RENewsletter March 27, 2011

RENewsletter | March 27, 2011

The Free environmental newsletter from RochesterEnvironment.com

“Our Environment is changing: Keep up with the Change.”

[3/20/11 – 3/27/11]

* Need to vent? | Go to my blog: Environmental Thoughts - Rochester, NY

* Found an important Rochester environmental story from a credible source that you think needs attention? Or, an Environmental Event, Please, SEND ME THE LINK. 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.

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?

* The March 2011 Environmental Site of the Month Award goes to Rochester Gardening “Gardening in Upstate New York”: Go to Award.

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

[Hyperlinks work by CTRL + click to follow a link]

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Opening Salvo: “Another Earth Day approaching for Rochester, NY and we still don’t get it”

The whole point, I would argue, of Earth day is to remind folks that we are creatures still dependant on a healthy environment—no matter how important we think other things are. In this regard, there are many Earth Day events coming up in Rochester, NY, and I hope you’ll get out and attend one of them. Find out who’s doing what and why. Check RochesterEnvironment.com Calendar to get a complete listing of all Earth Day events in our area.

This year, like many past years, much is being done to attract a wide diversity of folks because we all have a direct link to our environment. But it’s not easy. Many, far too many, wouldn’t dream of attending an Earth Day event. It’s not on their radar. It’s not their ‘thing’ as we used to say in the sixties. Or they’re too busy, they don’t think they care, they don’t believe our environment is in trouble, or they think they do know all about it and think it’s all out of their hands. It’s not.

Believe it or not, it’s not somehow written into the great scheme of things that we have to drive ourselves and every other living thing on this planet into extinction. We can and must do something to stop the steady march into the collapse that pollution and our other environmental issues portend.

But the proportionally small numbers of folks who attend to our environment through their advocacy, jobs, official roles, or interests are not enough. Because our planet is warming (our atmosphere is over 390ppm CO₂ when it should be lower than 350ppm CO₂) and we are losing species at a rate consistent with the five other major extinction events (except this time we are the cause), the work of a few will not make the wholesale changes needed to put us on a sustainable path.

This past year’s BP Oil Spill, the Massey mine accident, and the present Japanese nuclear disaster must remind even the most indifferent soul that the things that man does to our environment don’t always go as planned. And when things do go wrong, many, many lives get disrupted or worse. Through our neglect, our hubris, and our rush for unfettered riches, we have put our existence and our environment on such a precarious path that the slightest error in technology or judgment wreaks unimaginable havoc. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Unlike what transpires in the entertainment world, there will be no superheroes to solve our serious environmental problems. In those make-believe worlds, disasters seem to boil down to simple heroic efforts to save humanity from evil, from aliens, from whatever. Well, our environmental problems are an entirely different sort of disaster than those conjured up by Hollywood. In most cases, environmental catastrophes are years, decades, maybe even centuries in the making. They take so long to occur, accumulating bit by bit, that we don’t see the collapse happening until it’s way too late to fix it. There’s no way you can ratchet down our atmosphere’s temperature when we pass a tipping point. We have to prevent disasters, instead of thinking we can do whatever we want and can then fix them in the nick of time.

The conundrum for the environmental community is how to make every day Earth Day. For what we don’t get is that little if nothing will remain of our lives, our hopes, and our dreams when our environment collapses. You cannot marginalize, sideline, or forget about the very ground under your feet. We, everyone, have a moral obligation to the generations that follow us to leave them a healthy environment--and we are not anywhere near accomplishing that.

FrankRegan@RochesterEnvironment.com (Click on my email for feedback)

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NewsLinks – Environmental NewsLinks – [Highlights of major environmental stories concerning our area from the past week]

· Over $6 million for fresh fruits and vegetables in New York schools

· State of Disrepair: The Cost of Clean Water

· The Latest from FLCC: How Conesus Lake gets its walleye

· Record Numbers of New Yorkers Retrofit Homes for Energy Efficiency Using Green Jobs/Green NY Free or Reduced-Cost Energy Audit/Low-Cost Financing Program

· Meeting revisits Marcellus Shale as new rules are drafted - Wellsville, NY - Wellsville Daily Reporter

· Congressman Reed asks government to abandon high speed rail - Canandaigua, NY - MPNnow

· Congress hears region's transit concerns | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com

· Researchers help map Japan's tsunami and earthquake damage

· High Speed Rail Service Talks - WETM 18 Online

· 'Great Lakes could be bone dry in 80 years'

· COUNTY PARKS DEPARTMENT AND LOCAL RECYCLING COMPANY COLLABORATE TO “PICK-UP-THE-PARKS”]

· An Update on Indian Point | Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

· ENVIRONMENT: A quicker way to test the waters - News Articles - Rochester City Newspaper

· Times on fracking study: Don't rush it - News Blog - Rochester City Newspaper

· We appreciate water, but waste it

· Governor Cuomo Announces Nuclear Regulatory Commission has Agreed to Make Indian Point the Top Priority in Nuclear Plant Seismic Risk Review | Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

· New York Waterfowl Hunters Get High Marks - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

· 03/22/2011: CORRECTION: UPDATED – please note the addition of “hundreds of thousands” in the second and sixth paragraphs | Radiation Monitors Continue to Confirm That No Radiation Levels of Concern Have Reached the United States

· New York reconsiders nuclear | Innovation Trail

· Ginna Officials Monitoring Nuclear Situation in Japan

· Scientists: VHS not causing widespread fish die-offs in Great Lakes | Superior Telegram | Superior, Wisconsin

· 03/21/2011: EPA Warns Online Shoppers about Illegal, Harmful Pesticide Sales Japan Crisis Sparks Nuclear Waste Questions In U.S. : NPR

· No lake windmills on their minds - Erie County - The Buffalo News

· Dead Fish Cover Pond in Greece - YNN, Your News Now

· U of R Uses Recycled Plastic to Make Caps and Gowns - YNN, Your News Now

· Governor Cuomo Concerned About NY Nuclear Plant Safety - RochesterHomePage.net

· Grassroots grows with Waterweek

· Secretary Salazar Announces Funding for Wetlands Acquisitions and Grants for Bird Habitat Conservation

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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.]

