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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 post Enviro Show Post #10

Enviro Show — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:09:49 +0000

We had a fine time “Goin’ to the dump” with Mary Serreze, her keyboard and guitar guy, John in the studio Tuesday evening. The podcast is up. Also, check this out: Lone activist shuts down coal-burner!. Watch out, Mt.Tom, you could be next!

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 post Enviro Show Post #9

Enviro Show — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:57:42 +0000

On the next Enviro Show Mary Serreze joins us for a live broadcast of her Northampton Landfill tune and a conversation about the proposed extension of the dump, yes, over the Barnes Aquifer! More great ideas for the “Paradise City”!! For a video of her song go HERE.

Things are heating up in Europe around the upcoming COP15 international climate talks (see below), but the climate crisis seems to be taking a backseat to the financial crisis here in the States. In fact, the incoming Obama Administration doesn’t even use the term “climate crisis”, instead falling back on the old “climate change” or “global warming” labels. So, no crisis, no sweat, huh? We don’t think so!

Also, people really DO shop ’til they drop. Witness the horrendous incident at a Long Island WalMart where a crazed herd of bargain hunters trampled a low-wage WalMart employee in their stampede to get ….what?…more junk? Not only did these shopaholics kill the help, some of them were injured as well. Checkout Democracy Now!’s coverage HERE, but you’ll note the blame goes largely to WalMart. Hey! sure the retailer is guilty, but people don’t HAVE to act like a herd of mindless beasts! You’ve heard Rev. Billy on The Enviro Show, right? Stop the Shopocalypse!. It’s bad for people. It’s bad for the planet!

***********
Klimax Rocks the COP-15 Summit Site?

Activists from the Copenhagen based climate activist group KlimaX climbed onto
the front of the conference site Bella Centret and threw out banners. The site
is symbolic in the way that its the actual site of the COP15 summit exactly one
year from now.

“We need a humane solution to the climate crisis.” Says Sini Østergaard from
KlimaX “We cannot stand by and watch while the rich countries buy CO2 quotas
from the poor countries. We have take action now.”

The activists brought banners, music, cookies and tea while the security people
and diplomats attending a conference watched the fun.

“The clock is ticking and time has run out. It is now we have to face the
consequences of our over-consumption in the west.” says Thor from KlimaX.

The police arrived but didn’t bother anyone. The activists promises that
they’ll continue their actions in the run-up to and under the climate summit.
Already other actions are brewing for the immediate future.

www.klimax2009.org

Danish article with pictures

http://indymedia.dk/articles/577

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 Moon River Enviro Show

Enviro Show — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:18:45 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. It’s the Harvest or Hunters’ Moon and Andrea Donlon, River Steward for the Connecticut River Watershed Council joins us to talk rivers, sooooo it’s the Moon River Enviro Show. Get it? Moon? River? (sorry). We’ll also hear from Darth Cheney in-person! Well, actually its an impersonation from none other than Jim Ward, Voice Deity on the Stephanie Miller Show. As always we’ll checkout the news in the Echo Chamber and burden you with some sanctimonious Quote of the Week, but first it’s time for…….Revenge of the Critters! Chipmunk Attacks! Run for your life!!

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we return to coal country for a tale of political chicanery. Grampy McSame and Franken Barbie’s minions screw up in the service of King Coal. Also from Grist: good news for the critters in Sumatra……………finally!

Sorry, Glen’s away so you’re on your own for the Bush Countdown Clock. He took it with him so he won’t oversleep. But we DO have Darth Cheney! And this little video diddy about FrankenBarbie:

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week comes from Naomi Wolf: “Yes, the situation is dire. But history shows that when an army of citizens, supported by even a vestige of civil society, believes in liberty — in the psychological space that is “America” — no power on earth can ultimately suppress them.”

“Head of the River” by Elliot Bronson from “101 Subtle Ways” takes us to our interview with Andrea Donlon, River Steward for the Connecticut River Watershed Council.

As always, we’ll top-off the show at the Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday, October 23, 6 p.m. at Amherst Town Hall. SOLAR ENERGY FOR HOMES OR SMALL BUSINESSES. Learn the “nuts and bolts” of solar from a registered professional engineer, including information on solar electricity and how water, siting and sizing a system, and available incentives. Pre-registration is required; please call CET at (413)586-7350 ext. 25.

Friday, October 24, 5 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, October 25, 5 to 8:30 p.m.
[Rain date: Sunday, October 26, 5 to 8:30 p.m.] ENCHANTED FOREST: CREATURES OF OUR FOREST — A NON-SCARY, FAMILY HALLOWEEN EVENT. Hitchcock Center for the Environment, Inc. 525 South Pleasant Street., Amherst, Pre-registration is required; please call (413) 256-6006

Saturday, October 25. NUCLEAR FREE JUBILEE. 11:00A M: Parade with Bread and Puppet and two marching bands from downtown Brattleboro (Elm and Flat Streets) to the town common. Bring signs and banners and noise-makers. Parade assembly at 10:30. NOON to 2pm: Rally and Green Energy Fair on the Town Common. Special guest appearance: The Reverend Billy!

October 25, 10AM to 5PM Anna Lappe, Dan Barber, and Sally Fallon Morell will speak at the 28th Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures. The location is the historic First Congregational Church in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.. The cost is 25 BerkShares or $25. To register call 413 528-1737 or use the donation/registration form at http://www.smallisbeautiful.org.

October 29th 6:30pm. Norwottuck Rail Trail Rehabilitation – Public Information Meeting. Hopkins Academy High School Auditorium, 131 Russell Street (Rt. 9), Hadley. Call 508-866-2580, ext. 130

That about does it. Next time it’s our very scary Halloween Show. Bring your costume and don’t forget to……listen to your Mother!

The Off Grid Enviro Show

Enviro Show — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:27:00 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. Time to turn our collective back on King Coal; Big Nuke; Big Hydro & Big Wind and see about generating our own power. Yes, it’s home utilities hour with our friend Brad Compton who lives out in the woods a good distance from power lines and the grip of corporate America. We’ll open up the phone lines if you have any questions about living independently here in the alleged Land of Liberty. As always we’ll checkout The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and the dastardly deeds of Darth Cheney and the boy emperor. Also, the Quote of the Week and the Bus Stop Billboard, but first it’s time for…..Revenge of the Critters! A Repugnican National Convention Special. In Palermo, Sicily the skies have been raining rats. Rodents that otherwise leap from rooftop to rooftop in the rundown center of Sicily’s capital, had grown too fat to jump and were plummeting to the streets, sometimes hitting passersby below. Warning, this could happen in the Twin Cities!

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week is in keeping with the independence theme of this show. It comes from none other than Thomas Jefferson, who knew a bit about democracy and independence:
“I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever, in religion, in philosophy, in politics or in anything else, where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent. If I could not go to Heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all.”
Also, this election year bonus from Jefferson: “A politician looks forward only to the next election. A statesman looks forward to the next generation.”

Brrr! What’s that sudden chill, Glen? How long before it’s gone?? Last time we spoke about the Bush regime’s assault on the Endangered Species Act. We’re asking our listeners to ACT NOW on this critical issue. There’s only a few weeks before the deadline on comments to the U.S. Department of Interior (for what that’s worth!). Also, let’s set the record straight on Darth Cheney’s myth about China drilling for oil off the Cuban coast. The Dark Lord finds no fabrication too extreme in his crazed quest for oil and profit.

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we read that going veggie can reduce your carbon footprint. And, the AP tells us the bad news that Arctic sea ice drops to second lowest level on record. Also, from the Amherst Bulletin, Amherst High School students launch Project Solar Lunchbox.

“Livin’ a lie”, by Girl on Top takes us to our interview with Brad AND reminds us that all is not as it appears here in the USA……..SURPRISE!

Then it’s time to checkout the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, September 3rd at 6:30 p.m. in the conference room at the Greenfield Community College Downtown Campus located at 270 Main Street in Greenfield to discuss the update of the Franklin County Bikeway Plan. Call 413-774-1194 ext 104

Thursday, Sept 4, 5pm. Franklin County Parade No Nukes contingent.
Downtown, Greenfield, MA. Start off from the Greenfield Middle School parking lot. Join the Wrecked Honda Insight painted “Vermont Yankee an Accident Waiting to happen” Join the Solar Rollers on Bicycles! We can Replace Entergy’s Vermont Yankee! Help hand out Literature! For info email cchang@nukebusters.org

Sunday, September 7th through Saturday, September 13,th citizens of the City of Northampton will play host to a unique public process crafted to help shape the future of their city. DESIGN NORTHAMPTON WEEK will start with an introductory presentation at the Northampton Senior Center from 7 PM to 9 PM. After that, the studio will be open for business in the ground floor gallery space of APE at 126 Main Street throughout the week. For a complete schedule and additional information on activities see http://northamptondesignforum.blogspot.com.

Wednesday, September 10, 7pm. Citizens United for a Healthy Future general meeting. Downstairs at the Untitarian Society on Main Street, Northampton. Call 584-8873

September 12-14, 2008, Eighth Fire Gathering, a cross-cultural gathering of Native American elders, sustainability leaders, and concerned citizens will spend two days in dialogue, ceremony and celebration with the intention of building a network for sustainable culture in the Northeast. Contact Bill Pfeiffer at: bill@sacredearthnetwork.org.

Saturday, September 13th from 9 to 1 it’s Hazzardous Waste Day at the Montague Highway Garage, the Rt. 2. Park and Ride in Charlemont, and the Town of Orange Transfer Station. To participate at any of the sites, residents must pre-register by September 5th. Registration forms will be available in local newspapers, at local town offices, and at most town transfer stations. Online registration forms may be completed at: www.franklincountywastedistrict.org. Call: (413) 772-2438.

Friday, September 19. Park(ing) Day. Help transform car-space into people & art-space. Go to: www.parkingday.org. Local contact: Garth gshaneyfelt@yahoo.com

Saturday, September 20th, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Amherst Bike Fair on the Amherst Town Common. Contact Mary Wentworth for The Commons Group 413/256-6005

Whoa! Looks like things are picking up here in Happy Valley. Sooooo many events, so little time. Well, that’s it for us this time. Next time it’s Food Not Bombs along with the usual hijinks. Until then, remember: listen to your Mother!

The Post Enviro Show Post #4

Enviro Show — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:12:48 +0000

Sooooo, what goes ’round comes around: last time our call-in guest forgot about us, this time we forgot about our call-in! (until a few hours before show time). As a result we had a VERY full show. Devra Davis, author of The Secret History of the War on Cancer, gave all of us a quick tour of the issues, especially with regard to what the corporate media and the government are not telling us. We hope to have her back to do an entire show on the subject of cancer and its causes.

As noted in our recent post, it was the “The Summer Grab Bag Enviro Show” and believe me the bag was full to overflowin’. Thanks to everyone for making it run smoothly (except for that modulating volume of Tom Neilson’s call-in……no thanks to Verizon!).

Checkout our Enviro Show Blog for upcoming events concerning the planet. Next time we have a look at wolf reintroduction here in the Great Northeast. Can’t wait for Canis lupus denning up here in the hills. THAT should rattle a few Homo sapiens! Stay tuned!!

Here’s some interesting links;

http://home.acadia.net/mainewolf/

http://www.defenders.org/resources/publications/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/imperiled_species/wolf/places_for_wolves_2006.pdf

Another Fuelish Enviro Show

Enviro Show — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:27:35 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. Jean’s back! Hopefully she’ll have a report from the front lines. We return to the scene of the crime with another look at fossil fuels and what’s out there to replace them. Professor George Huber, researcher at UMass Amherst’s Chemical Engineering Department joins us in the studio for a look at biofuels that don’t eat up the crops. As always, we’ll checkout the Enviro Show Echo Chamber for the latest news on the environment, and we’ll see what Darth Cheney and the boy emperor are up to, as well as give you the quote of the week, but first it’s time for……Revenge of the Critters! Sheep attacks car! OK fans, talk about a Dodge Ram. How about a VW Ram? This is a see-it-to-believe-it video version of Revenge of the Critters. An Enviro Show blog exclusive!

Here’s the Enviro Show Quote of the Week: “There is nothing more important in the culture of man [and we'd add: woman]than to resist the dangers of commerce” -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we celebrate the end of the road for the Hummer. Toooo bad! Instead, according to the Washington Post, Travelers are turning to public transportation. Meanwhile, the International Herald Tribune tells us bike sales are up. AND this from Reuters: Pact needed to save biofuels (what? Crops for food, not for fuel? How last year is that??) AND finally, though we’re not big Thomas Friedman fans, we can’t help but echo some of the sentiment he expressed in this piece in his New York Times column.

There it is again! That god-awful theme music. Glen, tell us when it’s FINALLY over! This just in: In a report long delayed by partisan squabbling, the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday accused President Bush and Vice President Cheney of taking the country to war in Iraq by exaggerating evidence of links between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda. SURPRIZE! Also, Bush regime crony says goal for rich countries to curb greenhouse gases are ”frankly not do-able for us”. No? Did you check that with Darth?

Speaking of Darth and the boy emperor,“Petroleum Bonapart” by Jim Page, longtime enviro troubadour, takes us to our interview with George Huber. Word has it that his daughter will be sitting in with us so we’ll try to behave like adults……maybe.

Then we’ll browse the Bus Stop Billboard for the latest:

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 from 7 – 8 PM. CITIZENS UNITED FOR A HEALTHY FUTURE GENERAL MEETING. Toxics Action will be giving a presentation on Zero Waste in the Social Room of the Unitarian Society, 220 Main Street, Northampton (please walk down the driveway and use right side door, the meeting is downstairs). The proposed Northampton Regional Landfill expansion over the Barnes aquifer threatens the public drinking water supply in our area. If it goes forward, it would exempt a landfill in a Water Supply Protection District for the first time in Massachusetts.

Thursday, June 12, 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ZONING ENFORCEMENT APPEAL City Council Chambers & Planning Director’s Office, Puchalski Building and Northampton City Hall Room 10, 212 and 210 Main Street Northampton MA.
5:30 p.m. ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS meets in the Council Chambers to hear an appeal of the Building Commissioner’s decision on alleged zoning violations of the Northampton Regional Landfill and seeking discontinuance of use as regional sanitary landfill. Citizens United for a Healthy Future. Stop the Northampton landfill expansion. www.savingparadise.info

Wednesday,June 18, 7 pm. NUCLEAR POWER: AT WHAT COST? Bangs Community Center, Boltwood Walk, Amherst, MA (behind the Unitarian Meetinghouse, Kellogg and N. Pleasant Sts.). The Enviro Show is a proud co-sponsor, btw. Call 256-1760

June 20-21, TAKING CHARGE OF OUR ENERGY FUTURE. UMass Amherst Campus Center, Amherst, MA. The Summit will be a hotbed of activity helping to create a network of thriving local communities – urban and rural – working together across race and class -building a way of life and an energy future that is sustainable and just.

Wednesday June 25. 5:30-7:30pm, ARE “GREEN JOBS” UNION JOBS? Pioneer Valley CLC, 640 Page Blvd, Springfield. Green Jobs are all the rage now – for good reason, especially in Western Mass, where retrofitting buildings could provide a lot of jobs and we have the expertise. But not everyone is talking Green Jobs as Union Jobs and the possibility of Scabby Green Jobs looms large here. A Working Group on the Green Economy will discuss the issue. Info: Jon Weissman, 827-0301, wmjwj@wmjwj.org.

So much for this week. Next time it’s Chris Cuomo with some climate crisis observations from way up north. Until then remember: listen to your Mother! ]

The Post Enviro Show Post #2

Enviro Show — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:37:41 +0000

OK, last evening’s show went well, no? Jonathan Bates gave all of us a good sense of what folks at Nuestras Raices are working on down in Holyoke. Time for a field trip!

Here’s that info from The Bus Stop Billboard we promised:

FLYER AT: http://a244.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/81/l_2ab548c3a3eb3bd5191ce5f967c84093.jpg

WHAT: Protest at homes of top financial supporters of Huntingdon Life
Sciences
WHEN: Saturday, May 31st, 2:00PM
WHERE: Wheeler’s Frozen Desserts, 334B Massachusetts Ave — near the
Symphony T Stop on the Green Line.
WHY: Huntingdon Life Sciences kills 500 animals every day, 180,000 animals
every year. Without the continued support of a small handful of
companies, Huntingdon will be forced to close their doors for good.
Huntingdon is already $100 million in debt, with no bank, no insurance
company, not even a sign outside the company. Learn more at http://www.shac.net/HLS/index.html.

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY! [in case the federales missed it! kidding!!]

The next Enviro Show is a mixed bag: Heidi Ricci from Mass Audubon calls in with the buzz on mosquito control and UMass Prof. George Huber joins us to talk about alternative gasoline made from
forestry & agricultural waste. Tell me we won’t pay $4 a gallon for THAT!

That’s it. Now remember: always listen to your Mother!!

