Hudson Climate Action Network (HCAN) Home page

assabet river cleanup

2009-09-06T15:45:00.001-04:00

when : 09/12/2009 9:00 am
The Assabet and Concord Rivers need your help! Please join us for a morning of satisfying work with friendly people, followed by a pizza lunch along the river!

To volunteer: Contact the OAR office at 978-369-3956 or OAR office

or call

Betsy at 978-369-0134 for Concord
Bob at 978-263-7145 for Acton
Priscilla at 978-897-1228 for Maynard
Julia at 978-897-5124 for Marlborough, Hudson, and Stow
Peter at 774-317-8535 for Northborough
Don at 508-366-6458 for Westborough

To learn more about our Annual River Cleanup visit their River Cleanup page.

Sunday, 4/26/09, 12:30 PM, Gathering for 350 photo in Concord

2009-04-15T08:53:00.002-04:00

ConcordCAN is very excited to announce that we will be creating our HUGE 350 in Heywood Meadow! It's a perfect location. We also are thrilled that Musketaquid has offered to bring some EarthDay puppets and we are working on getting food and music!

We are planning a fun and meaningful 350 Action!!Spread the Word!

Sunday, April 26th, 12:30 pm
Heywood Meadow, Heywood Street, Concord

There is no parking anywhere around the Meadow. Please plan to park in town and walk over.

Join with ConcordCAN to promote 350.org by forming the biggest 350 ever! We'll gather together to form the number 350 in Heywood Meadow then photograph it from a 40' high truck bucket!

Bring your kids, family, friends and anyone interested in helping spread the word that we are standing up together to demand an effective response to the Climate Change crisis. Help our leaders focus on the right target, or all their work will go for nothing.

For more information about 350 actions worldwide, go to 350.org.

Maynard Energy and Sustainability Fair, March 7, 12 - 4 PM

2009-03-01T11:19:00.003-05:00

Maynard Energy and Sustainability Fair

Lots of interesting topics, starting with a MetroWest Energy and Climate Roundtable Discussion with all the area MCAN groups at noon.

March 7th ~ 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Fowler Middle School
3 Tiger Drive, Maynard
For more information, see http://www.maynardcan.org/

Bolton Local - Friday Night Films, March 6 and April 17

2009-03-01T11:11:00.005-05:00

The Bolton Local green group is showing these films on the following Friday nights:
March 6 at 7 PM: Real Dirt on Farmer John
April 17 at 7 PM: The Future of Food

Location:
The First Parish Church of Bolton
673 Main Street (Rt. 117)
Bolton, MA

White church at the top of the hill in Bolton center, next to the Town Hall. Parking is available behind the church. Activities center is at the entrance around back.

Coal Rally

2009-02-26T11:35:00.003-05:00

On Sunday, March 1st, Secure Green Future will hold 3 separate rallies outside of Massachusetts coal plants, standing with others across the nation to ask that our state and nation end the deadly use of coal and start building the secure green future.

For more information than what is shown below, visit www.securegreenfuture.org/stopcoal, or contact Eli Beckerman at 617-821-1453 or eli@securegreenfuture.org.

Mount Tom Plant
Holyoke
Sunday, March 1st, 1 p.m.
200 Northampton Street
Holyoke, MA
Meeting place:
TBA
Contact:
Peter - (413)549-9933
holyoke@securegreenfuture.org

Salem Harbor Station
Salem
Sunday, March 1st, NOON
24 Fort Avenue
Salem, MA
Meeting place:
Sidewalk in front of the
power plant.
Contact:
HealthLink - (781) 598-1115
salem@securegreenfuture.org

NRG & Brayton Point Plants
Somerset
Sunday, March 1st, 1 p.m.
Brightman Street Bridge
Somerset, MA
Meeting Place & Parking:
100 Slades Ferry Avenue,
Somerset, MA
Contact:
David - (774) 451-7681
somerset@securegreenfuture.org

Hudson Light & Power installs 2.2kW Solar Array

2009-02-09T12:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, you read that right!

Our local municipal utility, Hudson Light & Power has installed a 2,280 Watt rated grid-tied photovoltaic array on the roof of the Cherry Street power plant. With assistance from local resource altE Store, HLP installed the rooftop array using a ballast mount on the flat roof of the Cherry Street plant last fall. The system took first light in mid-November and has been pumping Watt-hours into the local utility grid since then. It will generate approximately 2,500 kilowatt-hours of energy annually.

The PV array consists of 12 Evergreen Solar 190W Spruce series modules. Evergreen, based here in Massachusetts, produces modules using their proprietary string ribbon technology which realizes lower embodied energy per module. If HLP had been a residential customer in a publicly-owned utility district (e.g., NSTAR), they could have applied for rebates from Commonwealth Solar, the state's solar renewables rebate fund, part of Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. By using Evergreen modules, their rebate would have included a premium of (currently) $0.25 per Watt. The HLP system also includes a Solectria inverter (below), another made-in-Massachusetts component, which would further increase the rebate amount.

Eric Pedersen and James Cormican (below, from left) of Hudson online renewable energy retailer, wholesaler, and educator, altE, provided sales quotes, technical design and installation assistance and sold HLP some of the components for the system.

This PV system is the second grid-tied solar electric array in Hudson, though the first to be sanctioned and approved for operation. The first system, located on the Hudson Mill Building, the headquarters for altE, is a smaller, 600W array that saw first light after its installation by altE in May of 2007. Its official inauguration has been mired in red tape with the owners of the Mill Building but is expected to be turned on soon.

Jan. 31, 7:30 PM, Arlington - People, Peace, & the Planet

2009-01-20T20:49:00.002-05:00

Come to an evening of music, poetry and community-building for People, Peace, and the Planet.

January 31, 7:30 PM at Arlington Senior Center
27 Maple St., corner of Academy & Maple Sts., behind Arlington Town Hall,
Arlington, MA

(Suggested donation $10.00)

Coffeehouse with musicians Jill Stein, Ken Selcer and Friends; Arlington High School students band Rage and Satisfaction; poet Dorian Brooks; local folksinger Chris Nauman and storyteller George Capaccio to benefit the Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities/Secure Green Future Initiative and Arlington/Lexington United for Justice with Peace.

The Department of Defense is the biggest drain on our discretionary federal budget, and the single biggest purchaser of oil in the world. That's why wars for oil, the economic crisis, and climate crisis all go hand in hand. We can – and must – stop them all. Come help build a unified movement for a peaceful, just, green future.

Come celebrate a better way forward for People, Peace and the Planet!

Parking Available and Wheelchair Accessible
Please bring your own mug if you can!
For more information, contact Eli at eli@masschc.org, or 617-821-1453.Or see www.arlingtonujp.org , www.securegreenfuture.org , www.masschc.org.

Sudbury EDC Global Warming Cafe - Thursday, 1/29 at 7:15 PM

2009-01-16T06:26:00.004-05:00

A Global Warming Café is a 2 hour participatory workshop that is designed to engage participants in a heartfelt conversation about global warming, and then invites them to take personal action to reduce their carbon footprint. It's time for change!

Introductory presentation, including recent scientific data, images and statistics, by Donna Kramer Merritt (trained by Al Gore)

RSVP: Don't miss this special event. Seating is limited, so please be sure to register online and get more info at sudburyedc.org.

To be held at the Sudbury Senior Center, 40 Fairbank Road, Sudbury.

Winter DVD & Discussion Series

2008-10-11T18:52:00.008-04:00

Hudson CAN will hold a Winter DVD & Discussion series starting November 2008. The series is a partnership with the Hudson/Marlboro Unitarian Universalist Church's Spiritual Growth Center which has agreed to host the events as part of their fall-winter 2008 schedule.

Thus far, two dates are scheduled to include:

1) Wednesday, November 19, 2008: The Power of Community
2) Wednesday, December 10, 2008: Crude Awakening-CANCELLED.
3) Thursday, January 15, 2009: Kilowatt Ours.
4) Thursday, February 12, 2009: The Eleventh Hour.

Time: 7-9 pm
Cost: Free, donations accepted, drop-ins welcome.
Location: UU Church of Hudson/Marlborough, 80 Main Street (corner of Main and Church Streets) Hudson, MA

Energy-Saving Kits Donated to Hudson Public Library

2008-08-15T13:02:00.007-04:00

Left, Denise Frizzell, HCAN . Right, Trisha Desmond, HPL Director

The Hudson Climate Action Network (HCAN) donated three energy-saving kits to the Hudson Public Library. The content of the kits assist people in reducing household energy consumption, thereby saving money and helping to reduce global warming pollution.

Each kit contains the Low Carbon Diet workbook, the book, “101 Energy Savings Tips, and a Kill-a-Watt device. The Kill A Watt™ connects to your appliances and assesses how efficient they are.

Hudson retailer, AltE, the premier retailer of renewable energy goods, generously donated the devices to HCAN. Other items in the kit were donated by HCAN members. Kits are now available for check-out.

For more energy savings ideas, residents from Hudson and surrounding towns are invited to attend HCAN’s upcoming Fall Energy Workshop Series. A different energy-savings workshop will be help monthly, September through November 2008, at the Hudson Library. Workshops are free and open to public. For more information, see blog post containing workshops details.

Fall 2008 Workshop Series Scheduled!

2008-07-29T16:13:00.009-04:00

Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Energy but Didn't Know to Ask……

Energy 101 and the Challenge of Peak Oil
by Dick Lawrence

Improve Comfort & Reduce Home Energy Use: An Introduction to a Building Science Based Approach
by Mike Duclos

Renewable Energy Solutions and You
by Mark Durrenberger

Three Mondays, Fall 2008

September 8

October 27

November 10

Time: 7-8:15 pm

Location: Hudson Public Library

Sponsored by Hudson Climate Action Network (HCAN)

www.hudsoncan.org

Free with donations accepted.

Space is limited. Open to residents of Hudson and surrounding towns.

HCAN Fall Educational Workshop Series Scheduled

2008-07-10T17:48:00.007-04:00

HCAN will host a series of monthly educational workshops, September-November 2008, at the Hudson Public Library. Workshops will focus on ways people can save energy and renewable energy solutions. More detail on individual workshops coming soon!

Dates of the workshops are as follows: Monday, September 8, 2008 Monday, October 27, 2008 Monday, November 10, 2008 The time for all workshops is 7-8:15 pm. The location is Hudson Public Library. Workshops are free. Space is limited. Please return to the site in the near future for more information.

You are Invited to A Community Event

2008-06-04T18:53:00.002-04:00

COMMUNITY EVENT

A Screening and Discussion of Short

Films From Around the World

You are Invited to Come Explore How

the Radically Simple Notion of

Interconnectedness Can be Lived in

Our Increasingly Complex World.

A Global Oneness Project—www.globalonenessproject.org

Date: Saturday, June 28

Time: 7 -9 PM

Location: First Parish Church, UU, Northboro

Address: 40 Church Street, Northboro, MA

Event Contact: Denise Frizzell, deniseaf@paradigms4progress.com

No admission fee. Donations accepted.

Hudson Fest 2008

2008-05-28T18:38:00.003-04:00

Come see us at
Hudson Fest 2008
Saturday, May 31
9 am to 3:30 pm
Town Hall area, Main Street, Hudson, MA
See www.assabetvalleychamber.org for more details.

Dr. James Hansen to Speak Locally June 1

2008-05-15T10:48:00.002-04:00

Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition presents

Censoring Science and the Truth about GLOBAL WARMING

James Hansen, Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies,

and the world’s leading climate scientist and Mark Bowen,

Local author of Censoring Science: Inside the Political

Attack on Dr. James Hansen and the Truth of Global Warming

Sunday, June 1 7:30 PM

Cary Hall 1605 Mass. Ave. Lexington

Admission $5

“When the history of the climate crisis is

written, Hansen will be seen as the scientist

with the most powerful and consistent voice

calling for intelligent action to preserve our

planet’s environment.” –Al Gore

For more information • www.lexgwac.org

What's No Longer Impossible?

2008-04-18T17:30:00.002-04:00

See www.worldChanging.com for complete article

Sarah Kuck
April 14, 2008 7:58 PM

With new ideas about sustainability and responsibility rapidly moving to the forefront of the discussion, things that once seemed implausible are quickly becoming a reality.

