The MVC and the Vineyard Energy Project are facilitating the newly formed Energy Alliance, a regular venue for people interested in public and private energy conservation efforts and renewable energy projects on the Island There is a myriad of individuals, firms, and government bodies involved in various energy projects. The Energy Alliance gives them the opportunity to:

• Share information about and coordinate their efforts;
• Bring in speakers about specific topics;
• Strategize about what other efforts are needed in this field.

The Energy Alliance meets at noon, the last Thursday of each month at the MVC offices (Stone Building, Oak Bluffs) over brown-bag lunches. (The April meeting might be a different date; check the website calendar before coming.)

(Information: Bill Veno veno@mvcommission.org, or David McGlinchey, VEP).

The Island Plan Steering Committee has begun to draft the document summarizing the work of the current phase. A draft will be available at the beginning of the summer and there will be forums to get feedback over the summer so that the document can be finalized by the end of the year.

The Obama administration announced Saturday that it had organized a series of meetings among representatives of 16 countries and the European Union to discuss energy and climate issues.

The meetings, to be held in Washington in April and in La Maddalena, Italy, in July, will seek to resolve longstanding issues that have blocked the development of an international climate treaty.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/
us/politics/29forum.html

TIANJIN, China — Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading producers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles within three years, and making it the world leader in electric cars and buses after that.

The goal, which radiates from the very top of the Chinese government, suggests that Detroit’s Big Three, already struggling to stay alive, will face even stiffer foreign competition on the next field of automotive technology than they do today.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/
business/global/02electric.html?_r=2&th&emc=th

IN honor of spring and the ongoing quest for the perfect lawn, the Green Home asked Bill Duesing, an educator with the Northeast Organic Farming Association, a nonprofit group devoted to sustainable farming and gardening, for tips on achieving an attractive yard without wreaking environmental havoc.

Americans bought 4.5 million tons of bagged fertilizer in 2007. Does that pose any problems for the environment?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/
garden/02GreenHome.html

Herring have arrived in Vineyard waters, and this is particularly good news for a fish in trouble. Years ago local fishermen used to count the herring by the barrel; today they are counted only by the handful.

http://www.mvgazette.com/article.php?20479