Guess “who’s” turning 40?

FIASCOP 15 by Pierre Marcel 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.

Rain, rain…and more rain.

MCCALL MAGAZINE COVER, GIRL IN RAIN by George Eastman House The greater Boston metropolitan area is expected to receive another 3 inches of rain from the current storm system. This is on top of the 8-10 inches of rain that fell a little over one week ago which caused extensive flooding in cities like Waltham and Quincy. The Boston Globe reported today that during the last deluge, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority released 15 million gallons of raw sewage into Boston Harbor due to system overload. The Agency reported it hopes to not have to resort to similar action this time around, but is leery if the rain continues into the morning. On average, Boston receives about 4 inches of precipitation in the month of March (daily records); which was satisfied by last week’s storm. While one cannot unequivocally link climate change to any exceptional weather patterns, one cannot rule out the possibility either; climate change is said to increase storm intensity, particularly around coastal regions.

Bay Staters failing the 3R’s

Close the loop: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Not “reading, writing and ‘rithmetic” but reduce, reuse and—most notably—recycling. The Boston Globe has an article reporting that Massachusetts recycling rates are stagnant, and relatively low. A rather timely report given the effort by numerous organizations to get Beacon Hill to update the bottle bill.

Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to give a little more attention to the other two R’s, especially purchasing products with post-consumer content which have been minimally downcycled. A fleece sweatshirt made of soda bottles is nicer than one made from Texas crude,
but a bottle made from a bottle made from a bottle ad infitnitum is finer.

Ocean overview

http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldworldworld/3314227532/ Not only is the infamous Pacific Garbage Patch (or gyre as it is properly known) possibly much larger than previously estimated, an Atlantic counterpart has been discovered.

In more local news, your orders of fried clams this summer might get a little expensive. Researchers have warned that New England may experience major red tide events this year.

Lastly, a potentially positive piece: California is considering “un-grand-fathering” power plants permits to dump waste heat into coastal waters.

Seasons of Change

Four Seasons - Longbridge Road by joiseyshowaa A reader submitted this link regarding a traveling exhibit dubbed “Seasons of Change” about global warming’s impact on New England. You can find it at the Ecotarium in Worcester through May, where you might also enjoy an Inspiring Breath of Spring! and other exhibits. Eventually, it will be accessible via public transportation at the Museum of Science, but not anytime this year.

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CEA debuts Climate Change Art Project

Climate Change New England

The Cambridge Energy Alliance is debuting a poster art exhibit to inform the public about climate change and its impacts, the carbon emissions of Cambridge, and how local citizens can make a difference. Over 80% of Cambridge’s Climate emissions come from residential and commercial buildings, so eliminating wasted energy in our homes and workplaces is a priority.

To view the full CEA art poster exhibit visit:

http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/posters.pdf

The Cambridge Energy Alliance art exhibit displays many ways people can conserve energy and get connected to efficiency programs and resources. The Exhibit will be on display from Wednesday, February 16th, 2010 through March 20th, 2010 at the Clear Conscience Café (C3) located inside Harvest Coop‘s Central Square location.

Following the 4-week showing at C3, the CEA art exhibit will be rotated to other locations throughout the city. You can preview the posters by clicking the thumbnail above.

New Commonwealth Solar Programs available Today!

The Commonwealth Solar Stimulus and Commonwealth Solar Rebate Programs will be available today at 2:00 PM EST on Wednesday, January 27, 2010.

The Commonwealth Solar Program provides rebates through a non-competitive application process for the installation of photovoltaic (PV) projects. The Commonwealth Solar II Rebate Program provides rebates for commercial systems up to 5 kilowatts (kW) and all residential systems (regardless of size). The Commonwealth Solar Stimulus Rebate Program provides rebates for commercial PV systems sized greater than 5 kW up to 200 kW.

The Commonwealth Solar program issued awards for the installation of 23.5 megawatts (MW) of solar power over the last two years, but recently ran short of funding. The new rebate programs for homeowners, business, and communities throughout the Commonwealth  will help the commonwealth reach Governor Deval Patrick’s goal of installing 250 MW of solar energy by 2017. Commonwealth solar also provides webinars and information on helpful resources, plus view the map of installations of solar photovoltaic projects across the state.

Regional carbon market developments

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is the first mandatory, market-based effort in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ten Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states haved capped and will reduce CO2 emissions from the [electric] power sector 10% by 2018.

States sell nearly all emission allowances through auctions and invest proceeds in consumer benefits: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other clean energy technologies. RGGI will spur innovation in the clean energy economy and create green jobs in each state.

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Energy Savings Seminars Avaialble to MA Communities

The Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) is offering free Home Energy Saving Seminars to communities across Massachusetts.   The Massachusetts Municipal Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association that provides advocacy, training, publications, research and other services to Massachusetts cities and towns. If you are interested in hosting a workshop in your community schedule the workshop soon, as the program ends in March.

Through this free service offered by MMA, the Cambridge Energy Alliance hosted a Weatherizing Your Home for Ultimate Energy Savings event on January 12th, that brought together over 45 individuals wanting to learn how to reduce their energy use at home.  Speaker Clark Goody from the Conservation Services provided detailed information on home energy audits, cost effective investments, and access to resources to help residents save energy and money.

The  free energy seminar stresses the importance of reducing heat usage by providing do-it-yourself sealing techniques, tips on hiring a contractor for in-depth alterations, and resources for home audits and financing alterations.  Program attendees learned about:

  • Air sealing and insulation as the most cost-effective investment for reducing home energy costs
  • Programmable thermostats, CFL’s, low-flow showerheads
  • Rebates and grants to reduce the cost of home alterations and appliance purchases
  • Energy Star ratings as an indicator of product energy efficiency
  • MassSave home energy audits, enhanced audits, and the weatherization assistance programs

The Home Energy Savings Seminar is an excellent way for communities to connect residents to efficiency resources and programs.  Communities can chose from a variety of  workshops including:

___ “Intro to Home Energy Savings” provides simple steps to reducing the use
of electricity, water, and heat; do-it-yourself techniques for basic home sealing
and heating; resources for financing home audits and alterations.
___ “Home Energy Savings for Renters” provides tenant-specific information on
basic home energy savings.
___ “Home Energy Savings for Retirees” provides senior-specific information on
basic home energy savings.
___ “Weatherizing Your Home for Ultimate Savings” stresses the importance
of reducing heat usage by providing do-it-yourself sealing techniques; tips on
hiring a contractor for in-depth alterations; resources for home audits and
financing alterations.

To learn more about the program contact Alicia Hunt at energy@mma.org, 617-426-7272 ext. 280

MA gets gubernatorial group’s guidance on retrofits

The National Governors Association announced yesterday that it would be providing support for the development of “policy academies” focusing on building retrofits in six states, including Massachusetts.

A Policy Academy is a highly interactive team-based process for helping a select number of states develop and implement an action plan to address a complex public policy issue. Participating states receive guidance and technical assistance from NGA Center staff and faculty experts and consultants from the private sector, research organizations, academia and the federal government.