Site  Features

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  Calendar

  The most complete Environmental Calendar for the Rochester, NY area

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  RENewsletter

  Sign up for free weekly newsletter about Rochester, NY's environment.

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  Environmental Thoughts

  Blogging Rochester, NY's environmental issues.

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  Daily Updates

  Connecting the dots for our local environment every day. Including Update Archives

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  Green Business

  Find Green Jobs, NewsLinks, Resources and much more about transitioning  Rochester area businesses into environmentally friendly places.

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  Green Action

  Environmental items needing action by the Rochester Community 

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  Resources

  Complete Rochester Environmental Resources.

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  Living Green

  Get lots of ideas on how to live more environmentally friendly and save money.

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  RochesterEnvironment.com
  
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Rochester Issues

Each Rochester Issue has a separate page for all Major Rochester Environmental Issues, including NewsLinks, Resources, and commentary.

• Climate Rochester
• Wetlands
• Brownfields
• Urban Sprawl
• Plants (Rochester's flora)
• Air Quality
• Great Lakes
• Pesticides
• Water Quality
• Recycling
• Transportation
• Food & Environment
• Genesee River
• Wildlife

• Humane Societies
• Geese Problem
• Deer Problem

• Environmental Health

• Lyme Disease
• Rabies
• West Nile Virus
• Lead Poisoning
• ViralHemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS)

• Parks

• Seneca Park

• Invasive Species

• Zebra Mussels

• Energy

• Wind Power
• Solar Power
• Fracking

Finger Lakes

The Finger Lakes closest to the Rochester area each have a page of their own with NewsLinks, Resources, and commentary.

• Canadice Lake
• Hemlock Lake
• Honeoye Lake
• Canandaigua Lake
• Keuka Lake
• Seneca Lake
• Cayuga Lake
• Conesus Lake

Extra Features

Along with in-depth features and specialize environmental issues, we also provide various pages to locate and define our area's environmental issues.

• Rochester-area News Sources Complete listing of all Rochester-area online media links.
• Questions - Environmental questions for our area Ask an environmental question pertaining to this region or view previously asked questions.
• Environmentalists: Complete listing of all environmental groups in the Rochester, NY region.
• Environmental Essays: Short essays on how our area's environment is a reflection of the planet's environment.
• Promote RE.com If you think this experiment to keep our community informed daily of our environment, here are some ways you can help.
• Rochester Facts:  A list of environmental facts about the Rochester, NY area.
• Environmental Site Award goes out to the best Rochester-area Environmental Site of the Month. Check all the winners.
• Global Environmental News - Get environmental news from around the world on this carefully selected resource.
• Environmental Education provides our community with local programs and institutions that educate the public about our environment.

• Environment Award.

  The RENewsletter is emailed out each week on Sundays.  On the last Sunday of each month, an Environmental Site Award goes out to the best Rochester-area Environmental Site of the Month.
• The April 2012 Environmental Site of the Month award goes to Climate Change Crash Course « The Cost of Energy. Take a Climate Change Crash Course: Learn more about the major issue of our time, Climate Change, from a local expert. Our future will be shaped by Climate Change and all that we do will be now viewed through the lens of Climate Change. So know all you can:                   
• Climate Change Crash Course « The Cost of Energy "The Climate Change Crash Course (“4C”) is an experiment in creating a crowd-sourced, one-stop guide to climate change resources, geared to three levels of familiarity with the subject: Newbies, Nerds, and Ninjas. Each of those sections has three subsections: Must Reads, Extended Reading, and Web Sites Worth Tracking. As a bonus, there’s also a section on my favorite online research tools. "   

• Noteworthy Documents

  Read important reports and documents concerning our region's environment. Some you can make comment on.

• The National Global Change Research Plan: 2012-2021 The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) Online Resource Library was created to fulfill the requirement for a Global Change Resource Information Office as mandated by the Global Change Research Act (GCRA) of 1990.
• Confronting Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region | Impacts on Our Communities and Ecosystems from a Report of The Union of Concerned Scientists and The Ecological Society of America
• AR4- Climate Change 2007 Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Report 11-18 Response to Climate Change in New York State (ClimAID) Responding to Climate Change in New York state: the ClimAid integrated assessment for effective Climate Change adaptation in New York state (November 2011)
• This report, Stop Trashing the Climate, makes the case that working to prevent waste and expand reuse, recycling, and composting — that is, aiming for zero waste — is one of the fastest, cheapest, and most effective strategies for reducing climate change in the short term.
• Odd-ball Winter Weather: Global Warming’s Wake-Up Call for the Northern United States (pdf) "Global warming is having a seemingly peculiar effect on winter in the continental United States. On one hand, increasing temperatures have led to milder and shorter winters in most areas. On the other, we are still getting big snowstorms, especially in the northern part of the country. "--from National Wildlife Federation
• Regional Climate Impacts: Northeast "Since 1970, the annual average temperature in the Northeast has increased by 2°F, with winter temperatures rising twice this much.150 Warming has resulted in many other climate-related changes, including: "--from Global Climate Change Impacts in the US (2009)
• Responding to Climate Change in New York State: Region 1: Western New York, Great Lakes Plain. Agricultural revenue highest in state, relatively low rainfall, increase summer drought risk, high value crops could need irrigation, increased conditions for grapes projected."  from NYSERDA - EMEP: Climate Change
• Monroe County gets an “F” for high ozone days in this report:   Monroe: State of the Air 2011 - American Lung Association
• The State of the Birds 2011 Report on Public Lands and Waters United States of America
• 3-7 plastics recycling come to Monroe County: Read about it: On Monday, May 9th, County Executive Maggie Brooks delivered her annual State of the County Address: Download 2011 SOTC Transcript (pdf, 210.9k)
• Why are Americans so unlikely to believe that Climate Change, which is physics, is occurring? Check out this video from the experts that gets to the heart of this matter. --from NSF.gov - To What Degree? - What Science Is Telling Us About Climate Change - How Do We Know?
• What goes into our residential waste stream in Monroe County and doesn’t get recycled?  Find out here:  Residential Municipal Solid Waste Composition Study for Monroe County, NY (9/20/2010)
• To report environmental law violations call 1-800-TIPP DEC (1-800-847-7332), or report online on DEC's website.
• Ride your bicycle to work and play, not a vehicle: Bicycle Master Plan Project "The City of Rochester wants to make it easier for you to get around on your bicycle. The Bicycle Master Plan project was completed in January 2011. The plan's recommendations will serve as a framework for the city's future investment in bicycle infrastructure. Thank you to everyone who provided comments, attended public meetings, and got excited about bicycling in Rochester !" -City of Rochester
• The American Lung Association’s report Toxic Air: The Case for Cleaning Up Coal-fired Power Plants documents the range of hazardous air pollutants emitted from coal-burning power plants and the urgent need to clean them up to protect public health.
• “In the United States an individual’s partisan affiliation is the most important determinant of their views on the existence of global warming, with Democrats significantly more likely than Republicans to believe that the Earth is warming” Climate Compared: Public Opinion on Climate Change in the United States & Canada February 2011
• Climate Change 101: Understanding and Responding to Global Climate Change | Pew Center on Global Climate Change  To inform the climate change dialogue, the Pew Center on Global Climate Change has produced a series of brief reports entitled Climate Change 101.
• On April 1st, the new e-waste law goes into effect: The Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
• Check out new Recycling Battery Law: NYS Rechargeable Battery Recycling Law - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
• Read to find out how environmental groups are offering to help NYS help our environmental health: green memos to the governor & the state legislature Advice from New York State’s Environmental Organizations
• DEC's new updated Solid Waste Plan: Beyond Waste: A Sustainable Material Management Strategy - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

• Environmental News Ideas

  Here are some local environmental news stories that are under-reported or not reported on at all.  We suggest our media focus on:

1. How will Monroe County's Recycling be affected by the new state e-waste law beginning in April of 2011: The Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act
2. Are our waste facilities going to be used for spent hydrofracking fluids?
3. Why did New York State ditch the major renewable energy project Great Lakes Off-shore Wind Project (Glow) and stop one of our best efforts against Climate Change?
4. Is the new Monroe County 48 Hour Neighborhood Notification Law being complied with?
5. Are shoppers taking responsibility for their environment by shopping green?
6. Why are so many citizens in our area throwing TV's and computers to the curb instead of recycling them properly?
7. How often and how much money is spent on environmental investigative reporting in our area?
8. Are there studies on what chemicals industry in our area have dumped into our air and water and whether or not they are causing cancers, or other Environmental Health problems?
9. What is our region doing to prepare for the consequences of Climate Change--like NYC and Chicago (City of Chicago Climate Action )?
10. How does the lack of adequate health care in our area result in potential environment health problems and the possible spread of diseases—like the swine flu, West Nile Virus, and Lyme Disease?
11. Are there any programs in our region to educate consumer on how to shop environmentally friendly and the importance of this issue if we are to have a sustainable way of living?
12. Is the media checking to see whether the NYS DEC is able to do its job and protect our environment since the agency has been gutted of so many jobs? 
13. What will be the state of Rochester’s water quality if the city sells their water system to the county, as the Sierra Club alleges: A Sierra Club Green Paper  Discussion on the Future of Our Drinking Water | Should the City merge their water system with the Monroe County Water Authority?  
14. Are there any programs in our county to educate bicyclers in our area to bicycle in our streets (as are their rights) safely and within the laws so our roads and streets can be used as alternative transportation to the vehicular dominate  environment we now inhabit that makes it both dangerous to bicycle and walk in our communities?
15. Would our media inform the public about the transporting dangerous chemicals and materials through our region and the possible consequences of a spill or accident on our public health and environment?  
16. Why doesn’t our local news coverage include environmental news that affects all of the Great Lakes, as all of the Great Lakes flow to Lake Ontario and out the St. Lawrence?  Meaning, if climate change, lake levels, or invasive species is affecting one of the Great Lakes it probably will include Lake Ontario--so why isn’t that included in our local media?
17. Do local media periodically check to see if existing environmental laws are being complied with, such as recycling laws? For example: How often do the police fine someone for littering--given all the plastic bags blowing around?
18. Has our local media been monitoring the possible Climate Change scenarios for our region predicted by many environmental reports?
19. Why did we used to have local news stories on Acid rain but no more?
20. On Climate Change in our region, will there be any accountability in the press for those who continually deny Climate Change that keeps our government from protecting and preserving our environment?
21. Public Service announcements: How often do our media remind folks of the importance of recycling, or not wasting water, or disposing of hazardous waste properly?  

Updated Daily  05/19/2012 RochesterEnvironment.com

Our Environment is changing: Keep up with the Change.

Rochester, NY was one of the hosts of the World Canal Conference on September 19, 2010.

If it deals with the environment, Rochester, New York, and the Internet, it's here.

Since 1998, RochesterEnvironment.com has been an ongoing experiment to completely inform one community [Rochester, NY] of all its environmental Newslinks, Events, Daily Updates, Resources, Environmental Education, regional Climate Change, and Environmental Issues. and more...    * Please read this carefully, it's not the usual Yada Yada

(Above scripts from Dynamic Drive)

RochesterEnvironment.com – This is site a free media resource to encourage public dialogue on local environmental issues, a local newspaper devoted to a single community’s environment, an archive of Environmental News to capture a proper sense of time in which environmental issues transpire, and an attempt to frame environmental issues free of corporate, governmental, and any ideology.  Sustainability, connecting the dots of our environmental information, rules.  Understanding that all of our local Environmental Issues now must be interpreted in the context of Climate Change, which will be continually moving the bar on the state of our environment, is critical for our survival.  

The great conundrum of our times is that in a time of rapidly occurring Climate Change and a rapid disintegration of the environment that we need to thrive and survive, mainstream media still marginalizes environmental concerns. [Check often for this continually updated list on the possible consequences of Climate Change in our region--supported by facts.] If there isn’t a quick and substantial change in how environmental concerns are reported, edited, and chosen in mainstream media, the public will continue to believe that environmental concerns are merely special interest matters, issues they can avoid if they choose.  How can we inform the public and monitor our environment without abridging our Freedoms--in enough time to safe ourselves?   Bookmark This Site

Anything else you're interested in is not going to happen if you can't breathe the air and drink the water. Don't sit this one out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of our planet.-- Carl Sagan

Page Contents: Rochester-area NewsLinks | Daily Updates | Green Business | Top 10 things you can do for our environment | Green Events | Green Actions | This month's Winner of the Environmental Site Award

SEARCH: Use search engine below to find anything posted since 1998.

Rochester area NewsLinks.

NewsLinks: Get the most important environmental news of the day and monitor your environment daily.  Also: Get Newslinks since 1998… Unlike other news, environmental news often takes time to reach our attention. Follow potential problems and catch them before they're catastrophes.

Today's Rochester-Area Environmental News:

All these news stories are connected to our area’s environment--even though many don’t come from local media. We need to understand environmental news in a way where we can monitor the state of our environment.

To be sure you have the latest News, refresh your browser, or Ctrl +R.  

News Highlight

Connecting the Climate Change dots on Rochester’s transportation       

by Frank J. Regan

“Photo by Frank J. Regan"
I’m not bragging when I say that I was pretty good at those connect-the-dots games as a kid.  I’d come up with anything they wanted me to connect: a horse, an elephant, or you-name-it.  The trick (and I learned this at about three or four years old) was to connect the dots according to the numbers—meaning in order.  Those drawings from kids who just randomly connected dots without heeding this operating principle didn’t look anything like the intended project.   More like a Rorschach test.

That is all pertinent as 350.org’s theme on May 5th is called Connect the Dots.  It’s about connecting the dots between what climate changes you are experiencing and the issue of Climate Change.  The idea is if you want to solve a puzzle like Climate Change, you have to understand the relationship between the predictions of Climate Change and extreme weather.  Otherwise you and your children get buffeted by the winds of change until you cook—seemingly for no reason at all.

