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?