Updates_Jan-Feb_07

• 02/24/07 - The major media are not doing their job on informing the public continually on our environmental matters. But, luckily, there are some excellent sources online for environmental new around the world by some of the top environmental media sources. Check out E News from Global Environmental Resources – and if you have a mp3 player, don’t miss out on the latest form of keeping informed on environmental matters – Environmental Podcasts.
  • GLRC A weekly roundup of environmental news from the Great Lakes Radio Consortium. To have each week's Environment Report automatically downloaded to your mp3 player, see our podcasting help page.
  • Earthwatch Radio Podcast Earthwatch Radio is produced by staff and students at the Sea Grant Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We cover a wide range of subjects that concern science and the environment and give special attention to global climate change, the Great Lakes and the oceans. We produce five programs every week and distribute them to more than 125 radio stations and other broadcast outlets, mostly in North America. For more information about the program, contact:
  • Renewable Energy Access - Source For Renewable Energy News and Information - Renewable Energy Access Podcasts
  • Living on Earth: Sound Journalism for the Whole Planet Living on Earth offers a podcast feed of the current show. The url is: http://www.loe.org/podcast.rss
  • NET.org >> The National Environmental Trust The National Environmental Trust is a non-profit, non-partisan organization established in 1994 to inform citizens about environmental problems and how they affect our health and quality of life. Check out our campaigns and special reports (links to the left) to learn about the issues on which we currently focus.  http://www.net.org/newsroom/audiovideo.vtml
  • NPR : National Public Radio : News, Arts, World, US. - NPR: Environment [NPR] Environmental science and reporting on issues from Morning Edition, All Things Considered and other award-winning NPR programs.
  • Science Friday: Making Science Radioactive - Science Friday: Making Science Radioactive - Audio and Podcasting
  • Sierra Club Radio Main - Sierra Club Saving the planet starts at home -- so many Americans are looking for ways to make their own lives more "green." That's why we're launching Sierra Club Radio. Our mission is to offer tips and tell stories we all can use as consumers, as citizens, as neighbors, and as parents to make responsible choices, to connect to the growing environmental community.  Sierra Club Radio Main - Sierra Club
  • NOAA Home Page - Podcasts These are short reports on NOAA science and research. They are in mp3 files for easy downloads to desktop and laptops, as well as mobile devices capable of playing these files. You also can listen to these programs by simply clicking on the link.
  • Greenpeace Podcasts | Greenpeace International Here's the complete contents of the Greenpeace Audio & Video podcast. To subscribe to the Greenpeace Podcast via iTunes and your iPod device, just open iTunes
• 02/24/07 - Stop and Think for a Moment - A couple of decades ago I performed a common public obligation by serving for a month on the Monroe County Grand Jury. Before a month-long parade of decisions on various crimes, the prosecutor admonished our collection of citizen jurists to “think and conduct our public duty with thoughtful deliberation, because we were performing an important function in our area’s law enforcement.” I still remember that little discourse for it reminded all of us in the jury to do our duty properly and it elevated our thinking to be above our daily petty whims and opinions so that we would decide on the cases before us as thoughtful representatives of our government.
  • I think of that as our state moves towards the adoption of the Bigger Better Bottle Bill, which would reduce litter in our state without a tax increase. (Please get the facts on this bill at NYPIRG’s site http://www.nypirg.org/enviro/bottlebill/faq.html before arguing corporate misinformation.) Before giving a quick response to the idea (increasing the refund on returnable bottles to include juices, water, and other beverages), consider this proposal as a responsible citizen of our environment’s future.
  • We are at a critical point with our environment (many issues such as global warming, the loss of biodiversity, pollution, etc. may be coming to a tipping point), and it is up to our generation to see that future generations do not suffer for our lack of humanity. Forget about taxes, the inconvenience for convenience stores, and the loony suggestion that we might force inmates to pick up after us for a moment and think about your children’s world. Will this bill, which has proven to remove over 80 million discarded bottles from our forests, streets, and streams, make a substantial improvement of our environment? Eighty-percent of New Yorkers already think so.
  • Providing a positive incentive for consumers to recycle their trash, instead of allowing it to add to the ledger of our disregard for our planet’s health (which is our health), should be the principle which this bill hinges upon. Not what will personally inconvenience you or upset an already money-strapped business. We can readjust our behavior to live environmentally responsibly. Nature cannot.
• 02/23/07 - An issue that may be looming in our future is the issue of possible development in Canadice/Hemlock lake area. For a good map and an encapsulation of the issue, check out this page from the Nature Conservancy: The Nature Conservancy in New York - Central & Western: Hemlock and Canadice Lakes
• 02/23/07 - If you have been following the recent developments in Australia adopting a radical new proposal to ban old incandescent light bulbs to the new energy efficient florescent bulbs it must be heartening to see this simple idea take hold that could have a profound effect on saving energy. Instead of a light bulb using most of its energy draw to create heat, the new bulbs merely do what you want: create light. That our neighbors up north are considering this idea to compact florescent bulbs might jog our area to do the same. Perhaps. But, one of the things that I have come across is that these new compact florescent bulbs, while saving energy, also have environmental effects because they contain mercury. Check out this article: On mercury in compact fluorescent lights | Grist | Ask Umbra | 16 Jan 2003 They should be disposed of properly and this should be a part of any wholesale program to adopt these new bulbs.  TheStar.com - News - Ontario considers banning old-style light bulbs Ontario is considering becoming the first province in Canada to follow Australia's lead in banning old-fashioned, energy-sucking light bulbs, Environment Minister Laurel Broten said Wednesday as the province draws up a plan to cut its greenhouse gas emissions. Conservative Leader John Tory and environmental groups are urging the government to ban incandescent bulbs in favour of energy-efficient ones, saying it's the push people need to save electricity and a move that would eliminate much of the province's dependence on coal-fired power plants. --from TheStar.com
• 02/23/07 - As time goes on and we learn more about what we do that affects our environment, we may begin to adopt a new comprehensive attitude towards our environment. A story that I am hearing more and more about is the affect of our pharmaceuticals in our waters. Flushing our problems down the toilet isn’t an answer to a problem, getting rid of unwanted drugs, it is often only the beginning of a problem for our environment. What’s new is that our government is beginning to do something about it. And because our area is surrounded by so many lakes and streams this new federal prescription drug disposal guidelines could help save our fishing industry and water quality. EPA Unveils Drug Disposal Guidelines - washingtonpost.com WASHINGTON -- Here's a safety tip from your government: Trash those unwanted prescription drugs with kitty litter or coffee grounds to keep them from falling into the wrong hands _ and mouths. New federal prescription drug disposal guidelines recommend mixing unused, unneeded or expired drugs with undesirable substances _ like cat litter or coffee grounds _ and tossing them in the trash in nondescript containers. Doing so should curb prescription drug abuse and protect lakes and streams from contamination, the White House and government health and environment officials said. (Feb 21, 07) The Washington Post
