Planet Southie Meeting 5/23: It's Time to Fix Gas Leaks in South Boston!

Look what's lost in the pipeline (click image to enlarge)

A high percentage of our pipelines are old or leak-prone, and we pay the cost. 

Natural gas companies collected nearly $40 million in 2010 from customers for gas that never arrived or got consumed. Customers are unwittingly signing big checks back to the gas companies for this polluting “gift.”

And if all that wasted money isn't bad enough: Gas leaks underneath Boston are releasing methane – a very potent greenhouse gas – at an alarming rate. Methane is 20 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2.  Read more here.

At the next Planet Southie meeting, we will strategize a neighborhood gas leak mapping project to find potentially hazardous leaks; advocate for their repair; and keep our hard-earned cash from leaking out the distribution pipelines. Planet Southie Bike, Walk and Transit Teams will meet after this brief discussion.

Please join us at the next Planet Southie Meeting!
Thursday May 23, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: The Distillery Building 516 East 2nd St, South Boston

As always, all are welcome!

On Tuesday, May 25: Share our dream for Southie with Rep. Linda Forry

We have arranged for a meeting with Rep. Linda Forry to share a green healthy vision for South Boston. At the April monthly meeting, neighbors met to imagine and share dreams for our community. This vision will guide our work. Please feel welcome to add your own ideas as well!

Above is some of what was envisioned at the April meeting.
On May 21, we will share this vision with Rep. Forry. Click to enlarge image.

Meeting Details:

Tuesday, May 25, 2013
5:00 - 6:00 pm
At the Distillery

Please RSVP here.

As always, all are welcome at Planet Southie!

le TOUR de SOUTHIE

Join Planet Southie Bikes for a casual bicycle ride around the neighborhood. Nicole Freedman, Director of Boston Bikes, will be our special guest for the ride. Nicole will share with us the City's plans for bicycle lanes that may be in the works for Southie residents, and we will also have the opportunity to share our thoughts about what its like to ride here and where we'd like to see improvements.

Cyclists of all abilities are encouraged to attend. Please keep in mind that we'll be sharing the road with other vehicles. Helmets & smiles mandatory.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 6:30pm
450 West Broadway - Parking lot

Facebook Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/544095912299557/

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Tanya Connolly

September 17th, 2012 Tanya Connolly was killed riding her bicycle at the intersection of West Broadway & A-Street in South Boston.  Her brother Karl would like to share his painful story of loss & absence.

Tanya Connolly

Dear Planet Southie Bikes,

Over seven months have passed, and it’s still so hard for me to talk about Tanya in an abstract way. Writing this letter only reinforces the fact that she is no longer with us.

Tanya and I were very close. We were 14 months apart in age. Together, we grew up in Ireland and moved to Boston in the early 1990s. As early adults we lived close to Dublin; a city full of life and energy, and later Tanya lived in London England for a period before moving to Boston. Tanya was a lively and energetic person; one who broke down barriers, treated everyone with respect, and would enter a place a stranger but leave with a whole new circle of friends. When people die, they are often described as a loving, caring, full of life, etc. etc. In the case of my sister this is not some desired fabrication - it is quite simply the truth.

On Monday September 17th 2012, I was in the car leaving work heading to school when I got a frantic call from my wife who moments before had learned about the crash. I pulled over and got in touch with the police officer who was standing by. He put it simply on the phone when I asked - "Is she dead?" - "Yes" he replied. Those are words you never want to hear. That moment rushed in a sense of complete and utter surrealism. How could someone you've always known, someone you've always loved, and someone you always expected to be there suddenly be gone?

Dream Big on Thursday

Please join us for our next Planet Southie Meeting!
This Thursday April 25, 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Location: The Distillery Building 516 East 2nd St, South Boston

Now is a good time to take a step back and look at the big picture. We have all had a challenging week, which was ultimately triumphant as neighbors helped neighbors. The heart of our city was tested and is now stronger than ever. It feels good to come together in a spirit of building community.

Please come and share your hopes and dreams for a greener and healthier South Boston. We will create a positive vision to share with our neighbors, elected officials and others who can work together to improve quality of life for everyone. DREAM BIG!

Originally, we had been planning a candidates forum for this month's meeting. Due to the events of past week, the forum has been cancelled. Instead, we will come together to imagine the kind of neighborhood we want to live in and creative ways to get there. As you know, Planet Southie is an all volunteer organization made up of ordinary neighbors like you and me. Our efforts are determined by the passion and energy of participants. Planet Southie is a platform for neighbors to connect, communicate and collaborate on the issues that matter most to US. We can't do it without you!

As always, all are welcome at Planet Southie! If you can't make it to the meeting, please share your dream here.

Next meeting is Thursday, March 28 at 6:30 pm!

Transit, walking and biking are among
the issues we will discuss at the meeting

Hey there neighbors!

We hope you can join us at the next Planet Southie meeting. South Boston Grows will be on hand to give away free seedlings and talk about how you can get FREE TREES!

Thursday, March 28^th  6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Distillery Building
516 East Second Street, South Boston

As always, all are welcome and 
encouraged to attend!

Learn what we tree huggers are up to in this month's newsletter.





Please mark your calendars: Planet Southie meets the fourth Thursday of every month.

See you there!

Is Southie “Walkable” enough?

Author and city planner, Jeff Speck, says that Boston doesn’t need his help in planning walkable communities-(Boston is in the top 10 in the world according to Lonely Planet).

But, in Southie, are the sidewalks wide enough for the stroller? Are there enough street trees to keep you cool during the summer? Are benches ample on the main streets so you can sit for a minute if you need too/want too? Is there enough interesting pedestrian activity? Are the crosswalks blocked by cars, parking lots bleeding into the sidewalk, and are garage doors obstructing visibility?

These are some of the questions the Planet Southie Walk Action Team wants to address. Come to the next meeting (3/28) to discuss plans for a Southie “Walkabiltiy Audit” to determine how comfortably and safely our streets and neighborhoods can be walked.

For more information, listen to this RadioBoston broadcast from December “Why Walkability Is Key To A City’s Vitality”