With Climate Change there is a reason why our climate is changing, and when you connect the dots you’ll get the picture.  You’ll get that large-scale, top-down approaches are the only ones that will actually allow us to adapt to and mitigate the consequences of Climate Change.  Because things are warming up quickly (March was in the mid-eighties here in Rochester, and extreme weather is off the charts) there isn’t enough time for small ad hoc changes.      ...more

(Above scripts from Dynamic Drive) 

Green Business.

Green Business - We are working on finding Green Jobs for our area.  As always, we will post anything we can dip up on finding employment for people who want to sustain themselves and the planet at the same time.

Here's the Latest on Green Business News for the Rochester, NY area:

• Pollution Prevention Institute to Help NY Companies Use Green Technologies to Create Green Jobs and Be More Competitive - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Initiative Will Market Green Products and Create Green Manufacturing Supply Chains Rochester-Based Complemar is First Company Enrolled in Program The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) at Rochester Institute of Technology today launched its Green Initiative to provide a sustainable road map for New York businesses, state Department of Environment Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens and NYSP2I Director Anahita Williamson announced. The Green Initiative programs will propel nascent green technologies and products to the next step in commercialization and provide expertise in developing more sustainable manufacturing supply chains.  (April 26, 2012) Press Releases - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation  [more on Green Business in our area]
• Arista Power, General Electric join on energy storage system Rochester-based Arista Power Inc. has reached an agreement with General Electric Co. to sell systems that store electricity for commercial customers and release it when demand is highest, helping to cut bills.The system, which will use GE’s Durathon batteries, can store power from on-site wind or solar sources or from the grid and deliver it during peak periods, when commercial customers are typically subject to “demand charges.” The charges can account for as much as 70 percent of an electric bill for commercial customers. (April 14, 2012) Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York | democratandchronicle.com [more on Green Business in our area]
• Environmental Rules: Job Killers or Job Creators? - NYTimes.com It is a rare day that you pick up a newspaper without encountering a reference to “job-killing regulations” from a pro-business Republican complaining about the burden of a new rule from the Environmental Protection Agency or other government office. Sometimes large and scary job loss numbers are attached to the assertion and attributed to a study, most often financed by the affected industry. Institute for Policy Integrity For example, when the E.P.A. issued a final rule in December limiting emissions of mercury and other airborne toxins from power plant emissions, opponents from the coal and utility industries said the regulation would cost 1.4 million jobs. Supporters of the rule, conversely, said the rule would create 1.4 million jobs in environmental restoration, retrofitting of plants and conversion to renewable electricity sources.  (April 3, 2012) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia [more on Green Business in our area]
• N.Y. offers wildlife rehabilitator, falconry exams | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com ALBANY — If you want to nurse injured wildlife or practice falconry, now’s your chance. The Department of Environmental Conservation has scheduled licensing exams for Friday, April 20, at its regional offices across the state. The deadline for registration is April 13.  (April 3, 2012)Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York | democratandchronicle.com  [more on Green Business in our area]

Event Highlight

 

Greentopia 2012 Greentopia 2012 is a week-long celebration of inspiration through art, music, organic and locally grown food and beverages, ideas and activism. The expanded event will contain four programmatic aspects, which include Greentopia Innovation, Greentopia Film, Greentopia Music and Greentopia EcoFest.

In its first year the event drew between 18-20,000 people to the historic High Falls district. Through how-to workshops and cutting-edge films, visitors learned about big green ideas and how to apply them creatively in everyday life.

There are special family activities, a community recycled art installation, mouthwatering organic and local food and beverages, and all kinds of live music. Businesses and organizations showcased products and programs that help to restore the planet, promote green living – even save consumers some money.

Top Ten Things You Can Do for Rochester’s Environment .

This list assumes you are ready to take responsibility (as a member of the only species capable of doing so) for your presence at this critical time in our planet’s history.  And, it isn’t about just your personal fulfillment thing—our environment isn’t politics, religion, a fad, or a cause; it’s science all the way down. Pollute the planet, stuff happens.  Finally, in order for the effects of this list to be effective a lot (I mean billions) of humans need to do them too.  In the deepest practical sense, everything you do (where you live, what you eat, what you buy, what you throw away) matters to our environment. Ready folks, here we go:

• Be engaged with the issues surrounding our local environment by monitoring the media, books, reports, and the Internet using the laws of Nature as your guide to monitor how our lifestyle is affecting our environment.
• When you consume anything--food, water, cars, gadgets, whatever—do so as though you were demonstrating how to consume for the rest of the world—considering the lifecycle of the products you buy, how they are made, how they are used, and how you get rid of them.
• When you have someplace to go, consider all your options in order of their affect on our environment: walking, biking, car-pooling, mass transit, and lastly a personal vehicle. 
• Conserve energy until we find a non-polluting, renewable energy source.
• Vote. If you’re doing good for our environment and your representative in government doesn’t get it, you’re just making yourself feel good without much effect.
• Recycle, reuse and encourage your local government to create a place where recycling just about everything is the norm.
• Think twice before using toxic chemicals that make your yard look like a golf course and your house like a hospital.
• Consider other species (plants and animals) and their role in sustaining our environment.  Some are annoying and critical.  Some are cute and a burden.
• Adopt green business practices: your business will save our environment and be able to compete with the rest of the world.
• Communicate your concerns about the state of our environment to everyone. Sustainability isn’t going to work unless everyone gets on board quickly.  11.   Encourage all your news sources to have an environmental section daily and help move environmental investigations and news to mainstream media.

350.org is an international campaign that's building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis—the solutions that science and justice demand. Our mission is to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis—to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.  

Watch this video to understand why addressing Climate Change matters:

Bill McKibben, author and founder of the international environmental campaign 350.org, says that a global campaign to curb climate change, the ecological devastation that will result could make our planet uninhabitable. His appeal to citizens and policy-makers, the sixth video in the series "Peak Oil and a Changing Climate" from The Nation and On The Earth Productions, is a call to action as much as it is a sobering account of the damage we're already doing to our environment. Go to www.thenation.com  to learn more about "Peak Oil and a Changing Climate," and to see the other videos in the series.

Green Events.

RochesterEnvironment.com Environmental Calendar is the longest running and most comprehensive environmental calendar for our area. Got an environment event? Contact me and I'll get it listed.

Here are some events coming up soon & lots more...    

May 2012

• Thursday, May 17, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. WHERE: Borg Warner Room, Tompkins County Library, 101 E. Green St., Ithaca, NY
  • Tompkins County Council Of Governments and Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County present:   Gas Pipelines: What Municipalities Need to Know   WHEN: Thursday, May 17, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. WHERE: Borg Warner Room, Tompkins County Library, 101 E. Green St., Ithaca, NY COST: Free   Twenty interstate natural gas pipeline systems crisscross the region from West Virginia to Maine. As gas drilling operations expand, thousands of miles of new pipelines will be needed to connect existing pipelines to gas wells.
• Green Drinks 5/17/12 Green Drinks 6:00 – 7:30 pm at 81 Browns Race, Rochester, NY 14614
  • Greentopia Will Be Hosting Green Drinks for the Month of May!  Green Drinks is a monthly environmental networking event open to anybody that would like to attend. We'll be hosting it with our partner Sunnking!    The event will be taking place at 6pm on May 17th at the Greentopia and Friends of the GardenAerial headquarters. Our office is located at 81 Browns Race, Rochester, NY 14618. Light snacks will be provided by Freshwise Catering and Sunnking will be auctioning off some of the electronics that they've collected throughout the year!   We have a limited amount of space so if you'd like to attend, please RSVP by contacting us at 585-287-5560 or sending an email to jennifer@greentopiafest.com.
• Saturday, May 19th from 7:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Perinton Highway Garage at 100 Cobbs Lane, Perinton, NY
  • Brooks Announces Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Collection on County's Eastside Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks announced that the County’s Department of Environmental Services (DES) and the towns of Perinton and Pittsford and the villages of Pittsford, East Rochester and Fairport have collaborated to hold a free household hazardous waste (HHW), paper shredding and electronics collection day on Saturday, May 19th from 7:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Perinton Highway Garage at 100 Cobbs Lane. Appointments are required for the HHW collection, but are not required for electronics recycling. “This one-day collection gives residents the opportunity to dispose of potentially hazardous chemicals in a safe manner while keeping usable items out of landfills,”said Brooks. “These collections also continue to demonstrate how the County and its government partners are collaborating and streamlining services to better serve taxpayers.” To ensure safety and reduce waiting times, appointments are required for all HHW collections. Perinton and Fairport residents should call 223-5115, and Pittsford and East Rochester residents can call 248-6250. This collection is open to all Monroe County residents and appointments can be made online at http://www.MonroeCounty.gov/hhw. Appointments will be accepted until Friday, May 18th. (May 2012)  [more on Recycling in our area]
• May 24th, 12:00pm to 3:00pm at Cornell’s Industrial and Labor Relations School, 237 Main St., Suite 1200 Buffalo, NY
  • Lean about Solar Power Jobs and an energy source that is good for our environment. NEW YORK SOLAR JOBS DAY Buffalo - May 24th, 12:00pm to 3:00pm at Cornell’s Industrial and Labor Relations School, 237 Main St., Suite 1200 Buffalo, NY. In partnership with local New York organizations, the NY Solar Jobs Coalition (www.nysolarjobs.com), which comprises an extensive group of diverse stakeholders, will host NY Solar Jobs Day events across the state. Please join fellow citizens, the local solar workforce, public and private leaders, local organizations, and the NY Solar Jobs Coalition to discuss the benefits and opportunities of a thriving solar energy economy in New York State. Come learn about solar jobs, going solar and the New York Solar Jobs Act – a key piece of legislation that is sure to make New York a national solar leader.

