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Rochester News
Get the most important news of the day and monitor your
environment daily.

Subscribe to ReNewsletter: This monthly newsletter provides you with the
news you need, not simply the news you want--like most other media services.

Calendar
Here you can find all the Rochester-area environmental events.
Environmental Thoughts

RochesterEnvironment.com has been blogged:-so now you can discuss
Rochester's Environment instantly. Add your comments, be a part of
Rochester's environmental discussion. Also, subscribe to
Environmental Thoughts feed

Daily
Updates Environmental info & views
* Print out or e-mail our
RochesterEnvironment.com Brochure
and distribute widely.
Rochester
Issues


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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. This page is designed to bring all these requests under one
roof so the Internet can facilitate these requests by various groups for aid.
Look for the due date for each of the action items.
I try as much as possible (because there are so many environmental online
actions) to limit my listings to items that will influence the Rochester, NY
area

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We Can Solve It
The We Campaign is a
project of The
Alliance for Climate
Protection -- a
nonprofit,
nonpartisan effort
founded by Nobel
laureate and former
Vice President Al
Gore. Our
ultimate aim is to
halt global warming.
Specifically we are
educating people in
the US and around
the world that the
climate crisis is
both urgent and
solvable.
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Take Immediate
ACTION! (action
items with specific due dates)
-
5/12/08
-
**ACTION**
-
Pass the Bigger Better Bottle Bill!
For
Cleaner Communities and a Healthier
Environment The bottle bill is New
York’s most effective recycling and
litter prevention program. Since
1982, more than 90 billion bottles
and cans have been returned and
recycled in New York because of the
5-cent refundable deposit on beer
and soda containers. The bottle
bill has worked hand in hand with
local recycling programs to make our
communities cleaner and healthier
places to live -from
Rochester Regional Group of the
Sierra Club.
-
4/30/08 -
**ACTION**
NestWatch
Anyone can monitor nests - it's a
rewarding way to spend time outdoors
and participate in science.
NestWatch is a continentwide
citizen-science project and
nest-monitoring database of the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, funded
by the National Science Foundation
and developed in collaboration with
the Smithsonian Migratory Bird
Center.
-
4/29/08 -
**ACTION**
Curb Your Car Week
For
at least one day during the week of
May 18-24, walk, bike or ride the
bus to work, the grocery store,
exercise class, piano lesson, or
anywhere. “Way to Go” is a
nationwide program encouraging the
use of cheaper, healthier, and more
earth-friendly transportation
alternatives. During the week of May
18-24, if you normally use an
automobile for daily transportation,
please consider walking, biking, car
pooling, or riding the bus as
alternatives. --
- Color Brighton Green
-
04/23/08 -
**ACTION**
Help yourself/ help our environment:
State grants available for parks,
trails, and other environmental
programs - deadline June 30
-
State grants available for parks,
trails, and other environmental
programs - deadline June 30
Applications are now available for
several grant programs that can fund
park and trail projects. Materials
can be downloaded from the Office of
Parks, Recreation, and Historic
Preservation website for the Parks,
Historic Preservation, Heritage
Areas, Acquisition and Land and
Water Conservation Fund
programs.This is a matching grant
program, therefore recipients will
be expected to provide at least 50
percent match to these awards. The
due date for completed applications
is June 30, 2008. Public Workshops
will be held across the state
throughout the month of May to
present information on application
requirements and procedures for
these programs. --from
Parks
& Trails New York - working to
expand, protect and promote a
network of parks, trails and open
spaces throughout our state for use
and enjoyment by all
-
04/09/08 -
**ACTION**
Take Action: Congress Must Protect
Our Drinking Water Congress Must
Protect Our Drinking Water
Recent Supreme Court rulings have
narrowed the scope of protections of
the Clean Water Act, putting the
drinking water of millions of
Americans at risk for contamination.
But, Congress has an opportunity to
restore the original protections of
the Clean Water Act. Contact your
Members of Congress TODAY to insist
that they support the Clean Water
Restoration Act. --from
League
of Conservation Voters - Turning
Environmental Values Into National
Priorities
-
03/28/08 -
**ACTION**
Important public input asked by the
EPA:
EPA > Water > National Water Program
Strategy: Response to Climate Change
EPA Seeks Public Comment on Water
Strategy to Respond to Climate
Change -
Contact: Roxanne Smith, (202)
564-4355 /
smith.roxanne@epa.gov The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency is
seeking public comment on a draft
strategy that describes the
potential effects of climate change
on clean water, drinking water, and
ocean protection programs and
outlines EPA actions to respond to
these effects. The National Water
Program Strategy: Response to
Climate Change focuses on actions
designed to help managers adapt
their water programs in response to
a changing climate. Other elements
of the draft strategy include steps
needed to strengthen links between
climate research and water programs,
and to improve education for water
program professionals on potential
climate change impacts. The strategy
also identifies contributions that
water programs can make to mitigate
greenhouse gases. Some of the
potential impacts of climate change
on water resources reviewed in the
strategy include increases in
certain water pollution problems,
changes in availability of drinking
water supplies, and collective
impacts on coastal areas. The public
comment period is open for 60 days.
Information on the National Water
Program Strategy: Response to
Climate Change:
http://www.epa.gov/water/climatechange
-
02/19/08 -
**ACTION**
-
Got ideas on transportation in New
York State for the Next Twenty
Years?
NYSDOT | 20 year needs assessment
The
New York State Department of
Transportation’s 20-Year Needs
Assessment discusses the
transportation challenges facing New
York State during the next several
decades and NYSDOT’s recommendations
for new capital investment policies
and strategies to better meet these
challenges. -from
New York State Department of
Transportation


