Site  Features

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  Calendar

  The most complete Environmental Calendar for the Rochester, NY area

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  RENewsletter

  Sign up for free weekly newsletter about Rochester, NY's environment.

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  Environmental Thoughts

  Blogging Rochester, NY's environmental issues.

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  Daily Updates

  Connecting the dots for our local environment every day. Including Update Archives

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  Green Business

  Find Green Jobs, NewsLinks, Resources and much more about transitioning  Rochester area businesses into environmentally friendly places.

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  Green Action

  Environmental items needing action by the Rochester Community 

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  Resources

  Complete Rochester Environmental Resources.

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  Living Green

  Get lots of ideas on how to live more environmentally friendly and save money. Including Green Apps.

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Rochester Issues

Each Rochester Issue has a separate page for all Major Rochester Environmental Issues, including NewsLinks, Resources, and commentary.

• Climate Rochester
• Wetlands
• Brownfields
• Urban Sprawl
• Plants (Rochester's flora)
• Air Quality
• Great Lakes
• Pesticides
• Water Quality
• Recycling
• Transportation
• Food & Environment
• Genesee River
• Wildlife

• Humane Societies
• Geese Problem
• Deer Problem

• Environmental Health

• Lyme Disease
• Rabies
• West Nile Virus
• Lead Poisoning
• ViralHemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS)

• Parks

• Seneca Park

• Invasive Species

• Zebra Mussels

• Energy

• Wind Power
• Solar Power
• Fracking

Finger Lakes

The Finger Lakes closest to the Rochester area each have a page of their own with NewsLinks, Resources, and commentary.

• Canadice Lake
• Hemlock Lake
• Honeoye Lake
• Canandaigua Lake
• Keuka Lake
• Seneca Lake
• Cayuga Lake
• Conesus Lake

Extra Features

Along with in-depth features and specialize environmental issues, we also provide various pages to locate and define our area's environmental issues.

• Rochester-area News Sources Complete listing of all Rochester-area online media links.
• Questions - Environmental questions for our area Ask an environmental question pertaining to this region or view previously asked questions.
• Environmentalists: Complete listing of all environmental groups in the Rochester, NY region.
• Environmental Essays: Short essays on how our area's environment is a reflection of the planet's environment.
• Promote RE.com If you think this experiment to keep our community informed daily of our environment, here are some ways you can help.
• Rochester Facts:  A list of environmental facts about the Rochester, NY area.
• Environmental Site Award goes out to the best Rochester-area Environmental Site of the Month. Check all the winners.
• Global Environmental News - Get environmental news from around the world on this carefully selected resource.
• Environmental Education provides our community with local programs and institutions that educate the public about our environment.

• Environment Award.

  The RENewsletter is emailed out each week on Sundays.  On the last Sunday of each month, an Environmental Site Award goes out to the best Rochester-area Environmental Site of the Month.
• The April 2012 Environmental Site of the Month award goes to Climate Change Crash Course « The Cost of Energy. Take a Climate Change Crash Course: Learn more about the major issue of our time, Climate Change, from a local expert. Our future will be shaped by Climate Change and all that we do will be now viewed through the lens of Climate Change. So know all you can:                   
• Climate Change Crash Course « The Cost of Energy "The Climate Change Crash Course (“4C”) is an experiment in creating a crowd-sourced, one-stop guide to climate change resources, geared to three levels of familiarity with the subject: Newbies, Nerds, and Ninjas. Each of those sections has three subsections: Must Reads, Extended Reading, and Web Sites Worth Tracking. As a bonus, there’s also a section on my favorite online research tools. "   

• Noteworthy Documents

  Read important reports and documents concerning our region's environment. Some you can make comment on.

