Following our discussion with the Congressman, we'll hear from Heidi Ricci, the Director of Policy and Advocacy at Mass Audubon, who has decades of experience in environmental policy and public engagement. Heidi has assisted many communities in building climate resilience through nature-based solutions. She works on land use policies that integrate protection of natural and working lands with the clean energy transition and equitable, sustainable development. She'll fill us in on Mass Audubon's just released report, Growing Solar, Protecting Nature. See this page for more info - scroll down to take a look at the full report, linked on the lower left side of the page. 

YES! We do record our meetings, and they are usually posted on our website within a few days. Find videos here.

Feel free to invite to your friends, relatives, neighbors, and everyone you want to talk with about the climate crisis NOW! Talking with the people around us is one of the most effective things we can do every day to raise awareness of the crisis.

DEEP DIALOGUE

MONDAY, OCTOBER 30

4-5:30 PM, on Zoom

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83538742353?pwd=YUU5QU16VVlDMExOMmlPSWVwTG9xUT09

Reducing Food Waste

Wasting food has an astonishingly massive greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. In the U.S., 35 percent of food goes uneaten along the supply chain, generating the same amount of GHG as 58 million passenger vehicles driven for one year. This is due to the methane produced from food decaying in landfills, the resources it takes to grow, transport, cool, and cook food, and the conversion of native ecosystems to agriculture. Fortunately, it is a solvable problem that offers some low-hanging fruit for GHG reductions. New practices are needed that can enable consumers to actively reduce their food waste at home by making it obvious, affordable, and convenient. 

Our speakers will be:

• John Fischer, Deputy Division Director, Solid Waste at Mass Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
• Liz Miller, Community Relations Manager at Lovin' Spoonfuls, a food rescue and distribution nonprofit
• Minnie Ringland from ReFED, a national organization focused on eliminating food waste

This deep dialogue will address not only what individuals can do in their households – as well as in restaurant and foodservice settings – but also what municipalities, states, institutions, and our national government can do to reduce food on larger scales.

Seth Evans

Tens of thousands of people - by some estimates 75,000 - marched on September 17 to bring their messages to the attention of global leaders at the UN, and specifically to President Biden. Marchers came from around the US, and a few from abroad. They were both young and old. And they had a common demand that world leaders move away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible. 

ECA Mass members were well represented at the march - at least 21 of us were there.

When asked why they marched, the replies were varied but all meaningful:

I’m terrified about climate. Too little action too late. People have to show up and make some noise.

I marched to show solidarity with my fellow elders and most importantly to show … that we care, we are with them, and we are into this for as long as it takes (for sure the rest of our lives).

I marched because addressing the climate crisis requires urgent action from all of us - individuals, but especially corporations and all levels of government. I went to NYC to be part of the crowd. The larger the crowd that demands action, the more likely it is that politicians and other decision makers will feel pressured to take action. 

A lovely benefit of the march was connecting with other ECA members, many of whom I have only met on Zoom. It was inspiring to see the presence and creativity of many other groups of all ages and backgrounds. Sharing that energy and commitment gives me hope and that helps me persist in our collective effort to create a livable future for the planet and future generations.

I march for “the cause,” for other people, and for me.

I have learned over the years that it takes a variety of means to advance any issue. Education, legislation, pressure on politicians, media, and civil disobedience are all important. September 17 was the day to march.

To make tangible my solidarity with others who also care deeply about the future of all life on Earth and help the diverse, global climate movement be more visible to all.



With 350 Mass working so hard to organize buses and vigorous participation from Mothers Out Front in my town…. I felt it was really a movement-building day. And it was!

And one ECA marcher was reminded of the poem Earthrise by Amanda Gorman which ends with: “to keep rising up for an earth more than worth fighting for."



Rick Lent

In the last few weeks, members of the Legislative Team’s Buildings, Transportation, Energy, and Natural Solutions Working Groups met with chairs and staff from four key joint committees:

• Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy (TUE) (Sen. Barrett & Rep. Roy)
• Transportation (Rep. Crighton)
• Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) (Sen. Rausch & Rep. Cahill’s staff)
• Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) (Rep. Cutler)

Committee chairs have a significant say in what's included in bills that are reported out favorably by their committee and are in charge of the process of making decisions on bills.

Our objective in the TUE meeting was not to elicit promises of support for bills, but to advocate for priority elements of bills that we'd like included in the expected climate omnibus and to learn what the chairs are thinking about those priorities. We learned from Senator Barrett that he is supportive of the concept of the clean heat standard and needs to hear more specific details about how funds in a zero carbon renovation fund would be spent. 

Through our meeting with the LWD chair, we learned more about the focus of that committee and the other committees that also address workforce issues (e.g. Education, TUE). The Clean Energy Center is the climate workforce development hub in the state and recently published a report on climate workforce needs, which identifies a need for 38,000 more workers by 2030. Rep. Crighton expressed support for charging drivers more for access to city centers during peak hours, but also cautioned that many transportation electrification needs will be competing with funding for housing and other urgent priorities.

Members of our Buildings and Energy Working Groups met with Senator Eldridge about his bill calling for the imposition of requirements for more solar and wind in the energy mix of Municipal Light Plants (MLP). They expressed support for accelerating the pace of adoption of clean energy by MLPs, which are required to achieve only 50 percent clean energy by 2030 compared to 80 percent for the major utilities. We presented arguments for expanding any requirement for new clean energy to include nuclear and hydro, given they are sources of low cost power for many towns and low cost power encourages residents to electrify homes.

On the implementation front, we are still waiting for our climate chief’s report on the administration’s priorities and are closely following Healey’s efforts to secure grant funds for climate projects through the Inflation Reduction Act. We will have members testifying on bills coming before TUE and ENR in the coming weeks. We will then be working with our allies and in coalitions to help shape a climate omnibus bill and to advance legislation supporting natural solutions. Stay tuned for action alerts calling on all our members to weigh in with key legislators at strategic moments as the legislative process grinds on.

Roger Luckmann

Join us for the Boston film premiere of Regenerating Life: How to cool the planet, feed the world, and live happily ever after, hosted by Biodiversity for a Livable Climate. Regenerating Life will be shown at Tufts University on Saturday, October 14 from 12:30 PM - 4:30 PM in a symposium hosted by Biodiversity for a Livable Climate and co-hosted by the Tufts Environmental Studies Department and the Tufts Eliot Pearson School of Child Studies and Human Development.

See the trailer here.

Meet the Director and key speakers from the film and the field in this half day event with information tables and panel discussion. ECA Mass will have a table there and welcomes any member going to the event who would like to help out. Email MaiyimBaron@gmail.com if you'd like to help staff our table.

Regenerating Life is a three-part documentary that highlights the importance of biodiversity and natural ecosystems in regulating the climate. Director John Feldman shares his journey through the science and the stories that helped him see the climate crisis in a whole new light. See the full list of speakers here.

• Register here
• Date/Time: Saturday, October 14, 12:30 - 4:30 PM
• Admission price: $5 - $50 (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)
• Location: Tufts University, Fletcher School, Cabot ASEAN Auditorium, 160 Packard Ave., Medford, MA 02155

Maiyim Baron