3/26/2011 - Why do hunters rule Wildlife Issues? This notice by the DEC on deer management (see below) raises an interesting question that I suspect no one questions. Why do hunters have such a disproportional say in how our wildlife is managed in our state? Wildlife have a function in our environment other than something to shoot. Our environment has been shaped and is shaped by the creatures that have and do inhabit our environment. Although, recently not so much. Mankind has so overtaken the role of top predator that it is assumed throughout the public that we don’t need a thriving balance of animals in our environment—except to harvest. However much monies hunters and fisherman contribute to the dollars needed to preserve and protect our wildlife, should they who shoot our wildlife be the soul arbitrators of the rules pertaining to the conservation of wildlife? I don’t have an answer to this question, but we have set up the funding for our conservation of wildlife that it is so heavily paid for by stamps and licenses to hunters that they and the New York State of Environmental Conservation have come to believe that it must be only the hunter’s interests by which we judge how wildlife is controlled in our state. As I say, it’s just something I’ve been thinking about and I don’t know the answer, but the question is intriguing to me. "Update on Deer management in our area: Deer Management Plan Update. DEC continues to refine strategies and recommendations in development of a five-year deer management plan for New York State. We anticipate that the plan will be available for public review and comment by late May or early June. This time-frame will allow us to conclude a summary assessment of the pilot antler restriction program in the southern Catskills and address the future of mandatory antler restrictions in the pilot area and elsewhere in the deer management plan. Recently, several erroneous claims have circulated in some New York hunting blogs, online forums and news articles, implying that DEC intends to shut down the pilot antler restriction program regardless of hunter interests. These claims have no base. DEC does not have pre-determined intentions for the pilot antler restriction program but will use results of the summary assessment to help determine the future of the program. Review preliminary information about the deer management plan and a description of the antler restriction issue in New York. " New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
3/26/2011 - Nuclear power is dangerous regardless of all the babble from the lobbyists in Washington. Is our wasteful energy way of life worth the kind of exceptional fallout from a nuclear power disaster that we are forever promised won’t go wrong? When we don’t dramatically increase renewable energy like wind power and solar and don’t change our lust for energy, we allow this dangerous energy source to put ourselves and our environment in peril. This should not have happened, but it did: U.S. Rushes Freshwater To Japan Nuclear Plant : NPR "U.S. naval barges loaded with freshwater sped toward Japan's overheated nuclear plant on Saturday to help workers struggling to stem a worrying rise in radioactivity and remove dangerously contaminated water from the facility. Workers at the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi plant have been using seawater in a frantic bid to stabilize reactors overheating since a tsunami knocked out the complex's crucial cooling system March 11, but fears are mounting about the corrosive nature of the salt in the water. " March 26, 2011) Environment : NPR
3/25/2011 - High Speed Rail and our environment on the rails: It’s too bad that yet again the tragedy of our economy is being used as an opportunity to gut our environmental monitoring (the massive cuts in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency (not to mention the attacks on public broadcasting, which is one of our last hopes of getting objective and what is left of investigative environmental reporting) and now our hopes for high speed rail are on the rails. High speed rail across New York State will move folks out of their vehicles (and off the gas lines to come) into a more efficient and environmentally friendly mode of travel across our state. Instead of a viable future where we curb greenhouse gases that are causing Climate Change and reduce particulates in our air from burning fossil fuels, it looks like we will continue to spend billions on roads and bridges that support a transportation system that is unsustainable. Though gasoline driven vehicular transportation is too expensive in every sense of the word, our present financial uproar will favor those with an interest in keeping the status quo, rather than everyone else and our environment. We can use this attack against high speed rail (and we can add the attacks against off-shore wind projects) to use as markers, or points, where major steps were taken to reduce our collective chance of survival in a world that is warming up and our environment falling down. Congressman Reed asks government to abandon high speed rail - Canandaigua, NY - MPNnow Rochester, N.Y. — Congressman Tom Reed, R-Corning, is urging Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to abandon plans for a high speed rail line for New York State. “In times of national financial crisis, we simply cannot support this expenditure of precious tax dollars on a project that will not be financially viable in the long-term,” Reed wrote in a letter to LaHood that was co-signed by Congresswoman Ann Marie Berkley. (March 25, 2011) Home - Canandaigua, NY - MPNnow [more on Transportation in our area]
3/24/2011 - Info on Green Jobs: Are you interested in learning more about “green” technology? Have you ever thought about a possible career in renewable energy? FREE Introduction to Renewable Energy Seminar Saturday, March 26 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Assess your interest in different renewable energy areas. Learn what skills are needed for job opportunities. Receive information about how to personally conserve energy and control energy costs. Pre-Registration Required 232-2730 ext. 233 305 Andrews Street Rochester, NY 14604 www.reoc.brockport.edu
2/24/2011 - Get some useful information on “the workshop for April 6th by Healing Our Waters (HOW), regarding the GLRI funds for projects, per the below information.” HOW funding now available to support groups applying for GLRI funding and other Federal funds Applications due May 15th, 2011 For a second year, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes (HOW) Coalition is teaming up with Freshwater Future to help local groups in the Great Lakes region obtain and use funds from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and other federal sources as part of the Coalition’s Implementation Grants Program. The grants program is to help develop and implement federal projects and proposals. The effort will ensure local groups are equipped to manage and complete effective projects with GLRI and other federal funds and by so doing, will help ensure sustained support from the federal government to clean up, restore and heal the Great Lakes. The HOW Implementation Program has identified five of the most degraded areas in the Great Lakes to focus our efforts to support available GLRI funding for 2011 and in the upcoming 2012 fiscal year. These priority areas were selected by a panel of Great Lakes scientists because they were in great need of restoration yet hold significant promise for restoration success. The areas include: • Lake Superior: St Louis Bay and St. Louis River • Lake Michigan: Chicagoland • Lake Huron: Saginaw Bay • Lake Erie: Western Lake Erie & Maumee Bay • Lake Ontario: Eastern Lake Ontario The HOW program will be providing $115,000 to help jump-start projects. The full RFP, application, and maps of the priority areas can be found at: http://www.healthylakes.org/. Want to learn more? Attend this informational meeting! Freshwater Future is hosting a meeting at the below location with groups, discussing project ideas, and answering questions about the HOW RFP. Eastern Lake Ontario Priority Area Meeting Wednesday, April 6th from 4:00pm – 6:00pm Sodus Bay Township Hall 8356 Bay Street Sodus Point, NY
3/24/2011 -Our forests and Climate Change: How will our region’s forest change because of Climate Change? This principle, that Climate Change will change everything, must be kept in mind as we seek to preserve and protect our environment, including our forests. While we are trying to keep our forests healthy, in the ways that we always have, we will also have to do so while Climate Change is occurring. Preserving species, halting invasive species, controlling forest fires, harvesting trees, and much more will have to be accomplished and goals adjusted because our forests will never be the same. Regardless of what we do, our forests will be changing to adjust to Climate Change. If we began addressing Climate Change (change how we get energy and change to public transportation), we would have a much better chance of saving our forests. Expanding Forests in the Northern Latitudes "According to a recent United Nations report, forested areas in Europe, North America, the Caucasus, and Central Asia have grown steadily over the past two decades. While tropical areas have steadily lost their forests to excessive logging and increased agriculture, northern areas have seen increases caused by conservation efforts. However, the long-term health and stability of northern forest lands may be imperiled by the effects of climate change. " (March 23, 2011) Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment
3/24/2011 - The importance of clean water in a quickly changing environment: In our Rochester, NY region we tend not to think about the critical importance of clean water because we have so much of it. But, as with all environmental issues, water issues are connected. It might be seen in this way (and I cannot believe I’m paraphrasing Bush II) if we don’t help folks around the world get clean, sanitized water, someday they may be coming for our water. Check out this UN effort to make sure all have clean water around the world: Water for Life "The primary goal of the 'Water for Life' Decade is to promote efforts to fulfil international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015. Focus is on furthering cooperation at all levels, so that the water-related goals of the Millennium Declaration, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit for Sustainable Development, and Agenda 21 can be achieved. The challenge of the Decade is to focus attention on action-oriented activities and policies that ensure the long-term sustainable management of water resources, in terms of both quantity and quality, and include measures to improve sanitation. Achieving the goals of the 'Water for Life' Decade requires sustained commitment, cooperation and investment on the part of all stakeholders from 2005 to 2015 and far beyond. "
3/23/2011 - We can never have too many Earth Day events: Here’s another major Earth Day event coming up in April in our area: "The 4th Annual HAMLIN EARTH DAY at the PARK will be held Sat., April 16th from 9 - 3 at Hamlin Beach State Park Area 4. Hosted by Hamlin Beach S.P., the Town of Hamlin, SUNY Brockport Dept.of Environmental Sciences, and the Hamlin and Hilton Lions, the event will feature numerous environmental information booths, craft, antique, and eco-friendly vendors and a display of fuel efficient vehicles. Beach clean-up, free tree seedling give-away and planting of saplings in the park are also planned. Poetry readings by Just Poets at 10:30 and music by The Dady Brothers at 12:30. Guided tour of historic CCC/POW camp about 3PM. The Lions are accepting used eyeglasses, hearing aids, and keys for metal recycling. Used cell phones can also be dropped off for recycling. Free food and refreshments will be on hand and participants are urged to bring their own travel mugs as a gesture of sustainability. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 585 964-2462. "
3/23/2011 - Reassessing our energy options: In a time of a nuclear power issue in Japan, and a heighten awareness of nuclear power in the US; it is time to question all our energy assumptions. Minor adjustments, as in tweaking the system here with more regulations and better responses there for more emergency measures, is not enough. We need to look at our energy options wholesale and ask some important questions: How much energy do we need? Do we need so much energy that we are willing to put our environment at the kind of risk nuclear power puts us in? Do we dislike wind power so much that we are willing to jeopardize our future with fossil fuels and dangerous energy like nuclear? Do we have time, in the light of rapidly increasing Climate Change, to appease every concern over wind tower and solar panel placement before we move to a clean, renewable energy system? Doesn’t it seem strange that we have so honed our need for more energy that we must constantly check our land, water, and air to make sure they haven’t been contaminated by our power sources? Assemblywoman wants iodine pills distributed within 30 miles of Indian Point| ALBANY – State Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera (D-Bronx) wants radiation-blocking iodine pills to be made available to all New Yorkers within 30 miles of the Indian Point nuclear power plants immediately. The lawmaker, who is a member of the Assembly Health Committee, called Friday for the pills one week after the earthquake, tsunami and resultant nuclear power plant crisis in Japan. (March 19-20) New York State News on the Net! We are betting that oil, gas, coal, and nuclear power will not compromise our own future and our children’s future because we won’t step back and question how we get our energy. Does even the remote possibility of a nuclear issue in our area urge us to rethink our energy options? Time and time again, when disasters reveal how little control we have over our present energy sources, we simply make a few adjustments and go on. Is this a rationale way to address our energy needs when we know how much of an impact fossil fuels and nuclear power have on our environment? What is certain is that our issues with our energy options won’t go away because we make a few minor changes and forget all about them until the next disaster. As interest in nuclear power grows, concerns remain - Albany Metro, NY Local News "Laura Haight’s first job out of college was with a now-defunct group called the Sierra Club Radioactive Waste Campaign. The group opposed nuclear power, largely because of unanswered questions over how to safely dispose of the radioactive waste generated by nuclear power plants. That was more than 20 years ago, when the controversy over nuclear power and where to put the waste was at its height. " (March 13, 2011)
3/22/2011 - Have we become addicted to plastics and what effect to they have on our health and our environment? Plastic - Too Good to Throw Away - NYTimes.com "SINCE the 1930s, when the product first hit the market, there has been a plastic toothbrush in every American bathroom. But if you are one of the growing number of people seeking to purge plastic from their lives, you can now buy a wooden toothbrush with boar’s-hair bristles, along with other such back-to-the-future products as cloth sandwich wrappers, metal storage containers and leather fly swatters. " (March 17, 2011) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia
3/28/2011 - Pithy essay on why we should look again at nuclear energy after the disaster in Japan by one of our best environmental writers.The Future of Nuclear Energy Around the World : The New Yorker

"The age of atomic energy could be said to have begun, literally, with the wave of a wand. On September 6, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was vacationing in Denver, passed a pole with a gleaming tip over a cabinet full of electronic equipment. This “neutron wand” supposedly sent a signal that was then conveyed to an unmanned power shovel, twelve hundred miles away, in Shippingport, Pennsylvania. " March 28, 2011) The New Yorker

3/21/2011 - Nuclear power: How’s that going since Japan’s disaster? Some say we should not discuss nuclear power options in a time of a disaster; we say when best to reevaluate the safety and environmental soundness of our energy decisions. Check for this update on nuclear power: GRITtv » Blog Archive » Leo Gerard: Time to Rethink Nuclear Power ""Quite frankly, with what's happening in Japan, I think not only us, but a lot of other people are going to have to review our sense of comfort about that," says Leo Gerard, President of the United Steelworkers union, of nuclear power. Gerard himself was once a union representative at a facility that mined and refined uranium, and he represents many workers in such dangerous conditions across the country today. The USW has long been part of the Blue-Green Alliance, creating a labor-environmentalist coalition, but stopped short of calling for an end to nuclear power--but will that change after Japan? " March 18, 2011) GRITtv
3/21/2011 - Solar Energy in Rochester: How do we go about that? Check here: Solar America Communities - Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments, Second Edition "The U.S. Department of Energy developed this comprehensive resource to assist local governments and stakeholders in building sustainable local solar markets. This second edition of the guide was updated to include new market developments and innovations for advancing local solar markets that have emerged since the first edition was released in 2009. This updated edition also contains the most recent lessons and successes from the original 25 Solar America Cities and other communities promoting solar energy. The guide introduces a range of policy and program options that have been successfully field tested in cities and counties around the country. The guide describes each policy or program, followed by more information on: Benefits: Identifies benefits from implementing the policy or program. Implementation Tips and Options: Outlines various tips and options for designing and implementing the policy or program. Examples: Highlights experiences from communities that have successfully implemented the policy or program. Additional References and Resources: Lists additional reports, references, and tools that offer more information on the topic, where applicable. " Department of Energy
3/19/2011 - The public doesn’t fully appreciate the bargain they are making with the devils of pollution, radiation, and Climate Change. Why should the energy we use cost us so many lives and heat our planet to the boiling point? Remember also, in the long term many of the fossil fuels kill thousands over the years from particulates in the air and increasing ground-level ozone. Charting the Human Cost of Different Types of Energy - ProPublica Since this time last year, we’ve seen a deadly mine disaster [1], the worst oil spill in U.S. history [2], and now a nuclear crisis in Japan [3]. That got us wondering—how does one compare or quantify the human cost of different sources of energy? As it turns out, a Swiss research organization, the Paul Sherrer Institute, has been doing just that. Using data from the institute, we pulled together a few visualizations. March 18, 2011) ProPublica Despite the attempt by environmentalist and renewable energy companies, this assumption that we have to use dirty and dangerous energy to survive continues without so much as a mention that it does not have to be this way. The Sierra Club, for example, presents an entirely different scenario for our future than an acceptance and assumption that millions must die so we can have energy 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.

7 to 9 pm Wednesday, March 30 at VFW Post 6105, 550 Peck Road, Hilton.

Workshop Helps Farmers, Operators Increase Energy Efficiency Grant support, renewable energy options available for agriculture community ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Farm owners and operators interested in increasing energy efficiency will have an opportunity to attend a free workshop sponsored by Monroe Community College’s Agriculture and Life Sciences Institute and the Town of Parma. The free workshop, Farm Energy Audits and Energy Options for Agricultural Buildings, will be held 7 to 9 pm Wednesday, March 30 at VFW Post 6105, 550 Peck Road, Hilton. Seating is limited. Contact Bob King, Ph.D. at rking@monroecc.edu or (585) 292-2065 to reserve seats.

March 31 - April 2, 2011 | Taylor & Anabel Taylor Hall, Ithaca, New York

Cornell Environmental Law Society 2011 Energy Conference Gas Drilling, Sustainability & Energy Policy: Searching for Common Ground Location: Cornell Law School, Myron Taylor & Anabel Taylor Hall, Ithaca, New York Dates: Schedule Description: The conference will explore the legal, scientific, and business perspectives on Shale Gas Development and hydraulic fracturing ("hydrofracking"). This issue has ignited a fierce battle over energy and the environment in New York State. Eight fast-paced and interactive panels will use natural gas drilling as a lens to explore national energy policy, the global energy market, and the integral role the law must play in creating energy security and ensuring a sustainable future. The conference brings together over 45 distinguished speakers from Cornell University and around the country working in law, science, business, and government from all sides of the energy debate. Learn more at 2011 Energy Conference

April 2011

Tues, 4/5/2011 5:30pm - 8:30pm - The Williams Gallery at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester 220 Winton Road South, Rochester, New York 14620

"Dear Friends of Christine, I wanted to let you know that much progress continues to be made in establishing a lasting memorial to Christine Sevilla. You may be aware that the Genesee Land Trust has named a beautiful wetland for Christine: the Christine Sevilla Wetland Preserve. This year we are planning to build a boardwalk trail, observation deck, and develop some interpretive signage. Meanwhile, I wanted to alert you to a special event. Christine's family has donated her stunning artwork to the Genesee Land Trust and Genesee Valley Audubon, with the intent that it be sold to raise funds for the memorial, and other environmental/educational efforts in Christine's memory. The time is getting near. I hope you can make it to see this one-time only exhibition of her work (yes - her artwork will be displayed, and sold all on Tuesday, April 5) , and perhaps you will find one of Christine's pieces to own not only as a work of art, but as a memory of Christine and her creative vision. Please mark your calendar - Tuesday, April 5. 5:30 - 8:30 pm. Unitarian Church - 220 Winton Rd. S. I am attaching a one-page flier. Please forward this email and flier to any friends or colleagues who might be interested. We are hoping for a good turnout. Hope to see you there. The website, www.christinesevilla.com, has additional information. "

Wednesday April 6th, 7:00 pm - Rochester Museum and Science Center Eisenhart Auditorium, Rochester, NY

Olmstead and America's Urban Parks - a Documentary: Free and open to the public - Handicapped accessible - Free parking available Underwritten by The Monroe County Department of Parks, The Highland Park Conservancy, American Society of Landscape Architects (Upstate NY Chapter), Friends & Neighbors of Seneca Park, and The Landmark Society of Western NY Followed by a brief panel discussion on Frederick Law Olmsted’s contributions to the Rochester/Monroe County Parks System with Tim O’Connell, historian & parks advocate; Katie Eggers Comeau, architectural historian; and Mark Quinn, Monroe County’s superintendent of horticulture. Join us for an evening to celebrate the formation of our nation’s grand urban parks by America’s foremost park planner and landscape architect. Thanks to our co-sponsors: AIA Rochester, People for Parks, Rochester Museum and Science Center, Rochester Regional Community Design Center, South East Area Coalition, Inc. and the University of Rochester Libraries

