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31 October 2010
The Real Costs of Coal: Colombia to Salem
November 7, at 7 pm: SAFE and HealthLink forum
Understanding the Human, Environmental, and Economic Impact of Getting Our Energy from Coal
The Real Costs of Coal will be held at The First Church in Salem, Unitarian, 316 Essex Street, Salem, MA (for directions, www.firstchurchinsalem.org). The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
On November 7, at 7 pm, SAFE (Salem Alliance for the Environment) and Healthlink will host a forum exploring the real costs of coal, and its impact on the environment, our health, and our state’s economy.
Speakers will include Jeff Deyette, the Assistant Director of Energy and Analysis at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and Professor Avi Chomsky of Salem State University, a noted expert on Colombia and the coal mines there that supply coal to Salem Harbor Power Station. In addition, two union representatives, Raul Sosa and José Brito, who work in Colombia’s largest “open-pit” coal mines, will participate.
In Massachusetts, we get 25 percent of our energy from coal, the primary fuel burned at Salem Harbor Station. Strict environmental regulations require Massachusetts utilities to buy “low-sulfur” coal, which is found in Colombia. As a result, Massachusetts is spending over $200 million per year on coal from Colombia. Jeff Deyette’s recent report, “ Burning Coal, Burning Cash,” which he will discuss, shows that these resources could be better spent on green energy sources that would create new jobs in our communities.
Our reliance on coal from Colombia is further tainted by coal company practices in the indigenous communities from which the coal comes. Mr. Brito and Mr. Sosa, along with Professor Chomsky, will discuss the human rights abuses and environmental degradation that accompanies coal mining in their communities.
Earlier in this decade, Salem’s City Council denounced these practices when Colombian miners visited our community. The abuses continue.
Finally, coal is the number one contributor to the green house gas emissions causing global climate change. Seacoast communities on the North Shore and beyond will experience dire impacts if predictions of sea level rise come to fruition. As the host of a coal burning plant, it is important for Salem and neighboring communities to understand the Real Costs of Coal and to begin to plan for a coal-free future.
For more information about the event, the speakers, and Salem Harbor Station, contact SAFE and visit HealthLink.
Full copies of the UCS report "Burning Coal, Burning Cash" can be found at:
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/technology_and_impacts/impacts/burning-coal-burning-cash.html
Bios of Speakers:
Jeff Deyette is the Assistant Director of Energy and Analysis of the Union of Concerned Scientists and recent author of the report "Burning Coal, Burning Cash." The report examined the role of imported coal in electricity generation in the United States and ranked each state accordingly. Deyette and his colleagues compellingly demonstrate the reliance many states have on imported coal and point out the enormous opportunities that many areas of the country have to improve energy efficiency and reduce coal imports. Founded in 1969, the Union of Concerned Scientists is an independent, science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world
Avi Chomsky is Professor of History and Coordinator of Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies at Salem State University. She is the recent author of Linked Labor Histories: New England, Colombia, and the Making of a Global Working Class (2008) and co-author and editor of The People Behind Colombian Coal: Mining, Multinationals and Human Rights (2007). As a scholar she has a long history of documenting how the global marketplace has influenced various communities in New England. As an advocate, she has worked to highlight the stark economic connections between South America and North America and document how indigenous communities have been exploited by western corporations in developing countries.
José Brito served two terms as the national secretary for health for the Sintracarbon union, during which time he helped initiate new studies on occupational health risks for mineworkers including exposure to carcinogenic substances and osteo-muscular disorders. He participated as a union representative with the national Department of Health, and also served two terms as a member of the occupational health and safety committee at the Cerrejon mine in Colombia, where he worked alongside other mineworkers to reduce the high incidence of accidents that threatened to close the mine. Mr. Brito is an active member of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), a global union federation, and the Andean Labor Institute. He has worked in open pit mining operations for 27 years.
Raul Sosa worked at the Drummond mine in Colombia for fifteen years until he and several other union leaders were unjustly fired on June 17, 2010. He has been a member of Sintramienergetica since 1996 and has held leadership positions in the union since 1997. Currently, he is the president of Sintramienergetica’s national executive committee, in addition to serving as the president of the Chiriguana local. He and other Sintramienergetica union leaders are currently fighting to be reinstated in their jobs at Drummond.
