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January 2012 News from EarthThrives

While it may be the middle of the winter events abound throughout the Pioneer Valley. Coming up is the not to be missed PV Sustain Annual dinner in which local resident Nancy Hazard will be recognized for all her hard work and Hampshire College’s president and global sustainability expert, Jonathan Nash, will be the featured speaker. Also, please take a moment to check out CISA’s report on scaling up our local food systems. Thoughts on eating locally in the deep winter from Kirsten...

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UMass Amherst Earns AASHE Gold Rating

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating SystemTM (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS® was developed by AASHE with broad participation from the higher education community. STARS is designed to:*    Provide a frame- work for understanding sustainability in all sectors of higher education.*    Enable meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of...

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August 2011 News from EarthThrives

August 2011 News from EarthThrives

Summer is heating up While summer in the Valley normally seems to mean fewer events and a little relaxation time, there’s quite a bit which has not slowed down. In fact, actions related to Green seem to be heating up just as much as the weather -> steamy. While events abound on our calendar, there are some that you simply don’t want to miss, such as 8/12 – 8/14 Northeast Organic Farming Association Summer Conference 8/20 Regional Open Space Conference 8/27 Western Mass Green...

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July 2011 News from EarthThrives

July 2011 News from EarthThrives

Are we in Kansas? Its been a whirlwind of a month. Literally. Who knows if Global Weirding or normal potential weather patterns produced the 39 mile tornado induced gash in the landscape of the Southern Pioneer Valley earlier this month. Most important in the aftermath is that we respond and help each out. Think Local. To help facilitate connections to this information, EarthThrives.com has posted a page dedicated to passing along news related to PV Disasters regarding how you can get...

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Beats, Antique, Sustainable Living Roadshow, and EarthThrives; Oh My!

Beats, Antique, Sustainable Living Roadshow, and EarthThrives; Oh My!

Saturday April 30, 2011 marked the return of popular musical act Beats Antique to the Pearl Street Ballroom. It also meant that the Sustainable Living Roadshow was in town. Yes, the two things are connected. When the two groups partnered up on this tour to spread the word about sustainable living across the country, Earththrives.com was there! Earththrives.com found out about this amazing opportunity and was invited to table at the show and tell the audience a little about the work we do which...

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Register for Clean Energy Connections

Register for Clean Energy Connections

Clean Energy Connections: Business Growth for a Carbon-Neutral Future is the region’s premier forum for green career- and business-development information and networking. The event convenes business owners, entrepreneurs, financiers, educators, career seekers, community leaders, and public agencies. On Wednesday, October 20, you will: – ACCESS resources to build your green business. – MEET entrepreneurs and clean energy experts contributing to the green economy. – LEARN...

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Green Consortium: Planning Charette

Saturday August 28th from 8am to 1:30pm, Western Mass Green Consortium is a hosting a planning charrette to follow-up the “info barrier.” Where 189 Pleasant Street Easthampton Ma. 01027Why Review “info barrier” workshop report, brainstorm action plans.How Community Collaboration The near-term goal of Project Retrofit is to stimulate demand for energy efficient retrofit work while augmenting thesupply of energy efficient retrofit competent workers in the Pioneer Valley. The long-term goal...

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District Heating & Biomass: A Good Match for Greenfield?

By Richie Davis, Recorder StaffOriginally published in the Greenfield Recorder on 1/19/10 Two Greenfield energy groups are trying to promote the marriage of wood-burning electricity generation with central heating systems that warm whole neighborhoods or villages. Greening Greenfield Energy Committee and Co-Op Power contend the two compatible technologies can be married to cut energy costs around town, better use wood resources around the region and also boost the area’s economy....

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It’s Blog Action Day Today

Today is Blog Action Day so if you’re a blogger, now’s your day to team up with bloggers around the world and make your voice heard about Climate Change. Go to www.blogactionday.org to register your blog.  BAD09 will link back to your post.  You can also post via twitter using the hash tag #BAD09. Not sure what you might write about?  They’ve got a handy-dandy page with some ideas for you. If you join the movement, drop us a note and we’ll link to your post...

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MA bans disposal of mercury

[ Originally published in Greenfield Recorder: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 ] The state recently banned disposal of mercury-containing items. This means that mercury-containing items can't be placed in the trash and must be handled separately. Mercury is hazardous to human health and creates environmental pollution. Mercury accumulates in humans and in aquatic animals. The most common household products that are banned from the trash are: thermometers with silver liquid mercury, nondigital...

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Goin’ Greener Launches

Carlyn caught up with some local folk after April’s performance of The Turtle Island Medicine Show.  They shared their experiences with recycling, reusing, and making environmentally conscious choices about their lifestyles. How We’re Goin’ Greener 1 airs tonight. But wait! There’s more! Carlyn talked with so many people that she created a series with four different videos. The next three clips will air on Monday nights for the next three weeks. So, we’ll expect...

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Earth Hour 2008 is March 29 at 8pm

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and thousands of bussinesses and individuals have teamed up to support a worldwide rolling lights out initiative. On March 29, at 8pm, thousands of cities and individuals will turn off all non-essential lights for one hour.  It's difficult, on their website, to find out exactly how much of an impact this will have on energy consumption.  But, hopefully, what it will do is raise awareness. Go to www.earthhour.org for more...

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Greenfield Signs on with Climate Group

By ANITA FRITZ Recorder Staff [originally published in the Recorder on 2-20-08] GREENFIELD — The town Tuesday took its first major step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and looking at ways government, schools and residents can help with the greening of Greenfield.  Mayor Christine Forgey signed the town up with ICLEI's Cities for Climate Protection, which will help the town take the steps it needs to become sustainable. ICLEI, an international organization known by the...

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Free Showings of “Enjoy the Ride” at the People’s Pint

To celebrate National Bike Commute Week (May 10 to 18),  the People’s Pint invites you to free screenings of  “Enjoy the Ride: Share the Road in the Pioneer Valley” At 6, 8, and 9:30PM FREE Directed by Carlyn Saltman, Earth Thrives' co-founder and documentarian, this 30-minute inspirational video chronicles the stories of several Franklin, Hampshire, and Hamden County residents who choose to ride their bicycles for transportation as often as possible instead of driving their...

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Greener Gadgets Conference Features One Laptop per Child

The first ever Greener Gadgets Conference took place on February 1st in New York City. The focus: emerging technology innovation in the consumer electronics industry and the business case for sustainable consumer electronics design. Here at Earth Thrives, we're particularly excited about the keynote speech on the One Laptop per Child project. We happen to have just received our very own little green XO for Rich's grand-daughter to try out the other day. It's being called “the...

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Green keeps rolling in for ‘Solar Village’

RDI has Received funding to include a full film of the RDI story.  By ANITA FRITZ Recorder Staff – Published: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 GREENFIELD — The good news keeps coming for the Wisdom Way Solar Village project and Rural Development Inc. In addition to $1.8 million RDI received from the state Monday to begin building 20 low-income, low-energy condominiums, it received on Tuesday $575,000 in loans from the nonprofit Housing Assistance Council located in Washington, D.C.,...

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Spread the Word!

{seyretpic id=14 align=left} Our video, Spread the Word, is a little something to help us promote what Earth Thrives offers the online community. But we can’t do it without you. There are three ways you can share it: 1.  Visit the video gallery by clicking on the image to the left. You’ll get sent directly to Spread the Word which you can download. 2.  Add the following direct link to your website or blog to send your friends over here to watch Spread the Word:...

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Patrick Pushes Biofuel Standards in New Bill

By Ken Maguire Associated Press Writer / November 5, 2007 BOSTON —Gov. Deval Patrick and top lawmakers want to put Massachusetts on the clean energy map by requiring biofuel blends in home heating oil and providing tax incentives for producers of more efficient ethanol technology, known as cellulosic ethanol. The state would be the first to require all diesel and home heating fuel sold here to contain a minimum amount of bio-based alternatives in their blends, as well as the first to...

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Governor’s Commission Completes Two-Year Climate Change Report

By Lisa Rathke, Associated Press Writer  |  October 26, 2007 MONTPELIER, Vt. —A governor's commission charged with making recommendations on how to curb greenhouse gas emissions recommended that the state expand energy efficiency programs, support renewable energy and team up with its colleges and universities to develop a “green economy” in Vermont. In its final report released Friday, the six-member panel concluded the state could serve as a national model and urged the...

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Cleaner energy, lower emissions; Regional plan aims for

 By RICHIE DAVIS Recorder Staff Published: Friday, October 26, 2007 Regional planners took their first look Thursday night at a draft plan to cut the Pioneer Valley's energy use and greenhouse gas emissions while siting new ''clean energy'' generation. The Pioneer Valley Clean Energy Plan, proposed by the Franklin Regional Council of Governments and Pioneer Valley Planning Commission sets four broad gals: Cutting the region's total energy demand back to 2000 levels by...

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October 20 is Lights Out San Francisco

Activists in San Francisco are gearing up for a city-wide energy-saving event.  From 8 to 9pm on Saturday, October 20th, all non-essential lights will be turned off and they're hoping the entire city will participate.For more information on “1-night, 1-hour and 1-bulb” go to www.lightsoutsf.org Plus, March 29, 2008 will be Lights Out...

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October 15 was Blog Action Day

Earth Thrives is working hard to combine the grass-roots of environmental change with a world reach.  The heroes you see are local, but here on the web, we hope people all over the world will find inspiration in our videos. There's another similiar movement happening in the blogosphere.  Yesterday, October 15th, was Blog Action Day.  And the action item?  You guessed it, the Environment. Go check out their site for more information and browse through over 19,000 bloggers who all wrote...

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Earth Thrives Launches New Site

We liked our last site, but we love this one: Check out our new Video Gallery where every episode is one easy click away. We've added a new section, It's Easy Being Green, where we'll share tips for going green the easy way. Head down to More About Local Heroes for additional resources on each of our series of videos. Plus, stay current on events, and submit information on your own green events, with our Calendar...

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Heading to a Greener Valley, Together

Welcome to EarthThrives.com, a virtual neighborhood of the Pioneer Valley. This site features video clips of new “local heroes” — residents and businesses in Western Massachusetts that are incorporating greener habits and technologies into their everyday lives. The first Earth Thrives episodes are currently in production. Come back to follow our local heroes and watch new stories as they come in. Please write us about the going-greener heroes in your life. We are grateful to...

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