June 2012

• June 14-16 | Alfred University
  • Important sustainability conference coming up in June at Alfred University:   Sustainability Conference: Innovations in Technical Education to Advance Sustainability "Sustainability Conference – Register now for $180 June 14 to June 16, 2012  Register Now    Conference Schedule Innovations in Technical Education to Advance Sustainability The primary purpose of the conference is to bring together technical education practitioners and scholars to present cases, concepts, or ideas that advance, or have the potential to advance, sustainability through innovative educational practice. This includes presentations and tours on these subjects including the following: · Sustainable Community Development in the Finger Lakes Region · Providing Under-represented Students with Access to Sustainability ·Global Energy Management ·Funding Sustainable Education Initiatives · Partnership Approaches to Renewable Energy and Sustainability Education · Implementing Clean Energy Training into Existing Programs at Community Colleges and Industry Apprentice Programs "

September 2012

• September 10th - 16th - High Falls region, Rochester, NY
  • Greentopia 2012 Greentopia 2012 is a week-long celebration of inspiration through art, music, organic and locally grown food and beverages, ideas and activism. The expanded event will contain four programmatic aspects, which include Greentopia Innovation, Greentopia Film, Greentopia Music and Greentopia EcoFest. In its first year the event drew between 18-20,000 people to the historic High Falls district. Through how-to workshops and cutting-edge films, visitors learned about big green ideas and how to apply them creatively in everyday life. There are special family activities, a community recycled art installation, mouthwatering organic and local food and beverages, and all kinds of live music. Businesses and organizations showcased products and programs that help to restore the planet, promote green living – even save consumers some money.

Center for Environmental Initiatives (CEI) is working for environmental protection and enhanced quality of life in the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region through education, collaboration and informed action.

Green Action.

ACTION: Often, I receive requests to pass on alerts, petitions, Public Comments on local environmental issues needing action by the Rochester Community and around the world.  