The Urban Enviro Show; 5/27; 6:30pm

Enviro Show — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:41:58 +0000

Greetings Earthlings. Time to talk about Mother Earth, the urban dweller. She’s stressed, she’s pressed-in, she’s not happy! Jonathan Bates, board member of Nuestras Raices, joins us to discuss that Holyoke organization’s work to protect the urban environment and create sustainable models for city living. As always, we’ll be checking out the latest from The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, the Quote of the Week, and naturally, the latest in dastardly deeds from The Empire, but first it’s time for….Revenge of the Critters! A listener suggestion: Parrot won’t talk! (at least not to the cops!)

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber: This just in from The Montague Reporter – The state investigation into the remarks made by Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission director Robert Welch has officially concluded. You may recall from our last show, Welch was the guy who said “Tree-hugging Indians” were holding up progress on the proposed Turners Falls airport expansion. Welch has resigned, as of June 4th, according to Klark Jessen, director of communications for the Executive Office of Transportation. Soooo, will TF Airport Commissioner, Mark Fairbrother, who called Narragansetts trying to protect a sacred site, “rock-hugging Indians” follow Welch into the dustbin of history? We hope so! That would be FAIR…..brother! AND this from Grist: The Hulk talks up green buildings for low-income housing. AND FINALLY (and in keeping with the show’s theme) Our Enviro Show Blog Bonus, Grist Special Series on Smart(ish) Cities.

O no, it’s that sound again! They’re back! Glen, when?? Yes, The Empire’s Big Oil operatives are still barricaded in the White House and, as always, up to no good. It looks like Henry Waxman is about to wax their collective ass however. He’s got Evidence that the White House influenced the EPA to deny a waiver California needed to regulate vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions. ALSO: the high priests of The Empire launch their latest offensive against the planet!

On our Enviro Show Quote of the Week we have this question from the year 1888:
“In this country the mass of the people are entire strangers to the sentiment of beauty; they deform whatever they touch. Will it always be so?”
–John Burroughs
(OK, it’s over a hundred years later, will it??)

We revisit “Toxic City”,by System of a Down on our way to the interview with Jonatan Bates. Then it’s on to the….

Bus Stop Billboard:

Saturday, May 31; 8:45 to 1pm.; “Where on Earth are we going? What can we do about it?” A symposium to explore these questions and bring about an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just human presence on this planet. Mass Audubon-Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, 127 Combs Rd., Easthampton. To register call (413)584-3009, ext.812. Also go to: www.awakeningthedreamer.org

Saturday June 7; 10 am. Brattleboro Downtown. Come for the Strollin’ of the Hefers! Help Awaken the rest of Vermont and the tri state area to the threat of Vermont Yankee! We are going to be handing out literature and atomic red hots for the kids! Let them know if you would like to participate in distribution! call 413-863-8952 or email cchang@nukebusters.org

Saturday, June 7, 10 to 11:30 a.m. REPTILE SURVIVAL! Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 525 South Pleasant Street., Amherst, MA. To register call (413) 256-6006 Denise Passias & Jay Whitney, Reptile Enthusiasts. It will be a hands-on presentation that will be fun for all ages! Featuring more than ten different species of reptiles brought to you from the Kiss-A-Lizard show by Jay and Denise. Member: $5 Non-member: $8

ALSO at Hitchcock: NATURE’S STORYTIME. Free Every Tuesday, 11 a.m.
Come listen while we read a story book from our collection of nature-based children’s literature and follow up with a short nature walk or activity. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required.

Saturday – June 14 – 7:30 pm. “Magpie” performs at the Echo Lake Coffee House, Town Hall, Leverett, MA. Terry and Greg are internationally known for their musical work in the environmental movement. For more info: www.magpiemusic.com Admission: $12/$10 seniors Call Diane for reservations: 413-548-9394/diacrowe@yahoo.com

June 18, 7:15pm. NUCLEAR POWER: AT WHAT COST? Bangs Community Center, Boltwood Walk, Amherst. Presented by CITIZEN AWARENESS NETWORK. This important program will offer information from experts regarding nuclear power and how it affects our society -
Merely 30 miles from Vermont Yankee, our local towns are subject to the effect of nuclear power in many ways, many of which are misunderstood and unclear. The Enviro Show is a co-sponsor.

