RENewsletter | July 22, 2012
The Free environmental newsletter from RochesterEnvironment.com
“Our Environment is changing: Keep up with the
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[07/15/2012 – 07/22/2012]
Opening Salvo | NewsLinks | Daily Updates | Events | Environmental Site of the Month
| Take Action |
Opening Salvo: “Climate Change is still too boring”
At this late date, decades
into our understanding of Climate Change,
I am amazed that articles such as “Climate
change: extreme farming” are so rare.
On Thursday, Greentopia’s Film
Festival sponsored “The
Island President,” at The Little
Theatre, about a nation and a culture 3, 000 years old that is sinking
under the sea because of Climate Change, to only about 30 folks.
During this
incredible heat wave and drought that is even reaching us here in the East,
our local media is still not connecting the dots (except City Newspaper, of course) between
our extreme
weather and Climate Change.
Jeremy’s series of articles
on Climate Change should be galvanizing the public about the how Climate Change
in our region is something to be addressed at both the world level and at the
local level. In this article, we learn
that to keep our region viable for agriculture in our warming future, all of us
must understand the changes that are going on, so we can help plan to adapt and
eventually survive this change.
Last Friday night, my wife, my nephew and my
sister-in-law, tried to walk a block to another film at the Little Theatre, but
there were so many people in the streets drinking and swaying to the music
festival going on that we barely made it.
If we only cared about the
plight of our planet as we do about self-absorbed gaiety.
FrankRegan@RochesterEnvironment.com (Click on my email for feedback)
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* Got news? | Go to my blog: Environmental Thoughts - Rochester, NY or Tweet me @ http://twitter.com/#!/FrankRrrr On Twitter
and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RochesterEnvironment
and Examiner/RochesterEnvironment, I post local environmental
events, news, and commentary as soon as it happens. If you think this newsletter, which
continually informs our community on our local environmental news, events,
actions, is worthwhile, please encourage others to sign up. We who care about our environment and future
need to ‘Occupy’ the Rochester media to change how the public views
environmental news.
The great conundrum of our
times is that in a time of rapidly occurring Climate
Change and a rapid disintegration of the environment that we need to thrive
and survive, mainstream media still marginalizes environmental concerns. [Check often
for this continually updated list on the possible consequences of Climate
Change in our region--supported by facts.] If there isn’t a quick and
substantial change in how environmental concerns are reported, edited, and
chosen in mainstream media, the public will continue to believe that
environmental concerns are merely special interest matters, issues they can
avoid if they choose. How can we inform the public and monitor our
environment without abridging our Freedoms--in enough time to safe ourselves?
Anything else you're interested in is not going to
happen if you can't breathe the air and drink the water. Don't sit this one
out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical
moment in the history of our planet. -- Carl Sagan
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NewsLinks – Environmental
NewsLinks – [Highlights of major environmental stories concerning our
area from the past week]
________________________________________
Updates – Daily Updates – [Connecting the dots
on Rochester’s environment. Find out what’s
going on environmentally in our area—and why you should care? Clicking on -DISCUSSION
– will take you to my blog “Environmental Thoughts, NY, where you can
add your comments.]
- 7/20/2012
- Watch some great stuff on Fracking, like your representatives
in NLYS speaking out against the worst possible idea to hit NYS’s
environment in the last century. Especially engaging is Senator Avella in
NYC’s 11-minute interview on a no-holds-barred talk about no Fracking. Sen Avella means
business. "Yesterday's fracking forum,
organized by Senator Avella in NYC, is available
now through the links below. It's like taking an honors class in fracking given by the best professors! In total it's
about 4 hours long but if you watch it in increments there's so much to be
learned: Part One: Hydrofracking forum, Recorded on 7/18/12 NYSenDems on
USTREAM. Other Entertainment Part Two: fracking part 2, Recorded on 7/18/12 NYSenDems on
USTREAM. Other Entertainment ALSO, from YNN's Capital
Tonight, Senator Avella speaks about the forum (about 11 minutes): Sen. Avella on Fracking Forum Anna Anna Sears and Nedra Harvey
R-CAUSE (Rochesterians Concerned About Unsafe
Shale-gas Extraction) http://www.r-cause.net/ "
- 7/20/2012 -‘Island President’ film in Rochester, escaping to
reality The filming of the Island President by the Greentopia Festival at the Little Theatre was a great
experience, a real-life experience. Usually, we go to the movies to escape
reality, but increasingly, because the dysfunctional mainstream media and
our government fail to connect the dots between Climate Change and the extreme
weather around us and rising sea levels, we have to go to the movies to
get real. Last night, we got real, watching the Maldives’ President’s
struggle to get the world to understand that his 3,000 old culture was
about to be overwhelmed by Climate Change via flooding from a rising sea.
At the Copenhagen talks, the president made a difference. This guy is Mr.
Relentless. more...
- 7/20/2012 - Is there common
ground between physics and economics? Yes , if
you believe in life. NCPR News - Is new "sustainable life" vision
for the Adirondack achievable? (07/20/12) Yesterday, we
reported on a new planning effort in the Adirondacks, one that aims to
find a common ground approach to environmental protection and economic
development. (July 20, 2012) NCPR: North Country Public Radio
- 7/20/2012
- If you don’t read anymore long articles on the fate of this planet this
month, read this one by Bill McKibben : Global Warming's Terrifying New Math | Politics News |
Rolling Stone Three simple numbers that add up to global
catastrophe - and that make clear who the real enemy is | If the pictures
of those towering wildfires in Colorado haven't convinced you, or the size
of your AC bill this summer, here are some hard numbers about climate
change: June broke or tied 3,215 high-temperature records across the
United States. That followed the warmest May on record for the Northern
Hemisphere – the 327th consecutive month in which the temperature of the
entire globe exceeded the 20th-century average, the odds of which
occurring by simple chance were 3.7 x 10-99, a number considerably larger
than the number of stars in the universe. (July 19, 2012) Rolling Stone | Music News, Politics, Reviews, Photos,
Videos, Interviews and More [more on Climate Change in our area]
- 7/19/2012
- Brownfields are why it would be
insane to relax environmental regulations – business won’t move to an area
another business polluted. Syracuse gets money to revitalize old industrial zones
| Innovation Trail Syracuse will use money from a state
program to take another step in the long process of redeveloping former
industrial sites. Syracuse is getting a $500,000 Brownfield Opportunity
Area (BOA) grant for work on 113 acres just south of downtown and a 478
acre strip through the east side of the city. The grant is for the development
of a revitalization strategy, the second of three phases of the BOA
program, according to Owen Kerney, the city's
deputy director for planning and sustainability. (July 18, 2012) Innovation Trail [more on Brownfields in our area]
- 7/19/2012
- The really scary part of not addressing Climate Change rationally is
that we’re left with loony geoengineering
schemes on a planetary scale. Wouldn’t it be smarter to stop Climate
Change and so decrease the ocean acidification instead of a
playing god with technical acts of desperation? Can Adding Iron To Oceans Slow Global Warming? : NPR
A noted oceanographer once quipped that if you
gave him a tanker half-filled with iron, he could give you an ice age. He
was only half-joking. Adding iron to the ocean can cause blooms of algae,
which have the potential to take huge amounts of carbon dioxide out of the
air and by so doing, cool the planet. And a report in Nature magazine now
offers some support for that idea. (July 18, 2012) Environment : NPR [more on Climate Change in our area]
- 7/19/2012
- Dairy heat stress and Climate Change, connect the dots,
make wise plans for NYS farming Disturbing as today’s
news about how overheated cows are producing less milk; this is an
anticipated effect of Climate Change in our region. If the local media
connected the dots between milk production and the local effects of
Climate Change we could better prepare for higher milk prices and garner
public support for the energy increase that will be need to cool the dairy
industry and keep it thriving as we adapt to Climate Change. more...
- 7/18/2012 - Climate Change and the potential
collapse of our environment are easy to explain when you think about it.
