Boston lost its Lion King in March with the passing of Melvin H. King at the age of 94. It is impossible to summarize the impact that Mel’s life had on the city, and on the people who endeavor to do justice to his life and vision. State Senator Lydia Edwards put it this way: …
Continue reading Mel King, Rest in Peace / Rest in Power / Rest in Love.
Today, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined with Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey to announce non-binding Green New Deal legislation that would strive to “achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers” and “create millions of good, high-wage jobs.” The Green Party of the U.S. issued this response.
Continue reading Green Party Response to Democrats’ Green New DealContinue reading Northeast Biodiesel Groundbreaking August 3, Greenfield, MADear Co-op Power Members and Supporters,
Join us Tues., Aug 3rd, 11 am, for the Grand Groundbreaking for Northeast Biodiesel at our land in the Greenfield [MA] Industrial Park – Silvio Conte Drive (at the end of the road near the Coke plant).
After five years of development, everything has finally aligned so that we can build our recycled vegetable oil biodiesel plant and make a clean fuel alternative to diesel fuel that can be used in any diesel engine or oil heat system.
The MA legislature’s conference committee just made another $300 million in cuts to state health care, education grants, elder home-care services, child care for working parents, human services, and other areas of the state budget for FY2011, conveniently putting the blame on our newest senator, Scott Brown.
Not mentioned in the press releases is the fact that our legislature gave away $300 million they would otherwise have this FY2010 in “single sales factor (SSF)” tax expenditures to Fidelity/Raytheon/related manufacturing corporations for “job creation,” even though many of those corporations are actually cutting jobs. According to the Boston Globe, “Fidelity’s Massachusetts workforce now stands at a more than 9,000 workers, down from 13,000 four years ago.”
As Jill Stein often puts it, these tax expenditures are literally “payoffs for layoffs.” In my opinion, they are also the legalized theft of public funds.
Why not use the tax dollars we’re throwing away on tax expenditures like these to really create jobs by rehiring laid-off teachers, firefighters, librarians, and health care workers? Why not collect the taxes we would otherwise be due instead of raising the sales tax?
Want to know how the “single sales formula” or “tax apportionment” scam works? Read on.
Continue reading Payoffs for Layoffs Continue As Massachusetts Legislature Cries Crocodile Tears1. Consistently demonstrate practical, affordable energy efficiency and renewable energy ideas, devices, and systems at the over 4000 weekly farmers’ markets that take place across the USA from Memorial Day to Halloween or Thanksgiving.
The people who attend farmers’ markets are a core constituency for green technology and practical applications that save money, energy, and resources. They are likely to be early adopters who can spread those possibilities into the community. I’ve done energy demos at my local farmers’ market and know that a renewable energy company sometimes participates in the year-long weekly market near Providence, RI. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more examples out there.
Do energy education weekly at as many of those 4000 weekly markets as possible and over one growing season energy use and attitudes would change significantly. See Mr Franklin’s Folks for one vision of how this might work.
Continue reading How to Change US Energy in One Growing SeasonHave you heard about the speech given this morning by Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo to the Boston Chamber of Commerce? Sounds like it’s going to be a very good year on Beacon Hill for the business lobbyists. But the news isn’t so good for the rest of us. Here are some highlights of the speech:
1) Remember all that talk about how casino revenues would be devoted to worthy purposes like education? Now DeLeo has a different idea: the priority is doling casino revenues out as gifts to corporations. You know, building infrastructure for businesses. It’s NOT graft – it’s economic stimulus. The recent Supreme Court decision allowing corporations to spend unlimited money in campaigns seems to be having its effect already. The politicians aren’t even waiting for the money to appear before they sell out.
Continue reading DeLeo’s Speech: A Disturbing Vision for MassachusettsClimate change is moot. If we halt air and water pollution (using the zero emission standard of such treehugging radicals as DuPont), end our dependence on foreign fuels (through systemic efficiency coupled with cogeneration and renewables), and create new energy jobs here at home, then we can save ourselves. The planet can take of itself.
For instance, the Home Energy Efficiency Team of Cambridge, MA began doing monthly weatherization barnraisings in the summer of 2008. Today they are in contact with about 20 other communities in MA, RI, and NY which are doing something similar and there are other groups in MA, NH, ME, CA that are doing solar barnraisings.
Just for a change, we should spend some of the time and media real estate on a few of the ready solutions like that (weatherization, insulation, efficiency, renewables) instead of the phony debate about global warming, global weirding (a term Friedman got from Hunter Lovins, I believe), and climate change we have been indulging in for years. I don’t care if you believe in anthropogenic climate change or not. If you insulate your band joist and attic hatch or install a setback thermostat, you’re going to save money and energy and reduce greenhouse gases and other pollutants whether you trust the science or consider it a liberal conspiracy.
Continue reading Climate Change Is MootStein to jump into gov race with Green-Rainbow bid
By Jim O’Sullivan / State House News Service Thursday, January 7, 2010
Dr. Jill Stein plans to join the race for 2010 race for governor, running as a Green-Rainbow candidate and pushing the issue of universal health care, posing a challenge to Gov. Deval Patrick’s left flank.
Stein told the News Service late today that she plans to formally announce her campaign later this month. Her candidacy will further complicate a field that already has two major Republican candidates, a state treasurer running as an independent, and Patrick, the Democrat seeking reelection.
“I am very excited to offer voters a real choice for change,” Stein told the News Service in an interview. “We’re looking at three candidates for governor who have very similar opinions on a variety of key issues. It’s very important that voters have a second choice.”
Continue reading Dr. Jill Stein throws her hat into 2010 gubernatorial race