RENewsletter November 11, 2012

RENewsletter | November 11, 2012

The Free environmental newsletter from RochesterEnvironment.com

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

[11/04/2012 – 11/11/2012]

Opening Salvo: “US Elections too close for comfort on adapting to Climate Change”

Increasingly more strident and more saturated with money-induced hysteria, the thriller that is the US election process is over for 2012. One side won, the other side lost. There were other sides, like the Green Party, but they really didn’t get a chance to engage in our political process. Also, there were critical issues, like Climate Change and corporate personhood, but they were silenced out.

Millions heave a sigh of relief that the Climate Change denier party was not installed into the executive office. That prospect threatened to reverse what little forward motion there has been on our country’s addressing Climate Change, potentially redacting all US official participation in this world-wide warming. Was Hurricane Sandy, with its horrific destruction, the wildcard that won the election for the candidate who at least acknowledged Climate Change? Unclear.

Before we jump for joy, we don’t know how tenacious Obama‘s Climate Change plans will be in his second term, but let me offer a proposal. I suggest that we free Climate Change from the four-year, win-or-lose political issue it portends to be for too many dangerous years ahead, then institutionalize it into our collective zeitgeist, as we finally accepted the immortal declaration “All men are created equal." No one questions this most cherished value of ours—anymore.

If we must endure four-score and seven years of political strife that questions the proposition that Climate Change is forever upon us, we will act far too late. Democracy is messy though more often than not it allows wisdom to bubble up. But this often comes at a terrific cost of time and lives. We’ve already used up our wait-and-see budget on Climate Change. We must act now in concert with the rest of the world.

How would we accomplish untangling Climate Change from US elections? There are precedents. Rather than a militia or irregular army as first intended, we adopted a standing army. Those who had been denied the vote were eventually granted that right with Constitutional amendments.

Another scientific study released this week notes that those climate models that predict the warmest climate are probably the most accurate. Let science be our final arbitrator of the facts and the Precautionary Principle our guide through this climate bottleneck. President Obama can hasten this process by using the bully pulpit to frame Climate Change as a national challenge—which, of course, it is. When freed from the tyranny of greed, our democracy can evolve and adapt to this self-inflicted catastrophe.

Climate Change cannot be undone in our lifetime -- there’s too much of our greenhouse gas in our water and air-- but we can undo the monetary clout of the Climate Change deniers. We must remove the tax subsidies we give the fossil fuel industries and keep the wind tax credits that are about to expire at the end of this year. We must demand our media change how they cover Climate Change. (Read this excellent article to see how that can be done: A Convenient Excuse. (11/05/2012 The Phoenix). We must unravel Citizens United so that zillions of corporate dollars that are polluting our political process are removed. If our next election puts a Climate Change denier back into office, we will burn.

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

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* Got news? | Go to my blog: Environmental Thoughts - Rochester, NY or Tweet me @ http://twitter.com/#!/FrankRrrr On Twitter and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RochesterEnvironment and Examiner/RochesterEnvironment, I post local environmental events, news, and commentary as soon as it happens. If you think this newsletter, which continually informs our community on our local environmental news, events, actions, is worthwhile, please encourage others to sign up. We who care about our environment and future need to ‘Occupy’ the Rochester media to change how the public views environmental news.

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?

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

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My companion book to RochesterEnvironment.com written in 2005 still holds true. Now, “We Don’t Get It!” is an E-Book on Amazon.com and Kindle Amazon.com: We Don't Get It! eBook: Frank Regan: Books

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

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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.]

11/10/2012 - There are a lot of crazy schemes out there to solve Climate Change, likegeoengineering, but a Carbon Tax must happen. Think of it not as a gimmick, but as filling a major loophole on our crazy economics, where externalities (like harming our environment and stealing our natural resources) gets put back into our economics where it should have been in the first place. Let’s get on a sane path to sustainability, not crazy schemes so we can have our cake and eat it too-which, of course, we cannot. With ‘fiscal cliff’ looming, carbon tax getting closer look A relatively moderate-sized carbon tax could raise $1.25 trillion over the next decade, a huge chunk of the money needed to bring the federal budget deficit under control. And the idea is getting a closer look now that the election is over and the “fiscal cliff” is looming. Because it would tax fossil fuel use, the carbon tax pleases economists who want to encourage investment and discourage consumption. Climate activists hope it would reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by penalizing the use of coal, oil and natural gas. And for lawmakers opposed to any change in tax rates or deep cuts in spending, the carbon tax could be a lifeline. (November 9, 2012) Washington Post [more onClimate Change in our area]
11/10/2012 - I think even the pro-Fracking folks will have to admit this billboard is pretty darn clever. Governor Cuomo: Imagine There’s No Fracking… Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon in conjunction with Artists Against Fracking, a coalition of hundreds of actors and musicians that work to expose and stop the harmful and contaminating practice of fracking through mass awareness and peaceful democratic action, displayed their message, “Governor Cuomo: Imagine There’s No Fracking,” on a billboard along the Major Deegan Expressway in New York City. (November 9, 2012)EcoWatch
11/10/2012 - Don’t try this Climate Change solution at home—or anywhere else for that matter. Geoengineering should be left to the birds and plants. Scientists are pretty smart, but there are a lot of knowledge gaps in our understanding about how the Earth’s climate and biology work as a whole. It’s madness to think we can geoengineer ourselves out of Climate Change and it’s a dangerous delusion, like thinking you can fund your old age with the lottery, to rely on geoengineering to save us from Climate Change. Adapting to and mitigating Climate Change is going to take a wholesale human behavioral change in how we get and use energy and there are no quick fixes. Shape an economy that does include externalities would be a much better route to sustainability. Can Dumping Iron Into The Sea Fight Climate Change?Environmental officials in Canada are investigating what some have called a "rogue climate change experiment." Over the summer, a native village on the coast of British Columbia dumped more than 100 tons of iron sulfate into the ocean. The idea was to cause a bloom of plankton, which would then capture greenhouse gases. That's the theory, anyway. The reality is a bit more complicated. (November 7, 2012) NPR Environment [more on Climate Change in our area]
11/09/2012 - Because NYS is a major entry to the Great Lakes, more media scrutiny on this invasive species issues would be good. Are the claims made by the shipping industry true? Would stronger restrictions kill the industry or are we allowing more invasive species into our Great Lakes. This is off most NYS’s public radar, but it is critical as our Great Lakes is crazy with invasive species—think Zebra Mussels. If our local mainstream issue was really on the ball, they’d give this issue a full investigation. Invasive species rules spur suit Environmental group concerned about oversight of ballasts ALBANY — The National Wildlife Federation sued New York state officials on Thursday for backing off on tough regulations to rid ship ballast water of invasive species that threaten the Great Lakes, the Hudson River and Long Island Sound. The rules would have required cargo vessels to cleanse ballast water to a level at least 100 times stricter than Environmental Protection Agency standards. Environmentalists and New York's Department of Environmental Conservation have said the EPA standards are inadequate to protect against invasive species that could be introduced when ballast water is discharged prior to loading cargo. (November 8, 2012) Albany Times Union [more on Invasive Species in our area]
11/09, 2012 - This is what Climate Change denial looks like: More studies that say warming is coming and less action on that. Warmer still: Extreme climate predictions appear most accurate, report says Climate scientists agree the Earth will be hotter by the end of the century, but their simulations don’t agree on how much. Now a study suggests the gloomier predictions may be closer to the mark. “Warming is likely to be on the high side of the projections,” said John Fasullo of theNational Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., a co-author of the report, which was based on satellite measurements of the atmosphere. (November 8, 2012) Washington Post [more on Climate Change in our area]