• 02/22/07 - **EVENT** The next meeting of the Sierra Club Book Study Group will be held Monday, March 12, at 7 pm. We will be reading The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan.
• 02/22/07 - We here at RochesterEnvironment.com always applaud those who have contributed to making our local environment better. Here’s a great testimonial by Mark Hare from the Democrat and Chronicle: Alvan Grant, parks director, had a 'thirst for green' (February 22, 2007) — "Alvan Grant had a "thirst for green," says his daughter, Elizabeth Bernstein of Austin, Texas. Grant, 90, the former director of the Monroe County Parks Department, died in Tempe, Ariz., on Feb. 13. He retired in 1977 after a dozen years as director and more than 30 with the parks system. "He had such a love of his field, he'd have done it for nothing," says Cassandra Petsos, president of People for Parks, a citizens advocacy group Grant founded just before his retirement." Democrat and Chronicle
• 02/22/07 - In two parts, here’s an excellent set of article about how Global Warming is and will be affecting our Great Lakes.  Global warming—first of two parts: Lack of lake ice a harbinger of things to come & Part two of two: Climate change could alter life in and life of lakes  -from Sussex Sun
• 02/22/07 - I have not been here yet, but it looks like a good way to get educated about our Great Lake’s environmental issues:  Biosphère "Since its opening in 1995, Environment Canada’s Biosphère has been a showcase for environmental education. The Biosphère raises the awareness of young people and their families about major environmental issues, including those related to water and climate change, and the sustainable development of the Great Lakes – St Lawrence ecosystem."
• 02/21/07 - “Think globally and act locally” is far from dead. Here’s what some are doing on Global Warming for our area: Hello Everyone, I would like to share with you two resources I developed for use by our Western New York Climate Action Coalition. They could easily be adapted for climate change activism anywhere -- so I wanted to make them available to you and to our collective work. 1. A "You Can Make a Difference" 8 page handout -- stressing political action but also including education and lifestyle actions people can take to address global warming and climate change. 2. A climate action resolution to be used by community groups.  -- Walter Simpson [enconser@buffalo.edu]
• 02/19/07 - Join in the Discussions: As you learn from this site and book and even (slowly) the major media about the implications of Climate Change, there are many online opportunities to join in discussions how to lighten our human footprints on our environment. Many of the online newspapers of the local media have made it easy to join in discussion pertaining to news stories, and some of those pertain to our local environment. Check out my page News Sources and go to one of the news links and find a local environmental story and join in their bogs or chats. Some news links that are especially easy to use are The Democrat and Chronicle, The City Newspaper, and The Messenger Post Newspapers that allows you to “share your thoughts.”
• 02/15/07 - **EVENT**  Noted community health expert coming to Rochester - Tom Farley, MD, MPH is the Chairman of the Department of Community Health at Tulane University in New Orleans. He is the co-author of Prescription for a Healthy Nation. The Journal of the American Medical Association hailed his “important message that should be shared with everyone” as “perhaps the best solution to this nation’s health care woes.”
  • Says Dr. Farley “In America we spend nearly twice as much for health care as any other nation. So why are we among the sickest people in the industrialized world? Something is wrong about the way we are approaching health in the United States. We don’t need another health care reform plan, we need a new way to think about health.”
  • Dr. Farley will be coming to Rochester as part of a lecture series co-sponsored by Pediatric Links with the Community, the Environmental Health Sciences Center and the Center for Community Health of the University of Rochester, as well as the Rochester Regional Community Design Center.
  • Dr. Farley will talk about “Healthscaping: Improving our lives by fixing our everyday world” with a focus on hot health topics including childhood obesity. Lectures will be at 8:00 am on Tuesday, March 20 in the Twig Auditorium at Rochester General Hospital, and at 8:30 am on Wednesday, March 21 in the Class of ’62 Auditorium at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Farley will be signing books and presenting a broader discussion of community health issues on Tuesday, March 20 at 7:00 pm at St. Monica’s Church located at 831 Genesee Street. There is free parking in the lot next to the church.
  • These talks should be fascinating and informative for people interested in how good public policy could dramatically improve our health. All talks are open to the public. For additional information, please visit www.plccare.org  or call (585) 273-3737 or (585) 273-5942.
• 02/15/07 - **EVENT** - Sandra Steingraber will give a talk at the University of Rochester on March 27 at 7PM in Hubbell Auditorium. Title of talk: "Contaminated Without Consent: How Chemical Pollutants in Air, Food, and Water Sabotage Human Development and Violate Human Rights" Description: This lecture will explore how environmental chemicals enter the human body and raise risks for health problems at key stages in human development from point of conception through puberty, midlife, and old age. Steingraber will discuss how new scientific discoveries in the fields of fetal toxicology and pediatric environmental health are mounting an ethical challenge to our current systems of managing and regulating toxic substances. This event is sponsored by the University of Rochester’s Sustainability Roundtable with co-sponsorship from the Environmental Health Sciences Center.
• 02/16/07 - Always good now to keep abreast of the ways to save energy and share your information with friends and family. A major source for information online that you can count on is the Union of Concerned Scientists’ GreenTips Home (Index) Is Your Fridge Running (Efficiently)? February 2007 -Appliances account for about 20 percent of a household’s annual electricity use. Since most of our nation’s electricity is generated from fossil fuels (such as coal and natural gas), which contribute to global warming and air and water pollution, replacing older appliances with more efficient Energy Star-rated models can go a long way toward reducing your environmental impact. However, these appliances are only as efficient as the person using them.
• 02/15/07 - Good editorial in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle on Global Warming. You can join in the discussion: Bush must catch up - Fortunately, efforts under way to reduce greenhouse gases (Feb 12, 07) Democrat & Chronicle
• 02/15/07 - Here’s an interesting speculation on the importance of the recent climate change report: Change coming for Ohio trees, birds Global warming could drive out native species, bring southern varieties up north - Young Ohioans walking through the woods today likely will remember a different place when they stroll the same forest in 75 years. When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its report Feb. 2 in Paris, the world heard clearly that humans are causing global warming. What that means to different continents and regions varies. In the United States, forecasts suggest that rising oceans will swallow coastal areas. (Feb 13, 07) The Columbus Dispatch
• 02/15/07 - **EVENT**  Environmentally speaking, a good place to meet up: The Rochester Environment Meetup Group (Rochester, NY) - Meetup.com "We are working on a plan for the process by which problems (see our list --I'll send it) may be addressed. We're also concerned with global warming and Rochester environment. We seek alliances with other groups and new members."
• 02/14/07 - **EVENT**  American Democracy Project Speakers Series The American Democracy Project (ADP) is pleased to announce the Spring ’07 Speakers Series. Mark your calendars and consider attending/ bringing your classes to one or all of these exciting Spring ’07 ADP speakers. Bruce Niles, Sierra Club and Fred Palmer, Vice President of Peabody Energy -Wednesday, February 21, 2007 - 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. New York Room, Cooper Hall - Bruce Niles will speak on "Reducing Coal Dependence and Powering America with Clean Energy". Fred Palmer will speak on “Coal: America's Energy Future.” After both speakers have presented, a question and answer period will follow. For additional information about the lecture series, please visit the ADP website http://www.brockport.edu/adp/pdss.html  or contact: Dr. Barbara LeSavoy (ext 5411) or Dr. Dena Levy (ext 5893), ADP Speaker Series co-chairs.
• 02/14/07 -- As the issue of Global Warming moves to another level (most have moved from denial to acceptance), you can do your part by helping convince those who have not been on top of this issue and must come kicking and screaming to the fact that man-made climate change threatens future generations—like soon. So here’s a comprehensive online thesis on how to discuss the issue of Global Warming with remaining skeptics: WWF - How to answer the claims of a Climate Change Sceptic
• 02/13/07 - **EVENT** Living in Harmony in God's World - February meeting Our February meeting will be Tuesday, February 20, 7 pm - 9 pm, Henrietta United Church of Christ, 1400 Lehigh Station Road (334-0030). The meeting will begin with viewing the Jan 26 NOW program, which includes an interview with Laurie David, producer of the Al Gore documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." It includes some interesting perspectives and information on efforts to combat global climate change - a good way to get focused. The main agenda item for the meeting will be continued planning for the April 22 Earth Day Symposium that we are co-sponsoring with the Greater Rochester Community of Churches. We are inviting the entire religious community to this event - all faith groups! No church membership required for participation in the symposium or for planning the event - all are welcome. Details on the symposium: Title "God's Earth, Our Hands - Faithfully Caring for Creation" Time: 2 pm - 5 pm, registration at 1:30 pm Location: Reformation Lutheran Church, 111 N. Chestnut Street, Rochester The symposium will begin with a brief interfaith worship service, followed by an introduction to the theme of global climate change and global warming; participants will then choose between several different workshops, all focused on positive actions we can do. We are seeing a lot of interest in the Symposium. Plan to come and help us get the details worked out. Bring a friend! For more information, please contact Elizabeth Pixley, convener, Living in Harmony group (334-0977 or epixley@rochester.rr.com ).
• 02/08/07 - Since the publication of 'Climate Change 2007" by the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change many have dropped all denial that Global Warming is happening, it’s human driven, and will continue to do so at a vicious rate unless major changes are made. The planet you knew is not going to be the planet your children will inhabit because our way of life is causing drastic climatic change: so what are you going to do. Here at RochesterEnvironment.com I will continue to track the best methods of mitigating what appears to be the most important issue of this century. Go to Global Warming Solutions.
• 02/08/07 - Here's one way to curb Global Warming: American Forests American Forests is a world leader in planting trees for environmental restoration, a pioneer in the science and practice of urban forestry, and a primary communicator of the benefits of trees and forests.
• 02/08/07 - **EVENT**  Event Title: Aging in Place - Date: Monday, February 26, 2007 - Time: 7:45 PM - 9:15 PM - Group Sponsoring the Event: Federation of Monroe County Environmentalists - Cost: Free - Location: The meeting will be held downstairs at First Baptist Church, 1862 Penfield Road (on the north side of Rt. 441), just east of Five Mile Line Road and the firehouse. Park and enter at the east end in the rear of the building. Contact: info@fmce.org - Description: Many see the automobile as the greatest freedom, but as more Americans outlive their ability to drive, they are increasingly shut out from needs and opportunities in an environment and society designed increasingly for the car. An overwhelming majority of older adults say they want to age in their homes and neighborhoods, yet an array of physical, financial, policy, and other barriers make it hard for many of our senior citizens to achieve their goal of aging in place. The aging-in-place movement seeks to maximize the ability of senior citizens to stay in their homes and neighborhoods, and advocates for reforms in land use and development, transportation, housing, community design, and service delivery in order to make communities more aging-friendly. Evan Lowenstein, principal of Green Village Consulting, has worked with the City of Rochester on its Aging in Place initiative, and will discuss the opportunities for and barriers to aging in place in the Greater Rochester region.
• 02/08/07 - **EVENT**  Come join us for the third annual - Symposium on Energy in the 21st Century - Cazenovia College, April 20, 2007 -Noted as one of the primary energy conventions of the year, this FREE Symposium has limited seating so register NOW. - This year's focus will be Energy Sustainable Communities. An excellent group of speakers including Ashok Gupta, Director of Air & Energy for NRDC, Rohit Aggarwala, Director of NYC Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, Ed Murphy, Executive Director, Workforce Development Institute, Bill Moore, PPM Energy and Horizon, Neil Murphy, President ESF, Ray Cross, President Morrisville College, Matt Driscoll, Mayor of Syracuse, Tim Lattimore, Mayor of Auburn, Mike Arcuri, Congressman, David Valesky, NYS Senator, and other notable speakers will be presenting followed by a panel discussion. Tours will be offered after lunch. Check: www.cazenovia.edu/energy  for details and register now. For further information call Dr. Rhea Jezer: email: rjezer@twcny.rr.com phone: 315-727-0123 "This Symposium is the third in a series that will explore ways to meet an increasing demand for energy while ensuring a sustainable environment for future generations. The Symposium is purely educational in nature. The mission of this Symposium is to present a comprehensive understanding of the possibilities and to gain insights into possible solutions without endorsing any products, technology or positions. Join the academic community, statewide environmental and business community and elected officials on April 20, 2007 at Cazenovia College."
• 02/07/07-- **EVENT** Rochester Metro Chapter of Friends of the Women’s Rights National Historical Park Cordially invites you to join in “Great Conversations” 2007-- including “Rochester in the 21st Century: Reinventing the Flower City” - "Water, Water, Everywhere...." - “Re-watering the Old Erie Canal Downtown: An Idea that’s all Wet or a Gem for Revitalization” Friday, March 23, 2007 The Century Club 566 East Avenue Rochester, New York This exciting and unique fundraiser invites local personalities and experts from the Rochester area to facilitate a lively and entertaining discussion on a single topic in the arts, politics, business, the environment, sports, media, urban planning, health, and religion. Deadline for registration is Friday, March 16, 2007.  For more info:Linda MacCammon Rochester Metro Chapter of Friends PO Box 12925 Rochester, NY 14612-0925 Have questions about reservations? Contact Linda MacCammon lmaccammon@rochester.rr.com
• 02/07/07-- A chance to meet an environmental legend. E.O. Wilson made prominent Biodiversity, the loss of which is one of the main environmental problems that makes our times extraordinary. Be sure not to miss program on E.O. Wilson’s new book. But, also read Biodiversity “This important book for scientists and nonscientists alike calls attention to a most urgent global problem: the rapidly accelerating loss of plant and animal species to increasing human population pressure and the demands of economic development.” –from Biodiversity **EVENT**  What Bugs You? Dr. Edward O. Wilson The Creation: A Meeting of Science and Religion Edward O. Wilson is used to stirring up controversy. The world famous biologist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author will challenge us to look for the commonalities facing Science and Religion in relation to the conservation of the earth. Monday, March 5, 2007 Noon and 7:00PM MCC Theater Free to MCC Students, Faculty and Staff with photo ID - $10.00 General Public. Tickets are available at the MCC Brighton Campus Service Desk, Damon City Campus Bookstore or charge by phone at 292-2534. Tickets are required for entrance at both presentations. The noon event is not open to the public. On behalf of Phi Theta Kappa, the Campus Activities Board and the Biology Club at Monroe Community College, I am excited to give you information about an upcoming event that might be of interest to your organization. On Monday, March 5, 2007 in the MCC Theatre at 7:00pm Monroe Community College has the honor of welcoming two time Pulitzer Prize winner E.O. Wilson. He will be discussing his new book, The Creation: A Meeting of Science and Religion, which is his forthright call for unity between religion and science in order to save the "creation," or living nature, which is in "deep trouble." Addressing his commonsensical yet ardent discourse to "Dear Pastor," he asks why religious leaders haven't made protecting the “creation” part of their mission. Please encourage members of your organization to come to this event to learn more about this stimulating topic. I’ve attached a flyer for the event with all of the details. Thank you for your support. Please feel free to contact me at joriel@monroecc.edu  or 292-2533 with any questions you may have.
• 02/07/07-- **EVENT** Spring Fling: Native Plants for Beauty and More Wed., April 4, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Cooperative Extension Tompkins County, 615 Willow Ave. Ithaca -Ephemeral bloodroot, dark purple asters, delicate maidenhair ferns and the vibrant fall leaves of chokeberry only give hints as the diversity and beauty of native plants. Dan Segal of the Plantsmen Nursery in Lansing will share the many benefits of incorporating native plants into the home landscape. Learn how to attract birds and butterflies, find the right plants for a rain garden and bring color to your garden. Free thanks to support from The Plantsmen. Co-sponsored by the Watershed Network and Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. Registration required --from Cayuga Lake Watershed Network: News and Events, Events
• 02/07/07 Learn all about our Great Lakes from those who have experienced it—you. -- Great Lakes Wiki - The Great Lakes Wiki explores new ways of speeding the flow of information, knowledge and news about one of the world's greatest natural resources. It relies on the experience and knowledge of a network of citizens, including scientists, hunters, policymakers, environmentalists, anglers, lakeside property owners, boaters, business operators and others who care about the Great Lakes region.
• 02/05/07 -- Maybe you can make a difference for our environment: RIT Enivronmental Science Program The Environmental Science program at RIT is where love of nature meets cutting-edge research to create a sustainable future for our planet. Future environmental leaders in industry, government, non-profit organizations and the media are drawn to this program for its unmatched strengths: 
• 02/03/07 - IPCC Fourth Assessment Report IPCC ISSUES COMPREHENSIVE REPORT ON SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE - On February 2, 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a summary of the current science of climate change. The summary, directed at policymakers, is based on six years of review of scientific literature by experts from around the world, convened under the auspices of the IPCC's Working Group I. The report calls the evidence of climate warming "unequivocal." The report finds that rates of both observed warming and sea level rise have accelerated over the past century, and discusses other important changes being observed, including more intense precipitation in some regions, prolonged droughts in others, and intensification of hurricanes in some tropical regions. * Read the Pew Center's coverage of the report: http://ealert.pewclimate.org/ctt.asp?u=3620441&l=136622 * Pew Center's summary of the report (93 KB pdf): http://ealert.pewclimate.org/ctt.asp?u=3620441&l=136623 * Pew Center statement on the report: http://ealert.pewclimate.org/ctt.asp?u=3620441&l=136624 * Facts and Figures: http://ealert.pewclimate.org/ctt.asp?u=3620441&l=136625 * "Sea Level Rise - The State of the Science", a new Pew Center fact sheet: http://ealert.pewclimate.org/ctt.asp?u=3620441&l=136626 * Hurricanes and Global Warming Q&A: http://ealert.pewclimate.org/ctt.asp?u=3620441&l=136627
• 02/03/07 - **ACTION** On April 14, a new organization called Step It Up 2007 is inviting organizations to hold rallies and events across the country. So far, over 300 events are planned in 39 states. Please go to http://stepitup2007.org/ and join one or create an event in your community. It can be as humble as a sign, as entertaining as theater, or as bold as a mass demonstration.
• 02/03/07 - **ACTION** Join the Second Annual Canal Sweep: Planning is underway for the second annual Canal Clean Sweep - a springtime event to spruce up the Canalway Trail, parks and other public areas along the New York State Canal System. Individuals and civic organizations from Buffalo to Albany are encouraged to take part on Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22. To learn more and get involved, contact Parks & Trails New York at canaltrail@ptny.org --from February 2006 Outdoor Newsletter of the Hike, Bike, Cross Country Ski, Snowshoe and Birding Trail Guide Books
• 02/02/07 -- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been established by WMO and UNEP to assess scientific, technical and socio- economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. It is currently finalizing its Fourth Assessment Report "Climate Change 2007". The reports by the three Working Groups provide a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the current state of knowledge on climate change. The Synthesis Report integrates the information around six topic areas
• 02/01/07 - Check out wind power events for this month at: wind events and actions
• 01/27/07 - How Green is your College? It cannot be overstressed that our planet’s environment is undergoing an extraordinary change. The students of today are going to be living in a vastly different environment than their parents because of environmental change due to Global Warming, pollution, loss of biodiversity and much more. So, it makes a lot of sense that their learning environment, their colleges and universities, reflect the major change in attitude that is going to be necessary for the students of today to live in a sustainable world. Check out: College Sustainability Report Card by Sustainable Endowments Institutes.
• 01/26/07 -- Getting ready for the a major Global Warming Report: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "Climate Change 2007"
• 01/26/07-- **EVENT** WATERSHED: A COMMUNITY CARES FOR ITS LAND Christine Sevilla www.luminguild.com  (galleries and artist statements under Visual Art link) 585 586 6085 - cs@luminguild.com  project information at www.luminguild.com/water 

  Rochester, NY: On Sunday, February 11 from 2-4 pm., a presentation of WATERSHED: A COMMUNITY CARES FOR ITS LAND will be offered in the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County's Kate Gleason Auditorium. This local effort to preserve area wetlands takes the form of a multi-faceted project which includes a traveling art display, news forums, multimedia presentations as well as two published books: a reference guidebook listing local wetlands and trails, and a catalog of the art exhibit. The exhibit includes over 200 images of local wetlands displayed as perceptual environments. Thirteen handmade artist's books are also featured in the exhibit, which has traveled throughout Upstate New York. Sunday's presentation will feature music, images, and the opportunity to review the handmade books. June Summers, President of the Genesee Valley Audubon Society, is enthusiastic about the energy of this multi-year project. "This is truly out-of-the-box thinking that we need to bring wetlands habitat to the public's attention." The presentation will combine information about wetlands and invasive plants with a description of her projects. The program is free and open to the public. Simply Crêpes Café, located across the hall from the Kate Gleason Auditorium, will present an array of luncheon choices, desserts and beverages. Consider purchasing a "Crêpes to Go" lunchbox to eat in the auditorium during the presentation!

  The Central Library, located at 115 South Avenue, is open from 1 - 5 p.m. on Sunday. Parking is free at the Court Street Garage.

  The art exhibit and handmade books will be on display at the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County in the "Lower Link Gallery" through February 22, 2007.

• 1/25/07 - New Environmental site: Genesee Valley Chapter of Pheasants Forever Our mission statement is to improve pheasant populations via habitat restoration projects in the six county area surrounding Rochester, NY.
• 1/25/07 - **ACTION**Want to take action on Kodak changes? RE: Combined Notice of Availability of Revised Draft Permit, Public Comment Period, Public Legislative Hearing and Issues Conference for Part 373 Hazardous Waste Management Facility Permit for the Eastman Kodak Company’s Kodak Park Facility. DEC Application ID: 8-2614-00205/00104 (C) Rochester and (T) Greece, Monroe County The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation has made a tentative decision to approve a Part 373 - Hazardous Waste Management Facility Permit for Kodak’s Kodak Park facility and has prepared a revised draft permit. The public notice and fact sheet can be viewed by clicking on the following links to pages on the Department of Environmental Conservation’s website. Both documents provided information on how to review documents and submit comments. Those individuals whose e-mails contained mailing addresses will also receive both the public notice and the fact sheet in the mail. Public Notice : http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/ohms/notices/kodakn.html Public Notice Fact Sheet: http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dshm/hzwstman/kodakpfs.htm
• 01/23/07-- **EVENT** Sierra Club Book Study Group  The purpose of the group is to broaden our understanding of environmental problems and solutions based on our reading of current books on these issues.  Next Meeting: Monday, February 12, at 7 pm at the Friends' Meeting House, 84 Scio St. We have chosen to read, by the author of The End of Nature, Hope, Human and Wild: True Stories of Living Lightly on the Earth, by Bill McKibben
• 01/23/07-- **EVENT** Climbing the Great Mountains A program sponsored by the Rochester Group of the Sierra Club on conquering the highest mountain on each of seven continents - Thursday, February 8th, 7:15pm, Brighton Town Hall Kevin Flynn, an unassuming sort of man, is just back from reaching his goal of climbing the highest peak on each of the seven continents in the world – including Mt. Everest, Mt. Denali and Mt. Vinson in the Antarctic. He will tell us about his experiences and illustrate his adventures with video clips, slides and a DVD. Kevin is one of the owners and a partner of Martino Flynn LLC in Pittsford, a firm known for excellence in creative and public relations.
• 01/23/07-- **EVENT**  Is There Reason for Concern? Explanations of A Preliminary Water Quality Study of Selected Finger Lakes - Tues, Feb. 6, 6:30-8:30 pm Livesay Conference Room, Human Services Building, 320 West State Street, Ithaca -Residents and policy makers are invited to this program on the complex threats facing the Finger Lakes. John Halfman, Professor of Geoscience at Hobart and William Smith Colleges will summarize his preliminary investigation of water quality indicators from the seven central Finger Lakes, Honeoye, Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, Owasco, and Skaneateles Lakes, and reveal potential linkages between water quality and water quality protection legislation. All of the Finger Lakes are listed as threatened, stressed, or impaired by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Halfmans presentation will be followed up an update on water quality monitoring planned by local groups including the Tompkins County Water Resources Council and the Watershed Network, the co-sponsors of the event. Tony Ingraham owlgorge@earthlink.net  http://www.cayugalake.org/news/events.php - To register for any of these programs, please contact the Watershed Network at manager@cayugalake.org  or 607-532-4104. 
• 01/21/07-- **GOOD/BAD IDEAS**  Pandemic Flu Plan In Monroe County Too often environmental issues descend into a dismal political morass--like Global Warming, renewable energy, and cleaning up the Great Lakes--making wide-spread solutions impossible. For example, there is no chance of the United States choosing sustainable practices that would address Global Warming if leaders don't even believe in the concept of Global Warming. (Former Ranking Member James Inhofe R-Okla of the Environment & Public Works had said that Global Warming was a hoax.)

  Thankfully, most have 'Got it' that the possibility of a pandemic flu is as serious as an environmental health problem gets. The reality of thousands, perhaps a hundred thousand deaths worldwide in the 1918-19 Spanish flu did the convincing. Read Flu: The Story Of The Great Influenza Pandemic by Gina Kolata if you harbor any doubts about the most catastrophic single disease outbreak in human history. The Black Plague killed a larger percentage of a 14th century population, but not more people.

  So our government (the Monroe County Government) and business (Wegmans) joining in a program to prepare for the possibility of such an outbreak is good news and a great thoughtful policy. It isn’t about panic and Chicken Little. A pandemic flu hitting our area, as it had during 1919, and being able this time around to do something practical to prevent widespread death is a reality. Most probably a pandemic flu will hit fast and die quickly. The best prevention is probably holding tight (staying out of contact for awhile with large groups) until the disease is identified, isolated, and allowed to perish on its own. That can be done most effectively by informing an entire community as the program outlined by County Executive Maggie Brooks does. And that Wegmans, our community’s largest grocer would chip in and help distribute the pamphlets to inform as many people as possible is such a great idea that I double-dog dare all markets and all stores to pick up the idea and help out.

  I think this program outlined by our County Executive offers a model on how we should anticipate many of our environmental problems: don’t wait around doing nothing until a potential disaster strikes, but wisely plan ahead and make it clear to the public what their part in such a disaster will be. How different the Iraq War might have been had George W. Bush told the American People back when he started the war that the American people must pitch in and at least engage their attention, instead of just asking us to go shopping.

• 01/19/07 -- **GOOD/BAD IDEAS**   If it sounds too good to be true…

  Harnessing power from a landfill sounds like the perfect solution to waste management and our present energy crisis and Global Warming. And while I believe that all of our Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks reasons why getting power from the Riga Landfill are good, there is a major problem with trying to solve our energy problems by capturing and utilizing methane gases that naturally accompany landfills. This concept presents to the public an illusion that it has conceived of an idea that solves some of our major problems. But, what it really does is continue landfills as waste management and produces no immediate concern in the public’s mind that we have a waste and resource problem.

  In other words, hailing this present program as a solution to waste management and energy allows the public to believe that landfills are OK. They are not. Landfills, as a by-product, do produce some methane gas. Methane gas pound per pound is many times more effective at trapping heat from the sun and adding to the Global Warming problem, so untapped it will go into the atmosphere and continue to the problem of man-made climate change. But, landfills also put into the grounds tons and tons of toxic chemicals from human-made products that eventually go into our atmosphere and ground. Much of the toxic waste takes a long time to become inert causing further problems down the road when landfill are covered over and building built upon it.

  It is a better idea to slowly get rid of the idea of landfills and instead find ways to recycle those things we toss into them. Recycling our waste—organic, furniture, plastics, aluminum, etc.—would provide a wealth of resources for businesses, instead of having to further deplete our natural resources. So, in the short term, shunting methane gas into an energy source instead of letting it go into our atmosphere is a good idea, but only if it is part of a process that eventually leads to major efforts to recycle.

  With American ingenuity most, if not all, the thing we throw away can probable be reused and done so at a fraction of the cost of digging (say aluminum) out of the ground. If we continue to hail landfills as an energy source we are deluding ourselves that we have found an easy fix to the problems of pollution, Brownfields (which many used-up landfills become), and energy—and we have not.

