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Hi Team,
Thanks so much to everyone who came out this past Saturday to help clean up the west branch of the Housatonic River. We pulled out over three heaping truckloads of trash & litter and had fun while doing it!
Some of the most notable finds are three shopping carts, two traffic cones, a large plasma screen TV, a 1950s television tube, numerous tires, two bicycles, five scooters, three chairs, a pogo stick, and a 10-foot ladder. In addition to all of that, our volunteers also pulled out numerous bottles, cans, plastic bags, "nip" bottles, and all kinds of everyday trash and litter.
Mark your calendars for the next river cleanup that will take place on Saturday, July 23rd, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Also, have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend!
Thanks for all you do to protect the environment!
Jane, Rose, Jake, Noah, and Chelsey
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Be Part of the Solution to Plastic Pollution
Take the 'Plastic Free July' Challenge
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Plastic — it’s everywhere. We use it and interact with it every day. It penetrates so many areas of our lives that it can be hard to understand how much of a problem plastics truly present. Without harping too much on this, consider this: We produce over 837,000,000,000 pounds of plastic every year. For context, this amount is roughly the equivalent to the weight of two-thirds of the global population.1 And that amount only continues to grow.
Plastic is an incredibly useful material that has allowed the human race to achieve many amazing things, from making life-saving medical devices and essential medical supplies to safer car seats and impact-resistant vehicles that are also more fuel-efficient. However, the issue is that much of the plastic we use today is completely unnecessary — I'm talking about single-use plastic. At present, single-use plastics account for 40% of the plastic produced annually.2 Before 1980, recycling and incineration of plastic was negligible, and essentially 100% of plastic waste was discarded. After 1980, incineration rates of plastics increased on average by about 0.7% each year; the same percentage rate was observed for plastics recycling from 1990 to 2015. In 2015, an estimated 55% of global plastic waste was sent to landfills, 25% was incinerated, and 20% was recycled.3 However, less than 9% of plastics ever produced have actually been recycled.4 And according to a recent study, just released this year, the United States recycled only 5% of its plastic waste in 2021.5
Big Industry (especially the fossil fuel industry because plastic is made out of petroleum) has been pushing plastics onto the consumer for decades, telling us to recycle their often non-recyclable products and suppressing meaningful efforts to reduce plastic waste. The fact of the matter is that the plastic problem isn’t all our fault, regardless of the fossil fuel industry trying to make us think otherwise. But we can be part of the solution. As consumers, we can "vote with our dollar". By saying no to single-use plastic, we’re letting Big Industry know that we want change and that we won’t continue to buy their products unless they make that change. It is possible to do away with single-use plastics.
So, we challenge everyone to participate in Plastic Free July and try changing your everyday "plastic habits". See if you can go the entire month without using any single-use plastics. We know that this will be very hard, and we know that it might not be entirely possible or realistic for everyone. But it’s not about changing every single thing all at once or doing it perfectly; it’s about making changes in the areas your life will allow and making a difference by doing what you can within your means.
Try giving up some of these items, and you’ll probably find that you don't even miss them.
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To-Go lids for drinks — Giving up take-out cups altogether is ideal, but at the very least, give up the lid (and the sleeve, stir stick, and straw while you’re at it). A reusable cup is the way to go, but if you’re getting coffee without one, consider skipping the unnecessary, wasteful add-ons.
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Things in plastic when there’s a paper option — Think eggs in a paper carton instead of ones in plastic or styrofoam packaging, toilet paper wrapped in paper rather than plastic, paper mailing envelopes instead of plastic ones, anything in a box instead of a bag.
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Straws — 500 million plastic straws are used in the United States every. single. day. Consider getting metal or glass straws that can be reused, or just skip the straw altogether if you're able to.
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Packaged produce — Select produce that doesn’t come encased in a plastic bag or plastic wrap.
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Plastic produce bags — Bring reusable produce bags to the market, use paper bags, bring your own containers, or skip a bag altogether and just put loose produce in your basket.
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Plastic shopping bags — Use reusable totes or even just a simple, paper box
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Plastic wrap and ziplock bags — Instead opt for glass jars, glass/stainless steel food containers, aluminum foil (not the best, but you can reuse the aluminum over and over, and it's 100% recyclable), beeswax wraps, a bowl with a plate on top, or silicone sealer bag.
