Updates Jan 04

• 1/30/04 -- EVENT: the evening of Sunday, February 29, 2004. ~ Details pending ~ Animal Rights Advocates (ARA-UNY) & Rochester Area Vegetarian Society (RAVS)... ...have invited Dr. Michael Greger to speak on February 29th in Rochester on "MAD COW". I will keep you posted as plans are finalized. ~Lois Baum~ Background: Michael Greger, MD ... is the Mad Cow Coordinator for the Organic Consumers Association http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm , and the Chief BSE Investigator for www.nodowners.org ( Farm Sanctuary). Dr. Greger has been speaking publicly about mad cow disease since 1993. He has debated the National Cattlemen's Beef Association before the FDA and was invited as an expert witness at the Oprah Winfrey infamous "meat defamation" trial. He has contributed to many books and articles on the subject and continues to lecture extensively. Dr. Greger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine. He can be reached for media inquiries at (206)312-8640 or mhg1@cornell.edu -message from -http://www.RochesterAlliance.org
•  1/30/04 -- EVENT: New Jobs for New York - Alternative Energy in New York Expo2004: Cutting Edge Energy Technologies and Resources Monday, Feb 2, 2004 8:30 am - 2:00 pm - http://www.newjobsforny.org/events.php?background=C  Please join New Jobs for New York for Alternative Energy in New York Expo2004. New York is recognized as a leader in alternative energy technologies and research. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will deliver the keynote address at a conference hosted by Roger Altman and joined by distinguished guests New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi; Dan Reicher, President, New Energy Capital & former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy for energy efficiency and renewable energy; Peter Smith, Acting President, nyserda; Glenn Hutchins, founder and Managing Member of Silver Lake Partners slp, the leading investment firm focused on private equity investments in the technology industry; Mark Hessen, President of the National Venture Capital Association; Mike Finney, President of Greater Rochester Enterprise; and Ira Rubenstein, Chairman, Center for Economic and Environmental Partnership, Inc. to marshal the human, educational and business resources of our state for new energy investments. Location: Rochester Institute of Technology Inn and Conference Center, 5257 West Henrietta Road, West Henrietta, NY 14586, Phone: 585.359.1800
•  01/30/04 --- Good/Bad Ideas: - http://www2.cityofrochester.net/cs/NewsReleases/index.cfm?Release=1261 Rochester Fire Chief Floyd A. Madison is asking Rochester residents to assist the Fire Department by clearing fire hydrants of snow on their streets and in their neighborhoods. "The extreme weather conditions of the past weeks have kept fire crews very busy and we could use some helping hands shoveling out hydrants," said Chief Madison. Rochester has 7200 fire hydrants any of which might be critical to firefighting operations. As the snow and cold continue, residents can be helpful by digging out hydrants around their homes. Several minutes of work to clear a hydrant might make all the difference in a fire emergency.
•  01/30/04 -- Good/Bad Ideas: If there is actual money for this program this would be a good idea.  Fishing stocks die when reintroduced into the Great Lakes because of pollution. President wants $45M for Great Lakes cleanup activities - DETROIT - Though $5 million shy of what Congress has authorized, President Bush’s upcoming fiscal year budget proposal includes $45 million for ongoing Great Lakes cleanup activities. If approved, it would be the largest single-year allocation for addressing longstanding pollution in the world’s largest collection of fresh surface water. It also would be a $35 million increase over this year’s expenditure of $10 million. (January 30, 2004) http://www.toledoblade.com/home
•  01/30/04 -- What are the cancer figures for Monroe County?  Of course (in my opinion) we can never really have an adequate cancer mapping of any area because enough studies done on all the chemicals pollution any area have not been done and could never be done anyway.  Also, the Risk Assessment model by which we determine whether or not chemicals we release into the environment is inadequate for determining the limits to many chemicals (like dioxin) which affect our health at almost every level.)  [for a full review of this problem of assessing the effects of dangerous man-made chemicals or organochlorines, see Pandora's Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a New Environmental Strategy by Joe Thornton.  Check here: Cancer Mapping: Monroe County (New York)  -from Trust for America's Health Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. From anthrax to asthma, from chemical terrorism to cancer, America is facing a crisis of epidemics. Health Tracking Factsheet in New York
•  01/17/04 -- ACTION: From Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG)  - In his State of the Union speech, President Bush once again called on Congress to pass the polluting, budget-busting energy bill currently stalled in the Senate. This bill would hand out billions in taxpayer dollars to big polluters, allow more smog pollution in America's dirtiest cities, repeal laws designed to prevent future Enron-style market manipulations, and let oil companies off the hook for contaminating our groundwater with MTBE, a possible human carcinogen. Fortunately, due to continued public outcry, Senator John Ensign (NV) just last week rejected the President's call, reversed his position from last November, and announced his opposition to the bill. Sen. Ensign's announcement brings us a big step closer to stopping this bill for good. But it's not over yet! Please take a moment to ask your senators to stop the energy bill from passing. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them to demonstrate the broad public opposition that exists to this bill. To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=250&id4=ES
•  01/17/04 -- ACTION: Take a moment for this online worthy cause from care2.com: Urge 2004 Presidential Candidates to Address the Environment http://www.care2.com/go/z/11020/1028 Global warming, acid rain, polluted waters, and air pollution affect Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike. Over 80%  of Americans agree that the environment should be a national  priority... but the Bush Administration has failed on the  environment, by rolling back our landmark protections and  favoring corporate polluters over the public interest.  Environmental issues must be a major part of the 2004  presidential campaign!  Significant environmental issues that must be addressed now:  1) Clean Air and Water Standards  2) Toxic Chemicals and Cleanups  3) Public Lands Preservation  4) US Dependence on Dirty Fossil Fuels  5) Threats from Climate Change  6) Wildlife Conservation  Sign now to let the candidates know that Americans want these  issues to be a high priority in the presidential campaign. The environment IS a priority; it is time that it becomes part of  the national debate!  Your comments will be delivered via email to each of the
  Presidential candidates. http://www.care2.com/go/z/11020/1028
•  1/28/04 -- EVENT: Robert Johnson, of the Cornell University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, will make a presentation and address issues related to the herbicide application in Waneta Lake at the next meeting of the Steuben County Committee of the Finger Lakes Group of the Sierra Club. The meeting takes place Thursday, February 5, at 6:30 p.m., at the Corning Public Library. Mr. Johnson will also discuss his research results on nontoxic control of Eurasion water milfoil with insect herbivores, and assessments of aquatic plant growth. The meeting is free and open to the public. All interested persons are invited to attend. Thursday, February 5, at 6:30 p.m. - at the Southeast Steuben County Library - 300 Civic Center Plaza, Corning. (607) 936-3713 - The entrance is on the side facing the river. - The parking lot is on the corner of Chemung Street and Tioga avenue. For more information, contact Rachel Treichler at (607) 569-2114
•  We should always wonder if our food is safe: What are the facts about Mad Cow or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy? Check the Center of Disease Control's: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy: Main Index, CDC
•  The looming bird flu is something we should all keep our eye on:  Get the facts from the Center of Disease Control: CDC - Influenza (Flu) | Basic Information About Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)  There are other ethical issues related to the bird flu that go beyond human health: ENN News Story - Thailand's chicken slaughter is labeled inhumane — Bird-flu-stricken Thailand's emergency cull of millions of chickens by stuffing them in sacks and burying them alive is coming under criticism from animal rights activists as inhumane. As fear spreads of a disease that has killed one boy in Thailand and six people in Vietnam, the government has armed hundreds of soldiers and prisoners with orange rubber gloves, plastic masks, and rubber boots to kill the chickens. At a farm housing nearly 50,000 chickens in the central province of Suphan Buri, soldiers molded their protective plastic shower caps to look like berets and fanned out across stilted wooden sheds, grabbing birds from their hutches. Environmental News Network - ENN.com
•  1/25/04 -- Learn about one of the most pernicious Environmental Health problem on this planet - The AIDS pandemic: EVENT: What: '04 Stop AIDS Campaign TEACH-IN by national organizers -When: Thursday, January 29 7-9:30pm -Where: Univ. Rochester Community Learning Center (Fraternity Quad/on Fraternity Road, River Campus) - Who will speak: National Organizers for the Campaign: Jen Cohn (American Medical Students Association) and Paul Davis (HealthGAP) -Who should attend: Everyone -What you may learn: How to engage in the global fight against AIDS -- this campaign is all about ACTION! - Local Contacts: Mary Shoemaker 464-8965 or 265-4768 and Mansoor Khan 347-452-4284 -Campaign Teach-in Details: see www.healthgap.org  for the presidential platform on AIDS that most of the presidential candidates have endorsed. * BIRD-DOG political events * Mobilize grassroots organizations * Learn how to get media coverage of your work * Take the issue to the next president!  Location Details:  * Enter the main University of Rochester Campus from Elmwood Avenue entrance * Continue straight on Wilson Blvd (you will drive by traffic control booth, then continue through a small traffic circle) * The Fraternity quad will be on the right -- look for the Community Learning Center on the Right at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and Fraternity Rd. CLC is a house at the back of Fraternity quad with a yellow sign above the main door that is visible from Wilson Blvd. Parking availability varies, so it may be good to arrive early.
