RENewsletter | June 21, 2009

 

The Free environmental newsletter from RochesterEnvironment.com  

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

[06/14/09– 06/21/09]

 

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

 

Opening Salvo | NewsLinks | Daily Updates | Events | Environmental Site of the Month | Take Action |

 

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

 

 

__________________________________________

 

Opening Salvo:  “Hope for a Messy World”

 

One would think that the days of a monolithic weltanschauung are over, where singular views of religion, culture, ideas, even prejudices, once ruled. Now, it’s not only unfashionable, but positively Neanderthal to be continually captivated by a single view of life.  Makes you look stodgy. 

 

Yet, I tenaciously hold (despite many discussions to the contrary) that Nature rules.  Moreover, it will do so even in Rochester. This seems to be an unpopular single-mindedness because in this Recession the “World is Flat” view means keep changing or you’ll get run over by new ideas, new economic models, and especially the Internet. The prevailing thinking seems to be: in this modern world, you had better streamline your operation. Better just paint yourself green and not go the whole hog.  And, quite frankly, harping on environmental issues bores and annoys a lot of people—though given the wholesale consequences of environmental collapse (Think Easter Island in that chapter in Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared M. Diamond) not obsessing on our environment at this moment in history seems foolhardy.

 

Mainstream media seems convinced that pandering to a cornucopia of issues rather than zeroing our attention on environmental changes will sell better. Some news outlets ignore the environment altogether. As I read the news, it seems more profitable for the media to report on stories about impeding or cobbling legislation like the Climate Energy-Bill or the Bottle Bill.  Seems to make more sense for the media to go with the flow, that is, tone down environmental stories and balance our environmental concerns with our other preoccupations: job loss, wars, or Eliot Spitzer’s comeback—which given his brainpower and good work on behalf of our environment, may not be a bad idea. 

 

The world, I maintain, really is flat, not just because of the Internet and zippy broadband Wi-Fi’s.  It’s flat because Nature rules China, Hong Kong, Timbuktu, Rochester and everything living on this planet. Global Warming will not only change this pale blue dot, it’s going to have some very peculiar changes—according to this week’s release of the US Global Change Research Program—on the Northeast—which is where, as we all know boys and girls, Rochester, NY resides.  Too, that pandemic is wreaking havoc not only on the Third world with fewer economic resources; it’s straining our health system here in Monroe County. 

 

This week alone we learned that the Emerald Ash Borer crossed into NYS, promising to kill or affect 7% of our state’s trees. This invasive species issue was somebody else’s problem. But due to a changing environment, it’s now in our backyard. Also, a recent environmental study (something we should be doing continually) points out that all those PCB’s we’ve been dumping and allowing to be dumped are changing us.  But, not in a good way. 

 

Ok, enough doom and gloom. This week had some bright spots in our movement here in the Rochester area towards sustainability: steps are being taken on curbing pharmaceutical pollution, a new group forming to fight for water quality, our very own U of R is finding ways to save the incandescent bulb by requiring less energy, more green energy, a forum on green jobs is coming up this week, boating courses by the DEC to teach boaters how not to pollute our waters, help to green up our auto shops, and articles describing how that high-speed rail project everyone is talking about might help our cities. 

 

So, there is a lot of hope in this messy world that that has one ruling power: the laws of Nature—not man’s wishes or his economic models (which, are presently in a tailspin). However, hope does not hinge on deluding ourselves that we are getting greener when we are not. Hope depends on putting environmental issues squarely before us, not cherry-picking the hopeful stories, as our local media too often does. The hope is that our media will switch gears and get the environment so in our collected faces that we all feel compelled to make the changes that will make our way of life sustainable. 