• 1/15/07 - I hope that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - Protecting NY's Environment and Managing its Natural Resources  is also going to be doing a conference on our area about the likely consequences of Global Warming. In the meantime, check out the results of such a conference for the Hudson Valley—just down the NYS Thruway from us.  Hudson Valley Climate Change Conference, December 4, 2006 "Summary: A panel of Hudson Valley scientists named below presented the next section of the program. They discussed the impacts of predicted local changes in climate including: Increasing average annual temperatures Decreasing snow cover Increasing number and extent of short term droughts Increasing number of extreme precipitation events (e.g. heavy rainfall in a short period of time) Rising water levels in the Hudson River due to sea level rise"
• 1/15/07 - Although you have to search around a bit on the Monroe County web site, you can find extensive environmental information if you land on this page about all these categories  on our  Environmental Health | Public Health Asbestos - Aerial Photographs - Animal Bites and Rabies - Annual Water Quality - reports - Bird Flu and Pandemic Flu - Building Air Quality - Bulk and Bottled Water - supply - Campgrounds - Children’s Camps - Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program - Chrome Copper Arsenate (CCA) - Citizen Action - Combustion Pollutants - Commercial On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems - Community WaterWatch (Volunteer Stream Monitoring) - Construction Model Ordinance - Construction Inspection Training - CPR Certifications - Cross Connection Control - Dead Crow Report Form - Environmental Management Council (EMC) - Environmental Site Assessment Requests - Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) - Food Protection - Food Service Establishment -Permits - Food Worker Certification - Formaldehyde - Foster Care Pediatrics - Hazardous - Material Incidents - Household Products - Housing and General Sanitation - Immunization Program - Individual Sewage Treatment and Disposal - Indoor Air and Toxics Control - Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) - Lead Poisoning Prevention - Lifeguard Certifications - Lyme Disease - Maps and Reference Publications - Mobile Home Parks Mold - Noise - Occupational Health - Outdoor Air/Control of Open Burning - Pandemic Flu and Bird Flu - Pesticide Neighbor Notification Law - Pollution Prevention - Pressure Treated Wood Products - Private Water Supply - Public Sanitary Sewer - Public Swimming Pools and Bathing Beaches - Public Water Supply - Rabies and Animal Bites Radiological Health - Radon - Realty Subdivision and Development On Public Utilities - Rodent Control - Smoking Code - Spray Grounds Regulations - STD/HIV Disease Control Program - Stormwater Coalition - Stormwater Regulations - Subdivisions - Swimming at Ontario Beach - Temporary Residences and Institutions - Tobacco (Adolescent Tobacco Use Prevention Act) - Toxics Control - Tuberculosis - Waste Site Database - Water Education Collaborative - Watershed Management - Watershed Maps Water Quality Coordinating Committee - Water Quality Management Agency - Water Supply Reports for Monroe County Suppliers - West Nile Virus - Wetlands
• 1/15/07 - What is the state of our health in NYS and what environmental factors are affecting our health? Check out this page Health in New York from Trust for America's Health
• 1/12/07 - **EVENT**  Action for a Better Community at Friends Helping Friends present: Home Health Safety Presentation & Free Grocery Giveaway: Ted Murray from an Action for a Better Community will be putting on a presentation about home environmental health issues such as asthma, lead poisoning, household chemicals, carbon monoxide poisoning and other topics on Saturday, January 20th at Noon at 333 Child Street (just south of the Jay & Child intersection – look for the big 32 ft. mural). Friends Helping Friends will be distributing groceries to all program participants after the presentation. Friends Helping Friends' thrift store at 333 Child St. is open seven days a week (10am to 5pm) with a wide variety of clothing, furniture, household wares and much more! Contact: Andrew Stankevich fhf2004@hotmail.com (585) 730-6084
• 1/11/07  -  **EVENT** Event Title: Wind Energy: The Environmental Benefits and Hazards - Date: Monday, January 22, 2007 - Time: 7:15 PM - 9:15 PM - Group Sponsoring the Event: Federation of Monroe County Environmentalists - Cost: Free - Location: The meeting will be held downstairs at First Baptist Church, 1862 Penfield Road (on the north side of Rt. 441), just east of Five Mile Line Road and the firehouse. Park and enter at the east end in the rear of the building. Contact: Sally info@fmce.org  Description: Wind farms, made up of many wind turbine towers, are already in operation in New York. New installations are being considered by local governments throughout the State. Wind energy is a very important clean energy source. However, the design, siting and installation of the wind turbines can have negative environmental consequences if not carefully chosen and implemented. If you care about your environment, become informed and work with your local officials to be sure the environmental issues are addressed during the planning and design of new wind installations. Your effort could make the difference in preventing long-term environmental harm. In the presentation by Bruce and Mary Ann Cady (Rochester Birding Association) and Mark Denecke (NYSERDA and Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council), we will overview wind energy issues and help prepare concerned citizens to work with their local governments on wind energy. Following the presentation, you can participate in a facilitated workshop where we will collect your ideas and answer your questions.
• 1/11/07 - **ACTION**  It’s worthwhile to take a few moments and weigh in on Global Warming measure to be taken in our state.  DEC Issues Preliminary Draft RGGI Proposal for Public Review DEC Issues Preliminary Draft RGGI Proposal for Public Review The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released a preliminary draft set of rules to implement the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in New York State. The proposal represents the first step toward completing implementation of this landmark program to help address the challenge of climate change in New York and the Northeast.  -More : DEC extends public comment period on key global warming policy - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Wednesday announced that it is providing the public an additional 60 days to offer their comments on a preliminary global warming rule that will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants - a major contributor to global warming. The new deadline for comments is March 13, 2007. Under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, seven Northeast states agreed to implement a cap-and-trade program that will be the first mandatory cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas pollution in United States history. A preliminary draft regulatory proposal was released by DEC on December 5, 2006. The additional time will allow more New Yorkers to offer their views on this critical issue. (Jan 11, 2007) New York State News on the Net!
• 1/10/07 - Wind Power, I believe, is the energy future for New York State. I find that most of the arguments against Wind Farms to be selfish and ill-informed and in denial about the true threat of Global Warming. But, everyone should have their voice and I’ve come across this blog, where those who are interested in arguing the merits for and against Wind Farms nearby can have their voice. I’m always for open discussion about important environmental issues. So, Check out: Cohocton Wind Watch Cohocton Wind Watch is a community citizen organization dedicated to preserve the public safety, property values, economic viability, environmental integrity and quality of life in Cohocton, NY and in surrounding townships. Neighbors committed to public service in order to achieve a reasonable vision for a Finger Lakes region worthy of future generations.
• 1/08/07 -- News Archive and Updates Archives are both complete! Both of these pages reflect what has gone on daily here at RochesterEnvironment.com which has provided environmental links to environmental stories in our area and the various ways I have tried to make the Internet work for our environment since 1998. They are an interesting chronicle of the development and evolution of this site and also, because the Internet is always ‘searchable’ anyone, anywhere will be able to follow environmental events as I have chronicled them over the years.
• 1/05/07 - **MY THOUGHTS** The Real Deal  - Ripping good time biking in June-like weather yesterday (Jan. 4th), except that niggling feeling that something was wrong. Our weather’s out of whack. I shouldn’t be biking: I should be shuffling through three feet of snow. People shouldn’t have been out running without their shirts on and homeowners should not have been mowing their lawns. Learning that El Niño might be the cause (from Wednesday’s Where's winter? 1/04/07 D&C article) didn’t allay my concern because El Niño itself is caused by warm winds blowing across warm oceans, which are warming because the artic is losing snow and ice, which is changing the albedo effects of a white snowy surface which reflects sunlight to a blue-water surface, which absorbs heat.

  Anyway, accepting Global Warming into your life is not faith-based thinking. It’s the real deal. It’s thinking about how your children’s children may have to live their lives. Most scientists now consider the present rapid Global Warming trend man-made, only the fringe element is on the fence. And, it matters that you understand and discover evidence that present warming trend is due to mankind because then and only then will you will believe that it is possible to slow the effects.

  Not accepting Global warming and convincing yourself that the warming since the 1970’s is only a fluke, mass hysteria, or destructive thinking that will only upset people and businesses (remember, that was Bush’s argument for flip-flopping on the Kyoto Protocol) is denial. Denial is allowing the present lie to go on so your life won’t be disrupted, thus delaying the consequences to another time.

  There’s only one problem with denying Nature: She doesn’t play mind games. When carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gasses grow in higher concentrations in our atmosphere, they absorb more heat and the atmosphere warms up. Global Warming is represented on graphs as a saw-toothed line, meaning an area like ours will be warm some years and cold some others, though the overall trend is warming. And, warm doesn’t mean fun in the sun. Warm means change, perhaps more than we can handle.