Support Vineyard Conservation
Visit our Website
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram!
@vineyardconservation
Quote of the Week
“Weather, and especially extreme weather, is how most people
will experience climate change . . . So how we talk about that is really
important.”
—Susan Joy Hassol, Director, Climate Communication, as quoted in a recent story by Brad Plumer
for the NY Times. It is a perilous path to tread — but also an
unparalleled opportunity for public outreach — for the climate
scientists who dare to draw connections between specific weather events and climate change.
B.Y.O. Spotlight
This
space highlights programs and promotions that help encourage and reward
the B.Y.O. spirit. Let us know if you see something cool while you're
out, and you may see it featured here.
First, Do No Harm
In the US, the health care sector produces a lot of solid waste,
which is an issue in its own right, but also a major contributor to the
nation's greenhouse gas emissions. This is in no small part due to the
enormous amount of waste generated by hospitals — consider all of the
necessary waste involved in maintaining perfectly sanitary conditions in
operating rooms.
That's why we want to call special attention to the MV Hospital's efforts to reduce an important source of unnecessary
waste — the food service items provided at their cafeteria, where
hundreds of meals are served daily. Since late 2016, they has been
encouraging reusables with an exchange program for containers, while
adding a 15 cent charge for compostable takeout containers. Check out this notice posted in the cafe. Thanks for doing your part, MVH!
For more sustainability ideas and local B.Y.O. sightings, please follow us on Instagram @vineyardconservation
Conservation Calendar
Save Money, Save Energy
Monday, March 11, 4:00 — 5:00 pm, Vineyard Haven.
A presentation by Cape Light Compact will reveal the many
opportunities available to cut your energy bills while helping fight
climate change. Rebates and other financial incentives for home
improvements and heating, home energy assessments, energy supply
options, and more. Hosted by the Vineyard Haven Library, for more info see website.
Panel Discussion: Recycling Demystified
Sunday, March 17, 3:30 pm, West Tisbury
A crucial Island issue: see story at right.
Garden Club Meeting
Tuesday, March 19, 1:00 pm, Wakeman Center.
The next meeting of the MV Garden Club will feature a presentation by Ian Jochems of Polly Hill, Pruning: The Shape of Things to Come. At the Wakeman Center (Helen Ave. off Lambert's Cove Road, see directions here). The meeting is open to the public, but there is a $10 fee for non-members.
Climate Cafe: Extreme Weather
Sunday, March 24, 2:00 pm, Vineyard Haven.
This winter and spring, Mass Audubon/Felix Neck, the MV Regional High
School, and the Charter School are getting together to host a series of
"Climate Cafes" at various Island businesses. The idea is to provide a
fun forum for coffee and conversation about climate change and
climate-related issues. Next up on the agenda is Extreme Weather. As the
story featured in our Quote of the Week above discusses: We know
climate change is making extreme weather events more common, but is it
possible to attribute a specific storm to climate change? At Mocha
Mott's, Main St. Vineyard Haven. For more info, contact Josie at Felix Neck. |
Next Winter Walk: Natural Inspiration at Featherstone
Our December 2017 hike set out from the Featherstone campus for a watery
adventure: stream crossings, muddy slopes, a dam with fish ladders, and
even a visit to the Oak Bluffs Water Works. This year's route will be
completely different, and keep to dry land (though the same can't be
said for the sky -- bring a raincoat!) View the rest of the photos here.
 Join
VCS and Featherstone Center for the Arts for a collaborative winter
walk and nature-inspired creative expression. We have planned out two
walks on the surrounding trails: a shorter option for those who would
like to participate in a nature-based art project with Featherstone's
Coral Shockey, and a longer loop for those who would rather stick to
walking.
This all-ag es event will be from 10 am to noon, and as always, cookies and cider afterward!
Featherstone
Center for the Arts was founded in 1980 to develop community through
the arts. Their 6.5-acre facility is adjacent to more than 200 acres of
Land Bank holdings at the Southern Woodlands (conserved in 2004), one of
the last large undeveloped pieces of land in Oak Bluffs. Protection of the Southern Woodlands was a protracted effort, an interesting and dramatic conservation success story.
Recycling Demystified: Your Questions Answered
Caps on or caps off? Such questions are
becoming more common as communities attempt to adapt to worsening
conditions in the international recycling market (largely driven by China's "National Sword" policy), leading to changes in the established recycling routine. (BTW, the local answer is "caps on.")
On
March 17th at 3:30 the West Tisbury Library will host officials from
the state Dept. of Environmental Protection, as well as representatives
from VCS and our local waste managers, for a presentation on how our
recycling system really works — and how it could work better. In light
of recent local changes, and the upheaval in the global recycling
market, we know that much of the public is confused about what is or is
not recyclable (and where, and how, to do it).
If
you are able to attend, please come with questions or even examples of
items you've been wondering about. And if you can't make it, please send us your questions by March 14. We have our own list of inquiries for the gathered experts, and would be happy to add yours.
VCS
is co-sponsoring this panel presentation with the Green Team of the
First Congregational Church of West Tisbury and the West Tisbury
Library. Please help us get the word out by printing and posting the flyer, and/or helping to circulate it on social media. Thanks!
Student Group Bringing Plastic Bottle Ban to Town Meeting in Aquinnah, Chilmark, and West Tisbury
Consistent with the objectives of the VCS "Take Back the Tap"
initiative, a student group at the West Tisbury School has taken an
ambitious step toward reducing the waste associated with single-use
plastic bottles. The fifth and sixth graders, led by teacher/advisor
Annemarie Ralph, have drafted and placed on the Town Meeting warrants in
all three up-Island towns a bylaw that would ban the sale of plastic
bottles one liter or smaller (see draft bylaw text). Four towns in Massachusetts have already banned single-use water bottles (Concord was first,
followed by Sudbury, Lincoln, and Great Barrington). However, our bold
students are aiming even higher: their measure would be the first in the
nation to also ban single-serving plastic bottles of soda.
The students have been holding Q&A forums, laying out the plastic
pollution issues and explaining the details of their bylaw. If you'd
like to learn more, or just come out and support these brave kids, the
next info session will be this Monday, March 11 at 5:00 pm at the West
Tisbury Library.
In other "Take Back the Tap" news, we were very happy to see today's entry to the Point B Realty blog by longtime supporter Guinevere Cramer, who is helping spread the message — and calling attention to the "MV Tap Map," where you can always locate your nearest free water bottle refill station. Thanks, Guinevere!
 |