11/09/2012 - Reminder Green Drinks for November: "Green Drinks Green Drinks is a monthly networking event where people in the environmental field and the sustainably minded meet over drinks (alcoholic or non), in an informal setting to exchange ideas, find out who's doing what and spread the word on what you're doing, find employment leads and make new friends and contacts. November Date: Thursday, November 15, 2012 Time: 6:00 - 7:30 pm Where: Isaac Heating 180 Charlotte St. Rochester, NY 14607 " --from Center for Environmental Initiatives (CEI)
11/09/2012 - We are probably not going to get Climate Change denial out of Congress until we undo Citizens United. Reason and concern for the American public should rule Congress, not fossil fuel money. America for sale By one estimate, this year's federal elections could cost as much as $6 billion. That's a projection from the Center for Responsive Politics, the organization that runs the campaign finance tracking websiteOpensecrets.org. The number may be shocking, but it's not spontaneous or arbitrary; it's been decades in the making. And the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Citizens United opened up a new stream of political money by giving corporations the right to spend their cash to influence elections. Essentially, it extended the 1976 ruling in Buckley v. Valeo, which cast political spending as a form of speech. In Buckley v. Valeo, the court said individuals have the right to spend as much money as they want to influence elections, as long as they weren't giving directly to candidates. In Citizens United, the court said corporations have that right, too. (November 7, 2012)Rochester City Newspaper
11/09/2012 - ACTION: When you consider that our planet is warming and the fossil fuel industry get billions in US subsidies, it’s immoral to end wind tax credits this year. Tell Congress you really care that renewable energy gets a chance on a warming planet. Congress: Show Your Support for Wind Energy! Congress continues to delay renewing the Production Tax Credit, an important financing provision for wind energy. Every day of stalling means more American jobs are in jeopardy. Already, wind-turbine orders for next year are drying up, creating a crisis where layoffs are imminent. Right now, Congress is sitting on a gold mine of clean-energy jobs, but to them partisan politics is more important. You can bet that Big Coal and Big Oil have plenty of allies in Congress, but when it comes time to invest in wind energy, the door is being shut. It's up to you to help open that door again. Tell Congress to support extending the Production Tax Credit, ensuring a job-creating industry continues to grow. Sierra Club
11/09/2012 - Back in the day we used to worry about the destructive power of a nuclear bomb exchange, now the worry is “an America that isn't burdened …, the destructive power of a warming planet.” Both are real problems: a nuclear exchange between warring countries is possible but a warming planet is happening. Our future will be a warm future because we have waited so long to act on it on a large scale, but it doesn’t have to be an extinct future if our politics change to accept science and our media present the true nature of Climate Change by connecting the dots with warming each day. Study finds global warming likely to be on hotter side of projections In the coming century will New York warm up by three degrees Fahrenheit and have a climate like Richmond, Virginia? Or will it warm by eight degrees and become more like the state capital of Georgia? —A city with the nickname “Hotlanta.” That’s the range currently represented by more than two dozen different climate models, but a new study published today in the journal Scienceshows the higher, hotter predictions are more likely to be accurate. (November 8, 2012) Innovation Trail [more on Climate Change in our area]
11/08/2012 - Anti-Fracking meet up. "You are Invited to Participate Locally in the Statewide Spiritual Call to Ban Fracking: Interfaith Vigils to Protect our Sacred Land & Water, (Rescheduled Date): Wednesday, November 14, 2012. DATE: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 TIME: 6PM to 6:30PM LOCATION: Cobbs Hill Park, corner of Norris Drive & Culver Rd., off 490 at the Culver Rd. Exit. Gather beside Lake Riley, across from the Culver Rd. Armory. RSVP appreciated to help us plan. Direct replies, questions or comments to Nedra at: NHarv@frontier.com Please consider joining this multi-city action organized by New Yorkers Against Fracking and Food & Water Watch. In Rochester, we will gather for a brief candlelight vigil, with remarks & readings by faith leaders and concerned citizens, along with moments of meditative silence. ALL are welcome whether or not you have a specific religious affiliation. Dress for possible chilly, wet weather! Candles and protective holders provided. Consider bringing a flashlight, too! Thanks, and please send this along to others who may be interested Sponsored by R-CAUSE with many local faith groups participating R-CAUSE (Rochesterians Concerned About Unsafe Shale-gas Extraction) http://www.r-cause.net/ "
11/08/2012 - Important workshop on environment and women’s health coming up in Buffalo. Women's Health & the Environment: A Workshop on Challenges and Opportunities in Western New York Join scientists, local community groups, and business leaders to advance strategies and ensure safer, healthier homes, workplaces, schools and environment We will begin with an overview of the impacts on women's health caused by chemicals in our environment. Together, we'll discuss how women are exposed - at work, from environmental contamination, in the home, through personal care products. The event concludes with brainstorming safer solutions relevant to the community. Date: November 17, 2012 Time: 9:30 am - 3:00 pm Location: Embassy Suites, 200 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY 14202 Complimentary coffee, tea, and lunch will be served. Free admission made possible through a grant from the NYS Pollution Prevention Institute. Registration required. Click here to register now. Katie Kelly Project Coordinator Clean & Healthy New York 734-646-2119 www.cleanhealthyny.org
11/08/2012 - Every NYS municipality’s water and sewer infrastructure are or will be breaking down costing trillions and threatening water quality. This is a Climate Change issue. Sewage Backups, Water Leaks Threaten Municipal Budgets Century-old water pipes backed up in a storm in Washington D.C.’s Bloomingdale section, sending water and sewage cascading into basements. When it happened twice more in nine days last summer, a torrent of complaints flowed. “Citizens are rightly frustrated and upset about sewer backups,” said George Hawkins, the District’s Water and Sewer Authority general manager. “The challenge we face is that the engineering fix is monumental. It runs back into the issue that we have a significant bill we have to figure out how to fund.” (November 8, 2012) Bloomberg News [more on Climate Change in our area]
11/08/2012 - Excellent article on why mainstream media needs to change their attitude towards Climate Change and grow up. The public is not going to believe Climate Change is a real issue that needs to be addressed until mainstream media stops treating their constituents as children. The facts please: Our atmosphere is warming. Our present use of energy is warming that up. The fossil fuel industry doesn’t want you to know that and are willing to threaten our existence for their profits. A new paradigm for mainstream editors must include a robust examination of what ‘objectivity’ means in a warming world. A Convenient Excuse Since I had requested the meeting, I told Peter that I hoped to frame the discussion around two points: First: We need to see a much greater sense of urgency in the media's coverage of climate change, including in the Globe's editorial and opinion pages. This is more than an environmental crisis: it's an existential threat, and it should be treated like one, without fear of sounding alarmist, rather than covered as just another special interest, something only environmentalists care about. And it should be treated as a central issue in this election, regardless of whether the candidates or the political media are talking about it. (November 5, 2012) The Phoenix
11/07/2012 - Here’s what you need to know about Fracking: There will be damage; there will be lawsuits. But, will there be insurance? How big an issue is insurance when it comes to renewable energy? Like when a photovoltaic cell leaks? Insurance industry prepares new products to deal with fracking Nationwide Insurance announced earlier this year that damage from hydraulic fracturing won't be covered under its homeowner policies. That announcement has brought to light some new questions about how fracking will be regulated in New York. To people in the insurance business, Nationwide’s announcement wasn’t a big surprise. Homeowner policies have never covered damage from a business people run on their property. (November 6, 2012) Innovation Trail [more on Fracking in our area]
11/07/2012 - Long-term public health impacts from Climate Change extreme events are why government must be the solution, not corporations. Hurricane Sandy may have long-term impacts on public health A week after Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast, parts of the Northeast are still reeling from the wind, rain and flooding. Though the darkened Manhattan skyline may be the hurricane's most obvious consequence, the storm's health impacts may be the more significant and longest-lasting. The hurricane's death toll in the United States climbed to 113 over the weekend, with 48 fatalities in New York and 24 in New Jersey, the Los Angeles Times reported. Thousands still lack power as temperatures drop further and a brewing nor'easter threatens to pour over the area later this week. (November 6, 2012) E & E Publishing[more on Environmental Health in our area]
11/07/2012 - Wish mainstream media would NOT frame sensible energy options in a warming planet as “Harsher”. Harsh in the context of energy regulations only pertains to polluters. Harsher energy regulations coming in Obama's second term (Reuters) - Energy companies likely will see more regulation in President Barack Obama's second term, with less access to federal lands and water even as the administration promotes energy independence. With a pledge to cut oil imports by half by 2020, Obama during the campaign advocated what he called an "all of the above" approach to developing a range of domestic energy sources. He said, however, that he would roll back subsidies for oil companies and reduce the nation's reliance on oil by mandating production of more fuel-efficient vehicles. (November 7, 2012) Reuters [more on Energy in our area]
11/07/2012 - As I read “PLASTIC OCEAN” by Captain Charles Moore, a man who has dedicated his life to investigate the plastics breaking down in our oceans and making the world aware of this crucial environmental issue, I caught up on this short video that preceded the book: Synthetic Sea ..... NEW version for 2010. This video is only 10 minutes long and worth your attention. Not only are we in Climate Change denial, we are in ocean collapse denial. Our generation so has its work cut out.
11/06/2012 - Excellent article that encapsulates several scenarios that means a fast warm-up on planet Earth. It’s scary but this is our future if we don’t get moving on Climate Change. Is Global Warming Happening Faster Than Expected?[Preview] Loss of ice, melting of permafrost and other climate effects are occurring at an alarming pace | Over the past decade scientists thought they had figured out how to protect humanity from the worst dangers of climate change. Keeping planetary warming below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) would, it was thought, avoid such perils as catastrophic sea-level rise and searing droughts. Staying below two degrees C would require limiting the level of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 450 parts per million (ppm), up from today's 395 ppm and the preindustrial era's 280 ppm. (October 29, 2012) Scientific American
11/05/2012 - Even the most entrenched Climate Change denier will climb out of their hole when they can no longer afford insurance. Insurance Companies Rethink Business After Sandy Superstorm Sandy capped what's been a pretty impressive couple of years for U.S. natural disasters. There have been wildfires, tornadoes, floods and derechos. And insurance companies are on the hook to pay billions in related claims. "We're seeing more of everything, and what we're doing is trying to factor that in going forward as we work with others to have a better sense of what the future holds," says State Farm spokesman David Beigie. Here is one thing the industry agrees is true: The cost from hurricane damages is increasing. That's largely because population density and the cost of coastal property increases every year. (November 4, 2012) Innovation Trail [more on Climate Change in our area]
11/05/2012 - Now we know: Bikes are good for businesses, adapting to Climate Change, public health, and getting around a city traumatized by a Hurricane. Report: Bike Lanes, Pedestrian Plazas Good for Businesses City officials are fond of asserting that their changes to the New York streetscape are making pedestrians, cyclists and drivers safer. Now they are debuting a new ream of statistics to make a related point: those bike lanes, pedestrian plazas and slow zones have been good for business, too. In a new report released Wednesday, the city Department of Transportation analyzed the retail activity around some of the first of its major street projects, like the protected bike lanes on 8th and 9th Avenues, rearrangement and enlargement of the north side of Union Square and addition of curbside seating areas in lower Manhattan. (October 24, 2012) Wall Street Journal [more on Transportation in our area]
11/05/2012 - Moment of Truth: US Elections. Do we vote for our own private self-interest or as stewards of the planet? Sandy a galvanizing moment for climate change?Hurricane Sandy images and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's endorsement of Obama based on his climate change policies could bring attention to the issue of global warming, political observers say. One Sunday afternoon in 1969 the filthy, oil-coated Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire and quickly became a potent symbol of industrial pollution, helping galvanize public opinion and set the stage for passage of national environmental laws the following decade. The combination of Hurricane Sandy and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's announcement that he was endorsingPresident Obama largely because of Obama's actions on global warming could do the same thing for climate change, say scientists and political observers. (November 4, 2012) Los Angeles Times [more on Climate Change in our area]
11/05/2012 - Here’s where the tire meets the road: Climate talks coming up in November. Climate Action, Climate Silence, or Climate Denial? Unprecedented world carbon emissions cuts needed by 2050: PwC (Reuters) - The world will have to cut the rate of carbon emissions by an unprecedented rate to 2050 to stop global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees this century, a report released by PwC on Monday showed. PwC's annual Low Carbon Economy Index report examined the progress of developed and emerging economies towards reducing their carbon intensity, or their emissions per unit of gross domestic product. Global temperatures have already risen by about 0.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. Almost 200 nations agreed in 2010 at United Nations climate talks to limit the rise to below 2 degrees C (3.6 Fahrenheit) to avoid dangerous impacts from climate change. (November 4, 2012) Reuters [more on Climate Change 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. Also, be sure to check other calendars and environmental series for multi-day events.

November 2012

November, 14, 2012, 4:30pm-6:00pm, Burchfield Penny Art Center 1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo
- PUBLIC FORUM: Feed in Tariff - Best way to bring renewable energy to WNY - League of Women Voters and Sierra Club, 4:30pm-6:00pm, Burchfield Penny Art Center 1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo --from RE-Energize Buffalo
November 14, 24 Hours of Reality http://climaterealityproject.org/
- Major online Climate Change event with former Vice-President Al Gore: The Time Is Now | On November 14, It’s time to talk Dirty Dirty fossil fuels have created a world of Dirty Weather. Together we can stop the climate crisis. Join us for the 24-hour global live-streaming event when the world stands up for reality. The Climate Reality Project
Wednesday, November 14, 2012. DATE: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 TIME: 6PM to 6:30PM LOCATION: Cobbs Hill Park, corner of Norris Drive & Culver Rd., off 490 at the Culver Rd. Exit. Gather beside Lake Riley, across from the Culver Rd. Armory.
- Anti-Fracking meet up. "You are Invited to Participate Locally in the Statewide Spiritual Call to Ban Fracking: Interfaith Vigils to Protect our Sacred Land & Water, (Rescheduled Date): Wednesday, November 14, 2012. DATE: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 TIME: 6PM to 6:30PM LOCATION: Cobbs Hill Park, corner of Norris Drive & Culver Rd., off 490 at the Culver Rd. Exit. Gather beside Lake Riley, across from the Culver Rd. Armory. RSVP appreciated to help us plan. Direct replies, questions or comments to Nedra at:NHarv@frontier.com Please consider joining this multi-city action organized by New Yorkers Against Fracking and Food & Water Watch. In Rochester, we will gather for a brief candlelight vigil, with remarks & readings by faith leaders and concerned citizens, along with moments of meditative silence. ALL are welcome whether or not you have a specific religious affiliation. Dress for possible chilly, wet weather! Candles and protective holders provided. Consider bringing a flashlight, too! Thanks, and please send this along to others who may be interested Sponsored by R-CAUSE with many local faith groups participating R-CAUSE (Rochesterians Concerned About Unsafe Shale-gas Extraction) http://www.r-cause.net/ "
Thursday, November 15, 2012 Time: 6:00 - 7:30 pm Where: Isaac Heating 180 Charlotte St. Rochester, NY 14607
- "Green Drinks Green Drinks is a monthly networking event where people in the environmental field and the sustainably minded meet over drinks (alcoholic or non), in an informal setting to exchange ideas, find out who's doing what and spread the word on what you're doing, find employment leads and make new friends and contacts. November Date: Thursday, November 15, 2012 Time: 6:00 - 7:30 pm Where: Isaac Heating 180 Charlotte St. Rochester, NY 14607 " --from Center for Environmental Initiatives (CEI)
November 17, 2012 Time: 9:30 am - 3:00 pm Location: Embassy Suites, 200 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY 14202
- Women's Health & the Environment: A Workshop on Challenges and Opportunities in Western New York Join scientists, local community groups, and business leaders to advance strategies and ensure safer, healthier homes, workplaces, schools and environment We will begin with an overview of the impacts on women's health caused by chemicals in our environment. Together, we'll discuss how women are exposed - at work, from environmental contamination, in the home, through personal care products. The event concludes with brainstorming safer solutions relevant to the community. Date: November 17, 2012 Time: 9:30 am - 3:00 pm Location: Embassy Suites, 200 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY 14202 Complimentary coffee, tea, and lunch will be served. Free admission made possible through a grant from the NYS Pollution Prevention Institute. Registration required. Click here to register now. Katie Kelly Project Coordinator Clean & Healthy New York 734-646-2119www.cleanhealthyny.org
Friday, November 30, 5-9 PM; Saturday, December 1, 10 AM-2 PM Place: First Unitarian Church of Rochester 220 South Winton Road Rochester NY 14610
- METRO JUSTICE’S 31st ANNUAL ALTERNATIVE FAIR Date/Time: Friday, November 30, 5-9 PM; Saturday, December 1, 10 AM-2 PM Place: First Unitarian Church of Rochester 220 South Winton Road Rochester NY 14610 Cost: $3 suggested donation for ages 12+. Children under 12 free. FREE CHILD CARE. DOOR PRIZES. Description: FAMILY HOLIDAY SHOPPING with a conscience – at Metro Justice’s 31st annual Alternative Fair, featuring thousands of fair trade, earth friendly, and locally produced goods that support a just and sustainable world. Holiday shopping for the whole family, including clothing, toys, non-competitive games, pottery, and jewelry hand crafted by local artists, fair trade imports, and more, at prices the whole family can afford. Door prizes, food, music, and information tables by local progressive organizations will be available. The Alternative Fair is an annual fund-raising event for Metro Justice (www.metrojustice.org) , an independent, grass-roots, progressive membership organization that works for human rights, equality and economic and environmental justice by raising community awareness and engaging in non-violent action. Accessibility: The building is handicap accessible

December 2012

December 3, 2012 | 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM | Louise Slaughter Hall (formerly the CIMS Building) on the RIT campus REGISTER HERE
- 2012 Community Salute to the Environment Join us at the area's premier networking opportunity with up to 200+ individuals from government, business and industry, civic and environmental groups, professionals and citizens concerned about the environment in our region in attendance. Keynote speaker: Leecia Eve, J.D., Deputy Secretary to the Governor for Economic Development, New York State Topic: Economic Development and Environmental Protection December 3, 2012 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM Tours of the newly-constructed $38 million, LEED Platinum home of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM Reception, Dinner, Awards and Program Louise Slaughter Hall (formerly the CIMS Building) on the RIT campus. See our website for details (click here) -from Center for Environmental Initiatives (CEI)and Finger Lakes region through education, collaboration and informed action. "

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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.

ACTION: Due Date: Now.
- When you consider that our planet is warming and the fossil fuel industry get billions in US subsidies, it’s immoral to end wind tax credits this year. Tell Congress you really care that renewable energy gets a chance on a warming planet. Congress: Show Your Support for Wind Energy! Congress continues to delay renewing the Production Tax Credit, an important financing provision for wind energy. Every day of stalling means more American jobs are in jeopardy. Already, wind-turbine orders for next year are drying up, creating a crisis where layoffs are imminent. Right now, Congress is sitting on a gold mine of clean-energy jobs, but to them partisan politics is more important. You can bet that Big Coal and Big Oil have plenty of allies in Congress, but when it comes time to invest in wind energy, the door is being shut. It's up to you to help open that door again. Tell Congress to support extending the Production Tax Credit, ensuring a job-creating industry continues to grow. Sierra Club
ACTION: Due Date: Now
- As Climate Change increase the changes of combined sewer overflows due to increase frequency of heavy rain fall in the spring, this issue will become more critical. We must plan for this and it will be expensive, but more so if we wait. Take action here: Help Keep Sewage Out of the Great Lakes Billions of gallons of combined raw sewage and storm runoff are dumped into the Great Lakes each year. Raw sewage, trash and personal hygiene products — along with industrial wastewater, household chemicals, urban runoff, herbicides and pesticides — often flow into the lakes after heavy rains. Urge Congress and the president to support sustained and increased investment in the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Help keep untreated sewage out of the Great Lakes! --fromAlliance for the Great Lakes
ACTION: Due Date: Now
- Sign this online petition against Fracking in Monroe County: Prohibit All Fracking Related Activities on Monroe County Properties, NY Last Tuesday, over 4, 000 petition signatures to ban all Fracking and related activities were delivered to Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and members of the Monroe County Legislature. But presumably that wasn’t enough because the press didn’t even show up. Here’s the news that the local news media couldn’t bother themselves to print: Thousands Sign Petition to Ban Fracking and Related Activities On Monroe County Properties. Don't let New York State become a Resource Curse. It would be great if we could march into the Monroe County Legislature next time and fork over 20,000 signatures. Maybe that will wake our local government up to the fact that Fracking must be stopped here and in New York State. Find out more about this petition and download hard copies for your church group or other organization here. Numbers count. Don't be sorry after the fact, act now.
ACTION: Due Date: Now
- When you think of how mad/crazy folks are for Fracking in NYS and that the fossil fuel industry gets billions each year in tax subsidies, taking away the tax credit for renewable energy is horrific. Take action on this critical issue: SAVE USA WIND JOBS "Don’t let wind and solar and other renewable energy die so the fossil fuel industry can thrive and warm the planet. SAVE USA WIND JOBS Congress is currently in recess and will reconvene for a “lame duck” session following the November 6th elections. We need to keep reminding our legislators of the urgency of extending the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) as soon as they return to session throughout this recess period. We urge you to write to your legislators today." from Power of Wind
