Valley Free Radio » Climate Crisis

The Enviro Justice Show

Enviro Show — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:42:05 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. Guess who suffers more than most from pollution and environmental degradation? OK, probably the critters, but next in line are low-income communities and people of color. Surprise! Some of this may become obvious as class warfare makes itself at home in the UK. The poor get dumped on amidst the plenty. Aron Goldman of The Springfield Institute’s Environmental Justice Bike Tour joins us for the virtual tour. As always we take YOU for a tour in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, our E-Valley-uation segment, a visit with the Fool-on-the-Hill among other familiar stops, but first it’s time for…. Revenge of the Critters! Raccoon battles woman over turf!

In our E-Valley-uation segment we find radioactive Strontium in fish taken from the Connecticut River. The Union of Concerned Scientists wants the NRC to investigate Entergy Nuclear officials for lying to the public. What? Entergy lying? Can’t be! And btw, why are fish being taken from their river anyway??

We have a two for the price of one BIG Fool-on-the-Hill. It’s none other than Repugnican Rep. Bachman “solving” the energy problem and vowing to shut down the EPA!

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber you can join Public Citizen and Friends of the Earth in calling on President Obama to reject the proposed tar sands pipeline and focus on clean, safe energy alternatives OR you can go right down to the White House on August 20th with a bunch of well-dressed protesters and make your voice heard! And this: Anonymous hacks corporados here. Also: Friends of the Earth on what the debt deal means to the planet and the poor.

Then it’s time to Meet the New Boss again and it’s a sad state of affairs. We meld in our Quote of the Week from a New York Times op-ed by Drew Weston with the New Boss’s latest cave-in to the Repugs:

“The president is fond of referring to “the arc of history,” paraphrasing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous statement that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” But with his deep-seated aversion to conflict and his profound failure to understand bully dynamics — in which conciliation is always the wrong course of action, because bullies perceive it as weakness and just punch harder the next time — he has broken that arc and has likely bent it backward for at least a generation.”

On the up side you can always sign on to the Contract for the American Dream, but we’d be negligent in our duty here if we didn’t point out that much of that “dream” is a nightmare for the planet. After all, so much of prosperity involves over-consumption and waste. Hey, how about a NEW American Dream (this time we could include all of America!).

After our interview with Aron Goldman we move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Friday/Satruday August 19-20. Boston Greenfest. See: http://bostongreenfest.org/

Saturday, August 20th – September 3rd. Protest tar sands mining and the proposed Keystone pipeline! With people power and time-tested tactics of civil disobedience – join thousands of people from across the continent in a wave of sustained sit-ins at the White House. Together we’ll amplify our voices and escalate the movement and stop the Keystone XL pipeline to the Canadian tar sands. Go to:
http://www.tarsandsaction.org/ or Contact tarsandsaction@gmail.com

Saturday, August 27,1-4pm. Western Mass Green Consortium’s annual BBQ & Clambake: “Celebrate Sustainable Living” . Come have learn about projects, have fun, eat great food, dance to live music!! If you plan on attending, please register at www.westernmassgreenconsor?tium.org

Sunday, August 28, 11:30 am – 5:30 pm. JOIN THE ORGANIZING OF A REGIONAL CAMPAIGN OF NONVIOLENT DIRECT ACTION TO SHUT DOWN VERMONT YANKEE at the Norwich Congregational Church, 15 Church St, Norwich, VT. Informational sessions about Vermont Yankee and nonviolence training workshops will be scheduled for later dates, including a VT Yankee Action Camp at Wheelock Mountain Farm, in Wheelock, VT, on Friday evening Sept 9th – Saturday evening, Sept 10th – for info call Robin at 802-533-2296.

Wednesday, September 14 at 8:00pm – September 15 at 9:00pm. 24 Hours of Reality is a worldwide event that will share the reality of the climate crisis. From Tonga to Cape Verde, Mexico City to Alaska, Jakarta to London, people living with the impacts of climate change every day will tell their story. The event features a new multimedia presentation created by Al Gore and delivered once per hour for 24 hours, in every time zone around the globe. Go to: http://climaterealityproje?ct.org/the-event/

Saturday, September 17 at 6:00am. Occupy Wall Street! On September 17, we want to see 20,000 people flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months. Once there, we shall incessantly repeat one simple demand in a plurality of voices. It’s time for DEMOCRACY NOT CORPORATOCRACY! Go to: http://www.adbusters.org/b?logs/adbusters-blog/occupy?wallstreet.html

Saturday, September 24, 11:40 Gather at Pulaski Park for this year’s 350.org parade in Northampton. It’s the Moving Planet Big Freeze and Fossil Fuel Funeral. Go to: http://www.moving-planet.org/events/us/downtown-northampton/613

Thursday, Oct. 6 – We call on people of conscience and courage—all who seek peace, economic justice, human rights and a healthy environment to join together in Washington, D.C., beginning on Oct. 6, 2011, in nonviolent resistance similar to the Arab Spring and the Midwest awakening. A concert, rally and protest will kick off a powerful and sustained nonviolent resistance to the corporate criminals that dominate our government. “Stop the Machine! • Create a New World!” is a clarion call for all who are deeply concerned with injustice, militarism and environmental destruction to join in ending concentrated corporate power and taking direct control of a real participatory democracy. Go to: http://october2011.org. Regional contact: deross2@yahoo.com, tel: 802-922-4029

There. You are rid of us ’til next time, but remember: listen to your Mother!

The Troubled Atmosphere Enviro Show; Tuesday, 6:30pm

Enviro Show — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 16:19:21 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. Noticed how hard it is to breath easy here in the Valley, especially in the summer? Sylvia Brandt, Associate Professor at UMass in the Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics joins us to talk air quality, asthma, biomass incineration, maybe we’ll even get to her work on the effects of climate change on Mid-Atlantic fisheries (or is that another show?). We’ll do the Enviro Show Echo Chamber, Meet the New Boss, the Enviro Show Quote of the Week, and our E-Valley-uation thingy, but first it’s time for…Revenge of the Critters! Macho “sports” fisherman gets caught! Sorry, you’ll have to see it to believe it.

In our E-Valley-uation segment guess who got busted again at the Vermont Yankee nuke? That would be our own Jean (she’s the shifty looking one in the back row with the shades on). Hey, they’re just a bit concerned about nuclear safety, aren’t you too? And, in keeping with the show’s theme: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Rejection…err…that’s Protection issues a new air pollution permit! Timing is everything! And, time for some good news (albeit a bit dated): 335 acres saved from McMansions in B-town!

Speaking of getting busted, in the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we note that Bill McKibben (of all people!) is inviting YOU to get busted in DC in a protest against tar sands and the proposed Keystone Pipeline. Protest….in DC….in August! Eeeww! Go ahead, you can tell your grandchildren between backstrokes that you actually tried to save the planet.

Then it’s time to Meet the New boss again! Looks like one of the old bosses (Al Gore in this case) has taken a piece out of the New Boss on confronting, or NOT, the climate crisis. So what do you think, has O lost your vote?

In case you missed it the first time around, our Quote of the Week is an instant replay (above) from the winner of the 2000 Presidential election:

“Here is the core of it: we are destroying the climate balance that is essential to the survival of our civilization. This is not a distant or abstract threat; it is happening now. The United States is the only nation that can rally a global effort to save our future.” – Al Gore

“Fable” by Medollic takes us to our interview with Sylvia Brandt. Then it’s on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Friday July 8, 2011, deadline for submissions to The Healthy Environment/Healthy Springfield CARE Project. HEHS calls on Springfield’s organizations, churches and groups to submit ideas for an environmental education event that they would be willing to host. The proposed event may be a forum, community dialogue or specific educational presentation. Call 413-794-1803 for application for and guidance.