On -going
environmental Actions you can take for in and around Rochester, New York
-
Save the Net -Act now to
continue to get complete and unbiased environmental information - If you
don't know about this developing issue on the Internet, Net Neutrality, it
might seem at first like some obscure plea for your hard earned dollars.
It's not. It's not about a donation and it's not about an obscure issue that
will have little effect on your life. It's about your freedom to use the
Internet as you wish: to start a business, communicate to whomever and
however you want, to say and be heard by whatever audience you can make
yourself heard. Those who took away the ordinary individual’s ability to
send over the radio and television are now trying to take charge over those
who can freely use the Internet.
This concern is especially
important as the Internet becomes the medium of choice for entrepreneurs and
how the public receives information for future—and as most of the other
media mediums blend into the Internet with the fantastic bandwidth of fiber
optics. If you are truly concerned about your fundamental right to chose who
you communicate to and from, learn about
Net Neutrality and connect
with those hoping to preserve the freedom of the net.
As environmental issues pile up in
these extraordinary times, it is more important than every that you have the
opportunity to listen to as many voices as possible on the environmental
issues we face and possible solutions to those problems. Not a corporate
giant who interests might, in their opinion, be in jeopardy. In my opinion,
the only way you’ve been able to get continual and comprehensive information
on the state of our environment in the past several years is through the
Internet because only environmental groups and small dedicated informational
services have had the insight and tenacity and freedom to pursue the
-
OMB Watch -
ALERT: EPA Proposes Rollback on Toxic Pollution Reporting --
ALERT: EPA Proposes Rollback
Global Warming and
other high profile environmental issues have grabbed public concern, but few
think about Stormwater pollution. And yet, the things we do around the
home—wash our car, our pet’s droppings, chemicals we use on our lawns, grass
clippings, repairing our house and property, and maintaining our swimming
pools—can have a profound effect on our area’s water quality. These are
things that each of us can do to prevent contamination to our area’s waters,
by learning about the potential pollutants going down our drains and into
our area’s sewers and into our streams, rivers, and lakes. Check out
The Stormwater Coalition of Monroe
County and especially print out this important flyer and post it so you
can remember.
Make Your Home the Solution to Stormwater Pollution
- On the newly rebuilt
Monroe County web site, the
PublicHealth Alerts
and Warnings has several useful features: 1. a quick explanation of our
new 48 Hours Neighborhood Notification Law, a form for contacting Monroe
County for the discovery of a dead crow (which helps in identifying the West
Nile Virus problem), how weather tips and more.
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Take Action: Take the pledge - Don't transport firewood!
You probably already know that to protect the beauty of these special places
you should remove your trash and put out your campfire before you head home.
But did you know that you also should not transport firewood? --from
Union of
Concerned Scientists
- One way you
can help fight Global Warming, is
join EANY's CARBON CAP
CAMPAIGN --from Environmental Advocates of New York
New York should take
responsibility for its share of the problem. Like all Americans, New
Yorkers produce a larger share of global warming pollution than the
great majority of the world’s citizens. In fact, the Empire State
produces more than all of Central America and Mexico combined. New York
has a responsibility to clean up its share of the problem. As the
world’s 9th largest economy, action to control emissions here will make
a difference.
- JOIN A STUDY TO MEASURE LEVELS OF TOXIC
CHEMICALS IN OUR HOMES! -
Environmental and public
health organizations working in six states are
launching a major project to demonstrate the presence
of high risk chemicals commonly used in our everyday
household products. Citizens' Environmental Coalition
is asking for volunteers in New York to have their
homes vacuum cleaned so that we can collect dust
samples, which will be sent to independent
laboratories for analysis. We will be looking for
chemicals that have been identified as some of the
most dangerous around in their potential for long-term
health and environmental impacts.
--from
Citizen's Environmental Coalition: Home
-
Help the House Finches
-
House Finches need your help! Since 1994,
participants in Project FeederWatch have helped
scientists document House Finch eye disease as it
spread across the country. We still need participants,
especially in the West, an underrepresented region.
Data are essential to find out whether the House
Finches at your feeders are healthy or diseased, so
sign up even if you only see healthy individuals.
Participation is free and is a great activity for any
level of birding experience! Sign up at
http://birds.cornell.edu/hofisignup/signup.html
or email questions to
housefinch@cornell.edu
.
- Help the
New
York State Department of Environmental Conservation
and get a free subscription to their magazine.
Highlights of the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation "Please fill out our
web site survey and help us serve you better. A free
issue of the NYS Conservationist magazine is offered
to all participants."
- Take
Action on Global Warming in New York:
UCSAction Center --from The
Union
of Concerned Scientists - "New York's economic health is closely
linked to the health of its environment. Agriculture, forestry,
recreation and tourism--major components of the state's economy--all
rely on nature's good fortune. These industries, as well as the health
of New Yorkers, could be negatively impacted by the region's changing
climate. Today, we possess the solutions to the global warming
problem. Sign the following letter to New York's governor urging him
to actively support legislation that will implement global warming
solutions."
- Good animal cause for the Rochester area:
Greyhound Adoption of Greater
Rochester NY Greyhound Adoption of Greater Rochester, NY, is a racing
neutral non-profit 501(C)(3) all volunteer organization. We believe every
greyhound retired from racing deserves the chance for a real home and
loving family. Our goal is to bring hounds and homes together. To that
end, we will make every effort to provide information on not only the
unique qualifications of greyhound adoption, but on realistic expectations
as well ... to offer ongoing support and guidance to those families who
have made an educated, responsible commitment to adopt ...and to hold the
welfare and well-being of the greyhounds above all other considerations.
-
Notch
up your recycling: In my opinion, few
specific actions that most Rochesterians can do for our environment
have the impact that recycling does (besides voting for the right
candidate and not using dangerous pesticides and herbicides).
Learn about the Monroe County expanded recycling program at
Monroe County Recycling
Center and then consider the
BiggerBetterBottleBill. Here the justification of the bill -
Bill Summary -
A03922 - "JUSTIFICATION:
The bottle bill has been one of New York's most successful recycling
initiatives. Not only has it reduced litter along our roadways and in
our public spaces, but it has reduced the burden of solid waste
disposal that is shouldered by our municipalities. Nonetheless, since
enactment of the bottle bill in 1982, beverages such as bottled water,
juices and teas have been introduced into the consumer stream and the
containers have been introduced into the waste stream. It is time to
update the bottle bill to include these new products, and this bill
will accomplish that. As municipalities across the state struggle
financially, it is time to dedicate the unclaimed deposits to support
municipal recycling in New York State. Right now the bottlers and
distributors who initiate the deposit collection system enjoy a
five-cent windfall for each container that is not returned. This bill
would return those unclaimed deposits, which currently total at least
$85 million annually, to the people of the State for the purpose of
recycling. As municipalities receive additional funding for recycling,
it will bolster their efforts to ensure that curbside programs are
effective." Then sign up to help get this
bill passed in New York State:
BiggerBetterBottleBill - Action
-
Adopt a Pet
Pet Adoption
Network - Our
Mission will be to rescue homeless pets, obtain veterinary care for
them and make them available for permanent placement with
responsible guardians. No adoptable pet will be euthanized solely
for lack of a permanent home. We will strive for increased public
awareness of the need to spay/neuter and vaccinate pets, and educate
the public on the proper care of companion animals. This effort is
intended to reduce the large population of homeless pets, primarily
in the City of Rochester.
-
Think
there are too many SUV's out there gobbling up too much gas?
Earth On Empty
What's the story? We came
together because of our frustration with SUVs, the US oil and
environmental policies, and our desire to make people think about
the impact of their consumer choices has on their neighbors. We
started out as three creative people with an idea, but received such
a great response, with over a hundred people turning out to help
ticket boston and surrounding neighborhoods. You bet we got
attention. Look at all our media coverage after just a few days of
ticketing! Since the organized action, we have had many requests
from people all over the country who want to get in on the act. Now
you all can join the National Ticketing Effort, we hope to hear from
you soon! -EOE
- Recycle your computer for a
worthy cause:
Computers for Humanity
Flower City Habitat for Humanity and the
Micrecycle Computer Recycling for Education Program have partnered to help
close the Digital Divide by putting a computer into every Habitat for Humanity
home in Rochester, NY. " A Mouse in Every House" Each Habitat homeowner will
receive a quality computer refurbished by the Micrecycle computer-recycling
program, Internet access provided by Netsville, helpdesk and hardware support
provided by the CommuniTech and The Academy for Career Development HelpTech
programs. Additionally, free training will be available to the one hundred and
twenty one Habitat for Humanity homeowners through the network of 27 Cyberlink
Community Technology Centers located in the Rochester area. To make this
project a success, we are depended upon individuals, groups and companies like
yours to donate the computers, internal computer hardware, monitors and
peripherals, or cash to purchase the items listed below that will be used to
create the systems that will be delivered to the Habitat
- Keep
your pet protected from Rabies:
Free Clinics are provided by the Monroe County Health Department:
Rabies
Clinics -
Get
Clinic locations and times here: The Monroe County Health
Department works closely with municipalities to host rabies clinics
for pets belonging to Monroe County residents. Dogs, cats and
ferrets can be immunized, but must be at least three months old.
Dogs should be leashed; cats and ferrets must be in a pet carrier.
Shots are provided at no charge.
--from the Monroe County
Public Health Department
-
Do
your part to prevent West Nile Virus
in Rochester:
Dead
Crow Report Form - The
Monroe County Health Department uses reports of dead crows as
one tool to track the spread of West Nile Virus (WNV) in our
community and to gauge the risk of this illness to humans. There are several options to report dead crows: During business
hours (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri), call (585) 274-6171
- After business hours or on the weekend
(to leave a message), call (585) 234-9600
-
Submit the attached online form anytime.




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