The room is abuzz with chatter consisting of personal anecdotes and business opportunities. Local residents sip their locally brewed beer while brainstorming ways to protect the environment. This is not your average mixer, this is something bigger. The Western Mass Green Consortium (WMGC) is a groundbreaking collaborative consisting of local small businesses, educators, organizations and individuals coalesced around a common mission: to “promote sustainable business practices, nurture the...
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What happens when you combine a group of like-minded activist and artists, an old school bus, gallons of green paint and vegetable oil? It is either going to be one heck of a party or the Vegan Bus. Probably both. The brain child of Derek Goodwin, the purpose of the bus is to “increase public awareness about the connections between dietary choice, personal health, cultural ethics, and globally sustainable ecology.” On Wednesday, July 29, Cafe Evolution, a vegan restaurant in...
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If you are reading this, you probably have already heard about carbon offsets. Chances are you have seen a car in front of you on the highway with one of those nifty little stickers proclaiming the car as “carbon neutral” courtesy of TerraPass. That might even be your car. Sorry for flashing my high beams. It was an accident. There are many companies offering carbon offsets, all based on the concept of giving them money – the amount is based on the level of carbon dioxide emissions...
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High quality, local, organic food does not have to be an expensive luxury item. Nestled between two apartment complexes in downtown Holyoke, a small stone statue welcomes visitors. Flowers – not yet in bloom – mark the perimeter of the roughly one-quarter acre plot of land. Inside, gardeners grow everything from rainbow chard to strawberries to ají dulce, a sweet pepper native to Latin America. A small blue house – reminiscent of the houses on the island of Puerto Rico...
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