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By BILL DANIELSON

As I write this column I am looking out my office window at a world that is enduring its first winter storm of the season. Back in October we saw the first flakes of snow, but that wasn’t really enough to describe as a storm. It was thrilling to see,...

By STELLA TANNENBAUM

Massachusetts’ efforts to meet its net-zero goals and measure up to neighboring states may mean an overhaul of energy efficiency program Mass Save, according to Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer’s recent report.The state’s Clean Energy and Climate Plan...

By DOMENIC POLI

GREENFIELD — Years ago, Rebecca Todd and her roommate decided to cap off their first year at Dartmouth College by paddling home on the Connecticut River — from Hanover, New Hampshire to Walpole, New Hampshire.“I wouldn’t say that was the start of my...

By BILL DANIELSON

“One has only to sit down in the woods or fields, or by the shore of the river or the lake, and nearly everything of interest will come round to him, — the birds, the animals, the insects; and presently, after his eye has got accustomed to place, and...

By MADDIE FABIAN

Editor’s note: This is the third of four articles from the Western Massachusetts Solar Forum series taking place in September.AMHERST — At Joe Czajkowski Farm in Hadley, not only does the broccoli field produce fresh vegetables, but rows of solar...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — Shutesbury’s Conservation Commission, bringing a series of new and revised wetlands regulations forward for public review, is continuing a hearing on the proposal Wednesday night, after being forced to delay taking input when the virtual...

By DOMENIC POLI

Experts say that if you encounter a bear it is important to immediately make yourself look big, talk very calmly and slowly back away.But after that, if you saw the carnivoran mammal in Massachusetts, you can go to bit.ly/3raabc8 to report the...

By SOPHIE HAUCK

AMHERST — Researchers at the University of Massachusetts and U.S. Geological Survey are teaming up to address the impact of hydropower installations on fish migration patterns, thanks to a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy they...

By BILL DANIELSON

The first week of September was appalling. The highest combination of head and humidity that we had experienced all summer all presented in a heat wave that lasted for four days. Then, even though the temperatures moderated somewhat, the humidity...

By MARY BYRNE

Valley advocates were among the 21 groups and 258 people to sign a letter sent to the Healey administration last week, encouraging passage of a bill that would provide funding for a Municipal Reforestation Program.The letter asks that the program —...

By JAMES PENTLAND

HOLYOKE — University of Massachusetts researchers have landed a $1.1M grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to research ways to help lower-income households and neighborhoods make the transition to a clean-energy future.Residential buildings...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

SHUTESBURY — A significant drop in the level of Lake Wyola in mid-July, apparently caused by the intentional release of water through the dam, is prompting the Conservation Commission to issue the town a violation notice under the Massachusetts...

E - The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: What exactly is “climate migration” and is it already happening? –B.T., via emailAs discussions of the climate crisis begin to shift from future tense to present, ‘climate migration’ has become a growing concern. But what is it? The...

By VICTORIA MILKO

JAKARTA, Indonesia — The International Seabed Authority — the United Nations body that regulates the world’s ocean floor — is preparing to resume negotiations that could open the international seabed for mining, including for materials critical for...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

BOSTON — Massachusetts has more than enough solar energy potential to support the decarbonization requirements enshrined in state laws, according to a report officials released Thursday.The Department of Energy Resources report found the state’s land...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — A national research group continues to see Massachusetts as ahead of the curve and improving when it comes to electric vehicle adoption, even though the Bay State has a long way to go to meet its own rollout goals.The American Council for an...

By SOPHIE HAUCK

BOSTON — Time’s up for single-use plastics. Or at least that remains the hope of representatives from 10 environmental organizations who gathered last week on Beacon Hill to promote bills that would ban the distribution of plastic shopping bags at...

By EMILY THURLOW

EASTHAMPTON — The city has launched a survey to gain insight about the experience residents and business owners have related to energy usage.The survey, available at https://tinyurl.com/EasthamptonCAPSurvey, is one of several outreach methods...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — The Healey administration moved this week to draft the state’s forests into the effort to address climate change, announcing a new initiative to invest in conservation, develop updated guidelines for state lands, and provide incentives for...

By BILL DANIELSON

Three or four times last week I noticed an enormous raccoon on my deck in the moments just before dawn. This was clearly a raccoon that was scrounging for any scraps left over from the meal that I had set out for the birds the evening before and I...