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| This week in conservation December 22-28, 2008 |
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| Calendar | |||||||||||||||||
| Happy Holidays! | |||||||||||||||||
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| Announcement | |||||||||||||||||
| VCS Gift Membership |
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| MVTV | |||||||||||||||||
| Living Local Harvest Fest |
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| Sustainable Book Club | |||||||||||||||||
| In January Reading Richard Louv’s Last Child In The Woods Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder |
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| Environmental Education Update | |||||||||||||||||
| FDA Reluctantly Admits Mercury Fillings Have Neurotoxic Effects on Children |
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| Energy Update | |||||||||||||||||
| State Energy Officials Announce Milestone for Massachusetts Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard |
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| Massachusetts Farm Energy Program | |||||||||||||||||
| Energy Audits & Incentives Phase 2 of the Mass Farm Energy Program (MFEP) will provide energy audits, renewable energy assessments, and/or provide incentives for implementation of audit recommendations, including those recommended by public utility programs. http://www.berkshirepioneerrcd.org/ mfep/energy.php |
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| Climate Change Update | |||||||||||||||||
| Arctic warming spurs record melting Greenland and Siberia see rapid changes |
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 Record melting in northern Greenland and the widespread release of methane gas from formerly frozen deposits off the Siberian coast suggest that major changes are sweeping the Arctic, researchers say. The recent observations, reported on 16 December at the autumn meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, California, have surprised scientists who — although used to Arctic changes — did not expect to see them so dramatically over the past year. http://www.nature.com/news/ 2008/081217/full/news.2008.1314.html |
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| Water Update | |||||||||||||||||
| Sulphur-eating bacteria clean ocean depths |
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 Researchers from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Marine Microbiology discovered that hydrogen sulphide, which is toxic to many living beings, is ‘cleaned' by certain bacterial blooms found in deep oceanic water. "Hydrogen sulphide is toxic, even in low concentrations, and can instantly kill fish, molluscs and shellfish. The good news is, it seems, the discovered bacteria consume hydrogen sulphide before it reaches superficial waters, where fish live," explained lead researcher Marcel Kuypers. http://fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp? monthyear=12-2008&day=17&id=30846&l=e &country=&special=0&ndb=1&df=0 |
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| UN Takes on the Most Important Human Rights Issue | |||||||||||||||||
| The film "FLOW: For Love Of Water", which features Martha's Vineyard water author, William E. Marks, along with other water people of note from around the world, was screened last week at the United Nations' General Assembly. Below is a news release as posted in part: On the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Human Rights, the UN took on one of the most pressing human rights issues of today: the right to water. The amazing documentary, FLOW: For Love Of Water was invited to screen at the UN by General Assembly President Father Miguel d'Escoto Brockman. A petition for UN Article 31 - was presented with over 20,000 names collected from around the world that are calling for the right to clean and potable water for all. Article 31 states, "Everyone has the right to clean and accessible water, adequate for the health and well-being of the individual and family, and no one shall be deprived of such access or quality of water due to individual economic circumstance." Water is a fundamental human right and not a privileged and growing international movement is afoot to have the right recognized around the world. |
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The final report of the Massachusetts Estuaries Project study of Edgartown Great Pond released last week concludes that the cherished natural resource is, in general, "moderately impaired," a description that means "it's close to being good," according to a scientist who reported the results of the study.
When Nicholas Stern, former chief economist at the World Bank, released his ground-breaking study in late 2006 on the future costs of climate change, he talked about a massive market failure. He was referring to the failure of the market to incorporate the climate change costs of burning fossil fuels. The costs, he said, would be measured in the trillions of dollars. The difference between the market prices for fossil fuels and the prices that also incorporate their environmental costs to society are huge. 
The 2008 Living Local Harvest Fest, will air on Channel 13 on Monday Dec 22 at 6 PM and Tuesday Dec 23 at 7 PM 
Discussion Monday, Jan. 25, 5:30 p.m. 
(NaturalNews) For the first time, the FDA has issued a warning that the mercury contained in silver dental fillings may pose neurological risks to children and pregnant women.
For first time since program’s 2003 inception, supply of renewable energy exceeds levels electricity suppliers must offer consumers by law