• Northeast section of the Federal Advisory Committee Draft Climate Assessment Report Released for Public Review
• The National Global Change Research Plan: 2012-2021 The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) Online Resource Library was created to fulfill the requirement for a Global Change Resource Information Office as mandated by the Global Change Research Act (GCRA) of 1990.
• Confronting Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region | Impacts on Our Communities and Ecosystems from a Report of The Union of Concerned Scientists and The Ecological Society of America
• AR4- Climate Change 2007 Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Report 11-18 Response to Climate Change in New York State (ClimAID) Responding to Climate Change in New York state: the ClimAid integrated assessment for effective Climate Change adaptation in New York state (November 2011)
• This report, Stop Trashing the Climate, makes the case that working to prevent waste and expand reuse, recycling, and composting — that is, aiming for zero waste — is one of the fastest, cheapest, and most effective strategies for reducing climate change in the short term.
• Odd-ball Winter Weather: Global Warming’s Wake-Up Call for the Northern United States (pdf) "Global warming is having a seemingly peculiar effect on winter in the continental United States. On one hand, increasing temperatures have led to milder and shorter winters in most areas. On the other, we are still getting big snowstorms, especially in the northern part of the country. "--from National Wildlife Federation
• 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)
• Responding to Climate Change in New York State: Region 1: Western New York, Great Lakes Plain. Agricultural revenue highest in state, relatively low rainfall, increase summer drought risk, high value crops could need irrigation, increased conditions for grapes projected."  from NYSERDA - EMEP: Climate Change
• Monroe County gets an “F” for high ozone days in this report:   Monroe: State of the Air 2011 - American Lung Association
• The State of the Birds 2011 Report on Public Lands and Waters United States of America
• 3-7 plastics recycling come to Monroe County: Read about it: On Monday, May 9th, County Executive Maggie Brooks delivered her annual State of the County Address: Download 2011 SOTC Transcript (pdf, 210.9k)
• Why are Americans so unlikely to believe that Climate Change, which is physics, is occurring? Check out this video from the experts that gets to the heart of this matter. --from NSF.gov - To What Degree? - What Science Is Telling Us About Climate Change - How Do We Know?
• What goes into our residential waste stream in Monroe County and doesn’t get recycled?  Find out here:  Residential Municipal Solid Waste Composition Study for Monroe County, NY (9/20/2010)
• To report environmental law violations call 1-800-TIPP DEC (1-800-847-7332), or report online on DEC's website.
• Ride your bicycle to work and play, not a vehicle: Bicycle Master Plan Project "The City of Rochester wants to make it easier for you to get around on your bicycle. The Bicycle Master Plan project was completed in January 2011. The plan's recommendations will serve as a framework for the city's future investment in bicycle infrastructure. Thank you to everyone who provided comments, attended public meetings, and got excited about bicycling in Rochester !" -City of Rochester
• The American Lung Association’s report Toxic Air: The Case for Cleaning Up Coal-fired Power Plants documents the range of hazardous air pollutants emitted from coal-burning power plants and the urgent need to clean them up to protect public health.
• “In the United States an individual’s partisan affiliation is the most important determinant of their views on the existence of global warming, with Democrats significantly more likely than Republicans to believe that the Earth is warming” Climate Compared: Public Opinion on Climate Change in the United States & Canada February 2011
• Climate Change 101: Understanding and Responding to Global Climate Change | Pew Center on Global Climate Change  To inform the climate change dialogue, the Pew Center on Global Climate Change has produced a series of brief reports entitled Climate Change 101.
• On April 1st, the new e-waste law goes into effect: The Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
• Check out new Recycling Battery Law: NYS Rechargeable Battery Recycling Law - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
• Read to find out how environmental groups are offering to help NYS help our environmental health: green memos to the governor & the state legislature Advice from New York State’s Environmental Organizations
• DEC's new updated Solid Waste Plan: Beyond Waste: A Sustainable Material Management Strategy - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

• Environmental News Ideas

  Here are some local environmental news stories that are under-reported or not reported on at all.  We suggest our media focus on:

