[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events

George Mokray gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Jul 29 13:22:01 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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Solar Stove Design Challenge
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/27/1114088/-Solar-Stove-Design-Challenge

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Monday, July 30
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Nerdnite Boston
Monday July 30, 2012
8pm
Middlesex, 315 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Featuring Nerd-appropriate tunes by DJ Claude Money

$5

The lineup:
Talk 1. “Too Close For Missiles, Switching to Guns: Stories From the  
Front Lines of an Immune Response”
by Sarah Bettigole

Talk 2.  “Silk: The Ancient Material of the Future”
by Max Chalkin

For more information about the speakers and the talks:  http://boston.nerdnite.com/2012/07/22/nerdnite-july-30-inflammation-and-silk/

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Tuesday, July 31
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OEB and Robobees Special Summer Seminar
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
12:00pm
HUCE Seminar Room, 24 Oxford Street 3rd Floor, Cambridge

Dr. Anna Dornhaus, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,  
University of Arizona, "Individual and collective problem-solving in  
social insects"

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Amazons, Witches, and Critics – A Liberated Novelist Asks, “Now What?”
Tuesday, July 31, 12:30 pm
Location TBA
RSVP required for those attending in person:  http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2012/07/abruzzi#RSVP
This event will be archived at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast 
  shortly after.

Brad Abruzzi, Berkman Center Fellow
How does an author find readers?  In the olden days, a writer hoped to  
catch the eye of an aristocratic patron who might supply a well-placed  
word of endorsement.  The Gutenberg press wrested authors free from  
this feudal condition, only transfer writers' indenture to publishers,  
who by owning the means of [re]production acquired the final say  
regarding what volumes would and would not land on store shelves.   
This gatekeeping privilege of publishers largely survives to this day,  
and depending on how well you think they do the work, we might  
celebrate publishers as Stewards of Culture or lament the state of a  
Literature Held Hostage.

Now digital media and the Internet propose to devolve the means of  
[re]production upon authors themselves.  Any would-be novelist can  
flog his work in a digital format over Amazon KDP, Smashwords, and  
other open outlets for textual works.

Berkman Fellow and practicing university attorney Brad Abruzzi is one  
of those would-be novelists.  Ten weeks ago, without any word of  
encouragement or assent from Big Publishing, Brad released his novel,  
New Jersey's Famous Turnpike Witch, on Amazon.  And now, for Brad, the  
age-old question recurs: where are my readers?  On Tuesday, July 31,  
Brad will lead a discussion about self-publication, author  
independence, and the prospects for a literary culture fostered by  
reader criticism, rather than publishers' whims.

About Brad
Brad Abruzzi is an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at  
MIT. Brad graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2001, where  
he served as Executive Editor of the Harvard Law Review and published  
a note on Internet and digital media’s promise for reorientation of  
the author/publisher/reader relationship.

A former law clerk to The Honorable Nancy Gertner in the United States  
District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Brad joined the  
Harvard OGC in 2005 and moved from there to MIT in 2012.

Although Brad’s primary focus at Berkman has been on uncertainty in  
copyright law and its implications for free speech and online self- 
publication, at present he is drafting an article that questions the  
legal basis for the Supreme Court’s  deferential review of  
congressional enactments under the Constitution’s “Intellectual  
Property Clause.” Brad is also interested in exploring the extent to  
which provisions of state law may protect online expression from  
private censors.

Brad also holds M.A. (New York University, 1998) and A.B. (Princeton  
University, 1995) degrees in English literature.

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Living Light:  The Art & Science of Bioluminescence
July 31, 2012, 6pm
Harvard Science Center, Hall B. One Oxford Street, Cambridge

Featuring:  Sylvia Earle, Explorer in Residence, Nat Geo;  J. Woody  
Hastings, Prof. of Natural Sciences, Harvard;  Kristin McArdle Dance  
performing Aqua Borealis

Free and open to the public, general admission seating.
$5-10 suggested donation.

