[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events

George Mokray gmoke at world.std.com
Sun May 27 13:20:30 PDT 2012


Energy (and Other) Events is a weekly mailing list published most  
Sundays covering events around the Cambridge, MA and greater Boston  
area that catch the editor's eye.

Hubevents  http://hubevents.blogspot.com is the web version.

If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to Energy (and Other) Events  
email gmoke at world.std.com

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Mockingbird with Sparrow Chorus and Sunday Afternoon City Sounds  http://youtu.be/2wyZ4ia9dtU

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Monday, May 28
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Nerdnite Boston
Monday May 28, 2012
8pm
Middlesex, 315 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge
Featuring Nerd-appropriate tunes by Claude Money

$5

The lineup:
Talk 1. “The Walking Death, Poison Apples, and Tangled Proteins”
by Joe Mazzulli

Talk 2.  “Inhabiting the Global Anonymous (observations on the  
evolution of cities with a focus on Tokyo)”

by Ishita Sharma

http://boston.nerdnite.com/


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Tuesday, May 29
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Energy Research in Chemical Engineering
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
11:00a–12:00p
MIT, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Rakesh Agrawal, Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of  
Chemical Engineering, Purdue University
Historically chemical engineering has played a central role in the  
current fossil resource driven world. Now, as the human race prepares  
to make inevitable transition from the fossil resources, chemical  
engineering is well poised to contribute to this transition.

Here we will discuss our energy related research in a three part  
presentation. First, an energy systems analysis, to identify  
opportunities and pitfalls as the renewable economy emerges, will be  
presented. We will focus on a future where the basic human needs of  
food, chemicals, heat, electricity and transportation will generally  
be met by solar energy. In a solar-energy-driven world, it will be  
particularly challenging to satisfy the need of the transportation  
sector due to its requirement of high energy density fuel and  
associated ease of handling. Some novel solutions to meet this  
challenge and sustain the current transportation sector will be  
presented. The importance of developing transition solutions that use  
both hydrocarbon resources as well as solar energy in a synergistic  
manner will be emphasized through examples.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Chemical Engineering Department

For more information, contact:  Melanie Miller
617-253-6500
melmils at mit.edu

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Making large volunteer-driven projects sustainable. Lessons learned  
from Drupal
Tuesday, May 29, 12:30 pm
Berkman Center, 23 Everett Street, second floor, Cambridge
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2012/05/buytaert#RSVP
This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast 
  and archived there shortly after.

Dries Buytaert, original creator and project lead of Drupal
In this talk, Dries shares his experiences on how he grew the Drupal  
community from just one person to over 800,000 members over the past  
10 years. Today, the Drupal community is one of the largest and most  
active Open Source projects in the world, powering 1 out of 50  
websites in the world.  The concept of major projects growing out of a  
volunteer, community-based model is not new to the world.   Volunteer  
networks and communities exist in many shapes and sizes.  Throughout  
history there are examples of pure volunteer organizations that were  
instrumental in the founding and formation of many projects. For  
example, the first trade routes were ancient trackways which citizens  
later developed on their own into roads suited for wheeled vehicles in  
order to improve commerce. Transportation was improved for all  
citizens, driven by the commercial interest of some. Today, we  
certainly appreciate that our governments maintain the roads. However,  
we still see road signs stating that a particular section of a highway  
is kept clean and trim by volunteers -- at least in some countries.  
When new ground needs to be broken, it's often volunteer communities  
that do it. But a full-time, paid infrastructure can be necessary for  
the preservation and protection of what communities begin.  In this  
presentation, Dries wants to brainstorm about how large communities  
evolve and how to sustain them over time.
Some questions to think about ahead of the presentation:

Do you know examples of large organizations that have grown out of  
volunteer communities?

Why do some communities keep growing while other communities come to a  
halt?

Is the commercialization of a volunteer-driven community part of a  
community's natural life-cycle?

Is it inevitable that over time the operation and/or leadership of  
volunteer communities are transferred to paid personnel?

About Dries
Dries Buytaert is the original creator and project lead for the Drupal  
open source web publishing and collaboration platform. Buytaert serves  
as president of the Drupal Association, a non-profit organization  
formed to help Drupal flourish. He is also co-founder and chief  
technology officer of Acquia, a venture-backed software company that  
offers products and services for Drupal. Dries is also a co-founder of  
Mollom, a web service that helps you identify content quality and,  
more importantly, helps you stop website spam. A native of Belgium,  
Buytaert holds a PhD in computer science and engineering from Ghent  
University and a Licentiate Computer Science (MsC) from the University  
of Antwerp. In 2008, Buytaert was elected Young Entrepreneurs of Tech  
by BusinessWeek as well as MIT TR 35 Young Innovator.