•  1/23/04 -- A must read if you want the complete case against Pesticides and other organochlorines that have poisoned our planet and ourselves, the repercussions and why our present model of Risk Assessment does not work-- Pandora's Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a New Environmental Strategy by Joe Thornton.  I cannot overemphasize the absolute importance of reading this book because it documents and shows the rationale for how one of the most insidious and dangerous environmental problems is being allow to continue. After you read the book, come to Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club 's Great Lawns 2004 -March 18th at 7PM – Open to the public - Brighton Town Hall 2300 Elmwood Ave - Great looking lawns spur thousands of us Rochesterians to launch a blitzkrieg of fertilizers and pesticides on our property each spring. The results are usually worthwhile (just look around the Flower City), unless most of the work was left to noxious chemicals that poison your children, pets, and create a dangerous runoff seeping into your water supply. One could liken the overuse of chemical on our lawns to using steroids for bodybuilding--the whole point of looking healthy gets obscured when assaulting your body with a dangerous hormone. Things are changing: Nearby communities like Toronto, which allow only the use of herbicides in extreme cases, and Erie County, which just adopted the Neighborhood Notification Law, are limiting the chemical used for lawn aesthetics. Join with the Sierra Club this spring in an educational program on pest-management in lawn care, by the Cornel Cooperative's Great Lawns/Great Lakes. This program, which uses Integrated Pest Management techniques researched at Cornell University, is for residents who want to learn environmentally friendly lawn care practices that keep fertilizers and pesticides out of our waterways. Program participants learn about easy soil-testing, weed-free mowing, and practical, cost-saving lawn tips. Then, learn why the overuse of chemicals on your lawn is a bad idea from one of Rochester's most influential activists, Judy Braiman, president of Rochesterians Against the Misuse of Pesticides (RAMP). Judy will discus the health-related and environmental costs of using various chemicals and toxic fertilizers on your lawn. She will also include in her talk a law greatly influenced by RAMP, where Governor George Pataki signed a new law that minimizes human exposure to picnic tables and playground gyms that have been treated with arsenic. So, set aside this date and bring along your friends, neighbors, groups, and neighborhood associations to spruce up their properties and protect our environment.
• 1/23/04 -- Poisoning ourselves & our planet: Here's a headline you don't want to see: Mother and Children Hurt By Widely Used Lawn Care Pesticides - Issue Holiday Wish to Stop the Poisoning -(BRADENTON, FLORIDA, December 18, 2003) In an effort to alert the public to pesticide poisoning in the state of Florida and to prevent future harm, a registered nurse released today the story of her exposure to hazardous chemicals by a local lawn care company that has left her unable to work. This is a story of a trusting consumer, Brenda Jones, who explains that she hired a lawn care service, TRUGREEN ChemLawn, only to find that the pesticides being used were poisonous. The commonly used weedkiller, atrazine, and synthetic pyrethroid bug-killer, bifenthrin, applied to her property resulted in the acute poisoning of Ms. Jones and her two children, ages eight and four. After trying for nearly one-year since the incident to recover from the exposure and continuing symptoms, and having received no assistance from the company and state regulators, Ms. Jones says that it is urgent for the public to be aware of her story before more people are poisoned." a story from BEYOND PESTICIDES --Beyond Pesticides began in 1981 as the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, a non-profit membership organization that was formed to serve as a national network committed to pesticide safety and the adoption of alternative pest management strategies which reduce or eliminate a dependency on toxic chemicals. We are governed directly by our membership, including individuals and organizations, which elects a 15- member board of directors. In 1998, the board of directors decided that the name Beyond Pesticides better captured the mission of the organization. 
•  1/23/04 -- Thinking of building?  Why not consider building Green? USGBC - U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. What is the U.S. Green Building Council? The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is leading a national consensus for producing a new generation of buildings that deliver high performance inside and out. Council members work together to develop LEED™ products and resources, the Greenbuild annual International Conference and Expo, policy guidance, and educational and marketing tools that support the adoption of sustainable building. Members also forge strategic alliances with key industry and research organizations and federal, state and local government agencies to transform the built environment.
•  1/23/04 -- With food in the news, you could try something else: Abundance Cooperative Market Check out this month's newsletter.
•  1/23/04 -- Good/Bad Ideas: Should this make you feel more confident about having more nuclear power plants? Toxic cleanups may be scaled back Department of Energy causes uproar over plan for old nuclear weapons sites Facing a national nuclear cleanup costing at least $220 billion and lasting several decades, the U.S. Department of Energy is pushing what it believes is a faster, cheaper approach that requires setting aside environmental regulations and longstanding agreements with states. The agency's new "Risk-Based End States Vision" is premised on limiting the cleanup of factories and labs contaminated by cold war weapons work to no more than is needed to protect humans or wildlife. Oakland Tribune Online - Home 
•  1/23/04 --- How important are our Great Lakes? LOCAL COMMENT: Keep Great Lakes clean, safe What is Michigan without water? What would we be if not the Great Lakes state? It is hard to imagine our peninsulas without their mighty guardians. It is hard to imagine a city without a lake, river or stream nearby. Our water is our greatest resource and our greatest legacy. It drives our economy and shapes our character. But today this resource is threatened. A thirsty country sees a source of free, clean, fresh drinking water, and pollution and growth continue to threaten its health. So, the question before us is how to lay a foundation of protection, preservation and restoration that future generations can build upon. This week, in a special message to the Legislature, I outlined a six-point plan that addresses the most critical issues facing our waters and wetlands today and lays the first bricks for our foundation. --from Detroit Free Press - www.freep.com