Wednesday, April 6th from 4:00pm – 6:00pm Sodus Bay Township Hall 8356 Bay Street Sodus Point, NY

Get some useful information on “the workshop for April 6th by Healing Our Waters (HOW), regarding the GLRI funds for projects, per the below information.” HOW funding now available to support groups applying for GLRI funding and other Federal funds Applications due May 15th, 2011 For a second year, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes (HOW) Coalition is teaming up with Freshwater Future to help local groups in the Great Lakes region obtain and use funds from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and other federal sources as part of the Coalition’s Implementation Grants Program. The grants program is to help develop and implement federal projects and proposals. The effort will ensure local groups are equipped to manage and complete effective projects with GLRI and other federal funds and by so doing, will help ensure sustained support from the federal government to clean up, restore and heal the Great Lakes. The HOW Implementation Program has identified five of the most degraded areas in the Great Lakes to focus our efforts to support available GLRI funding for 2011 and in the upcoming 2012 fiscal year. These priority areas were selected by a panel of Great Lakes scientists because they were in great need of restoration yet hold significant promise for restoration success. The areas include: • Lake Superior: St Louis Bay and St. Louis River • Lake Michigan: Chicagoland • Lake Huron: Saginaw Bay • Lake Erie: Western Lake Erie & Maumee Bay • Lake Ontario: Eastern Lake Ontario The HOW program will be providing $115,000 to help jump-start projects. The full RFP, application, and maps of the priority areas can be found at: http://www.healthylakes.org/. Want to learn more? Attend this informational meeting! Freshwater Future is hosting a meeting at the below location with groups, discussing project ideas, and answering questions about the HOW RFP. Eastern Lake Ontario Priority Area Meeting Wednesday, April 6th from 4:00pm – 6:00pm Sodus Bay Township Hall 8356 Bay Street Sodus Point, NY

APRIL 8TH 2011 8:00 AM | where: THE LINKS AT ERIE VILLAGE EAST SYRACUSE, NY

Seventh Annual SYMPOSIUM ON ENERGY in the 21st CENTURY REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT - CHOOSING THE RIGHT PATH | When APRIL 8TH 2011 8:00 AM | where: THE LINKS AT ERIE VILLAGE EAST SYRACUSE, NY | "The Annual Symposium on Energy in the 21st century brings together experts in the field of energy to present and discuss the future and possibilities of energy sustainability, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and partnerships. The Symposium provides a venue for diverse groups to join together in a bi-partisan multi-disciplinary conversation and learning experience. Attending are congressmen, mayors, town supervisors, presidents and deans of colleges, CEO's, professors, students, engineers, architects, city planners, representatives from the offices of elected official both on the federal, state and local levels, farmers, as well as interested citizens. Diverse groups of people, all who work in or have interest in energy, from the largest to the smallest of municipalities, come to share and learn from each other and from an outstanding group of speakers. "

April 9th, 2011, 9am-noon at Monroe County Department of Parks

Pick Up the Parks April 9th, 2011, 9am-noon at Monroe County Department of Parks Join the Monroe County Department of Parks, Sunnking Electronics Recycling, and several local recreation and environmental groups in continuing the “Pick Up the Parks” event. This great parks stewardship event will expand from 4 to 6 parks in 2011; Black Creek, Ellison, Genesee Valley, Mendon Ponds, Ontario Beach, and Seneca Parks. View Flyer (from CEI: Center for Environmental Information)

Saturday, April 9th from 12 - 5pm (Vendor set-up starts @10:30am) Where: Foodlink Distribution Center 138 Joseph Ave, Rochester NY 14605

"The 2011 Upstate NY Permaculture Gathering " When: Saturday, April 9th from12 - 5pm (Vendor set-up starts @10:30am) Where: Foodlink Distribution Center 138 Joseph Ave, Rochester NY 14605 Why: To inspire & educate our communities about locally grown foods, sustainable shelters, and community interaction. “Permaculture knowledge is not a privilege, it is a necessity for the future.” Call for Speakers and/or Vendors This year’s Gathering is a regional event designed to foster networking, coordination, and learning of permaculture philosophies among all classes of community in Upstate New York. Permaculture is a whole-systems approach to community and landscape design. This provides regenerative agriculture techniques in order to meet human and animal needs for development projects that allow for more self sufficient living. The event will include a series of 4-5 individual workshops & keynote speakers. There will also be a trade-show style vendor track of businesses, organizations & non profit groups with missions relating to this event’s philosophy. Your RSVP is appreciated by Monday, February 21st as it will help with the planning & promotion. This mission will be accomplished in a professional and ‑financially responsible manner that is in the best interest of all participants. All vendors will be provided with at least 6’x6’ space; $15 for businesses and free for non-profit organizations.

Sunday, April 9, 2011 - 9AM -3PM | Montezuma Refuge, the Montezuma Audubon Center (MAC

The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network has organized, along with partners at the Montezuma Refuge, the Montezuma Audubon Center (MAC), and the DEC an exciting Spring Symposium "Our Wetlands: A Community Treasure" on Saturday April 9 at the Montezuma Audubon Center. We gather at 9am for coffee (courtesy of Friends of Montezuma), registration, and to order lunch (unless you want to brown-bag) and welcomes and an introduction occur at 9:30am. Talks begin at 10am - featuring Howard Goebel (NYS Canal Corp) on Water level management -water levels impact the wetlands; Sarah Fleming (Ducks Unlimited) who will describe the NY conservation program with reference to Montezuma; a refreshment break courtesy of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization; Tony Eallonardo (SUNY ESF) who will describe the Nature Conservancy's Inland Salt Marsh; Zack Odell (The Nature Conservancy) who will discuss Land Protection. These talks will be followed by a panel discussion by the speakers, and perhaps others. At 1:10pm we break for lunch, and then Frank Moses, Director of the MAC will conduct a walking tour of the MAC grounds. A poster advertising the event can be found by clicking on the Symposium title under the events calendar at http://www.cayugalake.org/news/events.php

Sunday April 10, 2011 2-4 PM Univ. of Rochester Interfaith Chapel, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

