The Water is NOT a Commodity Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We’re still strapped to the torturous water wheel here on the Enviro Show. The issue just keeps goin’ round ‘n round. Tuesday night we look at what on Earth happened to water! How did it go from streams you could drink out of to stolen tap water in poisonous plastic bottles?? We’ll be getting call-ins from Miles Maiden, founder of Hydro-Photon, talking about water purity; and once again Amherst resident, David Kroodsma files another report from the Ride for Climate. Also, we’ll go on about the big public meeting last week in Montague on the potential Nestle corporate water grab. But first, it’s time for....Revenge of the Critters! You think the Repugnicans are dumping on you? Check this out: The GOP mascot literally dumps on its keeper. It’s a Karl Rove bailout special!!

The Nestle/Montague Plain potential water grab is creating a bit of dialogue on the MontagueMA website. We’ll do a reportback from last Thursday’s Public Meeting at the Montague Grange and some more serious Nestle corporado bashing. What do you think they pay us for here??

On the Enviro Show Echo Chamber: We read Saturday’s NY Times editorial on public water supplies. Also: Fish trump dam in Oregon. And, Leonardo DiCaprio’s 11th Hour picks up rave reviews. The film premiers in Boston on August 24th. More info here. Soooo, climate crisis and water wars, there seems to be a connection. SURPRIZE! We'll read an excerpt from the Washington Post.

Then we move-on to our call-ins from Miles Maiden and David Kroodsma and some general grousing about water quality and the state of the world. Before you get too sick of all our kevetching, hopefully, we'll escape to the Bus Stop Billboard:


Thursday, Aug. 23 2007; 10:30 - 11:30 am: Earth Rangers. Hands-on Earth science education for children 5 years and older and their families. For more information or to register call (413)863-3221. More programs here.
ALSO: Junior Ranger program meets at at 10:30, meet at the Summit House, Skinner State Park, off Rte. 47, Hadley. Free. 586-0350.

NOW to Sept. 1; SOLAR ROLLERS BIKE THRU VT TO SHUT DOWN VT YANKEE! Join the Solar Rollers for a day, a weekend, a week or the entire trip! For more information or to join us, contact David Detmold- 413.863.8666 or email reporter@montaguema.net.

Friday, August 24; NIGHTWALK: The Summit House holds a nighttime walk at 7:30, beginning at the front gate, Skinner State Park, off Rte. 47, Hadley. Free. 586-0350.

Saturday, August 25, at 10 a.m , citizens will converge at Kennebunkport to call for an immediate withdraw of United States troops from Iraq. Rally and March for Peace will feature speakers from across the country including Cindy Sheehan, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Congresswoman Cynthia McKenney, Melida & Carlos Arredondo, and a dozen others. Music will be provided by nine groups including the Indigo Girls, Inanna, David Rovics, and Pat Scanlon & Band. http://www.kportprotest.org


We'll go out with "Come by the Hills", by Loreena McKennitt, from her "Elemental" album. Loreena will be at the Providence Performing Arts Center on October 20th. See directions here. That's it 'til next time. Remember to listen to your Mother and watch out for meteorites!

The Meatless B-Day with Tap Water & End of Fund Drive Enviro Show (whew!)

Greetings Earthlings, it's time to once again wish us HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! We are two years old this month. Yes, it’s the Terrible Twos here at The Enviro Show. It’ll also be the final day of the VFR Fund Drive so please dig deep and make us proud of our Enviro Show listeners. It's Valley Free Radio's birthday too ya' know. Give 'em a present already! The number to call and make your pledge is (413)584-1160, that’s (413)584-1160. After we fall all over ourselves wishing each other happy birthday, we’ll talk and sing about that potential corporado water raid on the Montague Plains. Yes, it’s another Enviro Show EXCLUSIVE! Tom Neilson LIVE with his new song for the Montague Plains heard right in our studio, first time ever, goin' out to you! We’ll also check out The Enviro Show Echo Chamber. Then we’ll have a brief call-in from Will Tuttle, author of "The World Peace Diet", reminding us that meat kills, but more than we know. And, hopefully, David Kroodsma of The Ride for Climate will call-in this week from the other coast as well, but first it’s time for...Revenge of the Critters! It’s the Bulls vs. The Morons!

After we remind you to make your pledge to VFR by calling (413)584-1160, that’s (413) 584-1160, we’ll go right into The Enviro Show Echo Chamber. Some local news here, first from the MassLive site Fish Farmer sentenced for killing protected birds. Did they say "sentenced"? Ha! Check the post below for more details on justice denied (BOO!). Also, this from the Times Argus in Vermont: Brattleboro police Taser, then arrest two enviro protesters (BOO! again!!). And finally, this New York Times editorial reminds us that good water comes right out of our tap!

Then it's time to take that call-in from Will Tuttle. He's an alpha dog vegan with loads of experience on issues surrounding meat, but he's no meathead! Will is a regular columnist for VegNews Magazine, a member of the board of advisers of EarthSave International, and a regular presenter at animal rights, vegetarian, and vegan conferences and gatherings.

We'll follow-up Will with Tom Neilson's latest. You'll be the first on your block to hear this song listeners. He wrote it after hearing about Nestle's planned assault on the Montague Plains aquifer. Like we said: it's another Enviro Show exclusive!

Then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:


Wednesday, August 8, 7pm. Meeting for organizing against the proposed Nestle water bottling operation on the Montague Plains and the immanent threat of corporate privatization of our water. At the Common House of Pathways co-housing at the end of Mountain Laurel Path off of Florence Road between Rte 66 and Burt Pitts Rd., Florence.

August 6-9; WALK FOR A NUCLEAR FREE FUTURE-Hiroshima Day to Nagasaki Day. Focus will be on stopping a twenty year license extension for Vermont Yankee and all refurbishing and building of nuclear weapons.
Citizens Awareness Network, www.nukebusters.org Call: 413-339-5781
978-249-6224.

Friday , August10, 7pm. Reel World Free Films presents: "Who Killed the Electric Car?", Arms Library; Bridge Street, Shelburne Falls. Information call: 413 625-9708.

August 8-14; The Southeast Convergence for Climate Action will be a week of trainings, workshops, and strategy sessions focused on building a no-compromise movement against the fossil fuel industry and “false solutions” to climate change. Call 303-929-9713. Go to: http://www.climateconvergence.org/southeast/

Aug. 14 - Sept. 1; SOLAR ROLLERS BIKE THRU VT TO SHUT DOWN VT YANKEE!
Join the Solar Rollers for a day, a weekend, a week or the entire trip!
For more information or to join us, contact David Detmold- 413.863.8666 or email reporter@montaguema.net.

Thursday, August 16, 7:30pm. Meeting in Montague on Nestle plans to raid the Montague Plains aquifer. Montague Grange Hall, on the Montague Center Common. Check our blog to confirm time and details or email us at: enviroshow@valleyfreeradio.org

We'll go out with Colleen Kattau's "No Ordinary Heifer" from her latest album, "Inhabited Woman". It is, after all, our meatless birthday show, right?
Don't forget: if you're out on your bike at night wear white, and remember to listen to your Mother!

Sunderland serial bird killer gets slap on wrist

Here's some news on the pathetic sentence Judge Ponsor handed down on Michael Zak, the serial bird killer who owns the Mohawk Trout Hatchery at 467 Amherst Road in Sunderland, Massachusetts. The maximum sentence for this gruesome crime is 3 years in jail, instead Ponsor lets him off with probation, proving once again that wildlife is expendable, even threatened and endangered species, in the eyes of anthropocentric humans.

Zak and Timothy Lloyd, 29, of 115 Park St., Easthampton, shot and tried to hide "more than 250 great blue heron carcasses, as well as the bodies of about 10 ospreys and one bald eagle on the grounds of the Mohawk Trout Hatchery, a business owned by Zak and which lies behind his home."

Soooo, not much in the way of justice served there, huh? Perhaps there's some divine justice in store for Zak? Only time will tell.

The AP story is below. MassLive blog coverage is here.



************

Fish farmer sentenced to time in halfway house for gunning birds

Associated Press - July 24, 2007 5:04 PM ET

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - The owner of a Sunderland trout hatchery will spend six months in a halfway house for killing herons, ospreys and a bald eagle.

US District Judge Michael Ponsor also ordered Michael Zak to pay a $65,000 fine and serve five years probation.

Zak pleaded guilty to shooting more than 200 herons and ospreys that were feeding at his fish pools between 2004 and 2007.

But he claimed that he thought the eagle was actually a hawk.

Zak told the judge that shooting the birds was the only way he knew to keep them from eating his fish. But Judge Ponsor said he couldn't understand why Zak just didn't spend the money to put nets over the fish pools to protect them from the birds.

Timothy Lloyd -- who worked for Zak -- also pleaded guilty in the case and was ordered to pay a $15,000 fine and serve two years of probation.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Corporado Water Raid Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings, guess who’s poking around the Montague Plain lookin’ to privatize the public aquifer? None other than Nestle, the "good food, good life" corporados. We say: Not good! These guys are raiding public resources all over the rural U.S. We expect a call-in from Tim Simmons, Restoration Ecologist with Mass Wildlife who will tell us about the ecological aspects of the Montague Plains, and us dirt-worshippers here in the studio will talk about this latest attempt by the corporados to privatize the commons. Also, we check-in with the vile machinations of Darth Cheney once more in our Empire Notes segment And another call-in from David Kroodsma on the Ride for Climate,(checkout their You-Tube music video here), but first a special Imperial War on Terra' edition of the....Revenge of the Critters! Giant badgers terrorize Iraq!

There it is again, Glen! The Darth Cheney theme. When will he and his neocon droids release us from this bondage?? We reported on Lord Cheney’s secretive Energy Taskforce long ago, but now the Washington Post has revealed the names of the operatives from Big Oil and others who met with Darth to plan the takeover of Iraq...err...Washington? Whatever! July 23, by the way, is or was (depending when you read this) Impeach Cheney Day. Last weekend Impeach Cheney was the #1 video on YouTube. Grist reports other Cheney news: "Spurred by an earlier piece in the Post, House Democrats plan to hold a hearing at the end of July to look into the veep's role in policy moves that led to the massive die-off of Klamath River salmon in 2002". Speaking of Big Oil, Darth’s friends at Exxon/Mobil are being sued by New York State. You gotta' problem wid' 'dat??

In our Enviro Show Echo Chamber we echo the words of former Green Party candidate for the office of the Guv, Jill Stein on the proposed creation of...are you ready?... a Developer-Government in Massachusetts! And, we segway into tonights’ topic with this piece from AlterNet that takes us right to Nestle’s so-called "good life":"Rural communities exploited by Nestle for your bottled water". By the way, Tuesday, July 31 at 1:00 p.m. there’s a meeting of the Fisheries & Wildlife Board about giving Nestle access to the Montague Plain for testing. PROTEST!!!

Our Blog Bonus Special this week is a summer viewing spectacular! Checkout "Flushie's Summer Vacation". Coming to a monitor near you!

"Veolia" by Tom Neilson from his "Only Outlaws will be Free" disc takes us to our segment on Nestle's intentions for the Montague Plain and the water issues involved in that corporate scheme and we'll field a call from Tim Simmons, Restoration Ecologist with Mass Wildlife.

Then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday, July 26, from 3 to 8 p.m. MassCentral Rail Trail Coalition events. A walking tour of downtown, a biking tour of the path network being developed, a dinner meeting at the Northampton Brewery-- and an update about what is going on across the state the longest possible rail trail in New England. Call 413-575-2277 or email: craig4135@comcast.net.

Tuesday, July 31;1:00 p.m. Meeting of the Fisheries & Wildlife Board. PROTEST!!! Nestle is talking with MassWildlife to obtain permission to enter the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area and perform a site investigation. This investigation would culminate in a long term pumping test well to "stress the aquifer" and see how it reacts in order to determine its long term sustainable yield. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Regional Office, 300 Westgate Drive off Rte 116 and Rte 9, Hadley.

Saturday, August 4; 11 a.m., Greenfield Town Common. Vigil and speak-out to mark the beginning of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Remembrance Week: a time to honor those who died and suffered due to the U.S. atomic bombing of those Japanese cities on August 6 & 9, 1945; For info call, 367-9356.

Sunday, August 5; WALK FOR A NUCLEAR FREE FUTURE-Hiroshima Day to Nagasaki Day - send off in Middlebury, Vermont-- Aug. 5, ending in Burlington, Aug 9. For contact info. Hattie Nestel; 978-249-6224 or Deb Katz 413-339-5781.

We hope to go out with Mos Def's "New World Water", if we can find a copy that has all those nasty words bleeped out. Goddess knows, we wouldn't want to offend anyone.....right?

The Ecolectic Enviro Show: (Darth Cheney & the Great Migration)

Greetings Earthlings, It’s something for everyone this evening. We return again to the plight of our four-legged relations, specifically those studied by UMass wildlife biologist, Malik Marjan in the Boma National Park and within the massive Southern Sudan animal migration recently featured in the New York Times. Also, it’s an extended Darth Cheney segment tonight given the recent revelations in the Washington Post and his latest machinations for the real Evil Empire. David Kroodsma phones in from the road, hopefully! The Ride for Climate finds our guy from Amherst on the outer fringes of Cheney’s home state. Careful David! He’s armed and dangerous!! As always, we’ll checkout the Enviro Show Echo Chamber and other news, but first it’s time for....Revenge of the critters! Spider invasion creeping out Austrians!

After some voices from last Saturday's Live Earth event in Northampton we'll move on to the Enviro Show Echo Chamber. From the New York Times a must read op-ed by Al Gore in the Sunday, July 1 edition, Moving Beyond Kyoto. Also from the Times: "Business prevails in environmental case". And speaking of endangered species :"Poachers kill one of two last White Rhinos in Zambia". And U.S. Fish & Wildlife giving trophy hunting permits for Polar bears? Checkout the action link here. Some good news from the Amherst Bulletin: "Colleges, town making strides to limit energy consumption". And finally, our roving reporter and fellow bardic insurgent, Tom Neilson reports from the heartland that the lakes of Wisconsin are drying up. Maybe Texas will send some of their surplus rain northward? Happy trails, Tom!

There’s the theme, Glen, how much longer until Darth Cheney, the boy emperor and their ilk are banished? Darth and his Death Star at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue are taking fire from quasi-rebel forces at the Washington Post....finally! We'll have a look at an excerpt from the week-long series, this one focusing on Darth’s assault on the planet Earth. And, regarding the Scooter Libby jail break, our friends at Traprock Peace Center put this one up on their blog: "Congress can still follow the Libby oil trail".

"What Does that W Stand For?" by John Lily, from the "Hail to the Thieves III" compilation takes us to our interview with Malik Marjan. Then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:


Friday, July 13 , 7 pm. Bill McKibben: "Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future", Odyssey Books in the Village Commons, S. Hadley. Call 413-534-7307 or 800-540-7307.

Friday, July 13, 7-9pm. Beaver Fever hike. Fitzgerald Lake, North Farms Rd., Florence. Call the BROAD BROOK COALITION, (413) 586-4364.

Wednesday,July 11 & Friday, July 13, 9 am at the Windham County Courthouse, Newfane, VT. Entergy will be presenting its findings as to the effects of temperature increase on the CT river. Attend and support CAN and NECNP lawyers! Contact Evan Mulholland for more legal info, evanmulholland@yahoo.com and the Environmental Court contact is (802) 828-1660.

Thursday, July 12, 7:00pm The State Department of Public Utilities is holding a public hearing in Russell on the transmission line corridors for the proposed Russell Biomass plant. The corridors would either run through rare and priority species habitat in the Tekoa and Grace Robson State Wildlife Sanctuaries, or through neighborhoods in Russell and Westfield.. Hearing at the Russell Elementary School on Highland Avenue (just off Route 20 a block from the Cumberland Farms). (413) 862-0037


Saturday, July 14, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM. Hawley Bog Walk. Come visit this pristine peatland jointly owned by The Nature Conservancy and the Five Colleges. During midsummer, we should see blooming orchids, such as pink grass and fringed orchid, all three native insectivorous plants, and the many members of the heath family that make the bog their home. Adults $10.00 m/ $15.00 nm. REGISTRATION Phone: 413-584-3009


Sunday, July 22; Noon - 2 p.m. Green and Nuclear Free -- A Community Gathering in Favor of Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Closing Vermont Yankee. Brattleboro town common, Park Place between Linden Street and Putney Road, Brattleboro, VT. Music by Charlie King and Derrik Jordan. AND a Non-violent Civil Disobedience Action. At 2 p.m. on July 22 a group of people will carpool from the Common to Vermont Yankee to do an act of non-violent civil disobedience. Others will come to witness and support those who will risk arrest. Co-sponsored by Citizens Awareness Network, Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Alliance, New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution, Nuclear Free Vermont. More info: www.nukebusters.org or (413) 339-5781 or (802) 254-2531.

We'll go out with "We Will Rise" by upstate New Yorker, Colleen Kattau from her new "Inhabited Woman" disc. Until next time remember: Listen to yur' Mother!

The Endangered Species Enviro Show

Things have been mighty anthropocentric on The Enviro Show lately, so we thought we’d go wild and invite one of our favorite wildlife biologists back. Jennifer Seavey will give us an overview and pipe-up about the Endangered Piping Plover right here in the Commonwealth. Also we’ll do a brief review on some of the keystone species under siege elsewhere courtesy of industrial civilization and the highly flawed species driving it. We expect another call-in from David Kroodsma, a local resident biking across country on the Ride for Climate, and, hopefully, a visit from our dearest in-house VFR witch, Tamara on the upcoming Summer Solstice, but first it’s time for.....Revenge of the Critters! Pet parrot blows mistress’ cover!

The Enviro Show Echo Chamber brings us some words on the pathos of G8 not exactly from the corporate media (our friends at Grist have it covered). It seems fitting to echo our own so here's a report from Ashville Indymedia on an action Asheville Rising Tide held for the International Day of Action Against Climate Change and G8. Of course, checkout Climate Indymedia for more action reports. We'll see what else the cat drags as well.

