Jean's Enviro Show

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now it's time for the Bus Stop Billboard:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Flawed Roadmap Enviro Show

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

A Proforestation Nation Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Welcome to a new era. We gladly file away past segments covering all those grim years of His Malignancy's reign and begin a new segment, for the time being titled "Decidin' with Biden" and hopefully never morphing into "Backslidin' with Biden", but moderate Dems being moderate in the midst of a Climate Crisis keeps us realistic in an unreal nation. So, good riddance to old rubbish and welcome to some degree of sanity.  Old-growth guru Bob Leverett returns to the show to help us delve into Proforestation and climate policy once again. [UPDATE: here's the Interview!]As always, we will take you along to visit this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to join us on "Decidin' with Biden", as well as reminding everyone that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and maybe an Enviro Show Quote of the Week but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters! A double whamy for the lawns and their lovers.

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is setting the wrong tone for the new Prez and his plans for unity. He's a real fool but we're not sure yet he's an outright domestic terrorist like some of his Repugnican colleagues. Yes, Repugnican Senator Josh Hawley, fascist poster boy from Missouri is our Fool this week if for no other reason than being a self-serving poser for insurrection (as the mob of terrorists approached the Capitol Building on January 6 before violently storming it, Hawley was pictured giving them the closed fist salute). Earlier, Hawley lead an effort to throw out valid electoral votes from states that were pivotal in The Mad King's loss, thus trying to overthrow a valid election. After the dust settled in the Capitol and the terrorists were eventually driven off, Hawley proceeded to try and block confirmation for Alejandro Mayorkas, President Biden's Homeland Security secretary nominee. In the end he failed and we trust this fool will continue to fail because some observers believe Hawley aims to be the presidential nominee in 2024 when fascism takes another shot at the White House. 

For now we'll be "Decidin' with Biden" as to what needs to be done to get this beater back on track, OK? The new Prez already revoked the old Mad King's presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline as one of his earliest executive orders and rejoined the Paris Climate Accord. The Washington Post informs us: "
Biden also ordered federal agencies to review scores of climate and environmental policies enacted during the Trump years and, if possible, to quickly reverse them. Nearly half of the regulations the new administration is targeting come from the Environmental Protection Agency, on issues as varied as drinking water, dangerous chemicals and gas-mileage standards.....[Also] He plans to sign an executive order elevating climate in domestic and national security policy; direct “science and evidence based decision-making” in federal agencies; reestablish the Presidential Council of Advisers on Science and Technology and announce that U.S. data that will help underpin the Climate Leadership Summit that Biden will host in Washington in late April."All that on his first day.

Time to remind everyone "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" so, are you prepared for it? Bernie is. Did you catch all the slaves to fashion freezing their asses off during the Inauguration? Not Bernie! That said, we are sad to report 2020 was a disaster for planet Earth. historic fires, record breaking heat, deadly storms, global water crisis, dramatic loss of sea ice and the ongoing  6th Great Extinction being only some of it. There are a few glimmers of hope such as a federal court's recent decision to strike down His Malignancy's "Dirty Power" rule loosening restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants but why are we even talking about coal, a 19th century fuel source??  

Time for The Enviro Show Quote of the Week:

"This mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen. It will never happen. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever."  -President Joe Biden 

 

 On to our Bus Stop Billboard:

 

Tuesday, February 2, 7:00 – 8:30p.m. Climate Action Now presents "Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration Series -Beyond Stopping Emissions: How Healthy Soil and Plants Can Help Restore Climate Balance". Carbon Farming: Impact of Agrochemicals on Soils and Climate . with Ed Stockman of NOFA & Regeneration MASS. Register HERE  

Tuesday, February 16, 6:00 pm - 7:15 pm.  Net Zero Pathways Webinar. join MCAN and AE2C energy and climate policy experts on what promises to be a new era in the U.S. to address climate change at the domestic and international levels. Experts will discuss economy-wide decarbonization pathways including electrification, U.S. energy workforce trends and the U.S. rejoining the Paris Agreement. RSVP here  

Wednesday, Feb. 17, | 6:30- 8:30 p.m.  Attend a virtual public hearing to learn more about the National Marine Fisheries Service's rulemaking. There will also be an opportunity for public testimony at the hearing — an opportunity for you to tell them to take bold action to protect right whales.   You can contact Kristen Monsell, kmonsell@biologicaldiversity.org, for more information or for talking points.

 That's all for now in this new era remember to listen to your Mother, OK?

A Carbon Offsets Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. While we tend to get into news about predators in the animal kingdom here on the show we are not big fans of predatory capitalism. Back in the hay days of the market there was always talk of trading in pork bellies (sounds predatory from here) but what about trading in carbon offsets? We ask Blake Lawrence, Marketing Manager at Cool Effect for some answers. As always we will also guide you along to witness this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and domestic terrorists like His Malignancy The Mad King and his enablers. That and more but first it's time for............Revenge of the Critters! Raging Grey Squirrel attacks close to His Malignancy's boyhood home.

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill covers a lot of ground. We consider ourselves generous calling 147 Repugnicans in the U.S. House of Representatives fools instead of seditious conspirators (even though they are) who supported at least one objection to counting President Elect Joe Biden’s electoral votes. Did we mention there has been no viable record of fraud in any of the states in question? All the far-right blather about a "stolen election" is pure fiction, it is "the big lie" of the era and the repugs baseless refusal to deal with reality paves the groundwork for insurrection. These seditious conspirators (Opps!) are little different than the unhinged mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol recently causing death and mayhem, in fact some Repug lawmakers were actually in the mob!. These fools were all abettors and enablers.

On to the biggest seditious conspirator of all, His Malignancy The Mad King who incited the riot and, being the coward he is, slithered off to the White House leaving his dupes to trash the Capitol Building and threaten, or worse injure or kill those within it. Efforts are underway to remove His Malignancy from office for his sedition and conspiracy to overthrow the election but far too many of his enablers continue their immoral and criminal support of The Mad King. In other words, this insurrection is still in play, even though another Day in Infamy has passed. This violation of our nation, on top of all the ecological deprivation he and his enablers have subjected this land and its inhabitants to, is domestic terrorism at its worst. O wait! Didn't the FBI label enviro activists as the greatest domestic terrorist threat not that long ago??  In another age this Mad King would have his head removed and his enablers sent to the dungeons.

Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week is spot on:

“We’re in a situation where the definition of terrorism is the use of violence, especially against civilians, to achieve a political aim,” Historian Michael Beschloss said. “That was a terrorist attack on our Congress... and our U.S. Capitol.”

 On to our Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, January 27, 7:30 pm. Why We Need Dark Skies: The Dangers of Light Pollution.
Dark Sky initiatives around the world aren’t only for the sake of better stargazing! Light pollution affects every citizen, and it is one of the fastest growing environmental problems, because it negatively impacts our nighttime environment, our climate, and the health of humans, animals, and plants.  Go HERE

Thursday January 28, 7pm.  "Burned - Are Trees the New Coal"  Renewable energy is a key to addressing climate change, but there is a dirty secret hiding in plain sight! Join us for an online viewing of the acclaimed documentary “BURNED” to learn how logging forests and burning trees is supported and subsidized as “clean, “carbon neutral” and “renewable” even as it is leading to deforestation, polluting our air and making climate change worse!  Standing Trees Vermont, a new coalition working to protect, preserve and restore forests on our State and Federal lands, is hosting this event with the support of our many allies in the region. Registration:   https://actionnetwork.org/events/burned/ 

 

Tuesday, February 2, 7:00 – 8:30p.m. Climate Action Now presents "Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration Series -Beyond Stopping Emissions: How Healthy Soil and Plants Can Help Restore Climate Balance". Carbon Farming: Impact of Agrochemicals on Soils and Climate . with Ed Stockman of NOFA & Regeneration MASS. Register HERE  

Tuesday, February 16, 6:00 pm - 7:15 pm.  Net Zero Pathways Webinar. join MCAN and AE2C energy and climate policy experts on what promises to be a new era in the U.S. to address climate change at the domestic and international levels. Experts will discuss economy-wide decarbonization pathways including electrification, U.S. energy workforce trends and the U.S. rejoining the Paris Agreement. RSVP here 

That's all, folks.....but remember to listen to your Mother.

 

New Year's Fears Enviro Show

 

New Year's Greetings Earthlings. Let's hope the next one isn't so.....um...fraught? May old acquaintances be forgotten in Washington and hope come alive in days to come. We are slimming down the blog as one of our New Year resolutions, inserting d.o.'s reading of his epic poem "2020 Hindsight" for a few of the usual segments. Karl Meyer will phone in with news of the river that runs between us and we will take you with us to witness our Fool-on-the-Hill and His Malignancy The Mad King and his enablers at their worst but first it's time for..........Revenge of the Critters!  New Hampshire Libertarians meet Black Bears....at their peril. 

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Arkansas Repugnican Rep. Bruce Westerman who came under fire for proposing a “Trillion Trees Act” that would pair a commitment to planting trees with a plan to increase logging on public lands. We guess Bruce thinks he's planning ahead. 

Meanwhile at the other end of the Mall His Malignancy The Mad King is working on his sorry legacy. The League of Conservation Voters tell us His Malignacy's "...Interior Department has indicated that they are preparing to officially announce an expansion of offshore drilling near Southern California, Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, and a number of Mid-Atlantic states. The plan is being fast-tracked to ensure Trump can leave a legacy of opening up vast swathes of our coast to Big Oil."  So, The Mad King escapes DC after making threats about declaring marshal law, giving free passes to his partners in crime and threatening to shut the government down at the same time he stirs up his crazed lunatic fringe to challenge the Jan. 6 Congressional election results event. Stay tuned! 

After you hear from d.o. & Karl it's off to the Bus Stop Billboard: 

Wednesday January 13, 2021. Energy Commissions Networking Call.  MCAN is bringing together volunteer energy commissions to share insights and strategies for developing impactful local actions through the work of the commissions.  Please contact Rose if you would like to join this call (rose@massclimateaction.net)  

Thursday January 14,  9am. DCR Stewardship Council meeting. All meetings are from 9-11:30 a.m. via Zoom. Public comment is usually around 9:30 am, after approval of the minutes. Anyone can make a 2-3 minute comment to the Council about a topic related to their oversight of DCR. To get on the list for offering a public comment, send an email to Lisa Barstow at the beginning of the meeting. lisa.barstow@mass.gov     Zoom Meeting ID: 834 5403 8777  Password: 976809

Monday January 18, 2021 from 5-6pm. Social Media for Advocacy webinar.  We will be presenting best practices on how to use social media for advocacy campaigns.  Tips and tools will be presented. We want to make sure our advocates have these technology tools ready for the next legislative session! Please contact Rose if you would like to know more (rose@massclimateaction.net)  

 

Tuesday, February 2, 7:00 – 8:30p.m. Climate Action Now presents "Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration Series -Beyond Stopping Emissions: How Healthy Soil and Plants Can Help Restore Climate Balance". Carbon Farming: Impact of Agrochemicals on Soils and Climate . with Ed Stockman of NOFA & Regeneration MASS. Register HERE

OK, we'll see you (we hope) next year. Just remember to listen to your Mother, OK?

Winter Solstice 2020 Enviro Show

 

Winter Solstice Greetings Enviro Show listeners. Once again we celebrate the Return of the Light as well as the demise of the ill-advised biomass scheme at Dartmouth College. John Tuthill & Meg Sheehan, members of the Upper Valley Clean Air Committee will report to us on that victory. Like we've always said, woody biomass is a biomess and our Winter Solstice wish is for Palmer Biomass to follow Dartmouth's example. Lizzy Pereira of Sunrise Hampden County joins us to talk about just that as we approach a New Year and a light at the end of the tunnel that is not an on coming train. As always, we'll also take to to see this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to witness the sorry machinations of that Loser-in-Chief His Malignancy The Mad King and his court of crazed evil clowns as they fade back into the swamp of their own making. All that and mnore but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters! A Winter Solstice Special: When penguins attack! 

 This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Congressman Mike Johnson (again), repugnican from Louisiana who circulated an email from his personal account to GOP members asking them to join a friend-of-the-court brief to be filed in support of an effort to subvert electoral democracy spearheaded by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (who himself is under investigation for corruption).  126 House repugs joined Johnson in his brief backing Texas' case which argued governors, state courts and election officials from other states usurped the constitutional authority of state legislatures by certifying President Elect Biden's victory over The Mad King.  So, it's actually 106 Fools-on-the-Hill......sorry.  

His Malignancy The Mad King Loser-in-Chief continues to deny he lost the election in November and continued to send in carloads of evil clown lawyers at every possible chance to present their baseless conspiracy theories even his recently packed Supreme Court rejected. And yet, The Mad King and his criminal underlings still had time to continue their assaults on the planet and its inhabitants, of course.  For instance, His Malignancy's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized a proposal to roll back vital Endangered Species Act protections for the iconic Gray Wolf which were nearly exterminated in the mid-20th century due to predator control policies in the Lower 48 states.You can take action about that HERE. Also, Gizmodo reports: "the White House announced this week that [The Mad King] was appointing a climate denier to serve on the committee that chooses recipients of the National Medal of Science.That person is David Legates, who in the span of a few months has gone from the crank circuit of climate denial to a role in shaping the most important climate report the federal government puts out." Of course, once were rid of His Malignancy next month that guy will be back on the crank circuit doing his worst. And, even while there's some good news to report with a win for the wild Arctic in which a federal appeals court on Monday rejected the Trump administration's approval of what would have been the first offshore oil-drilling development located fully in federal Arctic waters, there's still the bad news The Mad King is rushing through a process to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain to lease for oil drilling. The Bureau of Land Management has announced the official sale date for drilling rights in the Arctic Refuge will be January 6th, 2021. Hopefully the new occupants in the White House will reverse that madness and a lot more. 

Finally, how about another Enviro Show Quote of the Week? 

"When you listen to the President, these are the musings of an imbecile. An idiot. And I don't use those words to name call. I use them because they are the precise words of the English language to describe his behavior. His comportment. His actions. We've never seen a level of incompetence, a level of ineptitude so staggering on a daily basis by anybody in the history of the country whose ever been charged with substantial responsibilities. "    - Steve Schmidt, founder of The Lincoln Project.

On to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Monday December 28, 7 to 9pm. Monthly Climate Action Now! Gathering. We’ve been have wonderful virtual gatherings via ZOOM during the time of COVID closure. Look out for zoom registration details before the next meeting in our newsletter or on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ClimateActionNowMA 

Wednesday January 6, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm. The Green Industry’s Black Thumb: Plastic Pots. Plastic horticultural pots are the primary vessels used in horticulture and landscaping. Without them, the Green Industry would not have grown to be the multi-billion dollar industry it is today. Primarily after single use, billions of plastic plant pots are disposed of annually in the United States. A staggering 98% end up in landfills and are not recycled. Join Marie Soulliere-Chieppo for this enlightening expose and learn more about ways to mitigate this disposal problem. Read more and register

Wednesday January 13, 2021. Energy Commissions Networking Call.  MCAN is bringing together volunteer energy commissions to share insights and strategies for developing impactful local actions through the work of the commissions.  Please contact Rose if you would like to join this call (rose@massclimateaction.net) 

Monday January 18, 2021 from 5-6pm. Social Media for Advocacy webinar.  We will be presenting best practices on how to use social media for advocacy campaigns.  Tips and tools will be presented. We want to make sure our advocates have these technology tools ready for the next legislative session! Please contact Rose if you would like to know more (rose@massclimateaction.net)  

 That's it for now, more event listings later. Remember to listen to your Mother & Happy Winter Solstice!