ACE - alternatives for community and environment

Boston bands rock Molasses Disaster Benefit on 91st Anniversary

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:49:13 -0500

January 15, 2010

BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 20, 2010 – Local band, Hot Molasses, is making waves with its music and its politics. Named after an environmental disaster that killed 21 people in Boston’s North End, the Molasses Flood of 1919, Hot Molasses does more than empty sloganeering. With the release of their Hot Molasses EP, this band puts its money where its mouth is.

Groups across North America hail Massachusetts policy shift from waste incineration to waste reduction

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:41:23 -0500

December 15, 2009

BOSTON - Environmental and public interest groups across the continent applauded the announcement that a new Massachusetts waste plan will retain and strengthen the moratorium on increased incineration of municipal solid waste, and introduce new measures to reduce waste dramatically.

Where’s the Change We Can Believe In?

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:28:27 -0500

December 17, 2009

Affected Communities Deliver Letter to US Embassy Demanding Real Solutions to Climate Crisis

COPENHAGEN – On the eve of President Obama’s arrival in Copenhagen to attend the fifteenth United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties, organizations representing communities affected by climate change from around the United States delivered a letter urging President Obama to put a stop to the United States acting as a major barrier to real solutions to climate change, and instead to actively advance the concerns of vulnerable and impacted communities in the Global South and at home in the United States. “Global South” is a term often used to describe the G77 + China, or developing countries, including India, Brazil, the Philippines, South Africa, Kenya, and the Small Island Nations.

US Affected People of Color Urge Obama to be Champion in Climate Negotiations

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:45:57 -0500

December 16, 2009

When: Thursday December 17, 2009, 12 noon, Copenhagen time
Where: American Embassy, Copenhagen, Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

Who: North American indigenous Delegation, Movement Generation Justice and Ecology Project, and the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, along with other grassroots groups from the United States will deliver a letter to President Barack Obama demanding that the United States take real, rights-based approaches to climate change and ecological debt.

On eve of new school year, Youth Way campaign achieves major improvements to youth access on the MBTA

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:07:39 -0400

September 9, 2009

On the eve of the new school year, Boston-area youth have achieved a major improvement to public transportation by working with the Secretary of Transportation to extend the MBTA Student Pass from 8 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Riders demonstrate for MBTA bailout

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:24:33 -0400

July 2, 2009

Boston, MA – T Riders and advocates rallied before the MBTA Board Meeting today, asking the legislature to fully invest in a sustainable public transportation system. Despite approximately $160 million of new revenue through a sales tax increase, the MBTA is planning another round of fare increases and service cuts, the fourth since 2000.

“The MBTA's budget is like a leaking ship. The transportation reorganization bill and sales tax increase will fill some gaps, but if we don't plug all the holes, the T will still sink,” said T Riders Union (TRU) member Taisha O’Bryant.

Bake Sale For The T

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:30:14 -0400

March 9, 2009

Transit Advocates Look To Prevent Looming Fare Hikes and Service Cuts

Boston—With massive MBTA fare hikes and service cuts proposed for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), public transit advocates rallied in front of the State House to highlight the need for increased investments in public transportation.

Staging a "Bake Sale for the T," activists with the T Riders Union, MASSPIRG, the On The Move coalition, and other organizations hope to draw attention to the MBTA’s $8 billion debt and estimated $165 million budget deficit by selling cookies, brownies, muffins and other baked goods.

"We’re clearly not going to sell $165 million dollars worth of cookies," said Lee Matsueda of the T Riders Union. "But we hope to engage the public and lawmakers in why we need to address the T’s unsustainable finances."

MBTA ridership imperiled by budget deficits; Agency balances budget with borrowing and rainy day fund

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:35:30 -0400

May 22, 2008

BOSTON—While public transportation use has surged since the beginning of the year, largely due to rising gas prices, transit advocates worry that budget deficits at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will force higher fares or diminished service which will negate these positive trends. Growing debt costs and higher energy bills have created a $74 million deficit in the MBTA’s upcoming fiscal year budget, which begins on July 1st.

Unity for the Community

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:54:57 -0400

May 3, 2008

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS –The “Unity for the Community: A Youth Violence Forum” is a way for students and the Boston Police Department to fight youth violence in the community. The event will take place on May 9th at the Tobin Community Center from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM. During the forum, students from New Mission High School and officers from the Boston Police Department will discuss issues that deal with trust, respect, and ways to fight youth violence.

Boston teen demands bus improvements after extensive research

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:55:35 -0500

March 6, 2008

ROXBURY, MA—In the face of the MBTA’s rapidly declining ridership, $8.2 billion debt, and recent revelations of lying to bus riders, 17-year old T Riders Union (TRU) member Stuart Spina has compiled a list of recommendations to make the bus system more efficient and effective.

The Latest

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 19:44:22 -0500

Welcome to ACE's new web site. We've completely redesigned our site to provide more information about our programs, and more opportunities to get involved and take action to promote environmental justice. Also routinely check out In the News for the most up-to-date articles in print, TV, and radio about our work. Email us with your comments and feedback.