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Delaware River Basin Commissioners vote on fracking – November 21, 2011

admin — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:52:25 +0000

Delaware River Basin

The DRBC has scheduled a special meeting on Nov 21, 2011 to consider adoption of the regulations. This meeting, open to the public, will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, in Trenton, N.J.

The purpose of the proposed regulations is to protect the water resources of the Delaware River Basin during the development and operation of natural gas projects. The commission received approximately 69,000 submissions on the draft natural gas development regulations that were originally published on December 9, 2010.

The DRBC is a federal/interstate government agency responsible for managing the water resources within the 13,539 square-mile Delaware River Basin. The five commission members are the governors of the basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) and the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ North Atlantic Division, who represents the federal government.

On November 21st the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) will vote to approve a plan that will allow for 20,000 or more fracked gas wells in the Delaware River Basin.

Below is an excerpt from http://savethedelaware.wordpress.com/.

THE CRUCIAL VOTE:

The DRBC is an interstate body with five voting members, the Governors of New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey and the Obama Administration as represented by the Army Corps of Engineers. Three out of five votes will either pass or reject the plan to frack the Delaware River.

It seems clear that the Governors of New Jersey and Pennsylvania will vote to allow fracking on a huge scale in the River Basin, which is why we need all three remaining votes in order to prevail.

Not only is the Delaware River the source of drinking water for 16 million people (or 5% of Americans), it is a designated Wild and Scenic river, a tourist destination for 5.4 million people a year and a national treasure. The proposed plan to frack the Delaware would forever industrialize and contaminate this precious and currently pristine watershed. We can work together now to protect our water.

Two things you can do:

1) Make calls. 2) Come in a protest effort on November 21st.

MAKE CALLS RIGHT NOW:

Call the Army Corps of Engineers to urge them to vote no fracking in the Delaware River Basin. Tell them you will hold President Obama accountable for the vote and make it clear that you know that it is his decision. 703 697 4672 Leave a message for Jo Ellen Darcy, Obama’s rep on the DRBC

Call Governor Jack Markell of Delaware. Delaware has been sitting on the fence on fracking. We need them clearly and unequivocally voting no. Tell him to vote no fracking on the upcoming DRBC vote. 302-577-3210

Call Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York. Tell him to oppose fracking in the Delaware River Basin watershed, just as he has in the New York city and Syracuse watersheds. 518-474-8390

PROTEST on NOVEMBER 21st in Trenton, N.J.

When: November 21, 8 am

Where: Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive Trenton, N.J.

For more information go to savethedelawareriver.com or visit delawareriverkeeper.org

October 24, 2011 – Food Day

admin — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:05:24 +0000

Click here to learn more about Food Day

HaPpY eArTh DaY!!!!!!

admin — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 18:59:18 +0000

Enjoy your weekend and celebrate this bountiful and giving planet that sustains us! Take a walk. Ride your bike. Plant a native tree. Plant a garden. Recycle.Take a resuable bag shopping at a locally owned store or market. Have fun, celebrate life while being mindful of your impact and contribution to this earth.

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” John Muir

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 23:08:49 +0000

Local Communities Commit to Green

The Delaware Valley has a lot to be proud of with many local municipalities making changes towards sustainable energy solutions.

Abington Township is planning an energy audit. The PA Department of Energy awarded $36 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support energy efficiency and conservation projects in Pennsylvania communities. Abington Township is slotted to receive over $500,000 which they plan to use for an extensive energy audit to determine the most imp active sustainable improvements. Abington already does a great job with its strong recycling and compost programs that divert 57% of township waste from landfills.

Cheltenham Township also received some of the federal grant money in which they plan to invest in efficient mechanical and lighting systems at the municipal buildings. Cheltenham is considering a Transition Town designation also.

Delaware County was awarded nearly $3.7 million to complete several projects that will improve energy efficiency and expand renewable energy use in the county. Among its projects, the county plans to install a photovoltaic solar power generation system at the Government Center Complex in Media, PA. This system will decrease the burden on the local utility and is intended to be a model project, spurring regional interest in alternative energy. Once implemented, it will be the largest public solar energy project in the area. Recovery Act funding will also be used to establish a grant program for municipalities within Delaware County that have requested assistance for energy efficiency projects.

Media became the first Transition Town (TT) in Pennsylvania. In Media, a Transition Towns designation means that scores of conscientious citizens who live in and around the borough have committed themselves to trying to meet more of their needs locally so that they use fewer resources, especially oil and other carboniferous sources of energy. Besides its active and influential Environmental Advisory Council, the borough was cited by the Sustainable Development Fund for committing to buy at least 20 percent of its energy from clean and alternative sources by this year and encouraging at least 7 percent of residents to do the same. Several other communities in the region are considering TT status. To learn more about the Transition Town program, visit http://transitionus.org/

There are many local groups in the Delaware Valley working to create more sustainable communities. Does your municipality have an Environmental Advisory Council? Act 177 of 1996 authorized municipalities to establish these councils which are comprised of a group of residents appointed by local elected officials that advise on protection and conservation. For more information on EAC’s visit http://eacnetwork.wordpress.com/.

If your local does not have an EAC, perhaps there is another group working to promote sustainability in your area. Groups like Wissahickon Growing Greener in the Whitpain/Blue Bell area, Sustainable Springfield, GreenPV (Perkiomen Valley) organized in the Collegeville/Limerick/Schwenksville area, Penn Wynne Green on the Main Line all provide great local resources to help citizens create greener communities.

There are also organizations for businesses like the Sustainable Business Network of Philadelphia.

Congratulations to the Delaware Valley for making energy efficiency and sustainability a priority. If I missed any group, please comment to let everyone know of them.

Earth Day Events

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:22:36 +0000

April 22, 2010 marks the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day. Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day, was a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin. He proposed the first national environmental protest in 1970 “to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda.” On April 22, 1970 twenty million Americans took to the streets, parks and halls to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment.

Whether you are a fervent protester, committed recycler or unsure where to begin, the fact is keeping our communities and this planet clean by living sustainably is vital to our health and well being today and for future generations. While Earth Day made this issue a national political agenda item, the need for clean water, healthy air and soil is not partisan…it’s human.

Get out and enjoy spring. There a many activities to celebrate Earth Day beginning this weekend. To find events near you, visit Earthday.net

Feel free to post back and let us know what you did to celebrate. We love to hear from you.

Sustainability Office Created by HUD

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:45:13 +0000

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has created an office of sustainable housing that will work on improving energy-efficient homes and financing for those homes. The new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities will also work with city, county and rural governments to locate housing near jobs, schools and transportation. To promote sustainability, OSHC will use a $50 million fund to invest in energy-efficient homes and buildings in order to “lay the groundwork for the clean energy economy,” HUD said. As part of that effort, the office wants to improve on HUD’s energy efficient mortgage products and other energy retro financing options. Shelly Poticha is the director of OSHC. “Through our new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, we will begin to tie the quality and location of housing to broader opportunities such as access to good jobs, quality schools and safe streets,” said HUD secretary Shaun Donovan.

Tis’ Shopping Season

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:52:33 +0000

Have you heard of The 3/50 Project? Founded by Cinda Baxter in the spring of 2009, The 3/50 Project began as a blog article response to the bleak economic news being hurled at all of us by the media. The challenge Cinda proposes is that we consumers shop at three local businesses and spend $50 per month at these establishments. The challenge is not suggesting that we add an additional $50 of spending to our monthly budget but rather that we tweak our current spending habits by buying local.

Why should we do this? By supporting local businesses we grow and strengthen our local economy. These local shops pay property tax, provide jobs, and pay sales tax. Sure big chain stores and franchises pay taxes and may hire local folks but the bulk of the money you spend in that store leaves your town and ends up far away. According to The 3/50 Project site, “For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home.”

We are all busy and shopping online can seem like a convenience but there are tradeoffs to every shortcut. The obvious tradeoff is that you can’t see or touch the product you are buying and you must wait for it to arrive. If the product arrives damaged, it is extra time and a maybe a trip to the post office to wait even longer for your gift to arrive again.

Our budgets may be a bit tighter this year and online shopping it not always the best bargain when you factor in the shipping costs. And then there is some potential risk with scams and credit card theft, but let’s not even go there.

Think sustainable shopping this season. Sustain your local, independent business owners with the holiday gift of shopping in their stores. If you combine local shopping with the following ideas you will have “greened” up your holiday shopping.

Save fuel by grabbing your friends, neighbors or family and piling into 1 car and heading to a town center where there are plenty of shops to choose.
Bring your own bags…this should be rote by now.
Avoid items that are disposable and have excessive packaging.
Try giving an experience like museum, or special events tickets.
Look at Freecycle for great kids gifts. www.freecycle.org

Happy holiday preparation! Remember, if you’re stressed, you have missed the point. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy each other. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to others. Be grateful.

For more information on The 3/50 Project go to http://www.the350project.net

Green Cleaning Solutions

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:17:56 +0000

Use these recipes to create nontoxic, green cleaning products that will save you big money. Here are just a few of the dangerous chemicals to avoid found in most household cleaning products: AlchoholNaphthalene, AmmoniaPDCBs, Bleach, Butyl, DyePhenol, FormaldehyclePropellants, CresolPetroleum distillates.

Disinfectant Cleaner
1/2 cup borax
1 gallon undiluted white vinegar
This combines the disinfectant properties of borax with the strong cleaning and deodorizing properties of vinegar. The vinegar smell quickly dissipates and leaves your home with no odor.

Glass Cleaner – No Streaks
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 quart warm water
TIP: Use a microfiber cloth or crumpled newspaper instead of paper towels for lint free results. Don’t forget to recycle to newspaper

Toiler Bowl Cleaner
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of baking soda into the bowl, then pour about 1/4 cup of vinegar, scrub with toilet brush

Tub & Tile Cleaner
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 gallon water
Vinegar removes most dirt and does not leave a film

Helpful Hints
Save time by making the cleaners in advance and storing them in reusable spray bottles. Remember to label the bottle! You can use a piece of painters tape and a permanent marker. Add your favorite essential oils to any of the formulas for fragrance.