1. How will Monroe County's Recycling be affected by the new state e-waste law beginning in April of 2011: The Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act
2. Are our waste facilities going to be used for spent hydrofracking fluids?
3. What is the state of the Acid Rain issue in our region?  Is it solved or did local media just get bored?
4. Is the new Monroe County 48 Hour Neighborhood Notification Law being complied with?
5. Are blue-green algae blooms increasing in our region and making our beaches more unswimable because of Climate Change? 
6. Why are so many citizens in our area throwing TV's and computers to the curb instead of recycling them properly?
7. How often and how much money is spent on environmental investigative reporting in our area?
8. Are there studies on what chemicals industry in our area have dumped into our air and water and whether or not they are causing cancers, or other Environmental Health problems?
9. What is our region doing to prepare for the consequences of Climate Change--like NYC and Chicago (City of Chicago Climate Action )?
10. How does the lack of adequate health care in our area result in potential environment health problems and the possible spread of diseases—like the swine flu, West Nile Virus, and Lyme Disease?
11. Are there any programs in our region to educate consumer on how to shop environmentally friendly and the importance of this issue if we are to have a sustainable way of living?
12. Is the media checking to see whether the NYS DEC is able to do its job and protect our environment since the agency has been gutted of so many jobs? 
13. What will be the state of Rochester’s water quality if the city sells their water system to the county, as the Sierra Club alleges: A Sierra Club Green Paper  Discussion on the Future of Our Drinking Water | Should the City merge their water system with the Monroe County Water Authority?  
14. Are there any programs in our county to educate bicyclers in our area to bicycle in our streets (as are their rights) safely and within the laws so our roads and streets can be used as alternative transportation to the vehicular dominate  environment we now inhabit that makes it both dangerous to bicycle and walk in our communities?
15. Would our media inform the public about the transporting dangerous chemicals and materials through our region and the possible consequences of a spill or accident on our public health and environment?  
16. Why doesn’t our local news coverage include environmental news that affects all of the Great Lakes, as all of the Great Lakes flow to Lake Ontario and out the St. Lawrence?  Meaning, if climate change, lake levels, or invasive species is affecting one of the Great Lakes it probably will include Lake Ontario--so why isn’t that included in our local media?
17. Do local media periodically check to see if existing environmental laws are being complied with, such as recycling laws? For example: How often do the police fine someone for littering--given all the plastic bags blowing around?
18. Has our local media been monitoring the possible Climate Change scenarios for our region predicted by many environmental reports?
19. Why did we used to have local news stories on Acid rain but no more?
20. On Climate Change in our region, will there be any accountability in the press for those who continually deny Climate Change that keeps our government from protecting and preserving our environment?
21. Public Service announcements: How often do our media remind folks of the importance of recycling, or not wasting water, or disposing of hazardous waste properly?
22. What is Monroe County's recycling rate? 

Updated Daily  6/18/2013 RochesterEnvironment.com

Our Environment is changing: Keep up with the Change.

Rochester, NY was one of the hosts of the World Canal Conference on September 19, 2010.

If it deals with the environment, Rochester, New York, and the Internet, it's here.

Since 1998, RochesterEnvironment.com has been an ongoing experiment to completely inform one community [Rochester, NY] of all its environmental Newslinks, Events, Daily Updates, Resources, Environmental Education, regional Climate Change, and Environmental Issues. and more...    * Please read this carefully, it's not the usual Yada Yada

(Above scripts from Dynamic Drive)  [Website best viewed on your tablet device.]

RochesterEnvironment.com – This is site a free media resource to encourage public dialogue on local environmental issues, a local newspaper devoted to a single community’s environment, an archive of Environmental News to capture a proper sense of time in which environmental issues transpire, and an attempt to frame environmental issues free of corporate, governmental, and any ideology.  Sustainability, connecting the dots of our environmental information, rules.  Understanding that all of our local Environmental Issues now must be interpreted in the context of Climate Change, which will be continually moving the bar on the state of our environment, is critical for our survival.  