We caught up with some Worldchangers at the Seattle Green Festival to ask them about what's possible now that they once thought impossible.

So, what's possible now that you once thought impossible?

Annie Leonard, The Story of Stuff
One of the things that I have learned from the response to The Story of Stuff is -- in a way we took a temperature of the world -- and I found out that there are thousands, and thousands and thousands, and thousands of us who share a growing dis-ease about the way our society is going. I sort of thought I was a little on the fringe, but what I’m realizing is that there are masses of us, which is so exciting to me. The diversity of responses we have gotten is very interesting...if we can reach a Midwestern fourth grader, a republican, SUV-driving, Texas housewife, and an Oxford economics professor, then that’s not a niche, that’s not like a little special interest group, that’s our community. So I’m very inspired by how ready people are for this conversation. I worked for environmental groups from 20 years and I think sometimes environmental groups baby talk to people. They talk about easy stuff, you know, changing your light bulbs, which is very important but not enough. I always tell people, change your light bulbs then change your paradigm. But I think people are ready for the harder discussion.

Francis Moore Lappe, founder of the Small Planet Institute
One of the things that is so dramatic to me is the shift in my perception of the cooperative movement. From the days in San Francisco in the 1970s in the food co-opswhere all the hippies got their grain and whole foods, to (seeing) places like the Mondragon Cooperative in Spain and the network of cooperatives across Northern Italy, and learning that there are more people in the world who are members of cooperatives than who own shares of publicly traded companies. Just that shift of really seeing cooperatives becoming an incredibly powerful tool of democratic social empowerment….In the late ‘80s I sat down with some dairy farmers in Western Wisconsin. There was a real break-down; In the 1980s farmers were going out of business even worse that today. And they wanted to organize a dairy cooperative. And I though, oh how sweet, this is really going to help some farmers in Western Wisconsin. And now, of course, this is Organic Valley , with more than 1,200 farms and $400 million in sales and still democratically run.

Madeline Ostrander, 32, Editor for Yes! Magazine
The change in consciousness about climate change. Just within a couple of years there has been a major tipping point in the media coverage of climate change -- part of that had to do with Al Gore and part of it had to do with Hurricane Katrina. Also, during the Live Earth Live Earth concerts, I realized the trendiness of being green – almost a faddishness, which is dangerous because of green washing, but on a deeper level it’s a response from people who really want a change.

Joel Mog, 37, Social Worker
Something that came to mind is that people can stop driving. They had the (Interstate) 5 construction last summer (in Seattle), and it was very well published that it was coming. And everybody just assumed that there was going to be terrible traffic jams, it came and the traffic was fantastic (because) a large percentage of people actually stopped driving to work. They found other ways to get there – carpooling, taking the train, and it just happened instantly, it was amazing. I didn’t think that kind of change could happen that quickly. I thought that once that it becomes more inconvenient or expensive to drive it’s going to be a slow and gradual process over many, many years, but obviously people are very ready and flexible to make changes when it works for them. I hope people will feel that motivation again.

See www.worldChanging.com for complete article

Converging Storms: Peak Oil and Climate Change Jan.30

2008-01-22T12:01:00.000-05:00

Dick Lawrence, HCAN member and co-founder / Board member of ASPO-USA, will talk on January 30th at the Lincoln town library, about impacts and mitigation strategies for dealing with the growing and simultaneous threats of Climate Change and Peak Oil.

While Peak Oil suggests there won't be as much fossil fuels available to burn as the darkest global-warming scenarios suggest, there are complex interactions that may find our industrialized civilization embracing coal in vastly larger quantities, to make up for the growing energy deficit from declining petroleum production. Dick contrasts the dual faces of our fossil-fuel addiction and the measures we can take to begin weaning ourselves from it, and restoring the planet.

Date: January 30, 2008
Time: 7PM
Place: Lincoln Public Library, 3 Bedford St., Lincoln MA

UN Releases Final & Urgent Climate-Change Report

2007-11-17T08:35:00.000-05:00

From the NY Times, November 17, 2007
U.N. Report Describes Risks of Inaction on Climate Change
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

VALENCIA, Spain, Nov. 16 — In its final and most powerful report, a United Nations panel of scientists meeting here describes the mounting risks of climate change in language that is both more specific and forceful than its previous assessments, according to scientists here.

Synthesizing reams of data from its three previous reports, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the first time specifically points out important risks if governments fail to respond: melting ice sheets that could lead to a rapid rise in sea levels and the extinction of large numbers of species brought about by even moderate amounts of warming, on the order of 1 to 3 degrees.

The report carries heightened significance because it is the last word from the influential global climate panel before world leaders meet in Bali, Indonesia, next month to begin to discuss a global climate change treaty that will replace the Kyoto protocol, which expires in 2012. It is also the first report from the panel since it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October — an honor that many scientists here said emboldened them to stand more forcefully behind their positions.

As a sign of the deepening urgency surrounding the climate change issue, the report, which was being printed Friday night, will be officially released by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday.

The full report was embargoed from news organizations until Saturday. But drafts have been circulating for weeks, and descriptions of its findings began to appear on Web sites and in news agency reports on Friday. Bush administration officials held a news conference to discuss the report but insisted that their comments be withheld until after its official release.

“This document goes further than any of the previous efforts,” said Hans Verolme, director of the World Wildlife Fund’s Global Climate Change Program. “The pressure has been palpable — people know they are delivering a document that will be cited for years to come and will define policy.”

The previous three sections, released between February and April, focused on one issue at a time: the first on science, the second on how the world could adapt to warming and the third about how countries could “mitigate,” or reduce the greenhouse gases produced.

This fourth and final assessment — the so-called synthesis report — seeks to combine lessons from all three. Its conclusions are culled from data contained in the thousands of pages that were essentially technical supplements to the panel’s previous publications. How that data is summarized and presented to the world is a powerful guide to what the scientists consider of utmost importance at the end of a five-year process, offering concrete guidelines for policy makers.

“You look to a synthesis report to provide clarity, to clarify what was obscure in previous reports,” said Michael Oppenheimer, a climate scientist at Princeton University. “Now, how can we take these findings and formulate a policy response that’s quick enough and big enough?”

While drafts of the panel’s reports are written by panels of scientists, the language is reviewed and often altered by delegates from 130 governments who meet before their final approval and release. Those negotiations took place here this week, and were often contentious, with the United States, China and India raising many objections, said scientists who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to publicly refer to any countries by name.

The scientists and country representatives who had flocked here this week to participate in negotiations on the final wording applauded as the panel’s chairman, Rajendra Pachauri, declared the panel’s years of work concluded, just after 10:30 p.m. on Friday.

Even though the synthesis report is more alarming than its predecessors, some researchers believe that it still understates the trajectory of global warming and its impact. The I.P.C.C.’s scientific process, which takes five years of study and writing from start to finish, cannot take into account the very latest data on climate change or economic trends, which show larger than predicted development and energy use in China.

“The world is already at or above the worst case scenarios in terms of emissions,” said Gernot Klepper, of the Kiel Institute for World Economy in Kiel, Germany. “In terms of emissions, we are moving past the most pessimistic estimates of the I.P.C.C., and by some estimates we are above that red line.”

The panel presents several scenarios for the trajectory of emissions and climate change. In 2006, 8.4 gigatons of carbon were put into the atmosphere from fossil fuels, according to a study in the proceedings of the National Academy of Science, which was co-written by Dr. Klepper. That is almost identical to the panel’s worst case prediction for that year.

Likewise, a recent International Energy Agency report looking at the unexpectedly rapid emissions growth in China and India estimated that if current policies were not changed the world would warm six degrees by 2030, a disastrous increase far higher than the panel’s estimates of one to four degrees by the end of the century.

While the United States, Saudi Arabia and China tried to change the text in order to play down the consequences of global warming, developing nations — which will bear the initial brunt of climate change — were much more forceful than at previous meetings in opposing these efforts, one scientist who was in the negotiating room said.

"I suspect that will continue,” he said. “As they feel more and more threatened by the sea and the storms they will insist that, as one of them put it, ‘We do not want this report to be warm and fuzzy when the reality is cold and risky,’ or something like that,” he said.

One novel aspect of the report is a specific list of “Reasons for Concern.” It includes items that are thought to be very likely outgrowths of climate change that had been mentioned in previous reports, like an increase in extreme weather events.

But it for the first time includes less likely but more alarming possibilities, like the relatively rapid melting of polar ice. Previous reports focused more on changes the scientists felt were “highly likely.”

“This time, they take a step back and look at the totality,” Dr. Verolme said. “Saying it is less likely to occur, but if it does we are fried.”

One such area is the future melting of ice sheets in Greenland and western Antarctica. In earlier reports, the panel’s scientists acknowledged that their computer models were poor at such predictions, and did not reflect the rapid melting that scientists have recently observed. If these areas melt entirely, seas would rise 40 feet, scientists said. While scientists are certain that the sheets will melt over millennia, producing sea-level rises, there is now evidence to suggest that it could happen much faster than this, perhaps over centuries.

“In my view that would make it not just difficult, but impossible to adapt successfully, some of my colleagues would say catastrophic,” said Dr. Oppenheimer. “If they say that it’s possible that melting could occur in centuries leading to meters of change, that’s a headline.”

This final report also puts more emphasis on the ripple effect of small degrees of temperature change, some of which are already being seen, such as species extinctions and loss of biodiversity.

“A relatively modest degree of warming — one to three degrees — spells a lot of trouble and I think that was not clear in the previous report,” Dr. Oppenheimer said. He said part of the reason for the lack of clarity was that governments had “messed around” with the language and structure of the report during the approval process.

This time around, the consequences of different degrees of climate change will be better laid out so that the ministers who meet in Bali next month will understand the options and the consequences of inaction. “This should light a fire under policy makers,” Dr. Oppenheimer said.

Andrew C. Revkin contributed reporting from New York.

State Governors Work Against Climate Change at Regional Level

2007-11-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

From the NY Times:

Governors Join in Creating Regional Pacts on Climate Change

By JOHN M. BRODER

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 — Frustrated with the slow progress of
legislation in Washington on energy and global warming, the nation's
governors have created regional agreements to cap greenhouse gases
and are engaged in a concerted lobbying effort to prod Congress to
act.

Beginning Monday, three Western governors will appear in a
nationwide television advertising campaign sponsored by an
environmental group trying to generate public and political support
for climate change legislation now before the Senate.

The 30-second ad features Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republican of
California; Jon Huntsman Jr., Republican of Utah; and Brian
Schweitzer, Democrat of Montana, standing in casual clothes in
scenic spots talking about the threat posed by greenhouse gas
emissions. The nation's governors are acting, but Congress is not,
they say. "Now it's their turn," Mr. Schwarzenegger says.

Separately, in Milwaukee on Wednesday, nine Midwestern governors and
the premier of Manitoba signed an agreement to reduce carbon
emissions and set up a trading system to meet the reduction targets.
The Midwestern accord is modeled on similar regional carbon-
reduction and energy-saving arrangements among Northeastern,
Southwestern and West Coast states.

The advertising campaign is underwritten by Environmental Defense,
an advocacy group that is pressing for quick action on a climate
change proposal sponsored by Senators Joseph I. Lieberman, an
independent from Connecticut, and John W. Warner, Republican of
Virginia.

The Lieberman-Warner legislation would cap carbon emissions at 15
percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and set up a system for polluting
industries to trade emissions credits to meet the goals. Like other
such bills before Congress, it would provide incentives for research
on capturing and storing carbon dioxide from power plants and
subsidies to help the poor handle the higher costs of electricity in
a carbon-constrained economy.

The bill is now before the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee. The committee's chairwoman, Senator Barbara Boxer,
Democrat of California, said she hoped to bring the bill to a vote
of the full committee by Dec. 6. There is no schedule for action
after that, however.

The governors, who did not receive a fee for appearing in the
advertisement, say state leaders are moving to reduce climate-
affecting emissions, while the current Congress has so far failed to
pass any significant legislation on climate change or energy.

"In state after state, we're taking action," the governors say,
taking turns speaking. "Now it's time for Congress to act by capping
greenhouse gas pollution."

In an interview, Governor Huntsman said, "With just weeks left in
the legislative calendar, there has been no vote yet dealing
realistically with greenhouse gas pollution. We in the West are
already wrestling with it and setting ambitious targets."