For more information on this and other events,http://chge.med.harvard.edu/events

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The future of local jazz radio — An open meeting of Greater Boston's  
jazz community
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
6:00pm until 8:00pm
Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Mezzanine Conference Room,  
Boston

WHO IS INVITED
Members of the jazz community and allies inside and outside the arts  
world who share our concerns

PURPOSE
To forge ties, agree on goals, and begin developing strategies for  
collaborative action to address the immediate issue of WGBH's  
withdrawal from weeknight jazz programming and the broader issues of  
local jazz radio and the place of the music in our city's cultural life

FORMAT
Conversation led by JazzBoston board members Emmett Price, musician  
and Chair of African American Studies at Northeastern University, and  
José Massó, community activist and announcer/producer of ¡Con Salsa!  
on WBUR FM.

Contact http://www.jazzboston.org/

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Boston Green Drinks - July Happy Hour
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (ET)
kingston station, 25 kingston street, Boston
RSVP http://jul12bgd-es2.eventbrite.com/?rank=353

Join the conversation with sustainability professionals and  
hobbyists.  Enjoy a Drink at Kingston station and build your  
connection with our green community!
Keep sending feedback to Lyn at bostongreendrinks.com for ideas about  
speakers or content for the future and mark your calendar for drinks  
on the last Tuesday of every month.

Boston Green Drinks  builds a community of sustainably-minded  
Bostonians, provides a forum for exchange of sustainability career  
resources, and serves as a central point of information about emerging  
green issues.  We support the exchange of ideas and resources about  
sustainable energy, environment, food, health, education.

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Wednesday, August 1
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Art of the Algorithms at Boston Cyberarts Gallery (free!)
What: free movie showing with Q&A with the director and emcee
When: Wednesday, August 1, 7PM
Where: The Boston Cyberarts Gallery, inside the Green St. Orange Line  
MBTA station building
Sign up at: http://moleman2-bcg.eventbrite.com/

The demoscene is an electronic art subculture which began in Europe in  
the late nineteen-eighties, whose participants include programmers,  
graphic artists, animators, musicians, electrical engineers, and more.

Hungarian studio Flame Film recently completed a documentary intended  
to introduce people to the scene's remarkable technical  
accomplishments and productive artistic community. You can view the  
trailer and the opening sequence below.

@party is a local demoscene event, or demoparty, a collaborative  
electronic art festival where people meet and participate in a variety  
of competitions which allow them to demonstrate their technical and  
artistic skills. In addition to competing, attendees at demoparties  
socialize, network, learn from each other, and sometimes collaborate  
onsite on last minute entries.

@party and the Boston Cyberarts Gallery are programs of Boston  
Cyberarts, a non-profit arts organization created to foster, develop  
and present a wide spectrum of media arts including electronic and  
digital experimental arts programming. They exhibit and promote the  
media and digital arts of Boston, New England and the world to  
audiences in the New England region and beyond and by doing so,  
helping to promote a sense of media and digital literacy, locally and  
regionally.

Sign up at: http://moleman2-bcg.eventbrite.com/

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Thursday, August 2
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metaLAB Copyright Hackathon
Thursday - August 2
12 pm to 8 pm
23 Everett Street, Cambridge MA

What happens to copyright in the wild? How do we go about determining  
who owes what to whom when we go about making, remixing, and sharing?  
What resources do we turn to in understanding the tortured terms and  
contested boundaries of “intellectual property”?

On Thursday, August 2nd, join metaLAB for a day of copyright  
experimentation, hacking, and exploration.

Schedule
12pm - 1pm: Keynote
1pm - 2pm: Pitches and group formation
2pm - 7pm: Hacking
7pm - 8pm: Show and Tell

RSVP at http://metalabcopyright-es2.eventbrite.com/?rank=217

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EarlyShares 24/24 Nationwide Crowdfunding Education Event - Boston
Thursday, August 2, 2012
1:00 PM to 5:00 PM (ADT)
Seaport Hotel Boston, 2nd Floor Seaport Ballroom, 1 Seaport Lane, Boston

Event Details
President Obama signed the JOBS Act into law on April 5, 2012, making  
Equity-Based Crowdfunding available for startups and small businesses  
while creating a new investor class - everyday Americans. This is  
groundbreaking news; however, most people don't know what to make of  
it. Realizing there is lack of knowledge on the subject,  
EarlyShares.com has launched a 24 Cities in 24 Weeks Nationwide  
Educational Roadshow and will be coming to Boston, MA on August 2,  
2012. Join us at the Seaport Hotel to learn about Equity-Based  
Crowdfunding. Two presentations will be given by founder and CEO  
Maurice Lopes, followed by Q&A sessions.

