RENewsletter April 24, 2011

RENewsletter | April 24, 2011

The Free environmental newsletter from RochesterEnvironment.com

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

[4/17/11 – 4/24/11]

* 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? Or, an Environmental Event, Please, SEND ME THE LINK. 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.

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?

* The April 2011 Environmental Site of the Month Award goes to The Rochester Environment Meetup Group (Rochester, NY) “: Go to Award.

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

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

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Opening Salvo: “Earth Day in Rochester, NY and beyond”

I hope ya’ll had a chance to focus on Earth Day in some fashion on Earth Day. Actually, our planet and our environment aren’t in trouble, we are, and all those other living beings now dependant our stewardship. Even if we succeed in poisoning and depleting all of our natural resources, there will be a planet Earth and an environment. They just won’t be inhabitable.

If you didn’t get a chance to hear the Earth Day chat with Linda Isaacson Fedele (chair of the Rochester, Sierra Club) and me, we talked about many of the environmental issues of our region on WXXI Radio: 1370 Connection mentioning many of the factors that give us cause for hope and despair. We thank all those that got back to us about how they liked the show. (I know, I could have had a little less coffee.)

On Thursday, you might have attended the Rochester Sierra Club’s annual environmental forum. If not here’s the skinny on that:

Rochester Sierra Club sustainability conference - Henrietta, NY - Henrietta Post “The Rochester Sierra Club hosted a sustainability conference at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester on Thursday, April 21, 2011. The event featured local businesses, organizations and guest speakers. Homepage - Henrietta, NY - Henrietta Post

If you missed our local Rochester Earth Day events altogether, surf over listen to some great discussions on the state of our environment in many parts of the world.

Democracy Now!: Earth Day Special: Vandana Shiva and Maude Barlow on the Rights of Mother Earth; "Hold Both Parties to High Standards": Van Jones, Obama’s Ex-Green Jobs Czar: and "Now Is Our Time to Take a Stand": Tim DeChristopher’s Message to Youth Climate Activists at Power Shift 2011.

My most immediate environmental concern is that not only will Climate Change make our weather whacky; our whacky politics might render our environment null and void. Those against a rational world view have been trying to gut the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and succeeded in cutting 1.6 billion from the EPA’s budget.

EPA Budget Cut Will Restrict Enforcement of Clean-Air Rules, Activists Say U.S. Environmental Protection Agency efforts to protect public health by enforcing clean air and water rules will be undermined by a planned 16 percent budget reduction, environmental groups said. The agency will lose $1.6 billion as part of a deal between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders to produce $38 billion in spending cuts for the rest of the 2011 fiscal year, according to legislation made public today. A plan detailing where the cuts will be made is due in 30 days. (April 12, 2011) http://www.bloomberg.com/

This kind of nonsense, where some are trying to chuck all our environmental programs and laws, should be a wake-up call to the American people. We are at the brink of putting a whole lot of whacky people in charge of our government who don’t understand or care about science. You absolutely don’t want your president, your governor, senator, or any one in charge of public policy not preparing and not doing all they can to halt Climate Change. The American people have got to stop thinking about their short-term interests and begin situating our government to handle what’s coming down the pipe—a hundred years of Climate Change even if we stopped putting one more carbon dioxide molecule into our atmosphere right now.

It may sound great to have lower taxes, lower gas prices, and wildly exuberant stocks making zillions of dollars because corporations are getting away without paying their fair share of their taxes, but believe me that ‘trickle down’ effect, where those making billions of dollars will allegedly create jobs for the rest of us, doesn’t work. Our long history of environmental abuse from corporations who have sucked the life blood out of our planet (Brownfields and pollution) will continue to happen if we don’t tighten up environmental controls and monitor our environment continually. Sure, those whacky politicians who want government out of your pocketbook make great sound bites on those loony political commercials, but in the real world we need a large governmental presence to make sure environmental laws are enforced and our environment protected. Happy talk by the people who caused our budgetary problems and are now profiting from them, just won’t do the trick.

I hope we can note some progress on providing our next generation with a sustainable environment on next year’s Earth Day.

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]

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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.]

