Buds, Twigs, and Bark: How to Identify Trees and Shrubs in Winter| 08:01AM / Friday, February 09, 2024 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Join Chelsey Simmons of Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) for the February Berkshire Green Drinks virtual event to explore the buds, twigs, and bark of common trees seen in the New England landscape. It may be surprising, but winter is actually an excellent time to learn how to identify woody plant species. The absence of leaves allows for the opportunity to take a closer look at the characteristics that are often overlooked, like the subtle features of a twig, the arrangement of buds, and the overall form and structure of a tree. Chelsey will go over the steps to tree identification, break down twig morphology, and give helpful hints on >> Read More |
North Berkshire Waste District Interested In Hydrogen Facility Project By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
02:50PM / Monday, January 22, 2024 | |
ADAMS, Mass.— Members of the Northern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District (NBSWMD) were intrigued by a plan by Local Power to work towards community-wide decarbonization through a waste hydrogen facility in Western Massachusetts. In a presentation on Jan. 11, Local Power President Paul Fenn told the district members that Local Power helps local governments set up community-wide decarbonization with a focus on localization "as a core strategy in an industry defined by centralized energy and capital sources." He said the community choice aggregation firm helped usher in community choice power supply programs to many towns and cities in Berkshire
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Dalton Considers Allowing 'Green' BurialsBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
07:30AM / Sunday, January 14, 2024 | |
 DALTON, Mass. — Residents may have the option of so-called "green" burials in the future. Also referred to as "natural burials," green burials are a way of returning bodies to the earth after death without a metal casket, burial liner or vault, or embalming, according to the nonprofit Green Burial Massachusetts. The cemetery trustees are still very early on in the process of establishing green burials. There are a lot of unknowns surrounding the service they need to explore first, the trustees said. This excludes someone who wants to be buried in their yard, which would be a separate process. "It's gonna be a long >> Read More |
Dalton Green Committee Seeks to Improve Relationship with CBRSDBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:18AM / Monday, January 08, 2024 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Green Committee is looking to improve its relationship with the Central Berkshire Regional School District. School Committee member Richard Lacatell agreed at the last committee meeting to be the its point person as it considers green initiatives that have the potential to help the school district, including but not limited to solar array options and electric buses. Central Berkshire's building and grounds manager Jason Dion and Director of Finance and Operations Gregory Boino also attended the meeting to clarify district funds and green initiatives. One thing the Green Committee is interested in reviewing is the data >> Read More |
Pittsfield names 'Cadwell Woods Conservation Area'By Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
04:25PM / Monday, December 18, 2023 | |
Map of the three parcels from Joe Durwin's report. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The so-called Saw Mill property has a new name that honors its origins as a family farm.
On Thursday, the Conservation Commission voted to rename the more than 50-acre parcel "Cadwell's Woods Conservation Area." The property dates back to the Cadwell family years before Pittsfield was founded and remained with them for 175 years.
In the early 1900s, it was referred to as the "Cadwell's Woods."
Last year, the city acquired the conservation land along the southwest branch of the Housatonic River to permanently protect it from development. It can be used for
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Dalton Green Committee Creates Compost Program SubcommitteeBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:15AM / Friday, December 08, 2023 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Green Committee established a Compost Program subcommittee during its meeting on Wednesday night. The subcommittee is made up of three Green Committee members, Antonio Pagliarulo, Thomas Irwin and Todd Logan. They will also be staying in communication with Highway Superintendent Edward "Bud" Hall who runs the transfer station. The subcommittee will be responsible for spearheading the initiation of a compost program. Although members of the Green Committee agree a composting program is needed, they are split on the best type of program to establish. The program in Williamstown has residents >> Read More |
Berkshire Green Drinks: Twenty Years of Protecting the Environment for Wildlife| 08:00AM / Thursday, December 07, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Join Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) for their final Green Drinks presentation of 2023, where BEAT staff will talk about the organization's work of this past year and explore what comes next as the new year approaches. The virtual gathering will take place by Zoom on Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 6:00 to 7:15 PM. According to a press release: Be part of the discussion and hear about BEAT's new Breathe Easy Berkshires program that is monitoring air quality in Pittsfield; the organization's continued work in improving aquatic and terrestrial wildlife connectivity and how volunteers can help; its efforts to eliminate >> Read More |
BEAT Invites Community To Celebrate 20th Anniversary| 12:11PM / Friday, December 01, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) invites the entire community to join them in celebrating their 20th Anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 1-3 PM, at their Environmental Leadership & Education Center, located at 20 Chapel Street in Pittsfield. According to a press release: BEAT was established in 2003 when a vernal pool at Berkshire Community College (BCC) was being threatened by the development of soccer fields on the campus. Over the past two decades, BEAT has taken on many fights and projects — often leading them and creating a path for environmental change and progress. BEAT's mission has remained the same: to protect the >> Read More |
Dalton Panel Steps Back From Climate Leader PursuitBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:47AM / Thursday, November 30, 2023 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Dalton Green Committee voted to take a step back from its efforts in reaching climate leader status. To reach this designation, the town would need to commit to eliminating on-site fossil fuel use by 2050, create a decarbonization roadmap, adopt Zero-Emission Vehicles policy, and adopt the Specialized Stretch code. The changes to the climate leader status requirements and the unknowns surrounding the new designation has caused the committee to reconsider their stand. The state Department of Energy Resources (DOER) keeps changing the status requirements most notably the specialized stretch code, committee members >> Read More |
Springside Park Not Viable for Roots Rising FarmBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:51PM / Sunday, November 26, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Arsenic-infected soils and invasive plants have led Roots Rising to pull its farm project from Springside Park.
"Over the past several months we have been studying the site at Springside Park. We found levels of arsenic that require further investigation as well as a number of species of invasive plants," Executive Director Jess Vecchia wrote to the Parks Commission.
"One such plant, cypress spurge, is of particular concern because contact with the latex sap can cause serious burns on skin, as well as permanent corneal damage if it comes into contact with the eyes."
Earlier this year, the nonprofit farming organization came to the commission
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