8/30/08 - DISCUSSION - Our Generation’s Responsibility: Tragically, our media has not brought to the forefront the importance of the new rage in gas drilling in New York State. And, the public doesn’t seem to care where they get their fossil fuels, just as long as fuel prices remain low. That’s too bad because this issue—natural gas drilling in the wide-spread Marcellus Shale—could have a big impact on our air, land, and water quality. Check this out: - DEC Launches New Web Page for Marcellus Shale Info - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Features Details About Drilling, Leasing; Links to Database As landowners and municipal officials continue to seek information about possible horizontal drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has launched a new Web page designed to provide details about drilling processes, leasing, federal and state laws, links to relevant sites, and the upcoming review of potential environmental impacts. The new page named Marcellus Shale can be found at DEC's website. "As drilling companies seek to secure leases around the Southern Tier and Catskill Foothills, New Yorkers are raising questions about this potential new activity. And they need accurate information," said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis. "This new Web page - which will be regularly updated - will provide a fact-based resource about Marcellus Shale exploration and the environmental review." (Aug. 28, 08) Press Releases - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
8/30/08 - DISCUSSION - Energy Tipping Point? Just months ago, jumping into our gas-guzzlers to go anywhere from a three-minute drive to a couple of days drive seemed normal. Really normal, so much so that to consider anything else didn’t cross our minds. You bought the vehicle you could afford, meaning the sticker price. Then the gas crisis hit and we all paused because what fueled our vehicles was draining our pockets. For all the talk about Global Warming and air pollution and all the environmental stuff, it was the sharp rise in energy prices that changed our behavior. The story below about the drop in NYS Thruway use is an indication of an energy tipping point—the point at which the public will drastically change their driving habits. Bicycling increased, more walked, more car pooled, more bought scooters, more did less driving gas guzzling vehicles. More...
8/29/08 -- DISCUSSION - How's biking around Rochester, NY? Did those high gas prices this summer get you out into the streets with your bike? If so, how did that go? Chime into the discussion: Environmental Thoughts - Rochester, NY
8/29/08 - Did you get to this event? Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club ~ Water Scarcity in the Great Lakes - Wayne Howard will present "Water Scarcity in the Great Lakes-Is the World's Water Supply a Public Right or a Commodity?" at the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County at Noon on Thursday, August 28. The presentation and discussion will be held in the Kate Gleason Auditorium of the Bausch and Lomb Public Library Building at 115 South Avenue. Wayne is the Great Lakes chairperson of the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter. His presentation is in conjunction with the exhibit that is on display in the Lower Link Gallery of the Central Library. -- If so, you learned a lot about our water and our Great Lakes from Wayne Howard. You also got to know about the water bottle problem: Booknoise.net | Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It
8/28/08 - - **ACTION** - Concerned about water that may be taken from the Great Lakes--permanently? - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact! - Citizens Campaign for the Environment All 8 Great Lakes States approve, the United States Senate unanimously passes: The House of Representatives must act now! What you can do! Write your representative in the US House and urge them to pass the Great Lakes Compact (H.R. 6577) when they reconvene in September. --from CCE - Water Protection Public Health Energy Renewable Policy Toxic Wildlife Chemical Contamination Subscribe Newsletter Jobs Calendar Pollution Air Quality Advocacy Farmingdale White Plains Albany Syracuse Buffalo
8/27/,08 - Good healthy homes resource: Healthy Home "The Southwest Area Neighborhood Association (SWAN), the Rochester Fatherhood Resource Initiative (RFRI) , and the University of Rochester Medical Center have created a Healthy Home to help people find and deal with environmental health hazards in their homes. Some of the hazards include asthma triggers, lead, mold, pests, unintentional injuries, and carbon monoxide. Informational checklists as well as resource lists provide the visitor with steps that they can take to create a healthier home."
8/26/08 --**EVENT** - Learn about our environment at the NYS Fair: DEC Exhibits at the New York State Fair - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation August 21 - September 1, 2008 Come visit us at the New York State Fair! DEC has lots for you to see and do, from our giant Aquarium with an outside deck featuring a "Green Home" display to our Log Cabin complete with a nature trail. DEC staff are always available to answer your questions about nature and the environment. And don't forget to enter our drawing to win a 17-foot canoe!
8/25/08 --**EVENT** - Gas drilling is coming - what affect will it have on our environment? Check out this event: Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition to discuss gas drilling and local food systems | BINGHAMTON – The Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition welcomes interested parties to their action meeting on Thursday August 28, to discuss gas drilling and local food systems. The meeting will be 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Tabernacle United Methodist Church at 83 Main Street, Binghamton. (Aug 25, 08) New York State News on the Net!
8/25/08 - Buy local foods and help our environment. Another good way to help our environment and our economy is to help out our local agriculture. In the United States (and probably around the world) we have so evolved in our food production and distribution so that there are many local food producers who feed the few and a few very large food producers who feed the vast majority. Though this model often keeps food prices low and uniform (though even that can be disputed), it also requires a vast quantity of fossil fuels (which warm the planet) to transport and in my opinion create a very dangerous dependency on a few food products (like wheat, corn, rice, soybeans, and a few others) which work against the need for biodiversity in our planets flora system. Buying from local agriculture can help alleviate this propensity to depend of a few large agriculture corporations and sustain our environment—and maybe even give jobs to your locality. Not to mention, you can probably walk to your local farmer’s market and move food production away from a dependency on fossil fuels. Check out Monroe village Farmers' Market. Farmers' Market "Monroe Village Farmers’ Market | Wednesday Evenings 4:30 to 7:30 June 18th to October 29th | Blessed Sacrament Church Parking Lot Monroe Avenue Between Rutgers and Oxford | Enjoy local musicians and artists in a fun community atmosphere." --from Monroe Village
8/25/08 - Got questions about how our energy solutions might help us live more sustainably? Check out this Rochester-area expert: SAGES - Sustainability and Global Energy Systems -"The Sustainability and Global Energy Systems (SAGES) Project is interested in understanding and characterizing the energy needs of the global population."
8/25/08 - Monitor the health of your environment. There are many ways to monitor the health of our environment beside listening to the media, which oftentimes has an agenda of its own. Besides bird counts, you can help out with Monarch Butterfly counts. Check out Monarch Watch : Dedicated to Education, Conservation and Research
8/25/08 - Good for your
community: Good for your
environment. Did you know that
tagging Monarch butterflies are a a
good way to monitor our
environmental health? If your
community has not already joined in
this great program by
Seneca Park Zoo, sponsored by
the Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation
,
then you ought to check it out:
The Butterfly Beltway Project
“Seneca
Park Zoo has launched another
exciting season of sharing the
beauty and wonder of butterflies
with the citizens of western New
York. Thanks to the Daisy Marquis
Jones Foundation (DMJF), our
seasonal onsite butterfly experience
will re-opened in June, while our
offsite
Butterfly
Beltway garden-planting project
kicked off in mid-May. Each year
since 2002, we have added new
gardens to the Butterfly Beltway,
and as a result, our tally of
gardens sits at 73. We plant gardens
at senior-living centers and at
facilities that serve urban youth,
disabled youth, youth-at-risk, or
other special-needs children. Each
garden has special kinds of flowers
that attract butterflies for feeding
and egg-laying purposes. The gardens
also provide critical shelter and
rest areas for 75 local species of
butterflies.”
8/24/08 - People & Businesses & the media & now colleges are going Green: Finger Lakes Community College - "We’ve implemented a lot of changes on-campus to Go Green at FLCC, and we are now a member of AASHE. Learn more about all the ways we’re going green at FLCC. "
8/24/08 - -**EVENT** - George Eastman House | About Parking Day Rochester will be joining dozens of other cities around the country and world for 2008 NATIONAL PARK(ING) DAY on Friday, Sept. 19. Sponsored and organized by the national Trust for Public Land, National Park(ing) Day is an annual event that illuminates the importance of parks and green space by creating temporary parks in public parking spaces. Last year National Park(ing) Day spawned more than 200 temporary parks in more than 50 cities nationwide and around the world. George Eastman House and Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo), joined by Rochester s ARTWalk, will be leading Rochester s participation in 2008 National Park(ing) Day. - George Eastman House
8/22/08 - Recycle - In all the years we have tried to get the Bigger Better Bottle Bill passed, I have yet to hear a reasonable argument against its passage. http://www.nypirg.org/enviro/bottlebill/ That it’s too much trouble for the public to bring back bottles, or that it’s too much of a burden on the grocers, or that the bottling companies won’t get enough money back is so incredible selfish and myopic as to wonder how this intelligent species of our is actually going to solve any environmental problems. Look, the first bottle bill was a success and since its passage tons of bottles have been brought back for recycling, instead of going into the ground. And, since that first law, there has been a vast increase in the number of products that use bottles that could be recycled if this law passes. Deposit-able bottles works. Nothing else works that will keep a lot of people from just tossing bottles, which litter our environment, onto our sidewalks, roads, forests, streams, you-name-it. Give me one unselfish, environmentally responsible reason why we shouldn’t pass the Bigger Bottle Bill or concede that you don’t really care about the next generation. --Check out: State Senate needs to end battle over bottle bill | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle After several years of trying to get an expanded bottle bill passed through the New York Legislature, hope has presented itself in the form of Sen. Dean Skelos. (Aug 22, 08) democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York
8/22/08 - -**EVENT** - AUGUST RED-TAIL DAYS August 29 & 30, 2008 - August Red-tail Days is an event designed to celebrate these amazing birds and bring attention to the importance of the area to this, the first of their many journeys. Join us to see these birds fly over the hawk watch platform at the park or be captured and banded at the hawk banding station. What else can you do at August Red-tail Days? - Witness LIVE raptors in scheduled programs and banding demonstrations Browse and shop at a variety of nature related arts & craft vendors, and the BBRR sales table Learn about raptors an our environment through informal poster presentations Enjoy the park and all its natural wonders it has to offer --from Welcome to BBRR!
8/22/08 - I'm always scouring the Internet for local groups doing good for our environment. Here's the latest that I've found: The Henrietta Foundation Inc. (HFI) was founded in 2000 by a few community members who were interested in preserving and protecting Henrietta’s scenic, natural resources for public benefit. We have developed and now maintain the Lehigh Valley Trail, a groomed pathway for hiking, running, bicycling, and nature walks. We are currently raising funds to finalize the purchase of Executive South Family Golf and Recreation Center. "
8/21/08 - -**EVENT** - Hike Rob’s Trail -Hemlock to Canadice Saturday, September 20th, 8:30am to 1:00 pm The Nature Conservancy has opened a marvelous new trail called “Rob’s Trail.” It connects the city’s Hemlock property with their Canadice Lake trail. We plan to meet at the First Unitarian Church at 8:30 to scope the hike. We will leave cars at both ends of the trail for an end-to-end hike. The approximate distance is 3.5 miles with plenty of nature sights. The Canadice spur trail becomes steep and challenging, so bring good hiking shoes. It’s a 6 of 10 level of difficulty. Evaluate if you can manage a that level. Leaders will be Howard Camp and Hugh Mitchell. We will meet for car pooling at the lower parking lot of First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Road, at 8:30 AM.--from Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club
8/20/08 - About Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) , it's like I've been saying: Editorial: Fish killer virus shouldn't leave our attention | thenorthwestern.com | Oshkosh Northwestern Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, the fish-killing microorganism better known as "VHS," hasn't infiltrated Wisconsin's waters like many biologists and conservationists had feared a year ago. That's a testament to some preventative cooperation between our Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, local bait sellers and everyday anglers after VHS appeared in a dead fish taken from Little Lake Butte des Morts last year. (Aug 19, 08) thenorthwestern.com | Oshkosh Northwestern | Oshkosh news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Oshkosh, WI
8/20/08 - Check out this new way of joining your neighbors to limit your carbon output: The Low Carbon Diet Challenge -You are invited to gather with friends and neighbors to take action against climate change. Don’t miss your chance to join Low Carbon Diet program participants across the globe to save money, energy and the planet !In this first-of-its-kind set of events across the greater Rochester area, citizens will move from conversation about climate change to taking action. If you want to be part of a community effort that can really make a difference, then join us for the Low Carbon Diet Challenge! Locations and dates are still being firmed up, so please check back here soon. In each location, the Challenge will consist of three sessions, across four weeks. --from the Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club
8/20/08 - The Way To Bike: Since the gas crisis, many have decided not to use their gas guzzlers so much and to bike more often. So, have you discovered the best routes to bike friendly? If not, check out this amazing biking service/idea online. If so, tell the world the best routes to bike around Rochester. What a great idea, using technology, ingenuity, and a sense of environmental responsibility this: Bike Trails, Paths & Routes From Over 40 Countries at Bikely.com Put very simply, Bikely helps cyclists share knowledge of good bicycle routes. It can be quite tricky traversing a car dominated city by bicycle, particularly when you need to travel an unknown route to a new destination. But the chances are, someone has cycled that way before you. Bikely makes it easy for him or her to show you the best way. Check out some biking routes for Rochester--Find Bike Trails at Bikely.com
WXXI Radio: 1370 Connection
Friday 8/22 Hr. 1 Energy expert
Ben Ebenhack of the U of R on the
real energy choices open to us today
Hr. 2 Sustainability and how
we'll achieve it; Randy Curran
and Andy Frank of the U of R on what
scientific knowledge can teach us
what
you’ve got. February TV signals
change to digital and for those
still using the antenna, instead of
cable and satellites, your going to
have to do something. That’s if you
still watch TV. But, if you still
watch TV, Check this out:
The Looming E-Waste Tsunami -
Television Recycling What Should
You Do With Your Old TV Sets: Unlike
leading computer manufacturers, the
television industry has been, with
the exception of Sony, very
reluctant to take responsibility for
their products at the end of their
useful life. Televisions present all
of the same disposal issues as
computer equipment and other e-waste
(TVs, computers, monitors, phones,
etc.), from leaded glass to
brominated fire retardants. However
televisions contain much less
valuable materials to offset the
cost of recycling than most
electronics, discouraging e-waste
collectors and processors from
handling them. - Climate Change - What You Can Do: Our Carbon Offset Program "You can help reduce the impacts of climate change and restore critical wildlife habitat by participating in The Nature Conservancy’s voluntary carbon offset program." --from The Nature Conservancy - Protecting Nature, Preserving Life
- The Low Carbon Diet Challenge! Save Energy, Money, and the Planet! - "Throughout Monroe County, six events will help citizens mobilize together to move from conversation about climate change to taking action. If you want to be part of a community effort that can really make a difference, then join us for the Low Carbon Diet Challenge! Locations and dates are still being firmed up, so please check back here soon. All six events will start between Sept. 28 and Oct. 11th, and will consist of 3 sessions, across six weeks." Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club