Friday, June 2O & 21; ‘Taking Charge of Our Energy Future’ Summit UMass Amherst Campus Center. Help create a nework of thriving local communities – urban and rural – working together across race and class – building a way of life and an energy future that is sustainable and just. More than 30 workshops for municipal leaders, business owners, community leaders, environmental justice leaders, people wanting green job skills, teachers, parents, and students. Call 877-266-7543

That’ll do it for this week. Next time: Pesky Mosquitoes, plus UMass scientist takes the sting out of fuel prices. Until then, remember to listen to your Mother!

The Post Enviro Show Post #1

Enviro Show — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:08:22 +0000

In case you weren’t listening (umm…how come?), long-time caller and Enviro Show favorite, David Kroodsma of Amherst sat-in with us as we spoke with Dr. Lee Frelich on the threats to the northern forest. David biked across the States last year on The Ride for Climate and made regular call-ins to the show. Now he’s organizing the Climate Ride this coming September, going from NYC to DC in another effort to raise awareness of climate crisis issues. Given that it’s Bike Week here in the Valley, and the Commonwealth as a whole, there’s a lot riding on the climate…….sorry, couldn’t resist. Be sure to checkout all the bike events going on locally.

If you caught our previous Enviro Show on all the fuelishness going on out there, you’ll recall Jean’s take on using food crops for fuel. We’ve posted her latest screed on food crisis issues on our show blog. Jean is off to Germany for the Planet Diversity Conference. Hopefully she’ll be back for our next show on May 27, The Urban Enviro Show. Stay tuned!

Website Notes and Announcements

Bill Weye — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:06:54 +0000

Here are some things you should know about the new website . . .

If you are programmer and/or member of the station you can now post station news, meeting agendas and minutes, show announcements, play lists, or other program news on the website. AND it’s pretty damn easy. If you aren’t familiar with WordPress or blogging, even you should have very little problem. If you are now blogging on any kind of system, there is absolutely NO reason for you not to be taking advantage of this new resource.

To get started, first watch this video I created to demonstrate the registration process:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Then watch this video (that I didn’t create) on how to write a post:

Click here to view the embedded video.

When you watch these videos you will notice that our system looks different than what you see in the videos . . . it only LOOKS different; there was a major upgrade to WordPress in the last couple of weeks that hasn’t been reflected in the videos. There is little to no change in the nomenclature, just in the appearance and where you will find some of the things. If you have no experience with WordPress it should be no problem (old hacks like me have the problem!).

There are a couple of things you need to know about the VFR WordPress set-up.

First, for your post to appear in the correct places it must have some specific categories selected: Collectives, Collectives > Your Collective, AND Programmer’s Notes. If Programmer’s Notes is not chosen your post will not appear under Programmer’s Notes on the home page, natch. If you are currently a podcaster you must still additionally choose the Podcast category, in addition to the above. PLEASE, if you look at the bottom of the category list and find “vfr” selected, unselected it; it’s the default category and isn’t necessary.

Do not add more categories under any circumstances. For you to further categorize your posts use the Tags feature. You can find more info about Tagging in the video about posting and in this blog post: http://blogs.msdn.com/jmeier/archive/2008/03/10/tags-vs-categories.aspx

If you would like to podcast your program there are some other things we need to discuss and you should contact me directly.

The other thing to note about posting has to do with station news of a more official variety: meeting agendas, minutes, etc. This is stuff that you find under Station News on the home page. If you have such an announcement you also have to choose the right categories to make it appear in the right spots. If you have a meeting agenda you’d like to post you could possibly choose five different categories: Meetings, Meetings > Agenda, Committees, Committees > Programming [for example], and Latest Station News. “Latest Station News” is the kicker in this example; that’s the category that makes the post appear under Latest Station News on the home page.

Other website news . . .

You can now comment on posts and subscribe to have email notification when a post has been commented upon after you comment (there is also an rss feed for the post and comments). These comments are unmoderated at this time, though I have installed 3 different spam filters and turned off “trackbacks” (if you know what those are). I am working on installing a “notify the administrator about this comment” feature if we start to have problems.

When writing posts you can embed either YouTube or Google Videos into your posts; you’ll find the buttons when you start to write a post. BTW, for formating purposes, please keep the video near the bottom of your post (write some text first)

Anyone that begins to post will automatically have their own page on the site along with their own rss feed. If you click on the author name of a post you can find that page.

There is a new logo/header in the works; what you see on the website is not the finished product.

If you have any suggestions or comments please let me know. I’m sure I’ll have other news about the site in the coming weeks.

Valley Free Radio » programmer

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