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Working with Nature to Restore our Climate

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Working with Nature to Restore our Climate is the theme of Greening Greenfield’s spring series of free in-person events. The first event, Water Cools the Planet, will be held Monday, March 25, 6:30-8pm, at the Second Congregational Church on Court Square in Greenfield.

“In this series, we will look into some novel ways of thinking that can help restore biodiversity and mitigate climate change,” says Dorothea Sotiros, avid gardener and Greening Greenfield member.

“I am particularly interested in the powerful role that water, plants and soil play in building climate resilience at home and beyond.”

The March 25 event will be kicked off by watching Water Cools the Planet, the first part of Regenerating Life, a beautiful documentary. This film offers fascinating insights into the role of water and plants, especially trees, in nurturing and balancing our climate.

John Feldman, writer, editor, and narrator shares his quest for a deeper understanding of what regulates the temperature of our planet, beyond carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.  He introduces us to scientists who are exploring many aspects of our Earth who share their insights.

A 30-minute discussion, facilitated by Mary Westervelt, educator, with a Master’s in Environmental Studies, will follow the showing of the film.

Water Cools the Planet will be followed by a viewing and discussion of Life Sustains the Climate, the second segment of Regenerating Life, on April 1.

The final event of the series will be held on Earth Day, April 22. Rachel Lindsay, Ecologist, and Lead Designer at Regenerative Design Group, will introduce us to how to build Healthy Soils at Home to support more vibrant and productive landscapes and increase climate reliance in our gardening efforts.

For more information about Greening Greenfield and how to support our programs such as Housing Greenfield, and the planting of native habitat in Greenfield, please visit www.GreeningGreenfieldMA.org.

 

Healthy Soils at Home

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Healthy Soils at Home
Monday, April 22, Earth Day, 6:30-8:00 pm
Second Congregational Church, Court Square Greenfield, MA
The final of three events RE: Working with Nature to Restore our Climate

Healthy Soils at Home is the final free event of Greening Greenfield’s spring series called Working with Nature to Restore our Climate. After looking at ‘water’, and ‘life,’ this Earth Day event turns to ‘soil’ and what we can do in our yards and community to restore our climate.

Rachel Lindsay, ecologist and lead designer at Regenerative Design Group will share her wealth of experience in farming, community development and ecological design on Monday, April 22, 6:30-8pm, at the Second Congregational Church on Court Square in Greenfield.

She will share how we can improve soil health and increase climate resilience at home and beyond by using practices that reflect new ways of looking at soil. Healthy soils capture and store a tremendous amount of carbon and water. Having more carbon and water in the ground increases the productivity and vibrancy of our landscapes, reduces flooding and drought, and helps overcome the years of poor land management that have degraded our soils, and our world.

Rachel will also share her excitement about the MA Healthy Soils Action Plan, the first statewide comprehensive plan of its kind that addresses non-agricultural soil management.

“The role of soil in regulating our climate cannot be overstated,” said Dorothea Sotiros, Greening Greenfield member and organizer of the Working with Nature workshops. “I have seen that embracing a few simple rules when gardening can make a huge difference in soil texture and plant health, and it makes me feel good to know that I’m contributing to restoring our climate.”

For information about Greening Greenfield and the Working with Nature series go to www.GreeningGreenfieldMA.org and click on upcoming events.

Housing Greenfield Meeting Notes – April 8, 2024

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Housing 

Present: Susan Worgaftik, Peg Hall, Mary McClintock, Dorothy McIver, Chuck Green, Edie Heinemann, Erin Forbush, Amy Clarke, Louise Amyot, Nikki Garrett, Mike Penn-Strah, Mary McClintock, Amy Cahillane, Anna Oltman, Alyssa Larose, Jen Hale, Andrea Donlon, Judy Atkins

Decisions and areas for further discussion were made are in red.

Updates

              Status of 42 Cleveland Street—Alyssa Larose

             RDI expects to close on the sale of the property by April 15th.

