Library Hosting Computer Recycling Collection

Press Release

"In observance of Earth Day on April 22, the Berkshire Athenaeum is collaborating with Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires and Southern Vermont by hosting a computer recycling collection starting Tuesday, April 18, through Monday, April 24. Accepted items include monitors, scanners, computer mice, printers, keyboards, laptop batteries, ink and toner cartridges, computers, hard drives, speakers, cords, and cables. No television sets will be accepted. Recycled items will be accepted during regular library hours in the designated bins. Those bringing in computers and hard drives for recycling are advised to remove all personal data. Neither Dell nor the Berkshire Athenaeum is liable for data removal or protection. The event is made possible through a partnership with the Dell-Reconnect residential recycling program. Revenue from the program supports Goodwill’s employment placement and job training services. For more information, call 413-499- 9480 or email info@pittsfieldlibrary.org." LEARN MORE

Williamstown Rural Lands buys a $745,000 parcel that is part of Sweet Brook Farm, saving it from possible real estate development

Sten Spinella | The Berkshire Eagle

"A local nonprofit has acquired 10 acres of agricultural land, preserving it specifically for farming so that it doesn’t become the site of a real estate development. Williamstown Rural Lands in recent years had been seeking the land, part of Sweet Brook Farm that borders Woodcock and Oblong roads. The property belonged to the ex-wife of the farm’s co-owner, and she wouldn't budge from the price offered by a developer, $745,000. Rural Lands matched it to complete the sale. 'She had a contract to sell about a year ago,' Rural Lands Executive Director Robin Sears said. 'We said, "Let’s save this, take it out of the jaws, the clenches, of a developer." They would’ve put at least one, maybe two or three houses on that land. We wanted to keep it natural and keep it in farming.' [...] More than 80 percent of Berkshire County’s farmland is not permanently protected, according to agricultural organization American Farmland Trust. That organization also found Massachusetts has the second-highest real estate values for farms in the country, and could lose 74,000 acres of farmland by 2040. Rural Lands said that the 10-acre plot protects an important section of Sweet Brook and connecting water systems, while also preserving the pasture, a sugarbush, and a habitat for birds." READ MORE

Pittsfield Yard Waste Now Accepted at Lenox Transfer Station

Press Release

"[As of April 11], Pittsfield residents will be able to temporarily drop off yard waste at the Lenox Transfer Station located at 68 Willow Creek Road. During this temporary period, Pittsfield residents can bring the following items free of charge: Grass clippings; leaves; brush; and tree branches and limbs under 4 feet in length. Proof of Pittsfield residency will need to be provided. No bags are allowed. The Lenox Transfer Station is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday."

Reminder: You Can Opt Out of Mosquito Spraying

Mass Audubon's Policy + Advocacy Roundup

"Summer is coming and soon mosquito districts will be spraying pesticides from trucks in many neighborhoods. To exclude your property, fill out a simple form online. These requests must be renewed annually, and opting out can help protect species like bees and fish, to whom the pesticides typically used are highly toxic. You can also support statewide reform." READ MORE

Grubs: Raccoon Delicacies

Mary Holland | Naturally Curious

"Besides moles and voles, which leave obvious pathways and mounds on the ground, skunks and raccoons are the biggest culprits when it comes to wreaking havoc on lawns. Both are primarily interested in finding grubs (immature insects, or larvae, primarily of beetles) to eat. Because they go about locating their prey differently, it’s fairly easy to tell which one has come calling. Skunks typically root around with their noses in the soil and then dig individual little funnel-shaped holes in the ground. Raccoons tend to use their paws like hands, digging, lifting and tearing off chunks of sod and flipping them over to inspect for grubs. After hatching, many insect larvae feed on the grass roots near the surface of a lawn during the summer, move deeper in the soil during the winter, and then move back up as the soil warms in the spring before pupating and emerging as adult beetles. Raccoons have learned that this is the time of year when grubs are their biggest and juiciest, and easiest to excavate." READ MORE