We thought we could devise an economic system without considering the
environment. (What were we thinking? future generations will ask) Now, we
just have to change that. Here's a great encapsulation of the issue and
your role in it: Story of Change « The Story of Stuff Project
"Can shopping save the world? The Story of Change urges viewers to
put down their credit cards and start exercising their citizen muscles to
build a more sustainable, just and fulfilling world. "
- 7/18/2012
- For those who think nuclear power is the answer to everything including
Climate Change and aren’t dissuaded by points that challenge their
position, they might reflect on human hubris at operating very complex
operations where there is little room for error-a microcosm for running
the planet as it warms. How Fukushima Challenged a Core Tenet of U.S. Nuclear
Safety: An Expert's View | InsideClimate News
"Nuclear power is an unforgiving technology," says Peter Lam,
nuclear safety expert, whose thinking was changed by Japan's disaster.
Peter Lam's resume reflects a lifetime of
experience in the nuclear energy industry–including 20 years in the
private sector, followed by 18 years as an administrative judge at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
He's a retired nuclear engineer with 110 published judicial decisions and
more than 70 technical papers in industry journals and company
publications. And he's considered an international expert on nuclear
reactor safety and risk assessment strategies. (July 16, 2012) | InsideClimate News
- 7/18/2012) - On Climate Change
from Al Gore: Al Gore: Extreme Weather Disaster Area: This Is What
the Climate Crisis Looks Like The U.S. Department of
Agriculture has named over 1,000 counties in 26 states as disaster areas
-- the largest declaration in history -- as a result of the recent
drought, wildfires and other extreme weather events threatening
agriculture and many other industries across the entire country. As
scientists have told us, this is what the climate crisis looks like.
" (July 15, 2012) Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post
- 7/17/2012 - At some point along
the continuum of Climate Change, from normal to too-hot-to-handle,
all of the generations will wake up on Climate Change—hope it’s in time. Generation X on climate change: Meh
— The Daily Climate Pre-occupied with careers and
families, the Gen Xers – adults in their 30s and
40s – remain almost as indifferent to climate change impacts as their
parents The study is the fourth in a series following Gen Xers – those born between 1961 and 1981 – since 1986.
The new "Generation Report" [pdf],
funded by the National Science Foundation, focused on the responses of
some 4,000 Gen Xers' to questions about climate
change each year from 2009 to 2011. Participants were asked a number of
other questions about their lives and beliefs as a part of these annual
surveys, which will be the focus of future reports. (July 17, 2012) The Daily Climate
- 7/17/2012
- As parts of our Adirondacks burn from wildfires and
the governor puts a ban on outdoor brush burning, we
should connect the dots with all that and Climate Change. How Climate Change Is Turning Our Forests into Kindling
The effects of global warming on temperature, precipitation levels and
soil moisture are turning many of our forests into kindling during
wildfire season. As the climate warms, moisture and precipitation levels are changing,
with wet areas becoming wetter and dry areas becoming drier.
(July 9, 2012) EcoWatch: Uniting the Voice of the Grassroots Environmental
Movement
- 7/17/2012 - In terms of effect,
the Asian Carp is one of the largest and perhaps the most potentially
devastating Invasive Species to our Great Lakes; see what they look like
(5 minute video): How to Identify Bighead, Silver, Grass and Common
Carps - YouTube How to Identify Bighead, Silver, Grass
and Common Carps Created by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Midwest
Region, this video will teach you how to identify bighead and silver carps
using grass carp and common carp as points of comparison (July 2, 2012) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - YouTube
- 7/17/2012
- Since back in the 1980’s, David Attenborough’s programs on the
persistence of life on Earth has had a profound effect on my own thinking
about our planet’s biology. How finely tuned life has become after
billions of years of evolution and the profound and immediate disturbance
of human’s to that balance and interdependency (which Attenborough reveals
in so many programs) has given me a sense of perspective on the rapidity
of change that is occurring now in our environment. Glad to see that
Attenborough is finally speaking up on Climate Change: For my part David Attenborugop programs on the persistence of life on
Earth has had a profound effect on my own thinking about our planet’s
biology. Sir David Attenborough: 'This awful summer? We've only
ourselves to blame...' - Profiles - People - The Independent
"Attenborough on... climate change "There is no question that
climate change is happening; the only arguable point is what part humans
are playing in it," he says. "Personally
I would be absolutely astounded if population growth and industrialisation and all the stuff we are pumping
into the atmosphere hadn't changed the climatic balance. Of course it has.