4/23/2011 - More Earth Day activities in the Rochester, NY Region. Earth Day Activities | 520 - An Environmental Blog | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle "Looking for a way to celebrate Earth Day? Tonight the Rochester branch of the Sierra Club will host a forum called “Sustainable Production: Rochester’s Cutting Edge.” Speakers include Nabil Nasr, director of the Golisano Center for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology, and Catherine Reeves, Xerox’s director of sustainable operations. The program begins at 7 p.m. but attendees can gather an hour before for food and networking. The event takes place at the First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. " (April 22, 2011) 520 - An Environmental Blog | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
4/22/2011 - How does Rochester, NY measure up on our environment? We here in Rochester, NY have seen many programs (like the City of Rochester’s Bicycle Master Plan that includes Bicycle Boulevards, Monroe County’s Pick-Up-The-Parks program, our area’s leadership in lead poisoning prevention, and much more) that should put our region up for some kind of acknowledgement. We’re happy that Syracuse has gotten some notice by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and we hope they will take another look at Rochester, NY and Monroe County. Syracuse, Onondaga County named top EPA green community | syracuse.com Syracuse, N.Y. -- Onondaga County and Syracuse on Tuesday were named one of 10 top green communities in the nation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "These communities are way ahead of the curve," said Judith Enck, an EPA regional administrator whose district includes New York. (April 22, 2011) Syracuse NY Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - syracuse.com
4/22/2011 - Climate Change will affect us: This article below highlights how Climate Change will most likely affect our human infrastructure because of more rainfall and more extreme weather events. Are we in Rochester, NY going to be ready for the changes? What other events can we here in Rochester expect from Climate Change and what will we do to prepare? These are the questions before us, not whether Climate Change is worth bothering with—as too many of those who will be affected by Climate Change doubt. Articles like the one below are not only of interest to those in Chicago. Chicago is a city on the Great Lakes and so is Rochester, NY; if one city is anticipating Climate Change effects, one can only assume other cities are doing so also. The public needs to be continually reminded that those who represent them and are accountable to them must prepare for Climate Change. Climate change: More intense rains could swamp Chicago's aging sewers - chicagotribune.com In a city built on a swamp, where rainstorms already flood basements and force sewage into Lake Michigan and local streams, climate change could make Chicago's chronic water pollution woes even worse. Researchers hired by Mayor Richard Daley's office estimate that intense rainfall will happen more frequently in the not-so-distant future because of warming global temperatures, challenging the region's aging sewers and the troubled Deep Tunnel project more than ever. (April 21, 2011) Chicago Tribune: Chicago news, sports, weather and traffic - chicagotribune.com#&lid=Home&lpos=Main
4/21/2011 - Mapping pollution: Where are those polluted and damaged sites in our region that threaten our wildlife and our resources? Check out this online map by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that points them out. They are sectioned as oil spills, landfills, Superfund sites, and contaminated sites.Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration | Northeast Region | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service "Service releases map of the Northeast’s contaminated sites One year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill sent more than 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continues to determine how this spill affected our nation’s natural resources. The Northeast Region is commemorating this anniversary by highlighting contaminated sites across 13 states. The Service is releasing an interactive map with restoration information to feature the new regional Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program website. Visit the NRDAR website for more information and to view the map. " --from Northeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4/20/2011 - Hydrofracking, making our decisions: Saying that we need go after natural gas in New York State because there are jobs, because of national security, and because it will bring in a lot of money to the state is not the whole picture. Instead of arguing all points and using whatever ‘facts’ come to light, we should also find a way to sift through the myriads of facts and figures to determine the best argument, the most important concerns, and the proper context hydrofracking should be placed into our energy needs. Talk about hydrofracking for natural gas should include Climate Change. Because of the catastrophic change to our region that will come with Climate Change we should be focusing on that first, instead of the other issues that can be solved in other ways. For example, much of our energy needs can be gotten by renewable energy (wind and solar) that won’t contribute to greenhouse gases like digging for natural gas will. And now this study (below) questions whether digging for natural gas will release so much methane gas (far more potent than Carbon Dioxide) that it could be dirtier than using coal. Cornell Chronicle: Fracking's natural gas may be 'dirtier' than coal "Extracting natural gas from the Marcellus Shale could do more to aggravate global warming than mining coal, according to a Cornell study published in the May issue of Climatic Change Letters (105:5). While natural gas has been touted as a clean-burning fuel that produces less carbon dioxide than coal, ecologist Robert Howarth warns that we should be more concerned about methane leaking into the atmosphere during hydraulic fracturing. " (April 11, 2011) Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future - News
4/20/2011 - ACTION: Take action by submitting public comment on how we New Yorkers should get our energy in the coming years. Think about Climate Change and public health will be affected by how we get our energy. Ask yourself. Do we need nuclear power? Is nuclear power safe? Is the state doing all it can on mitigating the consequences of Climate Change and even slowing it down? Should we ban hydrofracking or and keep it from our waste water systems that we not designed to filter chemicals unknown. And more. You have until Friday, April 29th. Submit a Comment "Submit a Comment - 2013 State Energy Plan "Draft Scope" The New York State Energy Planning Board is soliciting public comments on the Draft Scope for the 2013 State Energy Plan [PDF]. The topic areas to be developed in the 2013 State Energy Plan are based on and guided by the statutory requirements specified in Article 6 of the Energy Law. Comments may address any aspect of the Draft Scope including how the Board should conduct the technical and policy analyses described in the Draft Scope as well as any additional issues that should be addressed. Comment period ends April 29, 2011 Please complete the boxes below and click submit to send your comments. If you wish to include more information than the form can hold, please either (1) check the box in the form and you will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to send additional materials via e-mail or (2) mail your comments to the address at the bottom of this page. " 2013 New York State Energy Plan Home
4/19/2011 - Still time: There is still time to make public comment on the Genesee Transportation’s long range Transportation plan. You have until April 29th, 2011: LRTP- 2035 "The Draft Long Range Transportation Plan for the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region 2035 (Draft LRTP 2035) identifies the direction for the region’s transportation system and serves as the framework for future investment in highways, bridges, public transportation, bicycle and pedestrian paths and trails, and transportation-related air quality improvement projects. The Draft LRTP 2035 assesses existing and projected transportation system capabilities, needs, and objectives and includes recommendations to meet these objectives through 2035. The Draft LRTP 2035 is being developed with input from residents, businesses, and community organizations. The first round of public involvement was held in November and December 2010 to review and gather input on opportunities and issues facing the nine-county region and potential transportation alternatives to be considered. GTC is currently conducting a second round of public involvement from March 16, 2011 through April 29, 2011 to solicit comments on the Draft LRTP 2035 document. The Draft LRTP 2035 document includes recommendations to improve the performance of the regional transportation system based on the input received during the first round. " Genesee Transportation Council
4/19/2011 - Imagine the possibilities Imagine the possibilities of solving Climate Change and its effect on our Great Lakes if we could support wind and solar power the way we support gas, oil, natural gas, and nuclear power. As stated in this insightful article, Climate Change is going change the Great Lakes. That should stand out in one’s mind as the most important fact in our energy debates. So, one has to measure the revulsion of some who are against the unsightliness of wind turbines with the great collapse of the largest fresh water system in the world because of Climate Change. Instead of spending billions of dollars on more nuclear plants (not to mention how dangerous they are), which will take years to build, we could be funding more studies to protect wildlife from wind turbines and creating jobs in the Rochester region. Our canals could help transport large wind turbine equipment, instead of hauling them across our highways. Our old factories and their infrastructure could be retrofitted to create renewable energy rather than old polluting energy. And, with public monies going towards battery storage, energy efficiencies (like florescent bulbs instead of incandescent), smart grids to supply the power when it is needed, and conservation measures taken to reduce our energy needs our environment could have a chance. Because, at the end of the day, renewable energy must be a critical part of our energy equation because our environment is in trouble. All other energy sources, except the renewable, heat the planet or are so dangerous and polluting that our next generation is going to be facing a very hot future. The economy, the tax exemptions, and government subsidies should favor an energy system that will make our environment sustainable—not enrich the rich. When you say no to wind and solar, you say yes to Climate Change. ENVIRONMENT: Offshore wind is about balance - News Blog - Rochester City Newspaper The key to successful offshore wind development in the Great Lakes will be balance: finding middle ground between blanket opposition and support. Yesterday, during a conference at RIT devoted to offshore wind in the Great Lakes, a National Wildlife Federation representative summarized the situation. Frank Szollosi, a policy analyst at NWF's Great Lakes field office, said the projects are needed to help protect species from the effects of climate change, but those same living things need to be protected from energy infrastructure as well. (April 14, 2011) Rochester NY News, Events, Restaurants, Music, Entertainment, Nightlife - Rochester City Newspaper
4/19/2011 - Get the facts on greenhouse gas emission from the EPA: Like to read? This is it a study about what we know about anthropogenic (human caused) greenhouse gas in the past years. It’s 459 pages so, settled down and sit awhile. 2011 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report | Climate Change - Greenhouse Gas Emissions | U.S. EPA "An emissions inventory that identifies and quantifies a country's primary anthropogenic1 sources and sinks of greenhouse gases is essential for addressing climate change. This inventory adheres to both (1) a comprehensive and detailed set of methodologies for estimating sources and sinks of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, and (2) a common and consistent mechanism that enables Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to compare the relative contribution of different emission sources and greenhouse gases to climate change. "
4/19/2011 - Ramping up environmental concerns: Rather than sitting by idly while their future goes up in heat, many young folks are taking a zero a tolerance stance towards polluting energy and Climate Change. Last weekend’s PowerShift rally in Washington was quite a deal. Whit Jones: 5,000 Young Voters Rally for a Power Shift, Demand President Obama Stand Up to Big Polluters “AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Cherri Foytlin of Gulf Change, and 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben addressed the demonstration in front of the White House. They're demanding that the president and Congress stand up to Big Polluters, protect the Clean Air Act, and make corporate polluters like BP pay for their pollution.” Green News and Opinion on The Huffington Post How this will play in Peoria? Meaning, how much attention will this get in mainstream media? I don’t know. But a shift is occurring in the strategy in some environmentalists to demand a sustainable future—instead of the doomed one being offered by big business. And that anger and frustration at their future being compromised may be harder and harder to ignore. Environmental Activists Occupy Interior Dept. at End of PowerShift Conference "2:15pm EDT Tim DeChristopher, activist and founder of the environmental group Peaceful Uprising, called Democracy Now! with an update from the U.S. Department of Interior, where 300-400 people are outside protesting and another 50 people are inside and refusing to leave. The march comes at the end of the four-day PowerShift conference in D.C., where 10,000 activists gathered to demand a clean energy future, targeting the Dept. of the Interior for green-lighting mountaintop "coal" removal mining, oil drilling, and now massive new coal development in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. " April 18, 2011) A daily TV/radio news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, airing on over 900 stations, pioneering the largest community media collaboration in the United States.
4/18/2011 -The GOP needs to grow up: Is removing environmental constraints on business the dialogue we should be having in a modern society? Considering the number of Brownfields and ubiquitous environmental pollution in our air, land, and water, is there any credence to the GOP argument that environmental rules are keeping business from success? It might be, but only in a childish way against authority. However, in the future there will be more environmental regulations because our environment has been trashed by business practices in the past, including air pollution and the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels world-wide. We need to be able to talk about important matters like Climate Change in this country free of political ideological nonsense. Clearly, it is nonsense to allow businesses to function without environmental regulations, as they have proved since businesses have begun that only making a profit comes first for them. While this may make sense to some, it does not make sense to a species that intents to survive. The GOP’s reaction to more environmental regulations is an emotional response to those trying to limit their profits, when in truth no one will make a profit in an environment that is collapsing. Yes, there should be dialogues about how to create a world-wide level playing field concerning environmental regulations on how business can profit in these times of extraordinary environmental concerns. But, eliminating and gutting the agencies themselves that attempt to keep our environment healthy are childish and unfit for an intelligent for a mature conversation about a very serious subject. At State Level, G.O.P. Seeks Big Environmental Cutbacks - NYTimes.com Another Tea Party ally, Gov. Rick Scott of Florida, has proposed eliminating millions of dollars in annual outlays for land conservation as well as cutting to $17 million the $50 million allocated in last year’s budget for the restoration of the dwindling Everglades. Weeks after he was sworn in as governor of Maine, Paul LePage, a Tea Party favorite, announced a 63-point plan to cut environmental regulations, including opening three million acres of the North Woods for development and suspending a law meant to monitor toxic chemicals that could be found in children’s products. (April 15, 2011) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia
4/18/2011 - Find out how Climate Change will affect Great Lakes Fishes. One of the great abilities for environmentalists on the Internet is to attend a public meeting hosted by experts from their own home. Check out this webinar, a seminar on the web about specific information on how Climate Change will impact our region.Webinars, Changing Climate Climate Change Impacts on Great Lakes Fishes "Presented by Stuart Ludsin Stuart Ludsin is currently an Assistant Professor in the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory within The Ohio State University’s Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology. He currently is a member of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s Board of Technical Experts and previously worked as a Fisheries Research Biologist with the NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. His research explores mechanisms that regulate fish population and community dynamics in Great Lakes, estuarine, coastal ocean, and inland reservoir ecosystems and applies this ecological understanding to resource management problems "

