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Got the following email and thought I’d pass it on in case somebody here might be interested:

Do you want to know more about green building? Do you know a student who might want to earn college credit to learn about green building?

My name is Ryan Harb. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a finishing graduate student from UMass and in May I will become the first person in the country to receive a MS in Green Building. I have a strong interest in ecological design and for 4 years I have been transforming my single-family home in Amherst, a college rental property, into a model sustainable residence. One project I’m working on now is a front yard transformation – creating a 5000 s.f. highly productive, food producing, permaculture garden at my home. Designing sustainable (food and other) systems is one of many aspects of green building.

This summer I will be co-teaching a 3-week Sustainable Design and Construction course at Sirius Community in Shutesbury, MA – a model educational and sustainable ecovillage in scenic western Massachusetts. This is one of the few opportunities in the country to receive college credit while learning experientially about sustainable design and construction. All students will receive natural building certification upon completion of this course.

Continue reading Green Building Course
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As we enter political fund-raising season, Speaker DeLeo and Governor Patrick are pushing hard to bring government sponsored predatory gambling into Massachusetts. If they succeed, it will be a BIG WIN for casino lobbyists and a BIG LOSS for the people of our Commonwealth.

Disturbingly, Speaker DeLeo has declared there will be no public hearings on his bill – shielding this latest boondoggle from desperately needed public scrutiny and debate.

They claim casinos will create jobs. But the facts show that casinos are jobs killers and community-busters. We need a secure green economy, not more of the failed predatory casino economy of the past.

Continue reading URGENT PETITION- Boycott casinos. Promote small businesses & green jobs.
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The incumbent State Representative whom I am challenging in the 4th Berkshire District, William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D) – joined five other members of the Economic Development Committee in not casting a vote either FOR or AGAINST the casino bill today, according to the State House News Service.  The 12-2-5-1 vote advances the bill with a “favorable recommendation” from the committee.

I am against casinos.  So is the Berkshire Eagle, according to an editorial today:

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/…

I would have voted against the bill.  I look forward to hearing my opponent’s reason for being mum on this issue when votes were cast today.

 

Continue reading Casinos – Inaction by an Incumbent

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Hey everyone,

I had an idea the other day, and I’m going to put it together.  Basically, I’m creating a map of people all over the nation who are willing to donate something – their home, some food, some time, etc – to resistance to war, big business’ greed, and other injustices.  Google Maps makes this surprisingly easy, and although I’m not entirely sure how to do it, I’m sure I’ll figure it out as I go.

All I need now is names.  If you’re interested in being listed so that people can contact you if they need some help in your area, please email me at rossmlevin at gmail dot com.  Or just put the info in the comments, if you want.  What I need is:

Your name

What you’re willing to provide

Your contact info (email and phone are preferred, but whatever you want to put is OK)

Your zip code

I don’t want to get too specific, because we all know how snoopy the CIA is 😉

Seriously, though, if this comes together I think it could be a useful tool for activists all over the place.  Say you’re traveling to Philadelphia to help out the striking nurses at Temple University and you need a place to stay for a few days – you could check the map and see that, hey, rossl lives near Philadelphia.  Then you could call me up and see if it’s all right if you crash at my place for a few days while you’re helping these nurses.

In short, if this works out, it could potentially make organizing these things easier.  In a best case scenario, that would mean more action is taken.

Continue reading Help me create democratic infrastructure with google maps
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From: Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts

April 2, 2010: For Immediate Release

Contact: office@green-rainbow.org

Green-Rainbow Party Regional Conventions provide a great opportunity to meet fellow Party members and supporters in your community, share your ideas, discover ways to support action on your key issues by working with others…

…and to get involved playing an important role in an important, high-profile campaign! This year’s slate of six regional conventions will feature appearances by gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein; Rick Purcell, candidate for Lieutenant Governor; Nat Fortune, running for Auditor of Massachusetts; and other candidates for local legislative offices. Our conventions serve as intimate forums in which to meet Jill and to hear her unique and inspiring message:

Continue reading GRP 2010 Regional Conventions to Feature Appearances by State, Legislative, and Local Candidates

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Update: June edition of We, The Media has been posted.

Update: May edition of We, The Media has been posted.

Green Mass Group is proud and humbled to have entered the emerging  arena of people-powered media. We have big designs on a grassroots, decentralized, and democratized truth-telling apparatus working in synergy and solidarity with other institutions of the same nature. We see a variety of important institutions in existence that need to be supported and nourished, and we dream of a slew of other institutions that do not yet exist. We hope to play a small part in organizing the voices of the people of the Commonwealth and beyond into a beautiful and powerful chorus that reflects and articulates our deepest desires so that they may become reality.

Continue reading We, The Media
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Email from Jill Stein, 4/2/10:

Dear friends and supporters,

Please join me in welcoming Rick Purcell as my Lieutenant Governor running mate! As my lieutenant governor, Rick will mobilize grassroots support across the state for our campaign for a healthy, secure green future. He’ll also galvanize opposition to the corrupt status quo at the root of the many crises we currently face. We’ll be joining Rick in his hometown of Holyoke this Saturday for an official announcement. See below for biographical information on Rick. Saturday’s event will also mark the kickoff of our signature gathering campaign. For those who have been anxious to get involved, now is the time! See below for details on the lieutenant Governor/signature drive kickoff event, including ways to get involved in signature collection if you can’t come on Saturday.

In other news, our campaign is eligible to receive public financing from the state this year. As you may know, public financing loosens the grip of wealthy special interests on our political system, and makes it possible for people powered campaigns like ours to compete statewide without being hijacked by deep-pocketed special interests. As a longtime advocate of public financing for political campaigns, it’s an honor to be asking you to help us qualify for matching funds. If our campaign raises the minimum required to qualify ($125,000), the state will match that amount and everything we raise over it DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR!! So if we can raise $250,000, we will be able to mount a half million dollar campaign! And Massachusetts politics will never be the same. Please be as generous as you can, and give today so that we can take advantage of yet another amazing opportunity.

Upwards,

Jill

Continue reading Stein campaign announces Rick Purcell as Lt. Gov. running mate
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I support an effective public transportation system centered on the residential, employment, and business corridors of Berkshire County.  Employers tell me that for many workers and job-seekers, reliance on a private automobile and the lack of other options prevents people from gaining employment, getting to work, and can cause disruption other workers’ schedules when something goes wrong.  Individuals tell me that for many of them a private automobile is a major debt-inducing financial burden.  We all know that encouraging use of public transportation is good for the environment and for lowering our carbon footprint.

Clearly, Americans are re-thinking their relationship with the car.  It’s seldom as advertised.

Two years ago my husband and I went from being a two-car family to a one-car family.  Our local public transportation network allowed us to do that.  As I began using the system regularly I applied to the Lenox Select Committee, which then appointed me to represent the town on the system’s board.  This system, the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, will benefit from a study conducted last year by the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, which advised it on developing revised routes and schedules in order transport residents and visitors to employment, business, cultural, and retail centers – where they needed to go and when they needed to go there.  This study was long overdue because employment, shopping, and residential patterns had shifted considerably since the last comprehensive analysis of the system.

The study and planning is only the beginning.  The funding ahd legislative championing makes it happen.

A public transportation network is a key infrastructure component for healthy, green, and forward-looking communities.  When elected to the 4th Berkshire District State Representative seat this year, I will be a loud and strong advocate for public transportation.

For more information on my campaign, please visit:

http://www.scottlaugenour.org

Continue reading Public Transportation – A Candidate’s Statement