Letter: Accessing Benefits From Recent Climate Legislation

Letter to the EditorPrint Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

The Berkshire chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby and its partners are hosting a free public forum on the evening of Monday, April 3, that will highlight recently passed climate legislation and the opportunities available to local governments and their constituents.

The Berkshire chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby and its partners are hosting a free public forum on the evening of Monday, April 3, 2023, at the Berkshire Innovation Center, at 45 Woodlawn Ave. in Pittsfield. The event is open to the community, and the reception with appetizers will begin at 5:30 p.m., and panelists will begin at 6:15 p.m.

The panelists are Massachusetts state Sen. Paul Mark, former Undersecretary of Energy and Climate Solutions Judy Chang, Executive Director of Green Energy Consumers Alliance Larry Chretien, and Congressman Richard Neal with a brief message.

The forum, sponsored by The Berkshire Eagle, Berkshire Innovation Center, Ener-g-Save, and Citizen's Climate Lobby, will highlight recently passed climate legislation and the opportunities available to local governments and their constituents. The panelists will explain the benefits of these new laws including job creation, access to immediate rebates, generous tax credits, and more, and will appeal to businesses and individuals alike. The event will be live-streamed on Pittsfield Community Television. Moderated questions from the audience will be posed to the panel.

"I am excited to join local leaders, community members, and climate activists to discuss state and federal legislation recently signed into law and how these new policies can benefit us in the Berkshires," declared Senator Paul Mark. "Climate change is one of the most important issues we face as a state and as a nation and how we respond to this challenge and work to proactively mitigate the negative consequences is going to impact all of us in a tangible way for years to come."

Uli Nagel of Lee, liaison to Congressman Richard Neal's office, shared her concern, "Lack of snow cover in the winter is hurting our local ski resorts, and the drought-like conditions in the summer are difficult for local farmers. Events like these help educate our community; these new laws can help to slow that trend."

Christine Kelly
Sheffield, Mass. 

 

 

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

Pittsfield Boards OK Permanent Mural Honoring 54th Regiment

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — City boards and commissions have approved a permanent mural in Durant Park honoring the Black residents who fought in the Civil War. 

During its Jan. 20 meeting, the Community Development Board approved a floodplain site review for "Pride of the Westside," an approximately 25 x 12-foot mural of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment.  The project was brought forward by the Westside Legends and unveiled during the 2025 Juneteenth celebrations

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath has been working closely with the neighborhood revitalization nonprofit to permanently mount the mural in Durant Park, located at 30 Columbus Ave. 

"It's a very handsome mural, and I think it really tells an important story about Pittsfield's role in the Civil War and particularly around the African American experience," he said, adding that the regiment’s story needs to be told. 

The 54th Mass was the second Black regiment raised during the Civil War (the 1st Kansas was formed two months earlier) and a priority of Gov. John Andrew and abolitionist supporters. These soldiers would prove their bravery not only in battle but against the discrimination and bigotry they faced, and harsh treatment or execution if captured. 

By the end of the Civil War, nearly 180,000 Black soldiers had seen service in the Union army.
 
The regiment's establishment in 1863 and its heroic actions at Fort Wagner in South Carolina were dramatized in the film "Glory" starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew Broderick as Col. Robert Gould Shaw. Shaw and his troops are memorialized across from the State House in a bronze relief by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
 
Frederick Douglass' two sons were among its recruits, and Pittsfield's the Rev. Samuel Harrison of Second Congregational Church was its chaplain. 

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories