RENewsletter | August 28, 2011

The Free environmental newsletter from RochesterEnvironment.com

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

You can read this newsletter online, just click this week: RENewsletter

[8/21/11 – 8/28/11]

* Got news? | Go to my blog: Environmental Thoughts - Rochester, NY or Tweet me @ http://twitter.com/#!/FrankRrrr On Twitter, 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.

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

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

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

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Opening Salvo: “We need you on a bike to Greentopia September 17^th”

What has become crystal clear to me as Transportation chair of the Rochester Group of the Sierra Club is this: Active transportation (walking and bicycling) can be one of the most important Climate Change solutions for the Rochester, NY region. As transportation accounts for 27% of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and even 40%, according to the Executive Summary New York State Climate Action Plan Interim Report, how we get around each day matters a lot to our environment. Riding a bicycle as transportation is mentioned in all Climate Change actions for the federal, state, and community plans as an important component in reducing greenhouse gases.

For some time now, the Rochester, NY region has been engaged in an effort to increase bicycles as a realistic mode of transportation:

· An important update to the Genesee Transportation Council’s bicycling Map is available online, in all Monroe County Bicycle Shops, and almost any bicycling event occurring in our area. Find the best bicycle routes to your destination, including work, with this great map.

· In 2008 Rochester won “Honorable Mention” for the Bicycle Friendly Community Award from the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), a national bicycle advocacy organization that manages the Bicycle Friendly America program.

· Back in April an important symposium with many of local leaders worked on active transportation issues produced Walk, Bike, Smile, Thrive: a report on the first Greater Rochester Active Transportation Symposium, by Jon Schull, Ph.D. Interim Director, RIT Center for Student Innovation, and Scott MacRae, M.D. Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester. “Walking and biking is good for your health, good for your state of mind, and good for Rochester. And it’s about to get better. “

· Quietly, without much fanfare, some improvements for our area’s bicycling commuters have been happening: City of Rochester has portable Event Racks for loan; Shared Lane Pavement Markings – now appearing in Rochester; and City of Rochester’s first installed Bicycle Shelter . (from Rochester Cycling Alliance, where you can find more information and advocacy for bicycles as transportation in our region.)

· The bicycle boulevards concept, which provides safe accommodation for cycling and encourages its residents to bike for transportation and recreation, is now in the City of Rochester’s Bicycle Master Plan. Also, on Sunday, May 23, 2010 in Cobbs Hill Park, over forty bicyclists began a bicycle boulevard demonstration ride through the Upper Monroe neighborhood in Rochester, New York and demonstrated what this concept feels like.

· The long-awaited Complete Streets bill has just been passed by the governor. This has the potential to vastly increase the safety of bicycling in our streets. “NY Enacts Law to Protect All Who Use Local Streets … that should eventually make it safer for pedestrians, bikers and parents with strollers to navigate New York streets. Locals say the new law is especially important on Long Island, where multi-lane highways were built with little thought to pedestrians. Linda Lisi Juergens, executive director of the National Association of Mothers' Centers, says it's a sign of relief for children who walk or bike to school, and moms and dads who like to walk to do their shopping.” (August 17, 2011) Public News Service

So, this is all to say that now we need you bicyclists, you casual bike riders, the Rochester-area bicycling community, those who are concerned about our environment, and those who care how we address Climate Change to come to Greentopia’s* Moving Planet Bike the Bridges Self-Guided Bike Ride. Meet us on Saturday. September 17^th, 9AM -10:30AM, Genesee Valley Sports Complex, 131 Elmwood Avenue.

