I'm starting this because we should make bans against bags.

Europe has already fought back against powerful chemical companies and took a big step to protect bees by putting into effect a ban of the top bee-killing “neonic” pesticides. Now it’s our turn! Join Friends of the Earth and our allies in demanding that the EPA take immediate action to protect bees! Bees are critical in producing the majority of our food crops and the evidence is mounting that Bayer and Syngenta’s pesticides are a key contributor to mass bee die-offs. However, the EPA continues to ignore scientists -- even those employed by the EPA -- and has delayed action until 2018. But the bees can’t wait -- and neither can we! U.S. beekeepers have been consistently losing 40-100 percent of their hives. This winter, beekeepers are likely facing yet another season of historic bee die offs. We can’t let the EPA wait another five years to address this crisis. Please take action today and tell the EPA to ban bee-killing pesticides.

Europe has already fought back against powerful chemical companies and took a big step to protect bees by putting into effect a ban of the top bee-killing “neonic” pesticides. Now it’s our turn! Join Friends of the Earth and our allies in demanding that the EPA take immediate action to protect bees! Bees are critical in producing the majority of our food crops and the evidence is mounting that Bayer and Syngenta’s pesticides are a key contributor to mass bee die-offs. However, the EPA continues to ignore scientists -- even those employed by the EPA -- and has delayed action until 2018. But the bees can’t wait -- and neither can we! U.S. beekeepers have been consistently losing 40-100 percent of their hives. This winter, beekeepers are likely facing yet another season of historic bee die offs. We can’t let the EPA wait another five years to address this crisis. Please take action today and tell the EPA to ban bee-killing pesticides.

Europe has already fought back against powerful chemical companies and took a big step to protect bees by putting into effect a ban of the top bee-killing “neonic” pesticides. Now it’s our turn! Join Friends of the Earth and our allies in demanding that the EPA take immediate action to protect bees! Bees are critical in producing the majority of our food crops and the evidence is mounting that Bayer and Syngenta’s pesticides are a key contributor to mass bee die-offs. However, the EPA continues to ignore scientists -- even those employed by the EPA -- and has delayed action until 2018. But the bees can’t wait -- and neither can we! U.S. beekeepers have been consistently losing 40-100 percent of their hives. This winter, beekeepers are likely facing yet another season of historic bee die offs. We can’t let the EPA wait another five years to address this crisis. Please take action today and tell the EPA to ban bee-killing pesticides.

Europe has already fought back against powerful chemical companies and took a big step to protect bees by putting into effect a ban of the top bee-killing “neonic” pesticides. Now it’s our turn! Join Friends of the Earth and our allies in demanding that the EPA take immediate action to protect bees! Bees are critical in producing the majority of our food crops and the evidence is mounting that Bayer and Syngenta’s pesticides are a key contributor to mass bee die-offs. However, the EPA continues to ignore scientists -- even those employed by the EPA -- and has delayed action until 2018. But the bees can’t wait -- and neither can we! U.S. beekeepers have been consistently losing 40-100 percent of their hives. This winter, beekeepers are likely facing yet another season of historic bee die offs. We can’t let the EPA wait another five years to address this crisis. Please take action today and tell the EPA to ban bee-killing pesticides.

Europe has already fought back against powerful chemical companies and took a big step to protect bees by putting into effect a ban of the top bee-killing “neonic” pesticides. Now it’s our turn! Join Friends of the Earth and our allies in demanding that the EPA take immediate action to protect bees! Bees are critical in producing the majority of our food crops and the evidence is mounting that Bayer and Syngenta’s pesticides are a key contributor to mass bee die-offs. However, the EPA continues to ignore scientists -- even those employed by the EPA -- and has delayed action until 2018. But the bees can’t wait -- and neither can we! U.S. beekeepers have been consistently losing 40-100 percent of their hives. This winter, beekeepers are likely facing yet another season of historic bee die offs. We can’t let the EPA wait another five years to address this crisis. Please take action today and tell the EPA to ban bee-killing pesticides.

I'm starting this petition because my idea may seem like a dream, but it is not so whimsical as to be an unrealistic undertaking . Some invested interests can pipe crude, dirty stuff from Canada to Texas. How many of us are interested in having clean energy and living pollution free?

Honolulu has already banned foam containers with chlorofluorocarbons, due to health concerns. It’s time to go one step further in protecting our land. Polystyrene foam containers are still made with the carcinogen styrene and do not break down safely, leaving our beaches and land scattered with toxic foam bits and endangering species that try to consume the foam. On May 28, 2014, I introduced Bill 40 in the City Council. This bill would ban food vendors from the use of any polystyrene foam containers. The Bill requires that all disposable food service containers must be made of compostable material that will break down into usable compost in a safe and timely manner without leaving any toxic residue. This new regulation will apply to all disposable food service containers from a restaurant or takeout food operation as packaging to serve or transport food. This will include plates, cups, bowls, trays, and hinged or lidded containers. I’m asking my colleagues on the City Council to pass this bill without delay!

Fracking (hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas) is bad for Massachusetts in at least these ways: - It uses a complex mix of chemicals that can get into the water table and escape into the environment - chemicals that fracking companies want to keep as trade secrets so we don't even know how dangerous they might be. - It disturbs the surface at the point of extraction. - The process may encourage earthquakes and other instability. You may not think of Massachusetts as a high earthquake zone, but in fact there was a large earthquake in colonial times that did a lot of damage (see http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/massachusetts/history.php), and the activity of fault systems under Massachusetts is not well understood. - The fuel extracted will be burned, contributing to global warming. This is a time when we should be switching to renewable energy sources, not maximizing extraction of fossil fuels. - The fuel must be transported, most likely by pipelines, which are themselves destructive of the environment. They also risk leaks and thus contamination from unintentional release into the environment. Massachusetts aims to be a leader in solar and other renewable and clean energy sources. Fracking is not consistent with that aim. We should ban fracking now.

Three years ago, my wife and Colrain-Shelburne Rd. resident Godeliève Richard became electro-hypersensitive. She experiences numerous serious medical symptoms when exposed to wireless radiation. Her condition has plunged our family into hours and hours of research on the subject which have taught us that the current FCC standards are not adequately protecting U.S. citizens. The proposed cell tower would be the first glimpse motorists on Route 2 see of the "beautiful hilltowns." It is proposed in an area surrounded by wetlands and homes that include elderly people and children, the most vulnerable populations to health damage from EMF radiation. Studies have shown property values drop by an average of 15% around cell towers. The first night of the hearing on June 17 featured AT&T's lawyer asking for 3 "waivers" of Shelburne by-laws, including the one which states cell towers must be at least 500 feet from homes. This tower will be a mere 350 feet, essentially playing Russian roulette with innocent people's health. The hearing will be continued on July 29th at 7 pm in Memorial Hall, Shelburne Falls when an updated list of petition signers will be given again to the ZBA. Letters can be sent to [email protected] or mailed to ZBA, 51 Bridge Street. All letters received before July 29 will be considered by the Zoning Board. For cell tower research and resources go to www.ptco.org/emf

At a May 19 awards ceremony, Zucker admitted that while climate change "deserves more attention," CNN hasn't "figured out how to engage the audience in that story in a meaningful way." He added that there was a "tremendous lack of interest on the audience's part." Just two days later, CNN gave us a lesson in how not to cover the issue. The program OutFront (5/21/14) covered the "controversy" over game show host Pat Sajak's climate change denial Twitter outburst. So who did CNN tap to weigh in on Sajak? Far-right provocateur and climate change denier Ann Coulter. Informing the audience was evidently not the point. As substitute host Briana Keilar introduced the segment: "Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak says global warming alarmists are unpatriotic. Tonight, Ann Coulter tells us why she agrees." And the interview was preceded by a taped segment that turned to another global warming denier: "Sajak's skepticism is echoed by others, most notably Florida Sen. Marco Rubio." Some of CNN's previous climate coverage this year has included putting deniers on Crossfire as one "side" of the debate–in one case because it was cold in some parts of the country. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz appeared on the Situation Room (2/21/14) to falsely claim that "the data are not supporting what the advocates are arguing. The last 15 years, there has been no recorded warming." But the segment with Coulter is actually worse–not just treating deniers as though they're a legitimate part of a climate "debate," but acting as though they're the only viewpoints worth hearing from. Is this what Zucker means by trying "to engage the audience in a meaningful way"?

I am Chairperson of the Environmental Committee of South Manasota/Sandpiper Key Association and we are all opposed to removing our mangroves. Please sign our petition to the Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners.