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Gas Drilling Programs at NY Green Fest, Aug. 7-9

Hope you will join us for a number of gas drilling related workshops this weekend at NY Green Fest, Aug. 7-9 on the campus of Alfred University in Alfred, NY. We have added a new presentation by Chris Burger on the Marcellus Shale, and new presenters Mary Jo Long and Mike Bernhard assisting with already scheduled presentations. Gas drilling related exhibitors include Annie Lenihan, Mary Jo Long and Mike Bernhard for the Chenango Delaware Otsego Gas Group, Andrew Byers and Dirk Trachy for Shaleshock, Kate Bartholomew, Pat Brown and Susanne Brown for the Finger Lakes Sierra Club, and Angela Knisley for the Niagara Sierra Club exhibiting about gas drilling in Allegany State Park. We have the use of Alfred’s excellent facilities for our programs, and we have to pay them fees for the use of these facilities. To cover our costs of our facilities use, we are charging $85 registration for the weekend, $45 for Saturday only. Meals and lodging are available in the area. For more information, visit the Green Fest website, http://nygreenfest.org/

Schedule of Gas Drilling Related Activities at NY Green Fest 2009

Friday, August 7, 2009

10:00 am, Registration Opens
12:00 noon, Exhibits Open
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm, Workshop Session 1
Building Local Sovereignty over Gas Drilling, Mike Bernhard, Mary Jo Long, Rachel Treichler— Kanakadea 105
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Workshop Session 2
Green Media Panel: David Doonan, Deborah Magone, Cyril Mychalejko, Lee Riddell— Nevins Theater, Powell Center
7:00 pm — 9:00 pm, Forum 1
Forum on the Politics of Sustainability: Virginia Rasmussen, “Who Has the Power to Implement Sustainability?” and Cyril Mychelako, “Rights for Nature,” Nevins Theater, Powell Center
Saturday, August 8, 2009

8:30 am – 9:30 am, Workshop Session 3
Natural Gas 101: Basics of the Social and Environmental Impacts of Natural Gas Extraction, Andrew Byers and Dirk Trachy from Shaleshock— Kanakadea 105
9:45 am — 11:00 am, Forum 2
Forum on Sustainable Energy, Presenters: Art Weaver, “Renewable Energy, the Audacity of Hope, the Reality of Change,” and Dan Miner, “The Post Carbon Future,”
Music: Lucky Pluckers— Solar Stage weather permitting, Nevins Theater if raining
11:15 am – 12:15 pm, Workshop Session 4
Marcellus Shale Basics, Chris Burger — Nevins Theater, Powell Center
1:45 pm – 2:45pm, Workshop Session 5
Watershed Protection, with Local Examples, Stephen Lewandowski— Kanakadea 105
Zero Waste Workshop, Chris Burger— Steinheim
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Workshop Session 6
Dynamic Conversation about Community Participation, Hydraulic Fracturing, and the Next Ten Years, Andrew Byers and Dirk Trachy from Shaleshock — Kanakadea 104
7:00 pm — 9:00 pm, Forum 3
Joel Kovel, “Revitalizing the Relationship between Humans and Nature,” and Tony Gronowicz, “History of Rights for Nature in US”, Nevins Theater, Powell Center
Sunday, August 9, 2009

8:30 am – 9:30 am, Workshop Session 7
“My Name is Allegany County, ” Anti-Nuclear Campaign and its applicability to Gas Drilling Activism, Meg Krywe, Burton Stein, others TBA — Nevins Theater, Powell Center
9:45 am — 11:15 am, Forum 4
Forum on Sovereignty and Sustainability with Bill Kauffman, “Look Homeward, Greens: Why Localism Matters,” Peter Jemison and Lyn Gerry. Solar Stage weather permitting, Nevins Theater if raining
11:30 am – 12:30 pm, Workshop Session 8
Treaty of Canandaigua, Peter Jemison— Kanakadea 104
Green Campaigns, Lessons Learned, Joel Kovel, Carl Romanelli, Rome Celli, Don DeBar— Nevins Theater, Powell Campus Center
1:45 pm — 3:30 pm, Forum 5
Forum on Visioning a Green Future
Presentations: Steve Welzer “What Do We Face?” and Jason Nabewaniec—Howell Hall, Second Floor
3:30 pm, Adjourn

"Aqua-lujah!" Green candidate Billy damns drilling

Reverend Billy and fellow activists protesting against plans to drill for natural gas in the Upstate watershed. Villager photo by Jefferson Siegel

Reverend Billy and fellow activists protesting against plans to drill for natural gas in the Upstate watershed. Villager photo by Jefferson Siegel

“Aqua-lujah!” Green candidate Billy damns drilling (The Villager):

Performance-artist preacher Reverend Billy “baptized” 3-month-old Noah Salinger, held by his mother, Tracy Gary, on the Christopher St. Pier on Sunday, World Water Day. The baptism was part of the ceremony of the Blessing of the Water, as well as a protest against plans to drill for natural gas in the Upstate watershed. Billy, real name Bill Talen, is the Green Party candidate for New York City mayor. “If you poison the ground water, you’ve lost the ability to drink,” said Christabel Gough, a longtime Christopher St. resident. Gough sat on the pier’s grass with dozens of others, many holding signs, each bearing the name of a New York neighborhood whose water would be affected by the drilling. “We have the purest water here in the city,” Ellen Peterson Lewis said, holding a “West Village” sign with her husband, Lewis. “We owe it to future generations to keep the water pure,” she said. “Water is not a profit center,” Reverend Billy proclaimed as the crowd chanted, “Aqua-lujah!” Billy said that, if elected, he would advocate for the city’s takeover of the watershed by eminent domain.

We Are Doing It: Texas rural women are battling modern dragons to save some “country” for future generations.

Wilson: “The drillers have run amok.” Photo BY JEFF PRINCE

Wilson: “The drillers have run amok.” Photo BY JEFF PRINCE


In the current issue of the Fort Worth Weekly, Jeff Prince reports on a few Texas women who are going beyond the call of duty to protect their homes, families and generations to come from gas drillers who are running amok on all we hold dear.

Their are many, many more unheralded women around the state and country who have been inspired to do the same.

All of them deserve our support. Read Jeff’s report.