BCC to Hold Wellness Day

iBerkshires

"Berkshire Community College (BCC) will hold Wellness Day on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22 from 10 am – 2 pm at the Paterson Field House on the main campus, located at 1350 West Street in Pittsfield. The event is hosted by BCC's Physical Therapist Assistant program. Kicking off Wellness Day at 10 am are a 5K run, 1-mile walk and a kids' race, along with chair massages (for a nominal fee) and educational booths promoting self-care and care for your loved ones. To register through Berkshire Running Center for the run, walk or kids' race, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/wellness. Registration for the 5K is $25 by April 20 or $30 on race day; registration for the 1-mile fitness walk or the kids' run is $10 by April 20 or $15 on race day. Race day registration and packet pick up will be open from 8:45-9:45 am at the Paterson Field House. Gift certificates will be awarded to the first male and female finishers of the 5K, and free long-sleeved T-shirts will be provided to the first 100 registrants. Kids' prizes will also be awarded. All proceeds of the event go to Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), whose mission is to protect the environment for wildlife in support of the natural world that sustains us all." READ MORE

Tell Your Legislator – Restructure MassSave!

Newly proposed bills could be a game-changer.

Energy efficiency is crucial to cutting climate-destroying emissions. Common problems with Mass Save, like trouble getting an audit scheduled, finding a participating contractor, finding information on energy efficiency incentives, getting the rebates you’re owed and understanding interconnected agency processes for lower income customers, stem largely from the unwieldy, decentralized structure of the MassSave program. Right now, the MassSave incentives and programs are designed and run by the various utility companies across the state. Entrusting our energy efficiency performance to the very for-profit companies that sell us the energy we’re hoping to conserve is a conflict of interests at best. Two bills currently proposed in the Mass State Legislature - one proposed in the Senate and one in the House - call on wholesale restructuring of the MassSave program, taking it out of the hands for the utility companies and putting it under the control of a Board of diverse stakeholders. The Board would elect an Executive Director to manage the program, putting a central office in control. Please use the link below to call on your Massachusetts State Legislators to co-sponsor the bills.

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-your-legislators-restructure-masssave-newly-proposed-bills-could-be-a-game-changer/

Bees teach their babies how to dance

Dio Grandoni | The Washington Post

"...Scientists have long known honey bees jiggle their bodies to let nestmates know the location of nearby nectar and pollen. Bees choreograph their twists and turns with cues about the direction, distance and even the deliciousness of flowers around the hive. Now a new study in the journal Science shows that honey bees aren’t entirely born to boogie. To perform their tail-wagging waltz well, young bees need to watch the adults on the dance floor. [...] A number of recent experiments show bees and other insects aren’t simply genetically hard-wired to perform certain tasks. Instead, they are capable of imitating one another, a behavior called 'social learning' usually associated with bigger-brained creatures, like monkeys and birds." READ MORE

Court throws out Berkeley, California's ban on natural gas

AP News

"A federal appeals court on Monday overturned Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation ban on natural gas in new construction, agreeing with restaurant owners who argued the city bypassed federal energy regulations when it approved the ordinance. The measure, which took effect in 2020 to cheers from environmentalists, was intended to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses that contribute to global warming. With some exceptions, it banned new residential and commercial buildings from installing natural gas piping in favor of electrical lines. A lawsuit by the California Restaurant Association claimed the regulation violated federal law that gives the U.S. government authority to set energy-efficiency standards for appliances such as stoves, furnaces and water heaters." READ MORE

How biodiversity loss jeopardizes human health

Louise Osborne | Deutsche Welle

"Animals, plants, fungi — biodiversity holds a treasure trove of chemicals that can be used to treat disease from malaria to cancer. But its loss is driving species to extinction, dashing many hopes for medicine. [...] "The two things that threaten biodiversity the most at the moment are overharvesting and land conversion. That's not just clearance of land for livestock to graze, but also clearance of land for food and clearance of oceans," said Milner-Gulland." READ MORE