Groundhog Day Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Happy Groundhog Day! We leave poor Punxsutawney Phil to his lame-ass jailers (unless some liberation is afoot, let us know!) and get the real story on woodchucks from Christine Maher at the University of Southern Maine. Her primary research focuses on woodchuck behavior and ecology. We'll also have a look at woodchucks being captured and used as lab experiments and the all-out war on chucks by suburbanites. Did we say Happy Groundhog Day? How about Happy Imbolc? It's the festival of the Maiden, for from this day to March 21st, it is her season to prepare for growth and renewal. Brighid's snake emerges from the womb of the Earth Mother to test the weather, (the origin of Groundhog Day), and in many places the first Crocus flowers began to spring forth from the frozen earth. Now you know! As always, we checkout the latest news in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber; checkout Obama's record in our Meet the New Boss segment, do some E-Valley-uation, and go for the Quote of the week, but first it's time for.............
Revenge of the Critters! You guessed it: Groundhog attack! A little correction here, the critter in the film "Caddyshack" was a gopher from the family Geomyidae. Groundhogs, or woodchucks are from the family Sciuridae BUT several ground squirrels of the family Sciuridae are often called gophers.....got it?

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we rewind Grist's coverage of the RFK, Jr. vs. Don Blackenschtick debate on mountain-top removal. Finally, some good news! It looks like the Cap & Trade charade may be kicked to the curb in the Climate Bill!

The Quote of the Week: "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men". ~Alice Walker

In our Meet the New Boss segment let's checkout Obama's enviro report card. It looks like The One is just an average student (Huh? We thought he was the smartest guy in the room??) BUT he aced the test on energy efficiency!

Then it's time for some E-Valley-uation! Worried about that clunky old Vermont Yankee nuke just over the border leaking Tritium into the groundwater? Imagine if your kids attended the Vernon Elementary School across the street or if you happened to live along the Connecticut River? (ahem!). Read more here. This from Northampton Media: Noho Board of Public Works bails on that bogus landfill extension over the Barnes Aquifer BUT not without saying it would've been safe! (pass the hot-air sickness bag again!).

"O Groundhog" by Lisa Loeb from "Catch The Moon" takes us to our interview with Christine Maher.

Finally it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday February 3 , 7-8:30pm, The Biomess & Green Jobs. Mary Booth, Jon Weissman & others consider the issues. Traprock Center for Peace and Justice, 24 Miles St, Greenfield. Call (413) 773-7427).

Friday Feb 5 - Sunday, Feb 7, A Feast of Lights, The Clarion Hotel, 1 Atwood Dr. (just off of I-91), Northampton. A festival of community, hope, Earth spirituality, and the arts taking place at the ancient Celtic midwinter festival of Imbolg. The Stag King's Masque, a masquerade dance and ritual performance on Saturday night, February 6th, is a journey into another realm. Come in costume. Call 413-238-4240.

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. MA State Department of Conservation and Recreation public forum on recommendations on the best way to manage forest lands within the state parks system. Whoa! Do we have input!! Jones Library, 43 Amity St., Amherst. Call 617-626-1453

Saturday Feb. 13, 1 - 2pm. Moose on the Loose. Come learn about the effects of: urban sprawl on moose; the changes in the moose range; and the overall biology of the moose. Great Falls Discovery Center, Avenue A, Turners Falls. Call (413)863-3221.

Saturday, February 13, 8 to 10 a.m. Winter Nature Walk. Get out on a winter Saturday and see what is happening in nature in the cold. We will explore a portion of the Quabbin Reservation. Hitchcock Center for the Environment, Amherst. Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006.

Saturday, February 13, 1-5 pm. Awakening the Dreamer. 2nd Congregational Church, Greenfield. Through videos of indigenous leaders, activists, philosophers, and scientists the workshop will help participants awaken from the seductive trance of unlimited progress, private interest and unrestrained growth and material accumulation and help us reconnect with the earth and reclaim our future. Call (413)773-7004

Friday, Feb 19, 9 AM to 2:30 PM. Do you know any young men or women who would benefit from the opportunity to learn green jobs skills? The program will begin February 19th and candidates should sign up now by calling The Brick House at 413-863-9559 or emailing jlibby@brickhousecommunity.org.

Saturday March 6, 8 pm, Burrito Rojo in Turners. Tom Neilson's new CD release gig. Call (413)863-3111

Saturday, March 13 at 9am. Mountain Justice Spring Break 2010. "Stand in solidarity with communities impacted by dirty coal!"Southwest Virginia. Email: mdriggs[at]gmail[dot]com or call (508)361-0136

We do believe that is all for now. Next time it's our Department of Consternation and Reprobation (DCR) show. F'get about conservation & recreation! This is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts! Until then, remember: listen to your Mother!

The Attack of the Frankentrees Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings! So, you thought trees were all good huh? We'll checkout the ones that come out of corporado labs with Anne Peterman, Executive Director of Global Justice Ecology Project and Coordinator of the Stop GE Tree Campaign. Did we mention their goal of prohibiting the ecologically and socially devastating release of genetically engineered trees into the environment? No? That's ours too! As usual we'll be checking out the latest news in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and our E-Valley-uation segment as well as the Quote of the Week, but first it's time for... Revenge of the Critters! When trees attack! Trees are vicious, if you give them enough time. Check out this collection of photos of trees swallowing up everything in their path.

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week comes from John Muir: "A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease. Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber thrilling like harp strings, while incense is ever flowing from the balsam bells and leaves. No wonder the hills and groves were God's first temples, and the more they are cut down and hewn into cathedrals and churches, the farther off and dimmer seems the Lord himself."

"If I don't take care of the land" by Sarah Barchas takes us to the Enviro Show Echo Chamber where we checkout a piece in Salon on the deforestation of Haiti. Wonder who had a hand in that! O, and speaking of deforestation: how about King Coal blowing the tops off mountains down south and dumping them into rivers and streams! Guess what, scientists don't think that's such a good idea. Umm...go science? Duh! Apparently, the folks at Wendy's think it's a good idea. They're putting signs in their windows promoting.....are you ready?..."Coal for Kids!" Sign a petition to Boycott Mt. Removal Supporters HERE. And this: Senator Murkowski (R - Alaska) is trying to roll back the Clean Air Act! Finally, from Climate IMC a report-back on that Carbon Traders Ball.

In our E-valley-uation segment we have an Enviro Show Blog Bonus! Checkout the pedal plow the folks from Mass. Bike sent along. No carbon footprint to speak of AND great workout on those calves!

Following our conversation with Anne Peterman we'll stroll over to the Bus Stop Billboard and read about some events:

Saturday, January 23, 1 to 2pm. All About Beavers. Great Falls Discovery Center. 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls. Call 413-863-3221

Sunday, January 24, 2 to 4 p.m. ENERGY EFFICIENT HOUSE EXPLORATION AND AFTERNOON TEA. Built in 2007, the house incorporates a number of energy-efficient technologies including geothermal heat pump, photovoltaic panels, good insulation, and passive solar heating. Pre-registration is required; please call The Hitchcock Center for the Environment at (413) 256-6006.

Friday Feb 5 - Sunday, Feb 7, A Feast of Lights is a festival of community, hope, Earth spirituality, and the arts taking place at the ancient Celtic midwinter festival of Imbolg. It brings together a wide range of teachers, performers and artists who join with all of the gathering's participants to create a celebratory, stimulating and fun weekend to kindle the fire within during the dark of winter. The Stag King's Masque, a masquerade dance and ritual performance on Saturday night, February 6th, is a journey into another realm. Come in costume. Call 413-238-4240.

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. MA State Department of Conservation and Recreation public forum on recommendations on the best way to manage forest lands within the state parks system. Whoa! Do we have input!! Jones Library, 43 Amity St., Amherst. Call 617-626-1453

Saturday March 6, 9 pm, Burrito Rojo in Turners. Tom Neilson's new CD release gig.

Saturday, March 13 at 9am. Mountain Justice Spring Break 2010. "Stand in solidarity with communities impacted by dirty coal!"Southwest Virginia. Email: mdriggs[at]gmail[dot]com or call (508)361-0136

So much for the likes of us this week. Next time it's our Groundhog day special. Stay tuned and remember to listen to your Mother.

NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE TO CARBON TRADING CALL TO ACTION: NEW YORK CITY, JAN. 9-13

THE FUTURE OF EARTH IS NOT FOR SALE!

NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE TO CARBON TRADING
CALL TO ACTION: NEW YORK CITY, JAN. 9-13

CONFRONTING THE SOURCE OF COPENHAGEN'S FAILURE

Saturday, Jan 9, 10am-5pm: Nonviolent direct action workshop
and strategy session

Sunday, Jan 10, 6:30pm-8:30pm: Panel discussion "Selling
the Sky: Carbon Trading and the Failure of Copenhagen"

Monday, Jan 11, 7 pm - 9:00 pm: Presentation: "From COP 15
to Climate Justice Movement"

Tuesday, Jan 12, noon: Press Event: Featuring renowned climate scientist DR. JAMES
HANSEN, and FATHER PAUL MAYER, of the Climate
Crisis Coalition

Wednesday, Jan 13, 11:30pm: Rally and protest action outside of
the 2nd Annual Carbon Trading Summit

Following closely on the heels of the failed UN Copenhagen climate
conference, the Second Annual Carbon Trade Summit will convene in New
York City, bringing together representatives of some of the most
polluting industries, industry associations, carbon financiers, banks,
government officials and corporate "big greens."
Participants will include executives from JP Morgan Chase, Goldman
Sachs, Duke Energy, and many more.
Seehttp://www.iglobalforum.com/conference_live.php?r=22&p=home

Here they
will discuss how to take advantage of the emerging carbon markets.
Under a veneer of greenwash, they will be determining ways to ensure
that marketable allowances for greenhouse gases (a.k.a.,
"cap-and-trade" schemes) remain the centerpiece of global
climate policy.

Never before in history has the need for a grassroots resistance
movement been more urgently needed. Climate scientists now tell us we
are on course for 4 to 7 degrees of warming in the coming century, a
death sentence for much of life on this planet, including human
populations starting with the most vulnerable. If the climate movement
is going to have any chance for success, it must confront the true
source of this emergency. Placing the future of life on the altar of
market fundamentalism is a path to annihilation.

Join us and take a stand for climate justice!

*Nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience workshop
WHEN: Saturday. Jan. 9 from 10am to 5pm
WHERE: The Change You Want To See Gallery: 84 Havemeyer St. (at
Metropolitan Ave), Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
http://thechangeyouwanttosee.org

**Panel
Discussion: "Selling the Sky: Carbon Trading and the Failure of
Copenhagen." With Dr. Michael Dorsey, Professor of
Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College, Cecil Corbin-Mark of West
Harlem Environmental Action (WEACT) and Brian Tokar of the Institute
for Social Ecology. (also invited but not yet confirmed: Patrick Bond,
University of S Africa and Joan Yang, Deputy Ambassador from
Palau)
WHEN: Sunday Jan. 10, at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Unity Hall, 235 W. 23rd St., between 7th and 8th Avenues (1, C,
E, F, or V train to 23rd St.)

***Presentation and discussion: Climate Change: From COP15 to
Climate Justice Movement, with Tina Gerhardt (journalist,
academic, activist just returned from Copenhagen)
WHEN: Monday Jan 11 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Bluestockings Bookstore, 172 Allen Street (between Houston and
Delancey)

**** Tuesday, Jan 12 at noon: Press Event: Featuring renowned climate scientistDR.
JAMES HANSEN andFATHER PAUL MAYER, founder of
the Climate Crisis Coalition and representing concerned members of the
religious community.

***** Rally and protest outside of the Carbon Trading Summit (Embassy Suites Hotel)
WHEN: Wednesday Jan. 13th, 12 noon
WHERE: Irish Hunger Memorial Park
(Nearest stop:
World Trade Center (E train): walk 1 block south to Vesey St.,
turn right (west), cross West St., and continue west past the Embassy
Suites Hotel to the Irish Hunger Memorial.
OR: From Chambers St. station (A, C, 1, 2, 3): 5 short blocks south to
Vesey St., continue as above.
OR: From City Hall station (R, W) or Park Place (2, 3): 2-3
blocks south to Vesey St., continue as above.


What is carbon trading and why is it a false solution that blocks
positive alternatives?
Corporations are claiming the atmosphere as a private commodity
and buying and selling "rights" to pollute it. Manipulation
of these "rights" - in combination with so-called
"offsets" (projects that claim to reduce emissions on their
behalf, but most often do not) - will allow the industry to stonewall
real pollution reductions for another 15 to 20 years, with devastating
consequences for all life on earth. Carbon markets in the European
Union have proven extremely volatile, prone to manipulation and
gaming, and they do not help reduce emissions.

Why would this stalling be dangerous and immoral?
The consensus of science is that we do not have time to waste. Tipping
points of runaway global warming are already being approached. It is
absolutely necessary that real pollution reductions begin immediately
and proceed expeditiously. It is grossly immoral to turn this greatest
threat to humanity into yet another economic bubble for Wall
Street.

How did corporate power sabotage Copenhagen?
The U.S. went to Copenhagen with an abysmally weak offer. Obama
claimed (incorrectly) that he could not go beyond the targets that had
been approved in the House of Representatives. At both the UN and
Congressional levels, this is the product of a corporate war on
reason, combined with lobbying in the extreme (e.g., 4-5 climate
lobbyists per member of Congress). They are blocking efforts to secure
a safe future, misleading the public about the seriousness of the
threat, and advocating persistently for so-called "market
mechanisms" as the only means to reduce emissions. These
corporations have a stranglehold on both the U.S. Congress and on
international climate policy.

What can we do?
Join the movement! Demand "system change, not climate
change"! As tens of thousands of people chanted a few weeks ago
on the streets of Copenhagen, "Our climate is not their
business!" Carbon trade won't save us: it's up to us.

Climate SOS, (http://climatesos.org) Beyond Talk (Climate Pledge
of Resistance), Institute for Social Ecology, The Change You Want to
See Gallery and others are gathering allies to protest this event. To
join this effort and take a stand for climate justice, for real
solutions, and for the future of our planet, please
contact: countercarbontrading@actforclimatejustice.org,
or visit us on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=263613903775&ref=nf

The Living Simply Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. How about a New Years resolution (or should that be revolution?) to live simply so others can simply live? Jonathan & Susan von Ranson call-in to talk about their efforts in Wendell. As usual we wander into the Enviro Show Echo Chamber for some recent news. Also we return to the Quote of the Week and our E-Valley-uation segment, but first it's time for.... Revenge of the Critters! alien carp turn the tables on fisherfolk & G-men!

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber this op-ed in the New York Times reminds us that "To Save the Planet, [we must] Save the Seas!" (but watch that REDD hype!). Climate Indymedia tells us there's an Action in New York City against carbon trading corporados on January 12 & 13!

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week comes short & sweet from south of the border:

"If the climate were a bank, the US would have saved it." - Hugo Chavez

"Let's Go Swimming" by emma's Revolution takes us to our E-Vally-uation segment where we direct you to Bob Leverett's powerpoint presentation: The Special Public Forests of Massachusetts. This will be required reading for all Enviro Show listeners. Yes, there WILL be a quiz.

Then it's on to our interview with Jonathan & Susan who have actually had a bit of a struggle trying to live simply. Gosh, you'd think it would be simple! One of the issues we'll be discussing is energy use per person on a global scale.

Posted on the Bus Stop Billboard you'll find:


Thursday, January 7, 7:30pm. emma's revolution will appear at the Echo Lake Concert Series, in the Leverett Town Hall, 9 Montague Rd., Leverett. More info: 413-548-9394 and go to www.emmasrevolution.com

Friday, January 8, 7:00pm. Fighting the Massachusetts Chainsaw Massacre! Speakers Chris Matera and Dave Gafney of Massachusetts Forest Watch Presentation with photos. Media Education Center 60 Masonic St, Northampton. Learn about the clear cutting of State public forests, watersheds and parks, and the latest developments surrounding proposed wood burning Biomass plants in Western Massachusetts.

Today through January 13. “Step It Up to Shut it Down” A Winter’s Walk From Brattleboro to Montpelier to tell the Vermont Legislature to “Retire Vermont Yankee!” and Replace it with Safe, Renewable Power Sources. Sponsored by the Safe & Green Campaign. Call: (802) 254-9098 or email: safeandgreenwalk@gmail.com. More information is available at www.safeandgreencampaign.org.

January 12-13th the Second Annual Carbon Trade Summit will be convened in New York City, bringing together representatives of some of the most polluting industries, industry associations, carbon financiers, banks, government officials and corporate "big greens." Participants will include executives from JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Duke Energy, and many more. To join this effort and take a stand for climate justice, for real solutions, and for the future of our planet, please contact: countercarbontrading@actforclimatejustice.org

Friday, January 15, 7:30PM. Charlie King, Karen Brandow and Kim and Reggie Harris will rock Greenfield's St. James Church (8 Church Street) to celebrate and benefit the work of organizations such as National Priorities Project, Traprock Peace Center, AFSC, Arise for Social Justice and Jobs with Justice. Concert information: NPP, 413.584.9556, jo@nationalpriorities.org and www.nationalpriorities.org.