Topics covered:
Investor Education. What Crowdfunding means from investors?
Entrepreneurs. What Crowdfunding means for entrepreneurs?

A presentation on how to prepare a business for capital raising will  
also be given by Scott Levine, founder of AEGIS Professional Services.  
Additionally, 3 local startups will be featured on stage.

The event will be of interest to startup founders, small business  
owners, business incubators and accelerators, venture capitalists,  
angel investors, and, of course, everyday Americans looking for a new  
way to invest in companies they see potential in. Attendees will enjoy  
complimentary lunch and beverages and have the opportunity to network  
in an informal setting.

RSVP at http://crowdfundingboston-es2.eventbrite.com/?rank=222

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Northeastern University Social Entrepreneurship
Thursday, August 2
5:20 pm - 7:20 pm
Venture Cafe (Mandalay) @ CIC, One Broadway, Cambridge, MA
Description:
Dr. Tita and Venture Cafe regular Rob Schultz have partnered to create  
a social enterprise learning lab environment for the Northeastern  
University course "Social Entrepreneurship." Hear social entrepreneurs  
Kathy Sorabella and Fritz-Socra Leherisson speak about their  
inspirational ventures, and build relationships with the Venture Cafe  
community.

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Social Hour with the BSA and LivableStreets
August 2, 2012
5:30-7:00 PM
BSA Space: 290 Congress Street Boston
“Join LivableStreets and the BSA for a social hour that celebrates  
vibrant communities and the value of building connections. Learn more  
about the work of both organizations, and view the BSA’s new Let’s  
Talk About Bikes exhibition, which explores the role of the bicycle in  
urban centers like Boston. LivableStreets is your advocate for biking,  
walking and transit to make the Boston region a better place to live,  
work and play. LivableStreets fought for and won bike lanes on the BU  
Bridge and Commonwealth Avenue, and hosts the annual Boston Bike  
Update.” Admission is free and open to the public, and the exhibit is  
handicap accessible and appropriate for families and all ages.

http://bsaspace.org/events/social-hour-with-the-bsa-and-livablestreets/
If you have any further questions, please contact me or Angela King at aking at architects.org

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Friday, August 3
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Robotics Design Meetup
Friday, August 3rd
7:30 pm
Artisans Asylum 10 Tyler Street, Somerville
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Hello all,
Think robots are cool? Like free drinks and food?
Come share your robotics enthusiasm/thirst/hunger at August's Robot  
Design Meetup,
August, Friday the 3rd, 7:30pm, at Artisans Asylum (10 tyler st,  
Somerville, MA)
We'll be having at least the following, and looking for more:
Update on Project Stompy, its Kickstarter and example pieces of the  
full-scale parts (http://projecthexapod.com/blog/stompy-is-coming/)
ArcBotics' Codename Discbot and Wisp: low-cost educational robotics  
platform project and micro-quadcopter project
Your own project! let us know at joe at arcbotics.com

RSVP:  https://www.facebook.com/events/280823695357943/

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Saturday, August 4
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Spare Change for Big Oil
Saturday, Aug 4th

Want to take part in a big of climate activism street theater?

Big Oil, Coal, and Gas companies need our help!  In this time of  
recession and economic stagnation, the Big Five oil companies -- BP,  
Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell -- are not making enough  
money.  They made only $137 billion in 2011.  They deserve more than  
just the $11 billion of our taxpayer dollars in subsidies.  It's  
important that we come together to support them in this time of need.

So on August 4th, citizens across Massachusetts will hold Spare Change  
for Big Oil! donation drives. We want to find out how Americans really  
feel about these handouts.

Let's keep this simple.  None of this fancy lobbying for us.  Head to  
the beach, farmer's market, or Main Street with your donation coffee  
cans, set up an old-fashioned lemonade stand, or hold a bake sale!  
Imagine people conducting these drives all over the state!

Here's the plan:
Make some signs ("The fossil fuel industry needs YOU!", "Help raise  
ExxonMobil's profits today!", or "Billions more for Big Oil!").
Stick our snazzy "Please Donate" label on coffee cans.
Get friends and allies together and go to a high traffic place, like  
the beach, your town square, or your farmer's market.
Ask for donations for Big Oil, Coal, and Gas and take pictures and  
videos of your interactions.
Email your photos and YouTube links to photos at 350MA.org.
Let your local newspaper know what you're doing with a media advisory  
(before event) and press release (after event)
Then, in early September, we will hold a press conference and present  
a check to our elected representatives who have supported subsidies  
for Big Oil, Coal, and Gas, on their behalf.

Susan and Adi in Boston, Katie in Amherst, and Bonnie in Somerville  
have already started organizing actions.  The planning meeting for  
Boston will take place this Thursday, July 18 from 6 to 7:30pm at the  
Democracy Center in Cambridge. Join them by planning an action in your  
community!

You will find a suggested script and other resources for your action  
at http://350ma.org/august4/.

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Sunday, August 5
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Boston Media Makers
Sunday, August 5
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Doyle’s Cafe 3484 Washington Street Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA, 02130

Boston Media Makers get together at Doyle’s in Jamaica Plain on the  
first Sunday of each month from 10 AM – Noon. We gather around a big  
table and answer the question, “What are you doing?” If you are  
interested in meeting people who are working with audio and video on  
the web, this is a great meeting to attend. We get podcasters,  
videobloggers, filmmakers, artists, writers, PR and social media people.
http://bostonmediamakers.wordpress.com/

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Sunday, August 5
10 am-1 pm
Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston

Come out to walk, bike, dance, and roll on open, car-free streets in  
and between our parks! Circle The City is free and open to people of  
all ages.

Featuring a car-free corridor along the downtown waterfront.

Organized by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, the Boston Collaborative
for Food and Fitness, LivableStreets Alliance, Franklin Park  
Coalition, and the City of Boston.

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Annual Hiroshima/Nagasaki Commemoration on George's Island
Sunday, August 5, 2012
10:30am

On August 5th the Community Church of Boston will hold our annual  
Hiroshima/Nagasaki Commemoration on George's Island.  People wishing  
to attend should gather together at the Long Wharf North Pier (map,  
right next to Columbus Park and the Aquarium T stop) at 10:30am to get  
on the 11:00am ferry to George's Island. Tickets can be purchased  
before hand or at the Pier.

Everyone is encouraged to bring food to share and other picnic related  
things.  We will have a short service together while we eat and share  
time with one another, living for a world free of nuclear weapons!  
Visit www.bostonharborislands.com to learn more about the different  
islands.

Round trip ferry tickets are $15 for adults (12-64), $11 for seniors  
(65+), $9 for children (4-11), free for young children, and $43 for a  
family 4 pack (2 adults, 2 children or 2 adults, 1 child, 1 senior).  
Return ferries depart on the half hour until 6:30pm!

Community Church of Boston
565 Boylston St. (Copley Square)
www.communitychurchofboston.org

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Monday, August 6
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Safety characteristics of ITER - First fusion machine undergoing full  
nuclear license
Monday, August 06, 2012
2:00p–3:30p
MIT, Building NW17-218

Speaker: Carlos Alejaldre, ITER Deputy Director-General
Plasma Science and Fusion Center Special Seminar

After "Fukushima" the safety of nuclear installations is being  
revisited all over the world, following the principle of "imagine the  
unimaginable." ITER, classified in France as a "Basic Nuclear  
Installation," is no exception; it is undergoing a strict process of  
technical and public examination in order to get its nuclear license.  
In this talk the licensing process of ITER, the safety characteristics  
of ITER (and by extension of fusion) will be presented with a  
particular emphasis on the identification of risks and their possible  
impact on people and the environment, as well as the status of the  
Project.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center

For more information, contact:  Paul Rivenberg
617-253-8101
info at psfc.mit.edu


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Upcoming
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Devil’s Tango (how I learned the Fukushima step by step)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10
Joan Ecklein’s house, 14 Sterling Street, Newton
Potluck •6 pm

