engaging youth in the civic and scientific study of the local watershed and marine environment to inspire stewardship of our planet’s ecosystems

Let's start with a poll

Was it

Richard Nixon or Rachel Carson

who famously raised the great question of the 1970's:

"Shall we surrender to our surroundings, or shall we make our peace with nature and begin to make reparations for the damage we have done to our air, to our land, and to our water?"

Hints can be found here... and here... and here; and even more about the topic and the woman we need to thank can be found here in this 9 min clip from PBS' American Experience.

Earth Day 2024

Earth Day will be celebrated in many ways across the globe; we hope you participate in local activities.

But, we want to remind all readers-- wherever you live-- that Earth Day is a daily activity. Especially when we throw things "away."

There is no away. Away, when it comes to solid waste management, or water waste management, is a place. Away has a name.

Throwing something away typically means placing it (responsibly or irresponsibly) "somewhere else." But where? Anywhere other than my backyard; certainly, not in my neighborhood; preferably not even in my town or city-- at least out of state, if not out of country.

"Throw it away," therefore, is always moving trash from home to someplace else. As we think about Earth Day, let's remember that someplace else has a place name, and each place name has a group of people who call that place their home.

Read "Africa's Exploding Plastic Nightmare."

Closer to Home

Closer to home, "away" is known as Rochester, New Bedford, Brockton, Fall River, and Taunton.

These communities that receive our waste, or host facilities within their jurisdictions that receive our waste all can be described in a way that the sending community cannot; that is, each receiving community has neighborhoods in which income is low, English language proficiency is limited among heads of households, and / or a majority population in the neighborhood is described as minority. These are the Environmental Justice neighborhoods in the Commonwealth of MA.

We send our household waste (blue bags) to be incinerated at a waste-to- energy plant, one of the current five operating in the Commonwealth. Even with the best technologies in place, these plants may emit "acid gases that contribute to acid rain and can cause or aggravate breathing problems; Dioxins, Furans & other Chlorine- containing organics known or suspected to cause cancer and birth defects; Fly Ash & Soot which is seen as smoke that reduces visibility and can make it harder to breathe; Mercury, Lead &

other Heavy Metals that can affect the human brain, kidneys, liver, and nervous system, as well as child development; Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), the primary ingredient of ground-level ozone (smog) that can cause or aggravate breathing problems" (mass.gov).

To New Bedford, we send our toxic tires. To Taunton, we ship our Construction and Demolition waste. Electronics go to Fall River and Scap Metal to Brockton.

On Earth Day, we need to remember that "away" is a place called home for people who share the same dreams we hold for our children.

Call to Action

• If the sentiments in today's newsletter resonate with you, get involved with our work.
• If learning how to use geospatial tools to illuminate how we might think about where our trash goes represents the critical thinking skills you value for the students in your life, get them involved in our work.
• If you value learning and doing on Earth Day-- and every day of the year-- in ways that engage students in authentic, local, community-based inquiry such as this illustration that "away" is someone's home, then get your students involved in CSCR today!
• Learn more about CSCR Programs.

And just in case a reader still wants to view our March 28 State of the Harbor Event:

Video Guide:

Please watch the full hour. These breakpoints, however, may be useful for your viewing.

• First 6 minutes: event overview by Susan Bryant, student interviews, some footage from Owen Gurtz' documentary on the eel grass research project, and general footage of a growing audience joining us for the evening.
• Aproximately minutes 6:00 - 9:00, Jack Buckley opens the event and speaks about CSCR and the evening ahead;
• At ~minute 9, Jack introduces former Cohasset High School Science Dept Chair Dave Magnussen. Dave then speaks about his work with Thoreau Scholars and congratulates CHS Senior Laila Al Rashid's selection as a Thoreau Scholar!
• ~12:30, CSCR's work with Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS);
• Ben Haskell, Deputy Supt of the Sanctuary, is introduced just before the 16 minute mark (short segment, but critically important and significant).
• The next few minutes feature the Eel grass research team (16:30 - 21:00)
• Minutes 21-25, the mike gets passed around the room and students provide a one sentence reason for audience members to speak with them about their research.
• ~25:00 - 36:00 shows students and community members engaged in conversation about their research. It might be the segment we select as "most authentic" student voice, for it captures the organic interactions that occur at poster presentation events.
• Just before the 36 min mark, Dr Collins takes command of the room. Dr Collins, a Thayer Academy teacher by day, is sharing her sabattical year with CSCR. We are thrilled and honored to call her our colleague;
• ~minutes 36 - 48, Dr Collins engages students in reflections about collaboration, inspiration, stewardship and more. This segment is also a candiate for "most authentic." We'll let the viewers decice.
• Minute 50:00 shines the camera light on State Representative Joan Meschino, and Joan shares inspirational words with the students.
• The event then closes, but Elena Cain's camera work and interview skills shine in the last 6 minutes, from ~54:00 - 1:00:00.

TGIS Number 68 April 19 2024

There is No Away