Published by The Boston Globe
Part of "Counting to Ten: A regional update on the first decade of the 21st century"
Ten years ago, green was the color to describe someone looking a little ill. Nowadays, however, it also symbolizes a worldwide movement to protect the earth’s environment.
In the past few years, Massachusetts communities have been taking green to a level above reduce, reuse, recycle. Hopkinton was the first town in the state to add solar panels to municipal buildings, setting up 1,800 panels on four structures as part of an energy-conservation plan.
The panels were built even before the town applied to become a Massachusetts Green Community, a designation established in 2008 as part of the Green Communities Act.
The program allows any town or city that meets five criteria for reducing energy use to apply for grants to fund future green projects, said Mark Sylvia, Green Communities director.
“The Green Communities criteria for the grant program are a high bar,’’ said Sylvia. “Municipalities that meet the five criteria are committed to do a number of things. . . It really demonstrates them as leaders in the Commonwealth.’’
Hopkinton was among the 35 municipalities named in the first round of the Green Community program in May, while 18 more earned the designation two weeks ago. Area communities also on the list are Acton, Arlington, Harvard, Lexington, Lincoln, Marlborough, Medway, Natick, Newton, Sudbury, Watertown, and Wayland.
It was several years ago that Hopkinton selectmen formed the town’s Sustainable Green Committee, which then organized a plan to fulfill the Green Community requirements, said committee member John Keane.
“Sustainability is important to us,’’ said Keane, president of a local energy consulting firm. “When the governor announced the program, it was very much in keeping with goals of the town.’’
The program allowed the town to move conservation plans forward and receive grants for more projects, he said.
The program requires adoption of the Stretch Building Code, an optional addition to the state’s set of regulations covering construction projects; the new code sets higher energy-efficiency standards, among other requirements.
Hopkinton Town Meeting passed the stretch code, which adds about $3,000 to the cost of building a typical single-family home, but also sets up an average of $400 in annual savings on energy bills, including rebates and tax credits, officials say.
“Obviously, there was some lively debate,’’ said Keane. “Some people felt it was, in this particular economic climate, tough to put more burden on new development, but more people were in favor of it.’’
The stretch code is scheduled to become mandatory for all new buildings statewide in 2012 anyway, said Keane.
The cost of implementing energy-saving changes will be about $2 million, according to the town’s plan. The federal Energy STAR program is providing rebates and incentives worth about $540,000. Whatever parts that couldn’t be funded by rebates will be covered by the Green Communities grant, said Keane.
Hopkinton expects to save $428,373 on energy annually after about three and a half years, with a 29 percent return on investment, the committee’s plan states.
“A payback like that is overwhelmingly justified,’’ said Keane. “Moving forward, all the benefits are cost free.’’
All of Hopkinton’s planned projects are on schedule, he said.
Other than adopting the stretch code, participating communities must generate, research, or manufacture alternative sources of energy; approve expedited permitting for alternative-energy companies; reduce energy consumption by 20 percent within five years; and use fuel-efficient vehicles in municipal fleets.
Local officials have been eager to implement these changes to reduce costs, improve energy efficiency, and show their town is “on the cutting edge,’’ said state official Sylvia.
Sometimes, residents or grass-roots organizations push local leaders to apply for the program, as is the case of Marlborough. Resident Jennifer Boudrie, who founded the group Green Marlborough in 2007, was the first to audit her city’s energy usage in 2006.
“In some ways, we were the engine behind this drive to become a Green Community,’’ Boudrie said of her organization. “But we worked shoulder to shoulder with municipal staff, people in the business community, and residents.’’
Marlborough, which created its Sustainability Action Plan in 2008, was among those named as a Green Community two weeks ago. When the City Council saw how much could be saved in energy and money, its members were inspired to “help lead the community in a greener direction,’’ said Boudrie.
“The state was very wise to create the Green Communities program,’’ she said.
Priscilla Ryder, Marlborough’s conservation officer, said now is the time for builders and officials to learn about energy efficiency, because the economy is slow and there is more time to develop new skills. When the economy picks up again, Marlborough will be ready to use those skills, she said.
“Clearly, incentives for the grants fold right into where we’re going anyway,’’ said Ryder. “We might as well get some benefits that help us to advance it.’’
Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Show all posts
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Carlisle is tops in rate of college graduates
Published by The Boston Globe
CARLISLE — At Gleason Public Library in Carlisle, the town with the highest percentage of college graduates in Massachusetts, dozens of children were running between the shelves or working at computers yesterday afternoon.
“People utilize the library, and that’s generally a reflection of a community,’’ said Angela Mollet, the library director. “People are fully involved in the library and school system, and I think that’s a celebration of knowledge.’’
According to the American Community Survey, released yesterday, about 87 percent of Carlisle residents over 25 years of age have an undergraduate degree or higher, while more than 50 percent over 25 have a graduate degree or higher. The national average for a bachelor’s degree is about 27 percent, and the statewide average was 38 percent.
Leslie Thomas, 52, said she moved to this town northwest of Boston because of Carlisle’s rural quality and because she thinks the residents are more educated.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on education in Carlisle, and the parents are very involved,’’ said Thomas, who has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Northeastern University. “People are more open to different things.’’
Mark Quinn, 58, said census statistics showing Carlisle with the highest percentage of college graduates “just makes sense.’’ He remembers his two daughters, now working for the government and studying pharmacy at the University of Connecticut, were always studying or working on group projects while they were in school at Carlisle.
“My daughters had high-achieving friends; practically everybody did,’’ said Quinn, who has a master’s from Lesley University. “My youngest daughters’ friends were really into the sciences.’’
Quinn was at the library yesterday picking up five books he had on hold. He says he always reserves novels and history titles online and sometimes has up to 10 books waiting for him at the front desk.
CARLISLE — At Gleason Public Library in Carlisle, the town with the highest percentage of college graduates in Massachusetts, dozens of children were running between the shelves or working at computers yesterday afternoon.