 Asbestos remediation will begin this spring.  Construction by Renaissance Builders should begin in May.  Construction should take 8 months or so.  So a sale in spring 2025 is likely.  Applications for the property will be accepted in the fall or winter with a lottery taking place after that. There will be a sign in front informing the neighborhood about what is happening at the site.  Community meetings about the site will take place this summer.  There is not a sweat equity component in this build out because the home has been abandoned for about 10 years and there were contamination issues that had to be resolved by professionals.  The new homeowners will, however, be expected to paint the walls inside.

             Status of Green River School—Susan Worgaftik

                  We still don’t know a lot yet.  Susan sent an information request to the superintendent recently, but has not heard anything back.

              Hope Street—Nikki Garrett and Anna Oltman

                   Precincts 5 and 7 are planning an Earth Day clean-up on April 21st.  The temporary Fire Station is expected to move to its new quarters by the end of May. There is now a study being done to establish the boundaries of the site.  And a grant application has been submitted for the study of the lot.  It is expected the study will take 2-6 months and it is concentrating on housing feasibility.

              Winter 2024-2025 Shelter Planning—Anna Oltman

                        The next meeting of the winter 2024-2025 shelter planning group will take place in late April or early May.  A draft policy regarding emergency shelter is now being drawn up and will be presented to providers, advocates and those with lived experience at that meeting for review and comment.

                 Housing Inspection and Registration Committee—Susan Worgaftik

                        Susan met with Mayor Desorgher on April 8th to discuss the idea that had been developed by the committee.  The following proposal was given to the Mayor:

            There needs to be one department (perhaps Health?) that coordinates the baseline information (units and addresses) and then, going forward, there would be a routing system to all concerned departments from any department that has an incident or a change to report. That key department would be the repository of all reports of housing inspection needs, proven violations, resolutions, and any court findings.  Because of the complexity of the data analysis task, we would not try to do this with historical information.  This procedure would begin when there is department agreement and the assignment of an individual in each relevant department to provide information to the key department.

            Should another department, let’s say the Assessor’s Office, want information about the number and condition of apartments at a given site, the Assessor’s Office would contact the coordinating office in the key department for the information on file.

The Mayor agreed that this is an interesting approach and will explore its potential.  Susan will check back with Mayor Desorgher in May.

               156-186 Main Street—Alyssa Larose

                        Rural Development Inc. is working with property owner, Tim Grader to establish whether it would be possible to build affordable housing on this property by building additional apartments above the storefronts presently there.  Historically, those buildings had additional stores.  The Community Preservation Committee is supporting that some of their funds should go to this feasibility study.  The study would include establishing how many units would be included in this project.  This project is part of the Complete Neighborhoods designation that the city received through Massachusetts Housing Partnership and should the project go forward, there may be funding for it through the Complete Neighborhoods program.

Discussions

            Greenfield Housing Study—Anna Oltman

                        The city has contracted with Community Scale LLC to do a housing study of Greenfield.  Jeff Sauser is head of the company and lives here so that additional local knowledge should assist with the project.  It is expected that the study will take 6-7 months.  It will include stakeholder interviews and there will be community meetings to discuss the gaps in housing.  This will result in a housing plan which also will be reviewed at a community meeting.  The study will focus on all kinds of housing needs with a particular emphasis on middle income housing (80-120% of Area Median Income).

     Recognition of Shelter and Outreach Workers—Susan Worgaftik, Louise Amyot

           Susan and Louise contacted the Garden Theater, Ice Cream Alley and Shelburne Coffee Roasters to ask if they would be willing to work with us to provide some gift certificates at a discount for the 32 shelter and outreach workers here in Greenfield. The Garden Theater offered us 64 passes at $5 each, Ice Cream Alley offered us 20% off on gift certificates for ice cream, and Shelburne Coffee Roasters offered us gift certificates without a discount.  Susan said that there are still funds from the forum that we could use for this purpose and they total just under $500.  Considering that the Garden Cinema passes will cost $320 and the $10 gift certificates from Ice Cream Alley will cost $256, we were just a little bit short on funds.  Susan said that she would donate the money that is not available through the forum fund.  Edie, Dorothy and Louise volunteered to write the thank you notes that will accompany the passes and gift certificates.  The notes and certificates will go to Erin, Keleigh and to Wildflower Alliance at the end of April.

