Thursday, May 9, 2013
Want to make a real difference in the world? Consider one of these seven "green" careers that help protect -- and improve -- our planet. Provided by Jobs at AOL.
The following story was provided by AOLJobs.com By Debra Auerbach for CareerBuilder Have you ever had an itch to quit your job and instead do work that makes a real difference in the world? In honor of Earth Day on April 22, we've compiled a list of seven jobs that help people live a better life – from the buildings they work and live in, to the energy that fuels their homes, to the air they breathe. 1. Conservation scientist: Conservation scientists are hired to help preserve and protect natural habitats. They usually work with landowners and federal, state and local governments to find the best ways to use and improve the land while conserving the environment.* If you’re looking for a green job in Brookline, check out our jobs page. …
Monday, April 29, 2013
State fish and game officials kicked off spring by tossing 1,250 trout into Jamaica Pond Thursday.
Gov. Deval Patrick alongside state wildlife officials and JFK Elementary School students helped stock Jamaica Pond from the banks of Jamaica Pond Thursday morning. The students took buckets of fish to the shore and helped 1,250 rainbow, brook, brown and tiger trout swim away. Here is some additional information on the annual event from the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs: This stocking event is part of an annual program that distributes various species of trout to 500 bodies of water throughout the Commonwealth. This year, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) will release more than 510,000 trout produced at state-operated hatcheries in Belchertown and Sandwich. The 60-foot deep pond…
Saturday, April 27, 2013
All the tools you need to start composting in Brookline, plus where to get free or low-cost compost for your garden.
If composting is an activity on your list of ways to live greener, here's a how to get started in Brookline. Emily Bishton, a designer of sustainable landscapes and an environmental educator for children and adults, says, "Home composting is a fun and easy way to make fabulous and free soil amendments to make all the plants in your garden healthier," Bishton says. "It also eliminates the carbon emissions that are needed to truck your food and yard waste to composting facilities, truck the finished compost back to a retail outlet, and then to your home.” Collecting Kitchen Compost Composting starts in the kitchen. First, you'll want to set up a system for catching compostable materials during your meal and snack clean up process. These …
Friday, March 29, 2013
Advocates come together to let legislators know the water system needs funding to stay sustainable.
Pop quiz: If people in the greater Boston area consumed 340 million gallons of water per day in the 1980s, how much do you think they consume today? 400 million? 500? More? Less? The answer, thanks to sustained but largely behind-the-scenes efforts of conservationists, is that we consume dramatically less water today than in the 1980s. Last year, greater Boston consumed 200 million gallons. "The great result is we've saved a whole bunch of precious drinking water, which is important to our residents and to the state that that conservation effort has been successful," Fred Laskey, executive director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Laskey was one of many conservationists at the State House Friday as part of the Massachusetts…
Monday, March 25, 2013
Despite the snow, the system should undergo a “full launch” the first or second week of April.
There’s still snow on the ground and it still feels like the dead of winter, but a staple of summer in Boston will be back online before you know it, and possibly in Brookline soon thereafter. Bicycles will be available throughout the Hubway bike sharing system the first or second week of April, according to Nicole Freedman, director of bicycle programs for the city of Boston and the surrounding area Thirty to 50 stations will be reopened throughout Boston leading up to the April full system launch, Freedman said. Brookline is getting a new Hubway Station on Harvard Street near Thorndike Street and the station at Town Hall will be moved to Washington Square. The Town received a contract from MassDOT on March 1, 2012 for $96,308 as …
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The Board of Selectmen voted to extend a contract with the Mass. Department of Transportation for CMAQ funds to continue Hubway operation.
Brookline is getting a new Hubway Station on Harvard Street near Thorndike Street and the station at Town Hall will be moved to Washington Square. The Town received a contract from MassDOT on March 1, 2012 for $96,308 as Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds. These funds were used to implement the Brookline Bike Share program as part of the Hubway program. While the Town is not seeking any additional funds, Assistant Director for Community Planning Joe Viola asked the Board of Selectmen for an extension of the contract from March 31 2013 to March 31, 2014. “The CMAQ funds that we’re using through MassDOT pays for launch fees with the operator (Alta Bike Sharing), for putting the equipment on the street, and maintaining that …
Thursday, March 14, 2013
NSTAR and crowd-sourced websites offer tips and locations for charging electric cars.
Drivers considering a switch to electric vehicles or current vehicle owners looking for a place nearby to charge their rides have a couple of places to find their outlet. In Brookline, there are spaces in the Town Hall parking lot reserved for electric cars. Carstations allow users to upload new car charging locations to a Google map and (when applicable) provides details on the station. According to the site's About section, "this website is designed to encourage participation and welcomes user interaction in the form of comments, updates and user generated content." There are also more official sites providing electric car charging information. This week, NSTAR launched a new hotline and website to provide customers with information …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Share your best tips and tricks for living the green life here in Brookline.
We're looking for all the great ways Brookline natives are working to preserve and protect the Earth. From composting to creative recycling, we want to hear what you do to minimize your carbon footprint, reduce waste, and just live a greener lifestyle. Certainly, going green is an initiative in Brookline after the ban on styrofoam and plastic bags passed at the last town meeting Please tell us in the comments below or upload a picture!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Eating organic is good for your health and it's good for the planet. But sometimes, it can be hard to find. Here's where to get the best organic foods in and around Brookline.
Did you know that eating conventional produce increases your risk of pesticide contamination by 30%? And chowing down on non-organic chicken and pork increases your risk of exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria by 33%? This is all according to a 2012 Annals of Internal Medicine report. If you're not already sold on the benefits of eating organic, consider this: organic foods may have more nutrients than their conventionally produced counterparts. Organic broccoli, for example, has higher levels of antioxidants and vitamin C than the traditionally produced variety, found a 2012 Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture study. There’s also evidence of more heart-healthy omega-3s in organic poultry and dairy. So eating organic is…
Monday, March 4, 2013
The Hubway bicycle share system has taken off in Boston in its first two seasons.
Boston’s popular three-season bicycle share system has done more than provide residents with a quick, cheap mode of transportation, it's taken a few cars off the road in the process. Nicole Freedman, director of bicycle programs for the city of Boston, said 13 percent of the 675,000 rides taken in the first two years of the Hubway system are “car replacement” rides, according to survey data collected by the city. In other words, those riders signaled that if not for their Hubway bike ride, they would be driving, Freedman said. That amounts to 87,750 rides that were taken on a bicycle as opposed to in a car. The Hubway system has been available to the public for about 240 days per year in its first two seasons, Freedman said. The system, …
James Lawton
10:01 am on Monday, April 1, 2013
Moving the Town Hall Station to Washington Square would put both the Village T Hubway station and the Washington Square Station more than a mile from any other station making them much less useful. If a station is full the user would have to ride a mile or more to park at another station and then walk back a mile or more to get to their destination. If the Village T station is empty (as it was … more ›