“People utilize the library, and that’s generally a reflection of a community,’’ said Angela Mollet, the library director. “People are fully involved in the library and school system, and I think that’s a celebration of knowledge.’’
According to the American Community Survey, released yesterday, about 87 percent of Carlisle residents over 25 years of age have an undergraduate degree or higher, while more than 50 percent over 25 have a graduate degree or higher. The national average for a bachelor’s degree is about 27 percent, and the statewide average was 38 percent.
Leslie Thomas, 52, said she moved to this town northwest of Boston because of Carlisle’s rural quality and because she thinks the residents are more educated.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on education in Carlisle, and the parents are very involved,’’ said Thomas, who has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Northeastern University. “People are more open to different things.’’
Mark Quinn, 58, said census statistics showing Carlisle with the highest percentage of college graduates “just makes sense.’’ He remembers his two daughters, now working for the government and studying pharmacy at the University of Connecticut, were always studying or working on group projects while they were in school at Carlisle.
“My daughters had high-achieving friends; practically everybody did,’’ said Quinn, who has a master’s from Lesley University. “My youngest daughters’ friends were really into the sciences.’’
Quinn was at the library yesterday picking up five books he had on hold. He says he always reserves novels and history titles online and sometimes has up to 10 books waiting for him at the front desk.
Monday, November 8, 2010
In Massachusetts, our foam plastic cups runneth over
Published by The Boston Globe
Few modern conveniences induce more frustration among environmentalists, and guilt among the rest of us, than the plastic foam coffee cup.
Its insulating qualities — 2 percent polystyrene, 98 percent air — are unparalleled. The same material, twisted into bulky, nearly weightless “peanuts,’’ is perfect for cushioning breakables.
But its unbearable lightness of being (and low scrap value) also makes plastic foam too cumbersome and expensive for most communities to transport to recycling facilities.
“It’s like shipping air,’’ said Robert Beaudoin, superintendent of environmental services for Lexington.
While some environmentalists contend the best solution is to stop making the stuff — McDonald’s put an end to its “clamshell’’ burger boxes 10 years ago — some local communities and businesses are starting to make headway in the battle to keep what is commonly called styrofoam out of landfills and incinerators.
Newton began a trial drop-off program several months ago. Concord collects plastic foam at semiannual swap events, and Framingham is working to reduce the school district’s use of foam trays and food containers.
“You have to make your program so that it’s easy for people to want to do it,’’ said Thomas Daley, Newton’s public works commissioner. “Styrofoam can take up a lot of space, and in Newton, you only have a 64-gallon trash container’’ for the city’s single-stream curbside collections.
Newton began its pilot program after the city’s electronics recycler, CRT Recycling of Brockton, offered to haul away plastic foam at no extra charge, Daley said. Residents can drop off clean, white plastic foam at the Rumford Avenue Resource Recovery Center.
“We’re very pleased with the response. Feedback has been great,’’ said Daley. “We’d like for it to keep going as long as we can.’’
Trademarked “Styrofoam’’ was invented by Otis Ray McIntire, a research chemist for the Dow Chemical Co., which patented the material in 1944. It is widely used for building insulation, but not, Dow emphasizes on its website, for disposable foam products such as coffee cups and packaging.
Though both are made from polystyrene, the white stuff most people think of as styrofoam uses a different manufacturing process.
Several years ago, a company in Framingham, ReFoamIt LLC, started a pick-up service for local businesses and communities looking to recycle plastic foam.
The company sends the material to KWD Warehouse in Rhode Island to be processed into small pellets, which are then recycled into products like picture frames, children’s toys, and car bumpers, said Barbara Sherman, who cofounded ReFoamIt with her husband, Dave.
In 3 1/2 years, ReFoamIt and KWD Warehouse have recycled 1.5 million pounds of plastic foam, no small feat considering how little the material weighs, she said. ReFoamIt hosts free collection days, where the Shermans bring pellet samples to educate the public about recycling the material.
Businesses are the company’s primary sources of plastic foam, but ReFoamIt is also looking to increase its partnerships with area communities, Sherman said.
Framingham’s schools have recently started looking at recycling plastic foam lunch trays, said Brendan Ryan, director of food services for the district. The Framingham High School cafeteria has also stopped providing trays for some food stations that already serve items in wrappers, such as wraps and burgers, he said.
Ryan said that eventually the school system hopes to restore dish rooms that were converted into offices 15 years ago, and switch from plastic foam to reusable lunch trays. He said just one school can use 72,000 lunch trays in a year.
“It’s the national attitude that’s changing. . . It’s all part of sustainability,’’ said Ryan. “Change is not something that comes overnight. We’re taking baby steps.’’
From a technological perspective, recycling plastic foam is nothing new. According to the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, 69 million pounds were recycled in 2008, and companies such as IKEA, Walmart and Sears have piloted plastic-foam recycling in their stores.
Still, very few communities in Massachusetts recycle the material because it is not worth the cost of transportation, said Brooke Nash, chief of the municipal-waste reduction branch at the state Department of Environmental Protection. Most towns just encourage residents to bring waste like packing peanuts to local shipping services to be reused, she said.
Cambridge tried a program to recycle plastic foam but ended it five years ago after local budget cuts, said Randi Mail, the city’s recycling director.
“The focus on styrofoam really needs to be eliminating it because it’s so hard to handle,’’ she said. “Recycling it doesn’t make sense, even if we had the money for it.’’
Ann Dorfman, interim operations manager for the Massachusetts Recycling Coalition, a Concord-based statewide advocacy organization, said finding an alternative material for polystyrene foam is challenging. Some restaurants have started using biodegradable materials for take-out, she said, but one-time use containers are wasteful in general.
“In our fast-paced, on-the-go world, what are the other options that provide the same benefits without the costs?’’ said Dorfman.
The Environmental Protection Agency does not collect specific data on polystyrene foam, because it is considered a No. 6 plastic — supposedly part of the recycling stream. But a 2008 EPA report on municipal waste generation and recycling in the United States reported that plastic containers and packaging constituted more than 13 million tons of discarded materials, about 13 percent of which was recycled.
Containers and packaging account for about 30 percent of total waste generated, according to the report.
Lexington has begun recycling rigid plastics, such as old recycling bins, but has not considered plastic foam because of the cost, said Beaudoin, the town’s environmental chief.
A few years ago, the town began collecting broken or otherwise unwanted bins because the material has a high value, and they can be recycled for the same cost as just throwing them away.
Concord collects plastic foam at swap events twice a year and sends the material to Framingham for recycling, and the town hopes to find additional ways to recycle the material, said Rod Robison, the town’s environmental services program administrator.
“Styrofoam is one of those areas that has good potential,’’ Robinson said.
The cost of transporting the material to the facility, however, is covered by an admission fee to the swap event, which is usually around $5, he said.
Newton, meanwhile, is considering a publicity campaign to encourage even more plastic foam recycling.
“We need to take a close look at how the pilot goes, but if it makes good financial sense, we’ll absolutely move on it,’’ he said.
“This is really cutting-edge stuff.’’
Globe correspondent Sarah Thomas contributed to this report.
Few modern conveniences induce more frustration among environmentalists, and guilt among the rest of us, than the plastic foam coffee cup.
Its insulating qualities — 2 percent polystyrene, 98 percent air — are unparalleled. The same material, twisted into bulky, nearly weightless “peanuts,’’ is perfect for cushioning breakables.
But its unbearable lightness of being (and low scrap value) also makes plastic foam too cumbersome and expensive for most communities to transport to recycling facilities.
“It’s like shipping air,’’ said Robert Beaudoin, superintendent of environmental services for Lexington.
While some environmentalists contend the best solution is to stop making the stuff — McDonald’s put an end to its “clamshell’’ burger boxes 10 years ago — some local communities and businesses are starting to make headway in the battle to keep what is commonly called styrofoam out of landfills and incinerators.
Newton began a trial drop-off program several months ago. Concord collects plastic foam at semiannual swap events, and Framingham is working to reduce the school district’s use of foam trays and food containers.
“You have to make your program so that it’s easy for people to want to do it,’’ said Thomas Daley, Newton’s public works commissioner. “Styrofoam can take up a lot of space, and in Newton, you only have a 64-gallon trash container’’ for the city’s single-stream curbside collections.
Newton began its pilot program after the city’s electronics recycler, CRT Recycling of Brockton, offered to haul away plastic foam at no extra charge, Daley said. Residents can drop off clean, white plastic foam at the Rumford Avenue Resource Recovery Center.
“We’re very pleased with the response. Feedback has been great,’’ said Daley. “We’d like for it to keep going as long as we can.’’
Trademarked “Styrofoam’’ was invented by Otis Ray McIntire, a research chemist for the Dow Chemical Co., which patented the material in 1944. It is widely used for building insulation, but not, Dow emphasizes on its website, for disposable foam products such as coffee cups and packaging.
Though both are made from polystyrene, the white stuff most people think of as styrofoam uses a different manufacturing process.
Several years ago, a company in Framingham, ReFoamIt LLC, started a pick-up service for local businesses and communities looking to recycle plastic foam.
The company sends the material to KWD Warehouse in Rhode Island to be processed into small pellets, which are then recycled into products like picture frames, children’s toys, and car bumpers, said Barbara Sherman, who cofounded ReFoamIt with her husband, Dave.
In 3 1/2 years, ReFoamIt and KWD Warehouse have recycled 1.5 million pounds of plastic foam, no small feat considering how little the material weighs, she said. ReFoamIt hosts free collection days, where the Shermans bring pellet samples to educate the public about recycling the material.
Businesses are the company’s primary sources of plastic foam, but ReFoamIt is also looking to increase its partnerships with area communities, Sherman said.
Framingham’s schools have recently started looking at recycling plastic foam lunch trays, said Brendan Ryan, director of food services for the district. The Framingham High School cafeteria has also stopped providing trays for some food stations that already serve items in wrappers, such as wraps and burgers, he said.
Ryan said that eventually the school system hopes to restore dish rooms that were converted into offices 15 years ago, and switch from plastic foam to reusable lunch trays. He said just one school can use 72,000 lunch trays in a year.
“It’s the national attitude that’s changing. . . It’s all part of sustainability,’’ said Ryan. “Change is not something that comes overnight. We’re taking baby steps.’’
From a technological perspective, recycling plastic foam is nothing new. According to the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, 69 million pounds were recycled in 2008, and companies such as IKEA, Walmart and Sears have piloted plastic-foam recycling in their stores.
Still, very few communities in Massachusetts recycle the material because it is not worth the cost of transportation, said Brooke Nash, chief of the municipal-waste reduction branch at the state Department of Environmental Protection. Most towns just encourage residents to bring waste like packing peanuts to local shipping services to be reused, she said.
Cambridge tried a program to recycle plastic foam but ended it five years ago after local budget cuts, said Randi Mail, the city’s recycling director.
“The focus on styrofoam really needs to be eliminating it because it’s so hard to handle,’’ she said. “Recycling it doesn’t make sense, even if we had the money for it.’’
Ann Dorfman, interim operations manager for the Massachusetts Recycling Coalition, a Concord-based statewide advocacy organization, said finding an alternative material for polystyrene foam is challenging. Some restaurants have started using biodegradable materials for take-out, she said, but one-time use containers are wasteful in general.
“In our fast-paced, on-the-go world, what are the other options that provide the same benefits without the costs?’’ said Dorfman.
The Environmental Protection Agency does not collect specific data on polystyrene foam, because it is considered a No. 6 plastic — supposedly part of the recycling stream. But a 2008 EPA report on municipal waste generation and recycling in the United States reported that plastic containers and packaging constituted more than 13 million tons of discarded materials, about 13 percent of which was recycled.
Containers and packaging account for about 30 percent of total waste generated, according to the report.
Lexington has begun recycling rigid plastics, such as old recycling bins, but has not considered plastic foam because of the cost, said Beaudoin, the town’s environmental chief.
A few years ago, the town began collecting broken or otherwise unwanted bins because the material has a high value, and they can be recycled for the same cost as just throwing them away.
Concord collects plastic foam at swap events twice a year and sends the material to Framingham for recycling, and the town hopes to find additional ways to recycle the material, said Rod Robison, the town’s environmental services program administrator.
“Styrofoam is one of those areas that has good potential,’’ Robinson said.
The cost of transporting the material to the facility, however, is covered by an admission fee to the swap event, which is usually around $5, he said.
Newton, meanwhile, is considering a publicity campaign to encourage even more plastic foam recycling.
“We need to take a close look at how the pilot goes, but if it makes good financial sense, we’ll absolutely move on it,’’ he said.
“This is really cutting-edge stuff.’’
Globe correspondent Sarah Thomas contributed to this report.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Newton West falls to Peabody Western in first Little League state championship game
Published by The Boston Globe
View the PEABODY photo gallery here.
View the NEWTON photo gallery here.
Video highlights:
View the PEABODY photo gallery here.
View the NEWTON photo gallery here.
Video highlights:
Job shortage trickling down to teens, too
Published by The Boston Globe
By Kathleen Burge and Katrina Ballard
Nicole Culcasi and Danika Mason began their summer job search in the dead of winter, trekking store by store through the Natick Collection. The 17-year-olds left the mall with nearly two dozen applications and high hopes.
But after receiving no calls or interviews, their optimism began to dwindle.
“After 23 applications collectively, it kind of gets annoying,’’ said Mason, who attends Framingham High School with Culcasi.
Culcasi eventually landed a job at a Staples Inc. store in Framingham, and Mason found limited hours at Paint-n-Party in Holliston, helping to run birthday parties. But they came away with a valuable lesson in economics.
Many teenagers looking for work this summer have found jobs elusive, as the state unemployment rate hovers near 9 percent, and less federal and state money is available for jobs programs than last year. Some teens find themselves competing for jobs with out-of-work adults who have much more experience.
“Privately funded, unsubsidized em ployment has been — I can’t use a strong enough word — eviscerated,’’ said Jeffrey Turgeon, executive director of the Central Massachusetts Regional Employment Board, a public-private partnership that connects employers and employees.
And he sees complications extending beyond a lack of spending money this summer: “The less young people have the opportunity to experience work, the less likely they are to be successful starting a career later on.’’
Walter Walsh, owner of Black Cow Homemade Ice Cream shops in Millis and Natick, said he had more than 175 applicants vying for the five openings he had this summer.
Last year, he heard from about 80 job-seekers, Walsh said, and before that the number was typically closer to 60.
“I couldn’t believe how many kids came out of the woodwork looking for jobs this year,’’ he said.
Walsh sees teens seeking work because their parents aren’t able to give them as much money.
“They can see these are tougher times,’’ Walsh said.
“Parents were giving kids pretty good allowances. Now they don’t have the extra cash.’’
Margo Deane, executive director of the Framingham Coalition, a nonprofit community organization, said she saw more young people than ever apply for a summer jobs program funded by a federal grant.
This year, the program is full, with 50 youths ages 14 to 16 doing landscaping work around town 20 hours a week for the minimum wage, she said.
“For the first time, we really have a wait list,’’ she said.
More than 400 teens are on the waiting list for summer jobs offered through the Central Massachusetts Regional Employment Board, which serves 38 communities including Boylston, Shrewsbury, Upton, Northborough, Westborough, and Milford. Others have inquired but decided not to apply because the list is so long, Turgeon said.
“The need is so great right now, and the opportunity is so limited, it’s a real challenge,’’ he said.
The agency is offering about 850 jobs for teens this summer through various funding sources, including YouthWorks, a state program that provides employment for low-income, at-risk young people.
The youngest teenagers looking for work are in the most difficult position, Turgeon said. Adults who have been laid off or are looking for extra money are taking some jobs that normally might go to older youths.
And then the older teens take jobs that previously might have gone to their younger counterparts.
“They’re really out of luck,’’ Turgeon said. “Everything’s rolling downhill.’’
Kelly Hoar is a career specialist at the Future Skills Institute, a regional employment project based in Framingham, where she helps run programs for youths 16 and older.
This year, she said, she has been seeing younger teenagers lining up for work.
“We’re seeing a lot of kids under 16, so many younger kids looking to help out their families,’’ she said.
By Kathleen Burge and Katrina Ballard
Nicole Culcasi and Danika Mason began their summer job search in the dead of winter, trekking store by store through the Natick Collection. The 17-year-olds left the mall with nearly two dozen applications and high hopes.
But after receiving no calls or interviews, their optimism began to dwindle.
“After 23 applications collectively, it kind of gets annoying,’’ said Mason, who attends Framingham High School with Culcasi.
Culcasi eventually landed a job at a Staples Inc. store in Framingham, and Mason found limited hours at Paint-n-Party in Holliston, helping to run birthday parties. But they came away with a valuable lesson in economics.
Many teenagers looking for work this summer have found jobs elusive, as the state unemployment rate hovers near 9 percent, and less federal and state money is available for jobs programs than last year. Some teens find themselves competing for jobs with out-of-work adults who have much more experience.
“Privately funded, unsubsidized em ployment has been — I can’t use a strong enough word — eviscerated,’’ said Jeffrey Turgeon, executive director of the Central Massachusetts Regional Employment Board, a public-private partnership that connects employers and employees.
And he sees complications extending beyond a lack of spending money this summer: “The less young people have the opportunity to experience work, the less likely they are to be successful starting a career later on.’’
Walter Walsh, owner of Black Cow Homemade Ice Cream shops in Millis and Natick, said he had more than 175 applicants vying for the five openings he had this summer.
Last year, he heard from about 80 job-seekers, Walsh said, and before that the number was typically closer to 60.
“I couldn’t believe how many kids came out of the woodwork looking for jobs this year,’’ he said.
Walsh sees teens seeking work because their parents aren’t able to give them as much money.
“They can see these are tougher times,’’ Walsh said.
“Parents were giving kids pretty good allowances. Now they don’t have the extra cash.’’
Margo Deane, executive director of the Framingham Coalition, a nonprofit community organization, said she saw more young people than ever apply for a summer jobs program funded by a federal grant.
This year, the program is full, with 50 youths ages 14 to 16 doing landscaping work around town 20 hours a week for the minimum wage, she said.
“For the first time, we really have a wait list,’’ she said.
More than 400 teens are on the waiting list for summer jobs offered through the Central Massachusetts Regional Employment Board, which serves 38 communities including Boylston, Shrewsbury, Upton, Northborough, Westborough, and Milford. Others have inquired but decided not to apply because the list is so long, Turgeon said.
“The need is so great right now, and the opportunity is so limited, it’s a real challenge,’’ he said.
The agency is offering about 850 jobs for teens this summer through various funding sources, including YouthWorks, a state program that provides employment for low-income, at-risk young people.
The youngest teenagers looking for work are in the most difficult position, Turgeon said. Adults who have been laid off or are looking for extra money are taking some jobs that normally might go to older youths.
And then the older teens take jobs that previously might have gone to their younger counterparts.
“They’re really out of luck,’’ Turgeon said. “Everything’s rolling downhill.’’
Kelly Hoar is a career specialist at the Future Skills Institute, a regional employment project based in Framingham, where she helps run programs for youths 16 and older.
This year, she said, she has been seeing younger teenagers lining up for work.
“We’re seeing a lot of kids under 16, so many younger kids looking to help out their families,’’ she said.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Trend for JO 309: Bikram Yoga
A middle-aged woman stands on one leg, a vein popping out over her temple. Her hands are clutching the foot that’s raised straight in front of her, and beads of sweat the size of dimes roll off her heel and onto a towel.
“Chest up, chest up. You must touch your head to your knee; pull it harder, harder, harder; your hip should hurt,” says an instructor through a headset microphone. She sounds like a horse race announcer, standing on a raised platform in front of a mirrored wall.
She claps her hands twice to command students to change postures, and the class exhales in unison, sounding like a rocket launching.
The brightly lit room is over 100 degrees, and everyone inside is clad in suits similar to bikinis and swim trunks. They are practicing Bikram yoga, a routine of 26 postures and two breathing exercises created for Americans by Bikram Choudhury, an All-India National Yoga Champion.
“It’s safer to move in the heat. Heat is a natural disinfectant,” said Jill Koontz, co-owner of Bikram Yoga Boston.
The series of difficult poses were designed to work every bodily system, heal any ailments and balance the body and mind, Koontz said. During the six years she has been instructing Bikram yoga, Koontz has seen students go off depression medication, bring high or low blood pressure to normal levels and increase lung capacity to eliminate asthma, she said.
Many athletes turn to this type of yoga after sustaining injuries from years of running. Practicing Bikram yoga allows people to participate in other sports for longer than they could otherwise, Koontz said.
Stephen Boyle, 45, started going to Bikram Yoga Merrymack Valley in North Andover last December to become more flexible and get back into shape after years of competing in decathlons.
“I’m always energized after class,” Boyle, a Cambridge fire lieutenant, said. “There are days when you don’t want to be there, but you have to fight through it.”
Jen Bowers, 32, said she tried Bikram yoga because her body needed a break from her rigid running and spinning routines. She does yoga three times a week and runs on alternate days.
“It’s definitely different than anything I’ve ever done before,” Bowers said. “You’re not allowed to leave, so you get a guaranteed good workout, and I feel overall better health.”
Though beginners might feel frustrated with the heat, tough poses and string of commands, instructors encourage them to stay in the room for a full 90 minutes. But Koontz said she has had students run out, throw up and return feeling perfectly healthy. She asks students if they have any medical problems so she can watch them during class.
“People with low blood pressure are my fainters,” Koontz said. “But I could count on one hand the number of people I’ve had faint.”
Those who have tried other types of yoga before are usually the most resistant to Bikram yoga, said one of Koontz’s instructors, Heather Berlowitz. But people start seeing results and get used to the practice after just a few classes, she said.
“The first time after I did Bikram yoga, I woke up at 4 a.m. that night so thirsty. I felt high,” Belowitz, 35, said. “It was love at first sight.”
Although the postures never change, the practice becomes more challenging with time, said Diane Ducharme, owner of Bikram Yoga for You in West Roxbury. The poses are most difficult when the body can hold them more deeply, she said.
“People either love it or they hate it, but even some that hate it know really there’s something inside that says, “This is going to save my life,’ and they’ll come back,” Ducharme, who is 51 but feels 25, said.
The combination of intense heat and quick postures attract Americans, who are usually too busy to concentrate on anything, but repetition of the routine every day allows them to focus and relax, she said.
Fifteen years ago, Ducharme’s was the only Bikram studio in New England, she said. Massachusetts now has 14 studios, New Hampshire and Vermont have four, Connecticut has eight and Maine has one.
With the rising popularity of yoga, Bikram and his wife, Rajashree Choudhury, recently petitioned to bring yoga to the 2016 Olympics. As the first step, Choudhury founded the United States Yoga Federation in 2003, which hosts an international yoga competition in Los Angeles every year.
The Choudhurys hope that if yoga becomes an Olympic sport, public schools will integrate the practice into their physical education programs, Rajashree Choudhury said at the New England Regional competition in Medford on Oct. 24.
“The only way for kids to like this practice is if they think they can win something,” Choudhury said. “They think it’s boring, that it’s only for adults. But they want self-esteem.”