•  1/21/04 -- EVENT:  Friday, March 19th - Progressive Celebration 2004 - Music, Stories, Food, & Fun! - Co-sponsors: Alliance for Democracy, Rochester, Metro Justice, Politics of Food - Edgerton Community Center - 41 Backus Street
•  1/21/04 -- Good/Bad Ideas:  Good to see New York State leading on car emissions: EMS - Auto emissions, state-level standards This month, New Jersey became the first Mid-Atlantic state and fifth one in the country to adopt California's stricter automobile emissions standards. New Jersey has joined New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine in implementing more environment-friendly auto-emissions standards than the federal government requires. --from Environmental Media Services - facts and contacts for journalists
•  1/21/04 -- Good/Bad Ideas: Although most of our politicians think the Downtown Bus Terminal (in the works for five years) will be a a great attraction and a good job getter for our area.  It is a bad idea because it is a boondoggle that doesn't solve our area's mass transit needs.  Even thought we have or are approaching a 'no attainment zone' (meaning no more new roads) because of the quality of our county's air, instead of putting together a mass transit system that will reduce fossil fuel polluting vehicles, the best politically attractive scheme is this serious flawed bus terminal. Democrat & Chronicle: Transit proposal may be altered The bus station project could need new environmental review.— Where’d the downtown bus station go? For several years, the proposed transit center was portrayed with a façade fronting East Main Street, modeled after a train station designed by the late Claude Bragdon, a Rochester architect.  (January 20, 2004) Democrat and Chronicle
•  1/21/04 -- Good/Bad Ideas: Here's a particularly bad idea that could, if implemented, seriously compromise the health of our Great Lakes Health profoundly. Pioneer Press | 01/21/2004 | More nuclear power called for Less than a year after Minnesota lawmakers tangled over nuclear waste storage, the head of the Public Utilities Commission said Tuesday the state needs more atomic power plants. PUC chairman LeRoy Koppendrayer said natural gas is becoming too expensive to fuel large generating plants, and coal-burning plants pollute. If Minnesota wants clean, cheap energy, he said, it needs more nuclear plants than the two it now has. (January 21/04) Twincities.com - Your Twin Cities Everything Guide
•  01/21/04 -- In the Governor's  2004 Governor Pataki's 2004 Budget Address, you have to scroll down far to find the environmental elements of the speech, but there there: "The budget I present to you today, like those in the past, makes the continued protection and preservation of our environment a top priority. The investments we've made in our environment have allowed us to clean our water and air, protect open space and preserve our natural resources. Not just for our own generation, but for generations to follow. Together, you and I passed historic Superfund and Brownfields legislation last year. This Budget fulfills the commitment we made then, providing $135 million to support the state's Superfund and Brownfields Program. This Budget extends the alternative fuels vehicle tax credit, providing tax credits and sales tax exemptions for clean fuel vehicles. It provides funding for new state & local partnerships - the Urban Forestry Initiative - to plant thousands of trees throughout our urban neighborhoods. Natural areas in any corner of the state belong to all New Yorkers. This budget recognizes that and protects local communities, especially in the Adirondacks and Catskills, from the unfair tax burden placed on them through state working forest exemptions. And for the seventh straight year at $125 million, we fully fund the Environmental Protection Fund, including $30 million to help us open or expand 20 state parks over the next 5 years. To people around the world, New York will always be the great metropolis, home to great skyscrapers and mighty symbols, including, soon, the Freedom Tower. If we seize the moment, this state with the greatest city, will also be known for having the greatest natural resources, the cleanest water and air, and the most beautiful open spaces in America. "
•  01/18/04 --EVENT:  (2 SEPARATE EVENTS) WHAT: Corporate Power and Patents on Life: A Discussion with Percy Schmeiser -WHEN: Tuesday, January 27; 7 pm -WHERE: Tompkins County Public Library Borg Warner Room  -Cornell Event: - WHAT: Corporate Power and Patents on Life: A Discussion with Percy Schmeiser - WHEN: Wednesday, January 28; 12:15 pm - WHERE: The Einaudi Center, Uris Hall G-08, Cornell University - Canola Farmer Vs. Biotech Giant: - Percy Schmeiser to give two public talks in Ithaca - Percy Schmeiser will be giving to public talks about his battle with biotech giant Monsanto. Percy Schmeiser is a life-long farmer and seed-saver from Saskatchewan who has become an international symbol of resistance to genetically engineered crops. Schmeiser was taken to court by Monsanto because a transgene from their patented Roundup Ready canola [Brassica napus] was found on his farm. Schmeiser argues that his fields were contaminated by gene-flow from nearby fields, a problem highlighted by opponents of GMO agriculture as biological pollution; Monsanto accuses Schmeiser of theft, in violation of their intellectual property rights. Monsanto has won early decisions. Schmeiser's crops have been seized and fines and penalties now amount to $143,000; Monsanto seeks $716,000 more to cover their court costs. Around the world people are closely watching Schmeiser's landmark case; it will be argued before the Supreme Court of Canada on January 20, 2004. As intellectual property rights are converging globally under TRIPS agreements of the WTO, the implications of Schmeiser's case are far-reaching. The Toronto Star characterized this conflict as "a modern David and Goliath." Schmeiser says "The battle is bigger than just one farmer. If the biotech companies win this, they get control of the world's food crops. Farmers can no longer collect seeds. They have to 'license technology.' They become serfs on the land. It's back to feudal times."  This case between Monsanto and Percy Schmeiser is highly controversial and is being watched by the international community due to its legal precedence. The overall issue of biotechnology is also controversial and is being debated intensely in the scientific, agricultural, environmental and other communities. These events are sponsored by The Einaudi Center for International Studies; Center for Religion, Ethics, and Social Policy [CRESP]; Rural Livelihoods and Biological Resources Workshop [RLBR]; Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development [CIIFAD] and the Finger Lakes Group of the Sierra Club. For more information, contact Erin Riddle at 256-9993.