There is no valid argument for denial." " (July 14, 2012) The Independent | News | UK and Worldwide News |
Newspaper
- 7/17/2012 - Dragging our feet on
addressing Climate Change will mean that we’ll attempt geoengineering
the planet as a cure. We don’t know how to curb our cravings let along run
a planet. Geoengineering Could Backfire, Make Climate Change Worse Deploying
giant space mirrors and spraying particles from stadium-sized balloons may
sound like an engineer’s wild fantasy, but climate models suggest that the
potential of geoengineering to offset rising
atmospheric carbon dioxide may be significantly overstated. Through a variety
of computer simulations used for reporting to the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC), the team investigated a scenario where an
increase in the world’s atmospheric carbon dioxide levels was balanced by
a “dimming” of the sun. (July 16, 2012) Wired.com
- 7/16/2012 - NYS Health Dept. has
been mum on protecting public health during this heatwave since June 20th State Health Department, Office of Emergency Management
Advise New Yorkers to Protect Themselves Against Excessive Heat,
maybe they should read Go. Patterson’s New York State Climate Action Plan
Interim Report - November 9, 2010: New York Climate Change Advisory Group :: Interim
Report 'To effectively manage the natural resources of
New York State, practitioners must understand the baseline condition of
species, habitats, and population trends. Rapidly changing climate and
associated changes in habitats and ecological community structure will
likely increase fish and wildlife exposure to stressors (both existing and
those caused by climate change), compromise their
ability to adapt to stress, and affect the ability to detect harmful
trends in fish and wildlife ecology and health. An increase in the
capacity to identify key stressors is needed to inform management
decisions and abate threats. Assessments of species’ and habitats’ climate
vulnerabilities, including exposure sensitivity and adaptive capacity,
should be used to prioritize conservation actions. ' (page 11-33)
- 7/16/2012
- Could be a way to rein in Fracking in NYS. Hey, you never know. Pollution Prevention Grants to be Awarded | WXXI News
The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute at the Rochester Institute
of Technology is awarding grants around the state to implement programs
that will raise awareness about pollution prevention. (July 12, 2012) WXXI News | The Public Media news source for Rochester,
NY and the Finger Lakes
- 7/16/2012 - On now for something
totally new on the Fracking
front, individuals can register themselves as landowners opposed to fracking at: REALNYS | Responsible Associated Landowners of New York
State "We hope that you will join us in our fight
to stand up as landowners in New York state who are working to protect our
beloved land from the impacts of hydro-fracking.
You can learn more about what we’re up to by checking our Our Mission and Our Work. Most importantly, if you
own land and don’t want to have it fracked,
please, add your name and property information on the Join Us! page.
" --from REALNYS | Responsible Associated Landowners of New York
State
- 7/16/2012 - Green Drinks, Don't forget
CEI: Center for Environmental Information - Green
Drinks Events ": UGBN Green Drinks Don't forget,
This Thursday, July 19, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm, the Upstate Green Business
Network (UGBN) Green Drinks will be hosted by the Rochester Civic Garden
Center at 5 Castle Park Rochester, NY 14620 Sponsored by: Experienced
Bricks "
- 7/16/2012
- So, I’m just thinking out loud here: What if damage due to Climate
Change was admissible evidence in our courts, like health damage due to
frequent extreme weather events, heatwaves, wildfires… you know, science. Development of the Third Edition of the Reference
Manual on Scientific Evidence "The third edition of
the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence
was developed in collaboration with the Federal Judicial Center, which
produced the previous editions, and is intended to assist judges with the
management of cases involving complex scientific and technical evidence.
