Action - Rochester, NY area Environment
RochesterEnvironment.com
Take Action for your area's environment. These actions come for non-profit and governmental (many in the form of public input forums) on issues that will affect our particular environment.
Page Contents: Actions with Specific Due Dates | On-going actions | Contact your Representatives in Government |
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
Top Ten Things You Can Do for Rochester ’s Environment
Sure there are lots of top ten lists around. So why not one on the things you can do for your local environment—that system that keeps us alive and thriving? But, this list is different from the usual stuff. It’s not one of those really easy, warm and fuzzy lists of fun activities you can do in your spare time. It’ll be transformative.
This list assumes you are ready to take responsibility (as a member of the only species capable of doing so) for your presence at this critical time in our planet’s history. And, it isn’t about just your personal fulfillment thing—our environment isn’t politics, religion, a fad, or a cause; it’s science all the way down. Pollute the planet, stuff happens. Finally, in order for the effects of this list to be effective a lot (I mean billions) of humans need to do them too. In the deepest practical sense, everything you do (where you live, what you eat, what you buy, what you throw away) matters to our environment. Ready folks, here we go:
- Be engaged with the issues surrounding our local environment by monitoring the media, books, reports, and the Internet using the laws of Nature as your guide to monitor how our lifestyle is affecting our environment.
- When you consume anything--food, water, cars, gadgets, whatever—do so as though you were demonstrating how to consume for the rest of the world—considering the lifecycle of the products you buy, how they are made, how they are used, and how you get rid of them.
- When you have someplace to go, consider
all your options in order of their affect on our environment:
walking, biking, car-pooling, mass transit, and lastly a
personal vehicle.
- Conserve energy until we find a non-polluting, renewable energy source.
- Vote. If you’re doing good for our environment and your representative in government doesn’t get it, you’re just making yourself feel good without much effect.
- Recycle, reuse and encourage your local government to create a place where recycling just about everything is the norm.
- Think twice before using toxic chemicals that make your yard look like a golf course and your house like a hospital.
- Consider other species (plants and animals) and their role in sustaining our environment. Some are annoying and critical. Some are cute and a burden.
- Adopt green business practices: your business will save our environment and be able to compete with the rest of the world.
- Communicate your concerns about the state of our environment to everyone. Sustainability isn’t going to work unless everyone gets on board quickly.
- Encourage all your news sources to have an environmental section daily and help move environmental investigations and news to mainstream media.
Rochesterians Concerned About Unsafe Shale-gas Extraction R-CAUSE was created by Rochester citizens who treasure New York State and want its waters, land and air to remain clean and its communities to remain viable. R-CAUSE's goal is to inform as many people in the Rochester area as possible about the risks associated with high-volume, slick-water, horizontal hydraulic fracturing.
Actions with Specific Due Dates:
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ACTION: Due Date: Now!
- New way to mobilize volunteers for local environmental causes: Clean up events, Fracking demonstrations, whatever it may be, feel free to post it on “Rochester GreenCorps.’ Good place to get volunteers for your event and a good place to look for volunteer opportunities.
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ACTION: Due Date: Now.
- Sat 6/2/2013 - 4 time slots 6am-6pm - @ Monroe County Community College. Volunteer opportunity. Help make major Rochester event nearly zero waste. Sierra Club's Zero Waste Committee is seeking lots of volunteers for a fun event - ambitious waste minimization at the Tour de Cure bicycle tour with post-event conversion of organic waste to ethanol by Epiphergy. A.S.A.P. please volunteer (slots: 6a-9a, 9a-noon,noon-3p,3p-6p), contact Dave Goldman dhgdeals@aol.com and fill out Tour volunteer form to get a t-shirt.
- ACTION : Due Date Now:
- Join the New York Water Sentinels stream team! Training provided periodically. Sentinels test and document stream quality now, so future effects from gas drilling are more easily identified. Water Sentinels has trained over 100 citizens to use simple scientific methods to evaluate stream quality. With stream information (such as stream depth and conductivity), we can help regulators recognize trends and address problems. For more information: NYWaterSentinels@gmail.com | or FaceBook
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ACTION: Due Date:
Now!
- We are so going to cook on our planet if we don’t have a media that covers Climate Change. Mainstream media must wake up. TELL NBC, CBS, AND ABC TO GIVE US BETTER COVERAGE ON CLIMATE CHANGE! In a year that brought the U.S. record-breaking heat, massive wildfires, a historic drought, and devastating storms like Hurricane Sandy, the nightly news programs on ABC, CBS, and NBC barely talked about what was fueling this extreme weather -- climate change. We need better coverage if we want people to connect the dots and demand real action to curb global warming pollution. Please sign our petition below to Michael Corn, Executive Producer of ABC World News, Patricia Shevlin, Executive Producer of CBS Evening News, and Patrick Burkey, Executive Producer of NBC Nightly News, asking them to give us more frequent, accurate coverage of climate change this year. " --from League of Conservation Voters
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ACTION: Due Date Now!
- Stop Fracking, contact the Governor Cuomo. Email template makes it easy-peasy. Go Hog Wild! Calls to Action: Write Governor Cuomo! Toxics Targeting has made it super easy.. Just fill in the blanks with as much or as little as you wish to say and click "send" Write Governor Cuomo Today using a new "Public Health Impact Study" email application that you can customize to your heart's content. It could not be simpler. Just fill in a couple of blanks with as much or as little as you wish to say and click "send:" Email Application Request for a Shale Gas Public Health Impact Study
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ACTION: Due Date: Now!
- Here’s your chance to use the power of the Internet to stop a major fossil fuel project that will spell game over on Climate Change. A Million Comments Against Keystone XL The State Department's official public comment period on Keystone XL Pipeline is now open -- and it's a crucial opportunity for us to flood them with comments. We'll take your comments and deliver them directly and immediately to the the State Department.
- ACTION: Make comment by 4:30 p.m. May 20, 2013
- on Midtown site: Be nice to see energy efficiency and easy access for pedestrians and bicyclists (think bike racks) around site. City seeks proposal for building next to Midtown site A request for proposals has been issued to purchase and rehabilitate a 13-story city-owned building on Elm Street next to the Midtown Plaza site. The property at 88-94 Elm St. presents a significant redevelopment opportunity in the heart of downtown on the east side of the 8.5-acre site of the former Midtown Plaza, city officials said late Friday afternoon. “The redevelopment of this property is a critical and timely piece to the repositioning of downtown,” Rochester Mayor Thomas Richards said in a statement. (March 11, 2013) Rochester Business Journal [more on Green Living in our area]
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ACTION: Due Date: Now
- If we are going to get serious about adapting to and mitigating Climate Change we need to increase renewable energy and drop energy from fossil fuels. Here’s a way to do that: Tell Congress to Expedite Renewable Energy Sign this petition to tell Congress to expedite renewable energy. We can transition to a cleaner, renewable energy future, but Congress needs to pass the legislation to get us there. Signing this petition sends an email to U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), chair of theSenate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and the House Energy & Commerce Committee. from EcoWatch
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ACTION: Due Date: Now
- Thinking it’s about time to do something on a big scale to combat Climate Change? Think about joining Citizen’s Climate Lobby. Here’s what Dr. James Hansen, head of Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NASA say’s "Most impressive is the work of Citizens Climate Lobby, a relatively new, fastgrowing, nonpartisan, nonprofit group with 60 chapters across the United States and Canada. If you want to join the fight to save the planet, to save creation for your grandchildren, there is no more effective step you could take than becoming an active member of this group."
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ACTION: Due Date Now
- Don’t need those massive phone books? Just throw them away because you’re a digital kind of person? Opt out of getting those phone books, easy peasy, and save trees . Phone Book Opt-Out Program Gives Choice to Consumers Did you know you can control how many phone books you get every year, or whether you get one at all? In the age of smart phones and Wi-Fi, the way people search for information is changing. For many, online search options are the new go-to for finding contact information to local residences or businesses. That means when a printed phone book arrives on your doorstep, it might go to waste. Find your local recycle solution for Phone Books So why do phone books continue to show up? According to the Local Search Association, 70 percent of consumers still prefer to receive a printed phone book every year. (November 20, 2012) Earth 911 [more on Recycling in our area]
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ACTION: Due Date: Now!