•  01/18/04 --EVENT:   This just in from Environmental Advocates of New York: We would like to invite you to the Thursday, January 22 environmental forum sponsored by the Environmental Advocates of New York and its new regional advisory board. The forum will be held from 7 pm- 9 pm in Allen Hall on UB's South Campus (on Main Street near Kenmore Avenue, across from Walgreens). EANY serves the people of New York as an effective and aggressive watchdog, advocating on nearly every important state environmental issue. Through advocacy, coalition building, citizen education and policy development, EANY works to safeguard public health and preserve our unique natural heritage. The meeting will consist of presentation and discussion as well as an open forum, so come out and voice your opinion! It's also an opportunity for local environmentalists to get to know each other better, share concerns and projects, and build community. Topics to be discussed include: Land Use, Open Space, & Habitat: encourage smart growth planning & community preservation. Clean Air and Energy: cap CO2 emissions, reform power plant siting, promote air quality, encourage clean energy Recycling and Waste Management: manage electronic wastes, expand the bottle bill, ban burn barrels Pesticides: ban aesthetic use of pesticides, mitigate urban pesticide use, phase-out agency use Environmental Health: reduce mercury risks, increase nuclear safety, create healthy schools Water, Wetlands & Wildlife: protect wetlands, prevent lake drilling, reform septics, control invasive species Please see the attached documents for additional information! Thank you, Erin Cala & Walter Simpson, UB Green - Bill LaBine - Chairman - Avon's Comprehensive Plan Team blabine@avon-ny.gov , 226-8521
•  01/18/04 -- In this most important year of elections, it might be a good idea to find out how your representatives are voting on the environment: The League of Conservation Voters National Environmental Scorecard - The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has published a National Environmental Scorecard every Congress since 1970--the year it was founded by leaders of the environmental movement following the first Earth Day. The Scorecard provides objective, factual information about the environmental voting records of U.S. Representatives and Senators.
•  1/18/04 -- Why not Rochester?  These four NYS cities (City of Yonkers $20,000 --City of Syracuse $20,000 -New York City $16,875 City of Albany $20,000)  got grants for their urban forests, why not Rochester, New York?   NYSDEC - Press Release - DEC Awards Urban Forestry Grants to Four Cities New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty today announced that Large City Urban Forestry Grants from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) will be awarded to four cities. DEC is awarding grants totaling $76,875 for community forestry projects or for developing comprehensive urban forestry management plans. "By promoting diligent stewardship of our urban forests, these grants will help protect the valuable environmental resources in New York's metropolitan areas," Commissioner Crotty said. "The grants will allow cities to enhance their urban forestry programs by inventorying their trees, developing master plans, planting new trees and tending to existing trees. Through these initiatives, New Yorkers and future generations will be able to enjoy the beauty and benefits of nature where they live and work." New York State Department of Environmental Conservation -- Press Releases
•  01/17/04 -- ACTION: From U.S. PIRG   Mountaintop removal coal mining is a form of strip mining where coal companies literally blast hundreds of feet off the tops of mountain peaks in their search for coal, pushing millions of tons of mining waste rubble into surrounding valleys and burying hundreds of miles of streams. Studies confirm that the environmental harm caused by mountaintop removal and valley fill operations is widespread, devastating, and permanent. The EPA is currently conducting an official public comment period on this destructive practice, giving the public a chance to make its voice heard. Please take a moment to tell the EPA to stop the further destruction of rivers and streams from mining practices. Then ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them. To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=108&id4=ES
•  01/17/04 -- Meat isn't the only thing that can be diseased by something like "Mad Cow', our plant life too can come under attack.  Check out this story just across Lake Ontario:  TheStar.com - 60,000 ash trees to be cut to halt bug LONDON, Ont.—More than 60,000 ash trees will be destroyed over the next 10 weeks in a last-ditch effort to halt the spread of the emerald ash borer across Ontario. It will be the largest tree removal operation in Ontario history. And after being criticized for reacting slowly to the beetle threat, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has stirred further protest by announcing there will be no compensation for land owners with the trees in a 25-kilometre-long, 10-kilometre-wide "ash-free zone" to be cleared between lakes St. Clair and Erie in Chatham-Kent. (January 17, 2004) TheStar.com - News/News
•  01/16/04 -- EVENT:  This may be one of the most important events of the year, please don't miss it: Forum on Media - Consolidation Louise Slaughter & J Adelstein (dissenting FCC commissioner) Monday, March 8th, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM Kearney Auditorium, St. John Fisher College - Please set aside the evening of March 8th for a community event of enormous importance.  Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein has accepted my invitation to lead a town meeting that evening entitled "Tell Us the Truth - Who Controls What We Hear, Watch, and Read?" Community groups across the political spectrum have raised their collective voices about the growing consolidation of our national media, while they deplore the loss of localism and diversity in our print and broadcast media. Musicians who can't get their work played in their hometowns, advocates denied air time to discuss community problems, politicians who cannot debate their issues, and residents deprived of local newscasts are just a few of the groups who are growingly concerned that media outlets that no longer locally owned and controlled. The great loser in all this, of course, is our democracy, which depends upon an informed citizenry to make decisions for its future. All this and more will be discussed on Monday, March 8th, from 7 to 9 PM at St. John Fisher College's Kearney Auditorium. A panel of representatives from our local newspapers, radio and television stations will also participate to listen to your concerns and answer your questions. I do hope you and your friends, family members and colleagues will join us for what promises to be an enlightening evening of opinion and debate about one of the most crucial issues facing our nation. Sincerely, LOUISE M. SLAUGHTER, Member of Congress
•  01/15/04 -- EVENT: FOOD JUSTICE AND THE PUBLIC GOOD: A NYC SUMMIT ON FARMS AND FOOD, Saturday, January 24th,8:30 am 6:00 pm Location: 425 25th Street (at 1st Avenue), Brookdale Health Science Center (The downtown campus) of Hunter College, New York City http://www.justfood.org/summit/ Major themes include: (Please see the website for full workshop descriptions) · Modern Marvels or Major Mistakes? · Farmland Preservation and Access - · Food Policies and Politics / Food Justice - · Education Strategies - · Building the Marketplace - · Farming- · Social Change Skills - http://www.justfood.org/summit/  the goal of this Summit is to cross fertilize and integrate ideas and action around food justice issues. We are hoping to get diverse perspectives into the dialogue so that all attending will gain a broader understanding of food justice issues, current strategies that address these  issues, and take action to create a diversified and strong local food system.  There will also be great food and live Jazz!
•  01/15/04 -- EVENT: The Quiet Environmentalists: Our Regional Land Trusts - Nature photos, maps, talks on preserving and protecting the land - Wednesday, February 18th, 7pm at Brighton Town Hall - Sponsored by  Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club What better way to spend a late winter evening than looking at beautiful slides of nature. And what better way to prepare to welcome warm spring than by learning how those quiet environmentalists, the regional land trusts, have saved some of our endangered natural areas. On Wednesday evening, February 18th, Sierra Club will sponsor talks by both the Finger Lakes Land Trust and the Genesee Land Trust on protection of key habitats, regional forests, farms and open spaces.  Andy Zepp, Director of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, will show slides and have maps on some of the 7,115 acres of natural areas the Trust has managed to save by purchase or donation. Their holdings include the beautiful, recently acquired Wesley Nature Preserve above the east side of Honeoye Lake where we ran several hikes last summer. Another area of particular local interest which the FLLT has been quietly working to preserve is the rare and endangered Hemlock/Canadice Lakes watershed, our only undeveloped Finger Lakes.  You can learn more about the Finger Lakes Land Trust by calling up their web address: http://www.fllt.org/ . Closer to home the Genesee Land Trust has been working to preserve and protect lands in the Greater Rochester area including waterways, wetlands, farmland, open space, fish and wildlife habitat. By acquiring property, development rights or by helping government agencies or private individuals they have achieved an admirable record of success in quietly saving the land. Gay Mills, Director, will show slides and speak about some of the GLT land holdings and their success in the preservation of Corbett's Glen in Brighton. You can learn more about the Genesee Land Trust by calling up their web site at: http://www.geneseelandtrust.org/ . Come to our Sierra Club program at 7pm, February 18th at Brighton Town Hall on ‘The Quiet Environmentalists: Our Regional Land Trusts.
•  01/11/04 -- I have my doubts: New York City - Environmentalists Praise Plan To Make Hudson 'Swimmable' ALBANY, N.Y. -- Environmentalists backed a proposal to make the Hudson River "swimmable" by 2009, but said the state has to hurry to reach that goal by the 400th anniversary of explorer Henry Hudson's voyage up the waterway. The Hudson was infamous for running with raw sewage and factory waste in the 1960s, but a federal act and a series of state environmental programs helped to improve the water quality of the river. The Hudson stretches 315 miles from its source at Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondack Mountains to New York City - New York City
•  01/11/04 -- Some good spring programs from the Monroe County Soil & Water Conservation District (249 Highland Ave Rochester, NY 14620-3036 - Phone: 585-473-2120 - Fax: 585-473-2124 - Email: swcd@monroecountyswcd.org )Tree & Shrub Program - The MCSWCD assists more than 700 area residents and landowners with the distribution of approximately 90,000 seedlings. This helps to preserve natural resources by slowing erosion and improving water quality while renewing wildlife habitat.
