Rebuilding 25 Homes in 5 Days Saturday, October 1 to Wednesday, October 5, 2011 Rebuilding Together Springfield and TD Bank are joining forces during a special five-day event in October to repair 25 homes that were damaged in the June 1 tornadoes. Volunteers from throughout the region, including 100 TD Bank volunteers, will repair roofs and chimneys, reinstall siding and windows, and make other repairs for low-income homeowners who have inadequate or no home insurance and who would otherwise...
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Posted by John M. Gerber on 8-25-11 in Press | Comments Off on Sustainable Agriculture Jobs after College?
Maybe and maybe not. But there is plenty of “good work” that needs to be done! If you listen to the news these days, everyone is talking about jobs, jobs, jobs (the lack of them). Sunday’s newspaper had several stories about the many reasons for 9% unemployment in the U.S. and the editorials predict a very slow economic recovery. It’s a pretty depressing picture for recent college grads (as well as anyone else just entering the workforce). Students (and parents) are asking if...
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Posted by Administrator on 8-21-11 in What's New? | Comments Off on TOGETHER ON THE LAND: Options for Ecological Community Living
TOGETHER ON THE LAND Options for Ecological Community Living MULTI-SITE GROUP TOUR 8:30am-5pm Sunday September 11, 2011 Pre-Registration Required $20 per ticket, discounts & scholarships available FIND OUT MORE & REGISTER ONLINE AT VCLT.ORG/TOUR -or- Call Megan at 413-624-5128 to register. ============================================ Join us for a tour of ecological living options in the Pioneer Valley. We’ll visit homes and farms that have tested different models for...
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PRESS RELEASE – Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 will mark the 84th anniversary of the executions of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1927. To commemorate the date and to build opposition to the restoration of the death penalty in Massachusetts, the Hampden County Chapter of the Massachusetts Citizens Against the Death Penalty, in association with The Springfield Diocese: Catholic Charities Agency, will be sponsoring a memorial service in...
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Posted by Administrator on 8-18-11 in Press Releases | Comments Off on Montague Energy Committee Works Behind the Scenes to Promote Greening of Town
PRES RELEASE – Montague, MA- July 28, 2011-The Montague Energy Committee may have been off the public radar for a while, but it has been actively planning and moving forward with a number of projects and goals. Over the winter, the committee prioritized its goals, deciding to focus on working with residents and small businesses to promote energy efficiency, while it wraps up on-going projects and addresses energy-related town issues that demand short-term action. Plans are in the works...
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Monday, August 22nd, 6:00-8:00pm, CISA and the MA Farm Energy Program will team up to offer a workshop on Solar Thermal energy for farmers. Come learn the basics of energy efficient solar hot water systems with the Massachusetts Farm Energy Program and system installers, including The Solar Store and Coop Power. We will discuss system and equipment options, best management practices for different farm sectors, how to work with an installer, funding opportunities, and take a look at an on-site...
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This workshop is designed to meet the needs of small-medium sized farms and livestock operations. Topics to be presented include: Manure management plans, containment and storage, pasture and paddock management, and manure management options – land application & composting. All participants receive free Manure Management & Composting CD Toolkit of resources. Tuesday, August 30th, 6:00-8:00pm New England Small Farm Institute 275 Jackson Street, Belchertown Sandwich,...
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Good news GGEC just received $500 Wolfe & Rita grant via the the Massachusetts Climate Action Network. Thank you to Susan for writing this grant! You are GREAT! These funds will go a long way towards supporting our efforts this year! See below for more info, and others who received grants. MCAN Chapter Wolfe Rita Grant Applicants and Chapter Representatives Thank you for your grant applications. All of the applications submitted were excellent and for the first time ever, all were...
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Massachusetts just printed a GREAT REPORT on $money$ saved through energy efficiency. Its inspirational! It has lots of numbers, but it also has success stories & IDEAS Residential programs – MassSAVE & low income programs Small businesses Large commercial & industrial businesses Municipal efforts They calculate that $18 bil left MA last year to pay for oil, gas etc. — 80% of total spent…just slightly higher than the 78% that the Greening Greenfield Energy Committee...
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Posted by John M. Gerber on 8-11-11 in Press | Comments Off on Relocalize the food system to support democracy!
When economic power is concentrated in a few multi-national corporations, it not only erodes two sustainability objectives (environmental integrity and social justice) but creates a political situation that undermines democracy. I wrote in an earlier blog… “the global food system will always favor large, financially efficient businesses which exploit people, undermine democracy, erode community, and degrade natural resources in order to maximize profits.” Another of my blogs...
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