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Party plastic — Instead of buying plastic cups, plates, and silverware for every party you have, consider investing in a “party-set” of second-hand glasses, ceramic plates, and silverware that you can store away until you need them.
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Water bottles and other single-use plastic drink containers — The solution is pretty simple — a reusable bottle. Or, you could even start saving glass jars with lids and use those if you don't want to purchase a bottle. By doing this, you're eliminating plastic bottles, plastic cups, and styrofoam cups from your life and the waste stream.
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To-Go items — Try keeping a set of reusable utensils, containers with lids, a coffee cup, and water bottle (or glass jar) in your car. That way, you always have reusable to-go items with you when you're out and about.
Here's a resource that covers some other ways you can take action during Plastic Free July and your plastic-free journey.
The website for Plastic Free July is also a great resource with many ideas of options that realistically suits your lifestyle to help you have a successful Plastic Free July!
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Beat it or eat it? What should be done about the hardy kiwi?
Aina de Lapparent Alvarez | The Berkshire Eagle
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"In Burbank Park, long, woody vines climb the trees to the forest canopy. Once there, they spread their leaves over the branches holding them up, stealing sunshine from their hosts. Over time, nothing is left but dead trees supporting an eerie blanket of vines, turning a once diverse forest into a graveyard of green. Actinidia arguta, also known as the hardy kiwi or kiwiberry, has been on the Berkshire Environmental Action Team’s radar for eight years. Since 2017, staff and volunteers have driven to Burbank Park every Friday to tackle the problem at its root. Without their efforts, they believe the vine could spread and encroach on all local forests, considering each vine can grow more than 20 feet a year. In Lenox’s Kennedy Park, a joint planning effort by the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Massachusetts Audubon and the town is also fighting the vine. [...] In 2017, BEAT and other environmental groups put together a proposal to list it as an invasive species. [...] In 2017, the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture decided against categorizing A. arguta as invasive. That decision was influenced by groups that seek to turn this specie of kiwi into a cash crop. ago Hale, an associate professor of agriculture at the University of New Hampshire, is among them. [...] Hale has been studying the plant for 11 years and sees an opportunity where others see danger. The fruit of the kiwi, he believes, makes it 'an amazing, high-value, highly nutritional crop, that is perennial.' [...] In 2016 and 2017, Guthrie and Hale received a grant from the USDA to drive from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Washington D.C., to gather every piece of information they could find on the subject from university libraries and local historical societies and to visit sites where A. arguta was planted. They wanted to push back on the 'kiwi apocalypse' taking place in Kennedy and Burbank park." Read More
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Women's Tracking Intensive 2023 — Enrollment Now Open!
Kathy Dean | Trotting Fox Programs
| "I am excited to be offering another Women's Wildlife Tracking Intensive beginning in January and have extended the program to 6 months! This intensive is for women who are committed to an in-depth learning experience as well as to the group as a whole. The group size will be limited, in the hopes of creating intimate and direct learning opportunities for everyone. We will be meeting one day a month for 6 months. Participants will become more proficient with their identification of track and sign of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates, learn to recognize and understand animal gaits and track patterns, and be encouraged to pursue independent learning projects between sessions. This course is geared to women with prior tracking experience who are looking to deepen their knowledge and hone their skills. It is also open to those with no prior tracking experience but who are motivated and committed to learning as these are the primary prerequisites!" Read More |  |
American Redstarts Co-Parenting
Mary Holland | Naturally Curious
| "American Redstarts, lively and colorful little warblers, share much of the parental care of their young. He selects and presents her with a choice of nest locations. She chooses the site and builds the nest. He feeds her while she incubates the eggs. Both parents collect insects and feed their nestlings as well as remove fecal sacs (small packets of waste produced by nestlings). She does much of the brooding of the young. When their young fledge, the mother and father divide responsibility for the fledglings, with each parent separately caring for a portion of the young." Read More |
Natural Gas Samples Taken from Boston-Area Homes Containd Numerous Toxic Compounds, a New Harvard Study Finds
Hannah Loss | Inside Climate News
| "Samples of natural gas taken before it was burned for cooking in homes in the Boston area contained 296 chemical compounds, including 21 that are toxic to humans, researchers led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health report. The toxic compounds included hexane, toluene, heptane, cyclohexane and benzene, a known carcinogen. The researchers also found the so-called odorant level added to natural gas as a safety precaution varied and could be undetectable by human noses, suggesting that federal guidelines need to be adjusted to address this inconsistency, they wrote. [...] About half of all United States’ homes use natural gas for cooking and heating every day. With every click of the stove and turn of the thermostat, consumers are harnessing the energy of natural gas piped hundreds, even thousands, of miles from its original source. Natural gas is mostly methane, a greenhouse gas with more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. But, when burned, methane produces less carbon dioxide than burning coal, leading to its promotion as a “bridge fuel” in the energy transition. Of the 234 samples collected from 69 homes, 95 percent had low levels of benzene, which is linked to anemia, decreased immune function and cancer. [...] The study only looked at the presence of hazards like benzene in the natural gas itself before it was burned, not whether home users are exposed to these compounds in the ambient air. Michanowicz said the findings should prompt scientists and energy experts to consider whether natural gas is harming the public in ways health researchers now understand. [...] Ongoing studies are looking at how much of each toxic compound in natural gas used at the Boston-area homes their owners are actually exposed to and whether those amounts pose a significant health risk. The researchers said this is the first step in determining what the health risks are for gas consumers, both during stove use and when there are natural gas leaks inside a home. One in 20 homes visited in the study had gas leaks that prompted researchers to recommend that consumers follow-up with experts. [...] Beyond the potential public health impact, characterizing the gas coming into homes can influence decisions around climate change. 'Cooking over natural gas flame is the most intimate connection with climate change that we never think about,' said Michanowicz. The pipelines that start at fracked wells across the country 'literally end where the kitchen begins,' he said. As a greenhouse gas, methane is the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide and reached record levels in the atmosphere last year. Stopping methane leaks into the atmosphere from stoves, water heaters and—most prevalently—pipelines and oil and gas wells, is critical to countering climate change." Read More | |  |
Explore-a-thon Extended to July 4th & Surprise Scavenger Hunt
Housatonic Valley Association (HVA)
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"Just like fireworks, we're ending Explore-a-thon with a bang and extending it through the 4th of July! In addition to our ongoing competitions, we have a fun pop-up challenge for you: a scavenger hunt in the watershed! Here's how it works
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Register for Explore-a-thon if you're not already.
- Complete 3 out of 10 activities listed below between Monday, July 27th and Monday, July 4th, at midnight.
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Each activity must include a photo entry to qualify (a photo of the trailhead, farm, activity, etc.) along with your name emailed to: hvaexploreathon@gmail.com.
- All entries must be submitted by 12:00 noon on Tuesday, July 5th.
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Complete the scavenger hunt and you'll be entered into a drawing to win a SingleNest hammock with suspension system, VentaPak, or 4 Canndondale helmets (2 adult, 2 junior)."
LEARN MORE & GET INVOLVED
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Attorney General Tong Sues Reynolds Over Non-Recyclable Hefty "Recycling" Trash Bags
Hefty bags marketed as "perfect for all your recycling needs" are not compatible with recycling facilities in Conneticut
The Office of the Attorney General William Tong
| "Attorney General William Tong today sued Reynolds Consumer Products for violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, claiming the company falsely and deceptively marketed Hefty 'Recycling Bags' despite full knowledge that their bags were incompatible with recycling facilities in Connecticut. In fact, these 'recycling' bags are no more recyclable than any other Hefty garbage bag product. 'Hefty Recycling Bags are not recyclable, and any recyclable items inside them are tossed on the trash heap. But you would never know that based on Reynolds’s false advertisements...' said Attorney General Tong. [...] 'Placing recyclables in plastic bags results in those items being thrown away, which is completely counter to what we need to be doing, and the intent of those residents and businesses doing the right thing by recycling...' DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. [...] Connecticut’s suit seeks damages, including disgorgement of profits, civil penalties, costs and attorneys’ fees, as well as non-monetary relief to prevent further deception, and harm to Connecticut consumers and our recycling systems. Just because an item is placed in a blue recycling bin doesn’t mean it will be or can be recycled. For more information about what can and cannot be recycled in Connecticut, visit https://www.recyclect.com." Read More |  |
Canada Announces Ban On Single-Use Plastics In 'Historic Step'
Al Jazeera
| "The government of Canada announced that it will ban the manufacturing and import of a number of 'harmful' single-use plastics, with several new regulations coming into place in December. The new rules, announced Monday, will apply to checkout bags, utensils, food-service products with plastic that is difficult to recycle, ring carriers, stir sticks, and straws with some exceptions, the government announced in a release. [...] The sale of such items will be prohibited starting in December 2023, a buffer period meant to give businesses time to adjust to the changes and wind down their existing supplies. The government will also ban the export of six plastics by the end of 2025. The federal government listed plastics as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act last year, which paved the way for regulations to ban some. However, a consortium of plastics producers is suing the government over the toxic designation in a case expected to be heard later this year. Canada uses 15 billion plastic checkout bags per year, and 16 million straws per day, the government said. A recent report by the UN has said that the global use of plastics is expected to triple by 2060, and the annual production of fossil fuel-based plastics set to hit more than 1.2 billion tonnes by the same year. The waste created by such levels of production would be more than 1 billion tonnes per year. [...] The Canadian government has said that it “'consulted widely to seek input to inform the development of the proposed Regulations, and heard that businesses needed guidance on switching to available alternative products and systems'." Read More |
Join millions of people reducing their plastic waste.
Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics? Take the challenge
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JOBS
We list jobs related to the environment from a variety of organizations.
Berkshire County Postings
Energy and Environmental Planner | Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) | Pittsfield
Western District Wildlife Technician | MA Department of. Fish & Game | Dalton
School Liason and Event Coordinator | Cooler Communities | Western MA
Children’s Program Leader | Williamstown Rural Lands | Williamstown
MA River Stewards of Tomorrow (2 internship positions) | Housatonic Valley Association | Stockbridge
Pittsfield Energy Advocate (part-time) | Ener-G-Save | Pittsfield
Head Gardener CSA Manager, Assistant to the Director and Development Office, Membership and Sponsorship Manager, Events Assistant, Farm and Garden Staff, Visitors Services | Hancock Shaker Village | Pittsfield
Postings w/ Deadline
Field Marine Biologist/Scallop Program Observer | East West Technical Services (EWTS | Southern New England to New Jersey | deadline 7/1
Field Office Director | Fund for the Public Interest | Boston | deadline 7/1
Traditional Trades Advancement Program – Salem Maritime, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites | Saugus | deadline 7/4
Environmental Educator | “e” Inc. The Planet Science Learning and Action Center | Boston | deadline 7/5
Environmental Analyst III | Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection | Boston | deadline 7/8
Campus Organizer | Student PIRGs | Boston | deadline 7/8
Canvass Director | Fund for the Public Interest | Boston | deadline 7/8
Environmental Litigation Attorney: Boutique Nonprofit Firm | Boston | deadline 7/8
Fish Hatchery Technician at Sunderland State Fish Hatchery | MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife | Sunderland | deadline 7/12
Conservation Crew | Department of Planning and Land Management | Concord | deadline 7/15
Canvass Office Director | Fund for the Public Interest | Boston | deadline 7/15
Wildlife and Conservation Advocate | Environment America | Boston | deadline 7/15
Wildlife and Conservation Advocate | Environment America | Boston | deadline 7/15
ROW Field Biologist | ACRT, Inc | Worcester | deadline 7/15
Community Volunteer Ambassador – Lowell National Historical Park | Conservation Legacy | Lowell | deadline 7/15
Community Volunteer Ambassador – Northeast Archeological Resources Program (Cape Cod National Seashore | Conservation Legacy | Wellfleet | deadline 7/15
USGS Fellowship in Salt Marsh Conservation & Restoration | US Geological Survey / ORISE | Amherst or Woods Hole | deadline 7/20
Land Stewardship Coordinator (AmeriCorps) | The Trustees of Reservations | Florence | deadline 7/31
TerraCorps Land Stewardship Coordinator | Wareham Land Trust | Wareham | deadline 7/31
Land Stewardship Coordinator | Kestrel Land Trust | Amherst | deadline 7/31
USGS Fellowship on Climate Change and Invasive Species Research Prioritization | US Geological Survey/ORISE | Amherst | deadline 8/1
Outdoor Education Instructor | Nature’s Classroom New England | sites in NH, ME, MA, and CT | deadline 8/15
Traveling Outdoor Education Instructor | Nature’s Classroom New England | Groton | deadline 8/15
Grants Specialist | Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration | Boston | deadline 8/18
Fiscal Coordinator | Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration | Boston | deadline 8/18
Operations Specialist | Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration | Boston | deadline 8/18
Seasonal Regulatory Review Assistant | MA Divison of Fisheries & Wildlife | Westborough | deadline 8/25
Year 24 Member | Barnstable County AmeriCorps Cape Cod | Barnstable | deadline 8/31
Recent Postings
Teacher Naturalist I (Community Educator) | Mass Audubon | New Bedford/Fall River
Community Education Coordinator – Americorps | Sudbury Valley Trustees | Sudbury
Land Stewardship Coordinator | Sudbury Valley Trustees | Sudbury
