Due to the overwhelming demand for the Great Mass Appliance Exchange, Mass Save’s web server and phone lines were down earlier today. If you experience any difficulties requesting a rebate authorization, please be patient as Mass Save adjusts its services to meet the load.
Similar demand is being seen across the country.
UPDATE: According to the Boston Globe, and the rebate-only website, the available funds have already been reserved.
If you’ve not yet seen the critically acclaimed documentary that some liken to a modern “The Jungle,” PBS will be airing “Food, Inc.” on POV over the course of the next week, starting Wednesday at 9.
Food, Inc. will be accompanied by Notes on Milk, a short variation of the 2007 feature documentary Milk in the Land: Ballad of an American Drink. Ariana Gerstein and Monteith McCollum, whose Hybrid aired on POV in 2002, take a quirky and poetic look at some lesser-known aspects of America’s favorite drink: the industry’s spiritual underpinnings, politics and the struggle of independent farmers. More info»
And for an introduction to our agricultural system there’s Dirt!
Too lazy or forgetful to turn off your subwoofer when you shut down your stereo? Or maybe you take the time to do so, but wish a magic elf would power down your computer’s monitor and external hard drive for you instead? You’re in luck, local water & energy efficient device supplier EFI is offering smart power strips at approximately 40% off retail (with the included free shipping), in partnership with Mass Save. With these power strips you can save the energy these dormant devices would otherwise use since all of the peripherals plugged into white sockets will automatically be turned on or off when you do the same to the device plugged into the blue socket; avoid the reds, they’re always on. Ain’t science super? Offer ends May 30.
(Of course you’d still be better off using the power switch for the whole strip, but these are often located in inconvenient places, and some energy savings beats no energy savings.)
Given our area’s notoriously schizophrenic weather you could forgive some for celebrating Earth Day a little early or late, but what if you want to observe this round-number anniversary the day of? Otherwise it can be a bit like trying to get excited about trick-or-treating on November 1st.
Here’s a special Earth Day view of our local events calendar to make it easier to find something to celebrate with. Some highlights include:
Also of interest, PBS’ American Experience will be airing a two-hour special on the history of Earth Day on Monday April 19 at 9. It should be in heavy rotation for the remainder of the week. On April 27 at 10 PM, Independent Lens is showing “Garbage Dreams” by Mai Iskander.
Welcome to the world’s largest garbage village located on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. The Zaballeen (Arabic for “garbage people”) recycle 80 percent of the trash they collect—far more than other recycling initiatives. But now multinational corporations threatens their livelihood. Follow three teenage boys born into the business who are forced to make choices that will impact the survival of their community.
April is National Garden Month, so get out there and get grubby! It’s an excellent way to get some Vitamin D, and fresh produce. Larger plantings or vines may also shade your home from the brutal sun of summer.
If you don’t have a yard, consider container gardening or applying for a plot in a community garden. Either way, you may want to take advantage of the city’s annual rain barrel sale so that you can water your plants with no-cost chlorine-free water. You can also feed your plants for free with compost available during normal recycling center hours (T&R 4–7:30PM and S 9–4PM) thanks to the city’s compost program and the local businesses and homeowners who contribute their food waste.
If you are lucky enough to have a yard, consider seeking Backyard Wildlife Habitat certification from the NWF. You should also have you soil tested for lead, especially if you plant to grow any root vegetables, herbs or leafy greens for the table. UMass Amherst offers a low-cost “standard test” which will warn you of any problems with lead, as well as provide information about basic plant nutrient levels.
To learn more about the stuff you’ll playing in for the next few months check out Dirt! The trailer is below, and if you missed the recent showing at the Boston Public Library, it will be playing on WGBH soon during Independent Lens. It is currently scheduled for April 20th at 10PM, but will certainly be repeated a few times afterward.
Did you now that the library’s not the only place you can get free books? CCTV has a brief documentary about the Cambridge Recycling Center where you can learn this and other fun facts.
The NWF, which has been collaborating on tribal energy issues for several years co-sponsored a report on the renewable energy potential of tribal lands. Although tribes cannot currently take advantage of most incentives due to their complicated legal status, their sovereignty also gives them greater latitude in permitting.
In other news: Seemingly lost amid the continuing drama surrounding Cape Wind, one tribe
spoke out in support of the project.
The NWF is often upstaged by bigger names—pun intended—but they too strive to raise awareness and help restore balance between man and environment through various programs and publications including that magazine named for our furry friend to the right. I recently discovered that they also have a YouTube channel featuring a very brief weekly video news digest in addition to other clips such as the somewhat amusing news reel spoof below.
Continue reading
In case you somehow managed to miss the commercials in heavy rotation, The Discovery Channel is following up last year’s BBC collaboration “Earth” with “Life.” “Life” began Sunday, and excerpts of the first episode as well as a preview of next week’s installment are available online. Continue reading
You might be familiar with cool roofs, the idea of using a bright-colored or reflective roofing material to reduce heat absorption. This has the dual effects of both cutting down on the urban heat-island effect as well as reducing a building’s solar gain and the attendant cooling load. Alas, a disadvantage of such a roof (especially in northern climes) is the loss of an extra boost from a warm dark roof in the winter. Therefore researchers have been working on a means of eating ones cake and having it too.
Last fall an MIT startup announced that they had developed a color-changing tile dubbed Thermeleon. More recently, a New York firm announced a different, simpler material that could compete with your neighbor’s biodiesel-fueled car for used fry oil.