Greetings Earthlings. We chased the nuke off the Montague Plain. We chased Nestles off the Montague Plain. We chased Kinder-Morgan off the Montague Plain. Now, can we chase MassWildlife off the Plain? What do you think? 😉 Michael Kellett from Restore the North Woods and Janet Sinclair from Save Mass Forests join us to see the forest for the trees. [UPDATE: interview HERE.] As usual we will also take you to meet this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and those Whose Brains Were Small, as well as bring you our constant reminder that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and to see if we are still Abidin' with Biden and more, but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters! The Feds are on the search for Otter 841. Good luck with that!
On to our Fool-on-the-Hill, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, (R-Wis) who cleverly made a complete fool of himself under the Rotunda awhile back. Van Orden, fresh from a beer party in his office, yelled at a group of high- school-age Senate pages for “defiling” the Capitol by taking photos of the Rotunda? “Wake the f--- up you little s---s. What the f--- are you all doing? Get the f--- out of here. You are defiling the place,” the former Navy Seal shouted at the group."Sooo, who defiled the place?
Speaking of fools, is there really still anyone out there that doesn't know "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!"? The European Union climate monitor does, "Weeks of scorching summer heat in North America, Europe, Asia and elsewhere are putting July on track to be Earth’s warmest month on record". With this in mind, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres notes, "All this is entirely consistent with predictions and repeated warnings," he continued. "The only surprise is the speed of the change. Climate change is here, it is terrifying, and it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended and the era of global boiling has arrived," Guterres asserted. "Humanity is in the hot seat." What do you think, time to Declare a Climate Emergency?
Meanwhile, over in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we replay The Greenfield Recorder's coverage of an action at FirstLight's fish blender where a bus full of hydro corporados got an earful regarding the pump storage threat to life in the Connecticut River. The CT River Defenders are bound and determined that FirstLight not get its 50 year license to continue business-as-usual. Check them out HERE. And this: do headlines like this disturb you? "Animals Running Out of Places to Live" It sure makes us mad! "WILDLIFE IS DISAPPEARING around the world, in the oceans and on land. The main cause on land is perhaps the most straightforward: Humans are taking over too much of the planet, erasing what was there before." Finally, "Captive wild animals in traveling shows spend most of their days in cramped, barren cages, deprived of the ability to engage in their natural behaviors. Forced to perform frightening and sometimes painful “tricks,” they often endure a lifetime of misery. An Act Relative to the Use of Elephants, Big Cats, Primates, Giraffes, and Bears in Traveling Exhibits and Shows (S.2197/S.2189/H.3245) would prohibit the use of certain wild animals in traveling shows in the Commonwealth." Take action, OK?
Once again we ask, are we Abidin' with Biden or are we Backslidin'? Our friends at the Center for Biological Diversity may be thinking the latter. "Biden Oil and Gas Proposal Marks Massive Climate Failure" is the headline on a press release they sent out a few weeks ago. "The Biden administration released proposed regulations today that would continue expanding oil and gas extraction on federal public lands, marking yet another major climate failure by the administration" they wrote. “This is a cowardly proposal that fails the basic climate imperative of ending fossil fuel expansion and phasing out production,” said Taylor McKinnon at the Center for Biological Diversity. “President Biden is blowing an opportunity to end oil and gas extraction on public land as the world reels from one climate catastrophe to the next." On the other hand, "The White House has proposed a new rule to streamline permitting for clean energy and other infrastructure projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, a bedrock law that requires federal agencies to conduct an environmental review before approving any major project."
We have group dump for our "Their Brains Were Small and They Died" segment. We call them Fossil Fools for good reason "According to a new database published by divestment advocacy group F Minus...,there are over 1,500 state-level lobbyists who are working as lobbyists for fossil fuel companies while being employed by a wide variety of state and municipal governments and progressive, climate and research groups, as first reported by The Guardian." We guess if their brains were bigger they wouldn't have gotten outed. 😏
Time for the Enviro Show Quote of the Week. Let's stay on topic with this classsic:
"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."
- Aldo Leopold
After our conversation with Michael & Janet it's on to the Bus Stop billboard:
Tuesday August 22, 2pm. “Expanding Our Circle of Compassion: Fishes in the Pet Industry,” Fishes sold as pets are bred in horrific conditions (think “puppy mills” but for fishes) and then shipped to pet stores around the country. Many of these animals are doomed to spend their lives in tiny tanks or bowls—if they survive. Fishes are intelligent, caring individuals with unique personalities. But their suffering often goes unseen or ignored.
Go HERE.
Wednesday, August 23, 3 to 4pm. The Farm Bill: Impacts and Opportunities for Animal Protection. Every five years, Congress must reauthorize the Farm Bill, which governs a wide range of agricultural issues and has significant implications for animals. In our upcoming webinar, Campaigns Manager Matt Rossell and Strategic Legislative Affairs Manager Alicia Prygoski will discuss the 2023 Farm Bill process, what we may see as Congress continues to develop this legislation, and how to get involved to advocate for a Farm Bill that prioritizes animal protection.
Wednesday August 23, 7:00-8:30 pm. Elders Climate Action Monthly National Call. Unpacking the Farm Bill with Scott Faber. Scott Faber, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at Environmental Working Group will join us to unpack the Farm Bill, the next must-pass bill in Congress this year, and what we need to know to protect critical funds that can help address the climate crisis. Go HERE.
Thursday August 24, 5pm. Rally on Plymouth Town Hall Green - We Need You to Halt Holtech dumping of Rad Waste in Cape Cod Bay! http://saveourbayma.com And Public Hearing at 6pm. Register HERE.
Thursday August 24, 6 pm. Please join us and invite others to learn the science, microwave sickness symptoms -- and easy solutions to have excellent, safe tech connections! Our live webinars feature Q&A at the end to answer your questions, but if the times don't work, still register and we will send you our recording and slides. Go HERE.
Friday August 25, 1pm. Old Growth Forest Hike at Monroe State Forest. The Sierra Club MA Chapter is offering a wonderful opportunity to see, experience, and learn about Old-Growth forest in the mountains of western Massachusetts. A 1.5 mile hike will be guided by a MA DCR forest interpreter along the beautiful Dunbar Brook Trail in Monroe State Forest in Florida, MA (northwest section of MA near the Vermont border). Go HERE.
Saturday August 26, 5 to 10pm. Boston XR Youth End of Summer Celebration. Go to http://xryouthboston.org/
Monday August 28, 7pm. Climate Action Now Zoom Gathering. Discussion & info sharing on the September 17 March to End Fossil Fuels in NYC. Register for gathering HERE.
Beginning Wednesday, September 6 through October 18, we'll Zoom meet from 7:00-9:00 PM ET to delve into almost every aspect of plastic pollution and what we can do, as both individuals and a society, to address it head on. You can learn more about the class and register here.
Sunday September 17, 1pm. March to End Fossil Fuels.The march will start at 1pm at the intersection of 5th Ave and W 59th St, near the southeast corner of Central Park.
Please keep in mind that thousands of people (let alone dozens of
buses) can not all meet at the same intersection. We will provide more
detailed instructions for buses and group meeting locations closer to
the date of the march. The exact route and end point of the march are still being determined. We will update this website HERE If you are organizing a bus, please email griffin@climateorganizinghub.org so we can keep you updated. WMass buses HERE.
