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Save the Date
Dine to Donate at Offshore Ale
Thursday, March 23
Gather
with friends and family at Offshore Ale and help support the local land
protection and environmental advocacy work of VCS -- all while enjoying
some good food and brews!
The benefit is all day (lunch from 11:30 to 4:00 and dinner from 5:00 to 8:30), but you must bring your own copy of the "Dine-to-Donate" ticket
to show to your server. You can either print it yourself or show it on
your phone, but Offshore's rules prohibit us from passing them out at
the event. The alehouse is located just off Circuit Ave. in Oak Bluffs.
For more info, email VCS.
Conservation Calendar
Grazing & Conservation
A food and open space conversation
photo: Flat Point Farm, Nov. 2016
Monday, March 13, 6:30 - 9:00 pm, West Tisbury.
A public event featuring a series of short
talks and discussions led by experts in agriculture and conservation on
topics including grazing, local food production, and open space
conservation on the Vineyard and beyond. Free, at the Ag Hall in West
Tisbury, for more info see poster.
Winter Tree Identification
Saturday, March 18, 9:00 - noon, West Tisbury.
Fewer
than three dozen types of trees are native to Martha’s Vineyard. Can
you identify all of them . . . in winter? Would you like to be able to?
If so, join PHA horticulturist/arborist Ian Jochems for an introductory
class to learn the basics of ID'ing the regularly encountered trees on
the island. This class will involve an indoor component as well as an
outdoor component during which students will put their new knowledge and
skills to use, so please dress for the weather. At the Polly Hill
Arboretum, $30 ($25 for PHA members); space is limited, so please call (508) 693-9426 to register.
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Local News
This Sunday: Family Fun & Nature Exploration at Featherstone
Silas
Abrams and his creation at Sense of Wonder in Vineyard Haven, site of
our final Winter Walk in 2014. (More photos from previous kids' walks
in 2013 and 2014)
For
our final Winter Walk of the season, this Sunday (March 12) VCS is
collaborating with Featherstone Center for the Arts for a special
family-friendly event. Children of all ages are invited to gather “found
objects” while we take a short hike around the nearby conservation
land. Afterward, back at the Children's Art Studio, warm up by the fire
with hot chocolate and cookies while Featherstone's own Miss Lani guides
kids in the creation of mirrored hand-cut mosaics made from their own
natural treasures.
The walk will set out from the Featherstone parking area at 1:00. Space is limited, so please pre-register via email.
VCS
has been sponsoring free guided walks for thirty years; they are
traditionally from 1:00 to 3:00 pm on the second Sunday of the month
from November through March.
Other News
Bigger! Better! Faster!
The Uphill Battle Against Waste
"Prices for things we want have been
deflating, while the cost of things we need have been going up. Mobile
phones, computers and flat-panel TV are better and dollar-for-dollar
cheaper than ever. The same is true for cars . . . But those are mostly
wants. When it comes to needs it’s a different story. Housing, even
after the 2008-09 crack up, is expensive. Rentals have gone straight up
as home ownership has fallen. The costs of education have skyrocketed,
and show no signs of slowing. Medical and health-insurance costs are
among the fastest-rising of all consumer expenses."
As we try to reduce waste, both of materials and energy, we often decry
the high-consumption culture that makes it such an uphill battle. But
what the above quote from financial analyst and writer Barry Ritholtz
reveals is that while humanity’s collective consumerism is a prime
driver of nearly every environmental problem, for too many of us, the
modern global economy has made it rather sensible on an individual
level. Filling a thousand wants for the price of one need seems like a
bargain too good to pass up. (Interestingly, Ritholtz’ column
is not on the environment at all, but rather a look at how the middle
class can feel threatened despite enjoying greater creature comforts
than the royalty of yesteryear.)
Recognizing that particular economic (and psychological) challenge, we
would urge that the well-worn slogan “Reduce-Reuse-Recycle” is as
relevant and important as ever – as long as we remember that those words
come in that order for a good reason. No more cheery green circles, egalitarian as they may be. The thought process needs to be:
1. Reduce
2. Reuse
3. Recycle
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