A rock jetty on the Narragansett Bay in North Kingston, Rhode Island

They may not be the Great Lakes, but stewards of bodies of fresh and salt water in the United States are joining together to form America’s Great Waters Coalition. Recently Narragansett Bay and other southern New England waterways joined the advocacy organization, which looks to improve the water quality of its members among other goals. The organization came to be after funding for water issues across the country started to disappear amidst the financial crisis.

So far, there are 19 members across 35 different states. Organizers looked to the Great Lakes for inspiration, given that Congress set aside $475 billion for restoration and conservation of the five Great Lakes. Working as a coalition seems… [view entry]

So there’s a new iPhone app in town, actually a couple.  Sure, iPhone apps have saturated the market, but these new apps, courtesy of Cambridge-based Nextransit, are something to pay attention to.  In recent years, cities such as San Francisco, New York, DC and Boston have granted mobile app designers access to real-time transit GPS data, enabling commuters and local patrons alike the ability to not only predict, but to pinpoint when the next bus, or subway, will arrive.  Say goodbye to waiting in the rain, or snow drifts as high as 10 feet — as with this past winter in Cambridge  – for the next bus.  Nextransit makes it a point to turn the typical bus ride into a calculated, visual, streamlined and, dare we say, even fun experience.… [view entry]

Boston’s bike-share program has spread to Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline and Arlington. Boston was vying to be the first city in the nation with a wide, successful program, but has struggled with funding over the past two years.  Last July however, the federal government awarded $3 million to support Boston’s program, with the money earmarked for purchasing bicycles and docking stations.  The program would allow riders to borrow a bike from a docking station for a short, set period of time, afterwards returning the bike to a different docking station for another rider to use.  Minneapolis, Denver, Washington, D.C., and Montreal have launched similar programs and the Velib program in Paris, France has shown marked success with over 90,000 bikes currently in operation.

Nicole Freedman, Boston’s bike-share director, expects membership… [view entry]

Oftentimes, I find myself wondering: what green happenings are taking place in and around Cambridge and Boston?  If you have similar sentiments, there are a number of leads that might satisfy your curiosity.

A smart place to start is, of course, the Cambridge Energy Alliance Community Events Calendar, but on the off-chance you still can’t find what you’re looking for, there is still hope!

Whether you’re interested in a weekend afternoon outing, or changing your transit habits, look no further.  The City of Cambridge has designated May, 2011 as “Go Green Month” and the third week of May as “Climate Change Week.” During the month of May, (and hyper-concentrated in the week from May 13th to 22nd), you can find an array of local activities including nature walks, talks,… [view entry]

For those of you itching to see some good, quality short films on everything from climate change, to sustainable, local farming to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for charity, then look no further — the Wild & Scenic Film Festival is in Boston March 25th and 26th!

The event, sponsored by e-inc, consists not only of the film festival itself, but a series of panels, fund-raising events and guest speakers, including Robin Young, host of WBUR’s “Here and Now”.  Panelists include: David Cash, Undersecretary of Policy, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; Howard Herzog, Senior Engineer, MIT Energy Initiative; Namrita Kapur, Director Corporate Partnership, Environmental Defense Fund; and Alexander Taft, Climate Officer, National Grid.  There will also be a locavore tasting menu of foods and wine… [view entry]

Many Massachusetts residents want to live in a healthy and thriving green community, but don’t know how or where to start considering many of the broader environmental challenges that are so vast they can be paralyzing. With such a wide assortment of programs, subsidies and rebates, it can be a challenge for Massachusetts residents to stay on top of state and local energy efficiency options available to them [even though some communities have organizations like CEA to help navigate].

One useful state-wide resource was established under the Green Communities Act, which was signed into law by Governor Patrick in July 2008 and created the Green Communities Division within DOER to serve as the hub for all cities and towns on all matters related to energy. The Green Communities Act established… [view entry]

A recent Sierra Club magazine article illustrates, in a unique diagram, how the United States, with 4.5% of the world’s population, is responsible for nearly 20% of global carbon dioxide emissions.  In fact, state by state, U.S. CO2 output equals that of entire countries, as illustrated on the map.  Data are from the 2007 U.S. Energy Information Administration.

On December 29th, Massachusetts officials announced a state-wide plan to cut heat-trapping carbon gases emitted by homes, cars and businesses in the state by 25 percent below 1990 levels over the next decade.  The targets set by the plan are the highest allowed under climate legislation passed by the state in 2008 and among the most stringent in the nation.  This aligns Massachusetts with states like California and New Mexico, who have already announced similar action.

The Massachusetts plan relies mainly on existing programs such as energy-efficiency standards for building construction, renewable-energy mandates and curbs in the electricity sector under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, of which Massachusetts is a signatory.  Ian Bowles, the state’s energy and environmental secretary, highlighted that… [view entry]

In a breaking news article, the Boston Globe reported that the Boston Water and Sewer Commission is releasing polluted water into area rivers, including the Charles, Neponset and Mystic, all of which flow into Boston Harbor.  Massachusetts US Attorney Carmen Ortiz and the Environmental Protection Agency’s New England office alleged the Commission is acting in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.  Federal agencies are poised to take legal action in February following an official lawsuit by the Conservation Law Foundation.  CLF said the lawsuit “documents serious failures in the system that are allowing ongoing unlawful pollution of Boston’s waterway.”  A statement by the Boston Water and Sewer Commission evaded direct mention of the allegation commenting “We have no comments on the specifics, however, the commission takes its… [view entry]

In a recent post by GOOD, a detailed breakdown of 2008 energy consumption in the US illustrates the range of energy use across the country by state. According to this data, Massachusetts comes in with 1.00 – 1.49 quadrillion BTUs of total energy consumption, while California or Texas, for example, come in at more than 2.50 each. The graph also breaks down total energy consumption by person, or per capita.  How does your state measure up?