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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.

April 2011

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the town of Riga highway garage, 6475 East Buffalo Road., Churchill, NY 14424

Electronics recycling event in Churchville | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com Sunnking Electronics Recycling and the village of Churchville will host a free residential electronics recycling collection event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the town of Riga highway garage, 6475 East Buffalo Road. Residents are encouraged to bring electronics such as laptops, desktops, computer accessories, televisions, monitors, audio/video equipment, MP3 players, communications equipment, servers and IT equipment, printers, scanners, copiers, fax machines, cell phones, PDAs, medical/lab equipment and anything else with a circuit board or cord. (April 22, 2011) Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York | democratandchronicle.com [more on Events in our area}

April 27, 2011, 9 :00am -4:00pm | Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside 120 East Main Street , Rochester NY 14604, United States

Save the date: Greater Rochester Active Transportation Symposium(Event) Active Transportation Symposium Save the date: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 for a unique opportunity to change Rochester’s transportation. Much has still to be worked out, but this event will be held in Rochester, NY. Seeking: Organizations and institutional leaders in government, education, community organizations and the business community and individual activists. For: a full day event with National and local experts. To: make Greater Rochester a preeminent Active Transportation region. Walking and wheeling can improve health and the bottom line for businesses and the community. Brought to you by: Rochester Cycling Alliance, Genesee Transportation Council, NYS Dept. of Transportation, Monroe County and the City of Rochester. Continuing Education Credits being Pursued. For more information contact Richard DeSarra at rdscomm@rochester.rr.com or Rochelle Bell at rbell@monroecounty.gov .

Saturday, April 30, 2011 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Cornell Cooperative Extension 249 Highland Ave, Rochester 14620

Earth Day Expo Free Event Saturday, April 30, 2011 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Cornell Cooperative Extension 249 Highland Ave, Rochester 14620 Families, come learn how to do your part for the environment through unique, hands-on activities. Booth displays featuring: Environmental sustainability, Energy efficiency, Home and community recycling, Worm composting, Lead hazards, Green energy, City & suburban green neighborhoods, Permaculture, Home Gardening, Healthy, fun activities for kids plus zoo animals on-site! View Flyer --from CEI: Center for Environmental Information

Saturday, April 30, 2011 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Dansville Middle School Dansville, NY

2011 Regional Preservation Conference - Repair, Rehabilitate, Reuse Strategies for Sustaining Buildings & Communities The Landmark Society of Western New York’s 25th Annual Preservation Conference Saturday, April 30, 2011 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Dansville Middle School Dansville, NY REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! The Landmark Society’s Annual Preservation Conference is the only annual conference in central/western New York that focuses on historic buildings, sites and landscapes.

9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 30, at Camp Eastman, 1558 Lake Shore Blvd., Irondequoit, NY

The Irondequoit Conservation Board is seeking to educate the community about storm water pollution prevention with a Rain Barrel Workshop from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 30, at Camp Eastman, 1558 Lake Shore Blvd. Participants will leave with a rain barrel and an understanding of why using them will not only save watering costs, but help build a more sustainable community. Admission is $55 (includes rain barrel materials). Registration is required by April 8. Contact Michelle Nichols at (585) 336-6017 or mnichols@irondequoit.org.