Reserve Your Seat - Dave Jacke, Edible Forest Gardens Author, to speak at U of R April 10th Peace and Permaculture: Food Forestry for Ecological and Cultural Regeneration presented by Dave Jacke, Edible Forest Gardens Author Sunday April 10, 2011 2-4 PM Univ. of Rochester Interfaith Chapel Co-Sponsored by: MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, and Barefoot Edible Landscape & Permaculture What can the forest teach us about ecological food production? About the practice of nonviolence? About how to redesign our culture so that we humans heal our ecosystems and communities, rather than destroying them? Healthy forests maintain, fertilize, and renew themselves, naturally. When we understand how these amazing properties emerge from forest ecosystem structure and function, we can apply that knowledge to the design of “food forests” that mimic natural forests while growing food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizers, farmaceuticals, and fun! With forest gardens as our teachers, we can also use the same principles to design human social systems that allow us each to fully be ourselves while interconnecting in functional ways. This can create a culture of free human beings that builds community health and well-being without force or violence. This talk by Edible Forest Gardens author Dave Jacke introduces the vision of forest gardening with some scientific background, a few living examples, and a sampling of some useful perennial edibles you can use in your own garden. It also summarizes how the ecology of forests can guide the practical application of nonviolence in regenerating our culture. Suggested minimum donation $10; no one turned away for lack of funds.

7:00 PM Tuesday April 12 Village of Churchville, Village Offices 23 East Buffalo Street Churchville, NY

Public Meeting Water Quality in the Black Creek Watershed 7:00 PM Tuesday April 12 Village of Churchville, Village Offices 23 East Buffalo Street Churchville, NY Over the past year intensive work has been done by the Center for Environmental Information to understand potential sources of phosphorus in Black Creek that have led to impaired water quality the Upper and Lower watersheds. The results of this investigation will be presented along with the results of a computer model that has been developed to mimic the stream’s water quality. Preliminary options for the most cost effective watershed changes to restore water quality will also be presented. Ample opportunity will be provided for input from all interested stakeholders. Meeting Hosted by: Village of Churchville Sponsored by: Center for Environmental Information NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

April 13, 2011 New York State Pollution Prevention Institute Rochester Institute of Technology 9:15 AM -3:45 PM Admission is free

The Pace Energy and Climate Center, in collaboration with Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) and Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE NY), is hosting two free conferences to explore issues related to the development of Great Lakes wind energy in New York State. Each conference will include four panel presentations/discussions featuring speakers from industry, government, and various stakeholder groups. Registration is not open at this time, but please look for an email containing a more detailed agenda and registration information in the near future. We encourage anyone interested in Great Lakes wind energy to attend - students, government officials, local stakeholders, wind developers, etc. - so please feel free to circulate. Hope to see you there! Sincerely, Anne Marie Hirschberger Climate Change Law and Policy Advisor Pace Energy & Climate Center ahirschberger2@law.pace.edu 914 422-4126

Apr 15 2011 | Braddock Bay Park 199 East Manitou Rd. - Greece, NY

Bird of Prey Days 2011If you have ever wanted to see a hawk, owl or eagle up close and personal, attend one of the many educational programs we will be offering to families and individuals of all ages. This year BBRR celebrates its 25th Anniversary with programs all weekend long which focus on raptors and the spectacular migration that is witnessed each year. Program highlights include: Live birds of prey, including Liberty, the bald eagle, raptor banding demonstrations and hawkwatching, owl prowls, artwork by metal sculptor Mary Taylor, children's games, mascot friends such as BBRR's own Incredible Hawk and Kelee the Kestrel, a photography contest (submissions due by April 8), and a party celebrating BBRR's 25th Anniversary with birthday cake for all! Please join us for a weekend of education and fun. There will be a one-time $3 suggested donation for adults for the entire weekend. Kids are FREE. For more information and a complete schedule of events, please visit our website at www.bbrr.org or contact us by calling 585-BOP-LIVE or emailing information@bbrr.org.

Friday, April 15. 7AM - 4PM. Green Grand Prix Moving to Legendary Watkins Glen International in 2011 WATKINS GLEN, NY

Green Transportation event coming up. Welcome To The Official Green Grand Prix Web Site 7AM - 4PM. Green Grand Prix Moving to Legendary Watkins Glen International in 2011 WATKINS GLEN, NY – Drivers of alternate-fueled vehicles, hybrids, and traditional gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles will have two unique opportunities to test their mettle at the 2011 Green Grand Prix on Friday, April 15. Organizers are cranking up the challenges and excitement this year by taking the Green Grand Prix to the famed road course of Watkins Glen International.

Sat., April 16th from 9AM - 3PM at Hamlin Beach State Park Area 4, Hamlin, NY

The 4th Annual HAMLIN EARTH DAY at the PARK will be held Sat., April 16th from 9 - 3 at Hamlin Beach State Park Area 4. Hosted by Hamlin Beach S.P., the Town of Hamlin, SUNY Brockport Dept.of Environmental Sciences, and the Hamlin and Hilton Lions, the event will feature numerous environmental information booths, craft, antique, and eco-friendly vendors and a display of fuel efficient vehicles. Beach clean-up, free tree seedling give-away and planting of saplings in the park are also planned. Poetry readings by Just Poets at 10:30 and music by The Dady Brothers at 12:30. Guided tour of historic CCC/POW camp about 3PM. The Lions are accepting used eyeglasses, hearing aids, and keys for metal recycling. Used cell phones can also be dropped off for recycling. Free food and refreshments will be on hand and participants are urged to bring their own travel mugs as a gesture of sustainability. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 585 964-2462.

Thursday, April 21, 6PM- 9Pm | First Unitarian Church, 220 Winton Road North

Sierra Club’s 13th Annual Environmental Forum: “Sustainable Production: Rochester’s Cutting Edge” 6pm Doors open -- network with and learn from representatives of 30+ environmental organizations -- sustainably produced food and drink available for purchase from local vendors 7pm Program begins 9pm Adjourn Please join us for a conversation with two nationally recognized leaders who are driving innovative sustainable production methods, right here at home in Rochester: Dr. Nabil Nasr, RIT’s Assistant Provost and Director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability Catherine Reeves, Director, Sustainable Operations at Xerox Join us for the premier Earth Day event of the year!

