RENewsletter June 12, 2011

RENewsletter | June 12, 2011

The Free environmental newsletter from RochesterEnvironment.com

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

[6/05/11 – 6/12/11]

* 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

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

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Opening Salvo: “Great environmentalist comes to Greentopia @ Rochester, NY”

It’s been a long time coming, a concerted effort of many volunteers, and it’s shaping up to be one of Rochester, New York’s premier events—Greentopia.

The Greentopia Festival is the primary fundraiser for the GardenAerial project. And, it’s happening at the High Falls section of Rochester, NY on Saturday, September 17^th and Sunday, the 18^th. It’s a festival like most Rochester festivals—except greener, where thousands are expected to arrive, enjoy, and then depart in a very environmentally- friendly way.

Greentopia is the combination of two words: ‘green’ and ‘Utopia’. Of course, ‘green’ means ‘sustainable,’ which means our way of living gets to make it into the future. And, Utopia comes from Sir Thomas More’s 1516 book Utopia. However, Greentopia is not “an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system” - Wikipedia. Existing in a sustainable way is not an ideal, a fantasy, or simply a good idea. It is the very definition of being practical because there is not really another (survivable) choice. You’re green or you’re gone.

Besides a myriad of events, music, displays, and great speakers, we are contemplating a “Greentopia Bridges Bike Ride” that will weave hundreds of bicyclers across about seven bridges to the festival grounds. You’ll have your bike parked by a bicycle valet and then watched in a designated area while you enjoy the festival. More on this ride as it develops.

At this moment, we are excited that the great environmental speaker, writer, leader, and creator of 350.org Bill McKibben has agreed to speak at this festival. We just found out.

Bill McKibben is the author of a dozen books about the environment, beginning with The End of Nature in 1989, which is regarded as the first book for a general audience on climate change. He is a founder of the grassroots climate campaign 350.org, which has coordinated 15,000 rallies in 189 countries since 2009. Time Magazine called him 'the planet's best green journalist' and the Boston Globe said in 2010 that he was 'probably the country's most important environmentalist.' Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College, he holds honorary degrees from a dozen colleges, including the Universities of Massachusetts and Maine, the State University of New York, and Whittier and Colgate Colleges. In 2011 he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. McKibben will be joining the Greentopia Festival via Skype on September 18th at 3:30pm in the WXXI Studios in the High Falls District.

One of the reasons for bringing Bill McKibben into Rochester, NY for a discussion on Climate Change is that too often this issue tends to be discussed in a silo, where those focused on this issue talk amongst themselves and not to the public. Greentopia provides a festive public arena for area residents to engage in a crucial conversation within a community experience hitherto unknown in our region. Don’t forget, Climate Change is coming to Rochester and there are many Likely Changes that it will bring to our region. We are going to have to adapt to the changes and mitigate any further damage to our delicate environment by limiting greenhouse gases.

What we will learn is that we cannot just place our faith in Climate Changer heroes like Bill McKibben to solve this problem for us, but Bill will help us understand why this issue is so important and display the kind of leadership Climate Change is going to need.

Here’s the skinny: “The festival will feature visionary speakers, live music, vendors and the finest fresh organic and local food our area has to offer. Most importantly, Greentopia will be a festival of ideas to empower everyone to create their own positive change on this beautiful planet we all call home.” News from Greentopia Festival

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.]

6/11/2011 - Do you really want a government official who doesn’t believe in Climate Change? It is absolutely incredible that the American people would even considering voting for candidates who don’t believe that Climate Change is happening. Check out this amazing story: Rep. Fred Upton: GOP agenda turns a longtime Republican away from pro-environmental stances - latimes.com Long a moderate on environmental issues, Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan has changed course. Reporting from Kalamazoo, Mich.— For years, some conservatives called 13-term Rep. Fred Upton "Red Fred." The Michigan Republican voted for amendments strengthening the Clean Air Act. He cosponsored a bill to phase out incandescent light bulbs. His website said that "climate change is a serious problem that necessitates serious solutions." So conservatives fumed late last year when Upton took the gavel of the influential panel that oversees environmental regulation, the House Energy and Commerce Committee. But the rise of the "tea party" movement, with its attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency and climate science, has pushed Upton to reinvent himself. Once a moderate, Upton emerged from an unusually close primary against a tea party candidate and a tough fight for the panel chairmanship as the standard-bearer for the Republican push to block the Obama administration's major environmental initiatives. (June 11, 2011) Los Angeles Times - California, national and world news - latimes.com This may fit some folk’s idea of some great ideology, but not only is Climate Change happening, the folks we put into office are going to have to help us adapt and mitigate the consequences of Climate Change. Your public officials will be accountable when they get into office for our public health and safety. more...
6/11/2011 - Are we getting all the news we need? One of the complications of the present media crisis, where professional journalists are losing their jobs in droves and there’s no media able to hire them back, is the lack of investigative journalist monitoring our democracy and our environment. Without a close watch on both, we are in jeopardy. One concern is the possibility that for some reason or another there is much going on at the Japanese nuclear disaster at Fukushima and is not being reported on. (Check out this interview “Harvey Wasserman on Fukushima”, by FAIR’s CounterSpin ) Or, there is downright misinformation being spread about this nuclear power disaster that the public should know, but won’t because... Maybe, instead of checking our usual media sources, some of which helped mislead us into a war with Iraq, we should look to other dedicated online news sources that help us focus on what we need to know to survive. I don’t have the ability to vet this source, but perhaps here’s a place to find the nuclear power information we cannot get from the usual sources: Breaking Nuke News | NukeFree.org "The NukeFree.org website serves as an information hub providing up-to-the minute news on the most important nuclear power industry battles taking place across the country. We work closely with other groups monitoring energy issues and will let you know where key battles are shaping up and how you can help stop further funding for the nuclear power industry. It is also a resource providing background and references to learn more about nukes and alternative energy technologies. ∑ NukeFree.org works with the environmental / scientific communities to keep musicians, artists and others educated about nuclear and safe energy issues, as well as advising people how they can best impact energy legislation - using their voices and resources to support positive new green proposals and fight against boondoggles like the nuke loan guarantees. "
6/10/2011 - Voting is one of your strongest tools for helping environment: Now that we know Climate Change is coming to the Rochester, NY region, where the ‘Likely Changes’ are going to be awesome, it would be good to know how our local lawmakers are doing on that. You may have your pet issue that you want your lawmakers to vote on and you favorite political party who thinks like you do, but your lawmakers are going to have to protect you from Climate Change whether you believe in the most important issue of our century or not. They will be accountable for protecting you. This isn’t just environmental rhetoric; check out the plans ahead for dealing with Climate Change in the Northeast and the US: Regional Climate Impacts: Northeast "Since 1970, the annual average temperature in the Northeast has increased by 2°F, with winter temperatures rising twice this much.150 Warming has resulted in many other climate-related changes, including: "--from Global Climate Change Impacts in the US (2009) Too often folks believe that they cannot do much in their lives to address something so overwhelming as Climate Change. It is daunting because we need our planet’s atmosphere to move from its present 390 part per million molecules of carbon dioxide (the main greenhouse gas that warms our planet (though there are others)) to a manageable 350 ppm. But you can. Voting for representatives who have a strong record on environmental issues and don’t hesitate to claim they intend on solving Climate Change must be top on your to-do list. Even though politics has almost become dysfunctional, and political talk by the pundits completely insane (just what are those Sunday morning TV news shows talking about?) politicians are the main key to solving Climate Change. Our representatives control the purse strings, they make the laws, and they hold our officials to the fire. They represent our collected thoughts on the state of our environment. Voting against Climate Change by voting for candidates who work against work on solving Climate Change is incredibly shortsighted. Time is running out. Just check another story today about how Climate Change is changing our environment: Thinning Snows In Rockies Tied To Global Warming : NPR This fall there will be more elections and who you vote for is going to matter. While not specific recommendations on Climate Change related legislation in our area, these reports are indicative of the kind of measurements we are going to need on the voting records of our lawmakers in the future: About EPL Voters NEW YORK STATE'S ONLY ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT CARD You didn't vote to pollute New York State. Did your legislators? Voters Guide 2011 - The guide to the environmental records of New York Lawmakers. and check here for the records of Rochester area lawmakers Rochester
6/09/2011 - News from Color Bright Green "Curb Your Car Week Spring 2011: The Results Congratulations to all Curb Your Car Week participants! This spring, we had 123 registered participants. 61 households reported saving a total of — 4,664 miles, 182 gallons of gas, and 3,458 pounds of CO2! " --from Home Page - Color Brighton Green
6/09/2011 Where are those Brownfields in our area and are they getting cleaned up? Start your search here: Cleanups in My Community Use Cleanups in My Community to map and list areas where pollution is being or has been cleaned up throughout the United States. Find your community and drill down to cleanup specifics about: Sites, facilities and properties under EPA's Superfund, RCRA and/or Brownfields cleanup programs. Federal facilities under EPA's Superfund and/or RCRA cleanup programs. You can also add tribal lands, Brownfields grant areas and water monitoring stations to your map, and drill down to further information about grants and water quality.
6/09/2011 - How is that air quality outside of our Rochester, NY area’s schools? Using a school’s name and address, find the air quality outside a local school. It looks like some of the nation’s worst are in our area: Schools that ranked worst “A USA TODAY analysis of EPA data indicated the air outside these schools had the highest levels of dangerous toxic chemicals, most of which have never been tested for their effects on children.” You can also type in “Monroe County” and “New York” and get a sense of the air quality of many of our county’s air quality. Looks disturbing: USA TODAY Special Report – The Smokestack Effect – Toxic Air and America’s Schools "USA Today used and EPA model to track the path of industrial pollution and mapped the locations of almost 128, 000 schools to determine the levels of toxic chemicals outside. The potential problems that emerged were widespread, insidious and largely unaddressed. " News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com
6/08/2011 - Passing on this note: "Volunteers Needed: City to Plant Native Wildflowers in the Washington Grove Wednesday, June 15 9:00 AM As part of its program to restore the forest in the Washington Grove at Cobb's Hill, the City of Rochester is holding a volunteer day on Wednesday, June 15 at 9:00 AM to plant native wildflowers. Please bring gloves ,mosquito repellent, hat and shovel. We need wheelbarrows if you have one. If you have a large carboy or 5 gallon jug to transport water, please bring that too. Meet at the Nunda Entrance to the Washington Grove, 9:00 AM. Contact Person: Michael Warren Thomas, Michael@SavorLife.com "
6/08/2011 - Don’t be a Climate Change bystander: Take a look under the hood of Climate Change in New York State from the perspective of those who must address it. Just telling folks that Climate Change is coming and they’d better adapt and stop it doesn’t seem to have much effect. Maybe it’s too big an issue to get one’s head around. Or, maybe most folks think Climate Change is out of their control, like that awful music some restaurants play while you’re paying good money to eat there. We become so used to a certain unpleasant din in the background of our lives that we just tune it out—like the constant drone from someone like me that you’d better pay attention to Climate Change. Well, you’d better pay attention to Climate Change. If you take just one document, say, “Responding to Climate Change in New York State” by Effective Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in New York State (2011) you’ll get a strong whiff of what coming for our area with Climate Change. This isn’t a report by your favorite blogger, or an environmental group. This is a report by the state of New York who is charged with protecting you against potential dangers to you and your family and businesses. So, maybe you’re thinking that given that let them have at it. Well, it’s not that easy. Much of what the state needs to do to protect you from Climate Change in New York State requires that everyone understand Climate Change, what the prospects are, and that major changes in our collective behavior needs to happen. If you plan on staying around in our state for awhile (moving won’t do you much good as Climate Change is going to be happening everywhere on the planet) you should be aware of the myriad of changes coming to our state including, the possible loss of trout as game fish, a major upset in the skiing industry, which is the largest in the country, extreme changes in weather, changes in the crops that we can grow, changes in the diseases we will experience, and especially the changes in public health due to increase Ozone days that burn the membrane inside your lungs—a day just like today: Air quality alert issued for our region today | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com Remember, this isn’t a report from a greenie organization trying to scare the bejesus out of you. It’s your state government who has to get ready for the inevitable. It is a detailed account of what is going to be done to adapt in New York State to Climate Change and it’s going to affect you. Don’t be a Climate Change bystander; this change in Climate is due to our behavior and we can change our behavior to prevent the scenario in this report from getting worse for the next generation. Integrated Assessment for Effective Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in New York State (Project Update.pdf) This project addresses a key issue identified in the EMEP research plan. Prior to devoting limited research dollars to intensive studies, an integrated assessment of potential impacts and adaptation strategies will be useful in identifying impacts and needs specific to New York. Working interactively with stakeholders, the assessment will identify critical vulnerabilities, climate risks, and adaptation strategies specific to NYS, for a range of key sectors: agriculture, coastal zones, ecosystems, energy, infrastructure, public health, and water resources. For each sector, the economic costs and benefits of impacts and adaptation strategies also will be assessed. Responding to Climate Change in New York State [5.67MB .pdf] text only [263KB .pdf] Full Report Forthcoming" - from http://www.ny.gov/
6/07/2011 - Are our beaches safe? This article about testing the beaches in Michigan is a good template for determining any beach connected with the Great Lakes, or any beach for that matter. Does our area have sufficient funds for sufficient studies to make sure our beaches are safe to swim? It’s a question our local media should be checking up on continually. Like many areas of our environment monitoring that require public monies, beach monitoring cannot be shortchanged. Beach tests: Too little and too late | The Times Herald | thetimesherald.com "Delayed results, funding cuts may put swimmers at risk. Under the glare of a hot summer sun, the sparkling blue water in Lake Huron and the St. Clair River can be tantalizing. But the water hides many secrets -- including things that can make you sick. The St. Clair County Health Department tests public beaches every week for E. coli throughout the summer." (June 5, 2011) The Times Herald | Port Huron news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Port Huron, Michigan | thetimesherald.com
6/07/2011 - Important event coming up to help curb Climate Change in our area: “Moving Planet Planning Potluck Tuesday, June 21st 6-8pm, Brighton Town Park, 777 Westfall Rd., just west of Clinton Ave., Pavilion 1. Please bring a dish to pass, your own place setting and utensils and cup/mug/glass, and whatever you’d like to drink. (No alcohol is allowed in the park.) As you probably know from 350.org, Saturday, September 24 of this year will be a day of global climate change action and the theme is “Moving Planet.” As you also know, climate change is the biggest challenges humanity is facing, and we almost NEVER hear about it from our media or our leaders in the US. It is up to us to push from the bottom. See: http://www.350.org/en/about/blogs/moving-planet and http://www.moving-planet.org/. This year, let’s work together to show that Rochester and the surrounding areas are part of our Moving Planet. The events need not be huge, need not be a major production. Look at the website for ideas, and come with your knowledge of what might work best in your neighborhood or town. Please come to the potluck- no commitment necessary. It will be nice to simply meet other folks in our area who are passionate about doing something about climate change!” Linda Isaacson Fedele.
6/06/2011 - Food and Climate Change won’t be solved by fiddling with seeds. Check out this article from the New York Times (see below) on how Climate Change is going to change our ability to feed ourselves. Seems, according to this article, that one perceived benefits of Global Warming was an increase of carbon dioxide that would help food plants grow. That’s not working out so well. Some of the other consequences of Climate Change are that there will be extreme weather, droughts, floods, and changes in growing season that wreak havoc on our production of food. It seems as though anyone who thinks there are going to be positive outcomes of Climate Change just hasn’t considered all the effects of warming our planet. Our planet’s climate system is just too big to predict with any precision what warming it even a little is going to do to any one thing—like food production. Maybe we shouldn’t have put so much extra greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in the first place. But it’s too late for those regrets. And putting our hopes into fiddling with plant genes will only have a modicum of benefits because more likely than not the negatives will overshadow the positives because we evolved in a very specific and stable environment for hundreds of thousands of years. Now all that is changing in a very short time. Hope for mankind to change our plant seeds so they can survive Climate Change is misguided and a dangerous illusion. Rather, we should bite the bullet and drastically cut back our use of greenhouse gases and not hope for silver bullets to solve a problem that needs to be addressed by the wholesale change in releasing greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. Food Supply Under Strain on a Warming Planet - NYTimes.com CIUDAD OBREGÓN, Mexico — The dun wheat field spreading out at Ravi P. Singh’s feet offered a possible clue to human destiny. Baked by a desert sun and deliberately starved of water, the plants were parched and nearly dead. Dr. Singh, a wheat breeder, grabbed seed heads that should have been plump with the staff of life. His practiced fingers found empty husks. “You’re not going to feed the people with that,” he said. (June 4, 2011) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia
6/06/2011 - From Dr. James Hansen, an appeal to stop the pipe line through the US for tar sands oil. It could put us over the top on greenhouse gas emissions. Silence is Deadly "The U.S. Department of State seems likely to approve a huge pipeline to carry tar sands oil (about 830,000 barrels per day) to Texas refineries unless sufficient objections are raised. The scientific community needs to get involved in this fray now. If this project gains approval, it will become exceedingly difficult to control the tar sands monster. Although there are multiple objections to tar sands development and the pipeline, including destruction of the environment in Canada1 An overwhelming objection is that exploitation of tar sands would make it implausible to stabilize climate and avoid disastrous global climate impacts. The tar sands are estimated (e.g., see IPCC AR4 WG3 report) to contain at least 400 GtC (equivalent to about 200 ppm CO2). and the likelihood of spills along the " (June 3, 2011) Dr. James E. Hansen

