, did you ever wonder why plastics became the "one word" in the shopocalypse? Time for some history!
 
After our conversation with the folks from the Sunrise Movement it's off to the Billboard: 


Thursday March 21, 10AM. [Raindate Friday March 22] International Day of Forests Tour of UMass. Concerned about the Climate Crisis? Come for a brief educational tour and rally for the trees. Meet at the westside entrance of the Campus Center. Sponsored by the Wendell State forest alliance, co-sponsored by Our Revolution UMass & The Enviro Show. Contact: savemassforests@gmail.com 


 Thursday, March 21, 6:30 pm. Green Rainbow Party of Western Mass meeting. , Green Fields Market, upstairs, 144 Main St, Greenfield, MA



Sunday, March 24, 6-7:30pm. (Doors open at 5:30.) Green New Deal Town Hall with Senator Ed Markey. Northampton High School Auditorium, 380 Elm St, Northampton. Join Senator Ed Markey for the first of his Green New Deal Town Halls throughout the state. The Senator will be giving an overview of the Green New Deal, a ten year mobilization to fight the existential threat that is climate change. He will then take questions from the audience. Sen. Markey's office asks that people go to the Senator's Facebook page at https://facebook.com/EdJMarkey/ to RSVP and get more information.


 Monday March 25, 7 to 9pm.  Climate Action Now Monthly Gathering. Unitarian Universalist Society,  121 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA. Go to: climateactionnowma.org 



Monday, April 8, 2019, 9:30 – 3:00 pm. Millennials for 100% Renewable Energy Lobby Day to bring the voices of millennials to Beacon Hill. Massachusetts State House (meet in room 350) . Questions: Contact Ben Hellerstein, ben@environmentmassachusetts.org, 617-747-4368


OK, we are done here 'til next time. Remember to Listen to your Mother, OK?

The Two Flags Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Have you ever noticed the Massachusetts state flag? Chances are if you happen to be Native American you are well aware of the colonial sword over the head of the indigenous man on the shield. David Detmold returns to the show to talk about Change The Mass Flag  along with Amalia Four Hawks joining us in the studio as well. Also, our friend Karl Meyer raises a red flag about what's going on with the Connecticut River, the Canadian FirstLight Hydro Generating Company and those tiresome bureaucrats at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC Don't Work!) As usual, we will also take you to visit this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to witness The Mad King and his enablers at work destroying everything we hold sacred. We may even have time for a Quote of the week but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters! If humans are busy trashing the climate they have to expect some unusual visitors at their door.

Our Fool-on-the-Hill, along with most of his Repugnican climate criminals seems to have a problem with the Green New Deal. Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois,  the House Environment and Climate Change subcommittee's ranking Repug, called it "radical." He denounced "top down government requirements to rapidly decarbonize" as little more than "wealth transfer schemes." We guess he missed the memo about Life on Earth having little more than a decade to decarbonize?

On to His Malignancy The Mad King. Our friends at Grist tell us His Malignancy's "National Emergency" wall isn’t just "an expensive [and dangerous] political maneuver; its construction poses a threat to Tohono O’odham Nation land and culture, as well as biodiversity, wildlife refuges along the border, and endangered species. Case in point: One study shows that the wall threatens 93 endangered species." Speaking of National Emergencies, His Malignancy is reportedly "organizing a new committee to examine whether climate change poses a threat to national security, to be led by notorious climate change denier, Princeton University professor emeritus William Happer...William Happer has long claimed increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will actually benefit humans[!] He has compared the fight against climate change to the Holocaust, saying, “The demonization of carbon dioxide is just like the demonization of the poor Jews under Hitler.” OK, meanwhile, The Mad King's EPA is getting ready to wipe out Obama era protections for wetlands and drinking water, in another giveaway to corporate polluters. One of the first things @EPAAWheeler did as acting administrator was begin a process to gut safeguards for communities from #CoalAsh. The public will have until April 15 to comment on the proposed change. And this: More than a dozen Republican senators and even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have supported The Kigali Amendment to reduce the use of potent greenhouse gases in air conditioning and refrigeration. Guess who hasn't? Yup, the Climate Criminal-in-Chief whose Interior Department might better be described as the Inferior Dept. even after Lyin' Ryan is history! Finally, Grist reports His Malignancy "imposed tariffs against imported solar panels, along with two key materials — steel and aluminum. Companies, uncertain about exactly how these tariffs will work, have put the brakes on operations. By last June, companies had canceled or delayed the construction of $2.5 billion worth of solar facilities, according to Reuters." Maybe The Mad King would prefer more coal power to make America great again?