He said action on the national level, in the form of the Lieberman-
Warner legislation or a similar economywide carbon cap-and-trade
scheme, was preferable to the patchwork system that state
governments were putting in place.

Governor Schweitzer said dealing with global warming was
the "greatest imperative" of this and future generations. "We need
to find a sustainable, renewable American energy supply so we will
not commit the next generation to fight another oil war," he said.

Mr. Schweitzer added: "Here's a novel concept for Congress. Do
something. Anything. Move."

Environmental Defense is spending $3 million to broadcast the
advertisement, which will appear in 17 markets in 11 states over the
next few weeks, said the group's president, Fred Krupp. The ad will
also appear during the Sunday morning talk shows on Nov. 25.

The Midwestern governors expressed similar impatience with the slow
pace in Washington on global warming and energy issues. They have
banded together to set up a regional emissions control program, to
expand production of biofuels and to cooperate on environmental and
energy infrastructure projects, like an interstate pipeline for
moving carbon emissions from power plants to underground storage
vaults.

Gov. James E. Doyle of Wisconsin, a Democrat who is chairman of the
Midwestern Governors Association, said that the individual states in
his region were all moving independently toward greater energy
efficiency and planned to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and that
it made sense to work in concert.

"In the absence of a federal plan we have to move forward," Mr.
Doyle said, speaking from Milwaukee, where he was the chairman of an
energy summit meeting of the Midwestern governors. "On top of that,
this recognizes that, federal plan or no federal plan, the Midwest
is uniquely positioned to be a major force in the developing new
energy world."

He predicted that sooner or later Washington would adopt a national
cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions, but he was not optimistic
that it would act before President Bush leaves office.

"I suspect it will require a new administration to come in," he
said. "There's a lot of work to be done to prepare for it. If there
comes a national cap-and-trade system, we will have done a lot of
the work. If not, we will have one in the Midwestern region on a
scale that can work."

2007-10-12T18:29:00.000-04:00

Think globally, act locally, and connect with community!

The next HACAN

meeting is

Monday, October 15, 2007, 7:30 PM, UU Church Hudson (corner of Main and Church Streets)

We hope you can join us!!

2007-10-10T14:52:00.000-04:00

Come see us at
Pumpkin Fest 2007
Saturday, October 20th
3:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Morgan Bowl (adjacent to Hudson High)
Brigham Street - Hudson, MA
Activities:
-Live Music and Dance Performances
-Moon Bounces
-Trackless Train Ride
-Pony Rides
-Spin Art and Sand Art
-Games and Raffles
-Children's Crafts
-Magician and Clowns
-Fireworks Display

2007-07-12T22:27:00.000-04:00

You are invited to attend a debate on

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

by the Democratic Candidates for U.S. Congress

in the Massachusetts Fifth District:

Eileen Donoghue, Jamie Eldridge, Barry Finegold

Jim Miceli, and Niki Tsongas

MONDAY, JULY 30, 7:00-8:30 P.M.

Holiday Inn Boxborough

242 Adams Place, Boxborough

at the intersection of Routes 111 and 495 (Exit 28)

Hosted by the Boxborough Democratic Town Committee

##############################

The five Democratic Candidates for U.S. Congress in the Fifth District will hold a debate on “Energy and the Environment” on Monday, July 30, from 7:00-8:30 p.m., at Holiday Inn Boxborough. Admission is free and open to the public.

Eileen Donoghue, Jamie Eldridge, Barry Finegold, Jim Miceli, and Niki Tsongas have accepted the invitation of the Boxborough Democratic Town Committee to discuss these topics for voters prior to the runoff in the special primary election Sept. 4. The primary winner will then run in the general election on Oct. 16.

The debate’s moderator, Lee Ketelsen, will help the candidates address a wide range of topics, from dependence on foreign oil to climate change. Lee Ketelsen is New England Director of Clean Water Action, a national non-profit working for clean, affordable water, prevention of pollution, and the empowerment of people to make democracy work.

Holiday Inn Boxborough is located at 242 Adams Place, at the intersection of Routes 111 and 495 (Exit 28) in Boxborough. A full list of town committee and environmental sponsors will be available at the time of the debate.

The five Democratic candidates will give undecided voters a chance to hear how they view the energy and environmental issues the U.S. House now faces. The candidates will also provide those attending with printed material about their positions on other significant political topics.

The Fifth District seat was vacated by U.S. Congressman Marty Meehan on July 1, after his decision to become Chancellor of U.Mass. Lowell. Congressman Meehan, a Democrat, had served in Washington for 14 years. Given the narrow Democratic majority in the U.S. House, both parties are looking at this special election with great interest.

August 15 is the last date citizens may register to vote in the Sept. 4 primary. To vote in the Democratic primary, one must be either a registered Democrat or an Independent (Unenrolled). The General Election is October 16th, Tuesday.

online petition

2007-06-24T22:38:00.000-04:00

take a look at our online petition

It reads:

Are you concerned about Global Warming?
If yes and you are a resident of Hudson, MA, please sign this petition to tell our public officials that we must do our part to curb global warming!

"As Hudson citizens concerned about environmental, social, and economic consequences of global warming, we believe our Town has the public responsibility and moral duty to current and future generations to do all it can do to actively reduce global warming pollution.

We, the undersigned, request that the Town of Hudson, MA become a member of Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) and we encourage the preparation and implementation of a Hudson Climate Action Plan. CCP, an international organization composed of local governments, provides elected officials from cities and counties worldwide resources and support to address global warming on a local scale.

More than 800 local governments participate in the CCP, integrating climate change mitigation into their decision-making processes."