July 9-10, TRAINING for TRANSITION. The Transition movement in the U.K. ignited a global conversation and sharing about positive, creative actions to build community resilience in the face of economic instability, energy cost increases, worsening social inequity, and environmental crisis. Hefty fee. Info: www.TransitionUS.org or TinaClarke@TransitionNetwork.org, 413-658-8165

Sunday, July 10, 11am to 7pm, the first-ever Common Good Festival. Amherst Common. Award-winning activist songwriters Tom Neilson, Emma’s Revolution and Appleseed recording artists Kim and Reggie Harris headline a star-studded lineup. In addition, the festival will feature local sustainability and social justice activist groups and businesses, craft vendors, cooperative games, children’s activities, a magician and more. For more information call (413) 628-3336 (9 AM to 7:30 PM)

Saturday, July 16, 2011, 2-5pm. Festival for a Nuclear Free Future. Copley Square, Boston. The “nuclear age” began on this date 66 years ago – July 16, 1945 – with the Trinity atomic bomb test in the New Mexico desert. After a string of nuclear disaters, it’s time for the nuclear age to end. Let’s begin to end it in Copley Square on July 16, 2011! Co-sponsored by the Sierra Club. Go to: nukefreefest.org or Call 617-354-2169

Monday, July 18 to August 6. Walk for a Nuclear Free World. Starting at the Leverett Peace Pagoda, the walk goes to both Vermont Yankee and the Pilgrim nuke in Plymouth, MA ending at the Grafton, NY pagoda. Call: (413)485-8469.

Friday, July 22 through Sunday, July 24. Clamshell Alliance reunion & resurgence:For rooms, tenting and dining, the World Fellowship can accommodate up to 150 overnight, so reserve soon (www.worldfellowship.org) if you plan to stay over. For information, connection and conversation, join clamshellalliance@yahoo.com, visit the www.clamshellalliance.org website and Facebook at http://facebook.com/ClamshellAlliance.

Monday-Friday, August 15-19, 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. LATE SUMMER NATURE DISCOVERY DAYS (AGES 6-8). Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 525 South Pleasant Street, Amherst. Pre-registration required; please call 256-6006.

Done. Next time: the Revenge of the Critters Enviro Show. Author Jason Hribal joins us to talk about one of our favorite subjects! Until then remember…..listen to your Mother.

The Summer Solstice ’11 Enviro Show, Tuesday, 6:30pm

Enviro Show — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:51:40 +0000

Solstice Greetings Earthlings. It’s the longest day and time once again to honor the Earth with a Summer Solstice celebration! We visit the Enviro Show Echo Chamber, revisit the Fool-on-the-Hill and re-meet The New Boss, but first it’s time for…Revenge of the Critters! Boating on the Thames this summer? Keep your hands inside the rails!

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we find Sea Shepherd freed illegally caught Bluefin Tuna….off the coast of Libya no less! Arab Spring? Spring the Tuna! On the down side, someone on the Cape is shooting listed gray seals. What kind of person does that?? Also: Take Action to save the horseshoe crabs (who aren’t crabs at all). And this: Ken has a hissy fit over rainforest destruction. That’s an Enviro Show Video Blog Bonus and so is THIS! How about one of the Ten Worst Ideas of 2011: Auzzies kill camels to save the planet? BUT, in our Ten BEST Ideas Dept.: reboot the CCC! Remember our past shows on floating isles of garbage? Will you take the pledge to be part of the solution? Since we’re on the Oceana page here, how about speaking up against offshore drilling? Finally, down in South America it’s dammed if you do, dammed if you don’t!

In our E-Valley-uation segment we ask the musical question: Is the creaky old Vermont Yankee nuke shut down yet? No? But isn’t it the same type of nuke as the ones still melting down in Fukushima? While everyone was fixated on Rep. Weiner’s weiner, TEPCO announced that the meltdowns probably released more radioactive material into the environment than Chernobyl, making it the worst nuclear accident on record (just like D.O. said it would be). What? You haven’t heard about that announcement in the news recently? Gosh, maybe it’s not really happening! We checkout Vermont’s legal struggle with the Entergy corporados. And, this update on the struggle in Wendell to live off the grid legally (why are we even having that conversation?).

In our Meet the New Boss segment we direct Enviro Show blog readers to Bill McKibben’s “Obama Strikes Out on Global Warming” at Mother Jones AND his thoughts on the abusive relationship between O & the enviros at Grist. Goodness gracious, when former nice guy Sunday School teachers like Bill become disillusioned with the Prez….what can we say other than: say hello to the new boss! Why not call Obama to say hello and ask about putting those solar panels back on the White House? While you’re at it, why not tell him to STOP SHILLING FOR THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY!!

This week’s Fool-on-the-Hill is House Natural Resources Committee Chair Doc Hastings (a Repugnican, of course). Apparently the doctor is out. He thinks the discovery of one months worth of oil proves we have abundant oil reserves!
Wait, don’t you have to go to college for years and years to be a doc?

The King’s Drummers at the Stonehenge Summer Solstice event takes us to our Solstice celebration. Then it’s off to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday June 22,6:30 p.m. to 9:00 P.M. Annual Assessment of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will meet with the public to discuss the NRC’s assessment of safety performance at Brattleboro Union High School, 131 Fairground Road, Brattleboro, VT. Meeting contact: Donald E. Jackson , chief, Projects Branch 5, NRC. (610)337-5306

June 23-24, 9am. US District Court Hearing – Entergy vs Peter Shumlin et al. US District Court, Brattleboro, VT. Contact CAN: (413) 339-5781 Email: can@nukebusters.org

Saturday, June 25, 1 to 8pm. No Nukes Party! (And discuss non-violent action plans 3-5:30pm) Sponsored by: Wendell Conservation Commission. Co-sponsors: Clamshell Legacy and Antinuclear Mobilization; Citizens Awareness Network ; Safe & Green Campaign; Green Mtn. Post Films; W. MA AFSC; Traprock Center for Peace and Justice and the Solar Rollers. More information, call Sharon (978) 544-8822 or Tom (978) 544-3911

Sunday, July 10, 11am to 7pm, the first-ever Common Good Festival. Amherst Common. Award-winning activist songwriters Emma’s Revolution and Appleseed recording artists Kim and Reggie Harris headline a star-studded lineup. In addition, the festival will feature local sustainability and social justice activist groups and businesses, craft vendors, cooperative games, children’s activities, a magician and more. For more information call (413) 628-3336 (9 AM to 7:30 PM)

We go out with “Litha – (Summer Solstice Song)” by Lisa Thiel. It’s the Summer Solstice, what better time to listen to your Mother, right?

The Roadkill Enviro Show, 4/26, 6:30pm

Enviro Show — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:22:33 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. In the wake of Earth Day we take a deep breath and checkout the damage from the wake of all those motor vehicles out there. Derek Yorks of the Linking Landscapes turtle mortality study joins us in the studio to talk roadkill mitigation. Of course, we revisit the multiple meltdowns in Fukushima in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber as well as some direct action down in DC. Back here at home we get a local response to Entergy’s lawsuit against the state of Vermont in our E-Valley-uation segment and find out who this week’s Fool-on-the-Hill might be, and who knows, maybe we’ll even get to The Quote of the Week, but first it’s time for…Revenge of the Critters! THE best squirrel attack ever! Tooooooo long for The Enviro Show, but we’ll give you the Cliff Notes version. No roadkill for this squirrel. Instead, this squirrel kills…..well, actually, just wounds.

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber Bill McKibben rallies the troops at Powershift ’11 in the belly of the beast but quite frankly we were more impressed with Rising Tide DC taking it to the Dept. of Interior. Speaking of government agencies that don’t function so well, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) certainly qualifies! Finally, BP’s 10 BILLION dollar tax break? Give us an f’ing break!

This weeks Fool-on-the-Hill is our own Repugnican, Sen. Scott Brown. The League of Conservation Voters notes: “The good news is that all four reckless anti-clean air amendments failed to get a majority of the vote in the U.S. Senate. The bad news is that Senator Brown chose to stand with big polluters -voting to protect polluter profits and weaken public health protections.” Perhaps Scotty isn’t aware of Western Mass’ infamous air pollution? Does he really care? Run Elizabeth Warren, run!

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

In our E-Valley-uation segment we checkout both the New England Coalition’s and the Vermont Gov’s response to Entergy’s lawsuit against Vermont regarding the proposed re-licensing of the Vermont Yankee nuke. Also this: the NRC sucks! Who knew! Beyond Nuclear knows, but they’re petitioning the NRC anyway!

“We’ve got ourselves (a roadkill)” by Colleen Kattau takes us to our interview with Derek Yorks of the Linking Landscapes turtle mortality study. Then it’s on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday, April 28, 6:30, YMCA Community Room, Main Street, Greenfield. Follow-up panel discussion with co-sponsoring groups to share ideas on how we can all be involved in moving Greenfield and our region toward more sustainable energy use and food security. Part of Spring Film Series of Greening Greenfield and Friends.

Friday April 29, Noon-1:30. Takaaki Morikawa, a survivor of the Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima, will share his personal history of the event using a power point presentation and a film dramatically illustrating the devastating effects of the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the Sloan Theater Greenfield Community College.

Saturday, April 30, 7 – 9pm. “Bhopal….BP……Fukushima…..Should Corporations Get Away with Murder and Ecocide?” A conversation with Ward Moorehouse. Cohousing Common House is located at 24 Mountain Laurel Path in Florence.

Monday, May 2, 7-9:30pm. “Earth Day ’11: Facing our Present and Future through Eco-poetry, Prose, and Song”. Second Congregational Church, Court Square, Greenfield. Donation requested to cover costs. Contact: 413-625-6374 or johnpberk@gmail.com

Monday, May 2, 7:30pm Vandana Shiva: The Rights on Mother Earth. Paino Lecture Hall, Earth Sciences Building, Free and Open to the Public. Wheelchair Accessible

Saturday May 7, 10:00am -1:00pm. The City of Holyoke is hosting a City Wide Clean Up Day. SEIU Local 888 rep Scott Burns says: This is an excellent
and fun opportunity for us to give back to the community. The city will provide pizza and refreshments afterward at Heritage State Park. Contact: sburns9960@aim.com

Saturday, May 21, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. From the Grassroots Up: Stop Incentives for Incinerators. A strategy meeting for activists working to stop biomass and waste burners. Doyle Center, Leominster MA. RSVP: Biomass Accountability Project at 800-729-1363 or stopbiomassburning@gmail.com

Sunday, Sunday, May 22, 10am. Manhan Rail Trail Grand Opening Ceremony and Rolling Party. Bike riders and walkers are invited to explore the new rail trail and art spots along the way. Riders can meet at 10am at Millside Park in Easthampton for bagels and musical performances, and then at 11 ride to the Route 10 Bridge. At 12, Mayor Higgins and Mayor Tautznik will cut the ribbon on the Bridge, and afterwards the procession will make its way to a concluding lunch at Veteran’s Field in Northampton.

Next time it’s Barking Up The Enviro Show with Michael Wojtech. Until then remember: LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER! (sorry, didn’t mean to yell).

Return of the Shopocalypse Enviro Show, Tues, 6:30pm

Enviro Show — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:02:05 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. Here we go again: people shopping ’til they’re dropping. Sooooo many toys, so little time? How about putting that money to good use? Rev. Billy calls-in once again to preach about the coming Shopocalypse. Then we get calls from Kristin DeBoer of Kestrel Trust and Lily Lombard of Grow Food Northampton; places where your gift donations will be money well spent. As usual, we’ll also checkout our E-Valley-uation segment, The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and our Enviro Show Quote of the Week, but first it’s time for…Revenge of the Critters! Reindeer attack….again and again!

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber it’s time to revisit Frosty The Snowman Melted By Global Warming; it’s sad but true. Also, some good things come in threes at the New York Times to counteract that Frosty meltdown: 1) Obama administration rescindeds its decision to expand offshore oil exploration into the eastern Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic Coast; 2) Solar installation spreein progress, and 3) Midwest emerges as center for clean power. Who says we’re all gloom & doom! Our Enviro Show Blog Bonus asks YOU to take action to protect Bluefin Tuna.

In our E-Valley-uation segment the good news is that State energy and environment secretary Ian Bowles will leave the Patrick administration at the end of the month and “pursue private sector opportunities”. Hey, maybe we scared him on our last show! The not-so-good news is that former Westfield mayor, Rick Sullivan is taking Bowles place. The last time we saw Sullivan he was solidly on the fence on the Biomess. Also this: Peter Vickery kicks off a new Mt. Tom campaign. He’s talking conversion to natural gas instead of all that coal from blown-off mountain tops down south.

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week is a variation on a theme: “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed”. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

The choir sings of the “Shopocalypse”, segwaying nicely to our call with Rev. Billy and our other guests.

Then it’s on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

December, all month; A two person exhibit of the photographs of Lynn Grabowski and the oil paintings of Gillian Haven at the Burnett Gallery in Amherst. Titled As We See It, the exhibit presents the vision of each artist observing her surroundings.Lynn Grabowski’s Amherst Beaver Project, studies a colony of beavers residing along the Norwottuck Rail Trail. Call (413)538-5695

Wednesday, December 8, 7:00-8:30pm. Second Decommissioning Forum on VT Yankee. Greenfield Community College, Downtown Building, Main Street, Greenfield, MA Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Deb Katz 413-339-5781

Friday Dec. 10th and Saturday the 11th at 7:30 p.m. & Sunday, Dec. 12th at 2 p.m. “Welcome Yule: A Midwinter Celebration”; Shea Theater, Avenue A, Turners Falls, Music, dance, songs and stories celebrating the return of the light. Reserve tickets at (413) 863-2281 or purchase in advance at Jones Library in Amherst, Broadside Books in Northampton, the World Eye Bookstore in Greenfield, For information, call 413-665-3206 or check www.WelcomeYule.org

Saturday, December 11, 1 – 2pm. “Finding you way in the woods”. Have you ever found yourself lost in the woods? Join us for an hour long exploration of compasses as well as the basics of the sport of orienteering. Great Falls Discovery Center. 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls. Call 413-863-3221

Monday, December 13, 6:30 – 8:30p.m. (Snow Date: Thursday, December 16). DCR Forest Futures Implementation [or who gets clearcut!]- Public Workshops. Greenfield Community College, Downtown Center, 270- Main St, Greenfield. There will also be an opportunity to provide written comments. For more information on these workshops or the landscape
designation process, please feel free to contact Jessica Rowcroft at either jessica.rowcroft@state.ma.us or at 617-626-1380.

Attention shoppers! Time to stay home and enjoy the holidays or take a walk in the woods. Next time it’s our Winter Solstice Music Show. Stay tuned and remember: listen to your Mother!

The Green Vote Enviro Show, Tuesday, 6:30pm

Enviro Show — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:58:52 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. With the 2010 Elections behind us and a House full of cretins in front of us we welcome Green-Rainbow Party Candidate for Massachusetts State Auditor, Nat Fortune to the show. We’ll check-in with Nat about the Party’s annual convention at Clark University in Worcester last week and his excellent run for office that put the Green-Rainbow Party on the map for the future. As always we visit The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and our E-Valley-uation and Fool on the Hill segments. We’ll also give you our Enviro Show Quote of the Week and if time allows we’ll Meet the New Boss once again, but first it’s time for….
Revenge of the Critters! Elephants bust out! It’s not just the GOP taking out poor farmers.

In our Fool on the Hill segment we find Senator Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Democrat, has concerns that greenhouse gas permitting requirements would dissuade the use of biomass to generate power. Not too worry, Deb, your concerns were addressed by the EPA’s, Lisa Jackson who has stated the U.S. EPA will “exercise whatever discretion the Clean Air Act affords” to shield biomass users from the agency’s climate rules. Sorry Lisa & Debbie, it’s the climate that rules! Of course, there’s more than one Fool on THAT Hill: Repugnican Eric Cantor (R-VA), the likely House Majority Leader, calls for House committees to review proposed and existing regulations and issue reports, presumably recommending alteration or repeal of regulations the committees dislike. The document derides regulation, commenting on its cost to businesses without mentioning its benefits to society as a whole. Surprise!

On the same issue some Obamaistas take a hit from the folks at EnergyJustice.Net who “voiced sharp disagreement with Secretary Vilsack’s support for burning America’s forests for electricity, expressed in a USDA Press Release November 10.” We’re thinkin’ those forests might come in handy sequestering carbon, no? “Greenland is Melting Down”by our friend Tom Neilson should put a nice cap on that one.

Speaking of the Biomess, here in our E-Valley-uation segment we introduce you to a new website for the Bennington-Berkshire Citizens Coalition organizing around yet another proposed biomass incinerator (OK, so it’s not exactly our valley, but we ARE downwind, right?). This proposed project will also produce those cute little biomess pellets, the ones that used to be trees, right? Trees that sequestered carbon, right? Like the site says: “The wood needed for the Pownal plant will be close to about 600,000 green tons per year, more than the entire annual timber harvest on private and public lands in Massachusetts.” What? You think this stuff grows on trees?? Also this: the Biomess takes hits in both Greenfield and Springfield!

Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week puts us back into the Wayback Machine in keeping with tonight’s theme, where Massachusetts’ own John Quincy Adams reminds us: ““Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we replay Public Citizen’s alert: “Time is running out for the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. The Commission has less than two months to complete its report examining the causes of the Deepwater Horizon disaster and recommending steps to guard against future oil spills. The Commissioners are still waiting for the Senate, to give it subpoena power – a necessary tool to get at the core of the oil spill tragedy. Tell the Senate to stop being lame: Give the oil spill commission the authority to do its job!

After our interview with Nat Fortune it’s on to The Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday, November 25, Tar Sands Conference, University of Alberta, Canada. “Everyone’s Downstream” is an annual conference that brings together community members, activists and others fighting the global infrastructure of the tar sands gigaproject. Go to: http://www.everyonesdownstream.org/

Wednesday, December 1, 7pm. the award-winning film, “Scarred Lands/Wounded Lives: The Environmental Footprint of War” The film will be aired in 106 Seelye Hall, Smith College, Northampton.

Monday, December 13, 6:30 – 8:30p.m. (Snow Date: Thursday, December 16). DCR Forest Futures Implementation [or who gets clearcut!] Public Workshops. Greenfield Community College, Downtown Center, 270- Main St, Greenfield. There will also be an opportunity to provide written comments. For more information on these workshops or the landscape designation process, please feel free to contact Jessica Rowcroft at 617-626-1380.

Thursday, December 16, 12:30-2pm, WMass Green Economy Working Group. Brown Bag Lunch at Noon, Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO Hall, 640 Page Boulevard, Springfield (732-7970).

OK, so don’t forget to vote…..umm…sorry, we already did that. Next time Rev. Billy calls in about the coming Shopocalypse. Until then, remember, listen to your Mother!

The Toxic 100 Enviro Show, Tuesday, 6:30pm

Enviro Show — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 12:58:32 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. Tired of the toxic atmosphere these days? Michael Ash and Jim Boyce of our own UMass Political Economy Research Institute clue us in on the Toxic 100 Air Polluters in the nation. Speaking of breathing room, Massachusetts has significantly reduced mercury emissions from power plants and incinerators. We’ll check that out in the Enviro Show Echo Chamber and see what’s happening locally in our E-Valley-uation segment. As always, we give you the Quote of the Week and maybe have another look at The Fool on the Hill, but first it’s time for….Revenge of the Critters! “New Zealand has these big green parrots called keas, which like to eat windshield wipers. Why do you suppose they hate cars so much??

The Enviro Show Quote of the week is a special post-election choice from none other than Ronnie Raygun: “Approximately 80% of our air pollution stems from hydrocarbons released by vegetation, so let’s not go overboard in setting and enforcing tough emission standards from man-made sources.” Whoa! a real man of science there, huh?

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we find the outfit that tops the PERI list of Toxic 100 Polluters, Bayer, has just hooked up with Pew’s Center on Global Climate Change. Phew! What’s that smell?? Also, we go over the good news about less mercury pollution here in the Commonwealth and the bad news about Governor Patrick’s $91 Million Barge to Nowhere! That’s no Love Boat! And, more good news: deciduous plants absorb about a third more of a common class of air-polluting chemicals than previously thought. Quick, go plant a tree! Finally, it seems the corporados are busy hi-jacking the UN’s COP-10 Biodiversity conference in Japan.

In our E-Valley-uation segment there’s a blue light special: Attention shoppers: Broken down old Nuke For Sale!

On the Fool on the Hill segment we go plural once again: There are no newly elected Republican freshmen, in the House or Senate, who admit the science of climate change is real. What a surprise. Must be all the tea they are smok….err…drinking.

Finally, it’s time to checkout the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, Nov 10, 7 to 9pm. Do you want to find out more about the Transition Town movement and explore transition with others in Greenfield? If yes, come to a free evening of film & discussion the Second Congregational Church on the Greenfield Town Common. Refreshments will be served. For more information contact Greening Greenfield Energy Committee at 413-773-7004 or 413-773-0228

Tuesday, November 16, 6:30-8:30pm. Do you want to find out how to cut your heating costs? Go to GCTV, 393 Main Street, Greenfield, MA. Refreshments will be served. To find out more contact the Greening Greenfield Energy Committee at 774-5667.

