RENewsletter May 1, 2011

RENewsletter | May 1, 2011

The Free environmental newsletter from RochesterEnvironment.com

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

[4/24/11 – 5/01/11]

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

* 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?

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: “Fudging Climate Change the best strategy?”

For many activists promoting green practices, clean and renewable energy (like wind turbines), and better transportation, the best strategy is to shy away from interjecting Climate Change. Their reasoning, I suspect, is that the American public doesn’t really accept climate change and down deep inside cannot believe that something so dire and pervasive will be our future. True, Climate Change is downright distasteful. So, reminding the public that Climate Change is based on science and accepted by most climate scientist produces such an avoidance reaction that many activists believe that it’s best avoided altogether. (Note President Obama’s State of the Union Address in January of this year where he avoided referring to Climate Change for fear of irritating the public and the new Climate Change deniers just thrown into office: Obama State Of The Union Speech 2011: FULL TEXT & VIDEO)

Of course, the importance of green practices, which attempts to conduct sustainable business practices, is compelling on its own. Businesses and corporations have been polluting our environment for a long time. But even they are beginning to understand in a very economical way that they can no longer treat our environment as their toilet. It’s not only more profitable to operate one’s business in an environmentally friendly way; it makes you more competitive in a world economy that is going green.

Clean and renewable energy that saves us from the depletion of our natural resources such as mining for coal and drilling for oil is a worthwhile endeavor—even if Climate Change didn’t exist. Billions of tax dollars for both industry and individuals can be saved by using naturally replenished energy like wind, solar, and geothermal. These don’t pollute and put particulates into the air we need to breathe.

Active transportation, walking and bicycling, for short distances is good for the public health (it is part of a campaign against childhood obesity), and our communities that have been carved up and marginalized by our car culture. Even without the Climate Change argument (that 27 % of greenhouse gases come from transportation) a compelling case can be made to shift our transportation to less expensive, less dangerous, and healthier modes of travel. Just this week, the American Lung Association’s State of the Air: 2011 reports that Monroe County got an “F” for “High Ozone Days”: Monroe: State of the Air 2011 - American Lung Association

My argument is that activists advocating for the elimination of exemptions (that bypass our Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act) for hydrofracking and the myriad of other environmental issues, should keep Climate Change at the core of their strategy. Climate Change -- no matter how distasteful to the public and how successfully Climate Change cranks have been in dismissing this catastrophe— is happening. Climate Change changes every environmental issue. Hydrofracking should hinge on the fact that it is still drilling for a greenhouse gas that will warm up the planet—even if it is less polluting than coal, which recent studies bring into question. Because Climate Change is occurring so quickly, transportation issues should not be de-prioritized until our cars have burned every gallon of gasoline.

There’s no way around it: The public needs to take responsibility for Climate Change. Let our leaders speak with absolute clarity on the greatest issue of our times. No one’s beliefs, nor any corporation’s ideology, should be pandered to or trump our ability to address this issue. Climate Change is not only warming up our atmosphere, it is making our oceans more acidic because it has long been absorbing our excess carbon dioxide emissions. Check out this online documentary: Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification, a short film by NRDC: Natural Resources Defense Council

Creating the illusion that climate change is not really the issue in efforts to change the public’s behavior on activities that increase greenhouse gases merely reinforces the public’s will not to believe. We shouldn’t be infantilizing the public by pandering to their desire to hear only what they want to hear. It is not quixotic to continually remind the public and our public officials that climate change is real. Skirting around the issue of Climate Change steals from the advocate his or her greatest argument and most compelling point. We must assume that the public will do the right thing once they have been given information honestly and forthrightly. Wasn’t that the whole point of creating a Democracy?

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.]