•  01/11/04 -- Just one of those unsolvable environmental issues: Here in Monroe County our sprawl (unplanned growth) is growing faster than our population, but this fact mostly gets lost to the public.  Sprawl hardly got mentioned in the recent election for Monroe County Executive (Mayor Johnson is a leader in the national effort against sprawl) and most of our public officials (including both our state senators ((only Congresswoman Slaughter is against it)) are agog over the Downtown Transit Center Building, though it adds little to our need for a viable mass transit system that will reduce building more roads for more cars and tear up more undeveloped land.  It's a problem that we cannot solve because most do not understand the problem of Urban Sprawl and developers and politicians see the solutions to sprawl as an economic threat.  Occasionally, our major media will do a story about the problem of sprawl and it will largely get ignored: Democrat & Chronicle: Scenic Mendon grapples with growth Our population continues to spread into the countryside, vexing some community planners. This “sprawl,” planners say, eventually threatens wildlife habitats, agricultural production and the sense of community that villages encourage. It also drives up government’s cost of providing roads, schools and police and fire protection. In upstate New York — the 52 counties north of the New York City metropolitan area — land is being consumed for housing and commercial development at a much faster rate than the population is growing, according to a recent Brookings Institution-Cornell University study. Over a 15-year period from 1982 to 1997, some 425,000 acres of upstate open space was developed, an increase of 30 percent. Population grew 2.6 percent during the same period. The trend has continued in the years since then, planners said. (January 11, 2004) Democrat and Chronicle
•  01/10/04 -- ACTION: Worthy cause from Care2 Environment Supersite - free email, ecards that help save animals, endangered species!: from URGE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO MAKE THE ENVIRONMENT A PRIORITY http://www.care2.com/go/z/10071/1028 Global warming, acid rain, polluted waters, and air pollution affect Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike. Over 80% of Americans agree that the environment should be a national priority... but the Bush Administration has failed on the environment, by rolling back our landmark protections and favoring corporate polluters over the public interest. The President's own strategists have noted that President Bush is particularly vulnerable on these issues in the 2004 campaign. Environmental issues must be a major part of the 2004 presidential campaign! Significant environmental issues that must be addressed now: 1) Clean Air and Water Standards 2) Toxic Chemicals and Cleanups 3) Public Lands Preservation 4) US Dependence on Dirty Fossil Fuels  5) Threats from Climate Change 6) Wildlife Conservation  Sign now to let the candidates know that Americans want these issues  to be a high priority in the presidential campaign. The environment  IS a priority; it is time that it becomes part of the national  debate!  Your comments will be delivered via email to each of the Presidential candidates.  http://www.care2.com/go/z/10071/1028
•  01/09/04 -- ACTION: Help protect our fish populations: NYSDEC - Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources Proposed Regulations This rulemaking is necessary to protect New York's freshwater fish populations and fisheries from the damage that would occur if certain non-native nuisance fish species were introduced into New York waters. Comments will be accepted through: March 15, 2004. Send comments to: William J. Culligan - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - Lake Erie Fisheries Research Unit - 178 Point Drive North - Dunkirk, NY 14048 - (716)366-0228- or e-mail comments to: Fish Dangerous to Indigenous Fish Populations
•  01/09/04 -- Get this month's DEC Environment DEC - New York's Online Newsletter about the Environment
•  01/09/04 -- Get ways to conserve energy from NYS Attorney General's office: NYSOAG: Consumer Tips: Energy Conservation Tips Five Ways the Consumer Can Reduce Electricity Consumption, Reduce Electricity Bills and Reduce Harmful Air Emissions from Power Plants.
•  01/08/04 --  EVENT:  This just in: TO: Interested Persons - FROM: Bill Nojay, Steering Committee Chairman - GTC Regional Trails Initiative - SUBJECT: Regional Trails Initiative - Phase 2 Public Input Workshops - As you may know, the Genesee Transportation Council (GTC) has undertaken a major trails planning effort within the nine-county Genesee-Finger Lakes region - the Regional Trails Initiative. The goal of the Regional Trails Initiative is to develop a comprehensive action plan for community leaders to create and maintain a safe, accessible, and highly functional regional trail system that is fully integrated with the existing transportation system and is a nationally recognized distinguishing feature of this region. Phase 1 of the Regional Trails Initiative, completed in June 2002, focused on the Rochester Transportation Management Area (TMA), which includes Monroe County and the adjacent developed areas of Livingston, Ontario, and Wayne counties. The principal focus of Phase 2 of the Initiative is the area outside the TMA - Genesee, Orleans, Seneca, Wyoming, and Yates Counties and the communities in Livingston, Ontario, and Wayne Counties not covered in Phase 1. GTC has scheduled eight public input workshops throughout the region to obtain input from public officials, citizens, and trail users and  groups on.  Phase 2 of the Regional Trails Initiative. GTC is seeking input on the draft goals and recommendations that have been prepared for the Phase 2 study area. Attached is a notice listing all eight public meetings for  your information. Please feel free to share this information with other interested persons. The Draft Public Review Document for Phase 2 of the Regional Trails Initiative is available for review on GTC's web site www.gtcmpo.org  see "Current Opportunities for Public Input"). Review copies are also available at the county planning departments and central repository libraries in Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties; the Rochester Central Library; and GTC's offices. Comments will be accepted beginning December 30, 2003 and ending January 30, 2004. For more information about these upcoming public input workshops and how you can provide input the Draft Public Review Document, please visit the Regional Trails Initiative page on GTC's web site at www.gtcmpo.org  http://www.gtcmpo.org  or contact GTC at (585) 232-6240 or via E-mail at trails@gtcmpo.org Thank you - we look forward to your participation in this important regional project.
