Events and News

2012 Events

Potluck Dinner and Film, "Living Downstream" at the Unitarian Church of Barnstable, on Friday, January 27th. Potluck begins at 6 pm and film begins at 7, followed by a discussion led by Sue Phelan. If you opt to attend the potluck at 6, simply bring a dish to share--organic and sustainable grown, if possible. The film is sponsosred by the Unitarian Church of Barnstable Social Justice Committee and GreenCAPE. RSVP, JoAnn Kelley at jojolk at gis.net by Wednesday, January 25th. See the GreenCAPE Blog for more information and downloadable posters.

Remember--we are counting down to the end of 2011 and the end of the current Nstar "moratorium" on spraying the transmission pole easements. If you are concerned about the effect of spraying 5 powerful herbicides for vegetation management in your town, on your land, over your water supply, and around your family, DO SOMETHING to tell authorities and Tom May of your concerns! See our Say NAY to the Spray information, the Cape Cod for a Truly Green Nstar page on the website and GreenCAPE blog. Take Action Today! Meanwhile, NSTAR is taking down trees along their easements in Falmouth and has residents up in arms. Could it be they want people to say--spray instead? If NSTAR is careless with chainsaws, imagine the lasting effects of carelessness with toxic chemicals. (Cape Cod Times, November 16, 2011. "War of the Trees in Falmouth")

2011 EVENTS: Two events that were repeated in various Cape Cod locations this year were a showing of LIVING DOWNSTREAM and a talk by nationally known turf expert Chip Osborne. Hundreds of Cape Cod citizens attended the events and discussions.

• LIVING DOWNSTREAM, a feature documentary film based on the book by Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., follows Sandra during one pivotal year as she travels across North America, working to break the silence about cancer and its environmental links. The website is www.livingdownstream.com    GreenCAPE has been showing the film to audiences across the Cape, with a discussion, "Living Downstream from Nstar" following the film. See the GC Blog for a downloadable movie poster and subscribe to the blog.

This fall, Dr.Steingraber was named as a recipient of the Heinz Award, a $100,000 cash prize which she is donating to an environmental group working against fracking, the . Read her comments on that in the following link: www.alternet.org/water/152427/why_i%27m_donating_my_heinz_award_money_to_the_fight_against_fracking.

Showings were held:

November 16, Barnstable Senior Center
October 26, Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans.
October 8, Marstons Mills Public Library
March 19, Falmouth Public Library. Discussion with Cheryl Osimo (Mass. Breast Cancer Coalition and Silent Spring Institute)
March 27, Dennis Public Library, Dennisport
April 2, Brewster Ladies¹ Library
April 8, Cinema Politica at Alchemy Farm, 237 Hatchville Road
April 16, Water Justice Conference‹Unitarian Church of Barnstable www.barnstableuu.org
April 23, Brooks Free Library in Harwich

• On July 30, 2011, we held the First Annual Cape Cod Toxie Award Ceremony at Cape Cod Chat House, 593 Route 6A, Dennis Village with an enthusiastic group of presenters, actors and audience.

• Chip Osborne :The Living Lawn, A Lawn for Living- ³Simple Steps to Organic Lawn Care²©

In this workshop nationally-recognized natural turf expert Chip Osborne discussed some compelling reasons why we should consider a natural approach to lawn care. Public health, children¹s health, storm-water runoff, and water quality issues are just a few of the reasons why we should begin to reduce our dependence on synthetic and chemical products to grow our lawns and gardens. Chip presented a detailed lawn care program at:

March 5 - Harwich Community Center. 90 people attended.
March 25 - Chip spoke at. "Bay Friendly Landscaping and Lawn Care". Pavilion at Captain's Golf Course, Brewster
April 30 - Dennis Public Library ­ In celebration of Earth Day,
May 11 - Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth
October 19 - Presentation to the Barnstable County Commissioners. Though the commissoners do not have juristiction over Cape towns to require natural turf management, Chip suggested it would set a tone for towns and landscapers both. See the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfJcMecmrPQ
November 9 - Day long free turf management workshop for municipal employees. Many Cape towns took advantage and sent employees.

• March 12,Toxics Action Conference ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION 2011 ­ www.MAEnvironmentalAction.org at Bentley University in Waltham, MA -GreenCAPE hosts a workshop with Corporate Accountability

• May 2, ³BeeScaping ­Planting for Pollinators²‹Barnstable Senior Center Garden Club.

• May 10, ³BeeScaping ­Planting for Pollinators²‹Barnstable County Beekeepers Assn.

• May 22, Dennis Public Library,- Annual GreenCAPE meeting, election of officers, and film: Contaminated without Consent. American babies are born with 287 synthetic chemicals in their bodies.

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See Garden Lady C.L. Fornari's article in the February 2011 issue of PrimeTime. Your Cape Garden: New to the Neighborhood?
She writes, "The bottom line is that most of us on the Cape are planting on the beach. We many not have waterfront property, but the ground underneath our plants of often pure sand."Recommended to read whether you are new to the Cape or not. GreenCAPE's lawn page is one of the weblinks.

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Please sign these petitions to protect Cape Cod's water. Takes no more time than drinking a nice clean glassful of local water:

• Change.org Protect our water and our health--say nay to the spray

• Clean Water Action Petition salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2155/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3813

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PAST EVENTS:

Organic Lawn Care workshops on Cape Cod 2010

nationally known expert Chip Osborne presented workshops for homeowners and turf professionals in September at Hyannis Country Garden, sponsored by Green Cape and Hyannis Country Garden. Simple Steps to Organic Land Care -- free workshop for homeowners and Systems Approach to Natural Turf Management for Landscape Professionals

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Cape Cod for a Truly Green NSTAR--

August 8-11, 2010: Kick off Sunday night with excellent attendance from across the Cape. Speakers empasized that NSTAR should return to its previous policy of mechanically clearing vegetation along their rights of way. Hundreds of Cape Codders and vacationers who enjoy the beauty and healthy lifestyle of the Cape are writing postcards and phoning NSTAR to point out how dangerous this herbicide mixture is--Accord, Escort, Krenite, Garlon 4 in special doses that require a license to apply. The breakdown products (surfactants) used to make sure the herbicides stick to the leaves don't have to be declared. Do you want petroleum distillates in your water?

call NSTAR CEO Tom May at 617-424-2527. If the mailbox is full, call 617-424-2000 and tell the operator you want to leave a message for Tom May.

August 1, 2010, press event and rally, 200 Summer Street, Yarmouthport, half a mile from the corner of Willow Street, nearr the power lines at Dennis Pond.

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GreenCAPE in 2010 Spring Issue of CHA

Cape Healing Arts (CHA) magazine contained several articles about GreenCAPE and other goodies. We have some extra copies if you would like one. The summer issue has an NSTAR update. We thank them for following this important issue!

5th Annual Northeast Organic Farming Association Organic Lawn & Turf Course -- one-day course at UMass, Amherst Friday, was held August 7th 2009, Please contact Kathy Litchfield, NOFA/Mass OLC Program Coordinator, at (413) 773-3830 or kathy@nofamass.org.

The Delicious Revolution- Creating a Bountiful Garden Organically was held Saturday, April 18,2009. Warren Hall, Unitarian Church of Barnstable
Sponsors: Unitarian Church of Barnstable Green Sanctuary Committee, Cape Cod Organic Gardeners, GreenCAPE & NOFA/MassSpeakers: -Kevin Minnigerode~Dash o¹ Basil Farm~transitioning to organic;-Gretel Norgeot~Checkerberry Farm~organic nuts & bolts;Sue Phelan~GreenCAPE~non-toxic pest/disease control; Marsha Potash~Hyannis Country Garden~container veggies

GreenCAPE's Annual Autumnal Gathering was held on Nov. 20, 2008 at Whelden Memorial Library
The agenda included refreshments, elections and a celebration of 2008 accomplishments-- updates on the Safer Alternatives Bill, Cape Organic Land Care Initiatives and a special sneak preview of a new film "The Truth about Cats, Dogs and Lawn Chemicals." Our guest speaker, shared with the Cape Cod Organic Gardeners, was DAPHNE JOCHNICK who spent a year working with organic farmers in Tanzania as a Sustainable Agriculture Fellow for Global Services Corps.

GreenCAPE participated in Family Farm Day at the Mass Audubon¹s Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, off Route 6A in Cummaquid, Saturday, Oct. 25.2008 Activities all day long -- animals, spinning, organic farming demos, bee keeping and a giant huge toilet for children to see where wastewater goes. A freezing cold, windy day, but fun!

Beescaping 101: gardening to save the bees was held on Saturday, June 7 at Dennis Public Library. The audience was enthusiastic and asked many questions.Bees are responsible for 1 out of every 3 bites of food you eat--and they are fast disappearing. Sue Phelan of GreenCAPE, an award winning bee keeper, spoke about the importantce of bees and the plants they love and how to create a bee-friendly landscape or garden for these Pollinators in Peril.

GreenCAPE was interviewed on Sunday Mar. 9, 2008 on the Organic Thinking Radio Show WOMR 92.1 in Provincetown.

On Tuesday Mar. 18, 2008 we made a presentation on the chemical body burden and how to reduce your exposure to everyday toxins at the Plymouth Public Library, as part of a "Sustainable Future, Sustainable Living" program.

LOW MAINTENANCE LANDSCAPING,co-sponsored by GreenCAPE and the Friends of the Dennis Public Library was held on March 11, 2006 to a very enthusiastic crowd. Don Bishop of Gardens Are (www.gardensare.com)and Rotisha and Maggie Pipkins of Cape Cod Worm Farm (www.capecodwormfarm.com) described how to make easy and safe gardens. GreenCAPE and Rotisha and Maggie donated door prizes, as well as AGWAY on Route 134, which donated a $25 gift certificate.

In Celebration of Rachel Carson's Birthday, MORE LOW MAINTENANCE LANDSCAPING, the followup held on May 20, again sponsored by GreenCAPE and the Friends of the Dennis Public Library featured Jonathan Say of Natural Landscapes of Cape Cod speaking on RAIN GARDENS--their benefits to your home landscape and the water quality of Cape Cod and Don Bishop of Gardens Are speaking on NATURALIZED LANDSCAPES--using native plants to make an easy care yard without chemicals. (website--www.gardensare.com

In the News --

Did you hear that the Olmstead Green project in Brookline on the grounds of the former Boston State Hospital will protect and preserve the land and feature rain gardens? There will be no digging of cellars or paving of wetlands. WOW. 'bout time!

Stop Roadside Spraying! Stop Right of Way Spraying! Join the Campaign.

After years of controlling plant growth by simple cutting of vegetation, NSTAR plans to return to the use of hazardous herbicides to control weeds on their easements on Cape Cod.  Why risk exposure to toxic chemicals and contamination of our water supply when a safe alternative exists?  Herbicides are not regulated to be “safe” and are intentionally toxic by design.
A few of many concerns about the chemicals NSTAR plans to spray: both Arsenal and Escort XP are highly leachable (according to the U.S.D.A.) and therefore can easily leach through the Cape sandy soils into our drinking water.  The Lymphoma Foundation has noted that a few studies have found an increased risk of lymphoma among people exposed to glyphosate (Accord).  Krenite’s ingredient has displayed some mutagenic potential in one out of five tests for chromosome aberrations and mixed results in avian reproductive studies.

Contact NSTAR at 800-592-2000 or 617-424-2000 (corporate office) and let them know you think it is reckless to permit this unhealthy polluting practice atop our vulnerable water supply (the EPA calls it a sole source aquifer) when the safer alternative of selective cutting exists.

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www.meepi.org/wnv/overkillma.htm Overkill: Why Pesticide Spraying for West Nile Virus May Cause More Harm Than Good

Read a Boston Globe editorial about chemicals in the environment and our bodies.

The latest Rachel's Newsletter, A NEW WAY TO INHERIT ENVIRONMENTAL HARM, discusses how toxic effects of chemicals might be inherited for generations without genetic changes. Rachel's News stopped publication in February 2009 but the site is still being archived and can be searched.