Latest news with #AmandaGokee
Boston Globe
20-05-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Forget the snacks and soda, this N.H. school installed a vending machine for books
Students in the elementary school earn gold coins from their teachers for exhibiting good behavior. Each month, the school focuses on a specific behavior that they're trying to promote: like collaboration, self-control, or being a good friend. Once they've won a coin, the students can cash it in at the vending machine for a book of their choice. 'It is wildly popular with students, teachers and parents,' said Thompson. 'It's really kind of created this hype at the elementary school.' Thompson said the school used federal Title IV funds for the initial purchase of the machine and for one refill of books. A Hampstead mothers' club has raised additional money for purchasing more books, and the school has an Amazon wish list where parents can buy books to restock the machine, according to Thompson. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Located by the school's main office, the vending machine for books looks much like the kind that distributes snacks or soda, with over 20 different colorful titles visible from behind a pane of glass. Advertisement Thompson said teachers and students weighed in on the most popular titles to make sure the selection of books is as irresistible as possible. 'It checks two boxes,' he said. 'One is it supports literacy and gets kids Advertisement This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
There's a word to describe Casella's recent PR blitz: greenwashing
"Casella's management and its directors may very well be committed to sustainability as a concept, but it is a huge stretch for the company to promote itself as being in the sustainability business." (File photo by Amanda Gokee/New Hampshire Bulletin) When we read or hear a claim repeated over and over again, we are more likely to think it is true even when it is not true. It's called the illusory truth effect, and it's why repetition is a fundamental tool used, yes, in politics, but especially in consumer product advertising. And more and more it's being used by corporations to highlight their sunny side whenever the corporation's reputation as a good corporate citizen comes into question. A case in point is Casella's recent campaign to convince New Hampshire that when it comes to the environment, Casella is one of the 'good guys.' The company has unleashed what amounts to a public relations blitz, emphasizing its commitment to environmental sustainability. Just in the last week Casella offered up a 'Special Advertising Section' in New Hampshire Magazine titled 'Casella Comes Full Circle for its Anniversary,' suggesting that though it started in the trash business it is now in the sustainability business. That comes on top of a number of other recent actions by the company, including a national press release announcing its '2024 Sustainability Report'; a mailer to residents of New Hampshire's North Country titled 'Driving Sustainability in NH'; and a $1.5 million donation to the University of Vermont for which the University gave it naming rights to establish the 'Casella Center for Circular Economy and Sustainability at UVM.' All this smacks of 'greenwashing,' a practice roughly defined as a company using corporate money and its public relations apparatus to mislead people into believing that it is more environmentally friendly than it actually is. Casella's management and its directors may very well be committed to sustainability as a concept, but it is a huge stretch for the company to promote itself as being in the sustainability business. Casella's core business is trash collection and landfilling, essentially the antithesis of sustainability. According to Casella's most recent filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission, only 20% of its revenues come from business activities (such as recycling) that are even remotely connected to sustainability. And there is little to no indication that going forward Casella will focus on sustainability. It tells its investors that its growth will be fueled by acquisitions of trash collection service territories, necessitating the need for construction and/or expansion of new landfills across the Northeast. Casella likes to talk about its origin story: It started in 1975 with one truck picking up trash in Rutland, Vermont. In 50 years it has grown to be a $7 billion corporation, with nearly $1.5 billion in annual revenue. What the company does not like to talk about is all of the environmental problems it has created, and all of the enemies it has made along the way to becoming a $7 billion corporation. Casella has trash operations all over the Northeast, but it is an especially big player in northern New England. In New Hampshire, it operates one of three major landfills — the NCES landfill in Bethlehem. The NCES landfill has been beset by environmental problems. It was only recently discovered that holes in the landfill liner were created during the construction of the landfill some 30 years ago; the consequences for contamination of nearby water supplies and groundwater are as yet unknown. And it took Casella two full days to discover that the largest leachate spill in New England (150,000-plus gallons) occurred at NCES in 2021. Now four years later, the extent of soil and groundwater contamination from the accident is still under investigation. These are not isolated incidents. New Hampshire's Department of Environmental Services (DES) notified NCES that it had found hundreds of permit violations for leachate management during a recent two-year period. In contrast, DES found only a few handfuls of similar violations at other New Hampshire landfills, including Mount Carberry and Turnkey, which other than management competence are similar to NCES. With that kind of record, it's little wonder that Casella would want to use its public relations apparatus to bill itself as in the sustainability business. This is especially true given the fact that it has been trying for six years to bully our state to approve permits for it to build a new mega-landfill (the GSL project) in Dalton. It has even suggested that it would not invest in a newly planned recycling center in downstate New Hampshire unless it gets permits to build GSL. It's to our great good luck that we now have a governor who is standing up to that bullying, a redirected DES that is more focused on environmental protection, and an educated populace that is able to recognize greenwashing for what it is.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Casella solid waste application for Dalton landfill denied; DES cites ‘dormancy'
For years, local residents have rallied against the project, citing its proximity to a pristine lake and forest, and related fears about how the landfill would impact the environment and public health. (File photo by Amanda Gokee/New Hampshire Bulletin) This story was updated on April 3 at 6:10 p.m. to add a comment from Casella. A Vermont-based company's proposal to build a landfill in a tiny, northern New Hampshire town took a major blow this week. The Department of Environmental Services issued a 'denial by dormancy' Thursday to Casella Waste System's solid waste permit application for its proposed landfill in Dalton. This permit is one of several sought by the company for the project, and without it, the project cannot go forward. The company has 30 days to file an appeal with the state's Waste Management Council. Jeff Weld, Casella's vice president of communications, said the company had received the letter and was considering its options. For years, local residents have rallied against the project, citing its proximity to a pristine lake and forest, and related fears about how the landfill would impact the environment and public health. Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte joined them in their efforts, vowing in her inaugural address in January that the landfill would not be built. At the same time, solid waste management across the state has come under greater legislative scrutiny, especially after the state approved hotly contested updates to its landfill regulations in December. A permit application becomes dormant when the applicant fails to submit required information requested by the department within a year of first being notified that the application is incomplete. For Casella, that one-year mark came on Feb. 28, according to a letter sent to the company Thursday by Mike Wimsatt, the agency's solid waste management division director. A dormant, incomplete application 'shall be deemed denied without further action by the department,' per the letter. Wimsatt said the application remained incomplete for a number of reasons. For one, it lacked a 'site report that demonstrates that the location of the proposed facility complies with all applicable siting requirements and that the site is a suitable location for the proposed facility …,' according to the letter. Additionally, 'the maps, figures, and hydrogeological report' submitted by the applicant in 2023 had not been updated to show compliance with the state's regulations that were updated in December, Wimsatt said. Legal agreements submitted by the company 'failed to fulfill application requirements because they were heavily redacted and referenced other legal agreements, which were not provided,' Wimsatt said. The company also had not submitted 'copies of the documents that demonstrate that the applicant and their successors and assigns will have a legal right for the use of the properties as proposed in the application,' which the state requires, according to the letter. For those who have invested years in fighting the landfill, it was a moment of optimism. But for many, the work doesn't end in Dalton. Adam Finkel, a former federal regulator and Dalton resident who has advocated for solid waste reform in the state, pointed to pending legislation to bolster the state's landfill siting requirements and other aspects of the recently updated regulations that raised deep concerns last year. 'Very happy that DES has done the right thing, but it doesn't in any way, large or small, deter me from the larger goal,' Finkel said, 'which is making sure that no community in New Hampshire ever has to deal with this kind of inept vanity project in a terrible location, unneeded, ever again.'
Boston Globe
02-04-2025
- Boston Globe
Police narrow timeframe in suspicious death of newborn girl found in a pond in Manchester, N.H.
Advertisement An autopsy was conducted the next day, which Marr said revealed 'relevant information,' although he did not provide any specifics. And, he noted, there are additional tests ongoing. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Marr said that police have received around 50 tips from a dedicated tip line, although he said more assistance from the public is still needed. 'This case needs those in our community who have information to come forward,' he said. Right now, he said, the police are looking for information from anyone who may have seen someone discarding an object into the water between March 25 and March 27. And he asked for any photographs that had been taken of Pine Island Pond in that timeframe. 'We're also still requesting information about anyone who was pregnant during that time frame but is no longer pregnant and does not have a newborn baby,' he said. Advertisement The Manchester tip line is 603-716-7236 and the anonymous crime line is 603-624-4040. The Manchester Police said they are offering a $2,500 cash reward to anyone with information leading to what happened with the baby. Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Boston Globe
18-03-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Amphibious migration underway in N.H., a sure sign of spring
Along with a team of volunteers, Thelen counted 365 wood frogs, 518 spring peepers, and a few other species totaling 899 critters that crossed the road in the four hours the team was standing guard. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up These road crossings pose a big threat to the tiny amphibians, which can easily get crushed by passing vehicles. Drivers are often completely unaware of how much death they're inflicting, she said. Advertisement 'When you're out there on these nights, and you see the numbers that are not surviving, it's pretty stunning,' said Thelen. She pointed to one study that found The crossing site where she was stationed in Keene is one of two locations where the city has agreed to close the roadway when there's a big night of amphibian activity. In places where roadways remain open, Crossing Brigade volunteers give the critters a lift so they can get across the road more quickly and with less casualties. 'It's a bigger problem than most people see because a lot of this is happening on dark, rainy nights when we're not out and about so much,' she said, adding that one car can inflict a lot of damage. Advertisement But Thelen hopes other communities will consider road closures on busy nights. And, she said, just staying home on warm, wet nights can help reduce the casualties. 'Save your errands for the next day,' she said. 'You could save dozens of lives just by doing that on any rainy night' in the spring and summer. This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, Amanda Gokee can be reached at