•  01/08/04 --  EVENT:  Air Pollution Bucket Brigade Training - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Want to find out what you're breathing? Do you want to find out if there is a link between local air pollution and health problems? Join us for a free training, to learn how to monitor air pollution near Kodak and other chemical facilities through the Bucket Brigade. What: Free Bucket Brigade Training - When: Monday January 19, 2004 - 6:30pm - Where: Dewey Avenue Presbyterian Church - 1261 Dewey Ave. in Rochester - The "Bucket Brigade" is named for an EPA-approved, easy-to-use air sampling device housed inside a 5-gallon plastic bucket. Using specially designed buckets, citizens can measure everyday pollution levels or respond to accidental releases at a chemical facility. The Bucket Brigade has received national and international attention in films such as HBO’s /Blue Vinyl/ and PBS’s /Fenceline/. Rochester residents are following in the footsteps of Norco, Louisiana, a community that used the Bucket Brigade method to win protection from a Shell Chemical plant’s harmful pollution. Community members took air samples using the “Bucket Brigade” to show harmful chemicals were crossing the fenceline. Other communities nationwide are employing the Bucket Brigade in similar battles./ The Bucket Brigade was started in Rochester in December 2002 when Denny Larson, //Director /of Global/ /Community Monitor, presented a workshop to introduce Bucket Brigade community monitoring of ambient air. */Recent air samples taken near Eastman Kodak have found levels of toxic chemicals in the air around Kodak Park, including methylene chloride seven and ten times above the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation ambient air guideline./ *Methylene chloride is classified as a potential carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency and a workplace carcinogen by the Occupation Safety and Health Administration. Please contact CEC at 716-885-6848 or by email at cecmike@choiceonemail.com mailto: cecmike@choiceonemail.com  to pre-register for the training. Pre-registration is not required, but is appreciated. We hope you will be able to join us for this important community training. For more information about the bucket brigade, log onto www.bucketbrigade.net  For more information about Kodak's pollution, log onto www.kodakstoxiccolors.org  or www.kandidcoalition.org
•  01/08/04 -- Concerned about transportation-related air pollution? Encourage a balanced approach to reducing air pollution that emphasizes cleaner vehicles and more convenient transportation options like mass transit, bicycling, and walking Keep a strong analytic review process to meet healthy air goals The full report can be viewed at STPP: Reports Background: The report was released nationally on a telephone press conference call hosted by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, with representatives from the American Public Health Association, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York, and the Children's Environmental Health Network. The Surface Transportation Policy Project is a diverse, nationwide coalition working to ensure safer communities and smarter transportation choices that enhance the economy, improve public health, promote social equity, and protect the environment.
•  01/08/04 -- Concerned about nuclear power in our area?  Citizens Awareness Network   "We are a grassroots, volunteer organization concerned with environmental pollution and health issues surrounding exposure to toxins. The scientific community and the nuclear industry have undermined citizen's confidence in their ability to understand atomic power and its effects. CAN seeks to demystify these issues, with the goal of enabling citizens to reclaim democratic control over their environment and develop strategies for the prevention and elimination of pollution."
•  01/03/04 -- Clever Rochester: City has Bar Coded Trash Bins - Rochester is taking technology to the trash. It says it is the first city in the world to use bar coded trashcans, a move it says will save money in the long haul. "Missing cans are a really big problem, the city spends thousands of dollars replacing trash cans that have gone missing from their locations for one reason or another,” said Lauren Nelson, from Rochester’s Department of Environmental Services. (January 3, 2004) R News: Your NewsChannel
•  01/03/04 -- Where do you recycle your Christmas Tree: Christmas Tree Recycling Programs 2003-2004 --from Monroe County
•  01/01/04 -- Is it any wonder?  How many really believed that industry would help curb global warming gas emissions with strict governmental control?   Bush Plans On Global Warming Alter Little (washingtonpost.com) Two years after President Bush declared he could combat global warming without mandatory controls, the administration has launched a broad array of initiatives and research, yet it has had little success in recruiting companies to voluntarily curb their greenhouse gas emissions, according to official documents, reports and interviews.washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines