Fall 2007

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IN THIS ISSUE:

• Where we’ve been and what we’ve been up to
• Teachers go to school
• Green buildings in the Berkshires
• 25% more served
• Getting it right from the start
• CET greens UP its water
• Staffing news and notes

Where we’ve been and what we’ve been up to

It’s been a busy summer at CET!

June found us participating in the Protecting Health in New England Symposium, bestowing rain barrels in Lee, celebrating the Summer Solstice at the Berkshire Co-op Market, and tabling in Shelburne Falls at the Annual Riverfest. In July we were at Berkshires for the Earth, a Live Earth Event at the Aspinwell Shops in Lenox, and the Berkshares Bash at Searles Castle in Great Barrington. In late July, CET was on the steps of City Hall at the Northampton Sidewalk Sale.

August found us at a Native American Pow Wow on the Pittsfield Common, and in early September we provided environmental information at the Sheffield Celebration, I Love Monterey Day and the Lakes & Ponds Symposium. Rain clouds cleared for the Third Annual Renewable Energy Fair in Amherst, and in late September, CET presented at the Pioneer Valley Relocalization Conference, a full day of visioning local sustainability, with workshops and presentations from local grassroots organizations.

Between June and early September, we coordinated five hazardous waste collections and enjoyed standing room-only crowds at our solar and wind energy workshops in the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley.

Teachers go to school

They are not kids or college students, but their notebooks were filled with chemistry equations and they took field trips to energy and wastewater treatment facilities and vernal pools in an intensive and inspiring week of training. CET facilitated the graduate level course at MCLA for teachers involved in the Berkshire Bank BEST (Berkshire Environmental Schools Team) program. Elementary school teachers were immersed in comprehensive introductions to watersheds, matter (including recycling and composting), chemistry, energy, climate change, and more. Our work will continue through the coming year, assisting BEST schools and helping to plan the Youth Environmental Summit in the spring. For more information about the Berkshire Bank BEST program contact Cynthia at 413-445-4556 ext. 25.

Green buildings in the Berkshires

We are excited to be working with Case Development Enterprises on its super green Aspinwell Triplex Townhouse development in Lenox, MA. Case’s facility is enrolled in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes certification program. LEED is a voluntary rating system that promotes the design and construction of high performance green homes. A green home uses less energy, water and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants. Learn more or call Megan at 413-586-7350 ext. 21.

25% more served

We knew we were busy and were not at all surprised to see the number of activities and people we reached this year grew by more than 25 percent! We reached nearly 20,000 individuals through one-on-one assistance, workshops, classroom presentations and more. We reached tens of thousands through public and commercial radio, cable access television, news broadcasts and the print media. Hundreds attended our solar and wind energy workshops and tours, and many are now installing renewable energy systems on their homes, farms, schools and libraries. Youth across western MA learned to be stewards for the environment through CET-sponsored teacher training sessions, the Earth Stewards after-school program for at-risk students, enhanced school recycling programs and the Junior Solar Sprint model car race.

Getting it right from the start

More Berkshire babies are getting off to a good start, thanks to Healthy Beginnings: Indoor Air Quality, an environmental health initiative in which nurses are educating pregnant women about such toxins as mercury and PCBs in fish, as well as other indoor air pollutants that can affect their developing baby. The program emphasizes the importance of a smoke-free home and car; and since nurses began counseling in March, more than 200 women have taken the EPA’s smoke-free homes and cars pledge. On July 11, we announced the EPA funding for the program and Pittsfield Mayor James Ruberto pledged to maintain a smoke-free home and car in a show of support for the women. Healthy Beginnings is a collaboration among CET, Berkshire Health Systems, Operation Better Start/WIC, Sprout, and Berkshire Ob-GYN. For more information contact Laura at 413-445-4556 ext. 13.

CET greens UP its water

There really is nothing wrong with Pittsfield’s tap water. We collectively realized this during a recent staff meeting, casting our environmental gazes upon the silently sweating water cooler in the conference room downstairs. The water it proffered tasted great, but it was plugged into the wall, using electricity day in and day out; and the water bottle attached to it was delivered by diesel truck. So our own intrepid recycling guy, Jamie Cahillane, said we could save all that electricity and fuel, and about $500 per year in delivery fees on top of that, if we pitched the cooler in favor of a water filter attached to the tap in one of the upstairs bathrooms. So we did it! Now, those upstairs have easier access, and the folks downstairs are getting more exercise. For more information on how we chose the water filter and calculated the savings - and how you can save money and resources, (and how to get a better workout), contact Jamie at 413-445-4556 ext 14.

Staffing news and notes

After 16 years we bid a sad and happy farewell to Cathy Talarico, long-time manager of the Berkshire Gas efficiency programs. Sad because we will miss Cathy and her dedication to all she served and happy because she is excited about her new position with the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation.

Our Northampton office got a little blue when its very green college intern left to go back to school this fall. Alex Krogh-Grabbe worked in the office for nine weeks, and biked the 9 miles to work every day. Alex helped the Green Building Services Team develop a database of sustainable building contractors and other resource materials on green building and sustainable living topics. Thanks, Alex!