Posted by ahanscom at 12:00 AM
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30 October 2010
Salem Receives MassRecycle Awards
In recognition of significant contribution to recycling and waste reduction
"MassRecycle is also awarding Certificates of Excellence to the following nominees in recognition of their significant contribution to recycling and waste reduction:"
- Kimberly Driscoll, Mayor, City of Salem
- John Dixon, Volunteer, Wareham
- City of Boston
- City of Springfield
- Town of Wellesley
- Savoy Elementary School, Savoy
- Flagship Press, N. Andover
- Mark Richey Woodworking, Newburyport
- TOMRA, Lakeville
- Brick Ends Farm, Hamilton
- North Shore Recycled Fibers, Salem
- City Feed and Supply, Jamaica Plain
- Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape and Islands, E. Sandwich
- Topsfield Fair, Topsfield
Posted by ahanscom at 8:18 PM
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30 October 2010
Social Challenges of Wind Energy Conference
Tuesday, November 9, 2010, 8:30am-3pm at the Plymouth Radisson
November 9, 2010, 8:30am-3pm
Plymouth, MA
The Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences
is hosting the first conference on the Social Challenges of Wind Energy. Wind energy projects are more often stalled by cultural barriers than by technical hurdles. Too often, communities and neighbors are divided over proposed wind turbines.
Conference Attendees will hear from community leaders, developers, conservationists and social outreach experts who have firsthand experience with wind power permitting and development.
Cost: Elected or Appointed Town Officials: $35; Non-Profit and Academic: $35; Everyone Else: $55.
For more information, and to register, go here:
Posted by ahanscom at 8:14 PM
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30 October 2010
Soap Box: The Gulf Oil Spill & Its Long-Term Consequences
Join the discussion this Fall at the MIT Museum’s Soap Box series
Soap Box is an interactive series in which participants of all backgrounds converse with top MIT scientists or engineers in an informal cafe-style setting at the MIT Museum. Now in its sixth year, Soap Box is the premier public forum for discussing new technological and scientific developments at MIT.
Fall 2010
Soap Box is a series of salon-style, early evening conversations with scientists and engineers who are making the news that really matters.
Although the oil rig has been capped and the media craze has died down, there are still many unresolved issues about this ongoing environmental concern. Experts from the fields of science, engineering, and environmental policy invite your questions as we explore the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in this fall’s Soap Box series. Over the course of several weeks, come to the Museum and meet faculty from MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning and the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program as they reflect on their difficult and demanding work during the past six months.
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Tue. 10/26
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6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Soap Box: Negotiating the Gulf Disaster
Larry Susskind, MIT’s Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, and Vice Chair of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, is asking the tough questions. Should those affected by the Gulf oil spill receive compensatory payments? What’s the best way to guarantee the future safety of offshore oil and gas facilities? Add your voice to this important discussion about how public policy can help us prevent or navigate these situations in the future.
Free admission, light refreshments served
Watch the live webcast
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Wed. 11/10
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6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Soap Box: Mixing Oil and Ecosystems
While few would praise the April 20th explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig as being a boon to environmental research, there is still much to be learned from this extreme tragedy. Chris Reddy, marine chemist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution studies how oil spills affect ocean ecosystems, and what role humans have in changing the way nature deals with such events. Come share your opinions about the long-term environmental impacts of the Gulf oil spill and the risk factors currently at work.
Free admission, light refreshments served
Watch the live webcast
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Wed. 11/17
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6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Soap Box: Probing the Plume
What has happened to the oil in the Gulf of Mexico? Do we really know? What are we doing to find out? Rich Camilli, an environmental engineer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, was the Chief Scientist on the June 2010 Endeavor research cruise to investigate the 1.2-mile-wide, 650-foot-high plume that resulted from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Join this interactive discussion session for an up-to-date account of the latest field research in the Gulf.
Free admission, light refreshments served
Watch the live webcast
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Posted by ahanscom at 8:08 PM
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30 October 2010
In the Salem Patch:
Event - The Real Cost of Coal: Colombia to Salem
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Join SAFE and Healthlink for this free event!
Open and free to the public!
Students welcome!
Refreshments served!
Massachusetts imported all of the coal its power plants burned in 2008, primarily from Colombia - including coal burned at the Salem Harbor Station. Workers in the Colombian coal mines experience exploitation and the degradation of their farm lands and local environment due to mining practices.
This forum features Jeff Deyette, author of "Burning Coal, Burning Cash" and senior energy adviser to Union of Concerned Scientists, along with two union workers from the Colombian mines and Professor Avi Chomsky to translate their stories. Save the date and plan to join us!
- Features: Free, Open to All
Posted by ahanscom at 8:03 PM
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30 October 2010
Stop subsidies for old, dirty coal plants; invest in energy efficiency!
Sierra Club petition regarding the Salem Power Plant
Take action against unjust and inflated energy subsidies for big coal. Tell FERC to remove Dominion Energy’s Salem Harbor Station coal plant from the list of reliable plants.
The Salem Harbor coal plant in Massachusetts is 58 years old and has far outlived its usefulness, but Dominion Energy has lobbied the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to list the plant as a “must run” in order to receive $30 million in subsidies from ratepayer dollars.
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Your message:
( Please personalize your message)
Support electric reliability, reasonable rates, and less pollution
Dear Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
RE: Docket ER10-2477-000
You have recognized that current economic and regulatory conditions should lead to the retirement of dirty energy facilities and have spoken out on the ability of clean energy to provide the reliable power our economy needs.
I urge you to request that ISO New England (ISO-NE) and other organizations responsible for operating the electric grid around the United States take immediate action to maintain reliability and ensure electric consumers aren't paying higher bills for more pollution. These organizations are proposing expensive payments to some of the oldest, dirtiest, and most inefficient coal plants in the United States--like Dominion's Salem Harbor coal plant in Massachusetts--because they haven't done an adequate job of identifying and supporting clean energy alternatives to improve the electric grid.
As power companies across the United States recognize the need to move beyond dirty coal and oil to clean energy sources the grid operators are lagging behind their responsibilities, and reliability, ratepayers, and the environment may suffer.
I ask that you direct the organizations responsible for operating the electric grid in the United States under FERC oversight to:
a) undertake a study of potential and likely generator retirements,
b) identify specific transmission and non-transmission alternatives to the expensive payments for more pollution like the tens of millions of dollars being paid annually for Salem Harbor,
c) submit plans and market structures that will support the clean energy investments needed to create jobs and maintain reliability as dirty and dangerous coal plants are replaced.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
Posted by ahanscom at 7:57 PM
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30 October 2010
Risking Arrest to Plant Trees on a Mountaintop Removal Site
From the Huffington Post
Digital organizer and co-managing editor of ItsGettingHotInHere.org
Posted: October 24, 2010 04:24 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/morgan-goodwin/risking-arrest-to-plant-t_b_773036.html
Today 44 volunteer 'reclamation workers' (activists) illegally marched onto a supposedly reclaimed mine site to plant trees. Why? Because the 'reclamation' efforts done by the mining company resulted in a barren hillside with sparse grass and baking sun - a far cry from the lush and diverse forest destroyed in the process.
After negotiating with the police and planting all the trees, all 44 were allowed to leave the site without repercussions.
The fight over mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia revolves around jobs. Even though the highly mecahinized practice has drastically reduced the number of people employed in the mining industry, the proponents of mining say that West Virginia is poor and needs the jobs. Opponents say healthy and prosperous economies can be created in the area if only the destructive and poisonous processes of the coal companies are stopped and the natural wealth is not destroyed.
John Johnson, forester and environmentalist said, "The coal industry does not attempt to return the landscape to its previous biodiversity - leaving it up to the citizens to reclaim it themselves. Fixing the ruined landscape will provide long term jobs for those put out of work by the abolition of mountaintop removal."
At 12:30 today, hundreds of people rallied at Stanley Heirs Park, adjacent to Larry Gibson's home on Kayford Mountain. Statesman Ken Hechler and Kayford Mountainkeeper Larry Gibson, along with two miners from Colombia lead the march to the mine site, with participants aged 18 to 96 years old.
Lifelong Coal River Valley resident Junior Walk says, "Coal companies sure as hell aren't going to take it upon themselves to do something about it - some one's got to do it."
44 people walked out onto the mine site to plant 30 hemlocks, pen oak and tulip poplar trees, as well as planting chestnuts, walnuts, acorns. Some deployed a banner reading: "EPA We're Doing Your Job - Over 500 Mountains Destroyed - Reclamation Jobs Now!"
Mine security vehicles and police showed up moments later and negotiated with the activists. By 3:30pm all the trees had been planted and the protesters left the site without repercussions. While technically trespassing, it looks like the police didn't have the taste for arresting folks who are calling attention to what the mining companies should be doing.
To see just how egregious this shortcoming is of mining company policy towards reclamation, check out this report from NRDC earlier this year:
For years the mining industry has exploited a federal statutory provision that exempts them from restoring the land to its approximate original contour if there is a plan to develop the land for "equal or better economic use" such as "industrial, commercial, residential or public use."
However, NRDC's analysis - also using aerial imagery - confirms that nearly 90% of mountaintop removal sites have not been converted to economic uses.
That's right: Mining companies don't love mountains but they love bragging about how they restore mine sites for the benefit of local communities. Our study exposes Big Coal's broken promises by proving that post-mining economic prosperity is a big, flat lie.
Coal country politicians have largely supported the mining industry, even to the extreme detriment of American heritage, community health and the economic well being of Appalachia. In an election where Democrats and Republicans alike are rushing to bow at the altar of coal, voters in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and elsewhere are often left to regulatory agencies like the Office of Surface Mining, the EPA, state DEP agencies and Mining and Mineral Services. Just getting them to do their job enforcing existing laws (like requiring reclamation) will be a huge victory in the fight to end mountaintop removal.
Want to help?
1.Email chfo@osmre.gov (Roger Calhoun chfo@osmre.gov Head field operator of Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation) Ask him why people are threatened with arrest for reclaiming mine sites? Shouldn't we be paying Appalachian residents to do reclamation work, not arresting them? Send them a link to this blog, or a photo or article, and make sure they feel the heat.
2. Go to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and fill out their online form, asking the same questions.
For updates, check climategroundzero.org, follow @app_rising and @coalisfilthy, and check facebook.com/apprising. For more photos visit the Photobucket Album All photos taken by Jacob Mack-Boll
Posted by ahanscom at 7:51 PM
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24 October 2010
The 6th Annual ‘Solar Field Day’
from 11 AM – 3PM at GREENERGY PARK, Beverly (up the hill from Beverly High School)
ENERGY HARVEST FESTIVAL
Local Food,Art,Music and Energy
CELEBRATING CLEAN ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY NETWORKS AND ORGANIZATIONS WORKING LOCALLY FOR THE PLANET
• Exhibit of local art: PEACE Project
• Solar installation and small wind basics
• ‘Do It Yourself’ Home Energy Audit
• Site tour
• Citizens interested in the clean energy and environmental arena will discuss current topics in a town hall format (Art Grove venue)
• Live music on the solar stage (11:00)
• Featuring Hope Road (1:30)
• Barbeque…
• CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES & PLAY AREA..Bring the family
• Suggested Donation $5.00 for adults
• WHERE: The PV & wind turbine site adjacent to Beverly High School, corner of Sohier & Tozer Roads. (Free parking at 55 Tozer Road beside the Main Gate.)For more information please contact:
• Solar Now, Inc.(978) 927-9SUN or (617) 335-2706
solarnow@comcast.net
Posted by ahanscom at 11:00 AM
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23 October 2010
Letter: Global Work Party was a success in Salem
Letter from SAFE board member, Katie Giddings, in the Gazette
Posted Oct 22, 2010
Salem, Mass. —
(Editor's note: Click here to read a recent story about new "green" initiatives from the city of Salem.)
To the editor:
On Oct. 10 Salem participated in 350.org's 10-10-10 event, billed as a Global Work Party and “a day to celebrate climate solutions.”
This was one of 7,347 events held in 188 countries around the world where people got to work on the climate crisis by making a difference in their communities. From Malaysia to Los Angeles, from Pakistan to Omaha, from Ecuador to Atlanta, people gathered to weatherize homes, plant trees, install solar panels and more, all to raise awareness about the urgency of reducing CO2 emissions.
Here in Salem, more than 60 volunteers planted trees on Harbor Street and Jefferson Avenue and weatherized a home to make it more energy efficient. In addition, children from the First Universalist Society and the First Church in Salem made environmentally themed banners on Salem Common. All in all, the goal was to send a clear message to our political leaders: If we can get to work, so can you!
The Global Work Party here in Salem was organized by Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE) and the city of Salem’s Renewable Energy Task Force. Many local businesses, organizations and individuals contributed to the success of this event.
SAFE would like to thank formally the following businesses and groups for generously donating a tree to be planted in the city: Northeast Nursery, Salem Sound Coast Watch, the Salem Beautification Committee and the Home Depot.
