Granby01033

He Who Must Be Read reminds us that when it comes to climate change, we're screwed. There's only a handful of wingnuts who disbelieve in global warming. Virtually all scientists are on board. But nationally, and somewhat globally, we're not prepared to deal with it. Most of us will be dead before things get really bad, [...] Read more »

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There are two kinds of problems: immediate and slow motion. Immediate problems drop in your lap like a hot potato. You have to jump in order to deal with it. Slow motion problems are like a frog thrown in a pot of water slowly brought to a boil. The frog doesn't know he's cooked until it's [...] Read more »

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...we’re facing a clear and present danger to our way of life, perhaps even to civilization itself. How can anyone justify failing to act?
--Paul Krugman
 There's always been an undercurrent of voluntary stupidity in America, one we've often been proud of. That doesn't mean that it's a good thing. Know nothingism on global warming and climate change, [...] Read more »

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I'm a conservationist. I don't water my lawn. Hell, sometimes I forget to mow it. But my oldest daughter and youngest twin take showers that could drop water levels at Quabbin by an inch. 
In Granby, however, we have well water. No water meters to document our usage. So does it matter that how much water [...] Read more »

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He Who Must Be Read says the THE AMERICAN CLEAN ENERGY AND SECURITY ACT OF 2009 won’t be perfect. The Right Wing doesn’t like it, but neither do environmental purists. There are four parts to the bill penned by Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA), but Krugman talks about the more controversial measure to [...] Read more »

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He Who Must Be Read was in China for a week or so. His observations on the country's carbon output suggest the need for global leadership on the problem, something America is now in a position to provide.

China cannot continue along its current path because the planet can’t handle the strain.

The scientific consensus on prospects [...] Read more »

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Cap and trade, a market designed to limit pollution, is a form of market-based environmentalism. Instead of just outlawing carbon dioxide emissions, for example, the federal government limits, or sets a cap on how much much CO2 can be emitted. Companies are issued polluting permits, which permit them a certain amount of polluting. Polluters that need to pollute more [...] Read more »

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There has been a growing interest in alternative energy sources and renewable energy in recent years.  While the terms “renewable energy and energy efficiency” are quite commonly used in public and political forums, there are continuing questions about how these concepts can be implemented in particular settings.
The Granby Democratic Town Committee (DTC) will hold a [...] Read more »

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6:30 PM
Thursday, March 19
Granby Jr./Sr. High School
There has been a growing interest in alternative energy sources and renewable energy in recent years.  While the terms “renewable energy and energy efficiency” are quite commonly used in public and political forums, there are continuing questions about how these concepts can be implemented in particular settings.
The Granby [...] Read more »

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This is scary. From the Associated Press:

Workers are set to begin cutting down thousands of trees in Worcester's battle to eradicate the Asian longhorned beetle in Central Massachusetts. The Worcester Telegram reported that five months after the beetle was found in the city's Greendale section, the first of approximately 6,000 trees will be cut down [...] Read more »

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I spent a half hour talking to one of my neighbors. His well and two wells up the street are in danger from the encroaching wetlands caused by multiple beaver dams on Batchelor Brook. This is a public health hazard.
In Massachusetts, beavers began going forth and multiplying when a ballot question outlawed trapping in the state.
Once [...] Read more »

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Rabies has a one-hundred percent kill rate. You get it and you're not treated and you die. You don't even want to come in contact with the saliva of a rabid animal.
The Republican reports:
GRANBY - The Health Department is warning residents to stay away from wild animals and strays after a stray cat that bit [...] Read more »

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Last Sunday, Sharon and I took Cody B., our 5 month old black lab, for a hike in the woods on Batchelor Street. Instead of walking up past the beaver pond, we took the first left (west) off the main trail and worked our way up the mountain and toward the power lines. After following the power [...] Read more »

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My first and only experience with a lamprey eel came when I was in first or second grade.
My grandfather had taken me to the fish elevator above the Holyoke dam. This was long before the current set up. In those days, fish would swim up a short passage be caught in a sort of caged, [...] Read more »

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After searching for Granby news at the Daily Hampshire Gazette, I came across an interesting tidbit. There will be a non-binding referendum question on greenhouse gas emissions. I'm supporting it because our state representative Ellen Story got it placed on her district's ballot.
Here's the text of the question:
The Secure Green Future Question

Shall the state representative [...] Read more »

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Composting is an increasingly important. There's a lot of garbage that can be turned into black gold (but not Texas tea) and put in the garden or spread out on your lawn. Landfill space will be at a premium for the foreseeable future. Teaching kids about composting is a great idea.
The Republican reports:
GRANBY - Pupils at East Meadow School are following [...] Read more »

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One of the perils of globalization: invasive species. The Globe reports:
Shiny, spotted Asian beetles that attack hardwood trees and are considered potentially more destructive than Dutch elm disease, chestnut blight, and gypsy moths combined were discovered in Worcester last week.
Investigations are ongoing and preliminary, but as many as 15 trees in northwest Worcester have been [...] Read more »

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Think Progress reports:
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has made his complete reversal on offshore drilling a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, insisting that expanding offshore drilling into protected areas would lead to more oil supply on the market “within a matter of months” — regardless of the Energy Information Agency’s projection that oil would not reach [...] Read more »

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The simpler the logic, the more people will buy into it. It's one of the basic understandings of American conservativism and one of the hurdles of American liberalism. At best, offshore drilling is a red herring, offering a benefit too small to be measured and so far into the future that we should have already have addressed [...] Read more »

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Gov. Deval Patrick got the headline on this one, but he credits Congressman William Delahunt for getting the ball rolling on biofuel legislation. The Globe reports:
Governor Deval Patrick signed biofuels legislation yesterday that he said will put Massachusetts at the forefront of the clean energy movement... at a table at the Allston office of Mascoma Corp., [...] Read more »

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