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State Grant Program Should Help Local Food ProducersBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
07:27AM / Sunday, June 07, 2020 | |
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — As a member of a town committee, an officer with the advocacy group Berkshire Grown and a documentary filmmaker, Sarah Gardner has spent years pushing for a stronger local food supply. So she was glad last month when Beacon Hill followed suit. As part of its overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the administration of Gov. Charlie Baker recently announced $36 million in grants to build up the commonwealth's "food security infrastructure." "The grants will fund investments in technology, equipment, increased capacity and other infrastructure to help producers distribute food, especially to food insecure 0 Comments
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CET Offers Webinar on Weatherization for Small BusinessesBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
02:31PM / Monday, May 25, 2020 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Center for EcoTechnology on Wednesday will host a webinar to help small businesses learn about the benefits of weatherization. "Right now, due to the current COVID-19 and economic situation, utilities have temporarily increased incentives available to small businesses – in some cases up to 70-100 percent of installed energy saving measures will be covered," said Katherine Butler, the special projects manager at CET. "This means it’s a terrific time for businesses to pursue these energy efficiency measures. In general, weatherization is a phenomenal way to stimulate the local economy, save businesses money, and help the 0 Comments
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Williamstown Committee Discusses Planting Bulbs at SprucesBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
04:06PM / Sunday, May 10, 2020 | |
Naturalization efforts at the Spruces already include a butterfly garden on the east side. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The panel charged with finding uses for the Spruces Community Park sees potential for planting a field of flowers on the south end of the Main Street property. Andrew Hogeland pitched the project to his colleagues on the Spruces Land Use Committee during a Thursday morning video conference. In addition to beautifying the portion of the park seen from the road, a bulb planting project could be a rallying point for the community after months of social isolation necessitated to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, Hogeland said. "It fulfills a 5 Comments
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Area's Garden Centers Ready for Bump in DemandBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
03:47AM / Friday, April 24, 2020 | |
Customers can't go into Whitney's farm store but can order and pick it up outside. CHESHIRE, Mass. — When the commonwealth shut down non-essential businesses last month, nurseries and garden centers were classified as essential. That could be an understatement. If anything, they're more important than ever. "I've taken, I'd say, 10 times the phone calls about people wanting to start vegetable gardens this year," said Martha Tanner, the greenhouse manager at Whitney's Farm Market and Garden Center. "People are really interested in growing their own food and starting their own gardens. "I totally encourage people to grow 1 Comment
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Internet Seen as Helping Save Planet, but Many in Mass Still Miss OutBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
11:33AM / Wednesday, April 22, 2020 | |
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — When the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires last week hosted a virtual town hall with Berkshire County's legislative delegation, the area's elected officials got a little face time with their constituents to talk about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. All but one. State Rep. Paul Mark, of Peru, was an audio-only participant in the hourlong webinar. "It's good to see my colleagues," Mark said at one point. "I haven't seen any of you for at least a month now." "And we still don't see you," quipped state Rep. John Barrett III of North Adams. That is because Mark is 1 Comment
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Earth Day 2020: 'Learning Experience' for ActivistsBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
03:43AM / Wednesday, April 22, 2020 | |
 WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — For activists committed to saving the planet, the climate change crisis is top of mind, every day. But there is one day each year when they can plan to rally together with like-minded citizens and engage the apathetic and unaware. In a normal year, that day would be Wednesday, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. As it is with so many so many other things, normal is not part of the conversation. "It's definitely been a change," said Jane Winn, the executive director of the Pittsfield-based Berkshire Environmental Action Team. "One of the things that hurts the most is we had student interns, who were absolutely 1 Comment
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Mount Greylock Building Project Achieves LEED CertificationBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
04:02AM / Friday, March 13, 2020 | |
 WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School this week learned that the $64 million adddition/renovation project at the middle-high school achieved LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The council's approval of the project's sustainable elements ensures the district 2 percentage points on its reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. That should translate to about $1 million of the total share the state authority will contribute to the project when all is said and done, said Hugh Daley, a Williamstown Select Board member and part of the finance working group of the district's School Building 0 Comments
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Mohawk Trail Woodlands, Forest Service Team Up on ConservationBy Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
05:33PM / Thursday, November 21, 2019 | |
BRPC's Tom Matuszko asks advisory board members to raise their hands as FRCOG's Executive Director Linda Dunlavy waits to speak. CHARLEMONT, Mass. — A shared stewardship agreement signed Thursday will bring U.S. Forest Service expertise to the state while keeping hundreds of thousands of acres of forestland in state and private hands. The Mohawk Trail Woodland Partnership encompasses 361,941 acres of state and private land across 21 communities in the northwestern corner of the state. About 28 percent of that land is permanently protected. The partnership will enhance conservation and forest research and provide technical support for businesses that depend 1 Comment
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Windsor Receives $165k in Funding for Ecological Repairs| 05:50PM / Tuesday, August 27, 2019 | |
The secretary also met with local officials during her trip to Western Mass, including a roundtable on Friday in Pittsfield. WINDSOR, Mass. — The town of Windsor has been awarded $165,000 to replace a culvert on the East Branch of the Westfield River. Windsor's grant is largest of 16 awards targeting culvert replacement and river health and totaling $932,000. Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides announced the grants at an event last week at Windsor State Forest, then visited the sites of two culvert projects in Windsor and Cummington that received grants. Also receiving funds were Clarksburg and 0 Comments
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Microcosm Holds Surprising Pollinators' DiversityBy Tor Hansen, iBerkshires columnist
04:51PM / Sunday, August 25, 2019 | |
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — During May and June at various sites in the Berkshires, close examination of the floral bloom reveals some welcome surprises regarding pollinating insects. Just pretend to drop down in scale until you are a tiny person, like in "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift, walking among the mushrooms and fleabanes in bold bloom towering above. What a dynamic environment is the microcosm surrounding you with its assorted insect fauna. Before long you may encounter one of our smallest butterflies, a spring azure (Celastrina ladon) imbibing at red clover, appearing gigantic in reduced scale. Pause for awhile as you may become mesmerized 1 Comment
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