Nature as Inspiration: A Virtual Film Festival
Our
annual collaboration with the MV Film Society returns this May as an
online "virtual" festival, featuring six documentaries available to
stream from home. Beginning in 2015 with the films of Jacques Perrin,
over the past 5 years the Nature as Inspiration festival has
shared with the Island community dozens of thought-provoking films on
humanity's relationship with the natural world.
See the full schedule and purchase your all-access pass at the MV Film Center. Then, join your friends and beat back the shut-in shutdown blues with a little Nature as Inspiration!
Photo: Based on an essay by Jonathan Franzen, Emptying the Skies tells the story of European songbird poachers, and the measures activists take to stop them.
Calling All Young Artists!
Art of Conservation contest now open to middle school students
The
Art of Conservation, our annual art competition for Island high school
students, has already seen two big changes this year: the inclusion of
creative writing, and, by necessity, that every part of the process will
be done online. Now, in an effort to bring more of our Island's
talented young artists into the fold, we are opening up the contest to
7th and 8th graders. Our goal for the Art of Conservation has always
been to provide a catalyst that would lead kids outside to explore,
study, and take refuge in our Island's natural places. This purpose is
particularly relevant this year, with students separated from their
classmates and teachers; there has truly never been a better time to
look to nature for "Solace & Insight."
The deadline for submissions is drawing near (May 22), so check out this year's theme and rules, then get started for your chance at one of the (up to five) $100 first prizes!
Meetinghouse Way Subdivision Returns
It's
baaaaaaack! Undeterred by a pandemic that has crippled the global
economy (and called into question the immediate need for more
speculative real estate in general, and luxury rentals in particular),
the developers behind "Meetinghouse Place" have returned to the MV
Commission with yet another redesign of their proposed subdivision on 54
acres near the Edgartown Great Pond. The MVC's process for evaluation
of the new proposal (now named DRI 682B) begins with a meeting of the Land Use Planning Committee on Monday, held remotely via Zoom (link)
at 5:30. Public testimony will not be accepted for this meeting; public
hearings will be held at a later date if the project proceeds.
We have not had a chance to thoroughly review the new submission, but it
appears that the largest concession this time around is to increase the
number of deed-restricted townhouses from 10 to 14, in a further effort
to mitigate the project's impact on housing affordability. The general
concept for a suburban-style subdivision remains largely intact, so for
now we direct readers to our previous story on the proposal, and a related piece on what this development says about the history and future of zoning for affordability.
New Recycling Signage at Transfer Stations
 The
next time you venture out to the local transfer station, keep an eye
out for a new set of signs intended to shed more clarity on the often
confusing rules and standards for recycling. The new signage was
developed as part of a collaborative effort among VCS, the MV Refuse
District, Bruno's, and the six towns. Look for coverage in the local
newspapers in coming weeks, and thank you for doing your part to help
clean up our recycling stream!
The Food Waste Challenge
 As
an Island, we are on the forefront of climate change impacts, yet it is
easy to feel hopeless as we wait for governments and markets to do
anything about it. Is there anything we as individuals can really do to
mitigate climate change?
Yes! Food that has been grown, transported, processed, packaged,
shipped, and sold - but then discarded, rather than eaten - represents
almost 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In fact,
if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter
behind China and the US. The largest single source of this wasted food
(43%) occurs in homes - not the agricultural or manufacturing sectors -
and that was before Covid-19.
Knowing that a greater proportion of waste than ever is now occurring in
homes, the Food Waste Initiative has put together a six-week Food Waste
Challenge in hopes of learning more about the numbers, and in the
process, changing some behaviors for the better. The first two weeks
consist of collecting baseline data, and the last four weeks test
different approaches to solving the problem. Read more here, then sign up and get started!
Thanks
to Eunice Yeomans, manager of the Food Waste Initiative, for this
contribution. VCS sits on a diverse committee of stakeholders guiding
the Island-wide Food Waste Project, which seeks to develop solutions to
reduce and better manage food waste. Island Grown Initiative is leading
the implementation of the project through their Food Waste Initiative.
L O S T C O U N T R Y
Walking, I begin to notice
how the grass survives
between the houses,
how old the trees are.
The shape of the earth appears.
The hill still slopes down to the lake
despite the houses, poles, wires, roads.
I see how it was
after the glacier melted,
how the stones settled down.
One good look
and all our work is gone.
Once I found a deserted street
buried in the woods,
broken by roots.
Virginia creeper and wild onion
pushed out from the cracks.
Branches met down the middle
of “Capitol Avenue.”
It was good to see.
If we leave our footsteps
they don’t have a chance.
-Warren Woessner
Warren
is a poet, birder, patent lawyer, chemist, and part-time resident of
Edgartown who serves on the VCS Board of Directors. His most recent
collection is Exit ~ Sky.
On Monday, a visit from a pair of Rose breasted grosbeaks. Photo by Brendan O'Neill
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