• ACTION Due Date Now:
  • This is important.  As tax credits dwindle for wind power, the fossil fuels, which have made more money since money was invented, are getting big public bailouts.  Let’s end that: Petition - Support the End Polluter Welfare Act: Bernie Sanders - U.S. Senator for Vermont "At a time when we have a record debt, Congress should not continue to give away taxpayer money to the established, highly profitable fossil fuel industry. Fossil fuels are subsidized at nearly 6 times the rate of renewable energy. From 2002 to 2008, the US Government gave the mature fossil fuel industry over $72 billion in subsidies, while investments in the emerging renewable industry totaled $12.2 billion. " from Bernie Sanders - U.S. Senator for Vermont
• ACTION: Due Date: Now
  • Tired of meteorologists failing to connect the dots between Climate Change and our daily weather?  Do something about it. Take action:     Forecast the Facts WE NEED OUR TV METEOROLOGISTS TO REPORT THE FACTS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE. According to a recent national survey, more than half of TV weather reporters don’t believe in human-induced climate change. Meanwhile, their viewers are facing unprecedented climate-change induced heat waves, droughts, and flooding.
• ACTION on Fracking:  Due Date: May 15th
  •  "Sign up for transportation to the All-Star Concert Event in Albany on May 15th! New Yorkers around the state will converge in Albany on May 15th for a rally and concert. The rally will be on the West Capital Lawn from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. The concert starts at 7:00 p.m. at The Egg, Empire State Plaza. The concert may sell out soon so be sure to get your tickets!** New Yorkers Against Fracking is coordinating buses, vans and carpools from around the state. In order to gauge interest, we want to know if you would like to take advantage of shared transportation on May 15th. Sign up below to let us know you're interested in transportation, and someone will be in touch when we have more details! " -from Food & Water Watch
• ACTION: Curb Your Car Week, May 13-19, 2012
  • *Find one or more trips to leave your car home that week: to school, work, piano lessons, grocery store, or anywhere.   *Bike, Walk, Bus, Carpool, Telecommute, Combine Trips   *Register for free at ColorBrightonGreen.org, and then report your miles saved after May19.  (All by email)   *Open to all, don’t need to live in Brighton.   *We will calculate total miles, gallons of gas, and pounds of CO2 saved, and announce the grand total. (By Email) *Prizes will be awarded to high mileage savers, and randomly to participants.   *Cut Global Warming: Cut Air Pollution: Increase Energy Independence!  Have fun!  Enjoy a community of bikers and walkers all over Rochester for one week.  Then, find out how fun it is, and how much money you save in gas and parking, and keep on doing it!   Media Contact: Cheryl Frank 241-3078 730-1719 cell cherylmfrank@yahoo.com info@colorbrightonGreen.org Prizes may include environmental books for children and adults, energy saving small appliances such as lighting, donated by area businesses.   Last fall, we saw 113 participants save 8000 miles, 303 gallons of gas, and over 5,700 pounds of CO2! All Brighton public schools, and many other schools and employers are participating by reporting their families' miles saved and their school or employer name online, to see how much we can save altogether.  Join with your school, employer, or just on your own to be counted in the savings! Coincides with National Bike to Work Week. For more info contact info@ColorBrightonGreen.org
• ACTION: Due Date: Friday, May 18, 2012 | Information about the Environmental Excellence Awards program, the application materials and information on past award winners is available on DEC's website; by writing to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Pollution Prevention Unit, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-1750; by phone to DEC's Pollution Prevention Unit at (518) 402-9469 or by email at eeawards@gw.dec.state.ny.us.
  • Got a candidate for an environmental hero for NYS?  Tell the DEC: DEC Accepting Applications for Environmental Excellence Awards - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Applications are now being accepted for the 2012 Environmental Excellence Awards program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced today. The awards program recognizes outstanding, innovative and sustainable projects or programs. Eligible applicants include businesses, educational institutions, not-for-profit organizations, facilities, government agencies and individuals implementing innovative, sustainable actions or working in creative partnership to improve and protect New York's environmental resources and contribute to a viable economy. DEC is especially interested in acknowledging projects that achieve significant environmental benefits through: innovative and cutting-edge pollution prevention technologies, manufacturing process improvements, initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, projects using green infrastructure practices, programs to "green" schools and businesses, energy efficiency and green energy production efforts, waste reduction and recycling efforts, and innovative environmental protection and restoration efforts. (April 12, 2012)  New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
• ACTION:  Apply by midnight, May 24, 2012.
  • Take action for our Air Quality by helping local communities to screen for toxic air pollutants in order to begin to address some local air quality concerns.  Apply by midnight, May 24, 2012. Community Air Screen Program - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation What is the Community Air Screen program? If you are concerned about what is in the air in your neighborhood, check out the Community Air Screen program. This new community-based program works with volunteers from local communities to screen for toxic air pollutants in order to begin to address some local air quality concerns. The goal of the Community Air Screen program is for community groups and citizens to partner with DEC to collect local-scale air samples. Who Is Eligible? Individuals as well as not-for-profits and neighborhood and community groups in New York State may apply. Priority is given to projects in or near low-income and minority communities and public locations where people are more likely to spend time outdoors. Approximately 12 to 18 applicants will be selected for this program. A total number of sixty (60) air samples will be analyzed statewide. Consider partnering with other concerned citizens or community groups in your neighborhood to strengthen your chance of being selected. How to Apply: Applications must be postmarked or emailed by midnight, May 24, 2012. The application (PDF) (136 KB, 4 pgs) is also available in the right column. The application process is very easy - four simple questions - four page limit. Complete the application using the writable PDF downloaded to your computer or by printing out a paper copy. Return the application to DEC postmarked or emailed by midnight May 24, 2012. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
