Environmental group far from idle

By Claire Cox12:00AM / Wednesday, January 12, 2005Print Story | Email Story

LENOX â€“ 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 â€œidle-freeâ€ campaign to persuade motorists to turn off their engines during extended stops. With Town Manager Gregory Federspiel as its mentor, the committeeâ€™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 mountainâ€™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 utilityâ€™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 â€œfrontsâ€ in the war against waste and pollution. â€œWe are going to look at the possibility of having recycling bins in town, along with trash bins,â€ he said last week. â€œThere 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, â€œWe are also going to look at alternative automobilesâ€™ fuel â€” biodiesel â€” 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 â€œveggie oilâ€ 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. â€œI would like to see the Department of Public Works in Lenox use veggie diesel oil in its trucks, â€œ Cullihane said, â€œbut right now it is too expensive. I would also like to see it used in school buses, where fossil fuel diesel oil is a childrenâ€™s health issue. Iâ€™d like to see the school bus contract include biodiesel.â€ He added, â€œWhen 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 itâ€™s growing as a renewable resource.â€

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Now's the time...

to harvest value from your home. Click for more details about a HELOC. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Unpaved Cycling Event to Benefit Jimmy Fund

Community submission12:36PM / Monday, September 14, 2026

LENOX, Mass. -- The Pan-Mass Challenge will once again bring together hundreds of cyclists and volunteers in the scenic Berkshires of Massachusetts for PMC Unpaved, the organization’s charitable gravel ride and camp experience on Saturday, Oct. 3.

All money raised through PMC Unpaved goes directly to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In 2026, the PMC aims to raise a record breaking $79 million.

The 2026 event marks the fifth annual PMC Unpaved. The experience will kick off on Friday, Oct. 2, as participants gather around a campfire at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac to enjoy s’mores, live music, and a shared mission to end cancer.

Cycling begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and includes three gravel route options spanning 20, 30, and 50 miles. Riders enjoy the paved and unpaved country roads of the Berkshires through western Massachusetts and even into New York state.

Immediately following the ride, the PMC Unpaved camp experience continues with live entertainment, activities for riders and their loved ones, and a speaking program featuring PMC leadership and members of PMC’s Living Proof community, riders and volunteers who were previously treated or are currently undergoing cancer treatment and who serve as Living Proof of the progress made through raising funds for cancer research and treatment.

Those interested in experiencing PMC Unpaved for themselves can visit unpaved.org for more information, including details about day-of registration.

View Full Story