Carbon-Neutral Initiative

The Marcellus Shale Documentary Project

August 1st, 2013
A gas-drilling rig in Hopewell Township area; photo by Scott Goldsmith on June 21, 2010

A gas-drilling rig in Hopewell Township area; photo by Scott Goldsmith on June 21, 2010

The Marcellus Shale Documentary Project, a Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW) exhibition, is in its final weeks (June 29 to August 18, 2013). The show is curated by Laura Domencic, director of the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. This photographic survey, compiled over ten months beginning in late 2011, features the works of six world-class photographers: Noah Addis, Nina Berman, Brian Cohen, Scott Goldsmith, Lynn Johnson, and Martha Rial. They took the responsibility of documenting the lives of Pennsylvanians affected by natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale region.

The show debuted at the Pittsburgh Center of the Arts in Oct. 2012 and seeks to draw on the power of photography to inform and move public opinion on the issue of hydraulic fracturing—or “fracking” as it is more commonly known. It follows a photographic tradition established in 1935 when the U.S. government initiated the Farm Security Administration, which sent a group of photographers to document the conditions of those affected by the Great Depression. Just as the resulting photographs humanized the tragic stories of loss and deprivation in the mid-twentieth century, enabling the nation to become unified in its understanding of the era it was experiencing, the photographers featured here help visualize one of the most contentious issues of our time—our struggle between our need for energy and our stewardship of the natural environment.

There is an online archive.  CPW is located at 59 Tinker Street in Woodstock, NY and the galleries are free and open to the public, Wednesday through Sunday, from 12 to 5 p.m. For directions or further information, call 845-679-9957 or email info@cpw.org.

~ Weston Blelock

New York Crossroads Rally

June 13th, 2013
New York Crossroads Poster

New York Crossroads Poster

On June 17, New Yorkers Against Fracking, a grassroots energy organization, is organizing a rally in Albany, NY, “calling on Governor Cuomo to reject fracking and lead  the nation in constructing a renewable energy economy here and now in New York.” Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, is a controversial gas extraction method that allows drillers to reach pockets of natural gas thousands of feet below the earth’s surface. In addition, the method uses millions of gallons of water mixed with hazardous chemicals that are injected into the wells to facilitate the retrieval of the gas. During the course of the process, pockets of methane are freed and migrate to well openings or people’s basements and explode. Other problems include spills of chemicals and contamination of work areas, which in turn leaches into wells and waterways. Many of these issues are well documented in such books as Tom Wilber’s Under the Surface: Fracking, Fortunes, and the Fate of the Marcellus Shale and Seamus McGraw’s The End of Country.

According to the US Energy Information Administration,  New York State consumed four times as much energy as it produced in 2010. In the near term, fracking would appear to hold out the promise of overcoming this shortfall. However, global warming, with its attendant storms, has changed from a passing to a pressing concern. Even fracking proponents pitch natural gas as a “bridge” to a world someday powered by renewables. The premise of the rally in Albany is to encourage Cuomo to embrace a recent policy plan, “Examining the Feasibility of Converting New York State’s All-Purpose Energy Infrastructure to One Using Wind, Water and Sunlight,” that lays out how New York can become solely reliant on renewables by 2050. Highlights of the report may be found here.

~ Weston Blelock

Earth Day’s 40th in Woodstock

April 28th, 2010
Members of the Woodstock Town Council and Chamber of Commerce with bike rack on 4/22/10

Members of the Woodstock Town Council and Chamber of Commerce with Bike Rack on 4/22/10

On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, members of the Town Council and Chamber of Commerce gathered to officially welcome two bright red bicycle-shaped bike racks to Woodstock. The new racks were purchased with funds raised through last summer’s Roots of Woodstock Live Concert and Eco Raffle. The racks are intended as functional sculptures—signaling to visitors and residents that Woodstock is serious about its 2007 Zero-Carbon Initiative. One rack is located in front of the Woodstock Chamber booth at 10 Rock City Road. The second is at H. Houst & Son (an Eco Raffle sponsor), 4 Mill Hill Road. In honor of the occasion, publisher WoodstockArts designed a 20.4-mile bicycle route featuring “Stories of Woodstock.” Click here to download the PDF.

Other green initiatives underway in Woodstock during this 40th anniversary year include the following:

  • The Chamber’s Experience Woodstock Card. Available to residents and visitors for just $25, this card is a passport to a festival of special offers at many of Woodstock’s leading shops, galleries, performance spaces, and other venues in the area. Its purpose is to encourage everyone to think globally but shop locally, thereby helping Woodstock and the environment. The card is currently accessible online at the Chamber website, as well as at Lotus Fine Art & Design (33 Rock City Road), Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty (11-13 Mill Hill Road), and Rondout Savings Bank (295-4 Route 375, near the Hurley Ridge Market in West Hurley). Continue reading

Bike Racks Will Aid Woodstock’s Zero-Carbon Quest

September 24th, 2009
Bike racks to be purchased for Woodstock

Bike racks to be purchased for Woodstock

Forty years ago, the ’69 Woodstock festival triggered many new trends. One such, the back-to-the-land movement, helped bring eco-consciousness to the forefront. The following year Earth Day was created. In March 2007, the Town of Woodstock passed a Zero-Carbon Initiative, pledging to neutralize Woodstock’s carbon footprint by 2017.

In a nod to these go-green efforts, the 8/15/09 Roots of Woodstock Live Concert was designated a Zero-Carbon fundraiser. This 40th-anniversary tie-in event, held at Woodstock’s Bearsville Theater, included an Eco Raffle with prizes contributed by a dozen of Woodstock’s leading businesses. Monies raised were to be used for the purchase of Energy Star refrigerators or bicycle parking racks.

Given the relatively modest amount raised by the raffle in this challenging economy ($1,166), the concert producers, together with the Woodstock Environmental Commission (WEC), have determined that the money should be used for bike racks. The Town of Woodstock plans to purchase four racks, and the Roots producers will buy several more with the raffle proceeds. David Lewis of the WEC has offered to coordinate the placement of the racks throughout the town.

~ Weston Blelock

Clearwater Solar Trailer Coming to Woodstock

August 10th, 2009
Clearwater Solar Trailer

Clearwater Solar Trailer

The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater solar trailer will be arriving at the Bearsville Theater on Friday, August 14 . . . just in time to power the soundstage and light show at Roots of Woodstock Live Concert on Saturday, August 15. Larry Brown of Sun Mountain Solar has graciously agreed to act as the on-site solar tech for the event. The Roots concert is a 40th anniversary Woodstock festival celebration and zero-carbon fundraiser.