To sign click here

2007-05-17T12:12:00.000-04:00

How to Bring Sustainable Practices to Your Community

A workshop for local officials, planners, and citizens from RI and SE Mass

Friday, June 8, 20079:00 -- 2:00

Johnson & Wales Inn213 Taunton Avenue (Rte. 44)

Seekonk

with Swedish planner and economist Torbjorn Lahti andSarah James, co-author of the American Planning Association's Planning for Sustainability policy guide

For details or to register, click for a downloadable flier: Designed for Life

For more information, call (401) 724-7700, Ext. 6

Sponsors: American Planning Association RI and MA chapters, Apeiron Institute for Environmental Living, CleanScape, Johnson & Wales University and Inn, RI Conference of the United Church of Christ, RI Senate, RI Statewide Planning Program, Southeastern (MA) Regional Planning and Economic Development District, Sustainability Initiative of RI Peace Mission

Earthwatch Talk on Global Warming May 16

2007-05-01T15:46:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,

This is just a reminder that the fourth lecture in our climate change lecture series is coming up (details below). Please note that the topic and speaker have changed from earlier announcements but I know this one will be just as interesting. I hope to see you there!

Wednesday, May 16, 12-1 PM, Olsen Auditorium, 4 Clock Tower Place, Maynard. Free and open to the public.

Massachusetts: Taking Action on Climate Change

Josh Bagnato, Director of Renewable Energy Policy at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, will talk about the steps Massachusetts is taking to reduce the carbon emissions that are causing global climate change. Find out about Massachusetts’ participation in the Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and how the Commonwealth is modifying energy and transportation policies.

Directions and additional information are available at http://www.earthwatch.org/events.html
or by calling 800-776-0188.

A special thank you to Clock Tower Place and Wellesley Management for donating the use of the Olsen Auditorium for this event!

Tina Woolston
Assistant to the Chief Science Officer
Earthwatch Institute
3 Clock Tower Place, Suite 100
Maynard, MA 01754-0075
(978) 450-1225
(800) 776-0188 ext. 225

Slow Progress for Massachusetts Wind Turbines

2007-04-30T09:46:00.000-04:00

From Cape Cod Times (warning: the author makes the common error of misunderstanding power [killowatts] and energy [killowatt-hours] ):

By DOUG FRASER

Cape towns have tough time with turbines

April 29, 2007 6:00 AM

The Cape has plenty of wind, and at least nine of the peninsula's 15 towns want to take advantage of the natural resource with their own wind turbines. But the wheels of progress are turning slowly. Although the state-financed Massachusetts Technology Collaborative has awarded a total of $711,000 in exploratory funds to those towns since 2002, not a single town has erected a turbine.

"Massachusetts — and New England in general — has been a very difficult place to site wind turbines," said Greg Watson, a former vice president of sustainable energy with the collaborative who now works in the state's renewable energy program.

For municipalities, wind power is a way to either cut hundreds of thousands of dollars in electric utility costs, or to make money by generating power and selling it to utility companies.
The economic incentives are especially important as Cape towns approach build-out and property taxes — the main revenue source in most towns — no longer grow at the rate of town budgets.

Cape towns aren't alone in their turbine frustration. Of the 46 municipalities statewide working with the collaborative, none has a turbine yet. Extensive testing and permitting requirements, financial uncertainty, lack of available land, and protests by abutters, make construction of wind turbines a riskier business in New England than in other areas of the country. Collaborative officials recently estimated that it is taking five to eight years to get through the permitting process required to build a turbine in Massachusetts.

"This elephant moves slowly," said Brewster Assistant Town Administrator Jillian Douglass. She estimated her town may spend a decade in planning and permitting before their two proposed wind turbines are running.

Other than relatively small turbines at private homes, schools and businesses, only a handful of turbines have been built so far in the state, including a 100-kilowatt turbine at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers off Route 3 in Boston, two 660-kilowatt turbines in Hull and a 660-kilowatt turbine at the Massachusetts Martime Academy in Buzzards Bay. The Boston and Buzzards Bay turbines received funding from the collaborative and faced few objections from neighbors. Neither had to pass muster with voters. The academy's turbine took only two years to erect from planning to actually generating electricity.

Michael Gross, director of communications at Cape Cod Community College, said a 660-kilowatt turbine is scheduled to be erected at the school next month. It has taken the college about three years to get this far from the time the school received its first collaborative grant money.
Orleans, the first town to enter into the collaborative's wind program, is four years into the process but could possibly see its two turbines installed this fall.

"It's been a very long process of planning, feasibility and wind studies," said Kevin Galligan, the former chairman of Orleans' wind energy committee.

Orleans is typical of many municipal wind power projects. It took 55 committee meetings and three town meeting votes over three years to see the project through to its final phase. The town examined six sites and spent a year testing wind currents at one location.

The proposed site in the town's municipal drinking watershed area raised concerns.

"We've taken great care to assess and minimize environmental impact on watershed. This is our drinking water," Galligan said.

Typical of the problems experienced by municipalities, Orleans still has to wait for special state legislation allowing officials to enter into a long-term lease with the collaborative. The agency will act as a developer, paying for the turbines — currently estimated at $7 million for two — then managing them.

That's because not all the benefits of turbines currently are available to most towns.
Private developers cannot only sell power to utilities, but are subsidized by both the state and federal government for producing the power. Municipal light and power companies are also allowed to do this.

But just 40 of 350 Massachusetts towns are served by municipal power companies, and no new ones have been created since 1926. Private, investor-owned power companies have fought legislative attempts to form new ones, said John MacLeod, manager of the Hull Municipal Light Plant.

Hull's two turbines supply 13 percent of the electricity used by the town's 12,000 residents and town facilities. The town also receives hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in tax credits and other incentives for producing green power. Orleans settled on a lease arrangement that would pay the town $64,000 in the first year, increasing by approximately 7 percent each year. The town also will receive 340,000 kilowatts in free and low-cost power for its water treatment plant.

Galligan said town officials actually preferred the lease option so they could leave power generation to the experts.

There are two bills in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and one in the Senate asking that towns be allowed to sell excess power back to utilities. And in Washington, U.S. Rep. John Olver, D-Mass., is spearheading an effort to create more municipal light and power companies.
Land issues have also delayed Cape projects. Siting a turbine that might be 400 feet tall and require a 1,200-foot cleared diameter is not easy.

With little to buffer wind turbines from neighboring properties, some towns, such as Eastham, have had projects stall when abutters protested noise, aesthetics or the effect on property values.

Other problems crop up in the most unexpected places. Cape Cod Community College officials were stymied when the Federal Aviation Administration said a preferred location compromised air space used by planes doing an emergency circle around Barnstable Municipal Airport.
Cape towns aren't the only customers for new turbines.

Worldwide, demand for turbines is increasing by 30 percent each year, according to a March 2007 article in the Economist. Both Falmouth and Orleans are vying for two turbines that the collaborative purchased and has stored in a Texas warehouse.

"We hear, from GE and others, that there won't be a turbine available until after 2008," Greg Watson said.

"From our perspective, these wind projects are moving too slowly, compared to the urgency of the need," said Sue Reid, staff attorney and director of the Conservation Law Foundation's Clean Energy and Climate Initiative. Reid believes municipalities and private developers need the state to play a greater role and make the process orderly.

"Anything we can do to make it more predictable is a good thing," said John Rogers, a senior energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Both Reid and Rogers believe that once one town has turbines up and running, residents of other towns will see the benefits and the process will get easier.

"To know them, is to love them," Rogers said.

Doug Fraser can be reached at dfraser@capecodonline.com.

Slow to turn

Despite interest in at least nine of the Cape's 15 towns, there has yet to be a municipal wind turbine built in the region. The only industrial-sized turbine on the Cape so far is at Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay.

Several nonprofits also have projects in the works. Here's where they and the town proposals stand. All of the turbines are partially funded by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, a state agency funded by a renewable energy charge on utility bills, and money paid by utilities that don't have the required percentage of renewable energy as part of their power generation portfolio.

HACAN at Hudson Fresh Air Fest 2007

2007-04-29T16:27:00.000-04:00

Denise attends the Hudson Area Climate Action Network (HACAN) table at the "First Annual" Hudson Fresh Air Fest.

Despite the chilly temperatures, we had a good turn out and generated a lot of local interest.

http://www.freshairfest.com/

Solar Panels, Clotheslines, Clear Thinking Prohibited

2007-04-28T20:36:00.000-04:00

Follow the link to see the whole article:

http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/51001/?page=4

Excerpts from the above article:[…] 57 million Americans -- approaching one person out of five -- livein homes regulated by homeowner associations (HOAs). These privategroups hold sway not only in gated havens of the rich but in many more modest neighborhoods as well.[…]Many homeowners' associations post their covenants on their websitesfor the convenience of members. Doing some simple searches, I recently found and read a few dozen such documents. They are often highlydetailed in describing what is allowed, what is not and what happens if you don't do what you're supposed to do or fail to do what theyrequire.[…]

Here are excerpts, taken directly from HOA covenants, that illustratethe kinds of prohibitions being enforced across the country:Westerley subdivision in Sterling, Va.: "Solar panels and solarcollectors are prohibited."

Camelot in Cottleville, Mo.: "Exterior solar collection systems, wind generator systems or other similar appliances are prohibited."

Peach Creek in Lisle, Ill.: "Compost piles may not be created on any properties ... A window fan is never allowed to be placed in the frontwindows of a home."

Quail Cove in Tucson, Ariz.: "Outdoor clotheslines are not permitted."(in a region where the great outdoors is like the inside of a clothesdryer!)

Crest Mountain in Asheville, N.C.: "The following are precluded:Outside clotheslines or clothes drying ... window air conditioning units ... vegetable gardens ..."[…]

Tavistock Farms in Leesburg, Va.: "Vegetable gardens must not exceed 64 square feet." (With no more than 8 feet by 8 feet forgrowing vegetables, should they really be calling this place "farms"?)

Sun Valley in Waldorf, Md.: "No awnings in the front of the house will be allowed."

Suppression of clotheslines has probably received more attention overthe past few years than any other type of anti-green restriction.Despite renewed interest in "solar drying," highlighted each April 19by National Hanging Out Day, HOAs across the country are retaining their laundry-line prohibitions -- reflecting, say critics, their deep-seated prudishness and class bias. People rarely confront HOAs directly over clothesline rules; most either conform or covertly disobey.

Alice (not her real name) lives inthe Lakeside Estates subdivision of Austin, Texas. Because her HOA bans outdoor clothes drying, Alice told me by email, she slips out to her back yard on summer mornings with one of those expanding"umbrella"-style clotheslines, puts it up, and hangs her laundry: "I put things out and try to get them in as soon as I can. I don't leave my clothesline out when it isn't in use." Alice has received no warnings from her HOA -- yet. But you wouldn't expect such guerilla-style energy conservation to be necessary inlaid-back Austin.

Alice says, "Yeah, usually people think of Austin and they think of relaxed attitudes. But I think since the housing market boomed, it has made people a lot less relaxed."

Evidence to back up her theory can be found just across town, beyond the northwest corner of Austin's city limits in the middle-class suburb of Hunter's Chase. There, Jason and Lisa Spangler have been maintaining a garden of native wildflowers and other plants in their front yard for years. But they almost lost their native plantings in August 2002, when they received a violation notice on behalf of their HOA.

Jason told me, "Someone came by on a 'random inspection,' taking pictures, and thought it was some sort of grass and weeds." The Spanglers faced legal action if they didn't mow it all down. They stood their ground, and the showdown came at a meeting of the municipal utility district that enforces the rules in Hunter's Chase. At the meeting, characterized by Spangler as "very unpleasant," he and Lisa were asked how they could have something "so ugly" in their front yard. No one seemed impressed that they used no herbicides, insecticides or fertilizers on their wildflower garden.

"One boardmember said she had an art degree," said Jason, "and she could see that 'texture' of our yard just didn't look right."[…]

Here are some more typical passages from covenants imposed by HOAs inseveral states, each mandating some kind of stepped-up resource consumption or pollution:

Piedmont community in Pine Mountain, Ga.: "Size and square footage of heated and conditioned space: A minimum 2,750 square feet."

Cobblestone in Wichita, Kan.: "Minimum living area excluding thebasement: Single level -- 1,800 square feet. Two level -- 2,000 squarefeet [with] central heating and air conditioning ... Seeded or soddedgrass lawn on entire lot." Also "minimum of two car garage -- concrete driveway" (no cobblestone driveways in Cobblestone!)

Van Zandt Farms in Haslet, Texas: "Sprinklers shall be installed inthe front yard of each residence."Eagle Point Golf Community near Medford, Ore.: "Lawns shall be watered, fertilized and sprayed for weeds and/or insects and diseases as needed to keep them healthy and green. They shall be mowed on a regular basis."

Applewood Park in Tigard, Ore.: "... a mowed lawn that is regularly fertilized and is free of weeds and debris, ... including clover and dandelions." (This is followed by a helpful hint: "There is a product called 'Bayer' that works well for removing clover.")

Covington Estates in Fishers, Ind.: "Each lot shall maintain at least two continuous dusk-to-dawn lights ..."

Franklin Green in Franklin, Tenn.: "Each residence shall include an attached garage for a minimum of two cars and a maximum of three cars."

Bent Tree West in Dallas, Texas: "Any garages, servants' quarters,storage rooms, or carports erected or placed on any portion of said lot must be attached to the main structure ... garages shall provide a space for a minimum of two conventional automobiles." (servants'quarters?)

Penalties for breaking such rules can range from small fines to foreclosure and loss of the home. Anti-HOA activists maintain lengthy lists of cases in which families have been foreclosed upon -- like the Orlando, Fla., woman whose house was put up for sale because she hadn't paid $108 in association dues.[…]

Towns Going Green (mentions Mark's presentation)

2007-04-27T11:01:00.000-04:00

From Shrewsbury Chronicle:

Shrewsbury - For many people, the unseasonable weather we’ve been subjected too recently -- milder than usual winters and spring snowstorms -- is only the latest and most immediate example of global warming.

In an attempt to promote education on the issue, the Shrewsbury Public Library and the Adult Services Advisory Committee has deemed May “Green Month,” and will be hosting a number of programs in coming weeks to encourage environmental awareness.

“Education is always the first step,” said Diane Jones, the member of the Adult Services Committee who developed the idea for the event.

Jones, who recently participated in the Environmental Fair at the First Congregational Church on Earth Day, Sunday, has been concerned about Global Warming since the 1970s when her mother first mentioned the term to her. Ever since, she has grown more interested in ways to lessen the environmental impact we all have on the earth.

“When I’m not working or raising my kids, I’m focused on global warming,” she said.
Jones has two children and runs an acupuncture clinic in Northborough.

Next month’s events, which Jones points out actually start a day early, are free to the public and will be held at the library at 7 p.m.

A slide-show presentation of Al Gore’s Academy Award-winning documentary film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” kicks off the series Monday, April 30.

Mark Durrenberger, the president of New England Breeze, LLC, which specializes in alternative energy sources, including wind turbines and solar panels, will present the film.

Durrenberger was trained in Nashville, Tenn. along with 1,000 other applicants by Al Gore’s Climate Project team to show the movie and educate others on the issue.

Time for discussion will be allotted for attendees who wish to address specific topics.

“I’m really happy that we got him to do the talk,” said Jones.

Other events scheduled throughout May include a discussion with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) engineer Andy Proulx, who will be at the library Monday, May 7 to talk about ways to make your home more energy efficient.

On Wednesday, May 23, Rep. Karyn Polito, R-Shrewsbury, and state Director of Sustainability Eric Freidman will highlight steps the state legislature is taking to make Massachusetts and local communities like Shrewsbury more environmentally friendly.

The last event of the series is Tuesday, May 29 and will feature scientist Gilles Labelle, the largest hybrid car dealer in New England and host of This New Car (WICN radio), who will talk about how cars are contributing to global warming, with a focus on the benefits of hybrid technology.

“It should be an exciting series of events,” said George Brown, assistant director of the Adult Services at the libary. “I think it’s time to discuss this topic and bring it out in the open.”

Global warming is often a controversial issue with many people continuing to denounce it as “alarmist,” but according to Jones as well as the majority of the science community, it is a serious issue we must face now in order to protect future generations.

“It’s not a good thing for people to believe that just because they’re in denial this is not going to happen,” Jones said.

She hopes as education grows, more communities will make the decision to become environmentally conscious like Worcester and Boston have.

According to Jones, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino has released a 13-point plan to reduce his city’s greenhouse gas output.

Some of the steps both Boston and Worcester are planning to take include holding the municipal vehicle fleets to higher fuel efficiency standards and growing gardens on the roofs of high rise buildings to act as an additional layer of insulation.

Jones would like to see Shrewsbury take some of the same steps.

“I really think Shrewsbury could do a lot,” she said.

By moving to more “green” technology, communities can save money by reducing their fuel and utility costs, according to Jones.

“It’s a moral decision and a financial decision … all towns can profit from,” she said.

Eric Tsetsi can be reached at 508-490-7466 or etsetsi@cnc.com.

Sustainable Energy Summit 2007

2007-04-24T23:11:00.000-04:00

Come co-create our transition to a clean energy future!
Sustainable Energy Summit 2007

Community Action for a Clean Energy Future
Smith College Performing Arts Center
Saturday, April 28, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm

Featuring:
Richard Heinberg, Community Solutions to Peak Oil
Gus Newport, Understanding Race, Class, and Energy
Siegfried Finser, Money as a Transformative Agent in Society
Alan Mulak, Developing a Municipal Energy Plan
The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and
The Franklin Regional Council of Governments, New Clean Energy Plan

Cost: $35 if you pre-register at
http://www.acteva.com/go/SustainableEnergySummit or
$45 at the door -- 50% discount for Seniors, Students. Free for
anyone with a Smith College id.

For more information contact:
info@cooppower.coop or call toll-free
1-877-266-7543

2007-04-24T23:06:00.000-04:00

note from Denise
some of you may know this but there are a couple of public hearings on global warming coming up, Monday, 4/23, 1 to 4 PM and 4/30, 1 PM. More information can be found in the April MCAN newsletter, http://www.massclimateaction.org/MCANdocspdf/MCANTipSheet0407.pdf. I plan on attending the first hearing this upcoming Monday. If you would like to go and car pool with me (I will drive to Alewife Station and take T in to State House), please give me a call this weekend at 978-568-8110.

Lastly, as discussed at the last meeting, it is time to start discussing our thoughts on a campaign directed toward local government ggh emissions reductions. Thus, I propose we discuss the "Cool Cities" framework as one we consider, http://www.coolcities.us/files/CoolCitiesfactsheet.pdf.

2007-04-10T12:34:00.000-04:00

Welcome to HCAN!