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 save ourselves?   Bookmark This Site

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

Page Contents: Rochester-area NewsLinks | Daily Updates | Green Business | Top 10 things you can do for our environment | Green Events | Green Actions | This month's Winner of the Environmental Site Award

SEARCH: Use search engine below to find anything posted since 1998.

Rochester area NewsLinks.

NewsLinks: Get the most important environmental news of the day and monitor your environment daily.  Also: Get Newslinks since 1998… Unlike other news, environmental news often takes time to reach our attention. Follow potential problems and catch them before they're catastrophes.

Today's Rochester-Area Environmental News:

My hope is that you will read these stories and connect them to the world we now live in, one that is warming because of Climate Change.  Then pass these stories to those you are connected to and have them spread the word.  Mainstream media is either unwilling or incapable of reporting responsibly and adequately on a world that is warming, which is why many still don’t understand the vast changes we must make to adapt and mitigate Climate Change. 

To be sure you have the latest News, refresh your browser, or Ctrl +R.  

News Highlight

More water, sewage, and Climate Change in the Rochester, NY region                               

by Frank J. Regan

“Photo by Frank J. Regan: Alas, it was a very warm spring last year with little rainfall and many folks probably thought it too soon to worry. This year is different."

Home, the movie by artist-activist Yann Arthus-Bertrand, is quite an amazing film about our home, Earth: how we have radically compromised its health in a very short time, and how we have to fix it quickly as our planet warms from Climate Change. You can watch the entire film at no charge on YouTube (as a gift to the public) here, though I recommend getting a hold of the Blu-ray version because the photography and music are incredible. I mention Home to open this essay on waste, sewage, and Climate Change in our region because it provides the proper perspective (“HOME is the first film that has been made using aerial-only footage.”) from which we must now view our local environmental issues. There are no environmental borders that our planet understands.

Last year I wrote “Water, sewage, and Climate Change in the Rochester, NY region” to make the case that, according to various Climate Change studies, frequent heavy rainfalls in our Rochester, NY region should be high on our priority list. My thesis was, and is, that combined sewer systems, which dominate the urban Northeast, are going to be increasingly overwhelmed by frequent heavy rains, thus spewing raw sewage into the waters where we drink and fish. Alas, it was a very warm spring last year with little rainfall and many folks probably thought it too soon to worry. This year is different. Flooding due to heavy rainfall has inundated local news: Look here, here, and here, just in case you haven’t been outside traipsing through the mud in the last month.

But despite all the high-water stories that our local news loves to march out during flooding events, none of them attempt to connect the dots to Climate Change. Here are a few major Climate studies that do connect the dots:    more...

(Above scripts from Dynamic Drive) 

Green Business.

Green Business - We are working on finding Green Jobs for our area.  As always, we will post anything we can dip up on finding employment for people who want to sustain themselves and the planet at the same time.

Here's the Latest on Green Business News for the Rochester, NY area:

