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 News |
A gritty problem - New Bedford built schools, homes on old dump
 NEW BEDFORD - Brenda Mattos’s voice rises as she leads a toxic tour of her West End neighborhood.
A block away is the section of the high school lawn that tested high for probable cancer-causing chemicals in April. Behind her house is the tiny church whose expansion plans are on hold because the soil is so polluted. Next door? A vacant house, one of six the city bought in the last year because the property was so contaminated. Read more here
Another Record for U.S. Renewable Electricity
The latest figures from the Energy Information Administration show that net U.S. electrical generation from renewable energy sources (biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind) reached an all-time monthly high in May 2009. Combined, those sources accounted for 13 percent of total electrical generation in the U.S., according to recent analysis from the Washington, D.C.-based Sun Day Campaign. Details here. |
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This Week in Sustainability
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Council on Sustainability: Natural Resources |
Thursday August 20th, 3 PM @ SRPEDD, Taunton (Directions)
The Southeastern Massachusetts Council on Sustainability invites you to this meeting of the Natural Resources Working Group. Learn more about the working group here. |
Slocum River Kayak Tour |
Friday, August 21, 9am – 12pm, Lloyd Center Headquarters at 430 Potomska Road in Dartmouth
The public is invited to join the Lloyd Center for the Environment on for a . The Slocum River is a peaceful scenic estuary, offering extraordinary views, great birding and paddling. Come explore the many coves and marshes along this classic New England landscape. Paddlers of all abilities are welcome. Register here. |
Seining for Subtropicals |
Saturday, August 22, 2pm – 6pm, Lloyd Center Headquarters at 430 Potomska Road in Dartmouth
Enjoy a short canoe paddle from Tripp's boatyard to the edge of the eelgrass beds at the mouth of the Westport River. Lead by Mark Mello, Lloyd Center Research Director, “Seining for Subtropicals”. You will be using a seine (special kind of fishing net) to try to nab seahorses, jacks (a perch-like marine fish), groupers and other southern species that enter our waters in late summer. Register here. |
Council on Sustainability: Food and Agriculture |
Wednesday, August 26th, 7:30 PM @ Location TBD
The Southeastern Massachusetts Council on Sustainability invites you to this meeting of the Food and Agriculture Working Group. Learn more about the working group here. |
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Save The Date
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Council on Sustainability: Economic Development |
Thursday, September 1, 3:00 PM at SRPEDD in Taunton
The Southeastern Massachusetts Council on Sustainability invites you to this meeting of the Economic Development Working Group. Learn more about the working group here. |
Transforming Our Built Environment, Restoring Healthy Communities: An Ecologist's Plan |
Sunday, September 13, 6:00 - 9:00 pm at
Andover-Newton Theological School, Newton Center, MA
Patrick Lucey is an internationally acclaimed designer of sustainable communities and infrastructure from British Columbia. He works around the world bringing visionary water and energy solutions to life, and has inspired many with his brilliant and revolutionary plans. Please come and bring your friends, you won't want to miss this unique opportunity.
Individual tickets are $30 each, sponsorships also available. Learn more here. Sponsored by Clean Water Action. |
Council on Sustainability Quarterly Meeting |
 Thursday, September 17, 3:00 PM at the ATMC in Fall River
Keynote speaker Douglas Foy, former president of the Conservation Law Society and Chief of Commonwealth Development. See presentations of the five groups and help plot a course to a more sustainable future. Learn more about the Council on Sustainability here.
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Permaculture Design Course |
Sept. 14 - 25 on Martha's Vineyard.
The 2nd Permaculture Design Course will be held at the MV-HI-Hostel from . Most of you know that many consider Sept. the best time to be on the Vineyard - warm days, cool nights, gone are the crowds, and staying/eating at the HI-Hostel brings the rates way, way down ($20/night for room, $25/day for meals - that's compared to hundred$/ night at hotels in-season).
And the Course is terrific - great, life-changing curricula, super Instructors and Guest Speakers, fabulous visits to farms, homes, markets, small businesses - all wrapped in the rustic, rural, still agrarian Vineyard, with its respect for Nature, limited resources, and a quieter, smaller way of living and doing business. It's a great backdrop for a Permaculture Design Course. Learn more here. |
2nd Annual RI Sustainable Schools Summit |
Thursday, September 24th 8:00am - 4:00pm at the URI Shepard Building at 80 Washington St., Providence, RI
*Rhode Island Schools: Taking Strides to Sustainability*
Attention Superintendents, Administrators, Teachers, Students, School
Board Officials, Facilities Managers, Principals, Parents, and Community
Members: Join the Apeiron Institute for this FREE program as we take an in-depth
look at some green initiatives in local schools and discuss ways to
integrate environmental sustainability in school environments, school
food systems, and curricula.
*Register for free at www.apeiron.org |
Providence Sustainability Festival |
Saturday, September 26th Greater Kennedy Plaza, Providence, RI
Sustainability Workshops, Music, Vendors, & More.
After eight successful years of Sustainability festivals in Coventry,
the Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living will hold our first
Providence festival, a free event that will use several downtown venues,
including Kennedy Plaza. The Providence Sustainability
Festival will include many of the features of the Coventry festival,
providing numerous resources through its participating vendors,
workshops and exhibits. Working with the City of Providence, the
festival will also highlight “green job” opportunities. |
Working Waterfront Festival |
Sep 26 & 27 Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 3 — Steamship Pier, New Bedford
Celebrate Commercial Fishing, America's Oldest Industry! Join us in New Bedford, America's largest commercial fishing port, to learn about the men and women who harvest the North Atlantic. Walk the decks of a scalloper, dine on fresh seafood, mend a fishing net and watch a Coast Guard rescue demonstration. Experience the workings of the industry which brings seafood from the ocean to your plate. www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org. |
3rd Annual Watershed Ride |
Oct 4 Westport to Wood's Hole
3rd Annual Watershed Ride with Coalition For Buzzards Bay. Help us pedal our way to a healthier Bay by participating in the Third Annual Watershed Ride - a fully-supported, one-day, 75-mile cycling event to build awareness and raise funds to Save Buzzards Bay. Cycle through pastoral farmlands, coastal villages, cranberry bogs, working waterfronts and the back roads of Cape Cod - all while helping your Bay and its watershed. www.savebuzzardsbay.org. |
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Announcements
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Volunteer opportunity: Providence Sustainability Festival |
We are seeking
significant community input and welcome businesses and organizations
with a green presence in Providence to participate in the festival,
either as exhibitors, presenters, or organizers. For more information,
contact Apeiron at info@apeiron.org or call
401-228-7930. More details here |
Bioneers By the Bay looking for volunteers |
Each year we rely on you, our wonderful volunteers, to produce the internationally acclaimed Bioneers by the Bay conference. This year we are counting on you to make the conference the best yet. We have a wonderful group of live keynote speakers including Will Allen, Paul Hawken, Winona LaDuke and Dr. Vandana Shiva. Volunteer applications are available here. |
UMass Dartmouth Students: Be a Green Navigator |
The UMASS Dartmouth Sustainability Initiative is looking for motivated students to become "Green Navigators" – student sustainability leaders committed to supporting UMD sustainability initiatives through peer education and outreach.
Green Navigators work with students, faculty, and staff to develop and implement sustainability initiatives. Duties may include assisting with educational programing, data collection, and general communication and outreach. Qualified students will be motivated, committed to enhancing sustainability at UMASS Dartmouth, and interested in supporting community participation in sustainability initiatives on campus. Applications are available here, and more details about the program are here. |
Online Sustainability Certificate Open for Registration |
The Application form for our new Online Program has now been posted, although students may take courses (listed here) before applying to the program. The Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability Studies provides students with a vigorous introduction to the growing discourse surrounding "sustainability" and sustainable issues. The Certificate helps establish sustainable thinking as a critical methodology, which students can apply to their professional and personal lives. See http://www.umassd.edu/online/sustainability/ for further information. |
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Ongoing
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Local Farmers Markets |
Carver: Sundays 1-4pm June-October, Shurtleff Park, Center Carver
Dartmouth: Fridays 1-6pm at Rex Field, adjacent to St. Peter's Church in Padanaram.
Fairhaven: Sundays 1-4pm, Fairhaven High School.
Fall River: Wednesdays, 9-1pm, Ruggles Park
Fall River: Saturdays, 7-12:30pm, Kennedy Park
Middleboro: Saturdays June 13- October 31, Middleboro Town Hall Lawn, rt 105.
New Bedford: Saturdays, 9-1pm, Clasky Common
New Bedford: Thursdays, 2-7pm, Wings Court (downtown)
New Bedford: Mondays: 2-7pm, Brooklawn Park
Rochester: Saturdays, 8-12pm, Rochester Center, Plumb Corner Market
Rehoboth: Sundays, 10-2pm, Anawan School
Taunton: Thursday, 12-5pm, Parking lot behind City Hall
Westport: Saturday, 8:30-1pm, Westport Grange
Click here for a complete list.
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Roots Down New Bedford: Gardening Workshops |
1st Tuesday of every month, 4pm, Lawler Branch Public Library, 745 Rockdale (NE Corner of Buttonwood Park). Accessible by SRTA bus routes #6 and #10.
What: A free monthly series focusing on sustainable gardening techniques.
Why: To help new and experienced gardeners gain a deeper understanding of methods used in healthy food production. To help build local food security for our community.
When: The third Thursday of each month at 4:00 PM.
- Sept 1: Short and Sweet Salad Greens: Seeds to Sow in
September and Extending the Season with Row Covers
- Oct 6: Improving Your Soil: Cover Crops, Fall Fertilizers and
Soil Amendments for Organic Gardens
- Nov 3: Wintertime Tasks for a Terrific 2010 Vegetable Garden:
Mulching, Reviewing the Season and an Organic Garden Reading List.
*Neighborhood-based workshops now scheduled! Visit the Farm blog for locations and schedule
Roots Down - New Bedford is part of the Safe Soils for Healthy Food Project presented by Brix Bounty Farm and the Rotch-Jones- Duff House&Garden Museum and is made possible by the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts - SEEAL Fund.
For more information please contact Brix Bounty Farm at 508-992-1868 or visit the farm blog at http://brixbounty.blogspot.com/ |
Volunteers Needed for Friends of Buttonwood Park |
The Friends of Buttonwood Park need enthusiastic volunteers to introduce the Buttonwood Park Arboretum and its unique trees to local K-4 school groups.
The Friends provide all the necessary information about the 13 trees and volunteers take small groups of students and their teacher around the Arboretum while chatting about each tree. Each walk takes approximately 45 minutes and two are scheduled daily from 9 to 11am.
This popular educational program runs for 3 weeks each fall and spring and requires 2 hours of your time several mornings during its duration.
If this sounds like something you might be interested in joining please call for more information - Ann Beaumont: 508-993-8458 or Anne Eades: 508-996-1299 |
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Weekly Green Tip
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Recycle your cell phone |
The average lifespan for a cell phone is 18 months, and 130 million are retired annually in the U.S.
Click here to learn more. |
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