currents new england - Clean Water Action...In the Berkshires, new community shared solar projects in Adams and Williamstown are bringing innovative infrastructure to a region often

massachusettsMassachusetts numbers among the nation’s top states for solar and the industry has cre-ated 12,000 local jobs. Solar has continued to grow so fast that it is once again hitting caps on net metering — the way most of the United States buys and sells photovoltaic energy. This arbitrary policy barrier threatens to hamper solar energy production in Massachusetts, but rather than shrink back, a diverse grouping of pro-solar activists, including public health ad-vocates, community development corporations, solar industry representatives, low-income groups and environmental leaders have joined together to show the legislature that solar is working for Massachusetts.

The evidence of solar’s impact on the Bay State is clear. In Dorchester, a low-income neighborhood facing gentrification is leveraging solar to reduce costs and avert displace-ment. In Worcester, the Dismas House, an agency providing reentry services, work and housing to formerly incarcerated people, is using solar and energy efficiency to shift its budget from utility bills to critical programming. In the Berkshires, new community shared solar projects in Adams and Williamstown are bringing innovative infrastructure to a region often left out of state planning efforts. These are just a few of the stories of solar’s successes, clear evidence we need to remove caps on clean power without delay.

Take action today on solar energy in Massachusetts at www.cleanwater.org/MA_solar2015

SUMMER 2015 | NEW ENGLAND the clean water action newsletter

new englandcurrents

88 Broad Street, Boston, MA 02110 | Phone 617.338.8131 | www.CleanWaterAction.org/ma2074 Park Street, #308, Hartford, CT 06106 | Phone 860.232.6232 | www.CleanWaterAction.org/ct

741 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903 | Phone 401.331.6972 | www.CleanWaterAction.org/ri

New England Wants Clean Energy Now

Dismas House in Worcester, MA.

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Communities across New England are fighting for clean energy. Despite a utility-backed push to expand gas pipelines and suppress solar power, states are making progress and building powerful coalitions to fight for a low-carbon, economically just future.

continued on page 2

AFTER TEN YEARS, the US EPA has restored protection under the Clean Water Act to 60% of our stream miles and millions of acres of wetlands. These are waterways that used to be protected from pollution, but those protections were called into question a decade ago, putting the sources of drinking water for 1 in 3 Americans at risk.

Thank you to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and President Obama for fixing this problem and protecting clean water.

HISTORIC VICTORY TO

PROTECT OUR WATER

continued from page 1

It’s raining, it’s pouring!This brand new rain garden in Springfield, MA was installed in May with funds from one of Clean Water Action’s Clean Water Act Citizen Enforcement suits. Springfield Museums received the first of multiple free rain gardens commissioned by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission to help catch, retain, and clean rain before it goes into the city’s storm drains and, eventually, the Chicopee and Connecticut Rivers. Thanks to Patty Gamberini at PVPC and Regenerative Design Group of Greenfield, MA.

connecticutConnecticut is at an energy crossroads:• The state has met its initial goals for greenhouse

gas reductions under the Global Warming Solutions Act but now must find strategies for more tangible reductions. An inter-agency commission has been established — but ways of involving communities and the general public have not.

• The state has exceeded its solar goals with 34 MW installed, and legislation to expand residential fi-nancing resources appears to be moving forward. But a widespread switch to renewable energy is not just about financing — it’s about inspiring people to act.

• Connecticut’s energy-efficiency programs are entering into a new three-year planning phase with encouraging signs of interest and improved low-to-moderate income outreach following our presentation on Efficient Neighborhoods Plus to the state’s Energy-Efficiency Board.

Clean Water Action Connecticut is advocating for “shared renewables,” a bill allowing co-op style group development of solar installations for the 75% of build-ing owners who can’t go solar individually because of shading or roof conditions, or because they rent. While a dozen states allow this, a well-conceived bill was diluted in committee and turned into a utility-sponsored, small-scale three-year pilot. Three years from now, key federal and state incentives will be reduced, and developers seeking meaningfully scaled projects will be long gone. Clean Water Action is part of an advocacy coalition that is pushing hard for a full rollout — solar for all.

Clean Water Action also continues to help the local Clean Energy Task Forces and the communities they serve, with energy planning and project development. With funding from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, our team is providing a statewide program of educa-tion, training, and support linking energy with broader sustainability concerns. Spring activities include an

upcoming tour of the Bridgeport Eco-Park, peer support conference calls on technical topics like streetlight buy-outs and performance contracting, and a forward-looking gathering of local energy and climate leaders June 20, “Climate Action 2.0: Spotlight On Communities.” As state government reboots its climate action plan, Clean Water Action believes the role of local champions and learning networks is stronger than ever, and aims to prove that value with this year’s programming.

Take action on this clean energy vision in Connecticut at www.cleanwater.org/CT_solar2015

rhode islandIn Rhode Island, the newly elected Treasurer has de-veloped a proposal for the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank (RIIB), contained in the Governor’s Budget. The RIIB contains several programs that will help jumpstart Rhode Island’s renewable energy sector. One of those programs, Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), fi-nances energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in both commercial and residential properties. PACE relies on private bank loans and has been successful in states across the country, including Connecticut. Rhode Island hopes to replicate this success.

The RIIB will also create the Efficient Buildings Fund, which is focused on providing low-cost loans to municipalities seeking energy improvements in public buildings. Municipalities throughout the state, eager to lead by example and save taxpayer dollars, are identify-ing candidate projects that can be put forward when the budget passes. The Treasurer anticipates enough funding for the Efficient Buildings Fund to support deep energy retrofit projects for approximately 40 large public build-ings. Using a conservative estimates, retrofitting these 40 building could represent total savings of close to $800,000 annually or $8 million over 10 years. The Gov-ernor’s proposal is being considered by the legislature now and Clean Water will continue to advocate and build support for this exciting and promising new program.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your background.Rachel: I am a senior at North-eastern University majoring in International Affairs/Environ-mental Studies with a minor in Sustainable Business Practices. I have studied abroad at the EARTH University in Costa Rica and will be studying at the London School of Economics this summer.

Ayanna: I am a young African American woman currently studying at Wentworth Institute of Technology majoring in Business Management/Entrepreneurship. I grew up in the Boston area with a large supportive family — and I am awesome!

Q. What is one of your favorite projects that you have worked on at CWA?Rachel: Working on an upcoming social media cam-paign where we will post tips to help people limit their exposure to toxic chemicals, because I am learning what kinds of toxins we are exposed to every day.

Ayanna: My favorite projects were the ones where I felt I made the most impact. One was going to different

furniture stores and checking to see whether or not their furniture contained flame retardants; an-other was visiting the local Wal-greens to urge them to stop selling products with toxic chemicals for the Mind the Store Campaign.

Q. What has been the most rewarding or interesting part of your internship?Rachel: Getting to meet delegates from the government of British Columbia when they came to Bos-ton and Cambridge in early April was really interesting. They came to speak about the implementa-tion and effects of their carbon tax policy, and as an intern at CWA I got to help facilitate some logistics

of the event as well as hear them throughout the day.

Ayanna: The most interesting part of my internship with CWA was adding to my knowledge of the environ-ment from another perspective. The most rewarding parts of my internship were meeting a lot of inspiring people, knowing that my work with CWA has made a real difference, and connecting with some of the great-est people I’ve ever met.

INTERNS MAKE OUR

WORLD GO ROUND

Clean Water Action’s internship program provides a great opportunity for young people to learn the skills of environmental organizing while making meaningful change. Here we’ve shared interviews with Ayanna Hampton and Rachel Fricke who joined the Clean Water Action Massachusetts team for their winter/spring semester and a profile of Nicole Harrison from the Rhode Island team. Thank you Ayanna, Rachel and Nicole!

Massachusetts Interns Rachel Fricke (front) and Ayanna Hampton (rear).

Nicole Harrison, a senior at Providence College, spent the spring semester helping with Clean Water Rhode Island’s legislative priorities. Nicole’s ex-perience as a student organizer, helping with the Think Outside the Bottle campaign and the Student Environmental Action Coalition, gave her a keen interest in activism and she approached Clean Water to see if her organizing skills could be put to work on statewide campaigns.

Nicole’s research and outreach materials helped Clean Water staff prepare compelling testimony for legislation that will create an Extended Producer Responsibility program for compact fluorescent bulbs that contain mercury (H 5671 and S 608). She also helped with materials for the campaign to phase out cesspools (H 5668 and S 369), and helped organize the Environ-ment Council of Rhode Island’s Lobby Day.

Nicole is graduating this month with a BA in Global Studies and a minor in French. Clean Water Action wishes her well!

RI Clean Water intern Nicole Harrison (center) with Meg Kerr and Dave Gerraughty.

Rhode Islanders have a great and long-term commitment to conserving the state’s lands and waters, and protecting the environment. The state’s newest governor seems to understand that tradition, as well as the fact that envi-ronmental issues are also economic issues.

In Governor Gina Raimondo’s speech at the 12th annual Land and Water Conservation Summit at the University of Rhode Island on March 14, she made clear the importance of Little Rhody’s natural resources. She may have been motivated by the fact that the last clean water-open space bond was approved by 71 percent of voters statewide, the highest of any bond on the ballot. The highest level of bond support came from Providence and Central Falls, with Newport coming in fourth, just behind Block Island.

Residents of the Ocean State have been huge sup-porters of protecting the state’s lands and waters, and that shows when hundreds of volunteers flock to the shore to take part in beach clean-ups, and when envi-ronmental bonds are passed by overwhelming margins.

Speaking to the over 300 grassroots land and water conservation leaders, Governor Raimondo indicated she is very concerned about climate change and the impact

it has on Rhode Island. She spoke of a creating a green infrastructure bank proposal, with General Treasurer Seth Magaziner, to address energy efficiency and school and business retrofits. And she put particular empha-sis on highlighting and financing tourism, to promote Rhode Island as a key destination.

Clean Water co-hosted the Summit with the Rhode Island Land Trust Council and the Rhode Island Asso-ciation of Conservation Commissions.

rhode islandLand & Water Summit

Governor Gina Raimondo joined Clean Water RI Director Meg Kerr and Rupert Friday, Director of the RI Land Trust Council at the March 2015 Land & Water Conservation Summit.

Green Infrastructure CoalitionThe Rhode Island Green Infrastructure Coalition was established in May, 2014 with funding from the Rhode Island Foundation. The Coalition currently has over 50 members from 38 organizations and is coordinated by Clean Water Fund.

The Coalition’s goal is to foster efforts to rebuild urban communities that can withstand the climate crisis using the best and most innovative approaches to reduce the damage from stormwater flooding and pollution. The Coalition’s work is focused in two urban areas: Providence Metro and Aquidneck Island.

Green infrastructure refers to natural or engineered systems that use soil and vegetation to capture water, reduce ambient temperatures, and otherwise protect and enhance both environmental quality and public health. Urban green infrastructure includes trees, rain gardens, vegetated swales, pocket wetlands, constructed wetlands, open space, urban agriculture and farming, and vegetated median strips and engineered techniques such as green roofs, tree boxes, infiltration planters, cisterns, rain barrels and permeable pavement.

During the summer, Clean Water will be exploring green infrastructure opportunities in Providence’s West End. The project will use a team of Brown University students working in partnership with the West Broadway Neighborhood Association, West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation, Groundwork Providence and community members. At the end of the summer, we will have a plan for green infrastructure opportunities in the neighborhood supported by excited and engaged neighborhood champions.

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RI Clean Water State Director Meg Kerr presents an Environmental Champion award to past director Jamie Rhodes and his son Nathan at the May Breakfast of Champions breakfast celebration.

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Washington is abuzz with proposals to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. Clean Water Action and partner groups have worked tirelessly for health protective reforms at the state and federal level, however, these are slow-moving debates and there is an urgent need to bring safer chemicals and safer products forward as quickly as possible. So Clean Water Action, together with our national partners, is taking our fight into the aisles of the top ten retailers and asking them to “Mind the Store” by replacing toxic products in their stores with safer alternatives.

Clean Water and local partners in the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut (CSHC) began their 2015 campaign with an action at Walgreens on March 12. They met with the store manager at the Hart-ford Walgreens and delivered 135,000 signatures — including over 1800 from Connecticut — calling on the retailer to adopt a comprehensive policy to phase out toxic chemicals in products like cosmetics, children’s products, and cleaning products. The good news is that Walgreens announced on April 8 that they are developing a chemical policy which they will announce later this spring. Thank you to the Clean Water Action members and allies who took part in the events, circulated the petition, and spread the word about this exciting effort. Together, we can encourage Walgreens and other retailers to go the distance with our health in mind, putting in place comprehensive

safer chemicals policies. On Earth Day, CSHC participated in a national release of a new report, “Floored by

Phthalates” (http://www.ecocenter.org/healthy-stuff/reports/vinyl-floor-tiles), about endocrine-disrupting Phthalates in vinyl flooring. CSHC participated in this research by submitting two flooring tiles purchased at the Lowe’s in Cromwell, CT for testing. A delegation of coalition partners visited the same Lowes to inform them of the results of the study and ask them when they plan to announce their policy on toxic chemicals in their products! CSHC also celebrated Home Depot’s announcement that they will remove all toxic chemicals from their flooring by the end of this year — another example of how concerned parents and advocates are making a difference!

connecticutTaking our Fight Into the Aisles: The Mind the Store Campaign

Green ProcurementAnother priority goal in Connecticut is to succeed in getting Governor Malloy to sign an executive order mandating procurement of green materials, including furniture that is free of carcinogenic flame retardants. Anne Hulick and Susan Eastwood, from Clean Water Action in Hartford, have met with the Commissioner of Administrative Services and the Governor’s staff to open a dialogue and discuss next steps. The Yale Student Environmental Coalition presented the film “Toxic Hot Seat” to help raise awareness of issues of toxic chemicals in products on their campus. Partner groups across the state are planning additional showings to educate the public as well as the fire fighters, and to build momentum for a green procurement executive order.

For more information on how you can get involved, contact Clean Water Action’s Hartford office at 860-232-6232.

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new englandcurrents

SUMMER 2015

We are exposed to toxic flame retar-dants on a daily basis. These chemicals — often added to upholstered furniture, car seats, toys, and many more house-hold products — are linked to cancer, birth defects, decreased fertility, ner-vous system damage, and other health problems. They migrate out of products and wind up in dust, then in our bodies, and even in breast milk. Tragically, fire fighters have higher rates of cancer than others because burning furniture, products and building materials release high levels of flame retardants and other toxic chemicals.

What’s worse, flame retardants often do little to stop the spread of

fires in our homes. There are nontoxic options, but they’ve been off the table for decades because fire codes have ne-cessitated the use of flame retardants, despite the fact that in many cases they were causing cancer but not stopping fires. A 2013 change in California’s fire code has made it possible for consum-ers nationwide to purchase flame re-tardant free furniture. Massachusetts’ fire code for public spaces (except for Boston) was updated in 2014 and now places like universities and hospitals have the option of purchasing flame retardant free furniture.

Clean Water Action is looking to take this a step further. Senator Cyn-thia Creem and Representative Mar-jorie Decker have introduced bills that would prohibit the sale of children’s products and household furniture that contain toxic flame retardants.

massachusetts

Carbon Tax PanelAround 200 participants convened in MIT’s Morse Hall to hear about British Columbia’s successful carbon tax from a panel of experts from BC and MIT. Photo courtesy of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative/Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research.

Help Ignite the Fight Against Flame Retardants

TAKE ACTION: Go to http://www.cleanwateraction.org/protect-childrens-firefighters-health and ask your State Senator and Representative to support S. 1132 and H. 2119 to phase out harmful flame retardants.