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Wednesday, May 30
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Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems
Wednesday, May 30, 6:00PM
Harvard Law School, Wasserstein Hall, Milstein West AB
Free and Open to the Public; RSVP required for those attending in  
person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/2012/05/interop#RSVP
Co-sponsored by the Harvard Law School Library and the Harvard Book  
Store
Reception to follow
John Palfrey and Urs Gasser

The practice of standardization has been facilitating innovation and  
economic growth for centuries. The standardization of the railroad  
gauge revolutionized the flow of commodities, the standardization of  
money revolutionized debt markets and simplified trade, and the  
standardization of credit networks has allowed for the purchase of  
goods using money deposited in a bank half a world away. These  
advancements did not eradicate the different systems they affected;  
instead, each system has been transformed so that it can interoperate  
with systems all over the world, while still preserving local diversity.

As Palfrey and Gasser show, interoperability is a critical aspect of  
any successful system—and now it is more important than ever. Today  
we are confronted with challenges that affect us on a global scale:  
the financial crisis, the quest for sustainable energy, and the need  
to reform health care systems and improve global disaster response  
systems. The successful flow of information across systems is crucial  
if we are to solve these problems, but we must also learn to manage  
the vast degree of interconnection inherent in each system involved.  
Interoperability offers a number of solutions to these global  
challenges, but Palfrey and Gasser also consider its potential  
negative effects, especially with respect to privacy, security, and co- 
dependence of states; indeed, interoperability has already sparked  
debates about document data formats, digital music, and how to create  
successful yet safe cloud computing. Interop demonstrates that, in  
order to get the most out of interoperability while minimizing its  
risks, we will need to fundamentally revisit our understanding of how  
it works, and how it can allow for improvements in each of its  
constituent parts.

About John

John Palfrey is Henry N. Ess Professor of Law and Vice Dean for  
Library and Information Resources at Harvard Law School. He is the co- 
author of "Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital  
Natives" (Basic Books, 2008) and "Access Denied: The Practice and  
Politics of Internet Filtering" (MIT Press, 2008). His research and  
teaching is focused on Internet law, intellectual property, and  
international law. He practiced intellectual property and corporate  
law at the law firm of Ropes & Gray. He is a faculty co-director of  
the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.  
Outside of Harvard Law School, he is a Venture Executive at Highland  
Capital Partners and serves on the board of several technology  
companies and non-profits. John served as a special assistant at the  
US EPA during the Clinton Administration. He is a graduate of Harvard  
College, the University of Cambridge, and Harvard Law School.

About Urs

Urs Gasser is the Executive Director of the Berkman Center for  
Internet & Society at Harvard University. He teaches at Harvard Law  
School, at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) and Fudan  
University School of Management (China). He is a visiting professor at  
KEIO University (Japan) and a Fellow at the Gruter Institute for Law  
and Behavioral Research. Urs Gasser has written several books, is the  
co author of “Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of  
Digital Natives” (Basic Books, 2008, with John Palfrey) that has been  
translated into 10 languages (including Chinese), and has published  
over 70 articles in professional journals. His research and teaching  
activities focus on information law and policy issues. Current  
projects, several of them in collaboration with leading research  
institutions in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, explore policy and  
educational challenges for young Internet users, the regulation of  
digital technology (currently with focus on cloud computing), ICT  
interoperability, information quality, the law’s impact on innovation  
and risk in the ICT space, and alternative governance systems. He  
graduated from the University of St. Gallen (J.D., S.J.D.) as well as  
Harvard Law School (LL.M.) and received several academic awards and  
prizes for his research.

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Data Therapy: Creative Ways to tell your Story with Data
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
6:00 PM
MIT Media Lab, E14-525, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge

Got data? Tired of using the same old bar charts to tell your story?
You need some Data Therapy!
Join MIT Media Lab researcher Rahul Bhargava for a workshop on making  
creative and compelling presentations of data.
We will cover: a process for picking appropriate data presentation  
techniques; real-world examples of various creative techniques; online  
tools to help you while designing your presentation; "group therapy"  
time to brainstorm about your specific needs.

RSVP at http://meetupbos.hackshackers.com/events/63236472/?a=ea1_grp&eventId=63236472&action=detail&rv=ea1&rv=ea1

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Climate Change:  What We Know and Where We Go from Here
WHEN  Wed., May 30, 2012, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard University, Pfizer Auditorium, Mallinckrodt Building,  
12 Oxford St, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Classes/Workshops, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Science in the News, sponsored by Harvard  
Medical School and the Graduate Student Council
SPEAKER(S)  Presentations given by groups of graduate students in the  
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
COST  Free
CONTACT INFO  SITNboston at gmail.com
NOTE  Hosted by Science in the News, a student run group at the  
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, our evening seminar  
series is free to the public! Discuss today’s hottest scientific  
topics, with seminars presented by current graduate students and aimed  
at a general audience. It's an interactive environment, so feel to ask  
questions at any point in the lecture! Hosted at Harvard University,  
Pfizer Auditorium, biweekly Wednesdays. See our website for the full  
schedule.
LINK https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/sitn-seminars/

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Cape Wind Public Hearing
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
7:00 p.m.
Department of Public Utilities, One South Station, 5th Floor, Boston

Help Cape Wind pass their last hurdle by attending a public hearing on  
the matter. They need support to point out that wind turbines will  
keep energy bills less volatile than fossil fuels:

Please arrive EARLY as speakers will called in the order in which they  
signed up. If you can come, please RSVP torsvpcapewind at gmail.com

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Thursday, May 31
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The Future of Human Longevity: Medical Advances, Lifestyle Adjustments
WHEN  Thu., May 31, 2012, 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Room  
FXB-G12, Boston, MA 02115
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Conferences, Environmental Sciences, Health  
Sciences, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  swissnex Boston, Swiss Re
SPEAKER(S)
Dennis Ausiello
Joseph Brain
Raju Kucherlapati
Eric Rimm
Agnes Vorbrodt
Aaron Cypess
And many more...
LINK  http://cgd.swissre.com/events/Future_of_human_longevity_medical_advances_lifestyle_adjustments.html

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Altitude, Air Pollution, and Energy Technologies among Nomads on the  
Himalayan Plateau
Thursday, May 31
3:30pm
Pierce Hall 100F, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge

A Harvard China Project seminar with Catlin Powers, Doctoral  
Candidate, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of  
Public Health; Executive Vice President and COO, One Earth Designs.

http://chinaproject.harvard.edu/seminar%20folder/seminar/Powers120531
Contact Name: Chris Nielsen nielsen2 at fas.harvard.edu

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Friday, June 1
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Bilan Carbone: France's Methodology for the Assessment of GHG  
Emissions of Activities
Friday, June 01, 2012
10:00a–11:00a
Webex webinar

Speaker: Simon Dely, Bilan Carbone
LEAP Sustainability Speaker Series

France is piloting a national experiment to display the carbon  
footprints of products, activities, and even communities. Learn the  
in's and out's of France's carbon footprinting methodology for  
activities, Bilan Carbone.

Register here: https://mitweb.webex.com/mitweb/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=644666517 
.

Web site: http://leap.mit.edu/speaker-series/
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): LEAP: Global Leaders in Environmental Assessment and  
Performance

For more information, contact:  Suzanne Greene
6177155473
segreene at mit.edu

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Saturday, June 2
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33rd ANNUAL CAMBRIDGE RIVER FESTIVAL
Saturday, June 2, 2012,
12:00 Noon - 6:00 p.m.
Charles River shore from Western Avenue to JFK Street on Memorial Drive

Rain or Shine!

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Co-op Power Boston Metro East Energy Efficiency Crew Launch Party
Saturday, June 2
2pm
on the Lawn at Second Church in Dorchester, corner of Washington St &  
Talbot Ave, Codman Square, Dorchester

A celebration with music, food, tour of “green” home, and prizes.  
The Crew provides insulation, weatherization, air sealing to homes in  
the Greater Boston area. Co-op Power is a consumer-owned co-operative  
that uses its capital and market power to build good green jobs and  
community-based green businesses for the benefit of the community at- 
large.

RSVP and questions toolive at cooppower.coop or 617-282-8881.

