SWAMPSCOTT, MA., December 6, 2006 – At its recent holiday party on Sunday, December 3, HealthLink, a North Shore environmental nonprofit group, honored Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, Swampscott Board of Health Chairman Larry Block, and Marblehead inventor Jim Poss for their commitment to public health through protection of clean air and water.

HealthLink Board Member and Salem resident Pat Gozemba presented Mayor Driscoll with HealthLink’s Environmental Leadership award, noting that the mayor "has taken the bull by the horns by initiating new policies such as a commitment to buy $20,000 of clean energy for the city as part of the GreenUp program, the purchase of hybrid cars for the city, and the initiation of a transportation management association." The mayor also created a renewable energy committee and has convened meetings between Beverly and Salem regarding the safeguarding of the drinking water supply for the two cities.

Dr. Larry Block, the Chairman of the Swampscott Board of Health, was presented HealthLink's award for Public Health Protector. Martha Dansdill, HealthLink’s Executive Director praised Dr. Block and his key leadership role in creating sound public health policy. Dr. Block has introduced policies such as the Organic Management Plan eliminating pesticide use on town-owned lands. He also created the Mercury Fish Advisory which requires warnings on restaurant menus and at fish counters informing pregnant women, mothers of young children, and women of child bearing age to limit consumption of fish containing high levels of mercury which is a neurotoxin. Swampscott is the first town in the state to adopt such a policy. "Dr. Block has been instrumental in bringing together local Boards of Health to discuss and share ideas on protective public health policy for the region," said Dansdill.

Jim Poss, inventor of the Big Belly solar-powered trash compactor, was honored as HealthLink’s Renewable Energy Innovator for 2006. HealthLink Board Member Jane Bright commented, "Some years ago at one of our events, one woman asked me, ‘What is the alternative to coal?’ The reality is that renewable power is viable, economic and here now. Poss’ invention is a wonderful example of the reality of renewable power today."

Salem is considering installing some of Poss’ devices in public places. The Marblehead resident is featured in this week’s Time magazine.

Also at Sunday’s event, Jane Bright brought the group up to date on progress at the Salem Harbor Power Station, saying there is still a lot of work to do on greenhouse gases. "We hope the new governor will work to provide the leadership to make the reduction of CO2 at this plant a reality" she said.

"The power plant is running much cleaner and has reduced emissions of sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen. However, the owners are required to make further reductions in mercury." Bright noted. "We will be going back to the negotiating table in 2007 to determine what they will do about mercury. Also in 2007, the City and Dominion will renegotiate their tax agreement. HealthLink encourages Dominion to be generous to the community that has borne the brunt of the impact of the operation of the plant for over 50 years."

Avi Chomsky, professor of Latin American history at Salem State College, spoke about the impact by the owner of the El Cerrejon coal mine in destroying the homes and the health of the local, indigenous people whose land was seized without reparations. She has recently returned from a visit to Colombia and the world’s largest open pit coal mine, which has supplied coal to the Salem plant in the past. She introduced Debora Barros Fince, a Wayuu woman who lives near the port from where the coal is shipped. Ms. Fince described the environmental degradation and health impact from air and water contaminated by the mine’s operation, and the anguish suffered in the violence directed at the indigenous people in a massacre in 2004.

HealthLink also announced the launch of its new website www.nsair.org, to inform the public of the results of its North Shore Air Project. HealthLink member Cindy Keegan, an environmental engineer, described the site as a "compilation of all publicly available health and air pollution data for the communities of Beverly, Salem and Marblehead. " In addition to health statistics on asthma, heart disease, and cancer, the site has air pollutant data on historical trends, current amounts released, along with an analysis of the sources that contribute the most to dangerous air pollution. The site also defines priorities for reductions in air toxins in these communities. Keegan noted that among the most important findings of the project was data showing that mobile sources (both on- road, and off-road) contribute the most to air pollutants, and contribute the most to eight of the top ten pollution risk chemicals identified.

HealthLink was founded in 1996 to tighten regulations on air emissions caused by the burning of coal and oil at the Salem Power Station. The local grassroots group has worked in coalition with other health and environmental groups to achieve landmark regulations for the plant. Awareness of the problems of using coal as a fuel in its wresting from the earth, transporting, burning and waste disposal has led the group to work toward establishment of renewable energy generating systems. The group’s volunteers also work to reduce poisons in the environment.