In Brattleboro on May 18 at 7 p.m., there will be a rally calling on local, state, and federal politicians to do more to address the series of murders and assaults against Asian Americans that have occurred around the USA in the past few months. The rally will be at Plaza park, 1 Main Street, between the food co-op and the art museum. One of the speakers is Emma Allen. She is from the Brattleboro area and is a University of Vermont student. A photo of Allen is below. Another speaker is Lisa Chen. She is on the board of the group that has a web site at www.sevca.org. Details about the rally are at:

www.facebook.com/events/918068095705589

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In Northampton, activists stopped a plan to pave open space. The USA is losing 6,000 acres of farmland, forestland, and other open space to development every day. That's according to www.tpl.org/OurLand.

The Northampton activists held an outdoor rally on May 5. More than 50 people were there, even though it was raining. Soon after, the mayor said he would save the land. UMass professor Ilia Karatsoreos was at the rally. “It was a community effort,” Karatsoreos told the Valley Post in a voice phone interview on May 11.

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The town of Shutesbury, Massachusetts borders Amherst. Amp Energy Corporation of Canada wants to clear-cut 190 acres of forest in Shutesbury to put up solar panels.

Among the 196 nations in the world, only three drill more oil than Canada. The USA is number one for oil drilling.

On May 11, about 95 people took part in an online meeting of the Shutesbury select board. “The board only allowed about 30 people to speak. Except for the Amp employee, every single speaker opposed the project,” Leslie Cerier told the Valley Post in a voice phone interview on May 12. She is one of the organizers of the movement to save the forest. The board decided it needed more time to decide. The project can only happen if the board votes to allow it. The board has not yet said when it will vote.

Cerier said people should go to www.PreserveShutesbury.org for more information. “We love the forest,” she said.

Chris Matera runs the Northampton-based group Massachusetts Forest Watch. He told the Valley Post, "The idea of using public subsidies to cut down forests for solar installations, to allegedly 'help' the carbon problem, is as dumb as a stump, and just more commerce masquerading as concern for nature. Public subsidies for solar should only apply to installations in places such as rooftops, highway medians, parking lots, and other locations that do not degrade the environment we are claiming to 'help.'"

Jane Winn runs the Berkshire Environmental Action Team. In a voice phone interview with the Valley Post, she said, "The idea that cutting down trees to put up solar panels is a net positive is just ridiculous. Once every rooftop and parking lot is covered with solar, then we could see considering where else we might want to put panels."

To see a big photo of seven acres of solar panels over a parking lot in Amherst, click on the small photo of "Lot 44" at:

www.umass.edu/dcm/campus-solar