Fridays, January 8-February 12. NATURE DISCOVERY PRESCHOOL: WINTER WONDERS (Ages 3-5). Each day will include a combination of hands-on activities, songs, stories, games, movement and crafts. This program is designed for children ages 3-5 accompanied by an adult. The group will go outside for a short exploration each day unless temperatures are extreme. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006. Partial scholarships may be available. Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 525 South Pleasant Street, Amherst.

Friday Feb 5 - Sunday, Feb 7, A Feast of Lights is a festival of community, hope, Earth spirituality, and the arts taking place at the ancient Celtic midwinter festival of Imbolg. It brings together a wide range of teachers, performers and artists who join with all of the gathering's participants to create a celebratory, stimulating and fun weekend to kindle the fire within during the dark of winter. The Stag King's Masque, a masquerade dance and ritual performance on Saturday night, February 6th, is a journey into another realm. Come in costume. Call 413-238-4240.

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. MA State Department of Conservation and Recreation public forum on recommendations on the best way to manage forest lands within the state parks system. Whoa! Do we have input!! Jones Library, 43 Amity St., Amherst. Call 617-626-1453

That's it for the first show in 2010. We guess we should start the New Year out correctly by reminding you to listen to your Mother! Next time it's the Attack of the Frankentrees (and this time we REALLY mean it!)

Another Winter Solstice Enviro Show...only better

Greetings Earthlings. Happy Winter Solstice to you and yours! Yes, it's old-time religion time; not the far-right's "War on Christmas" blather so much as a look at the very real ongoing War on Paganism! Laura Wildman, Priestess and Third Degree, Gardnerian Witch joins us along with our old friend and Mass Earth First!er, Penny Novack to celebrate The Winter Solstice. Sorry, we'll probably be fully clothed and bonfires are not allowed in the studio, but we'll do our best to do justice to all things pagan. As always, we checkout The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, the Meet the New Boss segment and E-Valley-uation, but first it's time for....Revenge of the Critters! Penguin attack!. That'll teach you humans to warm the globe!

Topping off The Enviro Show Echo Chamber: a brief review of the Saturday, December 12 Mass march at the COP-15 UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen outside and inside out! Then on Wednesday, December 16 the Reclaim Power Action made their long way to the Bella Center where the summit is taking place. Checkout this slideshow and the Guardian's coverage. Also, this must-read from George Minbiot.

Our E-Valley-uation news comes from the Biomess struggle. The Manomet greenwash....err...we mean white paper on so-called biomass "sustainability" had its coming out party last Thursday in Holyoke. Glen gives us the report-back.

Then it's time to Meet the New Boss once again (yes, we know, the same as the old boss...almost). The news is: EPA's Secret Plan to Raise Public Radiation Exposure Levels Challenged. That would be Obama's EPA . How about this headline: "Salazar Approves Arctic Oil Drilling Plan as He Prepares Keynote at Copenhagen"? It gets worse: read Obama's Big Sellout in the new Rolling Stone.

Turtle's "We all come from the Goddess" takes us to our conversation & Solstice celebration with Laura & Penny. Then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

January 2-13.“Step It Up to Shut it Down” A Winter’s Walk From Brattleboro to Montpelier to tell the Vermont Legislature to “Retire Vermont Yankee!” and Replace it with Safe, Renewable Power Sources. Sponsored by the Safe & Green Campaign. Call: (802) 254-9098 or email: safeandgreenwalk@gmail.com. More information is available at www.safeandgreencampaign.org.

Friday, January 15, 7:30PM. Charlie King, Karen Brandow and Kim and Reggie Harris will rock Greenfield's St. James Church (8 Church Street) to celebrate and benefit the work of organizations such as National Priorities Project, Traprock Peace Center, AFSC, Arise for Social Justice and Jobs with Justice. Concert information: NPP, 413.584.9556, jo@nationalpriorities.org and www.nationalpriorities.org.

Fridays, January 8-February 12. NATURE DISCOVERY PRESCHOOL: WINTER WONDERS (Ages 3-5). Each day will include a combination of hands-on activities, songs, stories, games, movement and crafts. This program is designed for children ages 3-5 accompanied by an adult. The group will go outside for a short exploration each day unless temperatures are extreme. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006. Partial scholarships may be available. Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 525 South Pleasant Street, Amherst.

We are done for '09. Next year it's Living Simply with Jonathan & Susan. Until then remember: listen to your Mother....ok? We'll go out with "The Old Ways" by Loreena McKennitt. HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!!

The Sanitized Biomess Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Sick & tired of dirty old biomass incineration? Looking for a cleaner image? New terms? How about biomass pellets? Meg Sheehan calls in once more to cast more sunlight on the Biomess. In our E-Valley-uation segment local liberal pols climb in bed with the developers! We'll check-in with The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and "Meet the new Boss", but first it's time for...Revenge of the Critters! Humboldt squid swim-in!

It's a Foursome in our E-Valley-uation Segment. The Montague Reporter informs us that the former Montague dump site once considered for a toxic ash dump may now be utilized as a solar energy site. Talk about best use! Also this: as reported in The Valley Advocate, some unlikely local reps seem to be greasing the skids for extermination of endangered species. We brought up this attack on the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act months ago but would anyone listen to a bunch of pagan dirt-worshippers like us? Hrrumph! Finally, can Co-op Power really pull-off a "sustainable" biomass pellet operation in Greenfield? Checkout the pitch here (scroll down a few paragraphs). We guess you can register your thoughts on their survey too, no? Hopefully we'll be getting a short call from Rev. Billy about the Shopocalypse and his gig in Greenfield on the 19th.

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber a bookish guy goes rogue on Palin(she of the wolf slaughter and countless other bad ideas). Also this: remember "The Story of Stuff" we linked to awhile back? Now it's The Story of Crap & Trade!

Our Meet the New Boss moment takes a brief look at what could well be Obama's Waterloo. Did you catch the West Point speech on Afghanistan? The U.S. isn't interested in other nation's resources?? Who knew!

Tom Neilson's Biomess song (which we can't play enough) takes us to our interview with Meg. Then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, December 9th, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Transition Towns. Northampton Friends Meeting, 43 Center St., Suite 202. Transition Towns is a rapidly growing model for pulling a community together toward sustainable, joyous living. The goal is to get everyone involved in building a life that where we meet local needs locally, phase out the use of fossil fuels and other technologies that threaten the environment, and break through the isolation and separation that modern society have brought about.
For more information call 582-6700

Friday, December 11, from 4:30 to 5:30 PM on the Amherst Town Common: Candlelight Vigil on Climate Change. See: http://amherst350.org

December 12th: Global Day of Action - demonstrations in 106 countries on climate change. Go HERE.

Saturday, December 12, 1-2pm. All about snow! What is snow and why is it important to so many living things? Have you ever wondered about the beautiful patterns of snowflakes? Come learn the answers to all of these questions. Great Falls Discovery Center, Avenue A, Turners Falls. Ph 413.863.3221

Saturday, December 19, 2:00pm. Mass. Christmas Revival with Rev. Billy! Greenfield All Souls Church, 399 Main Street, Corner of Hope and Main, Greenfield

Monday, December 21, 12:47pm.: Winter Solstice!

Saturday, December 19, 1-2pm. How to identify trees. Come learn how to identify a tree without its leaves. You will learn about tree shape, bark, and buds of our local trees. This presentation is geared towards folks 12 years of age and older. Great Falls Discovery Center, Avenue A, Turners Falls. Ph 413.863.3221


January 2-13. “Step It Up to Shut it Down” A Winter’s Walk From Brattleboro to Montpelier to tell the Vermont Legislature to “Retire Vermont Yankee!” and Replace it with Safe, Renewable Power Sources. Sponsored by the Safe & Green Campaign. Call: (802) 254-9098.

That'll hold you 'til next time, yes? Hopefully our Winter Solstice Show won't leave you cold (groan). Until then, remember: listen to yur' Mother!

Checkout This Bod Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. It's time once again to checkout our toxic bodies on The Enviro Show, this time with Nena Baker, author of "The Body Toxic". Toxic rubber duckies for the kids! ARRGGHHHH! As usual, we'll also checkout The Enviro Show Quote of the Week, The Enviro ShowEcho Chamber, our "Meet the New Boss" segment and then some. but first it's time for....Revenge of the Critters! A seasonal special: Turkey takes its toll!

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber folks are sleeping around in the climate crisis! And this: 50% of U.S. warming due to land use changes. Speaking of global warming, check this old ad for Humble Oil (now Exxon/Mobil) pulled out on Grist. Finally, we checkout a recent frontpage New York Times piece on the myth of carbon offsets for air travel. Come Fly with Me? No thanks, Frank!!

Time to Meet the New Boss! Shall we take the high road with Bill McKibben, or the full monty with veteran journalist Robert Scheer?

For our Enviro Show Quote of the Week we go for the wayback machine again for a word from Thomas Carlyle:

"Not what you possess but what you do with what you have, determines your true worth."

A few short notes in our E-Valley-uation segment: WMass goes East for N30!. Also, a brief report on resistance to the proposed biomass plant for Springfield. And, Rev. Billy, The Stop Shopping Gospel Choir and The Not Buying It Band! remind us to "Stop Shopping" for corporate crap on Black Friday.....especially!


After our interview with Nena Baker, author of "The Body Toxic" we head over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

*

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. Greenfield Conservation Commission will hold a Public Hearing at the Greenfield Police Station Meeting Room located at 321 High St. to review a Notice of Intent submitted by Pioneer Renewable Energy, LLC, for property located with the public Rights of Way at the intersection of French King Highway (Route 2A), Route 2, Adams Road, Greenfield.

Thursday, November 26, 12 Noon - 40th Annual Day of Mourning. Cole’s Hill (the hill above Plymouth Rock) Plymouth, MA. For More Information Contact: United American Indians of New England/LPSG 617-522-6626 info@uaine.org www.uaine.org Pot-luck Social to Follow

Friday, November 27, All Day! Buy Nothing Day.

Friday, November 27, 7pm. Screening of “A Killer Bargain” investigates the toxic conditions for impoverished workers in Indian sweatshops manufacturing textiles for customers in the developed world. Media Education Foundation (behind the Woodstar Cafe on Masonic St., Northampton). Northampton Committee to Stop War.

Saturday, November 28, 1-2pm. Wildlife Tracking. Learn the basics of how to identify what animals left those tracks behind. You will learn how to identify track features and track patterns. You will also be able to test your knowledge at identifying select wildlife tracks. This program is designed for individuals new to wildlife tracking. Great Falls Discovery Center, Avenue A, Turners Falls. Call: 413-863-3221

Monday, November 30. N30 is the 10th anniversary of the WTO shutdown in Seattle and is exactly one week before the climate talks in corporatehaven..err..we mean Coppenhagen. Actions in Boston! See: http://massclimatejustice.org/. Or call: 413-522-7505

Tuesday, December 1, 11am. Environment Committee hearing will be held in Hearing Room A-2. State House, Boston. Bills of interest: *H 759*, sponsored by Rep. Kocot, relative to wood burning electricity producing biomass combustion facilities and their potential impact upon the air, water and population of the Commonwealth; *H 778*, sponsored by Rep. Kulik, for legislation to regulate commercial water storage and bottling.

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 7 pm, The air permitting hearing for the Springfield Pioneer Renewable Energy Construction and Demolition Debris Incinerator at the Kennedy Middle School, 1385 Berkshire Ave., Springfield. Call (413) 455-3829.

That's about it for the likes of us. Have a truly thankful holiday and remember to.....LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!

The Crap & Trade Carbon Copy Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Once again, it's time to checkout our CO2 emissions. We're told they're getting a bit out of hand. The average U.S. citizen is responsible for 19.8 tonnes per person per annum. Michael Despines, Climate Resilience Campaign Coordinator at Friends of the Earth joins us to talk about the climate bill in congress and other such mind-numbing matters. In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we scope out the upcoming N30 actions, among other things. There's the Quote of the Week to deal with as well as our E-Valley-uation segment, but first it's time for...Revenge of the Critters! Another listener submission folks, but you'll need to access to cyberspace for this one. Talk about being the butt of all elephant jokes!

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week is a rerun of Al Gore's call to action on the climate crisis: "I can't understand why there aren't rings of young people blocking bulldozers and preventing them from constructing coal-fired power plants." Well actually, Al.....there are! Where are you??

That's a fitting segway into our Enviro Show E-Valley-uation segment and The Enviro Show, LLC's proposal to blow the top off Mt. Tom! and dump it in the reservoir. Sadly, when we sent out our press release for that highly beneficial example of economic development for the Mt. Tom Reservation no one belived us! What's THAT about?? Speaking of mountaintop removal, if you go here you can take action to help stop it (maybe by...umm..2011??).

Tom Neilson's Mountain-top Removal song takes us to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber where we bring you back to the 350 Reasons Carbon Trading Won't Work. Checkout our new interactive pages here. We had 100 people, from 6 continents and 13 countries working on the project. Back to the drawing board Senators Kerry & Boxer! Also, it appears that Ben Wright has Been Wrong about First Nations spiritual practices. The spokes for Environment Massachusetts seems to believe Native people don't speak for themselves and that Wampanoag spiritual practices are ...."pure farce"? Checkout our response here. And, the EPA agrees to cut toxic emissions at power plants.....eventually. Finally, Climate change: The carbon trading debacle.

Global Warming Remix by Avril Lavigne rocks us into our interview with Michael Despines. Then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Sunday, November 15, 11am. Biomass Yes/Biomass NO! Speakers at the Bernardston Untitarian Church across from the Sunoco Station on the corner of Rte 10 & Depot Streets.


Wednesday, Nov. 18: 6 - 7:30: Springfield Public Health Council meeting, Pine Point Citizens Council, 335 Berkshire Ave. Springfield. Proposed Palmer Renewable Energy biomess plant. Contact: plpare@comcast.net

Wednesday, November 18, 7-9 p.m. Forests of Wonder. Join Bob Leverett, co-founder and Executive Director of the Eastern Native Tree Society, as he takes us on a virtual tour of his favorite woodland haunts. Hitchcock Center for the Environment, Amherst. Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006.

Thursday, November 19, 7 - 8:30pm. The Nature of New England. Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls. A strong emphasis in the program is on the perceptions people have in favor of some groups of animals (like birds) at the expense of other equally interesting ones (like snakes). How various groups survive the winter season is also spotlighted. Call: 413.863.3221

Thursday, November 19, 7:30pm. Ramona Peters, "Columbus & Thanksgiving - A Native Perspective". Leverett Town Hall.

Saturday, November 21, 1 - 2pm. Wild About Turkeys. Why were turkeys reintroduced into the area? What roles do they play in the ecological system as well as being Thanksgiving dinner? Come join Tasha Daniels, at the Great Falls Discovery Center. Call: 413.863.3221

Friday, November 27, All Day! Buy Nothing Day.

Monday, November 30. N30 is the 10th anniversary of the WTO shutdown in Seattle and is exactly one week before the climate talks in corporatehaven..err..we mean Coppenhagen. Stay tuned for an action in Boston.

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 7 pm, The air permitting hearing for the Springfield Pioneer Renewable Energy Construction and Demolition Debris Incinerator at the Kennedy Middle School, 1385 Berkshire Ave., Springfield.

Enough! Next time it's Nena Baker on the Body Toxic (no, it's not some garage band....yet). Until then remember to listen to your Mother......ok?

Environment Massachusetts treading troubled water

Ben Wright of Environment Massachusetts (the home of MASSPIRG's environmental work) sent out an alert on November 3, 2009 to the groups mailing list titled "The cynical ploy to take down Cape Wind". Wright puts the onus of the "ploy" on the anti-Cape Wind group, The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, but it is Wampanoag spokespeople in both Mashpee and Aquinnah who are making the statement that Horseshoe Shoals is sacred. The Alliance is merely repeating what the native people are saying. That being the case, is Ben Wright going to state that First Nations' claim of Horseshoe Shoals being sacred "is pure farce"?

Wright goes on to say: "Furthermore, the Native American tribe that is working with the Alliance to block Cape Wind recently proposed their own off-shore wind project just hundreds of yards from a real national historic site off of the Gay Head cliffs on Martha's Vineyard." That may be so, but that site is not being identified as sacred, nor would it interfere with their "Eastern Door", the unobstructed view of sunrise so integral to Wampanoag spiritual practices.

Perhaps Ben Wright is not familiar with Native spiritual practices, perhaps he doesn't care. Whatever the case, respecting First Nations and their belief systems, especially given the long history of genocide and repression of them by non-natives, is right up there with other aspects of overcoming racism.

We all want safe, renewable energy, but not at any cost. Ben Wright and Cape Wind proponents need to temper their zeal and get real.

#######


See: http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/10/26/2_tribes_object_to_cape_wind_turbines/

Enviro Show, LLC Proposes Mountaintop Removal for Western Mass!

A proposal to remove the top few hundred feet of Mt. Tom in Mt. Tom State Reservation in Holyoke, MA was made public today by the Enviro Show, LLC. Mr. Glen Ayers, spokesperson for the company stated: "We are not sure exactly what important geologic materials are buried deep inside of Mt. Tom, but it could be something that is needed somewhere in the world, and who ever needs it should not be concerned about the impacts that blowing off the top of this mountain will have on our local environment."

The proposed operation would remove the top part of the mountain with explosives to get at the deeper, economically important geologic
materials. Ayers said the Old Growth Forest and the excess overburden from the blasting could be bull-dozed and dumped into the Whiting Street Reservoir which is conveniently located down hill, providing plenty of capacity for spoil materials and any associated toxic wastes that the mining will generate. The project is seen as a boon to economic
development in the region.

Ayers noted that "Immediately next to the Mt. Tom State Reservation is the Mt. Tom Power Plant on the banks of the Connecticut River, which gets its coal from mountain top removal operations in Central Appalachia, burning 1,200 tons every day to generate CO2 and 146 Megawatts of much needed electricity. That coal is delivered by 80-car long trains, directly from the mines in places like Rawl, West Virginia". Ayers says that mountain top removal has become an accepted practice and that it will benefit the community through the creation of jobs and eventual recreation
opportunities on the leveled area.

"This represents a good business opportunity", says Ayers. "We are looking for smart investors, and expect the State of Massachusetts and the Patrick Administration to fully support this important effort to improve the economy of the Pioneer Valley. Public lands are special places that should be used to benefit society, industry, and the local economy. Such uses have a long and proud history in the Valley."


The Enviro Show, LLC, plans for this site include creating a large flat treeless expanse that will better support future development
opportunities. Some ideas that may be pursued on the reclaimed site are community or private football and athletic fields, golf courses,
cross-country skiing, community gardens, parkland and open space, and solar panel arrays, making this proposal a truly "green" opportunity. Its win-win-win for everyone!

######

For more information contact Glen Ayers at The Enviro Show, LLC
413-834-5729

The Freakin' Fund Drive Frankentree Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Time to pay the piper AND prepare for upcoming Halloween festivities. Anne Peterman of Global Justice Ecology calls in with scary tales of the FrankenTrees!. But, even scarier than that: we pitch and pitch and pitch until YOU, dear listener, surrender to our siren call. Yes, we're in a.....ahem....GRAVE situation here and need YOUR support! Valley Free Radio can't continue to serve you with excellent award-winning shows like The Enviro Show without your contributions. If your reading this on our blog PLEASE go HERE and donate today. We'll have more of that and some frightening news but first it's time for.... Revenge of the Critters! Spiders in Texas build MONSTER WEB. Don't get caught up in it!!

After we pitch, pitch, pitch for a spell we'll lay The Enviro Show Quote of the week on you thus:

"The cloning of humans is on most of the lists of things to worry about from Science, along with behavior control, genetic engineering, transplanted heads, computer poetry and the unrestrained growth of plastic flowers” - Lewis Thomas

We may never get into The Enviro Show Echo Chamber what with all our begging for donations, but if we did we'd be sure to tell you about Bill Gates pimping for biotech! Of course, the BIG news is all the 350.org events all over the planet (not to mention all over The Valley!). Least we fall under the spell of certain hero worshipper types, bear in mind it was the people who made all this possible. No single person can save the world.....except maybe Clark Ken.....err...I mean, Superman. Also this: The Yes Men have been working overtime these days. The faux New York Post (ugh!) during the UN Climate Summit; the Chamber of Commerce media heist at the National Press Club, and now a DC costume part, just in time for Halloween! AND this: 350 Reasons Crap & Trade won't work!

The "Climate Mash" will rock us to our E-Valley-uation segment where we may have some clips from the 350 Climate Action Carnival in Greenfield on hand. Maybe we'll play one for each $50 pledge that comes in? That's called.....what? an incentive? a bribe? We will, of course, have time for this: The Stop Spewing Carbon signature drive is critical for the ecological health of the Commonwealth. We need to collect 100,000 signatures by Nov. 16 from Massachusetts registered voters and we need YOUR help. If we get the needed signatures we can get a question on the ballot in 2010 to limit CO2 emissions from biomass incinerators. Go HERE to learn more. Big news for our local Biomess from Princeton science geeks!.

"Biotech is Godzilla" by Sepultura takes us to our interview with Anne Peterman and the Attack of the Franken Trees! Everyone run for your lives! Then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday October 29, Noon. Billionaires for Wealthcare at Monarch Place, corner of Main St and Boland Way in Springfield. Monarch Place houses Health New England. (And Bank of America too!). Billionaires For Wealthcare describe themselves as “a grassroots network of health insurance CEOs, HMO lobbyists, talk-show hosts, and others profiting off of our broken health care system. We'll do whatever it takes to ensure another decade where your pain is our gain. "Counter demonstration" called!

October 30, All Day. End Mountain Top Removal Day of Action. EPA Offices Boston and The Enviro Show just may have a local event in mind too! Go to www.mountainjustice.org/

Saturday, October 31, 1 to 2pm. Bats are Cool! Great Falls Discovery Center. Avenue A, Turners Falls. What do you really know about bats? Are they really the scary creatures that a lot of folks think they are? Come by and learn some very interesting facts about them and while you're here, pick up a Halloween Treat!

Monday Nov 2, 7pm. Public hearing relating to the Biomess. Greenfield Middle School, Federal Street, Greenfield. This could be the last chance to be heard by the town.
Go to: www.greenfieldbiomass.info


Tentative: Tuesday Nov 3 6:30 p.m. Greenfield Economic Development Committee Water supply Agreement Lease of space for Installation of Pump(s) at WPC Plane. Greenfield P.D.

Wednesday Nov 4 6:30 p.m. Greenfield Ways and Means Committee. Water Supply Agreement. Lease of Space for Installation. Greenfield P.D.

Sunday, November 8, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Hike the Holyoke Range with Ted Watt. Hitchcock Center for the Environment. Ted's areas of special knowledge include plants and birds. Identification, inter-relationships, life histories and special adaptations of theliving things we find will deepen our awareness of the beauties and complexities of the natural world around us! Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006.

Tuesday Nov 10, 6pm? Greenfield Town Committee Meeting. Greenfield Middle School (tentative venue). Matters related to Pioneer Renewable Energy on the agenda and most likely voted on. Check CCFC site for updates: http://www.greenfieldbiomass.info/

Thursday, November 19, 7:30pm. Ramona Peters, "Columbus & Thanksgiving - A Native Perspective". Leverett Town Hall.

OK, was that a treat? What? You thought it was a trick?? Well, trick or treat, we'll be back next time with A Friend of the Earth checking out the atmosphere. Sooo, if you're going out for some Halloween fun remember....listen to your Mother.

Phony Remedies - The Climate Crisis & Snake Oil on Blog Action Day

Leave it to Washington and the corporados to come up with bogus responses to something as critical to our survival as the Climate Crisis. Like with the present health care reform debacle, decision-makers in DC and their sponsors in the insurance racket....did I say racket?...industry have come up with a host of half-measures and false solutions to the crisis in health care. Of course, their idea of reform is all about their own self-interest and continued over-the-top profits and perks. Surprise! Capitalism at its worst. OK, so it's no surprise. Likewise, their remedies for the GREATEST THREAT TO THE PLANET are pretty much useless.

Most members of Congress, firmly in the pocket of Big Oil and other energy interests, have been advocating "cap and trade" (crap and trade, actually) schemes as a way to reduce human-caused carbon emissions that are trashing Earth's atmosphere. Some believe these schemes will actually be worse than doing nothing and the movement grows to defeat them. In addition, it is believed that crap & trade could lead to another economic meltdown. So, what about a carbon tax? Dems are loath to advocate for ANY sort of tax increase, given that the Repugnicans will jump all over them and use "tax & spend Dems" as their mid-term elections theme. However, there's a lot going for this approach.

There is no shortage of other bogus schemes to address the Climate Crisis. Naturally (or should we say UN-naturally?) the biotech industry has climbed on-board the global warming gravy train. But perhaps so-called "biomass" seems to have gotten the most attention lately of a good many energy developers, as well as desperate greenwashers in government. These people claim industrial-scale biomass incineration is "carbon neutral". That might fly IF you had all the time in the world. We don't. A full-blown move to what we call The Biomess could also lead to massive deforestation; just the thing we DON'T need at this point in time given that forests CAPTURE carbon!

Of course, King Coal wants in on the action. Their snake oil comes in the form of such greenwashing schemes as "clean coal" and "carbon capture & storage". And, least we forget the worst of the worst, much of our coal comes from the clever use of explosives and massive machinery that blows off the tops of mountains and.....are you ready?....dumps them in streams! Mountaintop removal is such a bad idea it's hard to fathom what sort of thinking lies behind it.

Finally, an old Enviro Show favorite, Cape Wind and other promoters of industrial-scale wind plants have touted their plans for erecting massive windmill arrays as a remedy for the Climate Crisis. We call Cape Wind the "Right project in the WRONG place" not only because it calls for the corporate privatization of The Commons (Nanutucket Sound), but also because it is proposed to be sited next to The Great Atlantic Flyway (would you believe?) and because the Wampanoag Nation identifies the site as sacred land. Actually, windpower IS one of the rational remedies for the Climate Crisis, but it's important that such operations are carefully sited and are scaled to local energy needs.

Did somebody say energy CONSERVATION? How quaint! Yes, far tooooooo little attention is being paid to conserving energy here in the U.S. Truly, government, industry and even Big Green are guilty of putting energy conservation and efficiency on the back burner while pushing snake oil schemes like some of those above on us marks in the crowd. Given the critical time frame we face it's time to prioritize conservation and lifestyle change. It's also time to resist phony remedies.

The Moving Violations Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Sick and tired of having your peace & quiet disturbed; having the fields & streams & critters trashed; the lakes and bays polluted and abused, all by off-road vehicles, snowmobiles and jet-skis? Kyla Bennett calls in to talk about off-road "wreckreation" and guys with little motors. In our "Meet the New Boss" segment: is Obama closing down on openness? As usual, we visit The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and the Quote of the Week, but first it's time for....Revenge of the Critters! Fed-up stingray takes revenge on jet-ski rider!.

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we hear from The Irregular Times on an alternative to offshore oil drilling!. Also this from The New York Times: Paul Krugman on the Casandras of Climate. Our Enviro Show Blog Bonus? Well, it's a two-fer again:The girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes‏ (ok, so not The World, but at least some world leader-types!) AND, The Huge Mistake. We echo the award-winning Enviro Show (ahem!) with this: The Stop Spewing Carbon signature drive is critical for the ecological health of the Commonwealth. We need to collect 100,000 signatures by Nov. 16 from Massachusetts registered voters and we need YOUR help. If we get the needed signatures we can get a question on the ballot in 2010 to limit CO2 emissions from biomass incinerators. Go HERE to learn more.

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week puts us back in the Wayback Machine and is spot-on with regard to that jet-ski guy in Revenge of the Critters:

"The squirrel that you kill in jest, dies in earnest." - Henry David Thoreau

Time to "Meet the New Boss". The editors over at The New York Times think they can see through Obama's promise of transparency.

Then it's on to our interview with Kyla Bennett. We'll talk about off-road "wreckreation" and all those annoying mud-spattered ORV's, dirt-bikes and woodland-trashing snowmobiles out there. Besides the environmental aspects of wreckreation, there are also issues of tresspass here in the Commonwealth.

OK, now let's see what's posted on the Bus Stop Billboard:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 7:30 PM. "EARTH 2100" Or: Will America Collapse Due to Climate Change? ~An ABC-TV Special with animation, interviews, and documentary footage to be followed by a discussion with Hampshire College professors Elizabeth Hartmann, Michael Klare, and Steve Roof. HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE Franklin Patterson Hall, Main Lecture Hall. Call: 413-559-5563


Oct. 15, 7:00 - 8:30 pm. New England Forests Thruogh Time. Come here John O'Keefe, co-author of the book New England Forest Through Time. Dr. O'Keefe will share information on the present state as well as the history of our local forests. Great falls Discovery Center,2 Avenue A,Turners Falls. Call: (413)863-3221

Friday October 16, 7pm. FREE FILM: "CONSUME THIS MOVIE". Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic Street, same building as Woodstar Café, Northampton. Discussion following. Consume This Movie takes a critical look at social injustice, peak oil, resource depletion, and our need to feel connected to each other through what we choose to consume. Info: http://www.northamptoncommittee.org/.


Saturday, October 17th, 2009, 10AM-5PM. Bill McKibben, Benjamin Barber and Alisa Gravitz speaking at First Congregational Church, Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Registration & admission. Call: (413) 528-1737

Sunday, October 18 beginning at 10 a.m. on Hadley’s historic West Street Common. The 5K Road Race (or 2 mile walk) to Benefit Kestrel Trust. Call: 413-549-1097

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 6 - 9pm. Screening of "Looming Crisis In Oil Depletion": Richard Heinberg, nationally known authority on peak oil, describes the history of energy use from the dawn of agriculture to the present industrial and computer age, while offering solutions to the coming collapse of cheap oil. Sponsored by the Town of Amherst's Energy Task Force, the Hitchcock Center for the Environment, and the Pioneer Valley Relocalization Project (PVRP), the latter being an environmental group working in Amherst and the Pioneer Valley to educate on peak oil and global warming. Info: Steve Randall, 256-2130 or Rob Crowner, 253-6526

Tuesday, October 20, 7:30 pm. GREEN Northampton & WRSI are co-sponsoring a debate between Mayor Clare Higgins & City Councilor At Large Michael Bardsley in the auditorium at Northampton High School. It is scheduled to last 90 minutes and will include 30 minutes of Q&A with the audience and the candidates. Call: 413 584 8785.

Friday, October 23, 6pm-11pm. No Biomass Autumn Harvest Dinner & Dance. At the Russell VFW on Route 20 in Russell. This is a community fundraiser to benefit the Concerned Citizens of Russell. Dinner, dancing, raffles, cash bar, homemade salads & desserts, and just a great time with friends. For more information or to volunteer please call Debbie Hoppe at 862-4035.


Friday, October 23, 7pm. FREE FILM: "BLIND SPOT",Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic Street, same building as Woodstar Café, Northampton. Discussion following. Blind Spot investigates peak oil – the links between the energy we use, the way we run the economy, and the effect it has on the environment. Info: http://www.northamptoncommittee.org/.


24 October 2009 - 350.org Actions in The Valley: 9:30AM-2:30PM: Greenfield Climate Action Carnival at Greenfield High School (off Silver Street, off Federal) Call 774- 5952/773-7004; 10:00am-11:00am: Across from Leverett P.O. to raise the flags and ring the bell at the church 350 times. Contact Barbara@wetlanded.com; 11:00am-12:00pm: 1st Churches in downtown Northampton; 11am: Montague Center Common, group photo with the 350 banner; 12:00pm: Ashfield Main Street Town Common; 12:00pm-1:00pm: Grace Church will ring its bells 350 times while 350 "maple trees" on the Amherst town common will stage a Maple Tree Drama; Student-run actions on Amherst College campus all day; All day at 91 South Main Street in Sunderland, musicians, speakers, children's art displays; 4:00pm-6:00pm: The Gill Tavern, 326 Main Road Gill, they ask guests to arrive by bicycle, for there is no better way to travel. It's all about the bike.

We are so out of here once again. Next time: Franken Trees. Just in time for HALLOWEEN!! We'll go out with "Snowmobile Driver", almost as scary as Halloween but not nearly as much fun. Soooo, remember: when your're out at night on your bike, wear white and.....LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!

Cape Wind: Corporate privatization of The Commons

The designation of the Cape Cod National Seashore, made possible by the Kennedy family and others decades ago, was an effort to save what is left of the fragile eastern U.S. coastline from the forces of development. Anything erected within the boundaries of the Cape coastline detracts from its unparalleled beauty and ecological fragility.

The proposed Cape Wind project is an industrial-scale wind plant the size of Manhattan slated for Horseshoe Shoals in Nantucket Sound, off the southern coast of the Cape. It is another example of the corporate privatization of The Commons. Nantucket Sound is public property and Cape Wind is a private for-profit corporation. Do we really need to lose more of the commons to the corporados? Some find it curious that outfits like Greenpeace and other progressive organizations who have railed against corporate America in the past and privatization in general, make exceptions for Cape Wind.

It is also an odd position for environmentalists to take given that The Wampanoag Nation has identified Horseshoe Shoals as sacred ground. They have stated publicly that Horseshoe Shoals was once above ground and that some of their ancestors may be buried there. In addition, as Keepers of the Eastern Door, the Wampanoags must have an unobstructed view of the water as part of their spiritual practices. Would supporters of Cape Wind deny First Nations their heritage?

Also, there is the issue of the project's potential effects on wildlife living in and passing through the Great Atlantic Flyway in Nantucket Sound. The Humane Society has highlighted many of these effects and is part of a coalition of environmental groups opposed to the sitting. Bill McKibben and others seem to be making the argument that non-humans would benefit in the long run from Cape Wind's project due to its possible lessening of the effects of climate change. Some would say it is most humane to protect our non-human neighbors here and now from potential death and maiming by the construction and operation of this industrial facility.

We can say yes to wind power, but put it where there is wind AND existing development. Buying into the development of fragile coasts; continued corporate privatization of The Commons; further marginalization and disrespect for First Nations; and God Squad trade-offs on non-human life forms in the name of "saving the planet" sounds a lot like destroying the planet to save it.

Links of interest:

http://www.saveoursound.org/site/PageServer

http://www.usetinc.org/_searchfordocument.aspx (gateway to PDF)

http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/cape_wildlife_center/wildlife_advocacy/hot_topics_on_the_cape/the_fight_over_wind_farms_not_tilting_at_windmills.html

The Commonwealth Enviro Show

Greetings Earthling. What's the state of our state environmentally speaking? Massachusetts State Sen. Stan Rosenberg calls-in with the details. Lots to cover, take the Wind Energy Siting Reform Act for instance! In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we review the recent climate actions in New York & Pittsburgh. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Rep. Steve Kulik seems ready to save the old-growth in our Commonwealth. We'll lay the Enviro Show Quote of the Week on you, return to our new "Meet the New Boss" segment, and tour the Bus Stop Billboard, but first it's time for.... Revenge of the Critters! Who put the Bee in baseball? Was the swarm fed up with the astroturf?

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week is from David Susuki:

"The human brain now holds the key to our future. We have to recall the image of the planet from outer space: a single entity in which air, water, and continents are interconnected. That is our home."

In the E-Valley-uation segment the Shut it Down Affinity Group is at it again!

We open up The Enviro Show Echo Chamber to the words of Rep. Steve Kulik. It's good news/bad news for the old growth trees in the Commonwealth. If only our VFR Time Machine was in working order, we might save those old trees on Mt. Wacchusetts the Crowley's destroyed years ago! And this: Pirates raid UN sideshow!. The Climate IMC reports that a well-endowed Greenpeace did a monster banner hang at the G20 in Pittsburgh (why do THEY get all the nice toys??). Finally, our Enviro Show Blog Bonus Specials! Star Wars for Idiots!. And that faux New York Post the Yes Men put out during the UN Climate Summit.

We return to our "Meet the New Boss" segment with another disheartening look at Obama's EPA & U.S. Fish & Wildlife. Yes, we thought he could!

[Here's the updates on those State Senate & House Bills we talked about with Stan. The newly introduced bottle bills are HERE. Rep. Peter Kocot's Act Prohibiting Clear Cuttingin State Forests and Parks is H765. Rep. Kulik's Act establishing old-growth reserves is H.1381. Call your reps supporting these bills.....OK?]

After we talk with Stan we'll scan the Bus Stop Billboard:


Wednesday, September 30th, 6 pm. Springfield Stop Biomass meeting at Arise. Email: michaelannb@gmail.com

Saturday, October 3, 10am-4pm. NESEA's "Green Buildings Open House". Contact: Pamela Lester, 413-774-6051, x14, plester@nesea.org

Saturday October 3, 2009. Starting at 7:30am NCC Bikefest '09. The BikeFest was developed to get children engaged in and excited about cycling through the festival itself, and by raising money for NCC youth programs, such as our free kids race series and our cyclocross camp. Go to: http://www.nohobikeclub.org/bikefest2009 or email: hemp.mike(at)gmail.com

Saturday, October 3rd Massachusetts Power Shift (MAPS) is pleased to invite you to our leadership and organizing training at Amherst College. MAPS is a coalition of college students from across the commonwealth, but we are reaching out to communities as well because we know that strong climate legislation comes from people of all types working together. Join us at 10:30 at Amherst College's Converse Hall (right by the PVTA stop) in the Red Room. Training will run until about 5pm. Call: 914-589-9539


Sunday, October 4, 1-4 p.m. LOST AND FOUND: NAVIGATION, MAPS, AND COMPASS. This workshop will be based outdoors so we can practice our new skills; please wear clothes and footwear suitable for hiking. Appropriate for adults and children age 10 and older accompanied by an adult. Hitchcock Center for the Environment. West Street, Amherst. Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006.

Sat & Sun, Oct 3rd & 4th‏, Hurricane Season. Doors open @ 6:45pm. Showtime 7:00pm. The Northeast American School of Dance, 25 Main Street Northampton, MA. Info at: hurricanseasontour.com

Tuesday, October 6, 9:30 AM. Blowin' in the Wind: Managing Renewable Energy Siting Conflicts (1-Day Workshop), Focusing on Massachusetts, this seminar will provide participants with strategies for addressing the conflicts that arise as communities wrestle with the dual objectives of land conservation and new investments in renewable energy. Space is limited. Pre-registration required. 464 Abbott Avenue, Leominster. Call (978) 840-4446

Wednesday, October 7, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The Impact of Climate Change on Our Forests, What We Can Expect and When. Join the Friends of Robinson State Park in welcoming Dr. Frelich and Bob Leverett for this rare opportunity to hear them speak about forests, locally and globally. Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam. Call: (413)568- 9379

Oct. 15, 7:00 - 8:30 pm. New England Forests Thruogh Time. Come here John O'Keefe, co-author of the book New England Forest Through Time. Dr. O'Keefe will share information on the present state as well as the history of our local forests. Great falls Discovery Center,2 Avenue A,Turners Falls. Call: (413)863-3221

One final note: The Stop Spewing Carbon signature drive is critical for the ecological health of the Commonwealth. We need to collect 100,000 signatures by Nov. 16 from Massachusetts registered voters and we need YOUR help. If we get the needed signatures we can get a question on the ballot in 2010 to limit CO2 emissions from biomass incinerators. Go HERE to learn more.

We'll go out with Tom Neilson's new tune about the Biomess that made its debut on SOME OTHER STATION! (groan). That is all......except remember....listen to your Mother!

The Noise Free Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Is it getting way too loud out there? Shall we kick all our sound effects to the curb? Would you rather hear dead air?? Ted Rueter of Noise Free America calls-in to sound-off. In our E-Valley-uation segment it's hi-ho, off to the fair! Also, it's Climate SOS in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber. As always, we'll checkout the Enviro Show Quote of the Week and The Bus Stop Billboard, but first it's time for.... Revenge of the Critters! Warning shoppers: Tubiflex Worms at six o'clock!

Our Quote of the Week is on theme. We jump back in the Wayback Machine to hear words of wisdom from good old Ben Franklin:

"The worst wheel of the cart makes the most noise"

In the E-Valley-uation segment we reminisce about last week's Franklin County Fair Parade (guess who brought the "Entering Brownfield" banner?). We had a Biomess booth and the Flying Wallendas got lots of air-time! Also, it's referendum season. Time to advance the peoples' voice. This year the Stop spewing carbon initiative! And, MORE!

What are we hearing in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber? An echo, right?? Sort of: it's the return of the carbon tax but in FRANCE!. Wake-up America!! And this Enviro Show Blog Bonus: Massachusetts' disappearing forests! Also, Why is the "Greenest City" silencing green voices?

The natural sounds of way late summer takes us to our interview with Ted Rueter of Noise Free America. Just think, soon you'll be serenaded by armies of leaf blowers and obnoxious snowmobiles!

Onto the Bus Stop Billboard:


Thursday, September 17 at 7:00pm at the Russell Elementary School, the Concerned Citizens of Russell invite all members of the public to a Community Information Forum on the impacts of the proposed Russell Biomass facility. (413) 454-1898, janachicoine@verizon.net, www.concernedcitizensofrussell.org


Friday, September 18 at 7pm. Bread & Puppet Cabaret! A benefit for the South Amherst Conservation Association. Amherst Regional High School, 21 Matoon St.,

Amherst, MA. Tickets available at Food for Thought Books in Amherst & Broadside Books in Northampton. For info call (413) 256-0433

Friday, September 18, 8pm. Concerned Citizens of Franklin County fund-raiser at the Guiding Star Grange Hall in Greenfield, 401 Chapman Street. Contra Dance to help raise money to fight the Greenfield Biomess Incinerator.

*September 20-25 Three Rivers Climate Convergence: United for Environmental Justice (Pittsburgh, PA)
http://www.actforclimatejustice.org/regions/g20/
*September 21-23 International Coal Conference (Pittsburgh, PA),
*September 24-25 G-20 Summit (Pittsburgh, PA) Go to: resistg20.org/

Monday morning, September 21. Global Climate wake-up Flashmob. Go to: http://www.avaaz.org/en/sept21_hosts

Monday, September 21, 7:30pm. Hampshire Mall Cinema, Hadley. "The Age of Stupid" premier. Go to: www.theageofstupid.net


Tuesday, September 22. Climate SOS Action in Boston. Contact us for details: enviroshow@valleyfreeradio.org

Tuesday, September 22, 6:30pm. D.O. reading at the Leverett Library in Leverett Center. Call (413) 548-9220

Saturday, October 3, 10am-4pm. NESEA's "Green Buildings Open House". Pamela Lester, 413-774-6051, x14, plester@nesea.org

Tuesday, October 6, 9:30 AM. Blowin' in the Wind: Managing Renewable Energy Siting Conflicts (1-Day Workshop). This seminar is designed for staff and volunteers from planning boards, conservation commissions, openspace committees and land trusts, elected officials and others who care about conservation and sustainability in their communities. Focusing on Massachusetts, this seminar will provide participants with strategies for addressing the conflicts that arise as communities wrestle with the dual objectives of land conservation and new investments in renewable energy. Space is limited. Pre-registration required. 464 Abbott Avenue, Leominster. Call (978) 840-4446

That is all. Next time Sen. Stan Rosenberg checks-in. Until then you best listen to your Mother.

Cape Bag 'o Wind Enviro Show, Part II

Greetings Earthlings. It's down to the sea once again! This time: still trying to save Nantucket Sound from Big Wind corporados and their privatizing friends at GreenPee! (did i spell that right?). We talk with Audra Parker, Executive Director of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound about the issues and D.O. reports back from the line in the ....umm...sea? In our E-Valley-uation segment Jana Chicone nearly gets busted for free speech on the Russell Biomess and in the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we recall Ted Kennedy's good work for Mother Earth. As always we do the Quote of the Week and checkout the Bus Stop Billboard, but first it's time for... Revenge of the Critters! No, Revenge of the Octopus!

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week comes from the late Ted Kennedy:
"There is no morality in the mushroom cloud. The black rain will fall equally on the just and the unjust. And the world that is left in the ashes of Armageddon will little note nor long remember which was the evil empire."

And in the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we mourn the loss of The Lion of the U.S. Senate and review his long record of environmental legislation. Also, from the Center for Biological Diversity, Bat Alert: they need your help NOW! Finally, this Enviro Show Blog Action Special: Climate SOS!

In our E-Valley-uation segment we checkout Biomass Buzz for the near arrest of arch foe of the proposed Russell Biomess, Jana Chicone for exercising her First Ammendment Rights. Our link takes you to the cast of players. Looks like they're straight out of central casting!

Leading up to our interview with Audra Parker on the proposed Cape Wind/Bad Wind industrial project, D.O. gives a brief report-back from the frontlines on Martha's Vineyard where he had letters in both local papers and engaged in outreach wars with Greenpeace corporado supporters! Did we mention that the Wampanoags are opposed to the Cape Wind siting because it would be on sacred grounds? Yo Greenpeace? Are you listening?? See photos of GreenPee's corporate tactics here (note the copywrites? how terribly corporate!).

Then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:


Sunday, September 6 thru Oct.1: "Climate Change?", works by artist Robert Markey at the Art Gallery, St. Germain Campus Center, Western New England College, Springfield. For info call (413)782-1567.

Thusday,September 10, 5:30pm the Franlin County Fair Parade starts at the Greenfield Middle School. Join the CCFC contingent and march against the BIOMESS! We'd like to have reps from every town in the Valley. Call 773-5529 for details.


Friday, September 11, 7:30pm. Paul Winter Consort performs for New England Farm Relief at the Latchis Theater in Brattleboro, Go to www.brattleborotix.com

Friday, September 18 at 7pm. Bread & Puppet Cabaret! A benefit for the South Amherst Conservation Association. Amherst Regional High School, 21 Matoon St., Amherst, MA. Tickets available at Food for Thought Books in Amherst & Broadside Books in Northampton. For info call (413) 256-0433

Friday, September 18, 8pm. Concerned Citizens of Franklin County fund-raiser at the Guiding Star Grange Hall in Greenfield, 401 Chapman Street. Contra Dance to help raise money to fight the Greenfield Biomess Incinerator.


*September 20-25 Three Rivers Climate Convergence: United for Environmental Justice (Pittsburgh, PA)
http://www.actforclimatejustice.org/regions/g20/
*September 21-23 International Coal Conference (Pittsburgh, PA),
*September 24-25 G-20 Summit (Pittsburgh, PA) Go to: resistg20.org/


Monday, September 21, 7:30pm. Hampshire Mall Cinema, Hadley. "The Age of Stupid" premier. Go to: www.theageofstupid.net

That is all. Tune in next time for a Noise Free America......umm....it's a campaign, not like dead air for everyone! Until then, remember: LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!!

The Drugs on Tap Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings! Out of the Valley on vacation? Don't forget you can catch us on the webstream. No matter where you are, do you know what's in the water coming out of your tap? (Didn't we already ask you that?). Whistle-blower and Director of New England Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Kyla Bennett calls in with the low-down. And, The New Boss's signing statements are starting to look like the old boss's signing statements. We'll checkout The Enviro Show Echo Chamber with Jim Hightower on the invasion of the FrankenTrees! Also, the Quote of the week, but first it's time for..... Revenge of the Critters! Mum attacked by killer chipmunk!

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we find Big Oil taking the cue from the far-right Astroturf screamers. They want to disrupt public events. Also, Jim Hightower scares the beejesus out of us with tales of the invasion of the FrankenTrees!

Soooo, you thought all those Bush Era signing statements and the scourge of the "unitary executive" were behind us? Think again! In our "Meet the New Boss" segment: Obama's embrace of Bush tactic riles Congress.

This timely Enviro Show Quote of the Week comes from Rachel Carson:

"In the age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind to even his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference".

In our E-Valley-uation segment: remember The Blob? Well after it terrorized small town PA back in '58 the U.S. Army dropped it in the Arctic thinking it would stay frozen forever, right? Arctic? Global Warming? Well......it's baaaack and it's right HERE in the Valley! And YOU can become one of its' victims!! We're taking The Blob to Pittsburg for the G20 at the end of September and YOU are invited to accompany it! Just drop us an email saying you want to babysit The Blob and we'll get back to you. The address is: enviroshow@valleyfreeradio.org. ALSO This: there's an effort is underway to gut the Mass. Endangered Species Act!

"Head of the River"by Eliot Bronson from "101 Subtle Ways" takes us to our interview with Kyla Bennett. Recall Kyla's efforts last year to keep more drugs and personal care products out of Massachusetts waters? No? Tune-in then!

Finally, we have a gander at the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, Aug. 19, 6 pm. Springfield Biomess meeting at Arise 467 State St. Call 455-3829 for information.

Thursday, August 20, 2009, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (rain date: Friday, August 21, 2009) Herp Search! Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 25 South Pleasant Street,
Amherst. We’ll visit a variety of habitats in the local area, searching for snakes and turtles, salamanders and frogs. Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006.

Wednesday, August 26, 7:30 - 9:30am. Morning Nature Walk. Participants will meet at the bird bath outside the main entrance to the Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls by the bridge. For more information, call 413.863.3221 or visit www.greatfallsma.org.

Wednesday August 26, 7pm. MELTDOWN: VOICES FROM CHERNOBYL. Christ Church Cathedral, 35 Chestnut St, Springfield. A dramatic presentation of the stories of survivors of the disaster at Chernobyl, read by local activists including Sr. Jane Morrissey SSJ, Jeannine Haas, Frances Crowe, Ruth Hooke, and Chris Rohmann. Donation welcome. Sponsored by AFSC, Arise for Social Justice, Traprock, CAN, Peace Pagoda, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Enviro Show.

Friday, September 18 at 7pm. Bread & Puppet Cabaret! A benefit for the South Amherst Conservation Association.

Three IMPORTANT reasons to go to Pittsburgh, PA:

*September 20-25 Three Rivers Climate Convergence: United for Environmental Justice. Check it out!
*September 21-23 International Coal Conference
*September 24-25 G-20 Summit. Go to: resistg20.org/

We are so out of here. Next time we rewind your mind with Cape Wind: the right project in the WRONG place! Until then, remember.....(are you listening Cape Wind believers?)...LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!