Boston Flora

Tag: Environmental Protection Agency

  • Tuesday, July 30, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Planning & Implementing Climate Smart Parks in Massachusetts Webinar

    This United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Soak Up the Rain webinar on July 30 will discuss climate-smart parks in Metro Boston, covering the available tools, data analysis, and planning and design strategies for successful implementation. The Trust for Public Land and Metropolitan Area Planning Council developed and implemented a Climate Smart Parks data analysis and mapping tool to help Massachusetts towns plan and design urban parks and green infrastructure installations to support urban climate resilience. The metro-Boston city of Medford will showcase these tools and strategies in action with a real-world climate-resilient green infrastructure case study developed and implemented through the Metro Mayors Program.

    Presenters

    • Brendan Shane, Director of Climate, The Trust for Public Land
    • Darci Schofield, Senior Environmental Planner, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
    • Alicia Hunt, Sustainability Director, City of Medford, MA

    For more information and to register, visit https://www.epa.gov/soakuptherain/soak-rain-new-england-webinar-series

  • New Environmental Protection Agency National Stormwater Calculator Available for Download

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently updated its national stormwater calculator, which estimates the amount of rainwater and runoff from any site in the U.S., to reflect best estimates on future climate change. The EPA writes: “the calculator now includes changes in seasonal precipitation levels, the effects of more frequent high-intensity storms, and changes in evaporation rates based on validated Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate change scenarios.” The first iteration of the calculator just covered soils conditions, slope, land cover, and historical rainfall records.

    The goal is help developers, planners, and landscape architects understand how to best adapt our water management systems for a changing future. The new EPA administrator, Gina McCarthy, said: “climate change threatens our health, our economy, and our environment. As part of the President’s Climate Action Plan, this tool will help us better prepare for climate impacts by helping build safer, sustainable, and more resilient water infrastructure.”

    The calculator software, which can be downloaded free, enables users to discover how green infrastructure can reduce stormwater runoff. According to the EPA, the calculator first accesses several databases that offer soil, topography, rainfall, and evaporation information for any given site. Users then plug in information about a site’s land cover and finally determine which types of green infrastructure they would like to use. Options include rain harvesting, rain gardens, green roofs, street planters, infiltration basins, or porous pavement.

    The EPA says it’s best to develop a range of results using different assumptions about “percent of impervious surface, soil type, sizing of green infrastructure, as well as historical weather and future climate change scenarios” in order to comprehensive.

    Download the new calculator from the following web page, which includes instructions for downloading: http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/wswrd/wq/models/swc/.

    http://www.usgbc.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/fixed_670-308/feature_stormwater_0.jpg

  • Saturday, March 26, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm – The 21st Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference

    The Trustees of Reservations would like to invite you to attend The 21st Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference, being held on March 26, 2011 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Worcester Technical High School in Worcester. The conference offers an opportunity for anyone interested in “Climate Change and Land Conservation” to learn, share and discuss their experience, and make new connections.

    Climate change is one of the most significant challenges of the 21st century, impacting human life as well as wildlife and our natural landscapes. The conservation community is working to mitigate the impact of climate change by protecting critical lands to serve as carbon sinks and migration corridors for wildlife, and by making natural areas and historic structures more resilient to the stresses of climate change.

    Some of the 30+ workshops at the conference include:

    * BioMap2 : Conserving the Biodiversity of Massachusetts in a Changing World
    * Restoring Ecological Integrity to Your Land in the Face of Climate Change
    * Strengthen Your Message to Gain More Support from More People
    * The Future of Small Land Trusts in Massachusetts
    * Wind Turbine Siting on Land Trust Lands
    * The Soulful Landscape: Restoring Connections between People, Place, and Community

    The conference will also feature a plenary session with MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan, and keynote speaker, Environmental Protection Agency’s New England Region Administrator Curt Spalding (pictured below). Mr. Spalding will be addressing EPA’s role in promoting adaptation and resilience strategies for natural resources protection, including land conservation.

    Anyone may register for the conference at www.MassConservation.org; the registration fee is $62 ($52 for students). Call (802) 865-5202 if you have any questions about registering for the conference.

    The Trustees of Reservations’ Putnam Conservation Institute and the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition are the co-conveners of the 21st Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference, and the co-sponsors are the Land Trust Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, Mass Audubon, and The Trust for Public Land. Visit www.MassConservation.org for complete conference information.

  • Wednesday, October 21, 6:00 – 8:00 pm – Save America’s Treasures Cocktail Party with Christine Todd Whitman

    The National Council and Event Committee of Save America’s Treasures invite you to a cocktail reception with special guest, The Honorable Christine Todd Whitman, former Governor of New Jersey and former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, on Wednesday, October 21, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm, at the home of Sally Minard, 133 East 62nd Street, New York City, with special guest Vin Cipolla, President, Municipal arts Society, former President and CEO of the National Park Foundation, and Executive Vice President and Publisher, National Trust for Historic Preservation.  For more information, log on to www.honoringeleanorroosevelt.org.