Sustainability Archives · Page 10 of 23 · New England News Collaborative

To Bring Loons Back To Massachusetts, Biologists Must Convince The Birds This Is Home

November 17, 2020

Dave Evers kneels in the bow of a small idling motorboat, surveying the calm lake in front of him with binoculars. It’s 9:30 p.m. and with the exception of a few stars in the sky and a ring of faint cabin lights encircling the lake, it’s difficult to see anything more than a couple feet…

Farms Will Harvest Food And The Sun, As Massachusetts Pioneers ‘Dual-Use’ Solar

November 10, 2020

Paul Knowlton owns 300 acres of land in Grafton, and farms about 50. The farm has been in his family for five generation, ever since Knowlton’s great-great-grandfather settled in the Blackstone Valley in 1872. These days Knowlton grows pumpkins, squash and corn. Up a gravel road, past the family cemetery, corn stalks are still standing…

Could The Presidential Election Affect The Housatonic Cleanup?

October 19, 2020

Last month the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wrapped up a public comment period on its controversial plan to remove toxic PCBs from the Housatonic River. The agency said it hopes to issue its final plan by the end of the year. That would be before any possible change at the White House. It can take…

Vermonters Are Complying With Composting Law, Which Means … A Lot Of Food Scraps

October 18, 2020

The state’s new law that bans household food scraps in landfills went into effect on July 1. Vermonters are getting on board with the new system, which means transfer stations are struggling to keep up and new businesses are popping up to haul the food scraps to composting facilities. For the past three months or…

Industry Heavyweights To Invest In UMaine Offshore Wind Project Near Monhegan Island

August 7, 2020

The University of Maine’s effort to pioneer floating offshore wind technology took a $100 million leap forward Wednesday with the announcement that two industry heavyweights are going to invest in development of the project near Monhegan Island. A subsidiary of the Mitsubishi company, called Diamond Offshore Wind, is joining with RWE Renewables to invest the…

As Plastic Waste Surges, Local Woman Helps Cape Reduce Dependence

July 24, 2020

On a hot summer Friday, a Toyota RAV4 rolls into the parking lot of Cape Cod Beer in Hyannis. It’s there for an outdoor festival with live music, cornhole, and, of course, beer. Trailing just behind the car is a bright green shed. The driver parks it right in front of the beer garden. “I…

After Years Of Slow Action On Climate Change, What Sets Offshore Wind Apart For New Hampshire?

January 21, 2020

Most New England states have been investing in alternative energy sources for years. But New Hampshire has been slower to act in response to climate change. Now, the Granite State is looking to be a leader in a major new source of renewable energy: offshore wind. Turnout exceeded all expectations at the first meeting, last…

How A Climate Change Nonprofit Got Eversource Thinking About A Geothermal Future

January 13, 2020

Natural gas utilities in Massachusetts are facing an existential crisis: they could be out of business by mid-century. That’s because the state’s 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act requires emissions from burning fossil fuels — like natural gas — be cut by 80% economy-wide by 2050. But now a solution that could help save the companies…

Coal Is Dirty. Amid Protests, Why New England Is Still Burning It For Power

December 24, 2019

On a freezing night in December, about a dozen climate activists stood on the train tracks in a wooded section of West Boylston, Mass. They huddled together, headlamps and flashlights pointing south towards an approaching coal train. The light from the train’s headlights got brighter, and the horns blared louder and longer, but the activists…

Coal Is Dirty. Amid Protests, Why New England Is Still Burning It For Power

December 24, 2019

On a freezing night in December, about a dozen climate activists stood on the train tracks in a wooded section of West Boylston, Mass. They huddled together, headlamps and flashlights pointing south towards an approaching coal train. The light from the train’s headlights got brighter, and the horns blared louder and longer, but the activists…

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