www.protectingmassachusetts.org

Building A Green Home In Massachusetts

admin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

If you’re thinking about building a home in beautiful Massachusetts, you should definitely consider incorporating ‘green’ options and technologies into your design. One of the biggest ‘green’ concerns these days is limiting energy consumption and there are many ways in which the homeowner can do this.

Firstly, ensuring the house is super-insulated has a great impact on heating and cooling costs, which are the chief culprits for high energy use.

Secondly, a greater awareness of the carbon footprint of building materials, that is where they come from and how much fuel it has taken to get them there, means that you should look carefully into locally sourced materials.Never heard of this before? Get up to speed here. Buying locally will also provide a much-needed economic stimulus. You should also investigate ‘green’ building materials such as Forestry Stewardship Council woods which are more responsibly managed, Low-VOC paints that contain fewer hazardous chemicals and bamboo flooring which is a renewable wood with a 5-year growth cycle.

Thirdly, the appliances you buy should all be energy-star rated and it should be easy to see how efficient they are compared to other models. You can also opt for long-lasting halogen light bulbs and even the newest LED light bulbs which are extremely efficient.

Environmental Protection And The State Of Massachusetts

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 on April 2, 2007 in Massachusetts v. EPA against the Bush Administration, new regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) in the State of Massachusetts preempted existing U.S. Enivronmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air Act legislation.

In 2009, the EPA laid forth new federal rules to emissions controls in response to the ruling of November 14, 2007, in the 9th District Court of Appeals in a 10 state agreement with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in the East: ordering the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop tougher fuel efficiency standards. Since then, industrial opposition of cap-and-trade market trading of carbon offsets as core mechanism to GHG reductions has decreased.

Better environmental legislation in Massachusetts is result of federal approval of more extensive mandatory emission reductions programs in the transport sector. The legislation poses that 30 million tonnes of carbon equivalent will be reduced to meet 2020 targets of 10 emissions reductions.

Massachusetts and the RGGI agreement follows the 2007 supported by the State of California: the first State to attain additional compliance beyond federal regulation in GHG reduction standards with ratification of AB32: the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.

Save Gas, Time, And Protect Massachusetts

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Preserve one of America’s oldest states by going green. Consider an alternative transportation method to get to work or school. When the weather permits, ride your bike, use public transportation, car pool or walk. In addition to helping the environment, the increased physical activity benefits your overall health.

Recycle whenever possible. Use reusable shopping bags. Certain stores will give money off the bill when you use a reusable bag. Refill your water jugs from fresh water machines and find new uses for the discarded water bottles.I found some more information here.

Turn in your older model for a newer environmentally friendly vehicle. Spend more time relaxing by completing your errands in one trip instead of smaller trips. This helps to cut back on the fuel emissions. Lower the cost of your utility bill by trading in your older house hold appliances for more energy efficient equipment. Conserve water by checking for leaks.

Check with your local city for incentives offered to residents who help to protect the environment by going green. Start a home garden or a shared community garden. Home gardening provides you with fresh vegetables, saves you a trip to the store and let you know under what conditions your vegetables were grown.

A Green Boston Trip

admin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are a lot of reasons to come to Boston but if you’re using your cannonsatellite to plan a trip you’ve got to check out some of the green initiative the city has going on! There’s a lot to love about it here and the city’s dedication to a better future is one of them
GreenFest 2011: It’s coming up soon and it’s Boston’s nod to all things eco-friendly. If you’re wondering what you can do to help out here in town or what organizations to show your support for you’ve got to head out to GreenFest.
The Onyx Hotel: One of the few hotels in the whole country to earn the five key eco rating from the United Green Council, the Onyx Hotel is the place you want to stay when you come here. There’s something to be said for a LEED certified luxury hotel!
Visit a Green Restaurant: You can find lists online but Boston has an impressive array of “green” restaurants to check out. From Taranta to The Fireplace the food is fresher and better than you may find elsewhere!

Massachusetts Critically Endangered Resources To Preserve

admin — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Like many other states across the nation, Massachusetts has its share of problems when it comes to finding ways to protect its critically endangered resources. This state has had a particularly difficult time when it comes to protecting its water ways. Many of the small towns that make up the state of Massachusetts were at one time or other manufacturing communities. Unfortunately with manufacturing comes the risk of contamination caused by the chemicals that most of these businesses used in their production. One of the more recent cases involves the town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The chemicals that were detected were called PCB’s a known carcinogen. The company responsible was fined heavily by the EPA and forced to undertake a massive cleanup of contaminated water ways like the Housatonic River as well as many residential neighborhoods where PCB’s were known to have been buried. The long term effects of this type of contamination is yet to be told, what is known is that where these deadly chemicals are native wildlife and local plant life struggles to thrive. Disease, defect and destruction of the habitats cause damage that can take years to repair. By holding businesses accountable for their actions can greatly help to protect Massachusetts critically endangered resources and provide years of clean living for people, plants and animals alike.

Eco-tips For Trips That Are Easy And Fun

admin — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Traveling green shouldn’t be time consuming when going on trip, it’s a time for adventures with the family. So here are a few eco-tips to make the journey that much greener and fun.

Savy up on where you’re going, there are many Green Seal Certified hotels out there that do there best conserving energy and making your stay enjoyable. Also, if you can stay with friends while you travel it’s one of the best ways to reduce fossil fuel emissions. More likely than not they are going to be running their air conditioner or heater versus the family staying in a hotel that has to make the room comfortable to your needs.Didn’t catch that? This explains it.

When packing, travel light. The less weight brought on the plane, bus, or car the family is on the less gas thats needed to make the trip. Buying reusable water bottles is amazing as well because you get rid of a massive amount of plastic and waste and to get the kids excited let them decorate their own bottle, making it unique to them.

One fun and community helping tip is buying localy from places the family visits. It helps reduce shipping from outside places and helps the community in which you’re visiting. Many places have things special to them and asking the kids to pick something they may have never tried makes for great learning experiences.

Lastly, wherever you happen to go, beach or park, pick up after yourselves. You want it to look just as it did before you got there. This world is a beautiful place and keeping it that way is always fun and enjoyable.

Tricks To Limit Your Carbon Footprint

admin — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

With global warming and its effects on the environment becoming more apparent, it has become eminent that the public changes their old wasteful habits, and replace them with new, more environmentally friendly ones. Some simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint are:
Recycle as much as possible. This will reduce the amount of trash filling the land fills, and pollution in the ocean.
Use reusable bags instead of paper or plastic. Plastic bags create toxic emissions when produced and paper bags use a lot of energy in production and transportation.Didn’t catch that? This explains it.
If you are going on a short trip, walk or ride a bike. This is a clean form of transportation that does not produce the harmful emissions a car does.
Next time you have to take a ride in a car, carpool with someone, especially if the two of you are going to the same place. One car’s exhaust is better than two.
Instead of buying bottled water from the grocery store, buy a bpa free reusable bottle. Just another way to reduce your use of plastic goods.
When washing dishes or clothes, wash a full load. This will save you some water, washing detergent, and electricity.
And last on the list, turn it off when it’s not in use. This means the computer, AC, lights, etc.

Tips For More Eco-friendly Camping Trips

admin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Camping trips are fun for the whole family but most people don’t take into consideration the damage being done to the environment during these trips. There are some things that can be done to help protect the environment and still have fun camping with the family.

First thing to remember is to make sure that you are camping in a designated camping area. Setting up camp in other areas can be harmful to the ecosystem. Next thing to do is remember that if you bring it in you should take it out. That means that anything you bring camping make sure you dispose of it properly and take it out of the campsite when you leave. Burning garbage can cause air pollution and should be avoided. Never use soaps and shampoos in the local water supply because it could damage the local ecosystem. Never cut down trees to use as firewood. You should only use things that have fallen naturally to keep from disrupting the plant life. If there are not bathrooms located for the campers to use then you should be sure to bury any human waste that is produced.

Camping is fun but everyone has a responsibility to take care of nature. Always make it a priority to leave things better than when you arrived. Keep your campsite clean and make sure that nature is left as it should be.

Paula BowenTake a look here to learn more: If I Ran My Own Campsite….