" Committee on Science, Technology, and Law (CSTL)
- 7/16/2012
- We cannot ‘shrink away in disgust’ over environments we have damaged
because it’s all one planet – it never really goes away. 'Sunny Chernobyl': Beauty In A Haze Of Pollution : NPR In some of the
dirtiest places on Earth, author and environmentalist Andrew Blackwell
found some beauty. His book, Visit Sunny Chernobyl, tours the
deforestation of the Amazon, the oil sand mines in Canada and the world's
most polluted city, located in China. Blackwell says his ode to polluted
locales is a bid for re-engagement with places people have shrunk away
from in disgust. (July 14, 2012) Environment : NPR
- 7/16/2012
- It makes sense that as we warm the planet animals and plants as they
always have in their evolutionary past will respond to the challenges of
Climate Change along with their other challenges. Eco-evolutionary responses of biodiversity to climate
change : Nature Climate Change : Nature Publishing Group
"Climate change is predicted to alter global species diversity1, the distribution of human
pathogens2 and ecosystem services3. Forecasting these changes and
designing adequate management of future ecosystem services will require
predictive models encompassing the most fundamental biotic responses.
However, most present models omit important processes such as evolution
and competition4, 5. Here we develop a spatially
explicit eco-evolutionary model of multi-species responses to climate
change. We demonstrate that both dispersal and evolution differentially mediate
extinction risks and biodiversity alterations through time and across
climate gradients. " (July 15, 2012) Journal home : Nature Climate Change
- 7/16/2012
- Mosquitoes and dragging our feet on Climate Change
Here in New York State, Climate Change is not expected to
affect the net amount of rainfall we get in the next half-century.
Mosquitoes that drive vector-borne diseases like Lyme disease, malaria, and West Nile Virus will probably
increase. We will have more rainfall in the early spring and late fall
according to many Climate Studies that address our
region, but even in our drier summers and early fall; man-made pooling of
waters will allow the mosquito populations grow. more...
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Events – Rochester Environmental Events Calendar – [The
most complete listing of all environmental events around the Rochester, New
York area.]
If you don’t see your event, or know of a local environmental event, please
send me the info: FrankRegan@RochesterEnvironment.com with
(EV event) in the subject line. Also, be sure to check other calendars and environmental series
for multi-day events.
July 2012
August 2012
- Saturday
August 4 from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm for a presentation about his conservation
work with grassland and shrubland birds and
their habitats. Space is limited. Registration required. To register or
for more information about the Montezuma Audubon Center please call
315-365-3588 or email montezuma@audubon.org
- Nature of Montezuma Lecture and
Hike: Conserving Our Most Imperiled Grassland Birds The
Montezuma Audubon Center is proud to welcome Mr. Andrew Hinickle, Conservation Biologist with Audubon New
York, on Saturday August 4 from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm for a presentation
about his conservation work with grassland and shrubland
birds and their habitats. The talk will provide landowners a chance to
learn about the habitat needs of New York’s grassland and shrubland birds like the American kestrel, bobolink,
short-eared owl and golden-winged warbler, hike through one of
Montezuma’s most extensive grasslands and learn about what land owners
can do to improve habitat for these birds. As Audubon New York's
Conservation, Mr. Hinickle works closely with
agencies and organizations to engage landowners in cost-share or other
incentive programs, drafting conservation and management plans for
project sites, and monitoring the bird response to management activities.