• ACTION: Due date: May 30th
  • Public input on transportation center:  On Wednesday, May 30th from 5PM to 7PM (with presentation at 5:30PM) at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center, Riverside Court, 123 East Main Street, Rochester, NY come and give your input about public transportation and active transportation (bikes and walking).  Will this new transportation center meet the needs of walkers and bicyclists too?  Remember 27% of greenhouse gases are from transportation so the more folks walking and bicycling and using public transportation the less we contribute to Climate Change.   Rochester Intermodal Transportation Center Scoping Study "The City of Rochester invites you to share your thoughts, concerns, and vision regarding Rochester’s Intermodal Transportation Center.  On the date and time noted below, the City of Rochester is hosting a Public Meeting for the entire community to participate in.  This meeting will involve an brief open house from 5:00pm to 5:30pm leading into a formal presentation beginning at 5:30pm. Following the presentation, a Q/A period will help solicit further dialog. We encourage each and every one of you to join us as we move forward in reshaping and energizing our regions downtown core. "
• ACTION: Due Date now:
  • Ask our mayor of Rochester, NY what he is doing to prepare Rochester, NY for Climate Change:   WWF - Earth Hour City Challenge - Earth Hour City Challenge "Earth Hour City Challenge This year WWF is challenging cities to do more than turn out their lights for Earth Hour. The Earth Hour City Challenge is a year-long competition among cities to prepare for increasingly extreme weather and promote renewable energy. Participating U.S. cities receive resources and gain recognition for their efforts to curb carbon pollution and prepare their communities for the harmful consequences of climate change. Learn more about the City Challenge See how your city is at risk from extreme weather – tell your mayor to prepare! " WWF - Earth Hour City Challenge - Earth Hour City Challenge
• ACTION: Due Date: Now
  • Few actions that we can do to adapt and mitigate Climate Change can have the effect of planting trees.  Trees are carbon sinks that work.  Plant a tree, lots of them.  DEC'S Saratoga Tree Nursery Kicks off Annual Tree and Shrub Seedling Sale and Giveaway - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Landowners Can Take Advantage of Low-Cost Native Plants, Schools Can Get Them Free More than 50 species of trees and shrubs are now available to schools and public and private landowners at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Saratoga Tree Nursery, DEC announced today. The Saratoga Tree Nursery provides trees for erosion control, wildlife habitat, reforestation and other uses.  (February 14, 2012) New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
• ACTION: Due Date: Now
  • Tell the NRC: Expand emergency evacuation zones Today, NIRS and 37 other organizations submitted a formal Petition for Rulemaking to the NRC to expand emergency evacuation zones around U.S. nuclear reactors and make other improvements in emergency preparedness. We're calling this the Nuclear 911 campaign. You can join us as a co-petitioner below! The widespread radioactive contamination caused by the Fukushima nuclear disaster (and Chernobyl before it) makes clear that the current 10 mile Emergency Planning Zones in the U.S. are woefully inadequate to protect the American people. "Nuclear Information and Resource Service - NIRS
• ACTION: Due Date: Now
  • What to do something concrete about solving Climate Change?  Go here: "Are you passionate about changing the conversation about the climate crisis? Are you interested in leading the climate movement? What if I said you have the chance to be personally trained by Al Gore to educate others about climate change? This summer, you could have that chance. I'd like to invite you to apply to be one of our esteemed Climate Reality Presenters -- impassioned volunteer leaders who bring the reality of climate change to people around the world. We call our grassroots network of Presenters the heart of our Climate Leadership Corps. Learn more: "Climate Reality "To reveal the complete truth about the climate crisis in a way that ignites the moral courage in each of us. " Climate Reality | Climate Reality Training Application
• ACTION: Due Date Now
  • Request from the DEC for some help on keeping our Great Lakes healthy:    "Your Observations Can Help the Health of the Great Lakes! If you spend time around the Great Lakes shoreline, please consider sharing your observations of injured or dead animals, or algal blooms by using the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative - Wildlife Health Event Reporter (http://glri.wher.org/) (GLRI-WHER). Scientists working in state, federal and non-profit agencies are looking for your help to identify events that are important in research of avian botulism and algal bloom outbreaks, in the interest of protecting wildlife from this disease as well as algal neurotoxins. For a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem, do your part and share what you see by setting up a reporter account (http://glri.wher.org/users/add) on the GLRI-WHER website. E-mail any questions regarding reporting to botnet@wdin.org.
•  ACTION: Due Date: Now
  • Sewage Pollution - Citizens Campaign for the Environment "Many communities in New York State, Connecticut, and throughout the nation are served by aging and dilapidated sewage infrastructure. When our sewage infrastructure is not properly operated or maintained, billions of gallons of untreated raw sewage can be released in to the environment before reaching a treatment plant. Sewage is primarily discharged into the environment through Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO) and Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO). Separate sewer systems carry only wastewater such as domestic sanitary waste and commercial and industrial waste to a sewage treatment plant. Separate sewers are not designed or intended to carry water such as storm water. SSOs occur in separate systems. Combined sewer systems are built larger than separate sewers so that they can carry two components: wastewater, carried continuously, and runoff, carried after storms.  How you can help: Email your state representatives. Urge them to support a Sewage Pollution Right-to-Know law. Sewage overflows put our environment, economy, and health at risk; and we deserve the right to know when they occur. "
• ACTION: Due date: Now
  • Take action for our Great Lakes "Speak Out Now to Set the U.S.-Canada Strategy for Protecting our Great Lakes The health of our Great Lakes is threatened by new challenges — including invasive species, climate change, habitat loss and emerging contaminants. The United States and Canada are now completing negotiations on an updated version of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, a binational agreemet to address Great Lakes threats. " from Alliance for the Great Lakes

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