BAD NEWS, FOLKS: On the filth test, our city gets an A-plus. Or at least our air does. According to the American Lung Association’s 2010 “State of the Air” report, Birmingham ranks No. 7 on a list of the 10 dirtiest cities in America. We rank No. 5 for short-term particle pollution, right behind the smog cloud that is Los Angeles, and No.7 for year-round particle pollution.

MAKING THEIR CASE: Members of the Coalition of Alabama Students for the Environment (CASE) at the University of Alabama (UA) announced a drive to boycott UA services should the school allow some land it owns near Cordova to be leased for the proposed Shepherd Bend coal strip mine.

This Friday and Saturday, November 12 and 13, Birmingham will play host to the fifth annual Food Summit, organized by Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners (GBCFP).

YOUR ONE MILE: The Freshwater Land Trust (FWLT) is hosting a series of public meetings to seek comments and suggestions regarding Our One Mile, a comprehensive greenway master plan for Jefferson County. The Our One Mile initiative is focused on identifying trails and greenways throughout the county and making it easier for local residents to walk and bike.

AFTER THE ELECTION: Conservation Alabama, the state’s only full-time environmental lobby, has suggested a few issues for the new legislature and governor of Alabama to address in the coming year. Topping their list is the renewal of Forever Wild, the state’s land protection program. Forever Wild was created by a constitutional amendment in 1992 and has purchased lands for public recreation, nature preserves and parks throughout the state. Unfortunately, the program is set to expire in 2012, and Conservation Alabama is looking to policy makers to extend it.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) will hold a dedication ceremony for the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center (AABC), a new research facility in Marion, on Friday, October 29.

According to agronomist Charles Mitchell, in The Encyclopedia of Alabama, “One hundred years ago almost four million acres [in Alabama] were planted to cotton, and today only 1.3 million acres are devoted to all agricultural crops.” Alabama’s contemporary landscape is marked as much or more by pastures and pine trees than by plowed fields, and many “producers” (ag-speak for farmers) work only part-time, according to Mitchell.

NEW SHERIFFS IN TOWN: Birmingham has a new environmental watchdog. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) recently opened an office in the Magic City in order to take a more active role in environmental protection in the city and state. The office is staffed by attorneys Keith Johnson and Sarah Stokes, both Alabama natives.

DOUBTING RICHARD: Alabama Republican Senator Richard Shelby sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar expressing his doubts regarding a nearly 300,000-acre expansion of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge recently proposed by the U.

Rock and bluegrass band Rollin’ in the Hay will help kick off the month by playing shows in both cities. The Tuscaloosa show will be held on August 26 at the Dixie, 1307 University Blvd., from 9 p.m. to midnight. The Birmingham show will be held on September 9 at Rogue Tavern downtown from 8 p.