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Tuesday, June 5
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Resilience Circle Webinar: Small Group Organizing 101

Want to start a Resilience Circle or small group for your community?  
Join this conversation for tips, tools, and inspiration!

Tuesday, June 5
3pm EDT / 12pm PDT
Register at https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/821608694

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"The Last Venus Transit of the 21st Century."
Tuesday, June 5
6p.
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge

  A rooftop viewing.  Won't happen again until 2117.

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Lightning Project Talks
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge

Many of us are working on or have ideas for digital humanities  
projects. Let's meet together and share our projects and get feedback  
and support from the group. It can also be a good way to discover  
collaborators. There will also be wine and cheese accompanied  
unstructured conversation/networking at the end.

http://www.meetup.com/newenglanddigitalhumanities/events/64773702/


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Upcoming

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ANCIENT ANDEAN WISDOM FOR OUR TIMES

A talk by Don Alberto Taxo
Master teacher from Ecauador

CAMBRIDGE COHOUSING, 175 RICHDALE AVE., CAMBRIDGE
WEDNESDAY 6 JUNE 2012, 7.30 P.M.

Refreshments will be served

Don Alberto is a teacher and healer of the Andean Quechua peoples.  He  
speaks of the need for head and heart to unite, and to bring  
technology and wisdom together in healing our earth. He brings simple,  
ancient practices that open the doors of perception to our connection  
with all life, through gratitude and enjoyment.

NOTE: there are other opportunities to meet Don Alberto:
EVENING TALK, FRIDAY JUNE 8, 7.30 P.M., NEW VIEW COHOUSING, ACTON MASS.
PRIVATE HEALING CLEANSINGS, BY APPOINTMENT

For more intormation:
Events in Eastern Mass.--to make reservations etc.: Dori Smith,  dsmith at newview.org 
    978-835-5568
Don Alberto’s work:   www.ushai.com

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Fukushima 2011 - Documentary Film
Thursday, June 7, 2012
6:00 PM
Eastman Laboratories, 182 Memorial Dr. Bldg 6-120, Cambridge,

"Fukushima 2011"
...the film delivers the reality of the residents exposed to  
radiation, living in desperate circumstances. Director Hidetaka  
Inazuka will be attending!!
Where:MIT / MIT6-120 http: //whereis.mit.edu/
Open:6pm Screen : 6:30pm 85min.
Tewassa Report :8pm
Ticket : Suggested Donation
Online Registration:http://xoops.jrex.us/modules/eguide/event.php? 
eid=49
The film was directed by Hidetake Inazuka, who is known for his  
documentary, “Twice Bombed: The Legacy of Yamaguchi Tsutomu.” This  
documentary shows the distress of those who endured the earthquake,  
tsunami, and nuclear disaster caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Focusing on Minamisoma city and Iitate village after the nuclear  
accident, the film delivers the reality of the residents exposed to  
radiation, living in desperate circumstances.
The film features mothers caring for their children, men working on  
farms, and the vice principal of a kindergarten; all regular people.
This disaster attacked these people and created unparalleled damage.
Please watch and learn about the current situation in these places.

http://www.meetup.com/boston-japanese/events/65366302/

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NEW ENGLAND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FORUM (NEEJF)  ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE  
SUMMIT
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.

All community activists and residents, environmental justice  
advocates, lawyers, policymakers and others interested in public  
health and the environment in low income communities and communities  
of color are invited to attend.

Individuals may register for the event online by visiting the online  
registration page: http://newenglandejsummit.eventbrite.com/.  There  
is no cost to attend the event. Food, childcare, and great company are  
included. The deadline to register is May 18, 2012. Travel  
scholarships are available for individuals and groups that need  
assistance to attend.

For the first time in New England, residents of low income communities  
and communities of color, together with community organizers,  
attorneys, public health and environmental professionals and  
government officials will assemble for a one- day summit on  
environmental justice.  At the Summit attendees will share ideas,  
learn from one another and plan future work to address environmental  
and public health issues that especially affect low income communities  
and communities of color. NEEJF is a collaboration of Alternatives for  
Community and Environment, Connecticut Coalition for   Environmental  
Justice and Rhode Island Legal Services.

For more information, please contact Steve Fischbach: neejforum at gmail.com 
  or 401-274-2652 ext.182

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Greenup Medford
Saturday, June 9
Noon until 4 pm
At Whole Foods

Join Whole Foods Market in Medford for a fun and festive time for all  
ages. We'll have local artists selling handmade art designed with  
recycled materials and local green organizations here to show how you  
can make a difference. There will be a raffle and lots of great samples!

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The New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable Presents:  The  
Impact of Natural Gas on the Future of Electricity Markets and Clean  
Energy Strategies in New England
June 15, 2012
9 am to 12:30 pm
Foley Hoag LLP, 155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor, Boston

Panel I: How Will Natural Gas Impact New England's Electricity Markets  
and Reliability?
Over the past two decades, New England's electricity generation has  
increasingly come to rely on natural gas. With the development of the  
Marcellus Shale in nearby New York and Pennsylvania, natural gas could  
be both plentiful and relatively inexpensive for years to come. Our  
first panel at the June 15th Roundtable will explore the potential  
impacts of natural gas on New England's electricity markets and  
reliability, exploring a wide range of questions and issues including:
What are "realistic" natural gas supply and price expectations?
What infrastructure is needed to deliver more gas to New England, and  
can we count on it?
What will be the likely impacts of more gas on electricity  generation  
mix and electricity prices?
Should we be concerned about electric reliability from increasing  
reliance on natural gas-fired generation especially on cold days (FERC  
seems to be), and what should we do about it?

To help enlighten us on theses issues, we have assembled a tremendous  
panel of experts who carefully follow the gas and electricity markets  
from different vantage points. Susan Tierney, Managing Principal at  
Analysis Group, will share both her expertise on electricity markets,  
as well as her recent experience serving on U.S. Secretary of Energy's  
Advisory Board (including its Shale Gas Subcommittee). Richard Paglia,  
Vice President of Spectra Energy, will discuss Spectra's plans to  
build additional pipeline capacity in several different directions  
from Marcellus, and will also discuss a study that Spectra recently  
commissioned on New England's gas markets. Richard Levitan, President  
& Principal, at Levitan & Associates, Inc. will share his expectations  
for both the gas and electricity markets in New England, based on his  
extensive study of both markets and their interactive effects.  
Rounding out the panel isPeter Brandien, Vice-President for Systems  
Operation at ISO-New England, who will share the results of a recent  
study ISO commissioned on natural gas and the electricity markets, as  
well as the ISO's perspective on managing an increasingly gas-based  
electricity system.

Panel II: Revisiting Clean Energy Strategies in New England (in an era  
of potential cheap and plentiful natural gas?)
Following on the heels of the first panel, our second panel will  
reflect on whether or not (and, if so, how) New England should revisit  
and revise its clean energy strategies in light of the potential for  
plentiful and relatively inexpensive natural gas for the foreseeable  
future. Despite substantial reductions over the last decade in the  
cost of renewable energy resources, most notably in wind and solar,  
and given projections for further price reductions, (and in the face  
of diminished renewable energy tax credit support and low natural gas  
prices) most RPS-eligible renewables are still more expensive than  
conventional electricity sources. Some states are exploring opening up  
RPS eligibility to existing hydro and even energy efficiency  
resources, seeking less expensive ways to meet clean energy goals.  
Others argue that the long-term benefits of continuing to aggressively  
pursue our clean energy goals and targets with our existing strategies  
far outweigh any short-term price premiums. Meanwhile, Cape Wind may  
begin construction soon and Hydro-Quebec is ready to finance  
transmission to deliver substantial additional hydro resources into  
New England.

To discuss these issues, we have put together a full-spectrum panel  
including a regulator, a utility executive, and representatives from  
the Clean Energy Council, CLF, and AIM.
Commissioner David Cash, Massachusetts Dept. of Public Utilities
James Robb, Senior VP Enterprise Planning, Northeast Utilities
Peter Rothstein, President, New England Clean Energy Council
Robert Rio, Sr. Vice President & Counsel, Associated Industries of MA
Jonathan Peress, VP & Director, Clean Energy & Climate Change, CLF

Free and open to the public with no advanced registration

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Can Social Games Solve America’s Biggest Health Challenge?
Monday, June 18, 2012
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM (ET)
IBM Center for Social Business,1 Rogers Street, Cambridge
Register at http://shapeup-social-games.eventbrite.com/?ref=enivte&invite=MjA0ODE4OS9nbW9rZUB3b3JsZC5zdGQuY29tLzA%3D&utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=invitenew&utm_term=attend

Event Details
The IBM Center for Social Business welcomes Dr. Rajiv Kumar, literally  
a game changer in tackling healthcare issues. His company, ShapeUp,  
designs social games for companies to bring employees together so they  
can help each other be healthy. The theory is that peer support and  
accountability are the keys to wellness success.
Refreshments at 3:30. Talk starts at 3:45.

About the talk
Facing rapidly rising health care costs driven by unhealthy behaviors  
and a national obesity epidemic, self-insured employers have told  
their employees to “shape up.” But regular physical activity and  
healthy eating are easier said than done. Many years and millions of  
dollars have been wasted on employee wellness programs that get  
astonishingly low participation.

Social gaming is changing that. ShapeUp has developed an online  
behavior change solution for employee populations that uses social  
gaming, in the form of team-based competitions, to activate, motivate,  
and guide participants toward reaching their healthy goals. This  
approach generates extraordinary company-wide engagement rates and has  
been shown to produce clinically significant health outcomes.

This talk will describe how ShapeUp has used social games over the  
past 5 years to reach 2 million lives across 93 countries at companies  
like HP, Aetna, Raytheon, and Sprint. It will also explore how the  
latest advances in mobile apps, personal fitness devices, and real- 
time rewards are creating new ways to enhance the wellness experience.

Rajiv Kumar on how ShapeUp came to be
"During medical school, I realized that many of the worst health  
problems we face as a nation--diabetes, heart disease, cancer,  
hypertension, osteoarthritis, depression--are related to our  
collective unhealthy lifestyle. I also learned through my clinical  
encounters that the patients who succeeded in adopting and sustaining  
healthy behaviors were those who leveraged their trusted social  
network for support, motivation, and accountability.

By launching a community non-profit organization (Shape Up Rhode  
Island) and a for-profit company (ShapeUp), I've dedicated my life to  
helping people reverse and prevent obesity-related illnesses through  
group behavior change models.

Our goal is to build the largest online social application that  
connects people around the world to improve their health."


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Opportunity

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CEA Solar Hot Water Grants
Cambridge, through the Cambridge Energy Alliance initiative, is  
offering a limited number of grants to residents and businesses for  
solar hot water systems.  The grants will cover 50% of the remaining  
out of pocket costs of the system after other incentives, up to $2,000.

Applications will be accepted up to November 19, 2012 and are  
available on a first come, first serve basis until funding runs out.   
The Cambridge grant will complement other incentives including the  
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center solar thermal grants.  For more  
information, seehttp://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/resources/additional-resources/solar-hot-water-grant-program

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Cambridge Residents: Free Home Thermal Images

Have you ever wanted to learn where your home is leaking heat by  
having an energy auditor come to your home with a thermal camera?   
With that info you then know where to fix your home so it's more  
comfortable and less expensive to heat.  However, at $200 or so, the  
cost of such a thermal scan is a big chunk of change.

HEET Cambridge has now partnered with Sagewell, Inc. to offer  
Cambridge residents free thermal scans.

Sagewell collects the thermal images by driving through Cambridge in a  
hybrid vehicle equipped with thermal cameras.  They will scan every  
building in Cambridge (as long as it's not blocked by trees or  
buildings or on a private way).  Building owners can view thermal  
images of their property and an analysis online. The information is  
password protected so that only the building owner can see the results.

Homeowners, condo-owners and landlords can access the thermal images  
and an accompanying analysis free of charge. Commercial building  
owners and owners of more than one building will be able to view their  
images and analysis for a small fee.

The scans will be analyzed in the order they are requested.

Go to Sagewell.com.  Type in your address at the bottom where it says  
"Find your home or building" and press return.  Then click on "Here"  
to request the report.

That's it.  When the scans are done in a few weeks, your building will  
be one of the first to be analyzed. The accompanying report will help  
you understand why your living room has always been cold and what to  
do about it.

With knowledge, comes power (or in this case saved power and money,  
not to mention comfort).

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Free solar electricity analysis for MA residents
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhwM202dDYxdUZJVGFscnY1VGZ3aXc6MQ

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HEET has partnered with NSTAR and Mass Save participating contractor  
Next Step Living to deliver no-cost Home Energy Assessments to  
Cambridge residents.

During the assessment, the energy specialist will:

Install efficient light bulbs (saving up to 7% of your electricity bill)
Install programmable thermostats (saving up to 10% of your heating bill)
Install water efficiency devices (saving up to 10% of your water bill)
Check the combustion safety of your heating and hot water equipment
Evaluate your home’s energy use to create an energy-efficiency roadmap
If you get electricity from NSTAR, National Grid or Western Mass  
Electric, you already pay for these assessments through a surcharge on  
your energy bills.  You might as well use the service.

Please sign up at http://nextsteplivinginc.com/heet/?outreach=HEET or  
call Next Step Living at 866-867-8729.  A Next Step Living  
Representative will call to schedule your assessment.

HEET will help answer any questions and ensure you get all the  
services and rebates possible.

(The information collected will only be used to help you get a Home  
Energy Assessment.  We won’t keep the data or sell it.)

(If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to call  
HEET’s Jason Taylor at 617 441 0614.)


*********
-----------

Resource

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Sustainable Business Network Local Green Guide

SBN is excited to announce the soft launch of its new Local Green  
Guide, Massachusetts' premier Green Business Directory!

To view the directory please visit: http://www.localgreenguide.org
To find out how how your business can be listed on the website or for  
sponsorship opportunities please contact Adritha at adritha at sbnboston.org

--------------------------------------------------

Massachusetts Attitudes About Climate Change – An opinion survey of  
Massachusetts residents conducted by MassINC and sponsored by the Barr  
Foundation found that 77% of respondents believe that global warming  
has “probably been happening” and 59% of all respondents see see it  
as being at least partially caused by human pollution.  Only 42% of  
the state’s residents say global warming will have very serious  
consequences for Massachusetts if left unaddressed. The 18 to 29 age  
group is more likely to believe global warming is appearing and caused  
by humans compared to the 60+ age group.  African-American (56%) and  
Latino residents (69%) are more likely than white residents (40%) to  
believe global warming will be a very serious problem if left  
unaddressed.  The MassINC report, titled The 80 Percent Challenge:   
What Massachusetts must do to meet targets and make headway on climate  
change (http://www.massinc.org/Research/The-80-percent- 
challenge.aspx), contains many other findings.

----------------------------------------------------

Free Monthly Energy Analysis

CarbonSalon is a free service that every month can automatically track  
your energy use and compare it to your past energy use (while  
controlling for how cold the weather is). You get a short friendly  
email that lets you know how you’re doing in your work to save energy.

https://www.carbonsalon.com/

---------------------------------------

Boston Food System

"The Boston Food System [listserv] provides a forum to post  
announcements of events, employment opportunities, internships,  
programs, lectures, and other activities as well as related articles  
or other publications of a non-commercial nature covering the area's  
food system - food, nutrition, farming, education, etc. - that take  
place or focus on or around Greater Boston (broadly delineated)."

The Boston area is one of the most active nationwide in terms of food  
system activities - projects, services, and events connected to food,  
farming, nutrition - and often connected to education, public health,  
environment, arts, social services and other arenas.   Hundreds of  
organizations and enterprises cover our area, but what is going on  
week-to-week is not always well publicized.

Hence, the new Boston Food System listserv, as the place to let  
everyone know about these activities.  Specifically:
Use of the BFS list will begin soon, once we get a decent base of  
subscribers.  Clarification of what is appropriate to announce and  
other posting guidelines will be provided as well.

It's easy to subscribe right now at https://elist.tufts.edu/wws/subscribe/bfs

----------------------

Artisan Asylum  http://artisansasylum.com/

Sprout & Co:  Community Driven Investigations

Greater Boston Solidarity Economy Mapping Project  http://www.transformationcentral.org/solidarity/mapping/mapping.html
a project by Wellesley College students that invites participation,  
contact jmatthaei at wellesley.edu

------------------------

Bostonsmart.com's Guide to Boston  http://www.bostonsmarts.com/BostonGuide/

********************************************
-----------------------------------------------------

Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents   http://hubevents.blogspot.com

Thanks to

Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the  
Boston Area  http://www.BostonScienceLectures.com

Boston Area Computer User Groups  http://www.bugc.org/

Arts and Cultural Events List  http://aacel.blogspot.com/

http://www.massclimateaction.net/calendar/events/index.php

http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/mit_events_template

http://www.environment.harvard.edu/events/calendar/

http://green.harvard.edu/events

http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/tabid/57/Default.aspx

http://boston.nerdnite.com/

http://www.meetup.com/

http://www.eventbrite.com/



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