April 27, 2011, 9 :00am -4:00pm | Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside 120 East Main Street , Rochester NY 14604, United States

Save the date: Greater Rochester Active Transportation Symposium(Event) Active Transportation Symposium Save the date: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 for a unique opportunity to change Rochester’s transportation. Much has still to be worked out, but this event will be held in Rochester, NY. Seeking: Organizations and institutional leaders in government, education, community organizations and the business community and individual activists. For: a full day event with National and local experts. To: make Greater Rochester a preeminent Active Transportation region. Walking and wheeling can improve health and the bottom line for businesses and the community. Brought to you by: Rochester Cycling Alliance, Genesee Transportation Council, NYS Dept. of Transportation, Monroe County and the City of Rochester. Continuing Education Credits being Pursued. For more information contact Richard DeSarra at rdscomm@rochester.rr.com or Rochelle Bell at rbell@monroecounty.gov .

Saturday, April 30, 2011 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Cornell Cooperative Extension 249 Highland Ave, Rochester 14620

Earth Day Expo Free Event Saturday, April 30, 2011 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Cornell Cooperative Extension 249 Highland Ave, Rochester 14620 Families, come learn how to do your part for the environment through unique, hands-on activities. Booth displays featuring: Environmental sustainability, Energy efficiency, Home and community recycling, Worm composting, Lead hazards, Green energy, City & suburban green neighborhoods, Permaculture, Home Gardening, Healthy, fun activities for kids plus zoo animals on-site! View Flyer --from CEI: Center for Environmental Information

Saturday, April 30, 2011 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Dansville Middle School Dansville, NY

2011 Regional Preservation Conference - Repair, Rehabilitate, Reuse Strategies for Sustaining Buildings & Communities The Landmark Society of Western New York’s 25th Annual Preservation Conference Saturday, April 30, 2011 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Dansville Middle School Dansville, NY REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! The Landmark Society’s Annual Preservation Conference is the only annual conference in central/western New York that focuses on historic buildings, sites and landscapes.

Saturday, April 30th, 2011 at the Walden Galleria from 10am to 6pm | Buffalo, NY

2011 Buffalo Niagara Green Expo Date Announced - GrowWNY Saturday, April 30th, 2011 at the Walden Galleria Mall With great enthusiasm and excitement we announce that the 3rd Annual Buffalo Niagara Green Expo will take place Saturday, April 30th, 2011 at the Walden Galleria from 10am to 6pm. Come to the 3rd Annual Buffalo Niagara Green Expo, and learn from over 100 exhibitors and presenters how to GO GREEN in your Home, Body, Garden, Business, Career and Community! Gain invaluable insight into topics such as sustainable energy, weatherization and energy efficiency, green landscaping and gardening, holistic health, eco-friendly cleaning, composting, water purification and so much more! This event also promotes networking where new business-to-business relationships can develop and companies with employment opportunities can connect with people looking to get into the green job sector. Bring your resume and learn about green careers! Education and fun come together in the Kid’s Zone, where children can take part in exciting, environmentally-themed activities!

May 2011

Fri, 05/06/2011 - Sat, 05/07/2011 Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ages: All Ages Family Price: Free with Zoo admission. Venue: Seneca Park Zoo

Our Fragile World Environmental Fair | Kids Out and About.com (Rochester)The Seneca Park Zoo has a goal to engage, inspire and empower citizens to act on behalf of wildlife, nature and our environment. Each year, this event features 30 or more local environmentally-conscious businesses, nature organizations and government agencies that are working to improve the health of our local environment. We hope you will join us and learn how to make our world a healthier place for wildlife, your children and generations to come. Our event in 2010 was held on April 30 and May 1. Nearly 1,000 students participated in the Zoo's interactive Scavenger Hunt held on Friday, April 30. There were 40 booths, 33 outside vendors and seven Docent stations for the students to check out along the way.

Sat 5/14/2011 - Give Your Stuff Away Day - Here's how to get your community involved... http://giveyourstuffaway.com/

Give Your Stuff Away Day May 14, 2011 The World's Biggest Recycling / Giveaway Event Free stuff will be available in neighborhoods all over on May 14, 2011. It’s an event Mike Morone is hoping to establish annually. This event could help millions, while shrinking landfills, reducing clutter, lowering costs, and boosting the economy. Don’t we all own items we don’t use or want any more? Why do we keep it all? In one weekend, let’s take this stuff and give it away, instantly creating the world’s biggest recycling / giveaway event! On May 14th, bring your stuff to the curb for others. Then go and get some new stuff! http://facebook.com/giveyourstuffaway

September 2011

September 17-18, 2011 - High Falls, Downtown, Rochester, NY

Greentopia Festival The Greentopia Festival is Rochester’s and the Finger Lakes celebration of the green movement sweeping around the globe. The two-day, interactive fest in historic High Falls will reveal what the region is doing to help the environment – and envision a greener Rochester of the future. Think of Greentopia as a walk-through of a totally sustainable Rochester. We’ve already begun this walk by exploring healthier ways of living, as individuals and as a community. In social, economic and environmental ways, we’ve made the decision to go green.

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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.

Due Date: now

ACTION: Help Catch Juvenile Eels for Research! With the arrival of spring, the NYSDEC Estuary Program and Research Reserve are looking for volunteers to help out with American eel monitoring on Hudson River streams. Volunteers will be trained on how to check nets that capture two-inch juvenile eels that migrated here from their birthplace in the Atlantic Ocean. Teams will be checking nets in Yonkers, Oscawana, West Haverstraw, Cold Spring, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Hyde Park, West Park, Annandale, and Ravena/New Baltimore. In 2010, volunteers caught and released over 11,000 juvenile eels, and this information contributes to an eel conservation project along the entire east coast. If interested in participating, please contact Sarah Mount at (845) 889-4745 (x108), or send an email (sjmount@gw.dec.state.ny.us). Visit the American Eel Research webpage for more details and information.

ACTION: Due Date: now

Major action on Climate Change by Bill McKibben and 350.org. You can take part and act locally. Recruiting Local Businesses | The U.S. Chamber Doesn't Speak For Me "Here’s the plan: If we can get thousands of small businesses across the country to declare that “The US Chamber Doesn’t Speak for me,” we can get local and state chambers of commerce to do the same. By compiling thousands of declarations, we’ll build a critical mass representing the true voice of business, and fight back against the millions of dollars of money pollution that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is pumping into Washington DC. " - from 350.org

Action Due March 30, 2011

DEC Announces 2011 Tree and Shrub Seedling Sale Free Seedlings available to New York Schools The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Saratoga Tree Nursery has begun taking orders for its annual sale of tree and shrub seedlings. Schools across New York can also now receive free seedlings for spring planting through the DEC School Seedling Program, which will provide 50 tree seedlings or a mixed packet of 30 wildlife shrubs to any public or private school that would like to participate. The Saratoga Tree Nursery produces more than 50 species of trees and shrubs for planting on public and private land. The objective of the program is to provide low-cost, native planting materials from known New York sources to encourage landowners to enhance the state's environment for future generations. (January 7, 2010) DEC Announces 2011 Tree and Shrub Seedling Sale - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

ACTION: Due Date: April 15, 2011

Take Action by April 15th, 2011 by making public comment to the NYS DEC as to when emergency pesticide applications are determined in schools. Pest Management for Schools, Day Care Centers and Parents - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Draft Policy on Pesticide Emergency Determinations for Schools and Day Care Centers A NYSDEC Draft Policy (PDF, 74KB) is available for review entitled "Determinations Regarding Emergency Pesticide Applications at Schools and Day Care Centers and Inquiries on Related Pesticide Prohibition." Under the State Education Law and Social Services Law, as amended by Chapter 85 of the Laws of 2010, no school or day care center may apply pesticides on playgrounds, turf, and athletic or playing fields, except that an emergency application may be made, as determined by entities identified in the law, including DEC. The Draft Policy contains the procedures DEC staff would use when making such emergency determinations. It also identifies the types of emergency pesticide application requests to be considered by DEC. The draft policy includes forms for use by non-public schools and day care centers when requesting a determination from the DEC and forms for use by DEC when making a determination. (Note: Under the State Education Law, public schools seek emergency determinations from their school boards. For information, contact the school board or the State Education Department, Office of Facilities Planning at 518-474-3906.) The public comment period on the Draft Policy ends April 15, 2011. Public notice of the Draft Policy, published in the March 16, 2011 Environmental Notice Bulletin, includes the address to which comments may be submitted. (March 15, 2011) New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

ACTION: Due Date April 22, 2011

AMERICA’S GREAT OUTDOORS: Salazar Announces Draft Vision for Future of Refuge System WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced a draft vision plan to guide the growth and management of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The draft document, developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Wildlife Refuge Association, articulates a 10-year vision for the Refuge System. The vision document, entitled Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation, offers nearly 100 draft recommendations to protect and improve the world’s premier system of public lands and water set aside to conserve America’s fish, wildlife and plants for the continuing benefit of the American people. Starting today, the draft document will be available for public comment until Earth Day, April 22, 2011.

ACTION: Due Date: May 20, 2011

DEC Accepting Applications for Environmental Excellence Awards Annual Competition Will Recognize Innovative and Sustainable Practices Applications are now being accepted for the 2011 Environmental Excellence Awards program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. The program recognizes businesses, governments, not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, and individuals in New York State that are achieving environmental excellence through innovative and environmentally sustainable practices or partnerships Applications for the awards must be post marked no later than Friday, May 20, 2011. Information about the award program, the application materials and information on past award winners is available on the DEC website or by writing to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Pollution Prevention Unit, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-1750; by phone to DEC's Pollution Prevention Unit at (518) 402-9469; or by email to eeawards@gw.dec.state.ny.us.

Action: Due Date - Now

Join a new local Hydrofracturing Action Alert email list by contacting Anna Sears asears@rochester.rr.com. Also the local Sierra Club's Global Warming & Energy Committee has been addressing the topic of Hydrofracturing. They meet the 2nd Monday evening of the month. Contact bteheger@juno.com for more info. Also - you may wish to review this coalition letter Coalition Letter to Governor Cuomo Regarding Executive Order No. 41: Requiring Further Environmental Review of High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing Combined With Horizontal Drilling | Toxics Targeting and Governor Cuomo issued a "continuation" of Executive Order No. 41 on his first day in office, as he earlier signaled he would. See: No. 2 REVIEW, CONTINUATION AND EXPIRATION OF PRIOR EXECUTIVE ORDERS | Governor

ACTION: Due Date: Until the money runs out.

There is still time to save energy on this NYSERDA program until the money for the rebates run out: New York's Great Appliance Swap Out "The New York State Energy-Efficient Appliance Rebate Program To qualify, your eligible appliance(s) must be purchased between February 12th, 2010 and the date available funding runs out. Welcome to "New York’s Great Appliance Swap Out" website which will provide all the information you need in order to participate. This rebate program, administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), is available to residential consumers replacing existing appliances of the same type with new ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances or High Efficiency ENERGY STAR appliances. A larger rebate will be granted to consumers who recycle their discarded appliances. Appliance Rebate Funds Still Available!!! Due to a large number of rebate reservations that were never claimed, there are still funds available under New York’s Great Appliance Swap Out! Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funds remain available. " --a program funded by ARRA and administered by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

ACTION: Due Date - Now

Sierra Club: Help Ban Toxics from Children's Toy Jewelry!Help Ban Toxics from Children's Toy Jewelry! After Congress acted, the Consumer Product Safety Commission finally took action to protect children from lead in children's products. Now another dangerous toxin, cadmium, is being found in children’s toy jewelry. Please take a moment today and tell the Commission to protect our families from cadmium in children's toys! --from Sierra Club Home Page: Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet

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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.]

The March 2011 Environmental Site of the Month Award goes to Rochester Gardening “This web site is meant to encourage the transfer of information relating to the varied interests of gardeners living near Rochester NY. This is accomplished by presenting some material which is local in content, and links to resources found elsewhere on the Internet. The material on this site includes some permanent resources, such as the large lists of links to many Internet sites, and a regularly-updated calendar with local events of interest to gardeners. There will be material which appears only for a short period of time, of a seasonal nature or a 'spotlight' feature. Since this site (like nature) will have some material in 'bloom' for long periods, and other features flowering for only a limited time, you should visit regularly to see what's new. We will try to point you to fresh growth with a list of what's new.”

Rochester Gardening wins this month’s environmental award because it’s one of those handy websites on gardening information that has been around for a long time. Year in and year out this site shugs along providing free information on how to create and keep your garden healthy and our environment healthy too. Check this site out often for all the local information and links you need to keep your garden going strong.