Sustainability
Hartford, Conn., Continues To Battle Contaminated Recycling
The problem of garbage-filled recycling bins continues to foul up efforts to boost recycling levels in Connecticut’s capital city. Public records show Hartford is recycling more material since Connecticut Public reported on a major drop-off in recycling loads earlier this year, but the city still burned about 75 percent of its curbside recyclables from May to…
Read MoreRight Whale Conservation Groups ‘Disappointed’ By Long-Awaited Lobster Fishing Rules
Federal officials have issued new regulations for the lobster and Jonah crab fisheries that are designed to protect North Atlantic right whales from entanglements in gear. But conservationists say the long-awaited rules don’t go far enough to save the critically endangered species. The new regulations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) require lobstermen to add more traps…
Read More‘Weather Whiplash’ And Other Takeaways For Boston and New England From Major Climate Report
The world needs to get to net-zero carbon emissions by the 2030s to have a chance of avoiding the worst effects of climate change. That’s the stark message delivered in a sweeping report on the current scientific consensus on climate, released Monday by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report’s scope is global, but here are…
Read MoreStudy: Right Whales Seen Year-Round in Waters Targeted for Offshore Wind Development
North Atlantic right whales can now be found year-round in offshore wind development areas in the waters off Southern New England, a new study found. Previously, it was thought that the critically endangered whales were only present in high numbers in waters off Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard from late winter to early spring. But new research, published…
Read MoreFeds Consider Compensating Fishermen For Wind Energy Effects On Harvests
The Mills administration is partnering with a commercial wind energy company, New England Aqua Ventus, to seek a lease of 16-square miles of federal waters south of for a wind farm of up to 12 wind turbines tens of miles south of Bremen, Maine, with a goal of researching novel “floating platform” technology and its…
Read MoreWet Weather Waterlogs New Hampshire Summer Tourism
Recent heavy rain is putting a damper on New Hampshire’s summer activities. The record-setting rain that’s hit the state lately has limited the number of tourists heading outside. Many outdoor-centered businesses are improvising after expecting a busy summer with easing pandemic restrictions. New England is experiencing more precipitation, in larger, more concentrated amounts, and at…
Read MoreWhite Mountain Forest Steps Up Wildfire Prevention Efforts In High-Risk Neighborhoods
The warming climate is raising the risk of wildfires across the entire U.S., even in states like New Hampshire. Now, forest managers in the White Mountains are stepping up their efforts to prevent major damage, and warning neighbors: It could happen here. On the edge of the White Mountain National Forest in Conway, N.H., public…
Read MoreFishing Industry Feels Stranded As Offshore Wind Gathers Momentum
On a clear morning in early June, cotton sacks filled with shucked scallops hit the scale at Gambardella’s dockside warehouse in Stonington, Connecticut. They’re being offloaded from the Furious, a scallop boat just back from a 12-day trip. Owner and longtime fisherman Joe Gilbert runs four scallop boats out of this dock. Up in the…
Read MoreRise In Cremations Opens Unused Cemetery Space To New Solar Projects
Fewer families are choosing burials for deceased loved ones and opting instead for cremation. It’s a funerary trend that is helping to forge a link between the Catholic Church and the solar industry. If you picture a solar field, what do you see? Probably a large open space. Flat and dry without too many trees…
Read MoreUnderwater Drones: Regulators Trying New Technology To Enforce Lobster Trap Rules
The enforcement of lobster trap rules far offshore is getting increased attention from state and federal regulators, who are turning to new technology to inspect gear for compliance with requirements that aim to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from deadly entanglements. Michael Henry is a top fisheries enforcement officer for the National Oceanic and…
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