Saturday, April 30, 2011, from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. | find locations here http://www.monroecounty.gov/?q=node/6400

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Saturday, April 30, 2011, from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. This is a great opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted, unused prescription drugs. To date, Monroe County, Wegmans, local police departments and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) have served more than 6,000 residents and accepted more than 15,000 pounds of pharmaceutical waste. All medications will be destroyed by an incineration process which is overseen by law enforcement. Learn More

Saturday May 21, 2011 from 9 AM to 1 PM at Seneca Park

Trash Bash to focus on cleanup and recycling Saturday May 21, 2011 from 9 AM to 1 PM at Seneca Park This year’s Trash Bash not only will help clean up the park but also emphasize recycling efforts. The event will be on Saturday May 21 from 9 AM to 1 PM. We will be picking up Seneca Park and will have an electronics collection at the same time. There are plans for food, drinks and a band from 11 AM to 1PM. Details forth coming. more at CEI: Center for Environmental Information

Saturday, April 30th, 2011 at the Walden Galleria from 10am to 6pm | Buffalo, NY

2011 Buffalo Niagara Green Expo Date Announced - GrowWNY Saturday, April 30th, 2011 at the Walden Galleria Mall With great enthusiasm and excitement we announce that the 3rd Annual Buffalo Niagara Green Expo will take place Saturday, April 30th, 2011 at the Walden Galleria from 10am to 6pm. Come to the 3rd Annual Buffalo Niagara Green Expo, and learn from over 100 exhibitors and presenters how to GO GREEN in your Home, Body, Garden, Business, Career and Community! Gain invaluable insight into topics such as sustainable energy, weatherization and energy efficiency, green landscaping and gardening, holistic health, eco-friendly cleaning, composting, water purification and so much more! This event also promotes networking where new business-to-business relationships can develop and companies with employment opportunities can connect with people looking to get into the green job sector. Bring your resume and learn about green careers! Education and fun come together in the Kid’s Zone, where children can take part in exciting, environmentally-themed activities!

May 2011

Fri, 05/06/2011 - Sat, 05/07/2011 Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ages: All Ages Family Price: Free with Zoo admission. Venue: Seneca Park Zoo

Our Fragile World Environmental Fair | Kids Out and About.com (Rochester)The Seneca Park Zoo has a goal to engage, inspire and empower citizens to act on behalf of wildlife, nature and our environment. Each year, this event features 30 or more local environmentally-conscious businesses, nature organizations and government agencies that are working to improve the health of our local environment. We hope you will join us and learn how to make our world a healthier place for wildlife, your children and generations to come. Our event in 2010 was held on April 30 and May 1. Nearly 1,000 students participated in the Zoo's interactive Scavenger Hunt held on Friday, April 30. There were 40 booths, 33 outside vendors and seven Docent stations for the students to check out along the way.

Sat 5/14/2011 - Give Your Stuff Away Day - Here's how to get your community involved... http://giveyourstuffaway.com/

Give Your Stuff Away Day May 14, 2011 The World's Biggest Recycling / Giveaway Event Free stuff will be available in neighborhoods all over on May 14, 2011. It’s an event Mike Morone is hoping to establish annually. This event could help millions, while shrinking landfills, reducing clutter, lowering costs, and boosting the economy. Don’t we all own items we don’t use or want any more? Why do we keep it all? In one weekend, let’s take this stuff and give it away, instantly creating the world’s biggest recycling / giveaway event! On May 14th, bring your stuff to the curb for others. Then go and get some new stuff! http://facebook.com/giveyourstuffaway

Rochester, NY May 15, 2011, 9AM- Perinton Park (near the lodge), Perinton, NY

Fight for Air Walk – Rochester, NY - American Lung Association "Event Information We walk for healthy lungs and clean air. Why will YOU walk? Fight for Air Walk gives you the power to improve the air we breathe. Walk with us to help a child suffering from asthma. Walk with us to cure lung cancer and other lung diseases. Walk with us to protect your family from the harmful effects of air pollution and secondhand smoke. Walk with us for healthy lungs and clean air. WHEN: Sunday, May 15, 2011 START TIME: Check-In: 9 am, Start Time: 10 am WHERE: Perinton Park (near the lodge) REGISTRATION FEE: $10 for adults, free for children under 18 START A TEAM: Enjoy the experience of fundraising and walking with a team of family, friends, neighbors or coworkers. You only need 3 people to start a team. Start your team right now! (link this to team sign up page) CONTACT US: For more information, email us at rochesterwalk@alany.org or call 585-442-4260 ext. 102 "

Sunday, May 22nd at 1 PM in Cobbs Hill Park (the corner of Norris Dr. and Culver Road)

Event for Transportation on Bike Week: UMNA’s 2011 Bicycle Boulevard Ride On Sunday, May 22nd at 1 PM in Cobbs Hill Park (the corner of Norris Dr. and Culver Road), we will hold another Bicycle Boulevard ride. Our ride is called the Upper Monroe/ Swillburg Bicycle Boulevard ride. The bicycle ride will begin at 1PM sharp and it will be lead by a Rochester Bicycling Club Board member. You’ll need to wear a helmet and children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Last year, over forty bicyclists rode the bicycle boulevard demonstration ride through Upper Monroe neighborhood in Rochester, New York. more...

September 2011

September 17-18, 2011 - High Falls, Downtown, Rochester, NY

Greentopia Festival The Greentopia Festival is Rochester’s and the Finger Lakes celebration of the green movement sweeping around the globe. The two-day, interactive fest in historic High Falls will reveal what the region is doing to help the environment – and envision a greener Rochester of the future. Think of Greentopia as a walk-through of a totally sustainable Rochester. We’ve already begun this walk by exploring healthier ways of living, as individuals and as a community. In social, economic and environmental ways, we’ve made the decision to go green.

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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.

Due Date: Now

ACTION: Check out this new campaign by the Citizens Campaign for the Environment on Solar Jobs for New York. This action is the kind of direction we should take towards curbing Climate Change and creating more jobs. CITIZENS CAMPAIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ACTION ALERT We Need Solar Jobs for New York! Thank Senator Maziarz for sponsoring the Solar Jobs Act and urge the Senate to pass this important legislation into law Harnessing the power of the sun creates local jobs, improves air quality, and stabilizes volatile energy costs. Unfortunately, NYS continues to slip further behind other states in installing clean, local, and sustainable solar energy. In 2006, NYS ranked sixth among states in installed solar, and today NYS has fallen out of the top ten. Bring the power of the sun back to New York: pass the Solar Jobs Act this year!

Due Date: now

ACTION: Help Catch Juvenile Eels for Research! With the arrival of spring, the NYSDEC Estuary Program and Research Reserve are looking for volunteers to help out with American eel monitoring on Hudson River streams. Volunteers will be trained on how to check nets that capture two-inch juvenile eels that migrated here from their birthplace in the Atlantic Ocean. Teams will be checking nets in Yonkers, Oscawana, West Haverstraw, Cold Spring, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Hyde Park, West Park, Annandale, and Ravena/New Baltimore. In 2010, volunteers caught and released over 11,000 juvenile eels, and this information contributes to an eel conservation project along the entire east coast. If interested in participating, please contact Sarah Mount at (845) 889-4745 (x108), or send an email (sjmount@gw.dec.state.ny.us). Visit the American Eel Research webpage for more details and information.

ACTION: Due Date: now

Major action on Climate Change by Bill McKibben and 350.org. You can take part and act locally. Recruiting Local Businesses | The U.S. Chamber Doesn't Speak For Me "Here’s the plan: If we can get thousands of small businesses across the country to declare that “The US Chamber Doesn’t Speak for me,” we can get local and state chambers of commerce to do the same. By compiling thousands of declarations, we’ll build a critical mass representing the true voice of business, and fight back against the millions of dollars of money pollution that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is pumping into Washington DC. " - from 350.org

ACTION: Due date: Friday, April 29th, 2011

Take action by submitting public comment on how we New Yorkers should get our energy in the coming years. Think about Climate Change and public health will be affected by how we get our energy. Ask yourself. Do we need nuclear power? Is nuclear power safe? Is the state doing all it can on mitigating the consequences of Climate Change and even slowing it down? Should we ban hydrofracking or and keep it from our waste water systems that we not designed to filter chemicals unknown. And more. You have until Friday, April 29th. Submit a Comment "Submit a Comment - 2013 State Energy Plan "Draft Scope" The New York State Energy Planning Board is soliciting public comments on the Draft Scope for the 2013 State Energy Plan [PDF]. The topic areas to be developed in the 2013 State Energy Plan are based on and guided by the statutory requirements specified in Article 6 of the Energy Law. Comments may address any aspect of the Draft Scope including how the Board should conduct the technical and policy analyses described in the Draft Scope as well as any additional issues that should be addressed. Comment period ends April 29, 2011 Please complete the boxes below and click submit to send your comments. If you wish to include more information than the form can hold, please either (1) check the box in the form and you will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to send additional materials via e-mail or (2) mail your comments to the address at the bottom of this page. " 2013 New York State Energy Plan Home

ACTION: April 29th, 2011

Still time: There is still time to make public comment on the Genesee Transportation’s long range Transportation plan. You have until April 29th, 2011: LRTP- 2035 "The Draft Long Range Transportation Plan for the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region 2035 (Draft LRTP 2035) identifies the direction for the region’s transportation system and serves as the framework for future investment in highways, bridges, public transportation, bicycle and pedestrian paths and trails, and transportation-related air quality improvement projects. The Draft LRTP 2035 assesses existing and projected transportation system capabilities, needs, and objectives and includes recommendations to meet these objectives through 2035. The Draft LRTP 2035 is being developed with input from residents, businesses, and community organizations. The first round of public involvement was held in November and December 2010 to review and gather input on opportunities and issues facing the nine-county region and potential transportation alternatives to be considered. GTC is currently conducting a second round of public involvement from March 16, 2011 through April 29, 2011 to solicit comments on the Draft LRTP 2035 document. The Draft LRTP 2035 document includes recommendations to improve the performance of the regional transportation system based on the input received during the first round. " Genesee Transportation Council

ACTION: Due Date: May 20, 2011

DEC Accepting Applications for Environmental Excellence Awards Annual Competition Will Recognize Innovative and Sustainable Practices Applications are now being accepted for the 2011 Environmental Excellence Awards program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. The program recognizes businesses, governments, not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, and individuals in New York State that are achieving environmental excellence through innovative and environmentally sustainable practices or partnerships Applications for the awards must be post marked no later than Friday, May 20, 2011. Information about the award program, the application materials and information on past award winners is available on the DEC website or by writing to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Pollution Prevention Unit, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-1750; by phone to DEC's Pollution Prevention Unit at (518) 402-9469; or by email to eeawards@gw.dec.state.ny.us.

Action: Due Date - Now

Join a new local Hydrofracturing Action Alert email list by contacting Anna Sears asears@rochester.rr.com. Also the local Sierra Club's Global Warming & Energy Committee has been addressing the topic of Hydrofracturing. They meet the 2nd Monday evening of the month. Contact bteheger@juno.com for more info. Also - you may wish to review this coalition letter Coalition Letter to Governor Cuomo Regarding Executive Order No. 41: Requiring Further Environmental Review of High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing Combined With Horizontal Drilling | Toxics Targeting and Governor Cuomo issued a "continuation" of Executive Order No. 41 on his first day in office, as he earlier signaled he would. See: No. 2 REVIEW, CONTINUATION AND EXPIRATION OF PRIOR EXECUTIVE ORDERS | Governor

ACTION: Due Date: Until the money runs out.

There is still time to save energy on this NYSERDA program until the money for the rebates run out: New York's Great Appliance Swap Out "The New York State Energy-Efficient Appliance Rebate Program To qualify, your eligible appliance(s) must be purchased between February 12th, 2010 and the date available funding runs out. Welcome to "New York’s Great Appliance Swap Out" website which will provide all the information you need in order to participate. This rebate program, administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), is available to residential consumers replacing existing appliances of the same type with new ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances or High Efficiency ENERGY STAR appliances. A larger rebate will be granted to consumers who recycle their discarded appliances. Appliance Rebate Funds Still Available!!! Due to a large number of rebate reservations that were never claimed, there are still funds available under New York’s Great Appliance Swap Out! Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funds remain available. " --a program funded by ARRA and administered by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

ACTION: Due Date - Now

Sierra Club: Help Ban Toxics from Children's Toy Jewelry! Help Ban Toxics from Children's Toy Jewelry! After Congress acted, the Consumer Product Safety Commission finally took action to protect children from lead in children's products. Now another dangerous toxin, cadmium, is being found in children’s toy jewelry. Please take a moment today and tell the Commission to protect our families from cadmium in children's toys! --from Sierra Club Home Page: Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet

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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.]

The April 2011 Environmental Site of the Month Award goes to The Rochester Environment Meetup Group (Rochester, NY) This site represents a group of concerned citizens who are focused on solving local environmental problems. They meet often to discuss ways of moving forward. They provide an easy way to list discussion threads and how to join.

The Rochester Environment Meetup Group (Rochester, NY) “We are concerned with a set of problems we recognize as affecting how environmental changes we desire become stymied. We started with a concern about Global Warming. And now have our focus on trying to reticulate possible, real paths toward solutions.”