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Maine Woods Named One of Nation's Biggest and Best Forests in New Report |
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by Nancy Hwa, Greenpeace, nancy.hwa (nospam) wdc.greenpeace.org |
The Maine Woods was named as one of the nation’s “Keystone Forests” by the environmental group Greenpeace today.
In a new report, "America’s Keystone Forests: Mapping the Next 100 Years of Forest Protection," Greenpeace identifies the biggest forest areas left in the United States that provide the best habitat for the most diverse species. Of the 11 forests named, the Maine Woods stood out as the keystone forest made up of the highest percentage of private land. Most of the other keystone forests consist primarily of public lands. |
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05 Jan 2005
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Filed under: News / Environment |
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Holyoke citizens group offers alternative proposal to privatization of wastewater treatment plant |
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by Keep It Public, holyokewater (nospam) hotmail.com |
 A local resident’s group, Holyoke Citizens for Open Government (HCOG), will present a proposal to the Board of Public Works at their meeting on 12/16/04, 5:30pm at 63 Canal St., Holyoke. The proposal is for a public-public partnership as an alternative to privatizing the Berkshire Street Wastewater Treatment Plant. |
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17 Dec 2004
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Filed under: News / Environment : Social Welfare |
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Stop privatization of wastewater in Holyoke |
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by Keep It Public, |
Open Letter to the Aquarion Company
Attn: CEO Charles Firlotte.
Dear Mr. Firlotte and Aquarion,
Your subsidiary, the Aquarion Water Company of Massachusetts is the only bidder on a contract to design/build/operate the wastewater treatment facility and CSO abatement project in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where I would be one of your future ratepayers.
Mr. Firlotte, your company appears to be an honorable institution, and I mean no disrespect when I say that many of us in Holyoke don’t want the company to come here. We’ve formed a group called the Holyoke Citizens for Open Government, and although the contract is nearing final approval, we are doing what we can to halt the process.
http://water.homestead.com |
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City plays catch-up with Boston's bicycle activists |
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by Pete Stidman, pstidman (nospam) yahoo.com |
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Back in September city councilors appeared surprised by the number of attendees at a hearing for crosswalk safety and the amount of anger they brought to the meeting. After last nights hearing, called to consider both bike safety in general and the appointment of a “bike czar” for the city, they should now realize that they have awoken a sleeping monster. Activists and citizens packed the Ianella chamber and instead of a line of individuals sounding off the hearing began with a well-organized power point presentation to the councilors by an informal organization of bicyclists and pedestrians. A comprehensive bike safety plan was requested and drawn out in detail for the councilors. |
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24 Nov 2004
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Filed under: News / Education : Environment : Organizing : Politics : Social Welfare : Technology |
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Fixing Broken Promises; City calls hearing on Bike Safety |
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by Pete Stidman, pstidman (nospam) yahoo.com |
The flowery, warm prose of the Bicycle Friendly Communities 2003 awards report would make a Boston bike commuter’s heart skip a beat.
“The [bike path] network grew to over 240 miles… More than one-quarter of the city’s arterial streets have striped bike lanes or shoulders… bicycle access is fully integrated into the city’s light rail and bus system... Bicycle parking is provided [everywhere]… Motorists and bicyclists are educated to share the road…” What kind of utopian village is this? Well it’s not in Scandinavia, but it is in Boston’s U.S. polar opposite attitude-wise, Portland Oregon, land of the smiley happy people.
It may be hard to view the streets of Boston through the golden lenses of Portland’s bicycle La-La land, but there are still a few folks who can catch a wink of it if they squint and throw off their eye focus on a bright sunny day. These are Boston’s bike visionaries. They see Boston in terms of how it could be. Some have 10, 20, 30 years of advocacy under their belts, and precious little city-built biking infrastructure to show for it. “Getting a few ribbon racks takes ten years.” Says Carl Kurz, Organizer of Bikes-not-Bombs, “In the twenty years that I’ve been here there’s been a little over two or three blocks of bike lanes put in on the actual streets.”
Back in 1999, Boston was rated the least bike friendly city in the country by Bicycling magazine. The city council reacted. Mayor Menino jumped. The mayor vowed to fix the problems by instating a “Bike Czar” to address pedaler’s grievances. But the title wasn’t official. And other responsibilities were folded into the job description. Paul Shimeck, the man with the job, felt like his hands were tied. Then he was laid-off. Now Maura Hennigan, Boston City Councilor at-large and Menino-critic number one, wants the mayor to fulfill his original promises.
Tonight, [Monday Nov. 22nd 5:30pm-see below] Councilor Hennigan and the rest of the Council will hear the communities problems, misgivings and suggestions on the topic of Bike safety and whether t reinstate the Bike Czar. |
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23 Nov 2004
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Filed under: News / Environment : Politics : Social Welfare : Technology |
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Tensions rise as BU inches closer to a Biosafety Lab in Boston |
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by Peter Shaeffer, Peter. <Shaeffer (nospam) tufts.edu> |
 Faneuil Hall was home to a public forum Wednesday night on the biosafety lab that is currently scheduled to be built in the South End's Boston Medical Center. The forum opened with a ten minute overview presented by Boston University officials, including Boston University Senior Vice President Richard J. Towle, which was interrupted by a woman demanding that the lab be referred to as the "proposed lab." After the somewhat contentious presentation was over, the hall became open for Bostonians to voice approval or disapproval about the proposed lab. Advocates and concerned citizens voiced their opinions, but drew no real conclusions, besides an agreement that the conflict is far from over. Attendees argued passionately for an open question and answer session with both sides of the conflict, and "more information and more respect" to be shown by Boston University towards concerned Boston residents. |
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12 Nov 2004
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Filed under: News / Environment : Organizing : Politics : Race : Social Welfare : Technology |
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Anti-Corporate Victory in Lee; Water Privatization Defeated! |
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by Jonathan Leavitt, info (nospam) stopcorporatecontrol.org |
 Water and anti-privatization activists recently stopped a bid from the European Multi-National Veolia Environment (working with former local Democratic Party State Rep.) to privatize the water system.
The issue of water privatization in Lee actually arrived through the backdoor. Originally the discussion on the table was about the need in Lee for an upgrade of the town’s sewer system. But pushed by former Democratic Party State Rep. Christopher Hogkins, the town moved towards a proposal that included the design, build, and operation (DBO) of a new Water Plant.
With relatively no public discussion about the ramifications associated with privatizing out the services to a multi-national corporation, and with almost absurd levels of conflict of interests (or at the very least revolving door politics), the town received only one bid, from Veloia Water. Quite a coincidence since Christopher Hogkins the former State Rep from Lee is now a Vice-President and General Manager for the company. (The parent company of this entity is Veolia Environment based in Paris, France.) |
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13 Oct 2004
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Filed under: News / Environment : Globalization : Organizing |
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Earthworks and Better Tomorrows |
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by Atreyu, atreyu (nospam) ecomail.org |
 “This program is experimental by nature”, muses Ben Crouch, Program Director for Earthworks Boston. “We are documenting our work to track the results of how the land is adapting to what we’re doing. We want to help inform Boston on how to better manage the natural areas of the city”. If this sounds like a science experiment, done on the green spaces of our Boston cityscape, that’s because it is. And like any good experiment it is being done to further a process of understanding. However, this experiment is taking more into consideration than just science. |
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17 Sep 2004
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Filed under: News / Environment |
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