The Enviro Show

Thursday, March 22, 2018

The Functional Extirpation Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Would you believe there's a clunky old inefficient mega-power plant operating right here in the ecologically correct 5 College Area of Western Mass? Karl Meyer joins us once again to dive into the dead reach of the Connecticut River to look for dead or threatened critters and an energy system from the 1970s (remember the '70s, the Me Decade?). As usual we will also take you to see The Mad King at work destroying your nation, as well as The Fool-on-the-Hill. Also we have Breaking News and will give you an Enviro Show Quote of the Week and a trip to the Echo Chamber but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters! It's Springtime and people are getting all mushy about baby bunnies, chicks and ducklings but sometimes ducks attack!

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is up for a return trip to our dart board. It's Senator Lisa Murkowski, renegade Dem from Alaska and enemy of old-growth forests. Outside On-line tells us: "Her draft bill to fund the Forest Service would, among other things, nix an Obama-era plan to phase out old-growth logging there and would exempt Alaska from the so-called roadless rule, which could open 9.3 million acres of the largest temperate rainforest in the world to the lumber industry." Any high profile progressive Dems up there looking for a job in the U.S. Senate?

Where to start with His Malignancy the Mad King? Never has any resident in the White House given us so much to work with! Let's start with his signing a resolution on Feb. 16 reversing an Obama-era rule aimed at blocking coal-mining operations from dumping waste into nearby waterways. This of course is mountain top removal coal mining at its worst but the Mad King now wants YOU to pay for the mess! BTW, His Malignancy's new pick for Secretary of State to replace the Man From Big Oil is Mike Pompeo The Man From Hell. Besides looking exactly like the quintessential arch bad guy from Central Casting, checkout this climate criminal's rap sheet: Pompeo has stated that "Federal policy should be about the American family, not worshipping a radical environmental agenda." He has referred to the Obama Administration's environment and climate change plans as "damaging" and "radical." He opposes the regulation of Greenhouse gas emissions by the United States, and supports eliminating the United States federal register of greenhouse gas emissions. Pompeo signed the No Climate Tax pledge of Americans for Prosperity. He has called for the elimination of wind power production tax credits. In December 2015 Pompeo voted for two resolutions disapproving of the Clean Power Plan implemented by the United States Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama administration. On May 9, 2013, Pompeo introduced the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act. The bill would have required the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve or reject any proposal for a natural gas pipeline within 12 months. Jeez! Why so long? Also this, Common Dreams reminds us: "It has been exactly six months since Hurricane Maria ravaged the island of Puerto Rico, but thousands of residents of the American territory still lack electricity or are unable to return home, illustrating how the Trump administration and Congress have failed to adequately address the crisis that followed the devastating storm in September." And how about The Mad King's crazed climate criminal "cowboy" Lyin' Zinke from Interior? The WaPo headline says it all: "Zinke says Interior should be a partner with oil companies"! Finally, and in keeping with the title of this show, part of The Mad King's b.s. budget includes eliminating the Marine Mammal Commission thereby further endangering highly endangered species like the North Atlantic Right Whale.

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week might give you shivers:

“Donald Trump is worse than any horror story I've written.” ― Stephen King

We have Breaking News from Grist: "On Tuesday, a case in California could do for climate change what the Scopes trial did for evolution. Last September, San Francisco and Oakland filed major lawsuits against five of the world’s largest oil companies — BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, and Shell. All of those companies are constantly being sued for making large and sometimes permanent environmental messes. But the people of California aren’t suing BP and co. for spills, explosions, or other easily traceable disasters. Rather, they’re suing because those companies: knew about climate change decades ago; continued doing business as usual, and engaged in a world-wide public relations campaign to sow confusion over climate science." See you in court Big Oil! And speaking of San Francisco we also have Breaking News the City by the Bay also is the first to ban the sale of fur from wild critters! Wake up New York and Boston!

In The Enviro Show Echco Chamber the UK's Independent notes the EU has a truly shabby record when it comes to ivory sales. Maybe they should have a talk with San Francisco? The New York Times informs us the soil in our backyard may sequester more CO2 than "soils found in native grasslands or urban forests like arboretums". That's the good news, now we get bad news from Think Progress telling us Kelcy Warren, chief executive officer of Energy Transfer Partners, thinks enviro activists "should be removed from the gene pool". Here on The Enviro Show the feeling is mutual, btw.