Glen, what’s that sound? When will the Bushies FINALLY be extinct?? Given that tonight’s theme concerns endangered species, let’s hear what the folks at NRDC think about the Bush regime’s proposed listing of Polar Bears. That should give us a chill! AND, White House floats another bad idea. Hmmm, what's that sound? Growley bears? Don’t sound too happy. Maybe it’s the Grizzlies up in Yellowstone complaining about the Bushies plan to de-list them!

OK, a little closer to home we have a few highly endangered species we’d like to talk about. Before Jenn gets into some in-depth info on endangered species in general and the Piping Plover specifically, we'll have a brief look at the North Atlantic Right Whale. Hopefully later in the summer we can devote a whole show to the whales. We've also linked to some other endangered species info, like the American Jaguar and some very cool Rhinos. Now for the Enviro Show Blog Bonus: find out What You Can Do to help endangered species.

Finally, and like always, we catch up with local events on the environment on the Bus Stop Billboard:

Tuesday, June 19th; 7:30am. Windham County Court, Brattleboro court date for 7 women in the SHUT IT DOWN affinity group for the April 25 chaining action at Vermont Yankee. We will meet in the court parking lot at 7:30 AM and be in the courtroom by 8:00 AM. Hattieshalom@verizon.net 978-249-6224

Sunday, June 24, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. MONARCHS ARE BACK! Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 525 S. Pleasant St., Amherst. Learn about the fascinating life cycle and migration magic of this well-loved butterfly. Find out how you can help with the premier monarch caterpillar research project by adopting your very own field to study each week through the summer. Discover some other ways you can help the monarch butterfly continue on an upward spiral. This program is geared for children ages 8 and up and adults of all ages. Registration hcenter@crocker.com or call (413) 256-6006

Monday, June 25; 7pm. Dam Nation: Dispatches from the Water Underground.
Join Cleo Woelfle-Erskine and July Oskar Cole as they discuss their new and vital book, Dam Nation. The book explores the politics of water and Do It Yourself technologies for sustainability. Food for Thought Books, N. Pleasant Street, Amherst. Call 253-5432

Sunday, August 5. Walk for a Nuclear Free Future. Hiroshima Day to Nagasaki Day - send off in Middlebury, Vermont on Aug. 5, ending in Burlington, Aug 9. Call Deb Katz 413-339-5781 for more info.


Also, checkout Bike for Mike, a fundraiser for Easthampton cyclist, Mike Cimini, who suffered serious injuries when a truck hit him on his bike here in the Valley.

The Valley "Clean Energy" Plan Enviro Show

Jean’s off to Germany this week to do battle with the G8. As G8 leaders meet in Germany, masked behind fences and soldiers, intent on leading us further towards catastrophic and irreversible climate chaos now’s the time to take direct action and shut them and their climate criminal industry friends down. June 8 is the International Day of Action Against Climate Change and the G8 called by the Rising Tide Network. Closer to home, we have a look at The Valley Clean Energy Plan. Jana Chicoine, spokesperson for Concerned Citizens of Russell returns to these microphones to discuss that. Also, hopefully, a call-in from David Kroodsma, an Amherst resident biking across country on the Ride for Climate, but first, as always, it’s time for....Revenge of the Critters! The BEST EVER!!! Sparrow dumps on the Emperor! Footage here!

Then it's on to the Enviro Show Echo Chamber: From the New York Times, capitalism in action! Oil Industry Says Biofuel Push May Hurt at Pump. AND, you’re gonna’ love this one from Vermont TV: Snowmobiler to testify about global warming on Capitol Hill. Ha! It really IS the Age of Irony. Here's an Enviro Show Blog Exclusive: The Cape Cod Times reports that the Guv is considering privatizing even MORE of the Commonwealth's coastline! Apparently the concept of energy co-ops and municipal power companies isn't on Patricks mind. Hmmm, must be all that corporate training.

What’s that sound, Glen? It’s the Darth Cheney theme! What a surprize!. What’s the countdown, anyway? OK, these guys are so vile it defies belief. We’ve linked to an interview on Democracy Now! about the Bush regime’s trashing of science and stonewalling on solutions to the climate crisis, and we’ve talked here on past shows about their efforts to undermine climate action at the G8. Here’s a Reuters follow-up piece, Spineless Dems beg Bush to be nice...err...maybe that’s not really the headline. AND, would you believe it? "Environmental enforcement has declined under Bush, says new report". ALSO, checkout the Indymedia Climate site for fascinating news on climate crisis politics, like how the present legislation proposed in Congress is too little, too late. Attention Kryptonians, get with the plan!! Finally, maybe pious King George and the far-right bible-bangers will appreciate this one: Greenpeace rebuilds the arc!. Hey, that might come in handy!

"Rockets", by Cat Power takes us to our interview. Joining us once again is Jana Chicoine, spokesperson for Concerned Citizens of Russell and the Pioneer Valley Preservation Coalition to talk about the The Pioneer Valley Clean Energy Plan. We invited the authors and proponents of the plan onto the show but after agreeing to join us they withdrew last week citing the following reasons (it’s multiple choice time, listeners: choose which one you like best!): 1) a schedule conflict; 2)won’t appear without the one w/the schedule conflict; 3) fear of ambush!

Hmm, they might ambush folks down at the pass or on the rightwing noise machine, but we have no such intentions on the Enviro Show. We have conversations, even debates, but ambushes? We don’t think so.....at least not yet. By the way, for a sence of the ongoing debate between proponents and opponents of the Energy Plan checkout the Advocate blog. OK, for openers, what’s with all of the players here using the term, "Pioneer Valley"? My dictionary says pioneers are "a person who is among the first to enter or settle a region". Does that describe the immigrants who pushed the Pocumtucks and Norowotucks out of this valley?

Once again we checkout the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, May 30, 7-9pm. PIONEER VALLEY COALITION TO CHANGE & CHALLENGE WAL-MART. Porter Lounge (3rd Floor) or another room, Converse Hall, Amherst College, Rts 116 & 9, Amherst. Contact Dan Clifford, Wake Up Wal-Mart, 732-6209 x14

Sat, June 2, Noon. Join us at Wells Fountain for a coordinated Die In!! Wells Fountain, Linden and Main St, Brattleboro, VT. Show what it could be like if there was a catastrophic event at Vermont Yankee. For the full 3-5 minute test, people will stop their activities and freeze or fall to the ground. A group will be meeting at 11 am at the Harmony parking lot to walk through downtown and distribute literature and talk with people about what is going to be happening.
Contact Daniel Sicken 802-387-2798 or email dhsicken@yahoo.com.

Friday 8th June 2007; International Day of Direct Action against Climate Change and the G8. Direct Action for Climate Justice – Resistance is Self-Defense! Go to: www.risingtide.org.uk and http://risingtidenorthamerica.org


Saturday, June 9, 2007, 10 - 7pm. RiverFest 2007- Celebrating Energy That's Clean & Green; Shelburne Falls, MA. There will be street musicians and vendors, singing and storytelling, children's games, a mask- and puppet-making workshop (you don't have to be a kid!) leading up to the fabulous "Frog & Flower Parade" PLUS this year's "Quilting Challenge," art contests, trolley rides, fly-tying demonstrations, book, tag and bake sales, and much, much more.

Sunday, June 10, 11am. Flower Festival Ceremony. New England Peace Pagoda, 100 Cave Hill Road, Leverett. Reawakening our highest purpose for life on this precious Earth. Call (413)367-2202.

Sunday, June 10, 1pm. Brushy Mountain Hike. Meet at Leverett Elementary School on Montague Road. Sponsored by the Rattlesnake Gutter Trust.

OK, that's it for us (are we fired?). Next time it's The Endangered Species Enviro Show, something all of us may relate to soon enough, ey? Remember: listen to your Mother AND to us, same bat channel, same bat time!

The Nightmare on Elm Street Enviro Show

Welcome Earthlings. The nightmare is the Dutch Elm disease and tonight we’ll see if your favorite tree-huggin’ dirt-worshippers and all-around nair-do-wells’ are barking up the wrong tree in our dismay over the destruction of a big healthy elm over here on Pine Street in Florence to make way for a…are you ready?..new warehouse door! Ed Cotton of Cotton Tree Service, and a regional treasure when it comes to awareness of our rooted relations, joins us along with our usual news and views, but first it’s time for.... Revenge of the Critters! Chimps arm themselves! Arrgghhhhh!

Then it's on to our new segment: The Enviro Show Eco Chamber! The corporate news enviro headlines! This from Time Magazine:Eastern U.S. to get hotter. And this warm, fuzzy headline from MSNBC: "U.S. seeks softer warming stand at G8 summit". U.S.? Do they mean you & me? We don't think so! Try "White House"!

There's the Darth Cheney theme, yet again! Oy, Glen! How much longer must we wait?? Used VP free to any evil empire! First come, first serve! Yes, Darth Cheney went to the dark side long ago even before his infamous Energy Task Force. Checkout the link on our blog to the PBS Frontline show Hot Politics, in which Former head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Christine Todd Whitman describes the Bush regime’s withdrawal from the Kyoto agreements: 'The way it happened was the equivalent to flipping the bird, frankly, to the rest of the world [now, who does THAT remind you of?] ... on an issue about which they felt so deeply' ... Soon after, the Bush administration withdrew any U.S. support of the Kyoto protocols and then began a process of stifling the dissemination of key findings by government scientists about climate change". EVERY THING CHANGES, EVERYTHING STAYS THE SAME: Today’s Bush lackey heading the EPA, Stephen Johnson, refused to tell the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee how soon he will comply with a Supreme Court ruling and decide whether to regulate carbon dioxide, the leading gas linked to global warming. ALSO: Iraqi oil workers strike over privatization. AND privatization of Iraqi oil by.....guess who??

Here's our blog bonus: URGENT ACTION ALERT! YOUR HELP NEEDED in the NEXT FEW DAYS! to stop dangerous genetically engineered tree outdoor field trial! Go to: http://globaljusticeecology.org/. AND: Help stop offshore drilling in Virginia
HERE.

"The Tree of Life", by Ethan Miller & Kate Boverman from their "If all the land would rise" CD takes us to our interview with Ed Cotton. You are in for a real treat here, dear listener. We're nominating Ed for the position of Valley Tree God (with the Goddesses permission of course).


As always, next we hop on board the Bus Stop Billboard:

May 15-22, The Valley’s fifth annual Bike Commute Week. Events are designed to encourage Valley citizens to commute by bicycle to work, to school, and for short trips in their communities. For a list of events go to: http://www.massbike.org/mbpv/bikeweek/index.html or call Ruthy Woodring (586-8591)

Wed., May 16, 7pm at the Bridge Street School, Northampton: Attend the Paradise City Forum discussion on the Exit 19 expansion. Visit http://noexit19.net, download a petition opposing the project. Collect signatures and send to: Paradise City Forum PO Box 472 Northampton, MA 01061-0472. For more information, contact Lilly Lombard, jollypair@comcast.net

Saturday, May 19 Benefit concert in Leverett for small-scale development projects of Aymara Indians in Bolivia (see qbl.org.) Annie Patterson is performing contemporary and traditional folk songs from Appalachia and the British Isles and Eduardo Reyes, performing Latin American folk songs and Brazilian jazz with vocals and classical guitar. Potluck at 6, concert at 7:30, at the Mount Toby Friend Meeting, 194 Long Plain Road in Leverett.

Sunday, May 20, 10am. Tom Neilson & potluck brunch. 110 Prospect St., Northampton. Call 413-584-4607 for info. 4pm. ALSO: Tom & potluck desert will be at 30 Grove St., Turners Falls later that day. 10 bucks gets you in the door. Eat! Sing! Fight!!

Sunday, May 20, 1 p.m. Happy Birthday, Rachel Carson. Donna Dufresne, Historical Performer, as Rachel Carson. Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 525 S. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged and can be done by calling (413) 256-6006

Wednesday May 23rd. George W. Bush will be speaking at the commencement ceremony of the Coast Guard Academy at 31 Mohegan Dr. in New London
Join patriotic students, soldiers and veterans, activists and more to protest Bush's visit. To become a co-sponsor, get involved, or for updates call 203-404-9965 or email Connecticut@answercoalition.org

Saturday, May 26th. Protest Darth Cheney at West Point. 8:30 am at the Veteran’s Park in
Highland Falls, NY on Main Street. March to Thayer Gate into West Point for a rally. Go to: http://www.westpointrally.org/ or contact: bennett@westpointrally.org

Fri, June 8, International Day of Action Against Climate Change and the G8. Direct action and civil disobedience are the rational response in this time of
crisis. Support the 8th of June International Day of Direct Action against Climate Change and the G8! Tell us about planned actions for climate justice being planned in your community. Contact us - contact@risingtidenorthamerica.org.

Yes! Another hour of your life enhanced with our Enviro Show Magic Elixir. What better way to celebrate Spring, rite? We'll be back in two weeks. Same bat time, same bat channel!
[We went out with a listener's suggestion: Amherst musician, Paul Kaplan, composed the song "Run, Al, Run", which the listener said "is beginning to achieve national publicity". The song's at: http://www.draftgore.com/RunAlRun.mp3]

Rising Tide Road Show's Climate Action Tour

The Rising Tide Road Show's Climate Action Tour is coming to Western Massachusetts! Performances will be May 11th at 7 p.m. at Food for Thought Books in downtown Amherst and May 12th at noon on the front steps of the Unitarian Universalist Church between City Hall and Pulaski Park.

Rising Tide North America is traveling throughout the nation in a vegetable oil powered bus talking with communities about the impacts of climate change and what can be done to fight it. Using music, theater, and multimedia presentations, the Climate Action Tour will cover a wide range of topics including: an overview of how climate change is impacting the human and natural world; the new coal rush; debunking false solutions to climate change; international opposition to the fossil fuel industry; environmental justice; and creative actions communities can take.

Rising Tide North America is part of an international network dedicated to fighting the root causes of climate change. In the past year Rising Tide North America has organized civil disobedience against a coal power plant; a nationwide bike ride on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina; and a grassroots counter-summit to the G8 climate talks in Mexico City. See http://risingtidenorthamerica.org for more information.

Local sponsors of the event include NOFA- Northeast Organic Farming Association, Citizens Awareness Network, Pedal People, Coop Power, The Enviro Show, The Bicycle Kitchen, Earthlands, The Montview Neighborhood Farm, Smith College Students for Social Justice and Institutional Change and Mass Bike-Pioneer Valley Chapter.

Ruthy Woodring from Pedal People, a Northampton based bicycle powered hauling service, says: "We can slow climate change but it's going to take fun hard work, like bicycling." Pedal power, real conservation, lifestyle change, direct action, all these and more will be necessary to effectively confront the climate crisis. The Rising Tide Road Show's Climate Action Tour will help make that possible. Events are family friendly and accessible.

For more information contact enviroshow@valleyfreeradio.org or go to: http://risingtidenorthamerica.org.

The May Day! May Day! Enviro Show

It’s multiple choice on the Enviro Show: choose May Day, as in REVOLUTION NOW! May Day, as in dance around the maypole with flowers in yur’ hair, maybe naked, maybe tanked on may wine? Or, MAY DAY! MAY DAY! We’re in deep doo-doo! You decide…..no….wait a minute: it’s our show, WE decide. MAY DAY! MAY DAY! Climate meltdown! Biodevastation! Stay tuned. Ben Grosscup of NOFA joins us to dissect gentech, GE Trees and this week’s Biojustice’07 events in Genetown, AND Jackie from the Pedal People hopefully phones in from the Jobs With Justice May Day gig at Elms College with an update on the Rising Tide Roadshow Climate Action Tour coming to the Valley May 11th & 12th, but first it’s time for.......

Revenge of the Critters! This one is short & sweet, going out to all my fellow truants: Zero Tolerance Policy for Squirrel Violence. A squirrel in Crestline CA jumped a teacher and terrorized elementary school children at the Valley of Enchantment School recently before escaping to a tree nearby. The squirrel was termed "vicious" by school staff. Hmmm…there must be a lesson in there somewhere, right?

Ooooooo! Glen? How much longer til’ these scary guys are out of here? Here’s some news that hopefully may help send the Bush regime packing: It’s The Union of Concerned Scientists’ A to Z Guide to Political Interference in Science. This came to our attention in our own Valley Advocate in a piece by Jacob Wheeler (yikes! So did our Revenge of the Critters piece. What’s this: Radio Free Advocate??). AND, while 113 House members are cosponsoring Rep. Henry Waxman’s Safe Climate Act, longtime New York enviro activist Lorna Saltzman (and your friends at The Enviro Show) say TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE! ALSO, good news in the Commonwealth, bad news for developers!

"Here at the End of the World" by Dave Rovics takes us to our interviews and then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday May 2, 5:30–8pm. WalMart Super Center Rally! American Legion Hall
162 Russell Street (Route 9), Hadley next to Wanczyk Nursery - big cannon in front
Wal-Mart is having an Open House! Let's make sure their "information session" is informative. Info: Aron Goldman, 549-1193, goldman@policydevelopment.org.

Friday May 4; Biojustice 2007 12 noon: Gathering on the Boston Common, featuring a Really Really Free Market and other festivities. 7 – 9:30 PM: Opening event at Old South Church (Copley Square) – "International Farmers Speak Out," with representatives of international farmers’ movements from Brazil, Bangladesh and elsewhere, music, and more.
Saturday May 5th, 10 AM – Noon: Panel discussion: "Biotechnology, Medicine and Human Rights" at Old South Church. 11 AM: Wake up the Earth parade begins (Corner of Centre St. and South Street Adjunct in Jamaica Plain). 12:30 – 5 PM: Wake up the Earth Festival in Jamaica Plain (Boylston and Lamartine Sts./Stony Brook T stop), with speakers, music, tables, kids’ games, etc.


Sunday May 6th 11 AM – 1 PM: Environmental Justice tour and puppet parade in Roxbury, with SafetyNet and other local groups. 1 – 4 PM: Community gathering in Blackstone Park (Washington and W. Newton Sts., 5 blocks east of Mass. Ave.), with festivities, and a panel of speakers on the proposed B.U. bioweapons facility planned for the neighborhood. 5 PM: Premiere screenplay reading of The Donors, a science fiction thriller set in 2030.. Community Church of Boston, Guatemala Room, 565 Boylston Street, near Copley Sq. 6 - 8 PM: Rising Tide Road Show, featuring slides on mountaintop removals for coal mining, global struggles against environmental degradation and food insecurity, social justice songs, and a confronting climate change musical! Encuentro 5, 33 Harrison Ave, 5th floor, in Chinatown.

Sat, May 5; Noon. Vermont Yankee Die In. Brattleboro, VT. Scary meltdown sirens are always tested on the first Saturday of each month at 12 Noon. a die-in protest. For the full 3-5 minute test, people commit each month to stop their activities and reflect on what it would mean if this were not a test but the real thing. A group will be meeting at 11 am at the Harmony parking lot to walk through downtown and distribute literature and talk with people about what is going to be happening.
Contact Daniel Sicken 802-387-2798 or email dhsicken@yahoo.com

Wednesday, May 9th , 6:30pm Community Solutions to Global Warming - Climate Change: From Despair to Empowerment”. 2nd Congregational Church, Greenfield. An Evening Forum with John Seed, Australian Environmentalist. Multi-media presentation & forum including footage of Al Gore and journalist, Ross Gelbspan. Discussion of unsustainable 'solutions' such as 'clean' coal and nuclear power.

The Rising Tide Road Show's Climate Action Tour is coming to Western Massachusetts! Performances will be May 11th at 7 p.m. at Food for Thought Books in downtown Amherst and May 12th at noon on the front steps of the Unitarian Universalist Church between City Hall and Pulaski Park.

That's it 'til next time when we checkout a nightmare on Elm Street...really!
Remember: listen to your Mother.

Another Climate Crisis Enviro Show

We'll be continuing the theme from last time ‘cuz there’s sooooo much to cover in terms of the human impact on the climate (we're not talking the cozy sounding "global warming", not (yawn) "climate change"; it’s the CLIMATE CRISIS!!). We’ll have a call-in from Chelsea Sexton, Executive Director of Plug In America who was featured in the film "Who killed the electric car?" and, as usual, we’ll get into the news and some serious Bush-bashing, but first it’s time for....Revenge of the Critters! Monkeys take over New Delhi!

Glen, there’s that awful theme again, what’s the count? We thought for a minute last week that we’d almost gotten rid of these guys, but alas, it was apparently just a joke. Actually, with Big Oil in the White House the joke’s on us (sigh). Ok, they may be dug-in at the White House, but they ARE, at last, taking some serious hits on enviro issues. This from the Christian Science Monitor. We’ll cap this segment with Colleen Kattau’s "Royally Oily" bluegrass tune off her "Inhabited Woman" album.

Our phone-in interview at this point with Chelsea Sexton, Executive Director of Plug In America who was in the excellent film "Who killed the electric car?", reminds us how Big Auto has so egregiously bailed on low-impact transportation. Speaking of cars, cars, cars, here’s an intriguing piece from Vermont.

By the way, our...err..friends? at Cape Wind have been in the news recently. D.O.'s brief response to the piece is enough to piss off any Interfaith Walker for a Divisive Climate! More importantly, the group Save Our Sound has an update on their site that we’ve linked to. If you have a problem with the corporate privatization of the commons in the name of climate crisis "solutions" you might want to make it heard. Check our Enviro Show action link.

This is the blog bonus points part: only you blog visitors get this special opportunity to sign on to Barb Boxer & Bernie sanders' climate crisis bill (that's because the url is too damn long!) Check it out: "Sanders/Boxer is the legislation we need to pass to truly make a difference in the fight against global warming. But I can't get this bill passed without more support from my Senate colleagues and to do that I need your help. Please join me in speaking out, standing up, and making your voice heard in the fight against global warming. Please sign on here as a citizen co-sponsor of the Sanders/Boxer global warming bill now!". ALSO, checkout RFK, Jr's latest whack at the Bush regime, "The Bush Administration:Texas Chainsaw Management".

Now it's time for....you guessed it! Bus Stop Billboard:


Saturday, April 21; Reverend Billy & the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Chorus and Not Buying It Band in Shelburne Falls, MA email Ellen (Kaufmann@Crocker.com).

Saturday, April 21, 2007, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Green Fair; The Better Living Show: Franklin County Fairgrounds, Greenfield, MA. Exhibits of environmentally friendly goods and services, Energy saving and alternative fuel products, Displays and demos on energy efficiency, renewables, organic gardening, composting and more! Children's activities and local entertainment. For more information, contact Becky Kurber or call 413-774-2791.

Saturday, April 21st, from 9:30am to 12:30 pm, Northampton Bike Trail cleanup.
For more information on locations, contact: Julia at 413-587-0340.

Sunday, April 22, 2-4pm., AMHERST EARTH DAY; Amherst Common
for information please contact Emilie 548 1068 emiliehamillton@yahoo.com

Monday, April 23, 5:30PM, there will be a ride from Amherst Common,
proceeding West along Rt. 9, and ending at the park on the corner of Damon
Rd. in Northampton. The purpose of this ride is to demonstrate to the general
travelling public the legitimacy of vehicular cycling.


Tuesday,April 24th, 7pm: “Out of Balance: ExxonMobil's Impact on Climate Change” film screening Gordon Hall, Umass on University Ave. just east of the University & Mass Ave. intersection). Presented by Students for Environmental Awareness and Action. Contact: rhouse@student.umass.edu.

Tuesday, April 24, 7:30pm. the Five College premier of "CRUDE IMPACT," a powerful documentary on oil's impact on the environment, human rights, geopolitics, and the global energy equation. Hampshire College, in the East Lecture Hall of Franklin Patterson Hall.


Wednesday, April 25; 10-3pm. GCC Earth day celebration. East Building, red roof, Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, MA. Come for workshops!! Join in the Parade!! Starting at 11:15 am on campus!! email ellen (Kaufmann@Crocker.com).

Thursday,April 26; 10-4 pm. Twenty first anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Vigil at the Wells Fountain, Linden and Main Street, Brattleboro, VT. For more info contact Hattie hattieshalom@verizon.net -978-249-6224 or 978-790-3074.


Saturday, April 28, 2007; 8:30 am too 5:30 pm. Sustainable Energy Summit - Community Action for a Clean Energy Future. Smith College Performing Arts Center, Northampton, MA. Come co-create a sustainable energy future for our region with some of the most dynamic leaders on sustainable energy in the country!
Participatory Workshop Themes:
Solutions - Sustainable Energy Options for You Today [CAPE WIND BOOSTERS ANYONE??]
Environmental Justice - Coming to Terms with how Race and Class Impact
Community Dailog - Reaching Common Ground from Differing Perspectives
Municipal and school sustainable energy options
Register by April 15 for $24 reduced fee. 50%discount for seniors and students!!
for more info http://cooppower.onlinecommunity.coop/april2807conference


Saturday, May 5th;11 AM - 12 PM @ Center St. and South Street, JP. Wake Up The Earth Parade. Part of Biojustice2007. email: outreach@biojustice2007.org. Followed by the Wake Up the Earth Festival (raindate Saturday, May 12, 2007) at the Southwest Corridor Park, adjacent to the Stonybrook T stop. Call (617) 524-6373 or email info@spontaneouscelebrations.org


Ok,ok, enough already! We'll be back to haunt our listeners next time with the MAY DAY! MAY DAY! Enviro Show. Same Bat time, same bat channel!

Parsing the Globe on Cape Wind

[D.O. takes another whack at the corporados at Cape Wind, this time parsing the second page of a piece that appeared recently in the Boston Globe. D.O.'s in brackets......we try to keep him there for his own good]



"Opponents believe that the project's 440-foot-tall wind turbines would mar the landscape, threaten Cape and Islands tourism, interfere with fishing and recreation, kill birds, and industrialize Nantucket Sound.

Massachusetts Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles addressed the last concern at a press conference yesterday, saying the waterways have always been used for industrial and commercial purposes, from whaling to fishing to recreational sailing. "The idea that this is a pristine wilderness turns a blind eye to the history of the area," Bowles said."

[Apples & oranges: the fishing industry does not impact the environment like a massive energy facility, such comparisons are disingenuous. Nantucket Sound is what passes for "pristine wilderness" in our over-developed coastlines.]

"Cape Wind president Jim Gordon has said the project would not harm tourism and would have limited impact on wildlife."

[Hyperbole: where’s the proof? Would you rather vacation on the open water or a serene beach or near the clutter and navigational threats of an industrial plant? Also, "limited impact" sounds much like "collateral damage". At present no such impact exists.]

"As part of the environmental impact review, Cape Wind offered the state $10 million in measures to mitigate the environmental impact of the project, including $780,000 for the restoration of Bird Island, an important nesting habitat in Buzzards Bay for endangered roseate terns, which opponents said would be threatened by turbine blades."

[Where does the other $9 million go? If the facility was built on land and not so dangerously close to the flyway, such payoffs would not be necessary.]

"Cape Wind projects that up to 260 birds of all species would be killed by the wind farm each year. Bowles countered that the most dire threat that birds face comes from global warming, which Cape Wind would help begin to address."

[More corporate hype: Bowles has no scientific grounds from which to make such an outlandish statement. In addition, since when is the death of 260 birds per year (some likely to be listed) acceptable?]

original news story dated 3/31/07here.

******************************
Afterword:

Where do we get these people?? Bowles is supposed to be the Environmental Affairs Secretary, no less! He talks like a publicity hack. I can't tell the difference between him and Gordon, the full-blown corporado!! Have these guys even considered other sites, say on land that's already developed, for this project?

Those who might like to see windpower in a less sensitive location than the public commons of Nantucket Sound can either attend upcoming federal hearings or submit written testimony. Checkout the info here.

The Go Eco Enviro Show

OK folks, tonight it’s all about getting’ from point A to Point B without trashing the planet. It’s the Go Eco Enviro Show and we have some of the Pedal People back to remind us humans that those feet we have down there at the ends of our legs are not just for pushin’ on the gas or brake pedals. And, the big news: the Supremes go thumbs down on the Emperor's emissions! But as always, first it's time for......Revenge of the Critters! The crazy poopin’ bird!

Brrrrr! There it is again. Glen, what’s the countdown? Hopefully we won’t have to wait that long to oust Big Oil from the White House. Seems like they took quite a hit yesterday from the Supremes. Tooooo bad! And, we’re running out of space to record impeachable offenses! We don’t usually quote the likes of Thomas Friedman, the New York Times’ flat-earth columnist, but he did this tidy little number on Phillip Cooney last week.

The awesome off-off-broadway hit "Cars, cars, cars!" by our own "Oiligarchy" singers takes us to our next segment: Big Oil, Big Auto, what’s the dif, right? We’ll take a brief look at Big Enviro’s campaign for higher fuel efficiency. Also, GM backs off on their electric car. BTW, On our next show we’ll get a call-in from Chelsea Sexton, Executive Director of Plug In America who was featured in the film "Who killed the electric car?" Hey, how about cars that run on....water?. No? How about air?

Finally, the Capitol Steps' "God bless my SUV" segways us into our interview with the Pedal People of beautiful downtown Florence (do you think they drove over to the studio?)

Then it's on to the ol' Bus Stop Billboard:

Tuesday evening, April 3rd, 7:00pm. as part of its film series on Culture, Ecology, and Sustainability, the Human Ecology Department at Greenfield Community College will sponsor a public presentation of the documentary Trudell, a film about legendary Native poet and activist John Trudell. The film will be shown in the Social Sciences Studio, Room 115, in G.C.C.’s East Building.


Wednesday April 4; 7 PM; Film: “TRINKETS AND BEADS “Arms Library ~ Bridge Street ~ Shelburne Falls. A moving story of how the Huaorani tribe living in the rainforest of Ecuador confronted international oil conglomerates who were desecrating their land with oil drilling. Guest: Cristobal Bonifaz, Conway lawyer who represented the Huaorani in their legal struggle.


Saturday & Sunday, April 14 & 15; Wmass Social Forum. Herter Hall? Umass, Amherst.
Call (413)584-8975 or 413-772-8898 for info. Social Forums are open spaces to discuss, reflect, debate, share, exchange, inspire, celebrate, strategize, and mobilize in the belief that “Another World is Possible,” one that puts people and planet before corporate profits. Learn more at www.westernmassafsc.org/wsf/wsf.html.


Saturday, April 14th, 12-2 p.m. Step It Up 2007: Rally for a Livable Climate. Pulaski Park, Main Street, Northampton (Rain location: First Churches, Main Street, Northampton) Contact: nell.lake@verizon.net.

Saturday, April 14; 1-3pm. Step-it Up! Greening our Roadways Festival in Amherst will start at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 525 South Pleasant St. and march to Hampshire College, where there will be a festival (booths with info, live music, etc).

Saturday, April 14, 2007, 10am THE LIFE CYCLE -- Bike for Climate Change. Meet at BUHS, Fairground Rd, Brattleboro, VT. Call: 413-863-8952.

Saturday & Sunday, April 21 & 22; Deep Green Resistance, Woolman Hill, Deerfield, MA. a serious meeting to address the destruction of our planet and potential effective resistance. It will include theoretical discussions of serious and confrontational strategies and tactics. It is expected that participants follow security culture. Contact: deepgreenresist@yahoo.com

Monday, April 16, 7:00 p.m., Authors Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman will discuss their new book, Thirst: Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water. (They are the producers of the award-winning documentary film “Thirst”.) Odyssey Books, South Hadley.

Gore takes his case to congress: welcome to Krypton!

"When Earth began experiencing a series of global warming events, Gore-El investigated, and soon discovered that Earth’s atmosphere was greatly unstable, and would eventually cause floods, mega-storms, and an unstable climate, taking the entire planet and its populace into chaos. Gore-El tried to convince the members of Earth's ruling body, the U.S. Congress, of this impending disaster, and urged steps be taken to lessen the impact of the climate crisis. However, the Congress was dismissive of Gore-El's findings, and refused to comply with his plan."

Ok, ok, so it’s a stretch, right? But I’ve been writing for nearly two decades now that I, myself often feel like Jor-El must have (albeit he’s a fictional character from the planet Krypton!) when he tried to raise the alarm about the threat to his planet. Back in 1992 when The World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity first appeared awareness of the planet’s plight was not exactly high. In fact, activists who are now firmly onboard the global warming bandwagon were nowhere to be found on the issue back then. However, Al Gore was not one of them. His book, “Earth in the Balance” was published in 1992. It was from that book I first saw the frightening photo of the dried-up Aral Sea.

Yesterday, March 21, 2007, the first day of spring, Al Gore took his climate crisis concerns to the U.S. Congress. Thankfully, most senators and congressional representatives were more attentive than their fictional counter-parts in the Hall of Wisdom on the planet Krypton. However, most wisdom aside, The U.S. congress has its own version of the derisive and doubtful Vad-Ar the Elder in the person of U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe. The Republican senator from Oklahoma has nearly built his career on trashing the science of global warming, calling it the hoax of the century. Yesterday Gore and his detractors had their "Hall of Wisdom" moment. "It is my perspective that your global warming alarmist pronouncements are now and have always been filled with inaccuracies and misleading statements," Inhofe said. "You're not just off a little, you're totally wrong," Texas Republican Joe Barton said. "Those who believe all his garbage are going to be excited to death," said Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), "and the rest of us are going to ignore it." Unlike Jor-El of Superman fame, Gore did not despair and return home to save his own. Instead he pressed on: "There is a sense of hope in this country that this United States Congress will rise to the occasion and present meaningful solutions to this crisis," Gore said. "Our world faces a true planetary emergency. I know the phrase sounds shrill, and I know it's a challenge to the moral imagination.". Let’s see if Washington can meet the challenge.

The Conservation Spring-thing Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Barely recovered from being stabbed in the back by the organizers of The Walk for a Divisive Climate we none-the-less carry on! It's the eve of the Vernal Equinox and our favorite in-house witch, Tamara rejoins us to ponder once again the meaning of Spring. Also, Pam Cargill tells us about a new NESEA chapter forming in Holyoke to promote energy conservation and sustainability. (Now, doesn't REAL energy conservation make more sense than building new power plants, especially on the commons!) As you may know the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association or NESEA is the Northeast's leading organization of professionals and concerned citizens working in sustainable energy and what they call, whole systems thinking (hmmm, around here we’re lucky to have partial systems thinking). AND, if time allows, we’ll try to figure out how to remove the holy dagger driven deep into our collective back for the Ides of March. Et Tu Brute! Maybe we’ll take some calls on that! ALSO, a call-in from Tim Bulloc on the Walk for a New Spring about today’s action in Roxbury by the site of the Bio-terror lab But first, it’ time for...Revenge of the Critters! Angry moose downs chopper!

The spring peepers take us to Tamara on the Vernal Equinox. Then the darkness descends with the Darth Cheney theme. Yo, Glen! There’s the theme. Tell us how soon we’ll be rid of the neo-con plague. And speaking of the plague: Big Oil's White House Residents still tuned-out on the climate crisis. We don’t just bash Bush here on The Enviro Show, it's equal opportunity vilification: Big Auto whines and spins over fuel efficency. ALSO, Greening The Hill. How about putting those solar panels back on the White House?

"Thermostat" by They Might be Giants takes us to our interview with Pam. Checkout this list of conservation measures you can take at home or where you work. Then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, March 21, Noon, State House; Culmination of the Walk for a New Spring. A 4-week walk to find ways to root and nourish the power of peace and equity, locally, nationally and globally. Call Tim (202)957-8324.

Thurs, Mar 22, 6:15 – 7:30pm, Tri State CAN meeting; Meeting Rm, upstairs, Greenfields Market, Main St, Greenfield, MA. 413-339-5871.

Saturday & Sunday, MARCH 24 – 25; WALK FOR A NUCLEAR FREE FUTURE
Citizens Awareness Network (CAN) and the Buddhist order of Nipponzan Myohoji will coordinate a walk through Vermont to support safe, sustainable energy and abolish nuclear power and nuclear weapons.
* March 24, Greenfield, MA - 9 am walk, GCC parking lot, through
Greenfield, 12:30 pm lunch at East Building Rm 111, 1:30 pm Raging
Grannies, 2-4 pm panel discussion.
* March 25, Brattleboro, VT - 9 am walk, Rt 5/10, Guilford Country
Store, Guilford, VT. 12 pm lunch at SIT, 1 pm walk to Entergy HQ,
then downtown Brattleboro. 5:30 pm potluck dinner at Quaker
Meeting House, Putney, VT, on Rt 5. 6:30 pm presentation and
discussion. Call 413-339-5781 or 978-790-3074.

Saturday, March 24, 3-4:30 pm - Rally for Climate Rescue, Copley Square, Boston; Call: 617-338-8131 (billed as the BIGGEST rally on the climate crisis in U.S. history....um...by the same folks who brought you The Walk for a Divisive Climate..hmm).

Wednesday April 4; 7 PM; Film: “TRINKETS AND BEADS “Arms Library ~ Bridge Street ~ Shelburne Falls. A moving story of how the Huaorani tribe living in the rainforest of Ecuador confronted international oil conglomerates who were desecrating their land with oil drilling. Guest: Cristobal Bonifaz, Conway lawyer who represented the Huaorani in their legal struggle.

That's all folks! Now wasn't that easy?

The Ides of March Enviro Show

Coming up on the infamous Ides of March we asked the musical question: Will Caesar meet his just deserves? How can Planet Earth hold-up under Caesar’s rule? Yes, it was Ways around the Empire here on the Enviro Show (non-violent, of course!). Doug Renick returned to these microphones to talk about the upcoming Interfaith Walk for Climate Rescue starting right here in Northampton and going to Genetown. While we love having Doug on the show, unfortunately the group's decison makers (not Doug) have turned down our Enviro Show endorsement of their event due to our position on Cape Wind. I guess it's OK with them to use our show to publicize their event but not OK to have our name on their website....hmmmm. With that in mind, D.O. has renamed their event The Interfaith Walk for a Divisive Climate! Also, we aired a brief interview with the organizers of the Deep Green Resistance conference to be held on Woolman Hill in Deerfield the weekend of April 6. AND, our usual news & views, but first, it was time for....Revenge of the Critters! Psycho killer raccoons terrorize Olympia.

Melissa Ethiridge's Oscar winning song "I need to wake-up" from Al Gore's film, "An Inconvenient Truth", took us to our interview with Doug Renick. Had we known that the organizers of the Interfaith Walk for a Divisive Climate were so into the Ides of March that they stabbed US in the back, we would've invited the lot of them onto the show so they could explain their mean-spirited actions! So much for the Golden Rule, huh? We followed that with the Darth Cheney theme (very dark, no?). Glen told us how much longer we have to endure these people? (the neo-cons, that is). OK, more Bush-bashing fun facts: Citizens for Ethics sues the bastards! Soon the neo-cons will be extinct, right?

Let's move on to the good news: from the road to extinction to the Bronx River! The return of the beaver.

We aired a pre-recorded Deep Green Resistance interview. Then we visited another band of idealists in North Carolina who are taking it back to the land (hopefully with more smarts than the last time ‘round). The satirical tune, "America the Pitiful", by Ray Owens was supposed to take us to this from a recent issue of Green Living:Zero Waste, but we ran out of time. An Enviro Show bonus link: how’s your ecological footprint?

Then we moved on to our Bus Stop Billboard:

Thurs, Mar 8, 6:15 - 7:30 pm. Tri State CAN meeting; upstairs, Greenfields Market, Main St, Greenfield, MA; call 413-339-5781 for more info.

Friday, March 9, 2007 at 7:00-9:30 p.m. Music of This Sphere: A Concert for Climate Rescue. Helen Hills Hills Chapel, Smith College, Northampton. $15 suggested donation. No advance tickets. For more information, contact cmoran[at]smith.edu,
or rbtjonas[at]aol.com.

Sun, March 11, 7 p.m. Update on Environmental Legislation
Quaker Meeting House, 43 Center Street. Northampton, MA (Between the Police Station and Masonic Bldg.) The Environmental Task Force Of the Hampshire Interfaith Council Present: State Representatives: Ellen Story; Peter Kocot; John Scibak and State Senator Stan Rosenberg.

Tuesday, March 13, 6:30 p.m. Virtual Visit to Mt. Toby; Great Falls Discovery Center, Turners Falls. Slideshow presentation on the cultural history, special species and habitat changes that have taken place at Mount Toby. Explore the multiple methods of land conservation practiced at Mount Toby that currently protect this treasured place.. For more information, call (413) 863-3221 ext. 1. A $5 donation is appreciated.

Enough! Next time it's energy conservation. Another no brainer! Maybe if we put as much juice into energy conservation as we do in hyping NEW sources of "sustainable" energy or stabbing our allies in the back we'd be in a lot better shape around here, huh? Stay tuned!

The "Smart Growth" Enviro Show

We’re back on the trail of growth: is it dumb? Can it be smart? We’ll ask Erica Gees, Architect with Kuhn Riddle Architects in Amherst, MA and president of the American Institute of Architect's New England Chapter, if what grows around comes around! Also, we may get a call from our favorite rad troubadour, Tom Neilson who is scouting the Hawaiian islands for a suitable Enviro Show studio annex. As always we get into the latest disturbing news, but first it’s time for......Revenge of the Critters! This time a post-Valentine’s Day special. This one sounds like Staples worst nightmare, an anti-corporate love-in protest maybe? WARNING! It's another R-rated one.

There it is again! The Darth Cheney theme. Glen , how long do we have to put up with these guys? The Bush regime seems to be in constant damage control mode. The Resident’s spokesliar, Crony McSnowjob, tries to put a good face on years of White House effort to destroy the planet. ALSO, The desperation of King George. AND, whose funding global warming anyway?? Finally, closer to home (in a manner of speaking) the new Guv quietly signs off on that windmill project in the Berks that Elenor Tillinghast clued us in on last year at these very microphones.

The Talking Heads' "Big Country" takes us to our interview with Erica Gees, president of the New England chapter of The American Institute of Architects. Is endless growth really smart? Let's find out.

Last show we didn't have time for the Bus Stop Billboard, but it will always be here on the blog:

Wednesday, Feb 21, Noon in Boston, a Day of Action, Stop TXU - No New Coal
Join activists with Rainforest Action Network and allies to hold a day of
action across the country to stop TXU (a Texas utility company planning to
build 11 new coal-fired power plants in Texas). We'll be targeting the lead
financial arrangers of dirty coal development - telling the banks “Stop
Funding TXU’s Dirty Energy” and “No New Coal Plants”. We can stop Merrill
Lynch and others from funding TXU’s dirty coal plants and push them to
support clean, renewable energy.
At noon in Boston we'll meet at South Station (Summer St & Atlantic Ave) and
then head to Merrill Lynch at One Financial Center. We'll provide costumes
and props for a street-theater "die-in" with haz-mat suits, masks, and dirty
coal. Contact Josh@ran.org 203-246-3951


Thurs, Feb 22; Tri State CAN meeting
5:00- 6:30 pm. Meeting Rm, upstairs, Greenfields Market, Main St, Greenfield, MA call 413-339-5871 for more info

Sunday, FEB. 25. Walk for a New Spring @ Entergy HQ
They will be starting from Putney, Vermont. Park on Alice Holloway Rd. near the Putney Coop. Walk down Route 5 to vigil at Entergy headquarters on Old Ferry Road in N. Brattleboro, then continue through downtown Brattleboro. Contact CAN at CAN@nukebusters.org or 413-339-5781
The Leverett Peace Pagoda will be leading the month-long walk against nuclear weapons and nuclear power, (for other Walk info call 413-253-7609)

Sat, Mar 3; Noon, Vermont Yankee Die In; downtown Brattleboro, VT
Aside from giving us a false sense of security, sirens located throughout the Brattleboro area are primarily to warn people that a serious accident has occurred at Vt. Yankee. The sirens are always tested on the first Saturday of each month at 12 Noon. At random locations within earshot of the siren testing at noon in Brattleboro, each person agrees to participate in a die-in protest whenever possible by freezing in place, standing silent or falling down "dead". A group will be meeting at 11 am at the Harmony parking lot to walk through downtown and distribute literature and talk with people about what is going to be happening.
Contact Daniel Sicken 802-387-2798 or email dhsicken@yahoo.com.

Thursday February 22, Thursday March 29
RACHEL CARSON CENTENNIAL
Mt Holyoke College Center for the Environment series honors the centennial of the birth of Rachel Carson, author of "Silent Spring". Info: 538-3091, mailto:rmaddox@mtholyoke.edu..
February 22, 4:30pm, Cassani Lounge, Shattuck Hall: Mark Lytle,
author of "The Gentle Subversive: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Rise
of the Environmental Movement".
March 29, 7pm, Gamble Auditorium: Sandra Steingraber, author of
"Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment".

Wednesdays February 21 & 28
SUSTAINABILITY & OUR COMMUNITY FREE FILM SERIES & DISCUSSION
7:30pm, The Old Creamery, 445 Berkshire Trail (Route 9), Cummington
(www.hidden-hills.com/oldcreamery).
February 21: "The Power of Community" - Cuba creatively survived the
effects of peak oil brought on by trade embargos in the '90s. This film
looks at their sustaining political, lifestyle, and social changes.
February 28: Community Discussion. Brief introduction of The Five
Rivers Council, local sustainability advocates, followed by community
discussion about topics brought up by any and all of these films. Please
come even if you missed the films.
Light refreshments will be served. Info: Alice or Amy, The Old
Creamery, 634-5560.

