Markey, Obama and the Keystone Pipeline

By Pam Sinotte

On the morning of June 12, 2013, around 60 Massachusetts residents and climate activists of all ages gathered to protest outside Northeastern University’s Reggie Lewis Center, where President Obama was scheduled to speak. Many of us voted for President Obama. We were present to send one clear message to the President: stand with Congressman Markey in his opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline.

The proposed pipeline would transport tarsands oil from Canada through the US to Gulf Coast refineries and, ultimately, many activists believe, be shipped overseas. Famed climate scientist James Hansen has warned that, if approved, the Keystone XL pipeline, would exacerbate global warming.

President Obama, who has yet to announce whether or not he will approve KXL, was in Boston to rally voters to support Congressman Ed Markey in his bid to join the U.S. Senate.

I shared the task of holding a banner reading “Stand with Markey STOP KEYSTONE XL” (far right).

Click on the link below to co-sign act.350.org’s open letter to President Obama.
http://act.350.org/signup/an-open-letter-to-president-obama/

Recycling a Tree

 By Amy Galblum

Sadly, I had to take down a very old sugar maple tree in my yard this past winter. It had lost a considerable portion of bark below a large dead branch, plus it was close to, and leaning toward my house. Two arborists concurred that it was time to go. I am telling this part of the story because I still feel badly about losing that tree, but what makes me feel a little better about it is that I was able to recycle most of the tree.

I had the tree removal company leave the wood chips in my yard and I've used them to mulch my garden. I also salvaged hundreds of board feet of lumber by hiring a guy with a portable sawmill to mill the wood right in my driveway. The wide maple slabs are beautiful and are in fact ‘spalted’ which means the grain has a pattern of dark lines created by an invading fungus. It will take a year or more for the wood to dry and I expect it will yield a lifetime of cabinets, counters and other projects. Here are some pictures of the sawmill in action: