The Island Plan Steering Committee met January 31 concerning two issues:

1. Adopted a format for each of the five work groups to organize its information, goals and strategies into a synthesis document that will be added to and edited throughout the development of the plan. Work groups are also to identify the one or two “bold ideas” – out-of-the-box or fundamentally different approaches to issues – and one or two initiatives that could easily and quickly be implemented (“low-hanging fruit”) to begin taking action, possibly before completion of the Island Plan, and to provide momentum for further actions. Work groups are to complete their initial synthesis document by early March.
2. Decided to request meetings with each of the Boards of Selectmen to provide the towns with a brief status report and, more importantly, to solicit feedback and ideas from town boards. An Outreach and Communications Committee was established to help organize these meetings and identify other appropriate measures targeted to engage the towns, interest groups and the broader community at particular milestones throughout the planning process.

Go to Island Plan for the rest of the report.

With Gina Stanley and Tina Miller in the Kitchen

Celebrate Local Food with a Special Valentine’s Day Menu

February 14, 2007
5:30 pm – 10 pm

• A la carte menu with apps, soups, salads, entrees and dessert
• Last night for Art Cliff dinner this winter season

For Food Sourcing and other information call: Gina at 774-563-0657.

If you'd like information about ordering seedlings for Vineyard-friendly plants, Bill Wilcox (wilcox.mvcommission.org) would be happy to send you an order form. Plants selected for this program are low maintenance types that are suited to our growing conditions. The Dukes Conservation District is a quasi-governmental agency that supports local agriculture by sponsoring the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service programs in the County. The program activities include preparation of farm plans to aid local farmers, cost-share funding for conservation practices like manure storage structures and engineering design services for projects. The annual seedling sale is the District's sole source of funding to keep these programs going.

Produced by Chris Fried, will be aired Feb. 7 and Feb. 8, at 7 PM on Channel 13. The 45-minute film leads viewers through an assortment of VINEYARD homes, pointing out cracks, missing insulation, inefficient heating systems, and other “energy leaks”. It summarizes ways to plug/slow them, and suggests solar water heaters, solar electric panels, wind turbines, and wood stoves.

The MVC adopted an interim Water Quality Policy for DRI review. This policy essentially codifies the Commission’s practice over the past years to require that projects meet nitrogen-loading limits for Island watersheds, based on the capacity of coastal ponds. A copy of the policy is available from the Commission website. The Commission invites comments from town boards and members of the public prior to a review of the interim policy this spring. (Contact: Bill Wilcox – wilcox@mvcommission.org).

PLYMOUTH - To address a potential safety hazard, plant owners need to make sure the first barrier surrounding the nuclear reactor at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is in good condition.

Inspectors from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission are questioning whether there has been corrosion in the plant's drywell, a steel casing surrounding the reactor, from nearly 40 years of plant operation.

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/
nrcto31.htm

Electric utilities continue to invest in conventional coal plants despite the fact that governments are moving to restrict the heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions from such plants. The risks are both environmental and financial. A new UCS report, shows how investment in conventional coal plants is a reckless financial gamble given coming climate regulation.

http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/
documents/clean_energy/
big_stone_II_presentation_REAMP.pdf

Mary Louisa Butcher Hill always wanted a greenhouse.

So for her 100th birthday this week, Mrs. Hill - who is known to everyone on the Vineyard as Polly - finally got one. The Polly Hill Arboretum on Tuesday unveiled its new 1,300-square-foot greenhouse as a gift to Mrs. Hill - the legendary horticulturist and longtime Island seasonal resident who founded the public arboretum on her family's historic sheep farm in North Tisbury. Almost 100 people attended a dedication ceremony on the brisk winter afternoon, crowding into the greenhouse and adjoining building to sing a group rendition of Happy Birthday to Polly.

http://www.mvgazette.com/news/
2007/02/02/polly_hill_100.php

PARIS (AP) -- Scientists from 113 countries issued a landmark report Friday saying they have little doubt global warming is caused by man, and predicting that hotter temperatures and rises in sea level will "continue for centuries" no matter how much humans control their pollution.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been established by WMO and UNEP to assess scientific, technical and socio- economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. It is currently finalizing its Fourth Assessment Report "Climate Change 2007". The reports by the three Working Groups provide a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the current state of knowledge on climate change. The Synthesis Report integrates theinformation around six topic areas.

More...

http://www.ipcc.ch/

http://www.ipcc.ch/press/prwg2feb07.htm

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2007 - Wind power generating capacity increased by 27 percent in 2006 and is expected to increase an additional 26 percent in 2007, proving wind is now a mainstream option for new power generation, according to a market forecast released today by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

Wind's exponential growth reflects the nation's increasing demand for clean, safe and domestic energy, and continues to attract both private and public sources of capital.

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/
news_third.cfm?NewsID=34489