Time for our Quote of the Week:

"The science that we are doing is a threat to the world’s most powerful and wealthiest special interests. The most powerful and wealthiest special interest that has ever existed: the fossil fuel industry. They have used their immense resources to create fake scandals and to fund a global disinformation campaign aimed at vilifying the scientists, discrediting the science, and misleading the public and policymakers. Arguably, it is the most villainous act in the history of human civilization, because it is about the short-term interests of a small number of plutocrats over the long-term welfare of this planet and the people who live on it."

                                                                                                             -climate scientist Michael Mann


On to "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!"  Your Climate Crisis denying neighbor might want to know about this one: "This should be at the top of every news bulletin and every government's agenda around the world." It's enough to make a body want to get back in the garden......if it weren't for all the ticks. Have you joined the Youth Legal Action for a Safe Climate yet? You can start HERE. 

The Enviro Show Echo Chamber is back. Our friends organizing around that sketchy Pilgrim Nuke over in Plymouth are asking if you "Will you send a letter today to make sure Pilgrim is closed safely?"  

After we talk with our guests it's time for the Bus Stop Billboard:

Monday, March 11, 1pm. Fukushima Anniversary Vigil.  Paula Sharaga was organizing a demonstration at the Japan Consulate in Boston.  In her memory, Boston Downwinders have asked we all join together on that day for the vigil from noon to one o'clock. We then plan to go to the state house to meet with representatives and lobby if the Pilgrim bills have been assigned to committees by then. Go to:   http://www.capedownwinders.info


Thursday March 14, 6:30pm. Pollinators! Silent Spring & Rachel Carson's Legacy. Jon Zon Community Center, 35 Pleasant Street, Greenfield, MA. Learn about effects of pesticides on Pollinators. Contact Pat Hynes, Traprock Center for Peace and Justice board
http://traprock.org


 Friday March 15, 8am to 3pm.  MA Youth Climate Strike!  Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St, Boston, Massachusetts 02108. As part of the global movement, youth from across Massachusetts will be striking on March 15 to fight for our futures & demand that our lawmakers put an end to climate change. #YouthStrikesUSA #ClimateStrike #YouthClimateStrike #GreenNewDeal Why should we go to school and learn to prepare ourselves for our future when our future is not being protected by our country's lawmakers? Why should we go to school to learn information and facts, when facts are clearly not valued by our country who fails to look at the facts and take action against climate change?

Saturday, March 16, 1 – 4pm. Celebrate the Struggle - 100 Years - 100 Signs! What better way to celebrate and honor Frances Crowe on her 100th Birthday than to show up with a sign about the issues- ones you care about and work for and ones Frances cares about. Our goal is to get you and 99 others- 100 people- holding 100 signs. We will march from 33 Hawley St. and up Main Street, then back to Hawley St. and inside for a proper celebration! Let us know you're coming at the new Facebook event, and please check there for updates at we get closer! https://www.facebook.com/events/378001776116409/


 Monday March 18, 2019 - 6:30 to 8:30pm. Inter-Tribal, International Forum on Indigenous Resistance, Environmental Struggle and 21st Century Survival. Bernie Dallas Room, Goodell Hall, UMass, Amherst, MA.
 


That's it for now. Remember to.....what? LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!