Likewise, we want to acknowledge the donation of professional time by arborists Curtis Dragon of Earth Landscape and John D. Leone of Small Scapes. The Salem Department of Public Works was instrumental in coordinating our tree planting activities, as was Dilisio Brothers Landscaping, which donated materials. With the weatherization project, Fred Hopps and the Worthmore Group provided local expertise at the scene of our test house, and One-Way Lumber/ Ace Hardware of Salem donated energy conservation materials.
SAFE would also like to thank the following businesses that donated items and services for the raffle we held for volunteers at our concluding celebration. They include: Cody Brewing Co., Coven, Beehive/Roost, Eastern Mountain Sports, Cornerstone Books, the Energy Hound, and the Home Depot.
Finally, we would like to thank Giovanni’s Pizza for the discount pizza that kept our volunteers working hard and the Green Land Café for graciously providing space and appetizers for our concluding party.
All in all, Salem’s Global Work Party was a success and we now plan to encourage our elected officials to get to work at the state and federal level by passing real and binding climate change legislation that will put our country back to work and onto a low-carbon path, one that stimulates our economy and protects our environment.
All of us have a role to play in reducing our carbon footprint as individuals and as a society. We thank all of those people who came out to deliver that message with energy, hope and fun on Oct. 10.
For more information and to see photographs of work parties from all over the world, go to 350.org. To see photographs of our local events, see salemsafe.org.
Katie Giddings
Derby Street, Salem
Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE)
Posted by ahanscom at 1:33 PM
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23 October 2010
"Harvesting Your Energy" Fair with the City of Medford and the Department of Energy Resources
at the McGlynn Elementary and Middle Schools
(DOER) is co-hosting the event. As part of it, they will be recognizing cities at 2:00 pm at the base of the turbine at the MGlynn Elementary School -- for becoming Green Communities (hint: the event is in Medford, but Salem people really should attend!).
Posted by ahanscom at 1:00 PM
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21 October 2010
SAFE is now on youtube!
Home weatherization video and Salem as a green community
Come and visit SAFE's youtube channel, where videos made by SAFE and SATV have already been uploaded.
Posted by ahanscom at 6:17 PM
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14 October 2010
10/10/10 Global Workparty Photos:
Salem, MA
On Sunday, over 60 volunteers in Salem participated in 350.org
's 10/10/10 Global Work Party, "A day to celebrate climate solutions" by planting trees on Harbor St. and Jefferson Ave. and weatherizing a home to make it more energy efficient, while children from the First Universalist Church and the First Church made environmentally themed banners and artwork on the Common. The event was organized by Salem Alliance for the Environment and Salem's Renewable Energy Task Force, which will be doing more home weatherizations over the coming year. (Photo by Brianna Lord)
Arborist Curt Dragon helps volunteers plant a tree on Jefferson Ave in Salem. (Photo by Marilyn Humphries)
Arborist John Leone and volunteers from North Shore Community College and the Salem Community Gardens celebrate after planting a tree on Harbor St, displaying a banner made by children from the First Universalist Society and the First Church in Salem. (Photo by Katie Giddings)
Fred Hopps of The Worthmore Group helps to install a blower door test to measure the airtightness of a home in North Salem that was weatherized on Sunday as part of 350.org
's 10/10/10 Global Work Party, "A day to celebrate climate solutions". (Photo by Brianna Lord)
Posted by ahanscom at 8:49 PM
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10 October 2010
Trees planted and a home weatherized in Salem
for the 350.org event on 10/10/10
Jeff Barz-Snell, who is the minister of the First Church in Salem Unitarian had to go deliver his sermon at almost the same time two groups of 350.org volunteers went out to plant eight trees and weatherize a home in Salem. Being one of the organizers of the 350.org event, he found a few minutes in between to talk to the 350 group on Salem Common, and he gave this sermon ... on the same topic ... to his congregation just a short time later:
THE PATH OF HOPE
An excerpt: "In the other path, future chroniclers will look back at this time and describe how the United States of America found the courage to address global climate change by harnessing the power of their free markets and the ingenuity their people to rapidly reduce their consumption of fossil fuels and lead the way towards a low carbon, less-polluting and more sustainable future. They will describe how in the course of a few decades, the US was able to jumpstart and transform its flagging economy by investing in and manufacturing a host of renewable energy technologies, all while making massive investments in energy efficiency and new infrastructure such as high speed rail and a 21st century power grid."
...
