CT Green Scene

Dirt! The Movie

by Eileen Weber

If you haven’t seen this movie, you should. On Wednesday evening, the Pequot Library screened the documentary Dirt! The Movie with a homemade pie auction and an awards ceremony celebrating local environmentalists afterward.

The event was sponsored by The Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm and emceed by Fairfield Green Food Guide’s Analiese Paik. The film, pardon the pun, digs in deep about all the things that happen to dirt—how we often disregard it, abuse it, ruin it, and fight over it. Produced and directed by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow and narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis, it illustrates that what could be our most valuable resource is our most under-appreciated one.

Losing Landscape?

A Harvard University study reports that all six states in New England have declining rates of forestation. The authors of the Wildlands and Woodlands report is seeking 70% conservation. The excerpt below is from a May 20th article in The Boston Globe.

New report shows forest cover declining in New Engldand
Posted by Beth Daley May 20, 2010 09:47 AM
The Boston Globe

“We’ve been given a second chance to determine the future of the region’s forests. This report calls attention to the pressing need to couple New England’s existing conservation capacity and shared land ethic with a vision for the next century in which forests remain an integral part of our livelihoods,” said David Foster, lead author of the report and Director of the Harvard Forest.

To read more, click here. To visit the Wildlands and Woodlands web site, click here.

Image courtesy of Landscapearchiteck.com.

Fairfield U Paves Paradise to Put Up a Parking Lot

by Courtney Dumais   

Just two weeks ago, I wrote with pride and enthusiasm when sharing Fairfield University’s efforts to reduce its’ carbon footprint. Today, however, I write with sadness—even a sense of embarrassment—as I return to a less-green campus. While student were away for Spring Break, the University moved forward on new construction plans, commencing with the expansion of a parking lot and the subsequent slaying of trees.

The plans include the construction of two new dormitory buildings and the renovations of two older buildings. Together, the projects will cost $60 million and will result in the addition of 232 more beds on campus. The large-scale plan, announced to students on December 15th in the form of an e-mail, will help Fairfield University adequately accommodate student housing needs. However, most knew nothing of the plans to expand the parking lot until it was too late. When concerned students and faculty began expressing opposition to the parking lot expansion, the lot had already received approval by the town conservation and zoning commissions.

Pop Goes The Green Bubbly

by Eileen Weber

‘Tis the season to be jolly with a glass of bubbly to celebrate the holidays. So why not make that a glass of organic bubbly?

Not surprisingly, there are a number of European wineries that farm sustainably and only grow organic grapes. You can get some fine selections of Prosecco and Asti Spumante from Italy and champagne from France and parts of Spain as well as some sections of England. But let’s just stick to our home turf, shall we?

California has produced some outstanding wines, sparkling wines among them. And for some vineyards, a sparkling wine made from organic grapes is that much better.

Two California vineyards stand out: Domaine Carneros and Korbel. In September, Korbel announced the launch of its latest Brut Champagne made with organic grapes.

“As more consumers are looking for foods and beverages produced organically, we felt there was an opportunity for Korbel to offer a unique product where there currently isn’t something widely available,” said Gary Heck, owner and president of Korbel Champagne Cellars, in a company press release dated September 15th. “We found that organic practices yield fruit with new and exciting flavors for us to work with. It has been an exciting new development for Korbel.”

As Close to the Cow Without Milking It Yourself

by Eileen Weber

For those with a bovine sense of humor, here’s a cow joke for you: Why did the cow jump over the moon? The farmer had cold hands.

If you’re a dairy farmer, you’ve probably heard that one before. And there are enough dairy farmers in this state to get a chuckle out of it. In Connecticut, there is a $2 billion agriculture industry with dairy farmers a good percentage of it.

Some of those dairy farmers decided to go into business together. The Farmer’s Cow, based in Lebanon, has been spreading the word about the value of supporting your local dairy farmer.

Four years ago, six family-owned farms joined together to provide milk for parts of New York and Massachusetts and most of Connecticut. Between them, they milk 2,300 cows on nearly 7,000 acres of land. They’ve been so successful with milk they decided to try other products. They have half and half, eggs, and cider. In November, they launched their newest product: Heavy cream. With the holidays upon us, it’s just in the nick of time.

Some, however, have already sampled the heavy cream as a holiday treat. The Unquowa School in Fairfield got the jump on The Farmer’s Cow early on.

“Unquowa has been with us since Day One,” said Robin Chesmer, Managing Director at The Farmer’s Cow. “They buy our milk because they liked our concept.” Last month, the school made a Thanksgiving meal made in part by The Farmer’s Cow product.

But heavy cream is only one stop on their way to a world of lactose domination. The company is looking to include farm-fresh ice cream as part of their upcoming product line. With an April launch, they are planning for six flavors. Besides the usual kinds like chocolate and vanilla, they’re thinking a little outside the box with chocolate mint chip and cookies and cream.

Race For Space

by Eileen Weber

There are some people who give a lot of thought to the open space available in Connecticut. One of those people is Karl J. Wagener, Executive Director of the Connecticut Council of Environmental Quality, an organization that objectively monitors the state’s environmental progress.

Last night at the Pequot Library in Southport, Wagener lectured that Connecticut may be doing a lot of things right when it comes to the environment. But when it comes to land conservation, we still have a long way to go.

“Land is one of those things that Connecticut can’t seem to do right,” said Wagener. “A lot of land conservation is unaccounted for. We don’t really know how much we’ve got.”

Wagener says the biggest problems center around a lack of money to fund the inventory of available land, a good strategy for better land conservation, and looking at the land acquisition as a unified whole rather than as a compilation of separate, individual acquisitions.

While the state does have a Green Plan to reach a land preservation goal by 2023, Wagener says it’s hard to get people excited about something that has no plan of attack and no way to pay for it.

Ghost Farm

by Eileen Weber

Connecticut is known for its rolling hills and green farmland. But unfortunately, that farmland is rapidly dwindling. For at least the last five years, Connecticut has been steadily losing this precious commodity. Many experts agree that if this decline continues, the remaining farmland will simply disappear in only a few generations.

According to an article dated July 20th in the Norwich Bulletin, there were as many as 500 active farms in the state in 1990. By 2007, there were less than half that number. And today, we only have 151 active farms registered in the state.

“In the 1940s, there were about 2,000 to 3,000 farms,” said Bill Duesing, Executive Director of Connecticut’s Northeast Organic Farming Association (CT NOFA). “The drop off has been significant.”

Part of the reason behind this decline is how much it costs to run a farm and how little the return is. The Norwich Bulletin also disclosed that at the beginning of this year the average dairy farmer was paid only $1.07 per gallon of milk—down 25% in the last decade. With a $1 billion dairy industry in this state that accounts for over 4,000 jobs, the state Department of Agriculture estimates a loss of $1 for every gallon of milk produced. Clearly, the odds are stacked against the small farmer.

“We need to protect our farmland,” said Duesing at a recent showing of the movie FRESH at the Pequot Library. “We’re losing it.”

Cleaner Air? Plant A Tree

by Eileen Weber

A few weeks ago, we had a large maple tree taken down in our backyard. It was diseased and leaned a bit too precariously toward my neighbor’s roof line. Without it, our lawn, which is about the size of a snow shoe, does look a little bigger. And certainly, we have more sun. But I must admit, I miss it. I also have a twinge of guilt about removing a tree.

It’s a well-known fact that trees help keep our air clean. They absorb carbon dioxide and contaminants in the air. They emit clean oxygen for us to breathe. They shade us and keep us cool.

These strong points are not lost on many environmental groups who wish to plant more trees worldwide. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) launched their Billion Tree Campaign in which they hope to plant seven billion trees by the end of this year. They are well on their way so far with over four billion already planted.

According to a press release from the UNEP, groups around the world have committed themselves to planting more trees. The Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture planted 687 million trees last year. In Turkey, government and non-governmental organizations as well as a number of civilians planted over 300 million trees in 2008.

Just this month, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reported that Pakistan set a world record by planting 541,176 young mangroves tree. They beat out neighboring India in a friendly competition to reforesting some sadly neglected areas.

Even in work-torn Iraq, there is a government group committed to planting new trees and fresh landscaping to guard against wind storms and desertification. According to a report from the Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network on July 22nd, the Water Resources Ministry has confirmed the plantings in approximately 500 acres of land in the regions of Babel, Najaf, Kut, Amarah, Anbar and Al-Azim. The plantings are meant to provide “efficient methods to reduce the impact of natural factors and raise of temperature” as well as preserving moisture in the soil.

Connecticut’s Farmland and Open Space: Going, Going, Gone? Not on Your Watch!

by Pat Gilbanks

Conservation groups and land trusts rely on tax incentives to entice landowners to preserve open space, rather than selling it off to the highest bidder. The law that provides tax incentives for land conservation is up for renewal and with your help, could become a permanent part of the tax code this year.

The Conservation Easement Incentive Act allows modest-income landowners to receive significant tax deductions for donating conservation easements that permanently protect important natural or historic resources on their lands.

When landowners donate a conservation easement, they maintain ownership and management of their land and can pass the land on to their heirs, while foregoing their rights to develop the land in the future. The new bill will allow farmers and other landowners to deduct a larger share of their income over a longer period of time—and thus help more families be able to afford to conserve their land. The enhanced tax incentive allows working family ranchers and farmers to deduct up to 100% of their income for as many as 16 years in order to deduct the full value of their gift.

The Conservation Easement Incentive Act will make this valuable conservation tool permanent. An amazing 93 members of Congress have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill. Talk about a powerful message when it hits the floor! The enhanced tax deduction for conservation easement donations has helped land trusts conserve 535,000 more acres in 2006 and 2007 than in the previous two years. In California they saw a 50% increase in the number of conservation easement land donations when these tax benefits were enhanced on a temporary basis in 2006, according to Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA).

Now Congress is considering making the law permanent in order to help protect millions of acres of farmland and open spaces. And this is where you come in…

In Connecticut the following members of Congress have signed on as co-sponsors:

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT/2nd)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT/3rd)
Rep. John Larson (D-CT/1st)
Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT/5th)

If your representative is on the list call and say thank you! The number for the Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121.

If not, your Representative can still sign on as a cosponsor.  Call your representative’s office and  ask for the staff member who handles tax issues and urge them to cosponsor H.R. 1831. Tell them to contact Travis Robey in Rep. Mike Thompson's office or Wyatt Stewart in Rep. Eric Cantor's office. They will need every House cosponsor they can get!

Thanks to the Land Trust Alliance for the contact info above. Don’t know who your representative is?

To use the House of Representative’s database you will need your zip+4. Find it here.
http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp

Contact your reps:
House of Representatives Contact Info Finder:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Ask that they consider co-sponsoring the bill and tell them you support the bill and want it passed when it hits the floor.

Now check to see if land trust active in your neck of the woods! Spring is a great time to volunteer for your local land trust. These are small nonprofits doing great work for Connecticut and the environment. Many need assistance right now with seasonal clean-ups and fundraising.

Check this list from the CT DEP with links to the websites of active land trusts in Connecticut:
http://www.ct.gov/Dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2706&q=323832&depNav_GID=1641