Wednesday, Feb 28, 7:30pm. Charles C. Mann , author of “1491” will be speaking at the Leverett Public Library, 75 Montague Rd., Phone: 413-548-9220. It's at 7:30. Free, open to the public.

OK, that's all, folks. Next time, The Ides of March Enviro Show. Good luck!

The Nature Deficit Disorder Enviro Show

This time we had a look at a crucial aspect of our rather sorry relationship with Mother Earth: the strange world of estrangement with that which sustains us, especially with regard to the kids. James McNaughton, the director of AIAO, "Adventure In - Adventure Out" joined us to talk about outdoor adventure programs, and we got a call-in from Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder". AND, for your listening enjoyment (we hope), an Enviro Show EXCLUSIVE! In keeping with tonight’s theme, a reading from D.O.'s very own failed novel, "The Dream of the One-horned Rhino". Who says he wasted a year of his life!! Also tonight: we had a special pre-Valentine Revenge of the Critters segment, but WARNING! WARNING! It was R-rated, hopefully folks gathered up those little ones and herded them yonder way. We got back to the family-friendly stuff soon enough. OK? Here we go, time for....Revenge of the Critters! OK, so it’s not really about revenge. It’s about….loooove! You know, as in Valentines Day? Ready? From the ever-exciting West Midland Safari Park in the UK, Rhino gets it on with a Renault!

There’s the Darth Cheney theme again! Glen, what’s the countdown? In the wake of the sorry State of the Union address (as expected, the climate crisis gets only a nod and using ethanol to replace gasoline just doesn’t cut it), checkout VFR’s own Jay Deacon, host of "Spirit", for an excellent podcast segment on that UN climate change report that we spoke about last time, as well as the Bush regime’s "smoke and mirrors" plan to save the world...really!. How about this: IPCC report too optimistic? ALSO, the White House took a drubbing over their war on science in congress last week, even by their own fellow Repugnicians! Speaking of Big Oil (what? you think the Bush regime & Big Oil are two separate subjects??), checkout RFK, Jr.’s latest shot across Exxon/Mobil’s bow. AND, here are 11 things YOU can do about the Climate Crisis from our friends at Grist.

On to the subject at hand: Wonder why the planet is in such a mess? Is it capitalism? Western culture? Human stupidity? Well, all of those are true, but how about estrangement? If we start out in awe of nature as children (rather than being plugged into electronic simulations or diversions) isn’t there a better chance we’ll respect the Earth? Before we talked with Richard Louv and Jim McNaughton, we had D.O. read a brief excerpt about this from his....umm...great americian novel?

There was no time for the Bus Stop Billboard during the show, sooooooo:

Wednesday, February 7th, 7:30 pm. The RACHEL CARSON CENTENNIAL.
Monique Harden on "Fixing the Broken System of Environmental Protection: Human Rights Remedies for Environmental Racism. Harden has been advocating for the human rights of displaced Gulf Coast residents, which include the right to return to healthy and safe neighborhoods. The event will take place at Mount Holyoke College, Gamble Auditorium, Art Building.

February 22, 4:30pm, Cassani Lounge, Shattuck Hall: Mark Lytle, author of “The Gentle Subversive: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Rise of the EnvironmentalMovement”.

Wednesdays February 7, 14, & 21; SUSTAINABILITY & OUR COMMUNITY FREE FILM SERIES & DISCUSSION. 7:30pm, The Old Creamery, 445 Berkshire Trail (Route 9), Cummington
February 7: “An Inconvenient Truth” - Al Gore presents a compelling
look at global warming and the impending global environmental crises.
February 14: “End of Suburbia” – Engaging look at peak oil and the
effect on our society of the dwindling supply of cheap energy supplied by fossil fuels.
February 21: “The Power of Community” - Cuba creatively survived the
effects of peak oil brought on by trade embargos in the ’90s. This film
looks at their sustaining political, lifestyle, and social changes. A
fascinating look into our potential future. Info: Alice or Amy, The Old Creamery, 634-5560.

Thurs, Feb 22 5:00- 6:30 pm Tri State CAN meeting upstairs, Greenfields Market, Main St, Greenfield, MA Learn what CAN is up to and how you might get involved.
We have ongoing efforts to shutdown Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor
(just over the border in Vernon, VT). call 413-339-5871 for more info

OK, end of story. Next time it's our post-Presidents' Day Gala. We'll post all kinds of things about presidents, or at least one PARTICULAR "president"....we promise! Actually the next show is The "Smart Growth" Enviro Show; complete with differing views!

Another Pesty Enviro Show

It’s time once again to step on the toes of our sister show, Farm to Fork, with another interview with Robin Spitko & Glenn Morin of New England Fruit Consultants. While they consult with fruit we’ll be looking at more of those Toxic Tales of Chemical Agriculture. Also, did we mention a certain housing development proposed for the Amherst/Leverett town line? We did?? Glen has more. Plus, the latest on the climate crisis and more, but first (as always) it’s time for...Revenge of the Critters! Crazy poopin' bird attacks big auto….well, A big auto..at least it must’ve seemed big to the bird....no?

There’s the theme: Glen, what’s the countdown? Finally! A Darth Cheney story that doesn’t piss you off! (can I say that on radio?) The Veep told to clean out his desk! ALSO: The boy emperor addresses the nation about..um..climate change?. We'll see what THAT'S about! Here’s some bad news for Big Oil and their reps in the White House (and good news for the likes of us): House Votes to Rescind Oil Drillers' Tax Breaks. They giveth and they taketh away! (Errrr!) There's the buzzer. Sorry! AND (finally!) Climate chaos drives ski-heads to even more extremes! Somebody stop these guys!!

"Simple Dirt" sung by Ethan Miller & Kate Boverman from their "If all the land would rise" album takes us to our interview with Robin & the Glens. Then it's on to....you guessed it! The Bus Stop Billboard:

Saturday, January 27th, Washington, D.C. march for peace. If you want the war in Iraq to end, D.C. is the place to be on the 27th! The Climate Crisis Coalition and Friends of the Earth have joined together to organize a Stop Global Warming/No More Oil Wars contingent in this march. The lead banner of this contingent will say, No More Oil Wars/Clean Energy Now!
We will be gathering on the Mall down by the U.S. Capitol beginning at 11 a.m, somewhere between 3rd and 7th Sts. To find out exactly where our contingent will be go to http://www.unitedforpeace.org;


Weds, Jan 31; 1:30pm, 7pm NRC Generic Environmental Impact Statement Final Presentation. Lathchis Theatre, Brattleboro, VT
The NRC will Again hold public hearings to present findings on the
GEIS. They will make their power point slides and dress up in suits.
There are going to be 2 sessions. one in the afternoon and another in
the evening. call Richard Emch or email for a time to speak. 1-800-368-5642, ext. 1590 or RLE@nrc.gov.

Wednesday, January 31, 7-9pm; PIONEER VALLEY COALITION TO CHANGE & CHALLENGE WAL-MART. Porter Lounge (3rd Floor) or another room, Converse Hall, Amherst College, Rts 116 & 9, Amherst. Fighting the Wal-Mart in Hadley and maybe in Greenfield, working on Wake-Up Wal-Mart campaigns, Info: mailto:socialchange@amherst.edu.


Sat, Feb 3; Noon **Vermont Yankee Die In**
Brattleboro, VT. sirens are always tested on the first Saturday of each month at 12 Noon. At random locations within earshot of the siren testing at noon in Brattleboro, each person agrees to participate in a die-in protest whenever possible by freezing in place, standing silent or falling down "dead". A group will be meeting at 11 am at the Harmony parking lot to walk through downtown and distribute literature and talk with people about what is going to be happening.
Contact Daniel Sicken 802-387-2798 or email dhsicken@yahoo.com

February 3-4; NEW ENGLAND “SOS” – CREATING SUSTAINABILITY RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW! OPEN SPACE 10am-6pm Saturday, ACTION PLANNING!! 9am-2pm Sunday, Sirus Community, 72 Baker Road, Shutesbury. This “SOS” – Sustainability Open Space – is a free community event (meals and lodging not included at this time). It’s time for the sustainability movement in New England to relocalize, reorganize, and revitalize. This is a getting down to business,making things happen kind of an event. There are no keynote speakers, no panel discussions, and no pre-set agendas. Through the format of Open Space Technology, we self-organize as a community to develop our projects in less time and with more fun than we ever thought possible. Info, to register: Frank Deitle, 992-2555, mailto:commoikos@gmail.com, www.siriuscommunity.org
http://newenglandsos.wetpaint.com.

We'll go out with "The Lion & the Lamb" by the Get-up Kids in honor of the big anti-war demo in DC on Saturday the 27th. So much for another grueling hour with the dirt worshiping treehuggers, huh? Tune in next time, February 6 at 6pm for our Nature Deficit Disorder Enviro Show. Please don't confuse that with social anxiety disorder, a malady pretty much invented by Big Pharma but utterly refined by......us! Remember: listen to your Mother.