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wind turbinesAct Now For A Secure Green Future

Climate change has rightly been called the greatest challenge that humanity has ever faced. The planet is reaching a tipping point that threatens hundreds of millions of people. And as if that were not enough, our economy is beginning to unravel as dwindling oil reserves drive up fuel costs for an oil-addicted nation. Urgent and decisive action is called for. But so far most proposals being discussed in legislative bodies put off decisive action until the year 2050. We have to move faster.

This November, voters in many places in Massachusetts will have a chance to tell their legislators to reject the go-slow approach and take decisive action to avert catastrophe. They will have a chance to vote for a Secure Green Future (SGF) public policy question. The SGF asks for legislation that sets a goal of 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. This implies a national mobilization that acts on the science and treats climate change with the seriousness it deserves. The SGF question wants to see resources put into building the economy we need for the future rather than wasting money in keeping the old system going for another few years. Nothing could be more important to the long term viability of our communities than building this future.

MCHC endorses the Secure Green Future question and urges our members to help put it on the ballot in their community. To find out how to help, go to the Secure Green Future website or send your name and address to sgf-info@masschc.org. The time to act is now.
   
Recent News
Should tax payers bestow a billion dollars on the biotech industry? State Senator Pat Jehlen has her doubts.

Monday, March 31, is Cesar Chavez Day. There will be celebrations across the country to remember the life and memory of Cesar Chavez whose vision and courage won respect and dignity for migrant farm workers, and put entire communities on the road to a better future. To learn more about the life of Ceasar Chavez click here.

A citizen petition is circulating to ask Congress to hold a congressional briefing to investigate the problems with the Massachusetts health insurance law. Signatures are needed.

Lead is a neurological toxin that can inflict permanent neurological damage to children. Over the past two decades, a series of regulations have managed to reduce the instances of children being poisoned by lead paint. But lead continues to be used in many products made for children and even infants.

Losses to the local economy would have to be considered before approving big box projects.

Some European cities are making remarkable progress on reducing energy consumption - consumption - often showing leadership that drives improvements in national policies.

A citizens groups called Repeal 40B has filed a ballot petition to repeal the state's much-abused Chapter 40B comprehensive permitting law.

NORTHAMPTON - Organizers of a one-day conference held in the city this weekend believe it's time to take "Buy Local" to the next level.

As another favor to developers, the Patrick Administration proposes eliminating citizens' rights to appeal DEP decisions.

The Massachusetts Legislature passes bills backed by real estate developers and the Patrick Administration to roll back protections for state tidelands.

The lines were clearly drawn. On the one hand were proponents of bills to expedite the liquidation of state-owned lands by setting up a new state panel operating under executive procedures with strict timelines. On the other side, a set of municipal officials and citizen groups arguing that locally-based planning processes based on open, careful deliberations were essential to making good land use decisions. The members of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets listened closely to the divergent views at the June 26 hearing.

Be a MCHC Member
Out of a profound sense of both crisis and opportunity, we are asking you to join as a charter member of the Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities (MCHC). In doing so, you will help advance sustainable, just solutions to the unprecedented economic and environmental crises we face. And you will help establish MCHC as a permanent, vital presence in the debate over our future.
Opinion and Analysis
Through relocalization, communities can prosper while fighting global warming.

11th movie poster
Movie Review: The 11th Hour







What does California have to teach us about how to fund infrastructure needs through special assessment districts?


Governor's tilt toward real estate industry unnerves a former supporter.

Context of the Supreme Judicial Court ruling that said the DEP erred in waiving a permit requirement for a Cambridge development.

When the choice is preventing tobacco deaths or pleasing tobacco lobbyists, where do our legislators stand?


New law seizes both land and tax revenues to benefit real estate developers.
The state law that is supposed to promote affordable housing isn't getting the job done. What are we doing wrong?

Insight and Information

Well worth reading . . .
Thought-provoking essays, useful insights, and just plain interesting links....


meeting with people at table
Keep Surplus Lands in Our Hands! 
Boston area residents shared community-based solutions for sustainable, just development at MCHC workshop. (Photo: Adam Sacks)
Key Issues
Quote of the Week
"If there's no action before 2012, that's too late. What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment."
- Rajendra Pachauri, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, on the urgency of addressing climate change
More Quotes
Upcoming Events

Please send us your events for posting.

ˇ Discuss the Green Economy and explore creating a non-partisan Working Group of advocates for a Green Economy Wednesday, June 25th, Springfield, MA




MCHC is a member of the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, a citizen initiative in Massachusetts to establish new government policies to prevent harm to our health from toxic hazards.

Sounds of Dissent

Join host John Grebe for a two-hour weekly radio program offering news and political reviews that often challenge the conventional wisdom and the packaged fare of the mainstream media. Tune in Saturdays 11:00-1:00 on WZBC, FM 90.2 Boston. You can listen live at http://www.wzbc.org.
people at met state
Citizens tour new reservation carved from
state surplus land
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