LENOX – The Lenox Environmental Committee will have an agenda ranging from recycling bins for downtown streets to diesel fuel made from oil used in cooking French-fried potatoes when it meets on Jan. 31.
The committee was formed by a handful of dedicated environmentalists two years ago to analyze the energy consumption of town facilities. Since then, its concerns have led to leadership in efforts to install a wind turbine on Yokun Mountain and to encourage energy conservation with a an “idle-free†campaign to persuade motorists to turn off their engines during extended stops.
With Town Manager Gregory Federspiel as its mentor, the committee’s mission is to raise public awareness of ways not only to conserve energy but also to find replacements for fossil fuels that contaminate the atmosphere.
Federspiel, who has taken an active role in exploring the possibility of wind power for Lenox, said on Jan. 7 that he expecting the results of an engineering feasibility study within the next few weeks on whether the three 1-ton paddles for the projected turbine can be transported up a steep slope to the mountain’s crest.
Meanwhile, the committee, chaired by Jamie Cullihane, is encouraging Lenox homeowners to invest in a renewable Clean Energy Choice program offered by Massachusetts Electric Co. The utility’s customers are being given an option of signing up for clean energy created with biomass, solar, wind or hydroelectric power. Those who enroll pay a premium on each month's Mass. Electric bill, with the proceeds used to purchase green energy that is fed into the electric system. The premium ranges from 2.2 to 1.3 cents per kilowatt hour. The Lenox Selectmen have endorsed this program, also known as Green-Up, as well as the Cape Wind Project proposal for 130 wind turbines in the ocean off Cape Cod.
Rick Gregg, who initiated the idle-free campaign in Lenox, has been spreading word of the program throughout the state and hopes eventually it may spread across the nation. Idle-Free signs have been posted at schools, the Nature Preserve and other key points in town.
With these projects in progress, Cullihane said the Environmental Committee is now going to look at recycling and biodiesel as important “fronts†in the war against waste and pollution.
“We are going to look at the possibility of having recycling bins in town, along with trash bins,†he said last week. “There also should be extra bins in place for town-wide events such as the Apple Squeeze to receive used glass, cans and plastics.â€
He added, “We are also going to look at alternative automobiles’ fuel — biodiesel — made from vegetable oil, which can be used in any diesel vehicle.â€
In Holyoke, he said, the Energy Alliance is making biodiesel oil from plants that can be used in any diesel engine. Some people, he said, are processing used vegetable oil obtained from restaurant friers. He has also learned that a “veggie oil†refinery is being planned in the town of Greenfield.
Biodiesel is processed from animal fats as well as vegetable oils, a concept introduced by Rudolf Diesel, the German scientist who developed the first diesel engine to run on vegetable oil, which was demonstrated at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900.
According to a biodiesel fact sheet prepared by the Clean Cities Technical Assistance that is available on the Internet, biodiesel is ideal fuel for use on boats and on vehicles in national parks and forests, as well as in heavily polluted cities. It can be produced from any renewable oilseed crops, such as soybeans, corn, canola and cotton and mustard seeds.
And, Clean Cities adds, it replaces the exhaust odor of petroleum diesel with the pleasant aroma of popcorn or French fries.
“I would like to see the Department of Public Works in Lenox use veggie diesel oil in its trucks, “ Cullihane said, “but right now it is too expensive. I would also like to see it used in school buses, where fossil fuel diesel oil is a children’s health issue. I’d like to see the school bus contract include biodiesel.â€
He added, “When Gustave Diesel invented the diesel engine, he did it for vegetable oil for use in farm tractors. He never thought of using fossil-fuel oil. Now, 100 years later, people are realizing that veggie oil is cleaner, and it’s growing as a renewable resource.â€
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Air Quality Alert Issued for Berkshire County
Staff reports
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The state's on an air quality alert through midnight Thursday because of the smoke from wildfires in Canada.
Berkshire residents woke up to smoky, hazy skies and a red glowing sun on Wednesday morning, but with less oppressive heat.
The Department of Environmental Protection issued an air quality alert for elevated levels of fine particles (PM2.5). This refers to microscopic airborne particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter — about 30 times smaller than a human hair. These particles come in many sizes and shapes and can be made up of hundreds of different chemicals.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the size of these particles can cause serious health problems because they can get deep into your lungs and even into bloodstreams. Particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest risk to health.
The air quality statewide is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups. These include people with heart or lung disease such as asthma, older adults, children, teenagers, and people who are active outdoors. People with either lung disease or heart disease are at greater risk from exposure to air pollution.
MassDEP advises people in sensitive groups to reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion, take more breaks, do less intense activities, follow asthma action plans, and keep quick relief medicine handy. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.
EPA's air quality index rates levels from "good" at 0-50 and "very unhealthy" from 201 to 300. Residents of Williamstown can track the AQI through PurpleAir, which displays results from monitors in five sections of town.
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Brayden Durant struck out seven and walked one in a complete-game effort on the mound Saturday to pitch the Drury baseball team to a 6-0 win over Keefe Tech in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament at Joe Wolfe Field. click for more
Jason Codey struck out 13, walked two and allowed just an infield single as the Generals earned a 7-1 win over Wahconah to claim their third straight regional title. click for more