Andrew comes to Audubon from the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge
Complex, where he was employed as a Wildlife Biologist. Previously, he
held positions with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources, restoring wetlands and grasslands on
public and private lands. Andrew has degree in Environment Science from
the University of Wisconsin- Green Bay. Fee: $3/child, $5/adult,
$15/family, FREE for Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex. Space is
limited. Registration required. To register or for more information about
the Montezuma Audubon Center please call 315-365-3588 or email montezuma@audubon.org. Photo
captions: Bobolink courtesy USFWS American kestrel courtesy USFWS
- Saturday, August 25, noon to 6pm
| Monroe Avenue between Rutgers and Oxford
- Spokes and Ink – A Bike and
Poster Party Spokes and Ink at the Genesee Center for the Arts &
Education Saturday, August 25, 2012 Noon to 6pm Monroe Avenue at Oxford/Rutgers
Spokes and Ink is a new festival in Rochester that brings bicyclists and
artists together. This event on Monroe Avenue showcases the diversity of both groups – avid cyclists, recreational riders, the
environmentally aware, letterpress printers, graphic designers and
talented artists of all sorts! There will be poster art, food and
merchandise for sale, live music and activities to attract a crowd. In
the inaugural year of 2011, Spokes & Ink drew 600+ guests. 2012 is
expected to be bigger and better! If you are interested in reaching this
wide-ranging demographic who are into bicycles and art or just want to
support this activity for others, please consider a sponsorship. Your
business or organization could benefit from the exposure that is possible
at Spokes and Ink. What: Spokes and Ink – A Bike and Poster Party Where:
Monroe Avenue between Rutgers and Oxford When: Saturday, August 25, noon
to 6pm Proceeds from the event will benefit the Genesee Center for the
Arts & Education and R Community Bikes. The Genesee Center for the
Arts & Education is a community-based 501(c)3
organization that educates, encourages and inspires all people to create
and enjoy the visual arts. We have 40+ years of experience in serving the
Rochester community with great arts programming including classes,
exhibits, studio access and special events. R Community Bikes is a
grassroots, 501(c)3 organization that collects
and repairs used bicycles for distribution, free of charge, to Rochester,
NY's most needy children and adults. Their mission is meeting the basic
transportation needs of those in the community who depend on bikes for
recreation as well as for transport to work, school, rehabilitation
programs, and training sessions. If you have any questions about the
Genesee Center for the Arts & Education or about Spokes and Ink,
please call the office at 585-244-1730. We look forward to hearing from
you!
September
2012
- September 10th - 16th - High
Falls region, Rochester, NY
- Greentopia 2012 Greentopia
2012 is a week-long celebration of inspiration through art, music,
organic and locally grown food and beverages, ideas and activism. The
expanded event will contain four programmatic aspects, which include Greentopia Innovation, Greentopia
Film, Greentopia Music and Greentopia
EcoFest. In its first year the event drew
between 18-20,000 people to the historic High Falls district. Through
how-to workshops and cutting-edge films, visitors learned about big green
ideas and how to apply them creatively in everyday life. There are
special family activities, a community recycled art installation,
mouthwatering organic and local food and beverages, and all kinds of live
music. Businesses and organizations showcased products and programs that
help to restore the planet, promote green living – even save consumers
some money.
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Action – Take Action - Often, I receive request
to pass on alerts, petitions, Public Comments on local developments, and
environmental items needing action by the Rochester Community and around the
world. I’ll keep Actions posted until their due date.
- ACTION: July 25th at noon:
- ACTION: Due Date: July 28 - not definate yet find out more...
- Demonstrate
your conviction that Fracking is not for New York State:
"On Saturday, July 28, people from across the country will converge
on Washington, DC to tell Congress, the President, and the world to STOP THE FRACK ATTACK . Want to join
other Rochesterians on the bus to DC and
standing up to tell the truth about fracking?
The Sierra Club, Rochester Regional Group, wants to organize a bus to DC
for this important act of democracy, if there are enough riders. If you
are interested in taking the bus on July 28th, please let Linda know ASAP
so she can secure a bus: lci_msw@hotmail.com. NOTE: The Rochester
bus is not definite yet; we have to see if there is enough interest.
Please help us make it happen by participating! The tentative plan is for
the bus to start in Rochester and possibly stop in other parts of the
State to pick up additional folks. The Sierra Club is providing a small
subsidy, but even with that, each rider will have to pay somewhere
between $35 and $65, unless you or a business or an organization you know
of can make a donation (not tax-deductible) to help offset the cost for
riders. Please also let Linda know that (e-mail
address above). "
- ACTION: Due date: August 4th :
- ACTION: Due Date: Now
- ACTIONDue Date Now:
- ACTION: Due Date: Now
- ACTION: Due Date now:
- ACTION: Due Date: Now
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- ACTION:Due Date Now
- ACTION: Due Date: Now
- ACTION: Due date: Now
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Award – Environmental Site of the Month Award – [On
the last Sunday of each month, we present an environmental award for the Rochester-area
environmental web site or blog that best promotes the need to protect and
offers solutions for our area's environmental issues.]