TerraCorps/AmeriCorps Service Member | TerraCorps | Boston
Endangered Species Review Biologist | MA Department of Fish & Game | Westborough
Restoration Costs Data Specialist | MA Department of Fish & Game | Boston
Watershed Restoration Coordinator | Buzzards Bay Coalition | New Bedford
Vice President for Healthy & Resilient Communities | Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) | Boston
Policy Analyst | Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) | Boston
Click Here for More Jobs
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Environmental Monitor
JUNE 24, 2022
The Environmental Monitor provides information on projects under review by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office, recent MEPA decisions of the Secretary of Energy & Environmental Affairs, and public notices from environmental agencies.
Berkshire Index:
Mt Washington – Notice of Intent to Initiate an Ecological Restoration Project – (click on the link, then at the top, click on attachments) – posted 6/24/22
Hancock, Lanesborough, Hinsdale, Cheshire, Dalton – Eversource – WT-02 Transmission Right-of-Way Reliability Project – EENF –comments due 7/8/22
New Ashford – Notice of Application and Issuance of a Draft Groundwater Discharge Permit – (click on the link, then at the top, click on attachments) – Snowy Owl Resort – posted 6/8/22
Many municipalities – Notice of Submission of a Yearly Operational Plan – CSX Railroad – comments due 6/24/22
CT River Valley Index:
Erving, Montague, Wendell, Pelham, Shutesbury, Granby, Leverett, Northfield, Ludlow, Belchertown, Amherst – Eversource WT-11 Transmission Right-of-Way Reliability Project – ENF requesting a Single EIR – comments due 7/25/22
Springfield – Western Massachusetts Gas Reliability Project – ENF – comments NOW due 7/28/22 — BEAT is watching this one closely!
Ware – Notice of Application for a 401 Water Quality Certificate – (click on the link, then at the top, click on attachment) – replacement of Bridge W-05-015 carrying Route 32 (Palmer Road) over the Ware River – posted 6/8/22
Many municipalities – Notice of Submission of a Yearly Operational Plan – CSX Railroad – comments due 6/24/22
Cummington – Notice of Intent to Initiate an Ecological Restoration Project – replace the deteriorated culvert at the Stage Road crossing of the North Branch Swift River – (click on the link, then at the top, click on attachment) – submitted 5/11/22
Ware – ReSource Ware Construction – Notice of Project Change - comments due 5/31/22 – site visit 5/26/22 6pm
Westfield – Westfield Target Supply Chain Facility – DEIR – comments due 6/10/22
Rowe – Bridge (culvert) Replacement, Ford Hill Road over Shippee Brook – Request for Advisory Opinion (click on the link, then at the top, click on attachment) – comments due 5/31/22
Statewide Index:
US EPA is proposing to issue the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit #MAG910000 Combined General Permit for Dewatering and Remediation Activity Discharges in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Contact: Todd Callaghan at todd.callaghan@mass.gov – posted 5/25/22
Notice of Public Hearing re: Revised Clean Water State Revolving Fund Criteria for 2022 Project Evaluation Form – comments due 6/24/22
Many municipalities – Notice of Submission of a Yearly Operational Plan – CSX Railroad – comments due 6/24/22
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Public Notices
Public Notices listed here are from a variety of sources, from town conservation commissions and select boards to state and federal agencies. These listings are for Berkshire, Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin counties. Listings are only posted if they are environmental in nature. You can find all public notices for Massachusetts here.
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Berkshire Environmental Action Team
20 Chapel St., Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 464-9402
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