Here’s my final main pitch: Getting Rochester to the goal of a truly bicycle-friendly community, where anyone who wants to can bike those short distances (that now most use their vehicles for) and relieve the pressure on our transportation system and our environment, is a chicken-and-egg problem: in order to get folks on bicycles as transportation we need safe infrastructure, but we cannot do that if the public doesn’t demonstrate that they want it. Here’s your chance to solve that conundrum. Get the flyer and get the details: http://newyork.sierraclub.org/rochester/Transportation/bike%20brochurevfinal%20(2).pdf

* Greentopia Festival “Think Green. Live Green. Save Green| Rochester New York’s First Green Festival |The Greentopia Festival is Rochester New York’s and the Finger Lakes celebration of the green movement sweeping around the globe. The two-day, interactive festival in historic High Falls will reveal what the Western New York region is doing to help the environment – and envision a greener Rochester of the future.” High Falls, Rochester, NY | September 17-18, 10AM-6PM.

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]

• Indian Point is ready for the storm, Entergy says
• Ballast system may kill Great Lakes invasives | Green Bay Press Gazette | greenbaypressgazette.com
• U.S. to Slash Marcellus Shale Gas Estimate 80% - BloomberginShare
• Earthquake readiness of U.S. nuclear power plants is unclear – USATODAY.com
• House Republicans Seek to Remove U.S. Funding for UN Climate Efforts | SolveClimate News
• State Department's Keystone XL environmental assessment said to be imminent - Winnipeg Free Press
• Age no barrier to saving the planet | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com
• NYSERDA Relaunches ENERGY STAR® Homes Program
• New York Adopt-a-Beach inaugural event planned - ObserverToday.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Dunkirk | The Observer
• State Implements Quarantine to Prevent Spread of Emerald Ash Borer - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
• NCPR News - St. Lawrence County studies climate action plan
• Experts, activists debate nuclear power safety following earthquake - The Washington Post
• Debut of Greentopia Festival in High Falls district | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com
• NCPR News - State DEC open to longer comment period on hydrofracking
• 08/19/2011: EPA Awards More Than $300,000 to Paul Smith’s College to Control Invasive Species; Grant is One of Nine Awarded to New York for Great Lakes Restoration Work
• DEC hydrofracking panel meets in private | The Ithaca Journal | theithacajournal.com

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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.]