• Local Businesses Help Others Go Green Socially Good Business take a different approach to keep the environment in mind. Socially Good Business is the dream of Rochester native Liz Brenna. She started hercareer at Ben and Jerry's in Vermont and then decided to branch out on her own.    "While I was there, I noticed how  much Ben and Jerrys  has really infused their societal and environmental mission into every nook and cranny of the business," she said.     She saw there was a need for that kind of expertise. (May 23, 2013) RochesterHomePage.net [more on Green Business in our area]
• General Motors First Automaker to Sign Climate Declaration General Motors is the first automaker among 40 U.S. corporations to sign a new climate declaration, asserting that responding to climate change is good business. The campaign is organized by the sustainable business advocacy group Ceres and its Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy, or BICEP, coalition. Originally launched in April 2013 with the endorsement of 33 corporations, the Climate Declaration has now been signed by 40 businesses that in total provide some 550,000 U.S. jobs and generate a combined annual revenue of roughly US$611 billion. GM’s participation was announced Wednesday in San Francisco at the Ceres annual conference. GM has worked with Ceres for more than 20 years to refine its sustainability strategies and performance. (May 2, 2013) Environmental News Service [more on Climate Change and Green Business in our area]
• Climate fight needs businesses to sway consumers, says Method pioneer Governments are not doing enough to tackle environmental challenges, says the co-founder of the green brand Stopping climate change and biodiversity loss will not happen without business and marketing professionals, says the co-founder of a pioneering US green cleaning brand that was bought by Ecover last year. Eric Ryan, who launched Method with Adam Lowry 12 years ago before selling it to create a group with combined revenues of $200m (£131m) and around 300 staff, told the Guardian that governments were still not doing enough to tackle environmental challenges because of vested interests. (April 19, 2013) The Guardian [more on Climate Change and Green Business in our area]
• U.S. Business Leaders Urge Strong Policy Action on Climate Change Starbucks, Intel, Levi Strauss & Co., others sign ”Climate Declaration,” highlighting the American economic opportunity of responding to climate change As the President unveils his budget for the coming year, 33 major U.S. companies, including eBay Inc., Nike and Limited Brands signed a “Climate Declaration,” urging federal policymakers to take action on climate change, asserting that a bold response to the climate challenge is one of the greatest American economic opportunities of the 21st century. Signatories of the Climate Declaration are among the country’s best-known consumer brands, including EMC Corporation, IKEA, Jones Lang LaSalle, L’Oréal, the North Face, the Portland Trail Blazers, Timberland and Unilever, among others. (A full list of signatories is available at www.climatedeclaration.us.) Over the course of an ongoing campaign organized by Ceres and its BICEP (Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy) coalition, other leading businesses, as well as individuals, will be encouraged to sign the Declaration and join the call to action. (April 10, 2013) CERES [more on Climate Change and Green Business in our area]

Event Highlight

 "Do the Math: the Movie"

Very important movie and panel discussion on Climate Change locally.  "Do the Math | The Movie" The “Do the Math” documentary is a 42-minute film about the rising of the movement in the United States to change the terrifying math of the climate crisis and challenge the fossil fuel industry.  You’ll come away inspired to act! Sunday, June 30th at 7:30PM at the First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. Rochester, NY 14610 Additional Details: See Bill McKibben at this best.  Panel discussion follows the movie.  Free and open to the public.  More Info at 350.org/math Find out more here...

Top Ten Things You Can Do for Rochester’s Environment .

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.  11.   Encourage all your news sources to have an environmental section daily and help move environmental investigations and news to mainstream media.

350.org is an international campaign that's 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.  

Green Events.

RochesterEnvironment.com Environmental Calendar is the longest running and most comprehensive environmental calendar for our area. Got an environment event? Contact me and I'll get it listed.

Here are some events coming up soon & lots more...    

June 2013

• Monday, 6/17/13, noon – 3PM  East Capitol Lawn, Albany, NY
  • New York Crossroads Rally in Albany  Monday, 6/17/13, noon – 3PM  East Capitol Lawn, Albany   Speakers & Performers:  Natalie Merchant, Arun Gandhi, Sandra Steingraber, Lois Gibbs, & others TBA!   Join the march to say NO to fracking and YES to renewable energy!  NY stands at a crossroads. This  is our moment to decide the course of history.    Click here to reserve your seat on the Buffalo-Rochester-Albany bus.  Albany directions
• Tuesday, June 18, 2013   8:30 am-12:30 pm  Meet at the north end of the Wegman's parking lot on Holt Road (off Rt.104) in Webster at 8:30 am.
  • Exploring Zurich Bog, Tuesday, June 18, 2013   8:30 am-12:30 pm  Meet at the north end of the Wegman's parking lot on Holt Road (off Rt.104) in Webster at 8:30 am. Learn more about this unique area as you approach it on a boardwalk, crossing a swamp forest and a bog forest.  You will walk into an open muskeg formation, thickly carpeted with peat and hair-cap mosses, which give a springy, wet feel to your footing.  The walk will also include a loop trail around a drumlin.  Wear sturdy waterproof boots and bring insect repellant.  Led by Paul Brach, 342-5629   *100th Year Celebration and Pot Luck Dinner, as well as a presentation by John James Audubon (aka Mark Carra)  Saturday, June 29, 2013  3-8 pm Burroughs Audubon Nature Club 's Sanctuary, 301 Railroad Mlls Rd., Victor, NY 14564   Help the club celebrate its 100th birthday!  Starting at 3 pm, there will be a guided hike, butterfly display, mineral display, water watch event, and refreshments. John James Audubon will be strolling the grounds, as well as making an evening presentation.  Bring your table setting and a dish to pass, and stay for dinner.  Dessert will be a 100th anniversary cake!  For more information, contact Julie Clayton, 249-9489 | Audubon Nature Club*  www.bancny.org
• 5 to 9 p.m. on June 20th  at Rochester Museum & Science Center 657 East Avenue, Rochester NY, 14607 :  
  • “Go Green with Michael Viggiani” on June 20 will be largest gathering of area businesses with green products and services   Sustainable initiatives showcased in expo at Rochester Museum & Science Center; leaders in field exhibiting offerings at Rochester’s first event with zero-landfill-waste   ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The act of “going green” has become a buzz phrase in the 21st century, but many leading Rochester organizations are now dedicated large amounts of talent and resources to offer sustainable options to their customers. And they are coming together for the third annual “Go Green with Michael Viggiani” Expo on Thursday evening, June 20 — which will be the largest gathering of Rochester businesses offering green and sustainable products and services. The public is invited to attend the free event from 5 to 9 p.m. at Rochester Museum & Science Center, to experience the latest in sustainable offerings, from carpeting and roofing to restoration and energy.  The museum will run on green energy that day in conjunction with the Go Green event, which will be the first zero-landfill-waste event in Rochester. The Expo will feature more than 20 companies and is being organized by Michael Viggiani, a pioneer in the field of sustainable energy who introduced the first sustainable lighting technology in Rochester in 2008. In the five years since he brought LED technology to Rochester, he has seen technology and product lines for green initiatives grow rapidly as the world is being more aware and aggressive regarding sustainability Pre-registration is required for those wishing to attend the Go Green Expo. Please RSVP by email at mviggiani@gogreenledinternational.com. (June 4, 2013) GoGreenInternational
• June When: June 20th at 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Where: Broccolo Garden Center (2755 Penfield Road)
  • Green Drinks June When: June 20th at 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Where: Broccolo Garden Center (2755 Penfield Road) Is hosting the last day of Spring! So. Clean out your closets, attics and garages! • E-scrap collection (sponsored by Sunnking) • Textile/clothing collection (sponsored by St. Pauly) • The Garden Center will be open for business, and 10% of any/all sales for the event will go to sponsor our Broccolo Explorer Scout Troop #2059 • Renewable Rochester will be on-site to discuss their newly installed system • Broccolo has purchased a Chevy Volt (come, check it out) • Join us to celebrate the last official day before the summer solstice • Looking forward to seeing you there! Green Drinks is a monthly networking event where people in the environmental field and the sustainably minded meet over drinks (alcoholic or non), in an informal setting to exchange ideas, find out who's doing what and spread the word on what you're doing, find employment leads and make new friends and contacts. Center for Environmental Initiatives (CEI)
• Thursday June 20 from 8:00 AM—11:00 AM | Montezuma Audubon Center 2295 State Route 89 Savannah, NY 13146
  • Montezuma Birding Van Tour Migrating songbirds, marsh birds, and raptors are back on their breeding grounds and raising their young. Hop in the Montezuma Audubon Center’s van on Thursday June 20 from 8:00 AM—11:00 AM for an excursion to Montezuma’s backcountry birding hotspots where dozens of breeding birds like sandhill cranes, bald eagles, American bitterns and others can be seen and heard! Participants are encouraged to bring their camera and binoculars. Fee: $7.50/child; $12.50/adult, $35/family. Space is limited and registration is required. Please call 315-365-3588 or e-mail montezuma@audubon.org.    Montezuma Audubon Center 2295 State Route 89 Savannah, NY 13146   The Center is Open Tuesday-Saturday 10 am- 4 pm.   Visit http://ny.audubon.org/montezuma for more information about our facilities, trails, and events.  
