Berkshire Clean, Cold, Connected Partnership Awarded $276K

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BOSTON—The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced over $700,000 in grants to support partnerships to restore rivers and wetlands. 
 
In the Berkshires, the Berkshire Clean, Cold, Connected Partnership was awarded $276,000 through the Housatonic Valley Association, the lead organization.
 
"The Berkshire Clean, Cold, and Connected Partnership is doing critical work to strengthen climate resilience and restore aquatic ecosystems across the Berkshires," said State Rep. Leigh Davis. "I'm grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for investing in these important partnerships that advance meaningful restoration projects throughout the Commonwealth." 
 
The Berkshire Clean, Cold, Connected Partnership unites organizations, agencies, and communities to strengthen aquatic health and climate resilience in the Hoosic, Housatonic, and Farmington River watersheds. This award will expand regional capacity to deliver nature-based climate solutions, accelerate the removal of aquatic barriers, and restore coldwater habitat for native fish species.  
 
This funding, provided by the Department of Fish and Game's (DFG) Division of Ecological Restoration (DER), will support three established partnerships through DER's Regional Restoration Partnerships Program. These partnerships advance locally led projects that provide clean water, reduce flood risk, and restore healthy habitat for fish and wildlife. 
 
"Nature is our best defense against natural disasters. That's why the work of these local environmental leaders in the Berkshires, Merrimack Valley, and Buzzards Bay is so important," said Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "Removing aging dams, restoring wetlands and salt marshes, and expanding access to streams are some of our best strategies for preventing disastrous floods in our communities. By making progress through these partnerships, we'll be protecting people's livelihoods in the event of a storm." 
 
DER's Regional Restoration Partnerships Program helps build the capacity of regional organizations and regional planning agencies that work with cities, towns, and other local partners to lead watershed-scale ecological restoration within their regions. Pairing partners' strengths with state investments empowers local communities to restore rivers and wetlands and help people and nature adapt to climate change.
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Pryor & Peacock's Whimsical Furniture Environmentally Friendly

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
 

The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.

Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director. 

Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.

The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.

"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.

Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.

"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."

One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.

Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.

"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.

They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.

"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.

The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.

Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.

"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said. 

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