When Bikram opened his first studio in the U.S. in the 1970s, he attracted mostly celebrities, Choudhury said. Bikram began certifying teachers in 1994 through nine-week intensive training programs at his studio in Los Angeles.
Studios that claim to teach “hot” yoga without certified teachers are harmful because all instructors must speak and teach the same way for students to get the correct benefits, she said.
Bikram has sued people for using his copyrighted system, making Frank Korom, professor of religion at Boston University, skeptical of Bikram’s teachings. Traditional yoga was originally intended to free the body from reincarnation through a mind-body connection. Such Hindu beliefs have been disconnected from yoga worldwide since the 1950s, he said.
“He is part of this trend that is capitalizing on the New Age market,” Korom said. “They’re catering to people who are looking to alternate forms of practice they can’t get in Western culture.”
Mind-body connection, however, is still an important part of Bikram yoga, said Robin Brace, a New England Regional judge and owner of Bikram Yoga New Haven. The competition aspect pushes individuals to achieve their best mental state, she said.
“It’s made a lot of people afraid because people think it’s a religion or a cult, but it’s about balance,” Brace said. “It makes you do everything better.”
“Chest up, chest up. You must touch your head to your knee; pull it harder, harder, harder; your hip should hurt,” says an instructor through a headset microphone. She sounds like a horse race announcer, standing on a raised platform in front of a mirrored wall.
She claps her hands twice to command students to change postures, and the class exhales in unison, sounding like a rocket launching.
The brightly lit room is over 100 degrees, and everyone inside is clad in suits similar to bikinis and swim trunks. They are practicing Bikram yoga, a routine of 26 postures and two breathing exercises created for Americans by Bikram Choudhury, an All-India National Yoga Champion.
“It’s safer to move in the heat. Heat is a natural disinfectant,” said Jill Koontz, co-owner of Bikram Yoga Boston.
The series of difficult poses were designed to work every bodily system, heal any ailments and balance the body and mind, Koontz said. During the six years she has been instructing Bikram yoga, Koontz has seen students go off depression medication, bring high or low blood pressure to normal levels and increase lung capacity to eliminate asthma, she said.
Many athletes turn to this type of yoga after sustaining injuries from years of running. Practicing Bikram yoga allows people to participate in other sports for longer than they could otherwise, Koontz said.
Stephen Boyle, 45, started going to Bikram Yoga Merrymack Valley in North Andover last December to become more flexible and get back into shape after years of competing in decathlons.
“I’m always energized after class,” Boyle, a Cambridge fire lieutenant, said. “There are days when you don’t want to be there, but you have to fight through it.”
Jen Bowers, 32, said she tried Bikram yoga because her body needed a break from her rigid running and spinning routines. She does yoga three times a week and runs on alternate days.
“It’s definitely different than anything I’ve ever done before,” Bowers said. “You’re not allowed to leave, so you get a guaranteed good workout, and I feel overall better health.”
Though beginners might feel frustrated with the heat, tough poses and string of commands, instructors encourage them to stay in the room for a full 90 minutes. But Koontz said she has had students run out, throw up and return feeling perfectly healthy. She asks students if they have any medical problems so she can watch them during class.
“People with low blood pressure are my fainters,” Koontz said. “But I could count on one hand the number of people I’ve had faint.”
Those who have tried other types of yoga before are usually the most resistant to Bikram yoga, said one of Koontz’s instructors, Heather Berlowitz. But people start seeing results and get used to the practice after just a few classes, she said.
“The first time after I did Bikram yoga, I woke up at 4 a.m. that night so thirsty. I felt high,” Belowitz, 35, said. “It was love at first sight.”
Although the postures never change, the practice becomes more challenging with time, said Diane Ducharme, owner of Bikram Yoga for You in West Roxbury. The poses are most difficult when the body can hold them more deeply, she said.
“People either love it or they hate it, but even some that hate it know really there’s something inside that says, “This is going to save my life,’ and they’ll come back,” Ducharme, who is 51 but feels 25, said.
The combination of intense heat and quick postures attract Americans, who are usually too busy to concentrate on anything, but repetition of the routine every day allows them to focus and relax, she said.
Fifteen years ago, Ducharme’s was the only Bikram studio in New England, she said. Massachusetts now has 14 studios, New Hampshire and Vermont have four, Connecticut has eight and Maine has one.
With the rising popularity of yoga, Bikram and his wife, Rajashree Choudhury, recently petitioned to bring yoga to the 2016 Olympics. As the first step, Choudhury founded the United States Yoga Federation in 2003, which hosts an international yoga competition in Los Angeles every year.
The Choudhurys hope that if yoga becomes an Olympic sport, public schools will integrate the practice into their physical education programs, Rajashree Choudhury said at the New England Regional competition in Medford on Oct. 24.
“The only way for kids to like this practice is if they think they can win something,” Choudhury said. “They think it’s boring, that it’s only for adults. But they want self-esteem.”
When Bikram opened his first studio in the U.S. in the 1970s, he attracted mostly celebrities, Choudhury said. Bikram began certifying teachers in 1994 through nine-week intensive training programs at his studio in Los Angeles.
Studios that claim to teach “hot” yoga without certified teachers are harmful because all instructors must speak and teach the same way for students to get the correct benefits, she said.
Bikram has sued people for using his copyrighted system, making Frank Korom, professor of religion at Boston University, skeptical of Bikram’s teachings. Traditional yoga was originally intended to free the body from reincarnation through a mind-body connection. Such Hindu beliefs have been disconnected from yoga worldwide since the 1950s, he said.
“He is part of this trend that is capitalizing on the New Age market,” Korom said. “They’re catering to people who are looking to alternate forms of practice they can’t get in Western culture.”
Mind-body connection, however, is still an important part of Bikram yoga, said Robin Brace, a New England Regional judge and owner of Bikram Yoga New Haven. The competition aspect pushes individuals to achieve their best mental state, she said.
“It’s made a lot of people afraid because people think it’s a religion or a cult, but it’s about balance,” Brace said. “It makes you do everything better.”
Monday, April 13, 2009
Gov. Patrick announces second round of stimulus money to Mass. schools
BOSTON—High-poverty Massachusetts schools will be receiving $163 million as part of the second phase of federal stimulus money for education, Gov. Deval Patrick announced Thursday.
The distribution of funds among districts was based on the proportion of low-income students in the district’s total population, said Jonathan Palumbo, spokesperson for Patrick’s office. Districts can decide how to use the money as long as they meet certain requirements, such as saving teaching jobs, said Palumbo.
“If we want to build sustainability into the school system, maintain the level of services and make progress towards the goal of student achievement at all levels, the government made the case that we needed to do everything we could that education was properly funded,” he said.
Massachusetts will receive a total of $1.88 billion in stimulus money for education over the next two years, said Palumbo. The funds announced last week are being dispersed under Title 1, a 40-year-old federal program for low-income school districts, he said. Schools will receive the first half in July and the second half in the fall.
Massachusetts schools have never received this much government funding before, said Colleen Coburn, policy advisor for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry. The inclusion of education in the stimulus package is due in part to advocacy from politicians like Sen. Kerry and Gov. Patrick, she said.
“The money through the Recovery Act just going out now is more that has gone to education in almost every single category in the entire last year combined,” said Coburn.
The stimulus package also breaks new ground in transparency, because schools have to apply for the funds, specify their use and report how they were allocated on a set timeline, said Coburn.
“People think the federal government is just sending out checks,” said Coburn. “A goal of the [Obama] administration is to hold people more accountable and make transactions transparent. We want all this to be public information.”
The first round of stimulus money was for state stabilization, and the federal government mandated that 82 percent of these funds go to education to meet district budget gaps, said Coburn. The state could decide how the remaining 18 percent will be spent on government services. Boston Public Schools did not receive funds in the first round, said Coburn.
The third and final round of federal education funding will be allocated for special needs education under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), she said.
Boston Public Schools will receive about $20.8 million in Title 1 stimulus funds, which is $3.8 million more than Superintendent Carol Johnson expected when she approved the 2010 budget last month, said Chris Horan, spokesperson for the district. In that budget, Johnson recommended areas that could use additional funding if BPS received more money, he said.
Johnson’s recommendations included $1.4 million for students with disabilities, because BPS did not receive enough IDEA funds, said Horan. The federal government requires the rest of the money to be split evenly between protecting teaching jobs and investments such as textbooks and teacher training, he said.
Horan said Mayor Thomas Menino promised to restore all teaching positions if the Boston Teachers Union agrees to a one-year wage freeze, which would save the district an estimated $30 million.
Wage freezes have already saved 200 jobs, and continued negotiations with unions to freeze wages are likely to save most teaching jobs, said Coburn.
Springfield Public School District is receiving $8.6 billion from Title 1, the most of any district in Massachusetts other than Boston, according to the Massachusetts State website. Worcester is next, receiving $3.9 billion. Holyoke and Lawrence are receiving $3.1 million each.
Schools must remember to budget each lump sum for the next two fiscal years, said Coburn. In addition, a district’s financial status may change from year to year and receive more or less funding through Title 1, she said.
“A lot of people think all the money should go into schools now, but in reality, the government is anticipating a gap,” said Coburn. “What schools need is going to be even bigger a year from now.”
Because federal stimulus money from the Recovery and Reinvestment Act has not been distributed yet, the stimulus package’s success is still unmeasured, said Cindy Roy, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Office of Administration and Finance. Massachusetts must track every dollar being spent to show taxpayers where there money is going, she said.
“It’s a $700 billion bill. It is going to be complicated,” said Roy. “But were communicating with the federal government, they’re communicating with us … as we get further into the process it, will get easier for everybody.”
The distribution of funds among districts was based on the proportion of low-income students in the district’s total population, said Jonathan Palumbo, spokesperson for Patrick’s office. Districts can decide how to use the money as long as they meet certain requirements, such as saving teaching jobs, said Palumbo.
“If we want to build sustainability into the school system, maintain the level of services and make progress towards the goal of student achievement at all levels, the government made the case that we needed to do everything we could that education was properly funded,” he said.
Massachusetts will receive a total of $1.88 billion in stimulus money for education over the next two years, said Palumbo. The funds announced last week are being dispersed under Title 1, a 40-year-old federal program for low-income school districts, he said. Schools will receive the first half in July and the second half in the fall.
Massachusetts schools have never received this much government funding before, said Colleen Coburn, policy advisor for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry. The inclusion of education in the stimulus package is due in part to advocacy from politicians like Sen. Kerry and Gov. Patrick, she said.
“The money through the Recovery Act just going out now is more that has gone to education in almost every single category in the entire last year combined,” said Coburn.
The stimulus package also breaks new ground in transparency, because schools have to apply for the funds, specify their use and report how they were allocated on a set timeline, said Coburn.
“People think the federal government is just sending out checks,” said Coburn. “A goal of the [Obama] administration is to hold people more accountable and make transactions transparent. We want all this to be public information.”
The first round of stimulus money was for state stabilization, and the federal government mandated that 82 percent of these funds go to education to meet district budget gaps, said Coburn. The state could decide how the remaining 18 percent will be spent on government services. Boston Public Schools did not receive funds in the first round, said Coburn.
The third and final round of federal education funding will be allocated for special needs education under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), she said.
Boston Public Schools will receive about $20.8 million in Title 1 stimulus funds, which is $3.8 million more than Superintendent Carol Johnson expected when she approved the 2010 budget last month, said Chris Horan, spokesperson for the district. In that budget, Johnson recommended areas that could use additional funding if BPS received more money, he said.
Johnson’s recommendations included $1.4 million for students with disabilities, because BPS did not receive enough IDEA funds, said Horan. The federal government requires the rest of the money to be split evenly between protecting teaching jobs and investments such as textbooks and teacher training, he said.
Horan said Mayor Thomas Menino promised to restore all teaching positions if the Boston Teachers Union agrees to a one-year wage freeze, which would save the district an estimated $30 million.
Wage freezes have already saved 200 jobs, and continued negotiations with unions to freeze wages are likely to save most teaching jobs, said Coburn.
Springfield Public School District is receiving $8.6 billion from Title 1, the most of any district in Massachusetts other than Boston, according to the Massachusetts State website. Worcester is next, receiving $3.9 billion. Holyoke and Lawrence are receiving $3.1 million each.
Schools must remember to budget each lump sum for the next two fiscal years, said Coburn. In addition, a district’s financial status may change from year to year and receive more or less funding through Title 1, she said.
“A lot of people think all the money should go into schools now, but in reality, the government is anticipating a gap,” said Coburn. “What schools need is going to be even bigger a year from now.”
Because federal stimulus money from the Recovery and Reinvestment Act has not been distributed yet, the stimulus package’s success is still unmeasured, said Cindy Roy, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Office of Administration and Finance. Massachusetts must track every dollar being spent to show taxpayers where there money is going, she said.
“It’s a $700 billion bill. It is going to be complicated,” said Roy. “But were communicating with the federal government, they’re communicating with us … as we get further into the process it, will get easier for everybody.”
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Parents react to Gov. Patrick's anti-obesity campaign in Mass. schools
Created for BUTV's Inside Boston
This proposed regulation was passed by the Massachusetts public health council on April 8, 2009
This proposed regulation was passed by the Massachusetts public health council on April 8, 2009
State group looks to DREAM
PUBLISHED by The Daily Free Press
Though the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2007 - which would have allowed the children of illegal immigrants a fast track to citizenship if they joined the U.S. military - died on the U.S. Senate floor last week, Massachusetts lawmakers and immigrants' rights organizations say they will keep the fight to revive it alive.
According to the National Immigration Law Center's website, the DREAM Act would have provided higher education and citizenship opportunities for undocumented immigrant children who have lived in the United States for five years, immigrated when they were 15 or younger and graduated high school or are enrolled in college.
Those children who registered with the military would have been granted a six-year "conditional resident" status and been allowed to apply for permanent citizenship, according to the bill.
American Civil Liberties Union officials said Congress missed an opportunity to get real immigration reform moving.
"Had it passed, [the act would have] signaled a chance to deal with the broken immigration system and opened the door to further discussions," said Legislative Consultant Max Sevillia.
"Why put obstacles in their way or kick them out?" said ACLU spokesman Chris Ott. "Some people say they are here illegally, but even if that's the case, it's not the kids' fault. It's the parents' decision. Why should the kid be punished?"
Minutes before the vote that shot down the bill, according to the NILC, Sen. Richard Durban (D-Ill.) released a statement opposing the bill.
"By creating a special path to citizenship that is unavailable to other prospective immigrants -- including young people whose parents respected the nation's immigration laws. . . [the act] falls short," Durban said in a statement.
Durban also said the bill has loopholes that would allow illegal immigrants to become citizens even if they had committed misdemeanors or felonies.
"With a more educated workforce, [the bill would] give these students opportunities to pursue their educational dream and contribute to our economy in the long run," Bell said.
By helping children of illegal immigrants afford and attend college, the act would have also enabled American students to experience a different kind of diversity on campus, said Howard Thurman Center Assistant Director Raul Fernandez in an email.
"The DREAM Act [would] introduce a new type of student to Boston University. . . whose parents have left their homeland and risked everything for the sake of their children," Fernandez said.
U.S. Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) voted in favor of the bill and called for improvements in immigrants' education rights.
"These would-be students and soldiers are American in every way except their immigration status," Kerry said in an Oct. 24 press release.
Though the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2007 - which would have allowed the children of illegal immigrants a fast track to citizenship if they joined the U.S. military - died on the U.S. Senate floor last week, Massachusetts lawmakers and immigrants' rights organizations say they will keep the fight to revive it alive.
According to the National Immigration Law Center's website, the DREAM Act would have provided higher education and citizenship opportunities for undocumented immigrant children who have lived in the United States for five years, immigrated when they were 15 or younger and graduated high school or are enrolled in college.
Those children who registered with the military would have been granted a six-year "conditional resident" status and been allowed to apply for permanent citizenship, according to the bill.
American Civil Liberties Union officials said Congress missed an opportunity to get real immigration reform moving.
"Had it passed, [the act would have] signaled a chance to deal with the broken immigration system and opened the door to further discussions," said Legislative Consultant Max Sevillia.
"Why put obstacles in their way or kick them out?" said ACLU spokesman Chris Ott. "Some people say they are here illegally, but even if that's the case, it's not the kids' fault. It's the parents' decision. Why should the kid be punished?"
Minutes before the vote that shot down the bill, according to the NILC, Sen. Richard Durban (D-Ill.) released a statement opposing the bill.
"By creating a special path to citizenship that is unavailable to other prospective immigrants -- including young people whose parents respected the nation's immigration laws. . . [the act] falls short," Durban said in a statement.
Durban also said the bill has loopholes that would allow illegal immigrants to become citizens even if they had committed misdemeanors or felonies.
"With a more educated workforce, [the bill would] give these students opportunities to pursue their educational dream and contribute to our economy in the long run," Bell said.
By helping children of illegal immigrants afford and attend college, the act would have also enabled American students to experience a different kind of diversity on campus, said Howard Thurman Center Assistant Director Raul Fernandez in an email.
"The DREAM Act [would] introduce a new type of student to Boston University. . . whose parents have left their homeland and risked everything for the sake of their children," Fernandez said.
U.S. Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) voted in favor of the bill and called for improvements in immigrants' education rights.
"These would-be students and soldiers are American in every way except their immigration status," Kerry said in an Oct. 24 press release.
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