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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.

Sunday, June 12, 9am-1pm Taking place alongside the Brighton Farmer's Market

4th Annual Brighton Green Energy Fair | Brighton High School Parking Lot Sunday, June 12, 9am-1pm Taking place alongside the Brighton Farmer's Market Over 25 vendors and nonprofits represented. *Green Products and services*Information on recycling, alternative energy technologies, home energy audits and financing *Children's activities and green baby products, including the zoo! *Local environmental initiatives *a silent auction to support ColorBrightonGreen.org Visuals: Tents, tables, farmer's market, lots of families coming on bike and walking. For More info: colorbrightongreen.org or info@colorbrightongreen.org

Sunday June 12, 2011 • 1-4 PM | Jewish Federation's parking lot (441 East Avenue) and next door to the Third Presbyterian Church parking lot (4 Meigs Street)

Earth Sunday: Within each faith tradition is an imperative to protect the environment. Join Rochester's Interfaith Community in our efforts to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Earth Sunday June 12, 2011 • 1-4 PM Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Gather the items listed below and bring them to the Jewish Federation's parking lot (441 East Avenue) and next door to the Third Presbyterian Church parking lot (4 Meigs Street) as indicated. Volunteers will be waiting to unload your car. --se the flyer

MONDAY, JUNE 13 6:30PM | 138 Joseph Ave., Rochester (corner of Nassau St., old Pepsi plant a few blocks N. of Amtrak).

MONDAY, JUNE 13 “EPIPHERGY: FOOD WASTE INTO FUEL”, 6:30PM Graham Fennie, will present and answer questions on site of this marvelous operation at 138 Joseph Ave., Rochester (corner of Nassau St., old Pepsi plant a few blocks N. of Amtrak). Also kits available to make a transition to your own car. Co- sponsored by the Federation of Monroe County Environmentalists. Free . Contact: Alison Clarke, accompost@gmail.com or 585-394-0864.

8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. June 15 at the Radisson Hotel Rochester Airport.

Workshop on wind energy industry opportunities A workshop on opportunities in the wind energy industry is being hosted in June by Greater Rochester Enterprise and Phillips Lytle LLP. The program is an effort to capitalize on renewable energy patents being issued in update New York, the second highest number in the world, and create jobs. The advanced wind energy supply chain workshop was created for local companies interested in expanding into the wind energy industry. The event will be 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. June 15 at the Radisson Hotel Rochester Airport. (May 19, 2011) NY Daily Record [more on Green Business in our area]

Wednesday, June 15 9:00 AM | Meet at the Nunda Entrance to the Washington Grove

"Volunteers Needed: City to Plant Native Wildflowers in the Washington Grove Wednesday, June 15 9:00 AM As part of its program to restore the forest in the Washington Grove at Cobb's Hill, the City of Rochester is holding a volunteer day on Wednesday, June 15 at 9:00 AM to plant native wildflowers. Please bring gloves ,mosquito repellent, hat and shovel. We need wheelbarrows if you have one. If you have a large carboy or 5 gallon jug to transport water, please bring that too. Meet at the Nunda Entrance to the Washington Grove, 9:00 AM. Contact Person: Michael Warren Thomas, Michael@SavorLife.com "

Saturday, June 18th, from 8am - 2pm. The event will take place in the parking lots of Zeller Corporation located at 1000 University Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607.

Sunnking Hosts Free Electronics Recycling Day In Rochester With 13WHAM & Zeller Corporation ROCHESTER, NY (June 7, 2011) – Sunnking Electronics Recycling, 13WHAM, and Zeller Corporation will be hosting Electronics Recycling Day 2011 on Saturday, June 18th, from 8am - 2pm. The event will take place in the parking lots of Zeller Corporation located at 1000 University Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607. Any residents in the Rochester area are encouraged to come to this FREE electronics recycling event! Electronics Recycling Day has been a huge success for the Sunnking, 13WHAM, Zeller trio in the past. In 2009, the group set a statewide record in New York where they collected 238,217 pounds of e-scrap for recycling. The team is gearing up again this year and have set their sights on breaking the record again with the help of the Rochester community. This year with the addition of the Sunnking/Foodlink We-Cycle Donation Program, everyone who recycles at this event will help benefit Foodlink’s cause to feed hungry with a monetary donation from Sunnking based on the volume of e-scrap collected. As an added bonus, everyone who brings an electronic item to recycle at this event will receive a coupon for 10% off refurbished computer equipment at the Sunnking retail center located at 203 Main Street in Brockport. “The event two years ago was a huge success,” says Sunnking’s President/Owner Duane Beckett. “We had a line of cars stretching down the road ready to recycle their gear from the moment the event began, and it didn’t stop for two days. At some times we were unloading over 250 cars every hour, and if it wasn’t for the teamwork and cooperation of 13WHAM and Zeller Corporation we never would have pulled it off. We’re all very excited about this year’s event, and there are over 50 volunteers ready to break some new state records.” Residents are encouraged to bring electronics such as laptops, desktops, computer accessories, TV’s, monitors, audio/video equipment, mp3 players, communications equipment, servers & IT equipment, printers, scanners, copiers, fax machines, cellphones, PDA’s, medical/lab equipment, and anything else with a circuit board or cord. Please check Sunnking’s list of acceptable materials at www.sunnking.com/acceptable-materials before bringing any items to the event. Event Details: What: Electronics Recycling Day 2011 hosted by Sunnking, Zeller Corporation, and 13WHAM Where: Zeller Corporation - 1000 University Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607 There will be two parking lots at Zeller Corporation that will be available for residents to drop off their unwanted electronics. When: Saturday, June 18th 8 AM - 2 PM Cost: Free!

Tuesday, June 21st 6-8pm, Brighton Town Park, 777 Westfall Rd., just west of Clinton Ave., Pavilion 1.

Important event coming up to help curb Climate Change in our area: “Moving Planet Planning Potluck Tuesday, June 21st 6-8pm, Brighton Town Park, 777 Westfall Rd., just west of Clinton Ave., Pavilion 1. Please bring a dish to pass, your own place setting and utensils and cup/mug/glass, and whatever you’d like to drink. (No alcohol is allowed in the park.) As you probably know from 350.org, Saturday, September 24 of this year will be a day of global climate change action and the theme is “Moving Planet.” As you also know, climate change is the biggest challenges humanity is facing, and we almost NEVER hear about it from our media or our leaders in the US. It is up to us to push from the bottom. See: http://www.350.org/en/about/blogs/moving-planet and http://www.moving-planet.org/. This year, let’s work together to show that Rochester and the surrounding areas are part of our Moving Planet. The events need not be huge, need not be a major production. Look at the website for ideas, and come with your knowledge of what might work best in your neighborhood or town. Please come to the potluck- no commitment necessary. It will be nice to simply meet other folks in our area who are passionate about doing something about climate change!” Linda Isaacson Fedele. June 21 - Planning POTLUCK | Moving Planet

Thursday, June 23rd 6:45 to 8:45 PM. | Penfield Library, 1985 Baird Rd., Penfield, NY 14526

The Great Lakes Committee will be hosting free movie presentations: Blue Gold: World Water Wars (www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com) For questions: greatlakes@newyork.sierraclub.org

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 - 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.]