 

 

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

 

__________________________________________

 

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

 

·         Bottled Water at City Events - We've been Billed

·         Pharmaceutical Pollution

·         New Group Fights for Water Quality

·         Gassing 800 Canadian Geese

·         Bear Falls, Dies

·         UofR Saving the Incandescent Bulb

·         Emerald Ash Borer is Here

·         NYS DEC Open Space Plan

·         Possible 850,000 New Jobs in US

·         Green Energy for NYS

·         Pandemic Flu in Monroe County

·         Water, the New Oil

·         US Report on Climate Change - Northeast

·         GREEN JOBS FORUM - JUNE 25

·         Report: Move Quickly on Global Warming

·         Boating Course to Protect our Waters

·         Bear in Tree

·         Green Auto Shops - NYS DEC

·         PCB's in Food Study

·         Swine Flu Money

·         Record Breaking Recycling Event

·         Bicyclers & Walkers Project

·         High Speed Rail's Effect on Cities

 ___________________________________________

 

Updates – Daily Updates – [Connecting the dots on Rochester’s environment. Find out what’s going on environmentally in our area—and why you should care? Clicking on -DISCUSSION – will take you to my blog “Environmental Thoughts, NY, where you can add your comments.]

• 6/20/09 - Recycling - Do you need to dispose of hazardous household waste? Please note: Monroe County's Hazardous Household Waste (HHW) Appointment Scheduler (includes Pharmaceuticals) http://www.monroecounty.gov/hhw 
• 6/20/09 - Find out what you are eating and what chemicals may or maynot have gotten in your food: What’s On My Food? Pesticides …on our food, even after washing; …in our bodies, for years; …& in our environment, traveling many miles on wind, water and dust. What’s On My Food? is a searchable database designed to make the public problem of pesticide exposure visible and more understandable. -- More on Food and our Environment here...
• 6/20/09 - Environmentalists: New group joins online wealth of information and monitoring to protect our environment: Niagara Watershed Alliance A group of committed Niagara County citizens working to restore the health of the Niagara Region Watershed ecosystem.  | Due to the inability of government to control and /or eliminate the storage and importation of hazardous and radioactive waste within the Niagara Watershed and Great Lakes basin, the Niagara Watershed Alliance has decided to form a consortium of educational, environmental, elected officials, economic, public health and safety groups to pool resources in finding a method to stop the degradation of the Niagara Watershed and Great Lakes basin.  We welcome all who wish to join in our efforts.
• 6/20/09 - Reducing our dependency on those ubiquitous plastic bags littering our roads, trails, up in the branches of our trees, down our drainpipes, across our lawns and just about everywhere is not just a good idea – it’s the law.  Mostly, these laws pertain to large stores, but it’s a sign that times are a’changing. Think of taking a reusable bag around with you when you shop and buying less stuff.    NYS Plastic Bag Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Law - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation * Title 27 - Plastic Bag Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Section 27-2701. Definitions. 27-2703. Store operator responsibilities. 27-2705. Recycling program requirements. 27-2707. Manufacturer responsibilities. 27-2709. Department responsibility. 27-2711. Regulations. 27-2713. Preemption. * NB There are 2 Title 27's
• 6/20/09 - From our friends over at Rochesterians Against The Misuse of Pesticides (RAMP), we learn more about how our modern idea of a oil and pesticide intensive lawn have come about.  But, you can free yourself from your pesticides and tractors.  Read RAMP:  You can join RAMP, one of the most effective environmental organizations in Rochester, by writing to 10 Landing Road South, Rochester, NY 14610.  Meanwhile, check out this way to reduce your lawn and go natural:  LessLawn : information about landscape design for nature lovers... shrink your lawn and grow your pleasure!Want a low-maintenance, ecologically friendly landscape? Chemical free? Want to do it yourself? Find information and inspiration here at LessLawn. We'll help you shrink your lawn and grow your pleasure!
• 6/20/09 -Find out how Global Warming might change various of our environment: |  Global Change Biology - Journal Information Global Change Biology exists to promote understanding of the interface between all aspects of current environmental change and biological systems, including rising tropospheric O3 and CO2 concentrations, climate change, loss of biodiversity, and eutrophication. Topics covered include the following, in the context of biological implications and feedbacks: Climate change Global change Land-use change Rising carbon dioxide Ocean warming Atmospheric pollution Carbon sequestration Carbon mitigation Global food security --from Wiley:
• 6/18/09 - Do something about our Rochester Area Environment: Searching around the net for environmental issues pertaining to our area, I came across this from the Democrat and Chronicle:  Rochester Environmental Causes - Get Involved - The Democrat and Chronicle Generate positive energy! Are you concerned about global warming? Endangered species? Protecting wetlands and/or beaches? Keeping your neighborhood park clean and safe? Check out these opportunities to get involved. - from democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York
• 6/17/09 - Find out what specific change we can expect from Climate Change in our area: Northeast "Northeast annual average temperature has increased by 2°F since 1970, with winter temperatures rising twice this much. Warming has resulted in many other climate-related changes including more frequent very hot days, a longer growing season, an increase in heavy downpours, less winter precipitation falling as snow and more as rain, reduced snowpack, earlier break-up of winter ice on lakes and rivers, earlier spring snowmelt resulting in earlier peak river flows, rising sea surface temperatures, and rising sea level. These trends are projected to continue, with more dramatic changes under higher emissions scenarios compared to lower emissions scenarios. Some of the extensive climate-related changes projected for the region could significantly alter the region’s economy, landscape, character, and quality of life."  -from  globalchange.gov "The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. The USGCRP began as a presidential initiative in 1989 and was mandated by Congress in the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606), which called for "a comprehensive and integrated United States research program which will assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change."
• 6/17/09 - Get some green training for those green jobs: RIT - Golisano Institute for Sustainability "The 1987 “Our Common Future” report of the World Commission on Environment and Development defines sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Simply stated, a sustainable process is one which can be carried out over and over without negative environmental effects, such as air and water pollution, solid waste, and biodegradation which lead to larger, global problems including climate change and destruction of natural resources. "
• 6/17/09 - How is Vermont handling Green Jobs? U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders ""Today we face the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. There is no better moment to move forward aggressively on energy efficiency and creating new sustainable energy and creating jobs in the process. The potential for job growth in this area is bigger than almost anything else I can think of." -Senator Bernie Sanders, chairman of the Senate Green Jobs and New Economy Subcommittee"
• 6/16/09 - Bats help manage insects for farmers who produce our food.  White-nose bat syndrome is killing bats off in large numbers:  Learn more: White-Nose Syndrome in bats: Something is killing our bats  "In February 2006 some 40 miles west of Albany, N.Y., a caver photographed hibernating bats with an unusual white substance on their muzzles. He noticed several dead bats. The following winter, bats behaving erratically, bats with white noses and a few hundred dead bats in several caves came to the attention of New York Department of Environmental Conservation biologists, who documented white-nose syndrome in January 2007. Hundreds of thousands of hibernating bats have died since. Biologists with state and federal agencies and organizations across the country are still trying to find the answer to this deadly mystery. " --Northeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• 6/15/09 -Test that Well: As New York State does not have a comprehensive law on well water standards, test your well water. It might be helpful to contact your representative and ask them why we don’t have standards on well water, like we do for other drinking water. Well water should be tested annually to reduce health risks to children Private well water should be tested yearly, and in some cases more often, according to new guidance offered by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, took a lead role in working with the AAP to develop these recommendations and draft a new AAP policy statement about the things parents should do if their children drink well water. The recommendations call for annual well testing, especially for nitrate and microorganisms such as coliform bacteria, which can indicate that sewage has contaminated the well. The recommendations point out circumstances when additional testing should occur, including testing when there is a new infant in the house or if the well is subjected to structural damage. (May 26, 09) EurekAlert! Public News List
• 6/15/09 - It’s good ole summertime and the fishing is…, err problematical.  Remember, if you are fishing in New York and eating the fish, there are advisories by the NYS Department of Health. Of course, if there were stricter controls on chemical releases into our waters (lakes, streams, ponds, rivers, etc.) we wouldn’t need a litany of restriction on eating fish.  But, there’s a lot of stuff in our waters that shouldn’t be there.  Chemicals in Sportfish and Game: 2009-2010 Health Advisories Fish are nutritious and good to eat. However contaminated fish and game can be the main source of exposure to some contaminants. New York State issues advisories of eating sportfish and game because some of these foods contain chemicals at levels that may be harmful to health. These advisories tell people which fish and game to avoid and how to reduce exposure to fish they do eat. These advisories are for sportfish and game that people take and are not for fish and game sold in markets. -- New York State Department of Health

 _________________________________________________

 

Events – Rochester Environmental Events Calendar – [The most complete listing of all environmental events around the Rochester, New York area.]  If you don’t see your event, or know of a local environmental event, please send me the info: FrankRegan@RochesterEnvironment.com with (EV event) in the subject line.

 

• Program on Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling and Water, Mon., June 22, 7 PM, Bath A public forum on the effects of Marcellus Shale gas drilling on local water sources will be held Monday, June 22 at the Bath Fire Hall, 50 East Morris St., in Bath from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. The forum is for community members, landowners and local government officials, and is sponsored by the Steuben County Environmental Management Council, the Finger Lakes Group of the Sierra Club, the League of Women Voters of Steuben County, the League of Women Voters of Chemung County and the Bath Peace and Justice Group. The speakers at the forum will be Steve Penningroth, executive director of the state-certified water testing laboratory at the Community Science Institute in Ithaca, Ron Bishop, lecturer in chemistry and biochemistry at SUNY Oneonta, and Andrew Byers, a farmer/botanist from Newfield who has been studying gas drilling issues. Ron Bishop will give an overview of natural gas extraction technology and explain how water contamination can occur during the gas drilling process.   Steve Penningroth will describe how to test private and municipal water wells so that landowners and municipal officials can discover problems and have solid scientific baseline water data that will stand up in court should contamination occur. Andrew Byers will describe how community members who are knowledgeable about these issues can take action. The forum is free and open to the public.  For more information, call 607-569-2114. WHAT:  Program on Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling and Water WHEN:  Monday, June 22, 2009, 7:00 to 9:00 pm WHERE:  Bath Fire Hall, 50 East Morris St., Bath, NY
• Cool Rochester: Save Money, Energy and the Planet www.CoolRochester.org  COOL ROCHESTER PUBLIC MEETING   WHEN: June 24, 7-9pm   WHERE: Downtown United Presbyterian Church 121 N. Fitzhugh Street   PARKING: Across the street at the City Hall lot | Cool Rochester is a not-for-profit community group taking action against climate change. Our goal is to help residents of the greater-Rochester area reduce their collective carbon footprint by  One billion pounds by 2012. Cool Rochester is looking for volunteers to help with this effort, as well as participants for a pilot program this summer.  Get the Cool Rochester Program Overview.
• Cornell Cooperative Extension And New York Energy $martSM Programs Present Green Jobs Forum Via Cornell Universities Distance Learning Network - The Green Jobs Forum will provide basic information to Forum participants on such issues as: • What is meant by the term "green jobs" • Where and in what sectors of the economy do they exist • Information on available training programs • What does the future look like for the "green jobs sector" Information on starting a home performance business will also be presented - When: June 25, 2009 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon - Where: CCE, Monroe County 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester 14620 To reserve a seat phone: 585.461.1000 - Who should attend? Building Contractors, Entrepreneurs, Community Educators, Students, anyone interested in learning about new opportunities in the Green Jobs Sector. Presenters: Representatives from the Workforce Development Institute Representatives from New York Energy $martSM Programs Dr. Joe Laquatra, a professor in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis at Cornell University, will facilitate this event Get the Flyer: http://www.mycce.org/monroe/green-jobs-poster.pdf  --from http://www.mycce.org/monroe
• THE UPS AND DOWNS OF CAYUGA LAKE Thursday June 25 at 7 pm At the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge 3395 Route 5/20 East Seneca Falls, NY 13148 315-568-5987 Why does the level of Cayuga Lake waters fluctuate throughout the year? What and who controls the changes in lake level and why? Bill Kappel, a hydrogeologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, will answer questions about the seasonal variations in the level of Cayuga Lake. Bill includes a historical water-level perspective on Cayuga Lake -- its ups and downs, natural and man-made. Come learn about the hydrology, geology, and history of Cayuga Lake. This program is jointly sponsored by the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge http://www.fws.gov/r5mnwr , the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network http://www.cayugalake.org , and the Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization http://www.cayugawatershed.org
• The RAMP Garden Teach-In 2009, a fundraiser for Rochesterians Against the Misuse of Pesticides, is Saturday, June 27, from 10 to 2, and is dedicated to the memory of Nancy Watson Dean, a RAMP board member who died May 1. The Teach-In differs from a garden tour in that visitors can absorb the gardening wisdom of their hosts in a more leisurely way. The event features two spectacular gardens with quite different styles, although both approaches make use of native organic plants. The Henrietta garden of Roz Bliss is well known in the greater Rochester area for its artistry and variety. Tricia Wright's garden in the city's Cobbs Hill area is a National Wildlife Federation certified habitat that emits a sense of peacefulness amid a proliferation of plants and wildlife. Travel between the two gardens is direct, from Winton Road South in the city to near where it ends in the Calkins Rd.section of Henrietta. Tickets are available at Abundance Co-op and Parkleigh in the city, and at Lori’s Natural Foods in Henrietta. They are $10. and  include a map guide and a raffle ticket to win quality prizes. For more information, contact Audrey Newcomb 585-381-6489.
• New York Green Fest 2009 Share ideas and skills for sustainable living and Green politics, August 7-9, in Alfred, NY. Learn how to build your own wind turbine, produce videos for the internet, make tofu, make poetry, grow nut trees, and build an earth oven. Discuss economics as a cultural system, sustainable cities, the rights of nature, local sovereignty, the reality of renewable energy and liberation ecology. Listen to our plenary speakers: Virginia Rasmussen and Cyril Mychelako on the Politics of Sustainability, Art Weaver and Dan Miner on Sustainable Energy, Joel Kovel and Tony Gronowicz on Politics and Nature, Bill Kauffman and Lyn Gerry on Regionalism and Sustainability, and Steve Welzer and Jason Nabewaniec on Visioning a Green Future. Green Fest 2009 will be held on the campus of Alfred University in Alfred, NY. Alfred is in rural Allegany County, 80 miles south of Rochester. The Short Line Bus runs several buses daily between Alfred, Westchester, New York City and Long Island. Green Fest will arrange buses from Rochester for attendees.
• Healthy Buildings 2009 (http://www.hb2009.org), an international conference and exhibition showcasing innovations in indoor environmental quality and healthy and sustainable environmental technology, will be held in US for the first time in 12 years, September 13-17, 2009. Hosted by the Syracuse Center of Excellence and Syracuse University, ISIAQ's signature conference will draw more than 1,000 researchers and professionals from the disciplines of architecture, building products and services, engineering, indoor environmental quality, public health, urban planning, and workplace performance from more than 42 different countries. HB2009 includes remarkable plenary speakers such as Rick Fedrizzi, Founder of USGBC, as well as Dr. Eduardo de Oliveira Fernandes of the University of Porto in Portugal, Dr. Yuguo Li of the University of Hong Kong, and Dr. Shin-ichi Tanabe of Waseda University in Japan; who have each made immense contributions to the body of research in indoor air quality and related fields. The exhibition (http://hb2009.org/exhibition), featuring the latest advancements in green and clean technologies and innovation, will also showcase "OppEx," an Opportunity Exchange (http://hb2009.org/opportunity_exchange) that will include industry-leader keynote speakers; healthy buildings and clean and green technology product and service demonstrations; technology transfer ideas from world-class research universities; and many more opportunities for intellectual collisions among attendees. In today's uncertain economic climate, the benefit of international exchange and engagement is critical. HB2009 offers researchers, professionals, and community planners a unique opportunity to think strategically about the direction of industry and technology through academic and industry collaboration in a world going green. For more information about the conference and exhibition please visit our website at www.hb2009.org, or contact clmatthe@syr.edu. Also, in addition to the rates currently listed on the web site, there is also a $25 one-day exhibition pass for those wishing to be a part of HB2009 on a limited budget.
• Help Clean Up the World and put your activity on the global environmental map!   Held in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Clean Up the World is one of the world’s largest community-based environmental campaigns with an estimated 35 million volunteers from 120 countries participating annually in environmental activities.   Join the campaign and put your group and its activity on the global environmental map by visiting activities.cleanuptheworld.org .  Activities can be conducted year round, however the campaign’s flagship event, Clean Up the World Weekend (18-20 September 2009) is a global celebration of the environmental actions and achievements of participants.   Joining Clean Up the World is simple: ■ Register online: http//:activities.cleanuptheworld.org ■ Email: info@cleanuptheworld.org ■ Visit: www.cleanuptheworld.org ■ Call: +61 2 9692 0700 ■ Post: 18 Bridge Road, Glebe NSW 2037, Australia. Clean Up Clean Up the World partners with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to inspire and assist communities to "clean up, fix up and conserve their local environment" through carrying out initiatives ranging from waste removal and tree planting to water and energy conservation projects. Clean Up the World and its participating organisations mobilise an estimated 35 million volunteers from more than 120 countries annually.

_________________________________________________

 

Action – Take Action - Often, I receive request to pass on alerts, petitions, Public Comments on local developments, and environmental items needing action by the Rochester Community and around the world. I’ll keep Actions posted until their due date. 

• Get informed, be involved in Climate and Energy legislation: Repower America | Join Al Gore for an urgent briefing Join Al Gore for an urgent briefing We've never been closer to breaking the political gridlock in Washington. Find out the latest on historic climate and energy legislation that's moving through Congress, and how you can help. Reserve your spot now to listen to a special briefing by Al Gore on Tuesday, June 23, at 8 p.m. (EDT). On Tuesday, we'll call and connect you to the briefing at the number you provide below.
• I’m passing on this interesting proposal: Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act. For those of us [the public] who helped the banks who almost failed save our bailout monies, now it’s time for us to consider a bill that would protect our environment and help create green jobs.  So, on the face of it, this bill seems especially timely: the proposed Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act - A writer suggests: "The $5 Billion Clean Water, Clean Air & Green Jobs Bond Act of 2009 as it is proposed would vastly expand opportunities for conservation beyond state and federally funded programs and initiatives.  Voter-approved bond proceeds would be utilized for state environmental projects that protect our water, land and air and create jobs.  Funding created through this initiative would make long-term improvements to our environmental infrastructure and natural resources, energy efficiency, transit, building weatherization, public health protection and economic development.  The Bond Act would build upon the federal stimulus and provide a significant investment to further New York’s economic recovery through environmentally friendly capital investments.    It was our intent in the development of this proposal to have the largest economic benefit as possible and in areas where their were natural fits - seek to elevate some of the burdens put on local municipalities - such as wastewater and drinking water infrastructure, energy efficiency program, brownfields cleanup and environmental remediation program funding,  as well as traditional conservation efforts like the protection of open space, habitat restoration and parks.     As you will see from the attached draft case statement, there are areas that could have a significant benefit regions across the state - including the Rochester area." Here's more  Working Daft NYS 2009 Environmental Bond Case Statement | ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

 

__________________________________________________

 

Award – Environmental Site of the Month Award – [On the last Sunday of each month, we present an environmental award for the Rochester-area environmental web site or blog that best promotes the need to protect and offers solutions for our area's environmental issues.]