• Monday, June 24, 2013 at 7 PM | The Cinema Theater, 957 Clinton Ave. South, Rochester
  • Bring your friends and neighbors to see local filmed and produced Climate Change film: “Comfort Zone” June 24th "If you missed the premiere of our film COMFORT ZONE in February, or if you'd like your friends to have a chance to see it, there's another local screening coming up in June as part of RCTV's 20th Anniversary Film Forum. If we missed you at the premiere, we hope to see you on June 24th! And if you were at the premiere, then please help spread the word! " 20th Anniversary Film Forum and Speaker Series at The Cinema Theater, 957 Clinton Ave. South, Rochester   Monday, June 24, 2013 at 7 PM – COMFORT ZONE What kind of problem is climate change? A scientific problem? An engineering problem? A psychological problem? How do we even begin to think about it? Many films show the shocking impacts of climate change on faraway places and peoples, usually the people and countries that have the least leverage on solving the problem. This feature-length documentary explores the effects of climate change locally in Upstate New York where it's not an obvious threat, where sea level rise isn't a factor, and where people might like it to be a little warmer. Comfort Zone brings the global issue of climate change to a local and personal level as three filmmakers set out to answer questions. Co-producers and directors Kate Kressmann-Kehoe, Sean P. Donnelly and Dave Danesh will share their insights on this film and the topic’s local impact. $6 per ticket. To pre-order tickets (they'll also be available at the door, of course):
• Tuesday, June 25, 2013, at Noon EST for a webinar on how local communities are implementing strategies to prepare for the impacts of climate change. For more information or to register for the webinar, please click here.
  • How are New York State communities adapting to Climate Change?  Join this critical conversation online Tuesday, June 25, 2013. From New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Adapting to Climate Change:   Please join us on Tuesday, June 25, 2013, at Noon EST for a webinar on how local communities are implementing strategies to prepare for the impacts of climate change. For more information or to register for the webinar, please click here. (Note: This webinar will be hosted through GoToMeeting.)     Presenters:  Annie Chiodo, Water Plant Manager, Mount Pleasant, TN Scott Doyle, Senior Planner, Tompkins County, NY Madison Quinn, Program Manager, Save the Rain Program, Onondaga County, NY   Moderator: Amanda Stevens, NYSERDA   This webinar will be the third in the ClimAID webinar series. The series will provide vital information and resources to help communities take action to reduce local impacts of and adapt to climate change. NYSERDA is pleased to offer these webinars at no cost.   Recordings and PDFs of the presentations from the first two webinars are posted on the NYSERDA website.   The webinars draw heavily from findings in the comprehensive report ClimAID: the Integrated Assessment for Effective Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in New York State. Read the whole report or its components at Report 11-18 Response to Climate Change in New York State (ClimAID) .
• Sunday, June 30th at 7:30PM at the First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. Rochester, NY 14610
  • Very important movie and panel discussion on Climate Change locally.  "Do the Math | The Movie" The “Do the Math” documentary is a 42-minute film about the rising of the movement in the United States to change the terrifying math of the climate crisis and challenge the fossil fuel industry.  You’ll come away inspired to act! Sunday, June 30th at 7:30PM at the First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd. Rochester, NY 14610 Additional Details: See Bill McKibben at this best.  Panel discussion follows the movie.  Free and open to the public.  More Info at 350.org/math
• Sunday, June 30, 2013 9:00am until 12:00pm | Meet at the kiosk behind the pines at the top of the reservoir road off Highland Avenue.
  • Washington Grove Forest Nature Walk and then Coffee and Brunch | Meet at the kiosk behind the pines at the top of the reservoir road off Highland Avenue. Join us and meet some of the staff and volunteers from our Albany-based state-wide Atlantic Chapter! All are invited to enjoy the tranquility and mystery of a beautiful old growth forest at Cobb’s Hill Park in the city of Rochester. Peter Debes, a life-long naturalist will identify some of the giant trees and will share the stories of their long lives — some exceeding 250 years — from telltale scars on their trunks. Peter will explain how he organized, with the support of the Atlantic chapter, City of Rochester, and community volunteers, a project to restore and protect the Grove. Now in its fifth year, many invasive plants have been removed and native species planted. When we’re finished in the Grove, we’ll go to the Corner Bakery in Pittsford, 3300 Monroe Ave., 14618, for some coffee, brunch, and conversation. RSVP appreciated but not required: 585-234-1056.

September 2013

• Tuesday 9/10 and Wednesday 9/11. The Theater on the Ridge facility at Ridge Road West near Lake Avenue in Rochester, NY
  •  FUTURES SUMMIT In 2012, Greentopia, in partnership with the Center for Environmental Initiatives (CEI), presented its first Innovation Conference. This was a one-day, B2B gathering of speakers who addressed sustainability and green practices. The conference was wildly successful, drawing attention and building support for a larger effort. For 2013, we have expanded to a two-day event called Greentopia | FUTURES SUMMIT with a more contemporary approach to sharing knowledge and practices among people who are working towards building sustainable communities and businesses. While we will have a handful of individual speakers, the bulk of our program will consist of plenary discussion groups and a variety of panels so that we can offer as many viewpoints and share as much experience as possible in two days in a relaxed but dynamic setting. The FUTURES Summit will be held at The Theater on the Ridge facility at Ridge Road West near Lake Avenue in Rochester, Tuesday 9/10 and Wednesday 9/11. Please save this date as we know you will want to be a part of this.  Greentopia
• September 2013| 10th -15th | High Falls, Rochester, NY
  • Greentopia Festival "We’re proud to announce and confirm today, that the estimates of Greentopia’s weekend street traffic and attendance at all affiliated events reached new highs of 23,000 people this year.  With the resounding successes of Greentopia | FILM, INNOVATION, ECOFEST and MUSIC, along with sanctioned events – WXXI’s Open House, Foodlink’s Festival of Food, Nazareth College’s NAZ GREEN DAY Farmers Market,Sunnking’s Electronics Recycling Drive and The Single Origin Fashion Project at Joe Bean Coffee Roasters – we look forward to seeing that number grow every year.  As you read this, we’re already ecstatically brainstorming ideas to make next year’s event even better.  Sustainability, a practice that we preach the necessity of, is “the capacity to endure” and, if we’ve proven anything thus far, it’s that Greentopia has the vigor to not only endure but GROW!  We’re excited about the outpouring of support we received throughout Greentopia 2012, and can’t wait to explore the possibilities of what we can create next year.    Thank you to all of our wonderful vendors and sponsors.  Thank you to all of our enthusiastic volunteers.  And,most of all, thank you Rochester for rallying around us!  None of this is possible without ALL of you. "

Center for Environmental Initiatives (CEI) is working for environmental protection and enhanced quality of life in the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region through education, collaboration and informed action.

 

ACTION highlight

Sign this online petition against Fracking in Monroe County: Prohibit All Fracking Related Activities on Monroe County Properties, NY Last Tuesday, (October 9, 2012) 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. 

 

Green Action.

ACTION: Often, I receive requests to pass on alerts, petitions, Public Comments on local environmental issues needing action by the Rochester Community and around the world.  

• 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.
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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]
• 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
• 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."
• 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]
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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. 
• 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 
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• 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

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