Help the Environment and Your Budget by Learning to Live Green

The Coalition for Buzzards Bay Teams Up with Local Environmental Groups to Host “Living Green” Workshop

For Immediate Release

March 4, 2008

CONTACT:

Kristin Thoms

The Coalition for Buzzards Bay

(508) 999-6363, ext. 207

NEW BEDFORD, MA—Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, The Coalition for Buzzards Bay along with six other local
environmental organizations invite you to learn how to live green at an upcoming workshop featuring simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint, or environmental impact, right at home. “Living Green,” will be held Saturday, March 15, at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

The workshop is second in a series of three “Shrink Your Footprint” workshops, which feature presentations by local environmental experts, as well as booths displaying “eco-friendly” ideas, products and services. “Living Green” will demonstrate how easy and beneficial it is to adopt a green lifestyle by taking advantage of energy-saving opportunities that put some green back into your pocket, as well as offsetting your footprint by a mere click of the mouse. The first workshop in the series, “Growing Green,” attracted more than 100 participants eager to learn about eco-friendly landscaping practices, including composting, ecological wastewater management solutions, and xeriscaping.

“It’s important to remember that our everyday actions can affect the health of our own backyard - Buzzards Bay. As global warming triggers a rise in water temperature and sea level, it will forever change the Bay unless we all take action. Our continued and increasing dependence on oil also threatens Buzzards Bay with another oil spill. We are proud co-sponsors of this workshop series, which is providing practical solutions to help all of us reduce our energy use and overall environmental impact,” said Mark Rasmussen, Executive Director of The Coalition for Buzzards Bay.

The workshop will feature the following speakers: Richard Renner, of Richard Renner Architects, will present architectural techniques used to make existing buildings more energy efficient; Marissa Perez-Dormitzer, recycling coordinator of the Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District, will highlight the numerous benefits of recycling and what to recycle at home; David MacLellan, residential program manager at NSTAR, will discuss home energy audits and share tips to minimize home energy use; and Peter Dean, of the Marion Institute, will explain how to neutralize or ‘offset’ your carbon footprint by supporting ecosystem regeneration from the comfort of your own home.

“Shrink Your Footprint” workshops are sponsored by the Buttonwood Park Zoo, The Coalition for Buzzards Bay, Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, Lloyd Center for the Environment, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance, and the Westport River Watershed Alliance. Information from each sponsoring organization will be available. Admission is free and open to the public. No registration required. For more information, call 508-636-3016 or e-mail outreach@wrwa.com.

The third workshop, “Driving Green,” is scheduled for Saturday, April 19, and will explore green driving practices and alternative ways to travel. To download informational materials provided at “Growing Green,” visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org.

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The Coalition for Buzzards Bay is a private, non-profit membership organization dedicated to the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of Buzzards Bay and its watershed. The organization works to improve the health of the Bay ecosystem for all through education, conservation, research and advocacy and is supported by more than 5,000 members.