Tues, April 15, Farm to School Meeting, 7PM, Island Co-Housing, W. Tisbury. Hosted by Island Grown Initiative. 508-645-9557

Wastewater and the effect it is having on the coastal ponds of Cape Cod was the subject at the April meeting of the Martha’s Vineyard Water Alliance. Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director of the Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative, was the featured speaker and he described quite eloquently how Cape Cod is attacking the problem of nitrogen-enriched ponds that are rapidly choking from too much algae. An abundance of algae fed by high levels of nitrogen smothers eel grass beds, shellfish habitat and degrades the overall quality of a bay or pond. This is happening because the Cape has undergone unprecedented growth and the septic systems that accompany most of the new homes remove only 25% of the wastewater at best.

Go to Wastewater section for the rest of the article

Edgartown and the Martha's Vineyard Commission have formally joined the fracas over the wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound.

In a petition filed last week with the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board, the Edgartown selectmen declared, for the first time, their opposition to what they consider to be Cape Wind Associates' attempt to circumvent local permitting authorities.

http://capecodonline.com/apps/
pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080408/NEWS/804080308/-1/NEWS01

Proponents cite Maine's successful redemption law as a lesson for Mass.

YORK, Maine - As lawmakers in Massachusetts debate whether to expand the Commonwealth's 27-year-old bottle law to allow residents to redeem bottled water and other noncarbonated drinks - which now account for about one-third of beverage containers sold in the state - proponents of a new bill cite Maine's approach as a way to boost recycling rates.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/
articles/2008/04/09/message_in_a_bottle/