• 8/26/2011 - Why isn’t the public focused on Climate Change? An arm-chair psychology view: Beyond the changes that will be coming to our environment because of Climate Change, which can and must be addressed, is the realization that without a wholesale cooperation from the public there will be no real solutions to adapting to and averting more Climate Change. It still is the case that the real power in this country resides, despite great doubts by many, in the people. What the public chooses to buy, where they choose to work, how they choose to move around, and who they choose to vote for matters a lot—even though all these elements are influenced by advertising, the need for a job, and more. At the end of the day in this democracy what the public thinks matters—and it really matters on Climate Change. more...
• 8/26/2011 - ACTION: "This is a critical moment in the fight to ban fracking in New York. On August 31, the Department of Environmental Conservation is scheduled to release its draft impact statement, which proposes to open large portions of the state to fracking. Sign the petition to Governor Cuomo to ban fracking now! The drumbeat against fracking is growing louder and stronger. You have already taken action by sending letters and submitting comments to put an end to this destructive form of natural gas drilling (thanks!), but you have not yet signed the petition. We need more signatures on our petition to Governor Cuomo urging him to ban fracking in New York. Will you sign today? We anticipate that the draft impact statement will fall short of putting the safety of our water, health, communities and environment before industry profits. While there are alternatives to natural gas, there are no alternatives to water. Will you help us reach our goal of obtaining 5,000 more petition signatures by August 31st? Sign today to ban fracking
• 8/26/2011 - Want to learn more about what’s happening with the Fracking issue in our area? Check this out: FRACKING FRACKING FRACKING! "The last two weeks have been busy on the fracking front. In our last issue of The [Green] Capitol Insider, we asked you to call on Governor Cuomo and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Martens for no less than a 180-day comment period and statewide public hearings on the state’s guidelines for gas drilling using hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” We’re still waiting for a response! However, we have some good news to share: more than a few New York State legislators have joined our appeal for a longer public comment period—because 60 days is not enough time to review the state’s 1,000+ page document. " (August 22, 2011) ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES OF NEW YORK
• 8/26/2011- ACTION: Help track Invasive Species: "Sept. 19, 2011, iMapInvasives.org 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Cornell Cooperative Extension, 249 Highland Ave. Sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension, Monroe County and Genesee Valley Audubon Society, Federation of Monroe County Environmentalist . Are you an outdoor person who has been looking for a volunteer opportunity that fits your schedule? An individual with concerns about invasive species? Are you wondering what else you can do in protecting the environment? We have a citizen science program for you. The New York Natural Heritage Program is asking individuals to help track the spread of invasive species on iMapInvasives.org. Join us Sept. 19th: learn how to identify invasive plant species and learn to enter the data on the web. It is a snap (mouse click). The workshop agenda is 45 minute session on identification of leading invasive plants and a 45 minute session on the use of iMapInvasives.org. Register for this workshop by emailing June Summers (GVAS), at summers@frontiernet.net with you name and phone number. Place Invasives in the subject line. Bring with you, your laptop and the address/location of a patch of invasive plants in your area. "
• 8/25/2011 - Warnings and worries is our Climate Change future Of course we do not know what role Hurricane Irene plays in the Climate Change scenario for our region. There have been hurricanes which reach our New York State coast. And, there have been earthquakes, like the one that hit our area this week, before. What is different and perhaps ominous for our future is that these events must now be seen through the lens of Climate Change. There will be more hurricanes in our region and they will impact our environment, our economy, and more. I’m not the only one who thinks so: more...
• 8/22/2011 - Canada’s oil sands project, arrests in Washington, DC, and Rochester, NY It is getting harder and harder to focus on Climate Change amongst all the other travails affecting everyone. The debt-crisis solutions loom, which many fear will be worse that the debts crisis itself. And, the ubiquitous wars and trying to make ends meet working all those jobs. But there are still other things going on that merit your attention. Our generation has a responsibility to address Climate Change, as the decisions we make now will affect all generations hereafter. Here’s what coming down the tubes for Rochester, even if we do address Climate Change because of what we haven’t done before “Likely Changes.” You don’t want to even think about what lies ahead for your children if we now don’t do something about Climate Change. As you know, Bill McKibben one of the activists helping to focus President Obama’s attention on Climate Change with a two-week demonstration in Washington on the Canadian oil sands project (check Tar Sands Action) is going to be speaking at Greentopia on Sunday, September 18th via Skype in High Falls, in downtown Rochester, NY. more...
• 8/22/2011 - A music video about our environment and our local area and our last chance to get it right: "Mother Earth is Crying" | salmonlinda's Channel - YouTube
• 8/22/2011 - More bicyclists mean less greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. And, if there are more safe places to park your bike, more will commute and shop by bicycle. To that end: Help City find locations for bike racks "The City of Rochester needs your help to find suitable locations for their post & loop or inverted-U bicycle racks. Most of the racks are on the City’s east side so locations on the west side of the City would be especially helpful. " Rochester Cycling Alliance
• 8/22/2011 - Nothing flourished when our environment tanks It seems counterintuitive for many to want less environmental enforcement during a time of severe economic stress—as the GOP desires. Perhaps the environment seems an easy target because the ramifications of pollution, Climate Change, and loss of biodiversity take a while to occur, when the loss of jobs and people’s houses happens quickly. But nothing flourishes when the environment tanks. A long history of abuse to our environment in Brownfields, pollution, and now Climate Change prove that more than ever we need more environmental enforcement, not less. We cannot let the ideological goals of desperate political party override our knowledge that we depend on a healthy environment. NCPR News - Senior EPA official says more "environmental cops" needed There are growing calls these days in Washington DC to abolish or scale back the power of the Environmental Protection Agency. In recent weeks, three of the leading Republican presidential candidates - Michele Bachman, Rick Perry and Ron Paul -- have attacked the EPA out on the campaign trail. (August 22, 2011) NCPR: North Country Public Radio

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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.

August 2011

• Tuesday August 30, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Meet at the Nunda Entrance to the Washington Grove at 8:30 a.m.
• Please Help the City Remove Invasive plants from the Washington Grove, Tuesday August 30, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Here is another opportunity to help remove invasive plants and reduce the accumulation of brush from Washington Grove. The City of Rochester has set Tuesday, August 30 as a volunteer work day in the Washington Grove. In previous work days this summer, the City Forester has cut down a large number of Norway maples, and Washington Grove volunteers have helped remove invasive plants and cleared brush to help in the restoration project. This Tuesday, volunteers are needed to help the City continue to remove the brush from the downed trees, and move larger log sections to trail edges. Additional help is needed to uproot invasive vines such as English Ivy or Winter Creeper and also uproot small Norway maples that were not cut by the City foresters. Meet at the Nunda Entrance to the Washington Grove at 8:30 a.m. Please bring gloves ( we recommend that you bring a good pair of heavy duty work gloves), mosquito repellent and pruning cutters, or loppers for branches. A small folding tree saw is also handy if you have one. You may reply to this email with any questions you may have and we will try to answer your question or direct you to a city forester or park official for the City. Thank you very much for your help. The Friends of Washington Grove.

September 2011

• Saturday, September 3, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. | Ontario Barn Vineyards 513 Whitney Road, Ontario, NY
• Ontario Barn Festival, September 3, 2011, Live Bluegrass, Roots, and Alternative music, BBQ, promotion of solar energy, arts & crafts, apple picking, fun for the entire family. The fifth annual Ontario Barn Festival will be held Saturday, September 3, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The festival will feature all day live music, BBQ, arts & crafts, promotion of solar energy, apple picking, free ice cream and face painting and lots of fun! Bring the entire family!
• 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.
• ACTION: Help track Invasive Species: "Sept. 19, 2011, iMapInvasives.org 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Cornell Cooperative Extension, 249 Highland Ave. Sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension, Monroe County and Genesee Valley Audubon Society, Federation of Monroe County Environmentalist .
• Are you an outdoor person who has been looking for a volunteer opportunity that fits your schedule? An individual with concerns about invasive species? Are you wondering what else you can do in protecting the environment? We have a citizen science program for you. The New York Natural Heritage Program is asking individuals to help track the spread of invasive species on iMapInvasives.org. Join us Sept. 19th: learn how to identify invasive plant species and learn to enter the data on the web. It is a snap (mouse click). The workshop agenda is 45 minute session on identification of leading invasive plants and a 45 minute session on the use of iMapInvasives.org. Register for this workshop by emailing June Summers (GVAS), at summers@frontiernet.net with you name and phone number. Place Invasives in the subject line. Bring with you, your laptop and the address/location of a patch of invasive plants in your area. "
• At the Public Market on Sept. 24th
• Here in Rochester, one Moving Planet effort is “No to Fracking, Yes to Renewables.” At Farmers’ Markets and Greentopia, info and materials will be provided to enable folks to submit comments to the DEC on the SGEIS. Same goes for postcards to our state legislators, in favor of curbing carbon emissions and investing in renewable energy. THEN, on Monday, 9/26, those items will be walked/marched/biked… delivered to the respective DEC and legislators offices. Details: http://www.moving-planet.org/events/us/rochester-public-market/693. Please check the bottom part of the page for ways you can get involved! If interested, you can contact the organizer via the website, or simply respond to me: lci_msw@hotmail.com.
• Sat. Sept. 24th and Sun. Sept. 25
• Important event for understanding Climate Change in our area, part of Moving Planet | A day to move beyond fossil fuels. Bike to Schul | Moving Planet "Members of Temple Sinai in Rochester will be biking (walking or at the very least carpooling) to Temple on Sat. Sept. 24th and Sun. Sept. 25 to show our support of Moving Planet and to demand action on Climate Change. (We will also be celebrating our new bike rack courtesy of the Confirmation class of 2011.) All are welcome to join us. Pictures will be taken during morning and afternoon Sunday school sessions. We call on other synagogues and faith organizations to join in. The time is now to get moving toward a cleaner, greener, more sustainable future. "

October 2011

• October 16, 2011, 2-4PM Temple B’rith Kodesh 2131 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618
• How Hydrofracking Will Impact Rochester October 16, 2011, 2-4PM Temple B’rith Kodesh 2131 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618 Presented by Social Action Committee and Women of Reform Judaism of Temple B'rith Kodesh Sponsored by Interfaith IMPACT of NYS, Interfaith Alliance of Rochester, Social Justice Council of First Unitarian Church, Sierra Club - Rochester Regional Group Organized by R-CAUSE (Rochesterians Concerned About Unsafe Shale-gas Extraction) FORUM KEYNOTE SPEAKER: ANTHONY INGRAFFEA, Ph.D., P.E. Dr. Ingraffea is the Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering and a Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow at Cornell University. He did R&D for the oil and gas industry for 25 years, specializing in hydraulic fracture simulation and pipeline safety, and twice won the National Research Council/U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics Award for Research in Rock Mechanics. Some of his many professional accolades: · Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1991, · Co-Editor-in-Chief of Engineering Fracture Mechanics in 2005, · ASTM’s George Irwin Award for outstanding research in fracture mechanics in 2006, · Fellow of the International Congress on Fracture in 2009. Recently, he has been deeply engaged in informal education regarding hydrofracking with over 50 public presentations over the last year. Other speakers TBA

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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: August 31st.
• "This is a critical moment in the fight to ban fracking in New York. On August 31, the Department of Environmental Conservation is scheduled to release its draft impact statement, which proposes to open large portions of the state to fracking. Sign the petition to Governor Cuomo to ban fracking now! The drumbeat against fracking is growing louder and stronger. You have already taken action by sending letters and submitting comments to put an end to this destructive form of natural gas drilling (thanks!), but you have not yet signed the petition. We need more signatures on our petition to Governor Cuomo urging him to ban fracking in New York. Will you sign today? We anticipate that the draft impact statement will fall short of putting the safety of our water, health, communities and environment before industry profits. While there are alternatives to natural gas, there are no alternatives to water. Will you help us reach our goal of obtaining 5,000 more petition signatures by August 31st? Sign today to ban fracking
• ACTION due date now
• Take action against hydrofracking. Not enthralled with the possibility of hydrofracking in New York State possibly contaminating our drinking water? Take ACTION: Take Action to Help Food & Water Watch Protect the Commons | Food & Water Watch "With mounting evidence that fracking for natural gas is poisoning our air and water, and a national movement against fracking that continues to grow, why is Congress poised to commit us to an energy policy that will encourage even more fracking? Please fill out the form below to take action. Your message will be sent directly to your legislators. To edit the letter, take action here. "--from Food & Water Watch
• 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 - 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: on or before December 31, 2012.
• Review information from webinars and make public comment on “EPA is requesting public input on proposed new safeguards for hazardous secondary materials recycling to protect public health and the environment.” DSW Rulemakings for RCRA Hazardous Waste Regulations | Definition of Solid Waste | Wastes | US EPA This page provides information on current and past rulemakings and links to Federal Register Notices specific to the definition of solid waste. | 2011 Proposed Rule EPA is requesting public input on proposed new safeguards for hazardous secondary materials recycling to protect public health and the environment. The proposal modifies EPA’s 2008 Definition of Solid Waste (DSW) rule, which revised hazardous waste regulations to encourage recycling of hazardous secondary materials. EPA is asking for comment on potential revisions to address concerns raised by the Sierra Club, as well as other environmental organizations. Under a settlement agreement with the Sierra Club that has been filed with the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, EPA has committed to take final action on this proposed rulemaking on or before December 31, 2012. Federal Register - July 22, 2011 US Environmental Protection Agency [more on Recycling in our area]

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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.]