Thursday, November 18, 3:30pm. Next meeting of Nuclear Free Future at the new AFSC office, 2 Conz Street, Suite 2B, Northampton. Call: 413-584-8975

Thursday, November 18, 7 – 8:30pm. Turkey Anyone? Have you ever wondered about wild turkeys? Just how did they get associated with Thanksgiving? Come learn from expert Joe Judd. Great Falls Discovery Center, Avenue A, Turners Falls. Call: 413-863-3221

November 19 – 21. Pricing Carbon Conference. A national conference co-hosted by and held at Wesleyan University in central Connecticut, to explore educational, organizing and political strategies to directly price carbon emissions and to build the essential cornerstone of effective climate policy: policies that transparently and equitably put a price on carbon pollution. Please inquire about scholarships offered to students and climate activists with Tom Stokes, (413) 243-5665. Go to: http://pricingcarbon.org/

That’s it. Next time Nat Fortune joins us for a post-election wrap. Until then remeber, listen to your Mother!

The Summer Solstice Enviro Show, Tuesday, June 22, 6:30pm

Enviro Show — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 00:21:13 +0000

The Summer Solstice Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlngs. It’s that time of year again: Summer Solstice, time for the fire festival. Happy Midsummer Eve! Our in-house pagans, Laura & Penny return to (ahem!) enlighten us all. Also, roving reporter (and Bardic Insurgent) Tom Neilson calls in from the U.S. Social Forum. And, a call from Mike Howells, an activist from New Orleans with his finger on the pulse of what’s going on with grassroots response to BP’s crimes against the planet. As always, we’ll scope out the news in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, as well as locally in our E-Valley-uation segment where we introduce (fanfare please) our very first Annual Enviro Show Big Green Clear Cutters Award!, but first, it’s time for……Revenge of the Critters! Gardeners beware! It’s the Attack of the Killer Mutant Leek Moths!

OK Enviro Show fans, let’s get right to it: here in our E-Vally-uation segment we present the Annual Enviro Show Big Green Clear Cutters Award! This award goes to out to someone who professes to be “green”, but who actually is a sort of mottled crud gray with brown streaks. OK? Are you ready? The envelope please…………this years Annual Enviro Show Big Green Clear Cutters Award goes to the Massachusetts Sierra Club’s Elisa Campbell!! Elisa is receiving the award for her recent vote at the Quabbin Watershed Advisory Committee to continue clearcutting in the Quabbin watershed. What’s that you say? The same Elisa Campbell of Mass. Sierra who is a proponent of nukes and developments? You are correct! Now for the VERY good news on our local Biomess: Manomet Study confirms activists warning: Biomass incineration worse than coal! (OK, so the Post story says zip about about activists but……WE TOLD YOU SO!)

“Oil and water don’t mix” by Recycleman & the Dumpster Divers takes us to the Enviro Show Echo Chamber where Robert Reich reminds us that BP is not a person (you know, like D.O. is?….sort of?). And this:….Big Oil eats its young: BP thrown under the bus. However, Big Oil’s friend Rep. Joe Barton fell all over himself to….are you ready? apologize to BP! No apologies from Diane Wilson though; she got in BP honcho, Tony Hayward’s face at those hearings in DC. Also, remember the International Whaling Commission is meeting to discuss the resumption of whaling? (can you believe these people??). Why not be one one in a million and say NO WAY! Finally, speaking of driving critters to extinction, how about defending the lions!

In our Meet the New Boss segment the group, Seize BP responds to Obama’s speech from the Oval Office on the BP/Haliburton crime against the planet. Also, checkout our own Rachel Maddow’s fake president speech to the nation!

Then it’s on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

June 22-26. U.S. SOCIAL FORUM , Detroit. The US Social Forum is a very special kind of gathering. It isn’t a conference with an agenda and a program of events; it’s a convergence of movements, communities, and cultures whose participants produce their own agenda and programs. It is a MOVEMENT BUILDING process. It is a space to come up with peoples’ solutions to the economic and ecological crisis. Info: http://www.ussf2010.org.

Wednesday, June 23, 12:30-2pm. GREENWORK: THE WESTERN MASS GREEN ECONOMY WORKING GROUP. Brown Bag Lunch at Noon, Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO Hall, 640 Page Boulevard, Springfield (732-7970).

Saturday, June 26, all day. Draw a Line in the Sand. Go to: www.350.org/hands

Monday, June 28, 6:00-7:30 p.m. DEP public hearing on the scope of the C&D study for the proposed Biomass incinerators. John F. Kennedy Middle School (Cafeteria)?, 1385 Berkshire Avenue ,?Indian Orchard. C&D incineration will remain under consideration as an energy source despite the outcome of the ballot initiative because it can be a very profitable industrywithout tax credits due to tipping fees. The Manomet study only addresses virgin wood.Call (617)292-5500 for more info.

Tuesday, June 29, 6:00pm -8:00pm. Massachusetts Gubernatorial Forum on Energy and the Environment. Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington Street, Boston. For more information, please e-mail cleanwateractionma@gmail.com.

Saturday, July 24, 9 a.m. to noon. HERBWALK: WILD PLANTS AND THEIR ROLES AS MEDICINES AND FOODS. Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006. Hitchock Center for the Environment, 525 South Pleasant Street, Amherst.

That is all. Another incredible week on Planet Earth. Soooo, remember when you’re out there: listen to your Mother!

The Slippery Critters Enviro Show

Enviro Show — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:17:10 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. Happy Air Quality Awareness Week! How’s that “Drill, Baby Drill!” working out for ‘ya? We’ll be looking into some of the slippery characters and their corporado friends responsible for the slippery critters in the unmitigated disaster in the Gulf of Mexico; that during The Enviro Show Echo Chamber. Research professor at the Department of Natural Resources Conservation, UMass Amherst, and leader of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Stephen DeStefano joins us to talk about those critters slipping through your yard. His recent book, “Coyote at the Kitchen Door” is making the rounds here in the studio. As usual, we’ll delve into some of the local news in our E-Valley-uation segment and do The Enviro Show Quote of the Week, but first it’s time for….

Revenge of the Critters! Sea Turtles aren’t simply victims of us four-leggeds ‘ya know. Tables turned on the little surfer girl!

In the Enviro Show Quote of the Week we turn to Rachel Carson once again:

“It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose, should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life”.

“Beds are Burning” by Midnight Oil takes us to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber where we go straight to Hell via the Gulf of Mexico. Opps! Sorry, wrong Hell. We meant to go HERE. The BP oil well blow-out disaster took the lives of 11 workers, but how many other beings will die? Will the Gulf Deadzone be ….um..deader? What about the effect of all those dispersants? And this: how about MORE OFFSHORE OIL WELLS! No? Then tell Obama to forget oil drilling off our coastlines! Finally, did MMS rubber stamp BP’s oil well operation? Would that be the same MMS that rubber stamped the Cape Wind corporate giveaway??

In our E-Valley-uation segment we focus on The Quabbin Walk scheduled for Monday, May 17 to Sunday, May 23. Will you be joining us on the Walk? Up a tree?

Then it’s on to our interview with Stephen DeStefano followed by a trip to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Friday, May 14 Day of Action in response to the Gulf Coast oil crisis. The price of burning fossil fuels is too high. From extraction to combustion, the oil industry poisons our communities, destroys ecosystems, and destabilizes the climate. Now is the time to stop offshore drilling dead in its tracks. Take action at: BP gas stations and offices, Federal Buildings or Offices of members of Congress. Go to: www.actforclimatejustice.org

Saturday. May 15 & Sunday, May 16. Training for Transition. The First Congregational Church and the Montague Grange in Montague Center. At the Training for Transition course, you will Explore how the Transition process increases community resilience in energy and other aspects of self-reliance. Call: 413-781-6045 x311

Monday, May 17 to Sunday, May 23. Beginning in North Orange going eastward toward Petersham and ending in New Salem, the Walk hopes to raise awareness that future survival of life on Earth for all species is being threatened by deforestation all over the planet. Call (413) 522-7505

Thursday, May 20, 5pm to 7pm. Compost and Rain barrel Distribution at the DPW, 125 Locust St., Northampton. Contact GREEN Northampton, info@GREENNorthampton.org or Karen at the DPW, 413-587-1570 x314

What a week for Mother Earth(groan). Next time it’s Forest Forensics with Tom Wessels. Tune in and remember: listen to YOUR Mother!

The Spring VFR On-air Fund Drive Enviro Show

Enviro Show — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:03:06 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. It’s time to pay the piper once again. Valley Free Radio runs on YOUR donations, not on corporate largess that dictates content. VFR is independent community radio and The Enviro Show is just one of many locally produced shows that VFR makes possible. Now we are asking you to help keep the show on the air. To help us during the fund drive our roving reporter and legendary troubadour, Tom Neilson joins us for the hour. We’ll engage in a bit of Echo Chamber reverb and do The Quote of the Week and our E- Valley-uation segment, but first it’s time for……..Revenge of the Critters! Jellyfish turn the tables on the fishers.

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we revisit a recent alert from the Stop Spewing Carbon campaign. Here’s your link to take action and end the bullshit about biomass incineration being “renewable” or “green”. Also some negative feedback on positive methane feedback. OK, that sounds confusing but it really stinks!

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week is a post-Earth Day special:

“What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?”

- Henry David Thoreau

Meanwhile, back here in The Valley we’re all worked up over the clear-cutting going on by the Quabbin. What? You thought it was an eco-forestry showcase over there? Sorry, take a look for yourself here. Then tell the Gov. to STOP IT!.

Did we mention that Valley Free Radio runs on YOUR donations? We did? Wellllllll…..how about it?? You can go HERE right now and add your name to the list of those who support The Enviro Show and community radio!

On The Bus Top Billboard we find these:

Sunday, May 2, 10 a.m. to noon: Fort River Festival. Guided Canoe Trip; noon to 2 p.m.: Join a variety of naturalists and community organizations in celebrating the Fort River, the longest free flowing tributary of the Connecticut River in Massachusetts! Learn about unique fish species. There will be speakers, music, family activities and a Rubber Ducky Derby! For more information, go to www.fortriverfestival.com. Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006.

Any 24-hour period during May 14-16 or May 21-23. BIOTHON 2010. You’ve heard of marathons, walk-a-thons, and dance-a-thons! Well, here’s our version: the Biothon!! Help the Hitchcock Center and have fun being outdoors at the same time. The idea is that you and/or a team of other nature enthusiasts go outside and look for as many species as you can during any 24-hour period over the weekends of May 14-16 or May 21-23. You pick how long you want to go out, your location, and your focus: plants, birds, amphibians, mammals or everything! For every species you count, you collect pledges of money from colleagues, friends and family. It’s really that easy… and fun. Just call (413) 256-6006 for information on how you can get started, and we’ll supply you with everything you need.

May 15, 11am – 2pm. Migration Celebration. Great Falls Discovery Center, Avenue A, Turners Falls. It’s migration season, the perfect time for the whole family to learn about the birds we see in our skies and neighborhoods. Where do they stay in winter? How do they know how to get back here? If they are endangered, what can we do to help them? We’ll have games and challenges to help you find out. Build a birdhouse (we’ll have all the materials you’ll need), play games, make a craft item to take home with you, have fun! Food and drink will help make this a true celebration. Call 413.863.3221 for info.

May 27 – June 6. Mountain Justice Summer Camp. As the campaign to stop all forms of surface mining gains national awareness, we have more and more opportunities for folks to devote a summer of work to stopping mountaintop removal. Go to: http://www.mountainjusticesummer.org/

OK, you’ve caught the show (short & sweet as it was ‘cuz of all the pleas if you please), you’ve made your pledge to Valley Free Radio……right? (right?) Now, all that’s left to do is…..listen to your Mother!

Another Spring Equinox Enviro Show, 3/16, 6:30pm

Enviro Show — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:03:57 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. Breakout the scarlet eggs and round-up those hares, it’s almost time to celebrate Lady Day or the Festival of the Goddess Eostar. Our in-house pagans, Laura & Penny return to these microphones to explain the Rites of Spring. As usual we’ll also checkout the latest enviro news in the Echo Chamber and the local angle in our E-Valley-uation segment. Additionally, we present The Enviro Show Quote of the Week and Meet the New Boss, but first it’s time for…Revenge of the Critters! Speaking of the Spring bunny, let’s rewind the: Crazed hare attack!

In our Meet the New Boss segment it’s same old/same old as Lisa Jackson’s EPA fails us on several fronts. Clean water? Maybe not!. Carbon emissions as pollution? Maybe later. And finally this: Obama greenwashes nukes. Yes he can!

On to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber! Time for some good news, yes? Grist informed us months ago that properly sited wind power and a good grid really can free us from fossils. And this: Groups Oppose Tax Credits for Biomass Burning. Also from Grist: Big Oil’s astroturf efforts against so-called “energy taxes” features fake people! As it turns out, the “Americans” presented in the ad are stock photos from Getty Images. What? They can’t find real people to support them?? And finally, nitrous oxide in ocean dead zones are trashing the atmosphere. Will we die laughing?

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week is all about Spring:

“Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!”

- Chief Sitting Bull (Tatanka Yotanka)

We wrap up the news in our E-Valley-uation segment where The Greenfield Recorder informs us that Greenfield & Montague are in a race to meet green rules. Soooo, where do biomass incinerators fit into the greening of Greenfield? Just asking!

Miriam Stockley’s “Spring” from her “Second Nature” album takes us to favorite pagans and everything you ever wanted to know about The Spring Equinox, also called the “Festival of Trees, Alban Eilir (Celtic), Ostara, (Germanic) and the Rites of Eostre (Norse and Northumberland). This fertility rite celebrates the birth of Spring and the reawakening of life from the Earth. It is the origin of many of the secular traditions surrounding the Christian holiday of Easter.” That from The Pagan Institute.

Then it’s on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday, March 18, 7-8:30pm. The Meaning of Wilderness. Doug Seale will lead us through an exploration of how the meaning of wilderness has changed over time and how these various attitudes shape our interactions with nature, with special attention to Thoreau, Emerson, Muir, Marsh, T. Roosevelt, Leopold, and a few others. Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A., Turners Falls, MA 01376, Ph 413.863.3221

March 20, 11am. Vigil & March in Northampton. Main Street to City Hall. Bring the War Dollars Home: Stop the Killing! On the 7th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq a protest demanding an end to U.S. military action in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Please plan to join the Vigil which starts at 11:00, and march down Main Street starting at 12:00 (rain or shine, we will march). Call: (413) 584-6425

Saturday, March 20, 7:30 pm. Dave Lippman aka. Wild Bill Bailout will be at the Echo Lake Coffeehouse, Leverett Town Hall, Leverett Center. Call 413-548-9394

Sunday, March 21, 2 to 5pm. A Spring Equinox celebration to be held at the Montague Grange Hall in Montague, MA. Bring flower seeds for the community basket. You may also bring seed packets (marked clearly with your name) to be blessed by the energies of the Lady or Spring and the Lord of the Green. A potluck to follow. To aid those members of our community with food allergies, please clearly mark home cooked offerings with ingredients. Please no alcoholic beverages. This is a kid encouraged, family friendly, event! Sponsored by Weavers, the local council of the Covenant of the Goddess For more information, contact Laura at Laura_Wildman_Hanlon(at)hotmail.com

Wednesday March 31, Noon. Picket Bank of America! Monarch Place, corner of Main Street and Boland Way, downtown Springfield. The reckless greed of big Wall Street banks helped wreck the American economy, kill American jobs, and divert money away from safe, sustainable energy. We have three clear demands of the banks:1. Stop refusing to pay your fair share to restore the jobs you destroyed. 2. Stop fighting financial reform. 3. Start lending to your communities, small businesses, and others starved for credit. Other area BOAs may be picketed as well. Call (413) 732-7970

OK, we are so over & out. Tune in next time for that Damn Vermont Yankee Enviro Show with Deb Katz. Until then remember to…….listen to your Mother!

