August 2, 2009 RENewsletter

RENewsletter | August 2, 2009

The Free environmental newsletter from RochesterEnvironment.com

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

[07/26/09– 08/02/09]

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

Found an important Rochester environmental story from a credible source that you think needs attention? SEND ME THE LINK.

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

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Opening Salvo: “Green Isolationism”

Isolationists, most notably George Washington in his farewell address “The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible,” believe that one’s territory can be contained, one’s sovereignty sustained by removing oneself from the rest. And while it was probably wise council for a young nation to stay out of ‘political connections’ as we built our new nation, isolationism of any kind really is not possible in today’s world. Isolation is only an illusion, especially in our environment. Connections are the rule. A sand storm in Africa gives Central American’s asthma.

What happens in Buffalo, or Quebec, or Pennsylvania (where the Genesee River begins), the Hudson River, the Adirondacks, Syracuse, and Ohio in terms of their pollution, their air quality, the species that have invaded them, global warming studies that they’ve done all make isolationism absurd. As the invasive Emerald Ash Borer makes its way into southern New York counties, we should prepare here. We should understand and share the information.

Americans pride ourselves on being unique, standing on one’s own, being free and allowed to pursue Happiness—as one envisions it. However, as time goes on, as we mature as a species, we are learning that what we do matters to others despite our best intensions. Only in our minds can we litter, pollute, overuse resources, and not affect every living thing on the planet. [One can get a sense of this in the 2004 film, “The Fever” where it dawns on an urban sophisticate that everything she does affects how others in other parts of the world live.]

This imaginary isolationism, where the media only focuses on breaking environmental issues in our area, is why pulling environmental stories from surrounding communities is critical to our future. Americans thinking during the span before World War I that events in Europe did not pertain to us was a dangerous illusion. Instead of being able to isolate ourselves and escaping the madness that consumed a generation, we got suck up into it.

Aggregating news stories, now viewed as reprehensible within a medium strapped for money by its own profligacy, must be the future media model of reality. Though we cannot predict the future, we can get a pretty good sense of what is in store for us environmentally by observing what happens to our neighbors. If global warming studies in Ohio show how it’s going to happen there, most of those effects will probably happen here. The pollution next door means it’s only a matter of time before it is here—and maybe it is already, we just haven’t checked.

Finding out what’s going on with environmental matters all around us, including stories that nuclear power is failing in Germany or that the fish in the Great Lakes are getting toxic, “Up to the Gills: 2009 Update on Pollution in Great Lakes Fish,” [http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/reports/up_to_the_gills_2009.html] There’s no isolation on a planet where barriers and levees eventually breakdown. And while it has become fashionable to cop an attitude that it won’t matter to us when an environmental problem occurs but doesn’t do so in our neck of the woods, it probably will.

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

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

· Western NYSA Waterways Lab

· Organic Food Better?

· Wind Turbines for Lake Ontario

· State of our Area's Beaches

· Genesee River

· Fuel Cell Cars & Our Region

· "No Kill" Buffalo Animals

· Solar in Buffalo

· Hudson River PBS Update

· Syracuse: Not TV's in Recycling

· EPA: Lakes Restoration Meeting in Rochester

· Stimulus Monies for Rochester's Infrastructure

· Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine

· NYS AG Lawsuits Against Fishing Limits

· Less Nuclear Plants - Ca.

· Great Lakes Projects - EPA

· Ginna Nuclear Power Plant

· Canandaigua Lake Environment

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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.]

· 7/30/09 - Beach conditions are not simply a natural phenomenon that is something we are born to suffer and beyond our control. In most cases, it’s probably manmade pollution—from bad agricultural practices, storm water runoffs, industrial pollution, etc. Our beaches get worse and like the boiling frog metaphor we accustom ourselves to worsening beaches over the years until public bathing with be a thing of the past. That isn’t simply sad, that’s us shooting ourselves in the foot by allowing ourselves to do this to our environment. - Get the Beach Report: NRDC: Testing the Waters 2009 "A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches | NRDC's annual survey of water quality and public notification at U.S. beaches finds that pollution caused the number of beach closings and advisories to hit their fourth-highest level in the 19-year history of the report. The number of 2008 closing and advisory days at ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches topped 20,000 for the fourth consecutive year, confirming that our nation's beaches continue to suffer from serious water pollution that puts swimmers at risk."

· 7/29/09 -- It's a bit far away in time and distance, but maybe we can have a great big green event here in Rochester: Opportunity Green Conference - November 7-8, 2009 | Sustainability Conference | Los Angeles | UCLA Opportunity Green Business Conference at UCLA November 7-8, 2009 Join today's brightest leaders and innovators at the forefront of the green business revolution. Forge new strategic partnerships and explore the latest in sustainable strategies and best practices to lead your organization to success. Get the inside view on the hottest topics, trends and technologies at the premier green business event focused on creating new opportunities through sustainability.

