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By EMILY THURLOW

EASTHAMPTON — While much of the discussion on the proposed Sierra Vista Commons has been centered around affordable housing and traffic, volunteers from Pascommuck Conservation Trust worry about the environmental impact of the massive development on...

By MICKEY RATHBUN

One of the many casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic was the series of annual spring gardening symposiums hosted by the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association (WMMGA). These popular events helped gardeners of all abilities expand their...

Dear EarthTalk: Is it really bad for the planet to upgrade my phone every two years? – A.J., Darien, ConnecticutSmartphones have certainly become ubiquitous, with some 85% of Americans and 67% of adults worldwide possessing one. Manufacturers sell...

By BILL DANIELSON

We’ve reached that point in the school year when my biology students have learned about Gregor Mendel, his experiments with pea plants and the general concepts of genes and heredity. We’ve also taken a look at the structures and basic functions of DNA...

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern and Sen. Ed Markey reintroduced a bill Wednesday that would begin the process of designating the Deerfield River as a National Wild and Scenic River.First introduced by McGovern, D-Worcester, in a July 2022...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — What’s the first step in dealing with an overflowing bathtub?That’s the question MASSPIRG legislative director Deirdre Cummings asks to make her pitch for a sweeping new bill aimed at wrangling the presence of PFAS chemicals in food...

By LEE HALASZ and KARI BLOOD

This winter has been one of the warmest on record in Massachusetts, and around the nation, extreme weather events are in the headlines on a regular basis. Scientists agree that our rapidly warming planet is now feeling the effects of the climate...

Dear EarthTalk: How can we harness the power of AI to fight climate change? – P.K., Old Forge, PA No doubt, artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to play a significant role in addressing the challenges posed by climate change. One way that...

By EMILY THURLOW

EASTHAMPTON — Easthampton is embarking on its first-ever, far-reaching climate action plan that officials believe will help the city tackle the looming effects of climate change and, in the long run, achieve a cleaner, net-zero carbon-emitting...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

Coyotes are present in every Massachusetts city and town, according to state wildlife officials, who are out Tuesday with new tips to prevent rare “negative coyote encounters” during their ongoing mating season.“Whenever you see a coyote in your yard,...

By CHRIS LARABEE

While campaigning, one of Gov. Maura Healey’s climate priorities was to place a moratorium on commercial logging on state-owned forest land, a move that foresters and environmental advocates say would be detrimental to forest health, the state’s...

By EMILY THURLOW

EASTHAMPTON — An advisory committee is pulling out all the stops with 35 events to get people out and about to celebrate this year’s WinterFest.Now in its 10th year, the Nashawannuck Pond Steering Committee is adding nine days of in-person events to...

By EMILY THURLOW

SOUTHAMPTON — A few Southampton landowners are asserting that they are due “just compensation” from the federal government, claiming that their land has been seized for the Greenway rail trail project currently in the design phase.As part of a...

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — As the town examines land around Exit 35 on Interstate 91, it is partnering with a local sustainable design school to take inventory of the environmental resources available.Members of Whately’s new Climate Resilience Planning Committee will...

By JOSHUA ROSE

’Tis the season of mistletoe, sort of. Mistletoe is evergreen, meaning it’s present year-round. However, winter is the season when we think about mistletoe most often.In the southeastern U.S., where I am writing this piece, mistletoe is hidden among...

By JULIAN MENDOZA

WHATELY — While winter’s warmest days remind us that our climate’s future could be bleak, the future generation reminds us that it may not have to be.Stephanie Apanell’s fourth grade class at Whately Elementary School joined forces with Amherst’s...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — Sleepless nights, panic attacks and weight loss are among symptoms Ronald Karakula claims he has been suffering over the past 2½ years as he worries about being injured or killed by a large pine tree that looms over his Damon Road home...

By BILL DANIELSON

For the past couple weeks I have found myself grumbling during my mornings at the kitchen window.For some reason my yard has become popular with a flock of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) and I am not at all pleased. The house sparrow is an...

By EMILY THURLOW

EASTHAMPTON — An energy firm is seeking a special permit to construct a 250-kilowatt solar array over the existing capped and closed landfill within the wastewater treatment plant property.The city’s Planning Board will hold its first public hearing...

By EMILY THURLOW

BOSTON — When 15-year-old Ollie Perrault found herself on the basketball court at the TD Garden, she seized an opportunity she’d never thought she’d have, and she took her shot.And though the Easthampton climate activist wasn’t trying to score any...