ACTION: Due Date: Now
- Help get the word out about Climate Change, from a local perspective: When you consider that so many people are uninformed about Climate Change because of the media that won’t connect the dots between the recent rise in extreme events Climate Change and some spectacularly popular media which outright dissembles (Read: Fox News Climate Coverage 93% Wrong, Report Finds ) on the science of Climate Change, we need other outlets to inform the public in this planetary crisis. To help understand Climate Change from a local perspective, help out this local film get off the ground and into the public arena. COMFORT ZONE A Film about Climate -- and Change COMFORT ZONE is almost ready for distribution, but we need your help! The film has been almost six years in the making, and now we are weeks away from being able to release it. But we need YOUR help to make it over the line. Comfort Zone makes a global crisis into a personal issue. The film strikes a nerve whether or not you accept that climate change is real, whether or not you believe that human beings are responsible. The filmmakers, once the documenters, became the documented. The film is grappling with powerful questions that we ourselves could not skirt, and that all of us will need to confront. The filming is complete. The editing is complete. People are asking us for the film. But we can't take the final steps without you. And your donation will be tax-deductible, because Comfort Zone is fiscally sponsored by New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT), a 501(c)(3) organization.
ACTION: Due Date: Now.
- Feel like you’re stuck in an energy rut? You crave energy but almost everything out there warms the planet. How about Clean Energy Victory Bonds? There’s no getting around it: If you give the fossil fuel billions in tax subsidies they will take it and not give it back; and when they melt the Arctic with their greenhouse gases, they see opportunity with the pristine Arctic environment and start drilling. So what are you going to do? Why not launch a public effort to fund renewable energy, energy that won’t pollute the planet and warm it up beyond our sustainability level, with the collective might our own monies like we did back in World War Two? Victory Bonds. Help push this bill to put renewable energy out in front: Clean Energy Victory Bonds On August 2, Representative Bob Filner and 10 cosponsors introduced the Clean Energy Victory Bonds Act of 2012, H.R. 6275 in the House of Representatives. The bill, officially entitled “To promote the domestic development and deployment of clean energy technologies required for the 21st century,” will allow all Americans to invest in Treasury Bonds for as little as $25 each that will fund a clean energy future. The $50 billion raised from the bonds will fund clean energy programs that support wind, solar, energy efficiency, and electric vehicles in the United States.
ACTION: Call Governor Cuomo Today.
- Stopping Fracking in New York State may be the most important thing you do today. Tell Governor Cuomo that Fracking is not a good idea for New York; don’t give into despair that this cannot be stopped; and, make sure your children can’t blame you for not trying stopping this disaster that will befall them. "Despite a record-breaking 74,000 public comments, we still need your help to make Governor Cuomo hear that fracking has yet to be proven safe. It will only take you a couple of minutes. Please tell Governor Cuomo not to put New Yorkers' health at risk. Call 1-866-584-6799 and leave a simple message like, "Protect New York's water, land and air by not permitting fracking in New York. Instead, support renewable energy that will bring good, long-term jobs to New Yorkers!" This phone number goes through Food & Water Watch who is keeping track of the number of calls, and is directed to a recording from the Governor's office asking for your name, address and comments. This is part of a state-wide initiative to get a record number of calls in to Governor Cuomo this August. PLEASE MAKE THAT CALL THIS WEEK!!! "
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: 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

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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.]