· 7/29/09 - This just in from a friend: Cascadian Farms, a manufacturer of granola bars and other organic food items, is partnering with New York State Parks to help raise money for trails. For every visitor to www.parkvisitor.com/cascadianfarm, Cascadian will donate $1 to State Park trails' maintenance and promotion. The promotion expires November 15, or as soon as a $25,000 cap is reached but we are trying to reach the top goal as quickly as possible. New York is the only state participating in this initiative, so please encourage your friends and family to go to www.parkvisitor.com/cascadianfarm and generate some free money for our trails! The link can also be found at: http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us/.

· 7/29/09 - We hope the EPA comes to our area too to talk about Green Jobs here: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 28, 2009 Thursday: EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson to Visit Chicago to Announce Funding to Train Workers for Green Jobs WASHINGTON – On Thursday, July 30, 2009, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson will hold a press conference in Chicago to announce funding to train workers for green jobs. The press conference will be held at the Chicago Center for Green Technology at 12:15 p.m. Additional details will be provided in the coming days. WHO: EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson WHAT:Press conference in Chicago to announce green jobs training funding WHEN: Thursday, July 30, 12:15 p.m. WHERE: Chicago Center for Green Technology 445 North Sacramento Blvd. (between Chicago and Lake streets) Chicago, Ill. 60612 --from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

· 7/29/09 - Don't miss a chance to pipe in our your environment tonight: Draft Report on Recommendations for Implementing the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Draft Report on Recommendations for Implementing the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact Our Great Lakes Water Resources Conserving and Protecting Our Water Today for Use Tomorrow This report was prepared by the Great Lakes Basin Advisory Council (GLBAC) in response to the directive issued to the Council by the New York State Legislature in approving the ratifying legislation of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (the Compact) in 2008. Also, it is the GLBAC's desire that this report stimulate new dialogue within the State regarding how our water resources can best be managed, in light of the growing need for renewable energy, threats from climate change and to guarantee sustainable resources for future generations of New Yorkers, along with the fish, birds, animals, and plants that make up a healthy ecosystem.

· 7/28/09 - More resources for the pandemic flu: New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets - H1N1 Info

· 7/27/09 -- Though mostly ignored (even though Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) was discovered in our area) is not an issue that goes away simple because our local media doesn't report on it. But some do: Anglers caught in the middle as U.S.-Canada at odds over live bait restrictions - Outdoors Blog Not good enough, the officers said. From now on, anglers who want to fish with live bait on the Canadian side need to purchase Canadian bait or risk a $300 fine. The restriction covers minnows, crayfish, leeches and salamanders. The only live bait one can use from the American side is worms. (July 23, 09) Syracuse NY Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - syracuse.com [more on Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) in our area]

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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.

Nate & Kate: the EAT LOCAL TOUR Summer ‘09 Indie-folk duo gets “fresh” at NY State Farmers Markets In a noble effort to stay fed, Ithaca, NY-based husband-wife folk duo Nate & Kate have embarked on a tour focusing on Farmers Markets across New York State. They hope to call attention to the practicality and sustainability of eating local, and will be eating from the markets they visit as much as possible to literally help support local farms and farmers. Nate & Kate have been performing their unique show, a mix of traditional and original folk music with juggling and variety, throughout the Northeast for the past 3 years at festivals, colleges, schools, restaurants, clubs, markets, cafes, and wherever else they could get a decent bite. _Come Hear Nate & Kate next Wednesday, August 5, at the Monroe Village Farmers' Market!_ located in the parking lot of Blessed Sacrament Church on Monroe Ave. between Rutgers and Oxford Buy delicious from our community of great local farmers! 4-7 pm every Wednesday through October and Your Food Stamp (EBT) Card is now welcome at the Monroe Village Farmers Market. For more info: monroevillagefarmersmarket.org contact us at buylocal@monroevillage.org
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.
Strawbale Construction 101, Saturday August 22 from 12:30 pm to 4 pm at the home of Kathleen Draper, 142 Victor Egypt Rd. just south of Lollypop Farm off Rt. 31. Dave Vail, builder of a number of strawbale homes throughout the Northeastern US will be the presenter and there will be participation in building a small wall for demonstration. Youth and adults encouraged to register for this workshop which is free. (75% of any donations go to presenter and the remaining to the sponsoring Center for Sustainable Living). Registration to kdraper2@rochester.rr.com or 585-393-7147 necessary by August 15.
Electronics Recycling Collection Event and Pulled Pork Barbeque Honeoye Falls, NY Saturday, August 22, 2009 – St. John’s Nursery School is helping clean up the earth by hosting a community recycling collection event and pulled pork barbeque to benefit enrichment programming at the school. If you have any old electronics equipment lying around, buried in your basement, closets or garages, now is the time to get rid of it the proper way. Bring in your computer equipment, gaming devices, printers, DVD/VCR players, telephones, all printer cartridges, etc. for recycling (no household appliances please). Items can be dropped off from 9am – 5pm at the 106 West Main St (formerly Everett-Lewis Ford) in Honeoye Falls. Assistance will be available to help unload recycling items. There is a $10 surcharge for each monitor and television. Also, come enjoy a Pulled Pork BBQ Dinner from Charlie’s Chicken served with salt potatoes, applesauce and cabbage salad. Dinners will be served from 11am – 6pm. Advanced sale tickets can be purchased for $8.00 by contacting Debbie Trotto at 585-582-1861. St. John’s Nursery School offers two, three and five day programs for 3, 4 and 5 year old children in a developmentally appropriate, child-initiated and teacher supported learning environment. St. John’s has been serving children and their families for over 40 years. The recycling program is made possible by a partnership with Imagine It Recycling and Regional Computer Recycling & Recovery. To see a more precise list of items accepted for recycling please visit www.imaginerecycling.com and www.eWaste.com . For more information contact St. John’s Nursery School director Mary Alice Edwards at 585-624-1940 or visit www.sjns.net.
CEI: Center for Environmental Information Hightlight on the Lake Ontario Watershed Tuesday, August 25 from 9 am until 4 pm in the New York State Room of Cooper Hall at SUNY Brockport Coastal Connections II offers a brief scientific and ecological overview of Lake Ontario and its watershed. Speakers on the “State of the Lake and Influence of Its Watershed” will include Dr. Joseph Makarewicz of SUNY Brockport and David Klein of The Nature Conservancy. Conference fee of $25 includes lunch. http://www.ceinfo.org/resources/ccIIpressrelease.doc
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.
Cordwood Sauna Workshop September 26th & 27th, 2009 WHO - Peter Turkow, Co-Founder of Rochester Green Living After seeing an article on cordwood construction in Mother Earth News my father, Dave Turkow attended a Rob Roy cordwood workshop (http://www.cordwoodmasonary.com) in 1984. In 1985 we broke ground on a 40ft diameter, round, load-bearing cordwood home covered with geodesic dome, I was hooked. In 1996 we designed and built 2 story cordwood workshop/garage approx 32x22 with 22x10ft deck. More details can be seen @: www.daycreek.com/dc/HTML/Turkow.htm WHAT – Each day is a mixture of classroom and hands-on activities & building. Classroom sessions include general cordwood home AND sauna information, power point presentations, and discussions on the various styles of cordwood building, as well as, the different types of wood species (and how long to dry them). The workshop’s hands-on project will be a 14’ x 12’ mixed use sauna & enclosed changing/relaxation area with outdoor deck. Attention to detail assures that the students learn visually pleasing techniques, as well as, structurally sound and energy-efficient construction methods. WHEN - Friday the 25th (optional, but starts at 6pm) will be a meet & greet event, as well as, a free event for the Rochester Green Living group and others from the area to learn a little more about future workshops. Workshops run from 9am -5pm. There will also be a social gathering on Saturday evening (students only & weather permitting). WHERE - This cordwood workshop will be held at the Turkow residence @ 6776 Luddington Rd Elba, NY 14058 (directly between Rochester and Buffalo & 5 miles from the thruway – (Batavia Exit 48).
October 24, 2009 is INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE ACTION DAY, and is being coordinated by 350.org, the grassroots organizing brainchild of Bill McKibben. The idea is to mobilize grassroots groups all over the world to hold highly visible public / media events on 10/24/09. Each event should highlight the number 350—the maximum global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (in parts per million- ppm) that is safe for the long term. We are already up to 387, and increasing. For more details: http://www.350.org/ We need to do something in Rochester, and to be worth doing, it should be a coordinated effort between several groups, and something creative, eye-catching…. Media-worthy! That’s the point—to have media worldwide show that there is a groundswell of popular support for a global treaty (successor to Kyoto), and that therefore world leaders must craft a plan to bring levels down to 350 ppm by the time they leave the international climate talks in Copenhagen in December of this year. Are you interested in helping? If this is to be done, we would need people to: • Reach out to other groups/ organizations to see what they are doing, and try to coordinate (for all I know, there is already an effort planned that we could work with) • Be creative- come up with a good location / “shtick” to make it media-worthy • Recruit others • Contact media

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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.

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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.]