The Winter Solstice Enviro Show, 12/23, 6:30pm

Enviro Show — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:55:10 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. We celebrate the Return of the Sun with Cassie and Winifred of Awentree in Easthampton. No, it’s not the manifestation of Bill O’Reilly’s “War against Christmas”, but hey, let’s talk about the Christian War against Pagans while we’re at it! Speaking of war, we’ll checkout that infamous warmonger Darth Cheney and his target practice dummy (btw, do not throw your shoes at the radio). As always, we’ll peek into The Enviro Show Echo Chamber for the news of the day and give you the Quote of the week, but first it’s time for……Revenge of the Critters! Santa attacked by bobcat in Jersey!

There’s that theme again! So Glen, how long before Darth & the boy emperor have to hang their stockings somewhere else? As you may have heard, W has been very naughty: he’s endangered the polar bears. Santa will not be pleased!

That heartwarming tune, “All I want for Christmas is to impeach the President” takes us to the Enviro Show Echo Chamber where there’s good news to report (finally!), three dams are to be taken out on the Klamath River in Oregon and California (you see, it’s not all gloom & doom). Having said that, the Amazon? Not so much. AND this: Obama’s pick of Ken Salazar for Interior Secretary gets mixed reviews. ALSO, another Enviro Show Video Blog Special, this one for the holidays!

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week comes from Jonathan Swift: “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.”

The Pagans & the Christians” by Dar Williams takes us to our interview with…..the pagans!

Then it’s on to the Bus Stop Billboard for a brief perusal:

Saturday, January 10. Washington, DC or…? Keep Winter Cold Polar Bear Plunge. We chose this date because the newly-elected U.S. Congress will be returning to Capitol Hill around this time. The new President will be inaugurated 10 days later. Our plunges into cold bodies of water will say loud and clear to our state and national government leaders that the time for strong action is now!Go to: http://www.keepwintercold.org.

January 9-11, 2009 – Please join us for our annual Winter Retreat for Earth Lovers, to be held at Earthlands in Petersham, Massachusetts. Take some time to reflect in the depths of winter while connecting with the natural world and with one another. Spaces are limited, so sign up soon! Please see our website for a retreat flyer with details and registration information, http://sacredearthnetwork.org/updates/

Saturday, January 17th, All day. Join the Northeast Organic Farming Association for the 22nd Annual Winter Conference, Organic Farming: The Roots of a Sustainable Community. The conference will be held at Worcester Vocational Technical High School in Worcester from 9:00am-5:30pm. Pre-registration is now open. For more information, visit the NOFA/Mass website or contact Conference Coordinator, Jassy Bratko at (978) 928-5646

We’ll go out with “The holidays are here and we’re still at war” by Brett Dennen. Can you belive this?? Next time it’s the wonderful world of run-off. Until then remember: listen to your Mother!

The Dump on the Aquifer Enviro Show, Part 2

Enviro Show — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:18:54 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. It’s a proposed landfill expansion hootenanny! Mary Serreze, whose recent piece in The Valley Advocate about Zero Waste and the dump issue, joins us to ask the musical question: Does your water taste funny when your neighbors dump on it? Also, we look deep into the darkness with Darth Cheney and the boy emperor. We’ll checkout The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and the Quote of the Week, but first it’s time for… Revenge of the Critters! Shark attacks boy….in his bedroom!

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week comes from author, Susan Griffin: “The part of the mind that is dark to us in this culture, that is sleeping in us, that we name ‘unconscious’, is the knowledge that we are inseparable from all other beings in the universe”.

There’s the Darth Cheney fanfare again! Glen! Tell us it’s over NOW!! When do Darth Cheney and his little sock puppet exit stage right? We’ve been talking these past few weeks about all the ecological damage these enemies of the planet are doing on their way out the door. Last time we delved into the top 100 Bush regime rollbacks. Now add this one: their vile minions in the EPA have finalized rules that will make it easier for mountaintop mining companies to dump their waste near rivers and streams.

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we pile on DC insiders Environmental Defense along with our friends from Rising Tide over that carbon trading scam you keep hearing about. Also, did Big Auto really earn that loan? AND, Obama embraces Big Oil with the James Jones pick.

Then, live from the luxurious Pine Street Studios of WXOJ-LP it’s Mary Serreze and the Zero Waste Valley Band! After Mary rocks the walls we’ll have a chat about this concept of putting a dump over an aquifer. Is that living better through chemistry??

Then it’s on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Tuesday, December 9 at 8 PM. Talk to Bill McKibben and Michael Brune about Global Warming. Prepare for an earnest and lively discussion with RAN Executive Director Michael Brune and writer-activist Bill McKibben, followed by a Q & A the steps we need to take collectively to free our country and our world of fossil fuels. You can remind Bill that Cape Wind is the privatization of the Commons! Just call: 1-866-864-8698 And type in the passcode: 1051283210

Thurday, December 11, 6pm. Home Depot “Grand Opening” sprawl teach-in. Food for Thought Books, Amherst. Scheduled speakers so far include Emily Kawano (populareconomics.org), Jeff Lacey (Shutes Planning Board and professional planner, who will project some great slides on the wall). We’ll be approaching the issue from the same diversity of perspectives that worked so nicely for the wal-mart campaign: local economy, downtowns, employers, domestic workers, sweatshops abroad, students, seniors, environmentalists, cyclists, etc. For info call: 413 549 1193

Saturday, December 13, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Small animals up close. Family science days are designed for families with children ages 5-8, with adults participating along with their children. Come get to know some small but interesting animals. Learn how to study them as you explore their special behaviors and adaptations. Some of the creatures you may meet are: walking stick insects, land snails, goldfish, hissing cockroaches, large millipedes and Speedy the box turtle. Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006.

Thursday, Dec. 18, 7-9pm. Ritual Chant Circle to embrace the time of Yule and the Winter Season. 102 Cottage Street in Easthampton. (413) 527-3331

http://www.awentree.com

Dec 19, 20th and 21st. Mountain Justice is hosting a Winter Campout at Frog Level Tennessee. If you love mountains, camping, hiking, the forest and all that is wild your invited to the Winter Solstice camp. Go to: www.mountainjusticesummer.org or email: unitedmountaindefense@yahoo.com or call: 865 257 4029

OK, that’s it for this week. Next time it’s our Winter Solstice party. Don’t move that dial….and remember: listen to your Mother!

The Safe & Green Enviro Show

Enviro Show — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:29:46 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. Will we be safe & green in the Obama era? Does that clunky, leaky old nuke just over the Vermont border put you on edge? Randy Kehler joins us in the studio to talk turkey about unsafe nukes, safe energy, and the Safe & Green Campaign. We’ll delve into the latest news on the environment during The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and have a peek at the dark side where Darth Cheney, the boy emperor and their minions deliver their final blows to the biosphere. There will be the Enviro Show Quote of the Day and the usual hi-jinks concerning the upcoming “biggest shopping day”, but first it’s time for….Revenge of the Critters! Turkeys attack dirt biker!

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber the BIG news is DINGELL’S OUT! The Congressman from Big Auto gets towed!! The Waxman is in! Also, Obama on climate change. You’ll note he doesn’t use the term “climate crisis”. There’s only a “financial crisis”. Tell that to the south sea islanders and the polar bears! Also, That One is talking cap & trade, he’s talking nukes, “clean” coal (groan). Say it ain’t so, O! Finally, Dems boot Lieberman from Environment Committee (how’s THAT for Joe-mentum! What? you want MORE punishment for Traitor Joe?

Brrr! It ain’t just the cold that makes us shiver. Glen! Tell us it’s over soon!! Darth Cheney and the boy emperor have trashed years worth of environmental protection. Will Obama reverse the worse 100 Bush regime rollbacks? Sign the petition. OK, last time we told you about the Bush regime’s 11th hour move for more wolf slaughter out west, right? It’s time to TAKE ACTION! There’s only a few more days to get your comments to U.S. Fish & Wildlife (of course, you COULD deliver your comments in-person to their office on Rt. 9 in Hadley behind Staples, maybe along with….what? some theatrics? IF you wanted to).

The Enviro Show Quote of the day is a variation on our theme, it comes from Albert Einstein: “The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophes”

“The Great Unknown” by Dar Williams from “The Honesty Room” takes us to our interview with Randy Kehler. We’ll open up the phone lines……ok, so there’s only one line..so you listeners can get in on the conversation.

The we checkout the Bus Stop Billboard:

Monday December 8, 6pm, Commuter Rail Hearing. TD Banknorth Conference Center, 1441 Main St, Springfield. ConnDOT will hold public hearings for the preparation of an Environmental Assessment for the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield commuter line. Info: http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?Q=425266&A=1373.

Hmmm, not much happening this week. Must be that everyone’s hunkered down by the wood stove (remember “split wood not atoms”?). Whatever. Until next time, remember: listen to your Mother!

Another Very Scary Enviro Show

Enviro Show — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:33:36 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. Coming up on Halloween and not many days before we find out if we’re FINALLY rid of the Repugnican scourge OR subjected to yet another stolen election. Very scary. If it’s the latter, prepare to occupy the White House. Maybe we’ll paint it black! Tonight we’ll checkout the usual haunts for frightening news about the end of the world as we know it. Also, Tamara, the house witch, returns to these microphones to set the seasonal mood, as well as Betsy Dumont, a local bat expert from the Department of Biology at UMass Amherst, but first it’ time for…… Revenge of the Critters! Big Black Brit Cat Attack!.

After Tamara tells us about the thin veil between the world of the living and that of the dead we’ll hear from Count Dracula who hits the spike on the head when he tells us there ARE far worse things than death, like the gloom and doom of the climate crisis maybe? What? Gloom & doom on The Enviro Show? Nooooo! Say it ain’t so, Joe!

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we checkout the Reuters story, Arctic air temperatures climb to record levels. So, what’s worse than dropping dead on the spot? How about slowly starving or contracting some gruesome tropical disease! Here’s some gloom & doom from Greenpeace. Not gloomy enough? How about The Most Dangerous Project on Earth? Had enough? Let’s move on!

O no! He’s back!! Lord Cheney. Glen? Can’t you get rid of these bad actors?? How much longer must we endure them? So, last time we had Darth Cheney here in the studio, kind of, right? How can we top that?? How about with this: Cheney LIKES being compared to Darth!. Perfect! Happy Halloween!

After we dance to the “Climate Mash” we’ll do our interview with Betsy Dumont about those winged rodents who frequent the night. Sadly, many of them are facing the mysterious and deadly “white nose disease”. We’ll find out about that and much more.

Then we checkout the Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday, October 30, 6:30 – 8:30pm. Boom, Bust & Bailout – What happened and what to do about it. Unitarian Meeting House, N.Pleasant St., Amherst. Call 413-545-0743

Friday, October 31 – Keene, NH, 4:00 to 6:00 pm. “McSame Bush” SIGNS AND BANNER visibility standout. Rt. 101 & Rt. 10 South intersection, Keene, NH. Halloween costumes encouraged! More dates planned. For more information or to volunteer, call Judy at 978-544-5550.

Tuesday, November 4, All day. VOTE for sanity! Besides a sane Prez and VP, you might want to vote “yes” on Question 3 for the sake of the dogs. Also: vote “yes” on Question 6 if it’s on your ballot, which would put pressure on local representatives to support legislation mandating an 80 percent reduction of greenhouse emissions in Massachusetts by 2020 – 30 years sooner than more popular national measures. It would also phase out tax incentives for non-renewable energy projects and put focus on localized sustainability.

Thursday, November 6 at 6:30 pm at the Edwards Library in Southampton, MA, the Friends of Southampton Greenway will welcome R. Bruce Donald, President of the Farmington Valley Greenway as the monthly speaker. This is the same trail that will one day connect New Haven to Northampton. More info about Bruce, the speaker series and the project in Southampton, click on this site. http://www.southamptongreenway.org/

November 7 – 9. All Day. Reading the forested landscape: a natural history of New England w/Tom Wessels. Rowe Conference Center. Call: 413-339-4954 or go to: www.rowecenter.org

Sunday, November 16th, 9am to 5pm. Mass. Climate Action Network Conference. MIT Stada Center, Cambridge, MA. [beware of Cape Wind propaganda!] Go to: www.acteva.com/go/mcan

Thursday & Friday, November 20 – 21, 2008. All day. Building a Local Economy in the Valley. First Congregational Church, Hadley, MA. Sliding scale $25-$150, includes lunch and materials. Contact: www.faireconomy.org or (617) 423-2148.

So much for another Halloween show. Hope we made it grim enough for you, no? OK, so it’s NOT as scary as FrankenBarbie and Crazy John McSame. Give us an “E” for effort, will ya’? Happy Halloween!!………O, and remember: listen to your Mother!

The Post Enviro Show Post #8

Enviro Show — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:54:15 +0000

If you heard last night’s Enviro Show you may have caught the reference to the “Gallactic Federation” supposedly making contact with us sorry humans here on planet Earth yesterday. Of course we had our collective tongue deeply embedded in our collective cheek when we spoke about it, but hey: if it takes aliens to save us from the Repugnicans and the corporados, so be it! Well, sad to say, magical thinking time is over. No alien contact that we can find (and D.O.’s been monitoring real-time satellite cameras on Earth). Guess we’ll just have to save the planet ourselves. That means it’s up to us and YOU, dear listener.

Soooo, first off let’s make sure crazy John McSame and FrankenBarbie don’t get elected, or if the Repugnicans try stealing another election, we fightback this time. Of course, we need to continue the struggle against the climate crisis as well; through government; personally; and with other actions. O, and remember: listen to your Mother!

Valley Free Radio » Climate Crisis

The Enviro Justice Show

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