Continue reading Trees planted and a home weatherized in Salem
Posted by ahanscom at 7:31 PM
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10 October 2010
On YouTube -- "Salem, MA: A Green Community"
Produced by Patricia Gozemba & Marilyn Humphries at SATV
This video showcases the energy conservation efforts in the city of Salem and how Salem earned the green community designation from the state.
"Getting cities and towns to shift toward clean energy was such a cornerstone of the state’s 2008 energy legislation that the law is named the Green Communities Act…. Municipalities that meet five clean energy goals are eligible for millions in local aid under the law. State officials had not expected many communities to qualify right away, because the rules are tough." --Boston Globe, May 26, 2010
Posted by ahanscom at 3:00 PM
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10 October 2010
Salem Citizens to Host Local “10/10/10 Global Work Party”: A Day of Practical Climate Action
scheduled for 10/10/10
CONTACT: Katie Giddings 978.595.4990
Salem, MA -- From tree plantings in Salem neighborhoods to barn raising style weatherization projects in Salem homes, volunteers are joining with people from 183 nations in organizing a 10/10/10 Global Work Party as part of the largest day of carbon-cutting, grassroots climate action the planet has ever seen.
Salem’s Getting to Work 10/10/10 Work Party, is part of an international campaign created by 350.org, and being organized locally by the Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE) and the Salem Renewable Energy Task Force in conjunction with Salem Sound Coastwatch (SSCW), the Home Energy Efficiency Team, and other regional green civic leaders. The Sunday October 10th event is a volunteer driven work party to bring attention to the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to raise awareness of the practical steps residents can take to address climate change.
“As a densely populated, coastal community, Salem could be severely impacted if we don’t get a handle on carbon emissions”, states Katie Giddings lead organizer of the event. “Trees are a great way to absorb carbon. They also add greenery to our local landscape. Home weatherization saves energy and money. This is a way for us to help our community and our planet”.
Salem’s Getting to Work 10/10/10 Work Party will begin on Sunday October 10th at 10:00 am. Volunteers will meet at the Salem Common gazebo, and wrap up late afternoon with a volunteer thank you party at the Greenland Café on Washington Street. Raffle prizes from local merchants will be awarded to volunteers; free appetizers will be provided.
“People are doing very practical things to address climate change,” says 350.org founder Bill McKibben. “But with this event, they will also be sending a pointed political message. When they put down their shovels, many will pick up their cell-phones to call their leaders and say: ‘We’re getting to work, what about you?’”
Volunteers for the Salem’s Getting to Work 10/10/10/ Work Party are still welcome. To learn more and to sign up for either for the home weatherization team or tree planting team, please visit http://www.350.org/salems-getting-work.
About 350.org and 10:10
Founded by American environmentalist Bill McKibben, 350.org is an international campaign that works to build a global climate movement. On October 24, 2009 they organized what CNN called the “most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history.” 350.org is named after the goal of reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere from its current level of 390 parts per million to below 350 ppm, the safe upper limit according to the latest science.
Posted by ahanscom at 12:57 PM
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10 October 2010
Last call for 10/10/10 volunteers!
(a 350.org event occurring worldwide and in Salem)
[From Katie Giddings, organizer of the 350.org event here in Salem]
Hello 10/10/10 volunteers,
Only two days left! Looking forward to meeting, working and celebrating with you all! See our updated event page for more details on the day:
http://www.350.org/salems-getting-work
We'll meet at 10 am Sunday morning by the wooden arch/gate on the north edge of the Salem Common (next to Washington Square N.) for a kickoff with Mayor Kim Driscoll and group photos. From there we'll split into work teams for the day's projects. We'll have a pizza lunch midday, and then at 4:30 we'll reconvene at Green Land Cafe (Washington St. next to City Hall) for an after-party with free appetizers and a free raffle for volunteers with prizes from local businesses.
What to bring:
-Reusable bottle or cup - We'll provide clean, healthy, Salem tap water. Let's make it a truly green event and avoid bottled water!
-Work gloves - if you have them
-Shovel (optional!) - if you're working on tree planting, and it's convenient to bring
-Dress in layers so you can be comfortable indoors and outdoors.
Feel free to contact me if you have any issues or questions. This should be a fun day out in Salem--the weather is supposed to be beautiful and the city is full of a festive Halloween spirit. Thank you for showing that Massachusetts is ready to get to work on fighting climate change!
-Katie Giddings
Posted by ahanscom at 11:59 AM
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10 October 2010
Two articles in the Gazette
about the 350.org work party on 10/10/10
Posted by ahanscom at 11:57 AM
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