Climate Crisis Task Force Meeting 1/15/17

In Attendance:  John Rioux, Tom Sullivan, Ferd Wulken, Judith Lori, Sandra Boston, Nancy Hazard, Don Walker, Mike and Penny Novak, Hattie Nestle, Bob Armstrong, Pixie Holbrook (recorder)

  • Reviewed Past Minutes
  • Review Proposals:
  • -format template for proposals;
  • -six at this time, plus possibly Kate O’Connor’s ideas for Healing Meals;
  • -5 minutes each, have a timekeeper

Proposal #1:  Hattie

DAPL work, boycott banks that are investing in DAPL, $3.8 billion project, TD Bank is 3rd largest investor, three major companies are divesting, vigils Tuesdays and Saturdays at noon, has signs and handouts, her weekly TV program on AOTV, 15 minute show. Also plastic reusable bags, banning plastics in Athol/Orange.

Her proposal would be to have this group join these two days or endorse it. It will go on whether CPR joins or not.

Proposal #2:  Don

Solarizing FRTA buses to reduce pollution and to get seniors more independent;

We can assist in getting those vehicles, promote ridership and more frequent bus  routes, to the point of supplying own solar panels to power these buses;

Establish things locally rather than from far away;

Research: Can you run a bus continuously?  Has FRTA considered this yet?

Are there other citizen groups working on bus scheduling?

Can we consider encouraging school buses to go electric?

Proposal #3:  Ferd

State pension fund to divest from fossil fuels, has been started by others, we would be publicly listed as an endorser, sign on-line petition as retiree, teacher, etc.

Don’t have to create the wheel, much in place already;

Ferd can get info to us via our email;

A smaller project, an easy additional proposal.

Proposal #4:  Josh

Josh would do this work, political research to learn about what the EPA plans to do or not do, then how we might respond to that, wasn’t expecting us to do the work, Doug White will have meeting here tomorrow at 1:00 regarding the EPA nomination, Tom will tell Josh.

Proposal #5:  Bob

Write up a set of things that towns can work on, grant funding is available, to conserve energy, build solar projects, encourage insulation, new storm windows, we represent many towns, could present this to CPR as a whole, develop worksheets for use by towns, Nancy said there a group who has done this.  Bob provided a sheet that Conway is involved in, the kind of support the state gives, available to people with low-income as well as towns

Proposal #6: Nancy

-“Mass Power Forward,” coalition of 150 organizations in MA, we can be a member also, too confusing to talk with legislators, last for 2 years for the legislative session, “100% Renewable Campaign,” gives simple checklists to those who have not been involved before, and to be active in their community, take checklists and sit with those in the community (government) and learn about your community, count the checks you made equates to your status as a green community, accordingly you click on a place that gives three suggestions of what you could do next, then communicate back to them, they will then hold webinars specific to those needs, goal is a group in every town that legislators can go to for them to access, eastern part of state has many powerful legislators

-creating a framework for state bills being considered, has checklist, three bins to place the bill into:  1) using market forces, public and private money; 2) removing barriers to changes; 3) eliminating methane emissions

-our involvement will be to hold informational meetings to encourage the use of the “100% Renewable Campaign” checklists

-February 3rd last day for state legislator to become co-sponsors of bills, Park Mark is helping supply those bill numbers

-Greenfield gets 100% green energy, depends on responses to the bid, got hydropower in ME and wind in MA, next bid is wind in TX and their own landfill solar arrays, can get green or dark green energy

DISCUSSION:

-can we do all of these? It’s a good start.

-FCCPR@fcccr.net

-Hattie will supply list of facts to post on our website and Facebook page, can help distribute outside of this area for more distribution beyond Franklin County

-Don can research on his proposal and get back to us

-Josh can work on his own

-Don another one: in Stockholm, combined park system and power company, gathered all landscape waste, making “bio-char”

-Town Energy Committees, does each town have one? Franklin County Energy Committee Coalition (FRCOG)

OTHER TOPICS:

-Google group to share our information,  groups.google.com

-What we should say at the Quarterly Meeting?

-report what the task force is doing (Bob and Ferd)

-how the quarterly meetings work

NEXT STEPS:

-organize towns for “Mass Power Forward” informational meeting

-Ferd, Bob and Nancy will meet to move this forward

IMPORTANT DATES:

-Jan 20/Counter-Inaugural 4:00, with march around 6:00 down to Peoples Pint

-Jan 21st/Sister March in Greenfield 12:30-2:00

-Jan 24th/Book Talk, Presentation by labor activist Steve Early, author of the soon-to-be-published book, What a California Refinery Town Can Teach America.  The book chronicles how a grassroots democracy movement overcame corporate money in Richmond CA, home of Chevron.  6PM pizza, 6:30 talk,   Greenfield library

-Jan 29th/CPR Quarterly Mtg, Guiding Star Grange, 2 – 4 PM

-Feb 12th: our next Energy Meeting, 6:30-8:00, Greenfield Coop