            Mary asked if there would be a press release around these gifts.  Erin thought that might be okay.  Susan asked Erin and Keleigh to think about it to make sure that that such a release would be okay among the workers.  We do not want them to think that this is a publicity effort designed to make us look good and make them feel somewhat embarrassed.  Erin said that she would discuss this with Keleigh and others at ServiceNet to let us know.  If we do want to do a press release, Mary said she would be happy to help to write it.

            Short Term Rental—Andrea Donlon, Buckland Planning Board

                        Andrea presented the ideas and thinking that the Buckland Planning Board has done around the question of short-term rentals like Airbnb.  The slides can be found in the recording of our meeting April 8th Housing Greenfield Meeting.

Buckland will be voting on this question at their next Town Meeting.  Andrea will let us know what happened.  The Planning Board did a great deal of work on this and that may prove beneficial for other towns and Greenfield.

Reports

                Wells Street—Susan Worgaftik

                     Keleigh was unable to attend our meeting tonight due to last minute issues that came up.

             Family Shelter at the Family Inn and the Days Inn—Erin Forbush

                        Erin stated that there are still 45 families at the Days Inn.  2 are scheduled to move in the next month.  Erin said that she is seeking landlords who would be interested in housing residents of the shelters.  There are some financial incentives that go with housing the migrants in the Days Inn.  If folks know of landlords who might be interested, please let Erin know.

                        With the warmer weather,  ServiceNet is seeking to create an outdoor space for folks living in the Days Inn.  They have also been developing programs with the library and the schools.

Announcements

            The Coop is doing a follow-up event to the housing affordability forum.  This will involve Rosa Tobin, who made a presentation at our last meeting.  It will concentrate on tenants rights and supports.  It will be called Housing 101 and will take place on May 8th at 6:30-7:30 pm via zoom.  More information to come.

             Rural Development Inc is working with the town of Erving to develop senior and multi-generational housing.  There will be a discussion about the project at the Erving Senior Center on April 30th at 6:30 pm

Life Sustains the Planet

Written on . Posted in Additional Info.

A beautiful documentary film offering fascinating insights into the role of water and plants in nurturing and
balancing our climate and life on earth.  Learn new pathways to restore biodiversity and our climate.

Working with Nature to Restore our Climate is the theme of Greening Greenfield’s spring series of free in-person events. The second event, Life Sustains the Planet, will be held Monday, April 1, 6:30-8pm, at the Second Congregational Church on Court Square in Greenfield.

“In this series, we will look into some novel ways of thinking that can help restore biodiversity and mitigate climate change,” says Dorothea Sotiros, avid gardener and Greening Greenfield member.

“I am particularly interested in the powerful role that water, plants and soil play in building climate resilience at home and beyond.”

The April 1st event follows Water Cools the Planet, the first part of Regenerating Life, a beautiful documentary. This film offers fascinating insights into the role of water and plants, especially trees, in nurturing and balancing our climate.

John Feldman, writer, editor, and narrator shares his quest for a deeper understanding of what regulates the temperature of our planet, beyond carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.  He introduces us to scientists who are exploring many aspects of our Earth who share their insights.

The final event of the series will be held on Earth Day, April 22. Rachel Lindsay, Ecologist, Gardener and Lead Designer at Regenerative Design Group, will introduce us to Soil-Smart Planning and how we can protect soil health and increase climate reliance in our gardening efforts.

For more information about Greening Greenfield and how to support our programs such as Housing Greenfield, and the planting of native habitat in Greenfield, please visit our newly designed website at  www.GreeningGreenfieldMA.org.

New Comments to FERC on Connecticut River Relicensing

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Through April 22, 2024, many people are commenting to the FERC on the overall FirstLight application.  This is a sampling of some of those recent comments, generally from individuals rather than organizations.  More detailed comments will often have their own post.

 

CT River Hydro Relicensing – June ’22 Delegation notes

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The following are notes as of a 6/9/22 meeting that members of the legislative delegation had with EEA and DEP.

  1. Updates from EEA/DEP since last call, especially focused on timing

    1. Timing still appears to be August for the Ready for Environmental Assessment**. EEA/DEP has not heard anything further from FERC that would indicate them moving forward any faster. DEP is lining up what they need, assuming the process will start around then.

    2. There are still negotiations going on re: comprehensive assessment. Those negotiations seem to be productive.

  2. MEPA Involvements

    1. MEPA Director Tori Kim is reviewing the previous determination and looking at whether a MEPA filing will be needed. Director Kim was actively looking at it when they spoke earlier in the week. DEP’s impression is that Director Kim would like to have a decision well before the August clock starts.

  3. DEP public-facing website on the relicensing

    1. DEP has developed a website with information both about the process and with links to FirstLight’s website for easy access to the information they are required to post. They added a mailing list feature so constituents can elect to receive email updates from DEP on the process. They plan for the website to be live in the next couple of weeks.

  4. Public meetings

    1. DEP is contracting with the UMass Donahue Institute to hold public meetings. Donahue will help with the public outreach and with an economic analysis.

    2. There will be four public meetings

      1. An introductory meeting, mainly a presentation of what’s in the application and about the process

      2. A listening session coinciding with the public comment period

      3. A presentation as DEP has processed the application to report back on what their direction is with the 401 WQC

      4. As they’re finalizing it, letting people know what’s in it and why

    3. It’s important that people submit comments during the formal public comment period because this establishes their rights to appeal, even though they’ll continue to have dialogue after that period.

** FERC issues the “Ready for Environmental Assessment (REA)” at which point, FirstLight will submit their application for a 401 Water Quality Certificate (WQC) to DEP, which will then start the one-year clock for DEP to issue the 401 WQC.

Water Cools the Planet

Written on . Posted in Additional Info.

Working with Nature to Restore our Climate is the theme of Greening Greenfield’s spring series of free in-person events. The first event, Water Cools the Planet, will be held Monday, March 25, 6:30-8pm, at the Second Congregational Church on Court Square in Greenfield.

“In this series, we will look into some novel ways of thinking that can help restore biodiversity and mitigate climate change,” says Dorothea Sotiros, avid gardener and Greening Greenfield member.

“I am particularly interested in the powerful role that water, plants and soil play in building climate resilience at home and beyond.”

The March 25 event will be kicked off by watching Water Cools the Planet, the first part of Regenerating Life, a beautiful documentary. This film offers fascinating insights into the role of water and plants, especially trees, in nurturing and balancing our climate.

John Feldman, writer, editor, and narrator shares his quest for a deeper understanding of what regulates the temperature of our planet, beyond carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.  He introduces us to scientists who are exploring many aspects of our Earth who share their insights.

A 30-minute discussion, facilitated by Mary Westervelt, educator, with a Master’s in Environmental Studies, will follow the showing of the film.

 Water Cools the Planet will be followed by a viewing and discussion of Life Sustains the Climate, the second segment of Regenerating Life, on April 1.

The final event of the series will be held on Earth Day, April 22. Rachel Lindsay, Ecologist, Gardener and Lead Designer at Regenerative Design Group, will introduce us to Soil-Smart Planning and how we can protect soil health and increase climate reliance in our gardening efforts.

For more information about Greening Greenfield and how to support our programs such as Housing Greenfield, and the planting of native habitat in Greenfield, please visit www.GreeningGreenfieldMA.org.