 This program is brought to you by Cable Franchise V's and generous donations from viewers like you You're watching the Amherst Weekly Report from Amherst Media Friday, March 12th, 2021 I'm Claire Healy and these are the stories from Amherst, Massachusetts this past week a Project called Amherst Art for Clean Energy is underway in the Pioneer Valley community with the goal of putting together a student anthology of visual and written art inspired by nature or environmental action We spoke with Amherst Regional High School students Rebecca Hong and Elaine Wu and Pioneer Valley Performing Arts School student, Marisol Pierce Boniface about how the project came about and the work they've done so far. So basically Amherst Art for Clean Energy is an art anthology project aimed at allowing the younger generation in Pioneer Valley to be able to be heard with their concerns about environmental sustainability So all the art pieces whether it's written or visual art are all related to the environment or environmental action And it's from any student ages five through 18. So we welcome a very wide range of students Students of the Pioneer Valley are invited to submit artwork of all kinds including drawings poetry sculptures or photography The project's open to anybody whose ages five through 18 that's living in Pioneer Valley and anything that can be printed out in the anthology such as like poetry or like pictures, photography or like drawings or paintings or anything like that It can all be submitted online through our website Just practically anything that just can be at the end printed out like people can like make sculptures and they can like take pictures of that and submit it to us and in the end As long as it's in by like I pull seventh submitted on our website We're going to compile it all and put it into our anthology and hopefully sell it The project will donate all proceeds to Beyond Coal a non-profit organization that works to convert coal energy to clean energy The final anthology will sell for $15 and additional donations will be accepted through their GoFundMe page Basically, we wanted to do something that was like a big organization that was already successful at what they do and We also knew that fossil fuels were one of the leading causes of like many climate problems and environmental problems in general Boniface spoke about the way the project combines art and activism and also serves to educate young members of the community When I joined this project, I just saw it as a really cool idea to incorporate art with activism because we know art is like the backbone of activist movements and social change movements an example of that is Rosie the Riveter and so just educating people and Involving young people in its politics and this fight against climate change that is slowly ticking as a clock Boniface is also a member of the Amherst Sunrise Movement an organization that focuses on local climate issues The organization is currently involved as a co-collaborator with the art for clean energy project Boniface spoke about her experience with activism and the importance she sees in young people Using their voices to make their concerns about climate change heard We're just the local chapter of Sunrise Movement, which is working. It's a national organization to combat climate change and Basically identify that all issues are intertwined as an intersectional movement And we just brought our group of people to help this project because we believe it's really important and essential part of activism and Organizing around climate change. I've been organizing the Sunrise Movement for around two and a half years The breaking point with me for taking action and activism on environmental issues was when in California I believe a Bay Area hub of the Sunrise Movement went up to Diane Feinstein's office and They asked her to support the Green New Deal and she diminished them very much And she said you come in here and say like it's my way or the highway and you can't even vote So why should I listen to you? I've been doing this for so many years and the fact that our voices aren't being represented and the people in power Aren't treating climate change is the crisis that it is really was just a wake-up call for me that everyone Who has a voice who has the privilege who has a voice has to take action The Amherst Art for Clean Energy project will be accepting submissions through April 7th To learn more about the project or to submit a piece students can visit www.bit.ly slash art for clean energy Work is underway on a major restoration project at the Emily Dickinson Museum The museum website calls this their most significant restoration project to date and notes that it will focus on the interior architectural features finishes and furnishings of the household It will also focus on long-term stabilization of the building through new environmental regulating systems The construction will continue through 2021 while the museum continues to actively engage with the public in online events and activities According to the museum website The project is part of a ambitious long-range vision that aims to establish the museum as the premiere center for the study and celebration of the life and work of Emily Dickinson In an effort to vaccinate those who are unable to visit vaccination sites themselves The town of Amherst has begun coordinating homebound vaccinations The program is meant to identify and serve Homebound community members in Amherst and eight other eastern Hampshire County communities Which include Pelham Belcher town Hadley and Granby among others As of March 3rd the town of Amherst has delivered 5050 vaccine doses to eligible individuals and the homebound vaccination program Will use an ambulance to visit each of the over 100 individuals who have been identified so far The program is expected to take several weeks to complete Those who know someone who is homebound and may qualify are encouraged to call their local senior center or board of health for more information and assistance Eligible residents of Amherst or Pelham are asked to contact the Amherst senior center at 413-259-3060 The state announced it will delay administering the MCAS tests this spring as many schools transition to in-person learning According to mass live MCAS ELA mathematics and STE testing For grades three four and five are being moved to May 10th through June 11th Testing for grades six seven and eight is yet to be determined This decision comes as the board of elementary and secondary education considers granting commissioner Jeffrey Riley the authority to choose when to take remote and hybrid learning options off the table About 80 of schools in massachusetts have some form of in-person learning Former UMass chancellor Joseph D. Duffy died on February 25th at age 88 Duffy held the chancellorship at UMass Amherst for nine years between 1982 and 1991 And was also the chancellor of american university in washington dc between 1991 and 1993 Aside from his roles in academia Duffy was also involved in national politics Following activism in the civil rights movement an anti-war movement in the 1960s both of which he was involved in Duffy made an ultimately unsuccessful bid for senate in the 1970s in connecticut He later became involved in former president jimmy carter's campaign and was eventually appointed to a state department position As an assistant secretary for educational and cultural affairs He then became chairman of the national endowment for the humanities in 1977 In which he served until 1982 into the reagan administration Duffy later served as director of the united states information agency Tasked with promoting us policy abroad under president clinton after having been tapped for the role in 1993 This agency was eventually incorporated into the state department and duffy served as his last independent director President clinton posted a tweet in response to duffy's passing Saying quote in the fall of 1970 I missed about half of my law school classes to help get joe duffy elected to the senate There were so many of us drawn to his deep commitment to peace economic fairness and civil rights He added i'll always be grateful for the impact he had on my life As well as his outstanding leadership of the us ia in my administration Duffy also had notable friendships with human rights figures such as holocaust survivor Eli weisle and south africa's nelson mandela Thank you for tuning in to the amherst weekly report. 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