4/30/2011 - Climate Change is not only warming up our atmosphere, it is making our oceans more acidic because it has long been absorbing our excess carbon dioxide emissions. Check out this online documentary: Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification, a short film by NRDC: Natural Resources Defense Council
4/29/2011 - Hydrofracking in New York State: As you know, hydrofracking for natural gas is becoming a looming issue in our area, as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation considers this issue during our hydrofracking moratorium. Many want to learn more about how hydrofracking for natural gas and what to do. First off, I suggest you attend one of the showings of Gasland that the Rochester Sierra Club’s Global Warming & Energy Committee has planned: · Wednesday, May 4, 7 PM Jewish Community Center, 1200 Edgewood Avenue, Brighton, 14618 · Thursday, May 5, 6:30 PM Chili Public Library, 3333 Chili Avenue, Chili, 14624 · Wednesday, May 11, 7 PM Penfield Public Library, 1985 Baird Road, Penfield 14526 · Monday, May 23, 6:30 PM, Pittsford Library, 24 State Street, Pittsford, 14534 · Tuesday, May 24, 6:30 PM Brighton Public Library, 2300 Elmwood Avenue, Brighton, You can check out what the industry’s position on fracking fluids and what chemicals they say are involved FracFocus Chemical Disclosure Registry “Welcome to FracFocus, the hydraulic fracturing chemical registry website. This website is a joint project of the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. On this site you can search for information about the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells. You will also find educational materials designed to help you put this information in perspective.” Or you can decide to take up action on this issue: FrackAction.com "Frack Action is engaged in a long-term campaign to protect our water, air and public health from the dangerous practice of hydraulic fracturing. By raising awareness and empowering the public to organize in defense of their communities, we seek to expose the false claims of the gas industry and mobilize a citizen movement to protect our health and our future. Frack Action started as an emergency response to the threat facing our communities. We are a small team operating on a mostly volunteer basis. " In any event, this hydrofracking issue is one that should include the fact that included in all our public water safety issues that Climate Change is happening and natural gas (however drilled and used) is a greenhouse gas issue. Climate Change should be a part of the debate about hydrofracking in New York State.
4/29/2011 - Not just rural business are hobbled by slow Internet access: The article below explains why those in rural regions who have difficulty getting on the broadband Internet are missing out on what little economic boon there is going on. You need an Internet connection to be a part of this democracy. But another component of all this is that rural folks without a good broadband signal on the Internet are going to be limited on what news they can find out about our local environment and how they can take action. This is a Democracy and Free press issue [find out how to learn more here: Free Press | Media reform through education, organizing and advocacy. Learn more about this issue and think “Do I know all I need to know to vote correctly on environmental matters in my community? Report: Slow Going Internet Access "Cripples" Rural Economies WATERTOWN, N.Y. - Without broadband Internet access, rural communities will be economically hobbled, warns a new report. However, portions of rural New York are making progress toward better high-speed access, with the help of federal stimulus money. The report by the Center for Rural Strategies, a rural media watchdog group, points out that the Internet is the new norm for communication, both in business and social life. Without fast connectivity, rural businesses are at a distinct disadvantage to their competitors (April 27, 2011) Public News Service
4/27/2011 - Tomorrow is Arbor Day: Buy Trees and Learn About Trees - Visit our Online Nursery ""New York's Arbor Day - Last Friday in April "We inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. This is the mission statement of the Arbor Day Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit conservation and education organization. Founded in 1972, the centennial of the first Arbor Day observance in the 19th century, the Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with over one million members, supporters, and valued partners. The impact we make on our world is accomplished through our conservation and education programs. "
4/26/2011 - Chernobyl and Nuclear cleanups, they’re not over until their over: There are those who continue to regard the Chernobyl nuclear disaster as ‘over’ and not that a big deal, and it couldn’t happen here, and the entire misinformation thing that’s so popular in our country. But, when you try and get a picture of what did happen and what is continuing to happen, you get a different story. [Check Chernobyl Legacy from Science News, Articles and Information | Scientific American] When nuclear power goes wrong, as it probably will because we humans, even the best and brightest, make mistakes, it creates a problem altogether different from the problems with other energy options. Coal and oil and other fossil fuels like natural gas kill folks from air pollution and Climate Change, but nuclear power can force you out of your home, maybe your region, make your developing kids permanently sick, and do who knows what to our environment. And, when environmentalist say “who knows what” it triggers something in the deniers of nuclear problems, or Climate Change deniers for that sake, to say well they don’t have the proof. Of course, there are a lot of missing proofs about the environmental effects of oil spills, nuclear disasters, and more because we are disinclined to look for what should be obvious. The burden of proof is on the victims, who have little money, to prove in the courts that there is a causal relationship with this disaster and that environmental problem or cancer cluster. Our environment is very big and very complex, but it is also very delicate and easily affect by every little change. Find out more about Chernobyl: Ukraine asks for more money for Chernobyl shelter<span style="display: none"> </span> | www.WHEC.com "Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is renewing calls for funding to build a new shelter around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor on the accident's 25th anniversary. Ukraine still needs to raise some $300 million for the project after an international donors conference held here earlier this month. " Rochester, NY News | www.WHEC.com
4/26/2011 - Climate Change is going to change the habits and distribution of our region’s Wildlife. Check out this new project by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: USFWS - Conservation in a Changing Climate "For 50 days beginning Earth Day, April 22, 2011, we'll be featuring stories that explore the many ways in which accelerating climate change is affecting fish and wildlife across America. No geographic region is immune. Read today's entry and add your voice to the conversation. You can also read previous entries and maybe find a story from your state. " U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4/26/2011 - EVENT: Important film showing of Gasland and an expert speaking about it afterwards. Chris Burger from the Sierra Club is doing all this for free and we’d really like to give him a packed room. If anybody has any questions about hydrofracking and how it will affect us here in Rochester, please come: Tuesday, April, 26, 7-9pm: Gasland showing, followed by Q&A with Chris, Perinton Community Center, 1350 Turk Hill Road, Fairport, 14450
4/26/2011 - Get the latest news and commentary on the hydrofracking issue: VIDEO: Abrahm Lustgarten on Fracking for Bloggingheads.TV - ProPublica "ProPublica’s Abrahm Lustgarten was a guest on Bloggingheads.TV alongside Andrew Revkin from the New York Times to discuss fracking in light of a recent accident in Pennsylvania where drillers lost control of a natural gas well. Watch the discussion below and read all of Lustgarten’s reporting on fracking in “Buried Secrets: Gas Drilling’s Environmental Threat. [1]” You can also listen to Lustgarten in recent interviews with WHYY Radio [2] and WPSU (Penn State) [3] on the same topic. " ProPublica
4/26/2011 - Why we have so much missing environmental information: So many are ready to declare that the Gulf has recovered from the BP Oil Spill when the research hasn’t been completed. The read tragedy about getting all the information we need to know about such a large environmental disaster as the BP Oil Spill is that there are so many ‘interested parties’ involved in the outcome. Many of these ‘interested parties’, are companies who don’t want to get sued, companies and people who need to get compensated, and all the legal issues associated with all this. In the end, it’s this attitude of self-interest that is ruling the discovery process of learning about the immediate and long-term effects of this major oil spill. In truth, it should probably take a legion of experts on many level s and years of pains taking effort to find out how something like a major oil spill is affecting something so complex as the Gulf ecology. But, we probably won’t get the kind of research that is supposed to be done because the truth—what is happening to our environment—plays second fiddle to those with special interests. 'Quagmire Of Bureaucracy' Stifles Gulf Spill Research : NPR Although images of dead birds and blackened marshes in the Gulf of Mexico are gone, many scientists say it's too early to declare a recovery. They suspect there could be hidden damage to the Gulf's marine life and marshes. And some of these scientists say research on the effects of the spill has been delayed or kept secret. Among them is Michael Crosby, a senior scientist at Florida's Mote Marine Laboratory. The Gulf of Mexico is his baby. He was thrilled last year when BP promised to give scientists $500 million to research how the spill will affect marine life in the Gulf. Eleven months later, he's still waiting to see the money. (April 21, 2011) Environment : NPR
4/25/2011 - Climate Change, planning for our future While the media is heralding Climate Change deniers’ claims, or worse yet, ignoring Climate Change in the news altogether, those responsible for planning our future are on the job. The true test as to whether a hypothesis has moved from wild hunches to part of the game plan is whether it’s being factored into the future. We already know many possible consequences of Climate Change will affect our local environment: Possible Rochester, NY region Climate Change scenarios. Three long-range plans for our region on energy, solid waste, and transportation all have Climate Change as a critical component of their plans. · Beyond Waste: A Sustainable Material Management Strategy - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation · Genesee Transportation Council Long Range Transportation Plan for the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region 2035 · The New York State Energy Planning Board is soliciting public comments on the Draft Scope for the 2013 State Energy Plan [PDF]. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) What is troubling though is that in these lean budgetary times, when governmental programs are being gutted without thought to our environment and those responsible for education our youth are being stripped of their jobs, these plans might merely be hollow promises. Please stay tuned to RochesterEnvironmetn.com to make sure Climate Change remains a central aspect of all our long-term planning. Remember, there are no climate change deniers in the foxholes of government planning—yet. And please don’t put them there.
4/25/2011 - Don’t forget this major event on our area’s transportation coming up:THIS WEDNESDAY: the First Greater Rochester Active Transportation Symposium

"Walking and biking is good for your health, good for your state of mind, good for Rochester. And its about to get better. Less than a year after the newly-formed Rochester Cycling Alliance began advocating for comprehensive bike-friendly planning and development, the City of Rochester has developed and released a Bicycle Master Plan that will encourage better bike lanes, neighborhood greenways, and urban trails, and stimulate similar developments in neighboring municipalities. The Town of Brighton has just received a planning grant from the federally-funded Genesee Transportation Council to develop a plan for bikeable and walkable connections between the University of Rochester, RIT, MCC, and downtown Rochester. "

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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.

May 2011