The Love & Protect All Beings Enviro Show

 

Greetings Earthlings. We are back and just a few days before Valentines Day when we are all supposed to generate love rather than sales. We here on The Enviro Show have tried for well over a decade to help others to feel the love when it comes to Planet Earth and her inhabitants (with some exceptions) so why stop now? Mara Silver of Save Our Swallows joins us in the studio to discuss the Barn Swallow issue at the Fort River Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge in Hadley, MA. We love Swallows, they're like the stunt pilots of the avian world without all the noise. Also Wendell Tree Warden Corine Baker joins us to celebrate the Trees. As usual we will also take you on a visit to see this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to join with us in witnessing His Malignancy The Mad King and his enablers destroying all we hold sacred. We will also be making the point that...."It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and more, but first it's time for............Revenge of the Critters! Moose wanders into a hospital in Alaska maybe to complain humans are making her sick? 

Our Fool-on-the-Hill is Repugnican Representative Jason Smith of Missouri who, like any brain dead Repug, shouted “Go back to Puerto Rico” as Democratic Repsentative Tony Cárdenas, who is of Mexican descent, waited to address the U.S. House of Representatives. Wait, are you sure that wasn't some kid from junior high school? Talk about a class act!

 Onto His Malignancy The Mad King! Here's a great headline to start us off: "Trump Says He’s Too Intelligent to Believe Climate Change Report".  Of course, his entire Intelligence community refutes The Mad King's dangerous and ignorant comments as does the vast majority of scientists around this troubled planet. O wait, did we forget to mention his own court soothsayers?   And this just in from Friends of the Earth: His Malignancy "just announced he will nominate David Bernhardt, a former high paid oil lobbyist, to run the Department of Interior. As Secretary, Bernhardt will be responsible for fossil fuel leasing on our public lands and waters and implementing Trump’s plan to gut the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. If confirmed, you can imagine what will happen next -- Bernhardt could use his position to help his Big Oil friends dismantle basic protections like the Endangered Species Act and allow the fossil fuel industry to destroy our public lands and waters." Meanwhile, The Mad King's wall-of-shame has some other drawbacks going against it besides overt racism and general inhumanity. More than 2,500 scientists from around the world have endorsed a study that concluded the U.S. border wall will be devastating to local animal species. So, it appears His Malignancy is the enemy of the people and the critters. Back in the day there was a special go-to for rulers like The Mad King, yes? Finally, His Malignancy can't very well be the Enemy-of-Earth-in-Chief without hacking down as many trees as possible, right? Of course, he says increasing logging in our forests will, like raking leave, help prevent forest fires but who believes anything The Mad King says??

Here's our Quote of the Week in keeping with the theme of our show: 

“We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that the animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect them and love them as we love ourselves.”

― Cesar Chavez 

OK, no more Mr. Nice Guy. It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!....OK?  When you read "The [Greenland] ice sheet is adding more to sea level rise than any time in the last three and a half centuries, new research suggests. Could it be nearing a tipping point?" what do you think? We've been talking about the Greenland ice sheet for years on this show, how its meltdown will raise the sea level so much more than the melting at the Poles. Our favorite strolling troubadour and roving reporter even wrote a song about it.  The Green New Deal was launched in DC on Tuesday even though it's a work in progress.  The Deal now mentions forest protection and aforestation, the former of which we were able to get in the 11th hour (special thanks to the Boston Sunrise Movement.) Read the text of the (for now) non-binding resolution HERE. We're working on that as are some important allies. Stay tuned! 

After we speak with our guests it's time to head over to the Bus Stop billboard:

Sunday, February 24, 2 – 6pm. Climate Change Postcard Writing Event. We'll have postcards, experts, and sample messages. Also food and beverages, no need to bring anything. Please come and write some postcards for your legislators. Bring friends. 6 Ryan Hill Road, Leverett, MA.  Questions? Call Ann Ferguson at 413-367-2310.

Monday, February 25, 2019 at 5:30 – 8pm. Forum  on the Green New Deal. The Green New Deal has captivated the attention of people around the country. It puts forth a plan to decarbonize our economy and produce millions of jobs along the way. Learn more about what a Green New Deal could look like at the federal, state, and local levels.

Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Ave, Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201. Go HERE for info. 

Monday February 25, 7 to 9pm. Climate Action Now Monthly Meeting. First Churches of Northampton, 129 Main Street, Northampton, MA.  Come at 6:45 for Special Gallery Viewings. Go to: climateactionnowma.org 



Tuesday February 26, 4 to 5pm. Sunrise Movement Tells Rep. Neal : Time to Get Onboard with the Green New Deal. We met with Rep. Neal on 2/13 and asked him to co-sponsor the Resolution on a Green New Deal. If he does not sign on by the 26th he must need to hear from some constituents to let him know we all want a GREEN NEW DEAL!! So we are going to turn out in force to his office in Springfield. This might be the biggest Sunrise Action in MA ever! Join us am make your voices heard! Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/2540018672738551/ 



Thursday February 28, 7 to 8:30pm. Biomass, Why Should We Care?  Hitchcock Center, 845 West St, Amherst. Registration and donations appreciated. Mary Booth will discuss her extensive research about Biomass.  Biomass energy is booming because in theory, biomass energy is renewable and “carbon neutral” and can reduce carbon emissions that accelerate global warming. Because it is considered renewable it is eligible for multiple tax credits, subsidies, and incentives. In practice, however, wood-burning biomass is the biggest carbon polluter of all, per unit of energy generated. It is worse than coal, worse than oil, and worse than natural gas, both because of the low energy to carbon ratio inherent in wood, and also because biomass facilities generally operate at considerably lower efficiencies than fossil fueled facilities.



 Friday March 15, 8am to 3pm.  MA Youth Climate Strike!  Massachusetts State House

24 Beacon St, Boston, Massachusetts 02108. As part of the global movement, youth from across Massachusetts will be striking on March 15 to fight for our futures & demand that our lawmakers put an end to climate change. #YouthStrikesUSA #ClimateStrike #YouthClimateStrike #GreenNewDeal Why should we go to school and learn to prepare ourselves for our future when our future is not being protected by our country's lawmakers? Why should we go to school to learn information and facts, when facts are clearly not valued by our country who fails to look at the facts and take action against climate change?

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

The Enviro Show January Hiatus

Greetings Earthlings. You'll be hearing "The Best of" for a few weeks on the radio until Glen and Mary return from their hybrid road trip later in the month. Maybe they'll post some of their adventures  HERE? Or maybe not, if they end up getting their kicks from Route 66 and forget about traveling around here in cyberspace. Meanwhile, we'll try to keep you informed and......what? entertained? with the usual segments like our visits to the Fool-on-the-Hill and His Malignancy The Mad King, as well as It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid! but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters!  We just got a dusting of snow but did you know the Snowy Owl is said to be the second most likely bird to kill you? 

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is a Dem who more-or-less works for Ol' King Coal. Machine Dems just named Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Joe says "West Virginia is a leading energy producer and major contributor to advanced energy technologies, and I intend to ensure this progress is continued. The problems facing our country are serious, and I am committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common sense solutions for long-term comprehensive energy policy that incorporates an all-of-the-above strategy and ensures our state and our nation are leaders in the energy future.” Got it?

Meanwhile, His Malignancy The Mad King is having his Environmental Protection Agency Allow Unlimited Dumping of Fracking Wastewater in the Gulf of Mexico. TruthOut tells us: "In a letter sent to EPA officials... attorneys for the Center for Biological Diversity warned that the agency’s draft permit for water pollution discharges in the Gulf fails to properly consider how dumping wastewater containing chemicals from fracking and acidizing operations would impact water quality and marine wildlife......Center attorney Kristen Monsell said the EPA’s permit is just another example of a federal agency “rubber-stamping” permits for offshore fracking without taking a hard look at how the technology impacts the environment. The EPA, she argues, should prohibit the dumping of hazardous fracking chemicals and other wastes directly into ocean altogether." And this: The Intelligencer informs us: "The Trump administration’s policies are leading to wholesale destruction of certain birds and other wildlife. This fact has escaped most public notice amid the broader damage the Cabinet is causing to the environment. Among other measures, regulatory agencies have been working to lift protections on endangered animals, open up vast animal habitats for drilling, encourage more trophy hunting, and repress treatment standards for farm animals." No word yet on their slaughter of cute bunnies or pulling the legs off of spiders but last year scientists discovered a moth with golden hair and a tiny penis; any guess who they named it after?  His Malignancy's War on Nature is such a large part of his enablers' Deconstruction Junction, but it seems clear that train has gone off the rails. He has loaded his Dr. Caligari's Cabinet with climate deniers like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, USDA's Sonny Perdue and both his former and current EPA Administrators. Sooooo, we tried reporting on as many of The Mad King's enviro rollbacks as possible over the past but who can keep up with almost 8o! What will 2019 hold for life on planet Earth? Stay tuned! 

Our Quote of the week comes from the mouth of babes: “What is the point of learning facts when the most important facts given by the finest scientists are ignored by our politicians?” – Greta Thunberg, student activist.


OK, surely by now you know "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" [except for these guys!] but did you know that Eighty-four members of Congress sent a bipartisan letter to the Department of Justice last fall, asking officials to prosecute pipeline activists as “terrorists” ??  This is not a new thing. It's as old as shoot-the-messenger and in some parts of the world it's just that. But hey, we have a world to save so we have to expect adversity, right? We just need some climate courage and as many friends and allies as we can muster. The cause is just and the time is Now, Now, Now! 

On to the Bus Stop Billboard! 

EVERY THURSDAY 4 – 5PM— MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE, BOSTON— #SitWithJohn, Give Us A #MassGreenNewDeal Weekly Climate Action. Since the federal government is incapable of doing anything we're pressuring the Commonwealth and the Legislature for a Massachusetts Green New Deal. The ask? A 40%-50% reduction in emissions by 2030, and completely carbon-neutral by 2050 to help limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA

Tuesday, February 5, 6:30-9pm, Northampton: A home gathering to take heart, share grief (and anxiety, fear, despair, anger) over urgent environmental, economic, racial, and social justice issues, and strengthen our resilience and resistance for the precarious future we face.  Bring things to share, such as the poem below by the late, great Mary Oliver, and the excerpt of an article below by Dahr Jamail. More info:  John Berkowitz  413-387-8439  johnpberk@gmail.com


Wednesday February 6, 5pm.  Stop Climate Change!  Pliny Park corner of Main and High streets Brattleboro, VT. Stop Climate Change Action. As presidential hopefuls begin to announce their candidacies and our new congress works to define their priorities, this is a key moment to keep up the pressure for real climate leadership and a Green New Deal. We will ramp up our call for a Green New Deal by publicly calling on our elected leaders to commit to a just and equitable transition to a world free from fossil fuels, support green jobs, reject fossil fuel money, and endorse a Green New Deal. We'll march on the sidewalk to the Brattleboro food co-op and back. Bring a sign. Can you join me? Click here for details and to RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/stop-climate-change?source=email& 

Thursday, February 7, 5:30pm. Free Workshop : Understanding Urban Trees at the

Hotel on North, 297 North St. Pittsfield, MA. Join Dept. of Conservation and Recreation Urban Foresters for a free workshop! Learn how trees are critically linked to our mental and physical health, the impacts of urban forests, how you could get free trees planted on your property, and how to care for your own trees. Come early grab a bite, schmooze with your forester friends, and learn about trees. Cash bar & Snacks! More info at thebeatnews.org

 

Friday  February 8, 11am   Green New Deal Letter Drop Off for Representative McGovern. McGovern's Office, 94 Pleasant Street, Northampton, MA 01060. We're joining a national day of action and bringing the call for real climate leadership to Representative McGovern's doorstep. We will ramp up our call for a Green New Deal by publicly calling on our elected leaders to commit to a just and equitable transition to a world free from fossil fuels, support green jobs, reject fossil fuel money, and endorse a Green New Deal. Go to: https://actionnetwork.org/events/green-new-deal-letter-drop-off-for-representative-mcgovern

Wednesday February. 13, 5:30pm. -  "Who are our Other-than-Human Neighbors?" There is potluck dinner at 5:30 and the program will begin at 6:15. There will be a number of 'guides' to share their understanding of various species - animal, vegetable and mineral.   We are fortunate to be able to use the Discovery Center on Avenue A in Turners Falls (near the bridge) for our program, an environmental center replete with dioramas of the Connecticut River Watershed. Please call Kate with any questions  (413) 625-6967.



That's all folks.....for now. Remember to listen to your Mother!