- Make downtown Rochester, NY even better for active transportation (walking & bicycling) by filling out this quick online survey. Express your desire for more pedestrian safely and accommodations, more bicycle accommodations and safety. As transportation accounts for 27% of our greenhouse gases, getting more folks involved in active transportation for those short distance destinations make sense in a warming world. (Go here to see what the City of Rochester has already done for active transportation Roc the Bike!. Read about: Center City Master Plan "Rochester’s center city master plan (CCMP) is similar to a business plan for the downtown area. Every successful business needs a viable business plan complete with a marketing strategy to assist with resource allocation and market changes. The CCMP essentially creates, manages, and implements a business plan for downtown. The city invests millions of dollars every year on public projects downtown that are intended to move the city towards a vibrant, sustainable future. Every thriving city should have a master plan that provides that inspiration and direction. " City of Rochester, NY
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ACTION: Due Date: Now!
- Can you imagine what our world would look like if everyone used their smartphones to report environmental crimes? Healthier! Become an environmental crime stopper Polluting a stream and getting away with it? Violating the Clean Air Act without detection? Now, anyone with a smartphone can help bust abusers of the environment. New York State Crime Stoppers announced a new phone app that makes it very easy for people to instantly report environmental crimes to the appropriate agency. Cellfare created the app in collaboration with Crime Stoppers, Waterkeeper Alliance, state police and local law enforcement agencies across the state. (November 21, 2012) Investigative Post
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ACTION: Due Date: Now
- As Climate Change increase the changes of combined sewer overflows due to increase frequency of heavy rain fall in the spring, this issue will become more critical. We must plan for this and it will be expensive, but more so if we wait. Take action here: Help Keep Sewage Out of the Great Lakes Billions of gallons of combined raw sewage and storm runoff are dumped into the Great Lakes each year. Raw sewage, trash and personal hygiene products — along with industrial wastewater, household chemicals, urban runoff, herbicides and pesticides — often flow into the lakes after heavy rains. Urge Congress and the president to support sustained and increased investment in the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Help keep untreated sewage out of the Great Lakes! --from Alliance for the Great Lakes
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ACTION: Due Date: Now
- Sign this online petition against Fracking in Monroe County: Prohibit All Fracking Related Activities on Monroe County Properties, NY Last Tuesday, over 4, 000 petition signatures to ban all Fracking and related activities were delivered to Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and members of the Monroe County Legislature. But presumably that wasn’t enough because the press didn’t even show up. Here’s the news that the local news media couldn’t bother themselves to print: Thousands Sign Petition to Ban Fracking and Related Activities On Monroe County Properties. Don't let New York State become a Resource Curse. It would be great if we could march into the Monroe County Legislature next time and fork over 20,000 signatures. Maybe that will wake our local government up to the fact that Fracking must be stopped here and in New York State. Find out more about this petition and download hard copies for your church group or other organization here. Numbers count. Don't be sorry after the fact, act now.
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ACTION: Due Date: Now
- When you think of how mad/crazy folks are for Fracking in NYS and that the fossil fuel industry gets billions each year in tax subsidies, taking away the tax credit for renewable energy is horrific. Take action on this critical issue: SAVE USA WIND JOBS "Don’t let wind and solar and other renewable energy die so the fossil fuel industry can thrive and warm the planet. SAVE USA WIND JOBS Congress is currently in recess and will reconvene for a “lame duck” session following the November 6th elections. We need to keep reminding our legislators of the urgency of extending the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) as soon as they return to session throughout this recess period. We urge you to write to your legislators today." from Power of Wind
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ACTION: Due Date: Now.
- Feel like you’re stuck in an energy rut? You crave energy but almost everything out there warms the planet. How about Clean Energy Victory Bonds? There’s no getting around it: If you give the fossil fuel billions in tax subsidies they will take it and not give it back; and when they melt the Arctic with their greenhouse gases, they see opportunity with the pristine Arctic environment and start drilling. So what are you going to do? Why not launch a public effort to fund renewable energy, energy that won’t pollute the planet and warm it up beyond our sustainability level, with the collective might our own monies like we did back in World War Two? Victory Bonds. Help push this bill to put renewable energy out in front: Clean Energy Victory Bonds On August 2, Representative Bob Filner and 10 cosponsors introduced the Clean Energy Victory Bonds Act of 2012, H.R. 6275 in the House of Representatives. The bill, officially entitled “To promote the domestic development and deployment of clean energy technologies required for the 21st century,” will allow all Americans to invest in Treasury Bonds for as little as $25 each that will fund a clean energy future. The $50 billion raised from the bonds will fund clean energy programs that support wind, solar, energy efficiency, and electric vehicles in the United States.
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ACTION: Call Governor Cuomo Today.
- Stopping Fracking in New York State may be the most important thing you do today. Tell Governor Cuomo that Fracking is not a good idea for New York; don’t give into despair that this cannot be stopped; and, make sure your children can’t blame you for not trying stopping this disaster that will befall them. "Despite a record-breaking 74,000 public comments, we still need your help to make Governor Cuomo hear that fracking has yet to be proven safe. It will only take you a couple of minutes. Please tell Governor Cuomo not to put New Yorkers' health at risk. Call 1-866-584-6799 and leave a simple message like, "Protect New York's water, land and air by not permitting fracking in New York. Instead, support renewable energy that will bring good, long-term jobs to New Yorkers!" This phone number goes through Food & Water Watch who is keeping track of the number of calls, and is directed to a recording from the Governor's office asking for your name, address and comments. This is part of a state-wide initiative to get a record number of calls in to Governor Cuomo this August. PLEASE MAKE THAT CALL THIS WEEK!!! "
- ACTION: Due Date:
Now
- Tired of meteorologists failing to connect the dots between Climate Change and our daily weather? Do something about it. Take action: Forecast the Facts WE NEED OUR TV METEOROLOGISTS TO REPORT THE FACTS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE. According to a recent national survey, more than half of TV weather reporters don’t believe in human-induced climate change. Meanwhile, their viewers are facing unprecedented climate-change induced heat waves, droughts, and flooding.
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ACTION: Due Date: Now
- Tell the NRC: Expand emergency evacuation zones Today, NIRS and 37 other organizations submitted a formal Petition for Rulemaking to the NRC to expand emergency evacuation zones around U.S. nuclear reactors and make other improvements in emergency preparedness. We're calling this the Nuclear 911 campaign. You can join us as a co-petitioner below! The widespread radioactive contamination caused by the Fukushima nuclear disaster (and Chernobyl before it) makes clear that the current 10 mile Emergency Planning Zones in the U.S. are woefully inadequate to protect the American people. "Nuclear Information and Resource Service - NIRS
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ACTION: Due Date: Now
- What to do something concrete about solving Climate Change? Go here: "Are you passionate about changing the conversation about the climate crisis? Are you interested in leading the climate movement? What if I said you have the chance to be personally trained by Al Gore to educate others about climate change? This summer, you could have that chance. I'd like to invite you to apply to be one of our esteemed Climate Reality Presenters -- impassioned volunteer leaders who bring the reality of climate change to people around the world. We call our grassroots network of Presenters the heart of our Climate Leadership Corps. Learn more: "Climate Reality "To reveal the complete truth about the climate crisis in a way that ignites the moral courage in each of us. " Climate Reality | Climate Reality Training Application
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. The goal of the Alliance
is to build a movement that creates the political will to solve the
climate crisis -- in part through repowering America with 100
percent of its electricity from clean energy sources within 10
years. Our economy, national security, and climate can’t afford to
wait.
On-going Action sites for our environment
Many local, national, and international organizations take action for our environment and make it easy for you to do so also.
- Citizen Science: Wildlife Observation Data Collection Many people enjoy observing wildlife in many different ways. Occasionally there are opportunities for you to help the Bureau of Wildlife collect valuable data. In some cases this may require special effort but, in many cases all that is required is recording what you see while bird watching, hunting, hiking, scouting, etc. See the links below and in the right hand columm of this page for current volunteer opportunities and results of past efforts. NYS Dept. of Envornmental Conservation
- How you can help monitor our local environment: Help Lab Researchers Develop The YardMap Network! — eBird "At eBird we love when birders submit data from their backyards. Your backyard can provide excellent habitat for birds, and when many backyards are put together, an growing network of green space becomes available for birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is developing a new project called the YardMap Network, which will allow you to describe in great detail the habitat and conservation practices happening in your backyard. Please take 15 minutes to tell us what you think about the YardMap Network by taking this survey. Your input will be valuable for developing the project, and will help ensure that we can learn more about how birds are using your yard! "
- Union of Concerned
Scientists The Union of Concerned Scientists is the
leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy
environment and a safer world. UCS combines independent
scientific research and citizen action to develop innovative,
practical solutions and to secure responsible changes in
government policy, corporate practices, and consumer choices.
Action Center | Union of
Concerned Scientists
- OMB Watch | Promoting open government, accountability, and citizen participation since 1983 OMB Watch exists to increase government transparency and accountability; to ensure sound, equitable regulatory and budgetary processes and policies; and to protect and promote active citizen participation in our democracy.
- 350.org 350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis--the solutions that science and justice demand. Our mission is to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis—to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.
- Regulations.gov Regulations.gov is your online source for U.S. government regulations from nearly 300 federal agencies. Regulations.gov is your source for U.S. government regulations and related documents. On this site you can find, read and comment on documents. Share your knowledge and make your voice count.
- Citizens Campaign for the Environment ACTION ALERTS -from CCE - Water Protection Public Health Energy Renewable Policy Toxic Wildlife Chemical Contamination Subscribe Newsletter Jobs Calendar Pollution Air Quality Advocacy Farmingdale White Plains Albany Syracuse Buffalo
League of Women Voters Rochester Metropolitan Area "The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy."
- Espeically useful is the LWV's yearly "A Guide to Your Elected Offi cials for Monroe County 2009 "
Report
an Environmental Violation Online "Report an Environmental
Violation Online The New York State Environmental Conservation
Police values the watchful eyes and ears of citizens concerned with
our environment. Use this form to report suspected violations
of New York State environmental conservation laws. Submitted forms
are immediately forwarded 24/7/365 to DEC dispatchers. If an
immediate response is needed, file your complaint by phone by
calling the DEC Turn in Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) hotline at
1-800-TIPP-DEC (1-800-847-7332). Caution: never put yourself at risk
to get any of the information. Gather whatever information you can
without trespassing or exposing yourself to harmful materials or
situations. " from New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation
Contact Your New York State (Senator) and (Assembly) Representatives--from http://newyork.sierraclub.org/legislative/
You'd be surprised how influential a letter or phone call from a constituent can be to a State Senator or State Assembly Member.
- To find your State Senator's Contact Information: Go to http://www.senate.state.ny.us, click on "Senators", click on your Senator, click on "contact." To identify your State Senator: Go to http://www.senate.state.ny.us, click on "Senators", click on "search by zip code", enter your zip code.
- To find your Assembly Member's Contact Information: Go to http://www.assembly.state.ny.us, scroll to your Assembly Member, click "go", click on "contact". To identify your Assembly Member: Go to http://www.assembly.state.ny.us, click to "click here to search by zipcode", enter your zipcode, and click "search".
Need help choosing an environmentally friendly elected official? NYLCV - New York League of Conservation Voters | Educating and Electing for the Environment - NYLCV is a non-partisan, policy making and political action organization that works to make environmental protection a top priority with elected officials, decision-makers and the voters by evaluating incumbent performance and endorsing and electing environmental leaders to office in New York State.
100
Months: Technical note "We calculate that 100 months
from 1 August 2008, atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases
will begin to exceed a point whereby it is no longer likely we will
be able to avert potentially irreversible climate change. 'Likely'
in this context refers to the definition of risk used by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to mean that, at
that particular level of greenhouse gas concentration, there is only
a 66 - 90 per cent chance of global average surface temperatures
stabilising at 2º Celsius above pre-industrial levels.1 Once this
concentration is exceeded, it becomes more and more likely that we
will overshoot a 2º C level of warming. This is the maximum
acceptable level of temperature rise agreed by the European Union
and others as necessary to retain reasonable confidence of
preventing uncontrollable and ultimately catastrophic warming. We
also believe this calculation to be conservative. "