After our conversation with Karl it's over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

April 5, 6-8pm. Mass Ave Listening Session. University of Massachusetts Center,1500 Main Street, Springfield, MA The Mass Dept. of Energy Resources (DOER) has scheduled a series of listening sessions, offering the public a chance to comment on the Mass Save program. This is a great time for the public to give input on ideas as well as concerns they have with the program such as long wait times for energy assessments, inconsistencies in implementation of weatherization measures and commercial utilities being administrators of the program, and so on. Email: matt.rusteika@state.ma.us

Tuesday April 10, 6pm. FC-CPR Climate Crisis April climate meeting. We are going to be trained in a phone banking project started by the Sierra Club. FCCPR Office, 345 Main St., aka Three Bank Row, Greenfield, MA. Contact: Bob Armstrong, bob@armstr.com

Saturday, April 7, 10am to 4pm. Valley Vegfest 2018, featuring passionate speakers, vegan food vendors, veg-friendly products and services, and non-profit organizations dedicated to animal welfare, healthy living, and environmental advocacy. Admission is free! Details at http://www.valleyveg.org/vegfest.

Wednesday, April 11, 5- 7pm. Green Jobs & Internships Career Fair will showcase businesses and colleges that are developing green careers. This event is taking place in the Northampton Union Station Ballroom, just outside Platform Sports Bar. Please contact Andrew Baker at abaker@fhreb.org

Thursday April 12, 7 - 8:30pm. Screening of “This Polluter Does Not Pay: The Crime of U.S. Military Pollution on Foreign Bases”. Mt. Toby Meeting House, 194 Long Plain Road, Leverett, MA

Friday April 13, 12:15 p.m. Michael E. Mann of Penn State University will be speaking on "The Madhouse Effect: A Post-Election Climate Change Update" in room H402 of Hawthorne Hall on the campus of Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, MA. The event is free and open to the public. For further information, visit:

http://www.thebeatnews.org/BeatTeam/calendar-events/#mann

Saturday, April 14, 1pm to 3pm (time subject to change). 2018 March for Science Boston: Science Strikes Back! Last year, some 50,000 people came together in Boston to defend science. This year, we're not just marching—we're striking back! We’ve got a three-part plan to champion evidence-based climate and energy policy. We'll rally in Christopher Columbus Park (by the Aquarium T stop). RSVP for the rally here and nominate speakers for the event!

Sunday, April 15, 2-4pm. “Massachusetts Forests in The Era of Climate Change” With Michael Kellett, Executive Director of RESTORE: The North Woods. The protection of Massachusetts forests is vital in: storing carbon to help mitigate and reverse climate change; providing critical habitat for native plants and wildlife; saving historic and sacred sites; and offering opportunities for nature-based tourism. Yet, almost all our forests are currently open to resource extraction, thereby undermining these values. With more than 30 years of experience working to protect forests, wildlife, and parks and wilderness, Mr. Kellett will retrace steps leading to our current dilemma and suggest possible remedies. Q&A will follow. Suggested Donation: $10 – Register at: www.hitchcockcenter.org

Had enough? There will be more in April along with April showers, until then remember to listen to your Mother!

Friday, March 09, 2018

Another Ides of March Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. "Beware the Ides of March" warned some sage to Caesar as he sauntered into Rome back in the day and sure enough, things did not go well for the emperor thereafter. We're not exactly wishing a similar fate for His Malignancy The Mad King but we'll take what we can get; any sort of downfall is acceptable given it happens really soon. Our poet-in-residence will recite a few original pieces for this auspicious occasion and our traveling bard, Tom Neilson will call in concerning one or more of His Malignancy's many hangers-on. Also, The Good Green Witch joins us with an Spring Equinox reminder! As usual, we'll also take you to The Mad King's segment where you will be appraised of his latest sins and those of his court of climate criminals. Also, trips to see the Fool-on-the-Hill and to The Enviro show Echo Chamber will be in order but first it's time for........ Revenge of the Critters! More critter attacks on cars, an angry coyote this time. Wonder if they're partial to all electric ones?

We have blanket coverage for this week's Fool-on-the-Hill: Try the entire Repugnican leadership in congress, all of whom are flat-Earth climate science deniers! Grist and Mother jones tell us: "This year, the Republican-controlled Congress had plenty of opportunities to show where they stand. [The League of Conservation Voters] counted a total of 35 House votes and 19 Senate votes to overturn climate regulations, open up drilling on public lands, undermine the Endangered Species Act, and confirm a slew of Trump-appointed judicial and cabinet nominations." We're sorry but is that the U.S. Congress or some comic book invention like The Brotherhood of Evil??

