As many of you know, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission is currently working with the Capital Region Council of Governments and Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency on an expansive Sustainable Knowledge Corridor Initiative. This is a multi-faceted three – year Sustainable Communities Initiative grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Last week, we launched our new website for the Sustainable Knowledge Corridor at www.sustainableknowledgecorridor.org. We...
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In the wake of a global recession that has devastated communities and livelihoods, people are hungry for alternatives to corporate greed and stock market speculation. As we look at challenges such as climate change, unemployment and growing disparities of wealth and ownership, people are looking for opportunities to grow sustainable, resilient regional economies. In this context, co-operatives are both a viable model of enterprise as well as tangible expressions of economic democracy,...
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AMERICA’S GREAT OUTDOORS: Salazar Highlights Two Proposed Projects in Massachusetts to Promote Outdoor Recreation, Conservation. Just days before the release of a 50-state report outlining some of the country’s most promising ways to reconnect Americans to the natural world, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today highlighted two projects in the state of Massachusetts that will be included in the final report – representing what states believe are among the best...
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What a whirlwind of a year, and it is not over yet. While you are holding onto your down coats and bathing suits as we see what the rest of the year has in store, why not head on over to EarthThrives.com to read some of the latest news? Common Good Finance Has a Solution Learn about the proposed R dollars – a local credit/ currency designed to be successful. Greening Greenfield Film Series Coming up 11/30/11 -> GASLAND Take action for a more sustainable future by attending one of the...
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Shift Your Shopping encourages residents and businesses to make a “Shift” by buying from local independent businesses for the holiday season. Shift Your Shopping offers a simple, powerful way to boost our economy and preserve and create jobs in our local communities. The campaign encourages residents to take job creation and economic concerns into their own hands by exercising their power to strengthen their own local economies. Numerous studies on the impact of buying from local...
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CLOSING VERMONT YANKEE … HOW YOU CAN HELP A supper and a briefing session on December 6th and 8th by the Safe and Green Campaign. Just four months from now Vermont Yankee will face its scheduled, state-mandated closing, on March 21, 2012. Safe and Green Campaign will present two pot luck supper briefings as an opportunity to learn how to become actively involved in making sure the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor is finally shut down in a safe and timely way. The briefing will include the...
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ASHFIELD, MA: In this time of popular discontent with the 1% that controls most of the world’s wealth, a small nonprofit in Ashfield, Massachusetts has a solution. Common Good Finance announced this week its plans for a revolutionary new money system that it claims could lead quickly to an economy that benefits everyone. At the heart of the design for a Common Good Economy is a local money system called R Credits™. The R stands for Regenerative, Revolutionary, and taking Responsibility for...
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For the duration of November, an energy use competition is being held between two Southwest Area towers, John Adams and Kennedy, which are almost identical in size and resident population. According to the Energy Intern Program Coordinator, Sam Willis, and interns of the Campus Sustainability Initiative, Zach Hellyar and Liyang Wang, the goal of the competition is to raise awareness while reducing energy usage among the campus population, one building at a time. A sub-meter tracks the amount...
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This fall UMass Amherst will be host to a compost pilot project outside the Franklin Dining Hall near the Central Residential Area. Although there are presently compost bins in the Bluewall Café and all the dining halls compost food, there has not been a resource for members of the campus community to use when they wish to compost outside of the aforementioned areas. Sara Hopps, who serves as the Food Intern for the Campus Sustainability Initiative, is leading this compost pilot project with...
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Since 2009, the Green Living Project’s Mobile Tour has been on the road to promote its message of sustainability. As part of UMass’ first Campus Sustainability Week, the Mobile Tour came to campus to provide tours of its eco-friendly RV and a multimedia and film presentation about the work done by the Green Living Project. The Mobile Tour seeks to share stories from around the world of people working towards a more sustainable planet. The Green Living Project has five areas of focus for its...
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