And speaking of the Mad King's climate criminals guess who wins the Worst of the Worst Award from Gail Collins of the New York Times? Ecological saboteur Scott Pruitt! (see the last show for gruesome details). The runner-up was fellow sab, Ryan Zinke whose time is spent raising his flag at the Dept. of Interior every morning and spending the rest of the day trashing most everything inside the building and out in our....well, Interior. And speaking of the Interior, you probably won't be surprised to learn that oil was the deciding factor in shrinking the Bear Ears National Monument, right? Getting back to The Mad King's oily offshore drilling scheme it seems not all Repugnicans are marching along in goose...um...lock step. Also, it appears Zinke and the Mad King have just reversed the decision to ban import of elephant trophies: read all about it! OK, on to the Ides of March. You will find some of our poet's poetic screeds on His Malignancy on his Facebook page, Devolution Days but you'll have to wade through all The Mad King's sins to find those nuggets of.......wisdom?

Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week calls for a jaunt in the ol' Wayback Machine. Ready?

"If thou fillest thy brain with Boston & New York, with fashion & covetousness, and wilt stimulate thy jaded senses with wine & French coffee thou shalt find no radiance of Wisdom in the lonely waste by the pinewoods."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we want to help you with any questions you may have regarding the natural world but hey! why ask us, why not Ask Nature! We actually had a question ourselves for Nature about trees and forests capturing CO2 and we learned that wetlands are big time carbon capturers. Sadly though, Ask Nature programmers need to get busy with those trees and forests facts. The publication Inhabitat informed us recently that "Coca-Cola and Nestle are pushing to take ownership of the Guarani Aquifer in Brazil." O, did we mention that's the 2nd LARGEST aquifer on Earth?? Not to worry though, they will sell it back to you in one-way toxic plastic bottles! And this: "Emissions from Fracking 5 Times Higher than Reported" Here's The Enviro Show Blog Action link: Save Tongass National Forest Old-growth Trees!

After our conversation with Tom and The Good Green Witch we head over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday, March 22, 6pm. The Nuclear Decommissioning Citizen Advisory Panel meeting at Brattleboro Union High School's Multi Purpose Room. There will be presentations on the new deal to sell Yankee to NorthStar Group Services, and a presentation by Waste Control Services on a plan for all the radioactive waste that isn't hot enough to sit in a cask. There is time on the Agenda for Q&A from the public. Here's the link to the full agenda on the NDCAP home page. You can read more about the agreement with links to the documents and news articles on our website post last week. The Public Utility Commission will hold a public hearing on the sale April 12 at a location to be announced.

Saturday, March 24, Join millions of people around the world—along with businesses, cities, and landmarks such as the Empire State Building—to turn off my lights from 8:30 to 9:30 local time in celebration of Earth Hour. Can we count on you to stand with us?

Sunday March 25, 2 to 4pm. “Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees”. In this spectacular film by Jeff McKay,. visionary Scientist and acclaimed author, Diana Beresford-Kroeger opens our eyes to the rich, verdant and intricately woven world of the global forest community. Meeting our giant, carbon-rich relatives for the first time, we are awakened to the necessity to protect and increase their number. Soil biologist Glen Ayers will lead a discussion about possible responses at the close of the film. Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA.

Monday, March 26, Noon. "LET MY PEOPLE GO! Exodus from Fossil Fuels: An Interfaith Witness for Climate Action." People from all faith traditions will gather at the State House in downtown Boston to witness to climate injustice in our state and to speak truth to Governor Baker. After an interfaith ceremony at the State House, we will then move in procession to the Back Bay, where a new pipeline project is slated to power luxury high rises with fracked gas. Supported by prayer, a smaller group will carry out an act of peaceful civil disobedience to keep fossil fuels in the ground. RSVP at the link on the Facebook page.

Wednesday March 28, 7pm. Old Growth Guru Bob Leverett presentation addresses the role of larger, older trees, and late successional forests in effectively sequestering carbon. Hitchcock Center for the Environment 845 West St, Amherst, MA. Call: 413) 256-6006

Wednesday, March 28, 7pm. Join co-editors Sigrid Schmalzer and Dan Chard at the book launch of their new volume, "Science for the People: Documents from America's Movement of Radical Scientists." Broadside Books, (247 Main St.Northampton) and will include a talk by Dan Chard and Sigrid Schmalzer, followed by a book signing.

Starting Saturday April 7 leading up to The Berkshire Earth Expo on SATURDAY, APRIL 21 :: 10AM – 5pm. A MONTH OF EARTH EVENTS! Come to learn from experts, talk to your neighbors about what they’re doing, enjoy performances, shop, and get inspired. Click here for all the info.

Saturday, April 7, 10am to 4pm. Valley Vegfest 2018, featuring passionate speakers, vegan food vendors, veg-friendly products and services, and non-profit organizations dedicated to animal welfare, healthy living, and environmental advocacy. Admission is free! Details at http://www.valleyveg.org/vegfest.

http://www.thebeatnews.org/BeatTeam/calendar-events/#mann

OK now, remember: Beware the Ides of March......AND Listen to Your Mother!

Thursday, February 22, 2018

The Enviro Show Goes Offshore

Greetings Earthlings. Some of us have been entertaining dystopian nightmare visions of butt-ugly oil drilling platforms running up and down both coasts spewing out petro pollution into a sea of dead fish and industrial flotsam? What does your end of the world look like? Pete Stauffer, Environmental Director of the Surfrider Foundation calls in to help paint a picture of fossil fools run amok. We'll definitely be encouraging you to participate in the upcoming Tuesday February 27 Offshore Drilling Program Public Meeting. If you can’t make it to one of the listening sessions on the US Department of the Interior’s (DOI) decision to expand offshore oil and gas drilling, you can submit comments online or by mail. Let them know that the proposed expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling off Massachusetts would have severe impacts on wildlife habitat, fisheries, and geological resources. Thanks! As always, we'll also take you see the Fool-on-the-Hill and to poke fun at His Malignancy The Mad King, plus a trip to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber but first it's time for...........Revenge of the Critters! More critter delivered justice. Poachers beware!

Fool-on-the-Hill anyone? The Nation of Change reports: "At a House Science Committee hearing on Tuesday, several Republicans sided with Monsanto in their questioning of the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) classification of glyphosate as a possible carcinogen." Can you guess which fool led the pack? Yes, that would be he with a lifetime Fool-on-the-Hill standing, Rep. Lamar Smith, Repugnican of Texas claiming (with his deep understanding of science) the IARC’s findings are “unsubstantiated” and “not backed by reliable data”, a claim disputed by independent scientists.

On to His Malignancy The Mad King and his court of climate criminals. Last time you may recall we pointed out EPA chief saboteur Scott Pruitt's brilliant idea that global warming is good for you? This week it seems he wants you to believe that wood energy is carbon neutral. Wait! Haven't we put that myth on the rack multiple times?? Pruitt also seems to think taxpayers have to pay for him to travel first class because he gets called out for his actions by folks back in coach? If he's in charge of Environmental Protection maybe he should walk anyway. Since were picking mercilessly on Pruitt here's a list of his sins that maybe contradict his biblical take on drill, baby drill? . On to His Malignancy's hot air about an infrastructure program he tried selling during State of the Union Advertisement. Common Dreams noted: "Climate campaigners say the plan will serve as a giveaway to corporations looking to bypass environmental reviews to quickly complete projects—including those that involve fossil-fuel carrying pipelines." Surprise! Here's one to keep the Bundy cowpoke desperadoes happy: lower the already too low rates for meat-on-the-hoof to dine on the commons. Finally, The New York Times tells us: "George David Banks was the senior White House adviser on international energy issues before he resigned last week after being told he would not be granted a full security clearance. He was known as one of the few people in the White House looking for ways to keep the United States in the Paris climate agreement." We guess His Malignancy's security clearance comedy show paid off in this case.

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week from Van Jones probably refers to the origins of fossil fuels: dead critters from long ago.

“If we keep pulling death from the ground, we will reap death from the skies.”

It's time for The Enviro Show Echo Chamber 's very first Public Health Warning: Japan Ships First Seaweed, Farmed 6 Miles from Fukushima Meltdowns. Wonder what the contents label will say? And this from our friends at Partnership for Policy Integrity: "New Study Dispels Assumption that Burning Forest Residues for Energy is Carbon Neutral". Also, Yale discovers the Forest Stewardship Council is, well just about useless in protecting forests. That took awhile! Finally, there's always space for potential good news: "Paleontologists discovered a huge ancient fossils trove in Bears Ears National Monument. The Triassic-period fossils were found on land that is no longer federally protected, thanks to President Trump" BUT the lawyers have already been sent in!

Then it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Join the “if Trump fires Mueller” Rapid Response Team – Sign up to join our local MoveOn.org's "Mueller Firing Rapid Response" campaign. It's at 50 State St (Springfield MA U.S. District Court Building) in Springfield. This is one of 350 events planned nationwide if Trump fires Mueller. But, it's not just a reactive plan—our efforts are already making news, helping show that there will be an immediate backlash if Trump fires Mueller. RSVP here to join.

Every Wednesday until April 4. Homeschool Nature Class: Citizen Scientists. Do you have a homeschooler who loves science and is 5 to 10 years old? Learn about what scientists are doing to study wildlife and their habitats, how to collect real data, and add to the effort! Homeschoolers will participate in a vernal pool study, Frogwatch USA, forest pests, Nature’s Notebook, and bird surveys. Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary.Fee based.

Monday March 5, 10AM-2PM. Berkshires 100% Renewable Energy Summit, Susan B. Anthony Student Center G12, Berkshire Community College, 1350 West St. Pittsfield, MA

Wednesday, March 14, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. PAWS II Lobby Day: Protect Animal Welfare and Safety, Massachusetts State House, Room 428, Boston

Friday March 16 to April 16. March for a New Spring begins at the Leverett Peace Pagoda, 100 Cave Hill Road, Leverett, MA Go to: https://newenglandpeacepagoda.org/walk-for-a-new-spring/

So much for now. We'll be back next time with The Ides of March. Until then remember: Listen to your Mother!

Friday, January 26, 2018

The Sierra Club Meets Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Given the present disfunction in our nation's capitol are you wondering who exactly can help steer this ship away from the GIANT iceberg looming dead ahead? We'll ask Emily Norton, Director of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Sierra Club about that and drill down into many of the issues confronting us and the planet. Also, Martha Klein, CT Sierra Club Excom member and Communications Chair calls in with news on the proposed offshore drilling by the fossil fools. Of course we are hoping, and working for, the Commonwealth and local government to pick-up many of the broken pieces Washington has scattered about as it stumbles drunkenly around destroying most everything in its path. Can't we have nice things anymore! As always, we'll take you down there below the Beltway to see The Mad King and his cult of climate criminal crazies, as well as a visit to the Fool-on-the-Hill and maybe some Breaking News. Also, a visit to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber but first it's time for............Revenge of the Critters! Tiny jellyfish mean BIG trouble!

Let's see if The Mad King is available for some.....um...scrutiny? Of course we already know His Malignancy has adopted climate denial as his go-to strategy for dealing with the pesky planet he needs to, well SURVIVE ON! However, The Mad King and his climate criminal enablers also are changing the digital climate by sending science down the ol' memory hole. Checkout this PDF for all the gruesome details. One finding states: "Language about climate change has been systematically changed across multiple [federal government] agency and program websites. In many cases, explicit mentions of “climate change” and “greenhouse gases” have been replaced by vaguer terms such as “sustainability” and 'emissions'." We guess this headline qualifies for speaking the obvious: "Business Interests are winning out over science under [His Malignancy]" And, we don't need to guess who The Mad King is favoring by placing tariffs on imported solar panels. Meanwhile, over at the National Park Service their Advisory Board became so freaked out by The Mad King's crazed courtesans that most of them resigned. Whatever happened to "Stand up, Fight Back!"?? Over at the Dept. of Health and Human Services it appears some bible-banging operatives are angling for a kind of Handmaidens Tale. So much for the separation of Church and State. Last time we got all up into frat boy Rep. Devin Nunes' face for his efforts to keep The Mad King on his teetering throne. This time WMass' pride and joy, Rachel Maddow goes after a whole pack of Repugnican collaborators! Watch it here. You might recall our coverage of His Malignancy's offshore drilling scheme during the last show? Now, nearly every governor in the coastal U.S. is opposed.Also, concerning he who breaks near everything he touches. Yes, His Malignancy has nominated an anti-climate and BP disaster enabler to be the DOJ's top environmental lawyer. "Jeffrey Bossert Clark, a lawyer who has repeatedly challenged the scientific foundations of U.S. climate policy and was part of a legal team that represented BP in lawsuits stemming from the nation's worst oil spill, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster" according to Inside Climate News. Finally, it looks like The Mad King's EPA lackey, Scott Pruitt is taking an old page out of the flat-Earth guide to climate denial: Global warming is good for you!

We don't know who, but some Fool-on-the-Hill kicked the spokes out of the effort to get more folks to bike to work in that bogus Repugnican tax scam that passed last year. According to HuffPo: "Since 2009, businesses have been able to give workers who commute on bikes a tax-free benefit worth $20 a month to cover bike-related expenses. Not anymore: Cyclists will now have to pay taxes on that money." If anyone out there can put a name to the Fool-on-the-Hill who did this please let us know, OK?

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we bring you potential good news! (can you believe it?). Yale Climate Connections reports a Stanford research team developed special cooling panels. "When placed over pipes of warm water, they draw heat out of the water, then convert and emit it at a wavelength that passes into outer space." There's a short audio clip about this here. On to the bad news! Another threat to our friends the Bees has surfaced, this time it's fungicides. Here's our Enviro Show Blog Action Link for this week: No Offshore Drilling!

After our conversation with Emily we move over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Join the “if Trump fires Mueller” Rapid Response Team – Sign up to join our local MoveOn.org's "Mueller Firing Rapid Response" campaign. It's at 50 State St (Springfield MA U.S. District Court Building) in Springfield. This is one of 350 events planned nationwide if Trump fires Mueller. But, it's not just a reactive plan—our efforts are already making news, helping show that there will be an immediate backlash if Trump fires Mueller. RSVP here to join.

Sunday, February 25, 12:00 - 3:00 PM. East Meets West Anti-nuke Meeting. This is a terrific opportunity to meet and plan/strategize with our friends in MA Downwinders/ CAN/Western MA/VT. Framingham Friends Meeting House

841 Edmands Road, Framingham, MA 01701

Monday February 26, 7 to 9pm. Climate Action Now MA Monthly Meeting. Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, 220 Main Street, Northampton, MA. Accessible and on a bus line. Go to: climateactionnowma.org

Tuesday February 27, 3 to 7pm. Offshore Drilling Program Public Meeting. Please attend a rally outside the Sheraton Boston Hotel, 39 Dalton Street, Boston, MA 02199 and then join for the public meeting to speak out against the proposal! The Trump Administration has made good on its commitment to big oil by presenting an ecologically devastating proposal that seeks to open over 90% of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf to new offshore drilling, putting our nation’s coastal communities, beaches, surf breaks, and marine ecosystems at serious risk of catastrophic oil spills, economic and environmental decimation.

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW! #DefendOurCoasts, #ProtectOurCoasts from #OffshoreDrilling!
Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/179215559511153/

Wednesday, February 28 at 7 p.m. at Smith College in Northampton, join Dr. Bill Moomaw, Professor Emeritus of International Environmental Policy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, for a discussion of how our forests can help mitigate global climate change. Dr. Moomaw will present his perspective on a crucial part of the solution — how the protection and restoration of forests, wetlands, and grasslands could enable us to sequester carbon dioxide for many centuries to come. He will also share his insights on the drawbacks of using bioenergy as an alternative to fossil fuels. There will be time for a facilitated Q&A session after the presentation. Go to: https://www.kestreltrust.org/calendar/bill-moomaw-2018/

Saturday March 3, 9am. Local Environmental Action 2018. Massachusetts Climate Action Network and Toxics Action Center work together to bring you this conference every year to discuss new ideas, build skills, and strengthen our movement. Join community leaders, environmental justice and climate advocates and activists from across the region on March 3rd, and let the connections you make inspire you for the work ahead. Go to: http://www.localenvironmentalaction.org

Sunday March 4, 2-3pm. Possums, Bats & Goldenrod - O my! DCR Interpreter Nancy Huntington presents on the benefits of often overlooked flora and fauna. Quabbin Reservoir Visitor Center, 485 Ware Road, Belchertown, MA.

Wednesday, March 14, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. PAWS II Lobby Day: Protect Animal Welfare and Safety, Massachusetts State House, Room 428, Boston

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

Friday, January 12, 2018

Another Sustainable Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the definition of "sustainable" is "to be maintained at a certain rate or level, able to be upheld or defended". Dinnen O'Rourke, who knows a thing or two about defending the planet, joins us to talk about the group SustainUS and her recent exploits at the climate talks in Germany (that would be the one where agents of Old King Coal and the nuclear industry were the only US presence). As always we will also take you to see The Mad King continue his quest to ruin everything and to hear about this week's Fool-on-the-Hill, as well as a trip to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters! Camels laid siege to town down under! Like in many of these stories man-made climate chaos is suspected.

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill offers a double dose of foolishness, though "foolish" is putting it mildly when we are talking about enabling TREASON! (sorry). Let's begin with the usual climate change denial by Repugnican Rep. Devin Nunes of California who stated: "Despite dire predictions and prophetic warnings contained in a host of poorly researched Hollywood productions, there is no proof that our planet is warming because of mankind and there is certainly no proof that any of the radical changes proposed by environmentalists will end recent warming trends." Whoa! Which environmentalist ever said we can "end recent warming trends"?? Anyway, Nunes' position on climate chaos pales in comparison to his slavish enabling of The Mad King's efforts to...well...DESTROY THE NATION! Frat-boy Devin Nunes is front and center in the Repugnican effort to undermine Special Council Mueller's investigation into the present occupants in the White House of Lies efforts to profit from caving to Russian oligarchs and kleptocrats while simultanously gutting government and the Constitution.

Did someone say Mad King? His Malignancy The Mad King has outdone himself lately with the madness. Where to begin?? We guess his edict to "drill baby, drill" for oil up and down both U.S. coastlines is a bad enough place to start. Of course, he did give a pass to Florida.....where his summer palace is! By the time you read this many governors will have registered their opposition to this harebrained scheme that was abandoned over 30 years ago. O wait, except for that creepy clown governor in Maine. BTW, Where's Charlie?? Here's another outrage from The Hill: "A former National Park Service (NPS) official who improperly helped the owner of the Washington Redskins cut down more than 130 trees near his Potomac, Md., estate in 2004 will assume the deputy director post at the agency." We guess His Malignancy remains on target for gutting agencies in Washington and trashing what's left of useful regulations, we just can't figure where the "Making America great again" comes in. You? Speaking of the oceans, The Mad King also hopes to shrink National Ocean Monuments, maybe to make room for more of his faulty drilling platforms! There has been a bit of a setback for His Malignancy and his courtisans recently, a concept that even the industry shills at FERC couldn't stomach! Energy Secretary? Rick Perry was trying to prop up the dying coal and nuke industries on your tab. "Perry unveiled a proposed solution in which utility companies would pay coal and nuclear power plants “for all their costs and all the power they produce, whether those plants are needed or not”, MSNBC reports. And to think we used to say "FERC don't work".

Our Quote of the Week requires another trip in the ol' Wayback Machine. Are you ready?

After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, love, and so on — have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear — what remains? Nature remains; to bring out from their torpid recesses, the affinities of a man or woman with the open air, the trees, fields, the changes of seasons — the sun by day and the stars of heaven by night.

-- Walt Whitman

It's getting mighty hot in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber! Newsweek tells us that the roads are melting Down Under. "A heatwave sweeping parts of Australia sent temperature soaring to more than 104F, prompting authorities to warn residents to stay inside to protect themselves from the “killer” heat that is fueling fires and melting roads." We have an Enviro Show Blog Action Link here regarding that criminal scheme to drill for oil offshore, but we're not convinced anyone at the Dept. of Interior really cares what we think. We'd probably be better off occupying their offices but, of course, we'd NEVER suggest THAT!

After our conversation with Dineen we head over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Tuesday, February 6, 8pm EST. No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge Orientation Call. It’s past time for our politicians and political candidates to reject support from the fossil fuel industry and protect the health of our families, our climate, and our democracy. Join this orientation call to learn how to get candidates in your town, city or state to sign on, too. Go to: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/no-fossil-fuel-money-pledge-orientation-call

Saturday February 10, 9:30 AM - 5 PM. Non Violent Direct Action Training. Brattleboro Food Coop Community Room. For info and registration contact Tim at 802-869-2141 or email bereal@vermontel.net

841 Edmands Road, Framingham, MA 01701

Tuesday February 27, 3 to 7pm. Offshore Drilling Program Public Meeting. Please attend a rally outside the Hyatt Regency Boston and then join for the public meeting to speak out against the proposal! The Trump Administration has made good on its commitment to big oil by presenting an ecologically devastating proposal that seeks to open over 90% of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf to new offshore drilling, putting our nation’s coastal communities, beaches, surf breaks, and marine ecosystems at serious risk of catastrophic oil spills, economic and environmental decimation.

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW! #DefendOurCoasts, #ProtectOurCoasts from #OffshoreDrilling!
Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/179215559511153/

That's all, folks! Remember to listen to your Mother, OK?

Friday, December 29, 2017

The 2018 New Start Enviro Show

New Years Greetings Earthlings! Given how awful 2017 has been we look forward to new possibilities in the new year. Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Setti Warren joins us to talk about it in the days leading up to a candidates forum in Greenfield on January 6. As always, we will also take you to see The Mad King at The White House of Lies and our Fool-on-the-Hill as well as a trip to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber but first it's time for...........Revenge of the Critters! Usually docile Sea Lion seems to have had enough of human swimmers.

His Malignancy The Mad King and his court of crazed climate criminals closed out 2017 by opening up the Arctic Wildlife Refuge for their friends at Big Oil to trash. Yes, it was the sweetener in the recent Repugnican tax scam that got this week's Fool-on-the-Hill, Sen. Murkowski's vote to make the filthy rich richer and screw the rest of us. Speaking of wasteful energy, His Malignancy's Energy Department has decided to ignore the legal mandate to update energy efficiency of appliances. According to ThinkProgress "The standards have historically enjoyed strong bipartisan support and demonstrated clear results" but it's still the era of The Mad King, right? We are happy to report that the smug-ass filthy rich Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and his obnoxious wife received a beautifully wrapped box of horseshit for the Holidaze! And here's a list of His Malignancy's regulatory rollbacks from 2017, just in case you're counting. BUT, given who he is more rollbacks keep coming like on offshore safety drilling standards (think Deep Sea Horizon!) and for fracking standards and for migratory bird protection from industry. On the subject of 2017, surely you remember The Mad King's lie about the Repugnican tax scam being hard on the 1%? Turns out he said the exact opposite while hanging out with them at the Florida White House of Lies.

Our Quote of the Week seems fitting as a follow-up to The Mad King segment:

"The main problem in any democracy is that crowd-pleasers are generally brainless swine who can go out on a stage & whup their supporters into an orgiastic frenzy—then go back to the office and sell every one of the poor bastards down the tube for a nickel apiece."

- Hunter S Thompson

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill, as promised, is Repugnican Sen. Lisa Murkowski who sold out Alaska's wildlife for a few pieces of gold to her friends at Big Oil. An op-ed in The Hill makes the case many have already put forward: "Murkowski knows drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is unpopular. That’s why she slipped it into tax law, with the bogus promise that it will send $1 billion to U.S. Treasury, helping cover tax cut costs. It’s a preposterous claim, first because no one knows how much oil lies beneath the refuge, and second because $1 billion is only a sliver of the $1.5 trillion tax cut." We might add the tax SCAM is a cut mostly for the filthy rich. You commoners get to pay for it in the future with less entitlements and higher taxes thanks in part to this fool.

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we go to The Washington Post for that disturbing new study on how us humans have changed the planet that Glen talked about on the last show. May as well get sober for the New Year! And since we're getting all serious here, how about this from tech crunch.com: "The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a warning against the hazards of cellphone radiation this week. Yes, the thing we are all addicted to and can’t seem to put down is leaking electromagnetic radiation and now California has some guidance to safeguard the public." One point was do not keep the phone right next to your body. Finally some good news! This from 350.org: "After more than five years of inspiring and creative campaigning from the climate movement, the New York City and State pensions are moving forward to freeze new investments in fossil fuels and divest. This victory is huge. Combined, the city and state pension funds are worth a whopping $390 billion, making this the largest coal, oil and gas divestment in THE WORLD." Finally, Grist reports what we've known.....forever? Macho guys think Green is girly! Listen up, Joeys, real men save the planet!

After our conversation with Setti Warren we head over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, NOON. STAND OUT! CALL FOR THE SHUTDOWN OF THE CONNECTICUT EXPANSION PIPELINE! TENNESEE GAS HEADQUARTERS

1615 Suffield St, Agawam, MA. Meet at the abandoned 2 Silos Mall on Rt. 57 in Agawam (just down the road from the Tennessee Gas Co headquarters) at 11:30 a.m. We will shuttle to the driveway due to snow.

Thursday, January 11. Tell the Governor we want Pilgrim nuke closed now. We will gather at 1:00 in Rep. Peake's office and then at the Governor's Office at 2:00. Come with a 2 minute statement to express your concerns. For carpooling and more information, contact me at 508.776.3132/Elaine 508.246.4563/Susan 774.268.1695/Mary 508.237.4147

January 16, 7 pm. Screening of “Chasing Coral”. Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst,

121 North Pleasant St., Amherst. Chasing Coral is a beautiful and informative film about climate change. Coral reefs are an integral part of the ocean's ecosystem, and are dying at an unprecedented rate due to warming oceans. The filming includes gorgeous underwater photography and stories of scientists gathering real data in the ocean. A discussion will follow the film.

Saturday January 20, 2018 11am to 1pm. Northampton Women’s March - Year One. We will march to reaffirm our commitment to building a positive and just future for all, and to celebrate the spirit of resistance efforts over the past year. The march will once again begin at Sheldon Fields and culminate at Northampton City Hall, where we will rally with a inspiring speakers and performers. This is a peaceful, family-friendly event. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/200256233873115

Monday January 22, 7 to 9pm. Climate Action Now! Western MA monthly meeting at the Unitarian Meetinghouse on North Pleasant St. downtown Amherst. Go to: climateactionnowma.org

Wednesday January 27, 2018, 1:30pm - Workshop, Pollinator Habitat Design for All Seasons, W. Mass Poll. Networks at Hadley Garden Center, Rt. 9, Hadley, MA.

Saturday, January 27, All Day. 350MA Summit. Looking to carry the momentum into 2018 by developing new and emerging leaders in the movement. That's why we are hosting a statewide summit in MetroWest. The day will be spent on learning new organizing techniques and building new action plans for 2018. If you are interested in attending, please reach out to Andy Gordon.

That's it for now. Remember, when you're out there be sure to listen to your Mother, OK?

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