Book talk by award-winning author Cecile Pineda
Sponsor:  Boston Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

Organizer: Joan Ecklein 617.244.8054

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SOMERVILLE FESTIVAL OF FOOD AND CULTURE
Saturday, August 11, 2012
6 pm to 10 pm
Union Square, Somerville

Event Description The Hungry Tiger Street Festival, now it it’s second  
year, transforms Union Square into a night market like those of East  
Asia or Europe. Local restaurants selling small street food and fire  
throwers draw in a big crowd. We’ll keep the fun alive with face  
painting, buskars, interactive booths, face painting, and more.

Somerville Arts Council Call: Craft Vendors Wanted! Hungry Tiger  
Street Festival A Festival of Food and Culture in Union Square  
Saturday, August 11th, 6-10pm Application Deadline: Friday, August  
3rd, 2012

What we’re looking for you to add is a unique spin on craft vending.  
Specifically items a customer can wear or carry with them (think  
masks, hair accessories, fake moustaches, buttons, maybe bags or  
purses, and especially anything that lights up). This is a really fun  
night market, we look forward to some interesting applications!
Contact Meagan O'Brien,  ArtsUnion Coordinator Somerville Arts Council  
at megart04 at gmail.com
http://www.somervilleartscouncil.org/artsunion/2012/hungrytiger

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Comparing Boston v. SiliconValley & NYC w/ Social Media  
APIs,TextMining (Group1)
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
6:30 PM To 7:30 PM
Microsoft New England Research and Development Center, 1 Memorial  
Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Predictive-Analytics/events/71583112/
Price: $5.00/per person
Refund policy
The $5 fee will first go to pizza (50%), then charity as described  
below (25%) and some O’Reilly books (25%) to be given away to the  
group.  The fee is towards reducing no-shows which range anywhere from  
30-50% of rsvps when there is a free event.  Please note there is a no- 
pizza, $2.50 for charity, session #2 at 7:45.

Boston's Meetup Tech and Business scene has grown stronger; however  
Silicon Valley and New York City have both higher adoption and scale.   
What might Boston do to improve its Tech and Biz community landscape?

Social Network Analysis and Machine Learning are used on data pulled  
from Meetup's API.  The talk will cover the application-side,  
analytics using R, and some on pulling data via an API.

Background/Summary:
This talk is a follow-up to the "Utilizing Meetup to Analyze Boston,  
Silicon Valley and NYC" presentation I gave back February. This  
extension includes additional Social Network and Machine Learning  
analysis towards addressing questions such as "What specific Meetup  
Groups would be helpful for Boston towards improving its tech and biz  
scene relative to Silicon Valley and NYC?"
There are two main layers of the presentation:
(1) Regional Comparisons:  Silicon Valley, not surprisingly, has a  
higher percentage of tech and business groups than either NYC or  
Boston.  NYC is slightly above the national average; whereas Boston  
has an on-par tech scene, though lower than average percentage of  
business groups.  This will be explored in more detail.
(2) Analytics:  Social Network Analysis and Machine Learning as a  
means to describe different communities.  "R" (tnet and RTextTools  
libraries among others) was used with data originating primarily from  
the Meetup API.
Please note the talk is low on hardcore Computer Science, i.e. there  
is not going to be discussion of achieving 99.999% accuracy using 20  
different models ensembled together ala Amazon or Netflix.   Please  
refer to Stanford's Online Learning website (www.coursera.org) which  
has a great ML course; and both Coursera and Udacity have upcoming  
Social Network Analysis courses.  It would be great to have a 2-hour  
ML event; however this is not the time for it.
The fee, which is to reduce the no-shows/waitlist, will partially be  
given to charities.  One thought is to have the donations given to a  
local non-profit for whom Meetup could be a benefit (much as it has  
shown to be in tech and biz communities). Interestingly, this brings  
up a different set of questions including "What is the adoption rate  
of Meetup in inner cities?"   As of this time I don't know which  
organization; however there's time to explore this before the event,  
and I may be able to go back into the Meetup data and local economic  
data to see if those sources can be helpful.  If you are interested in  
helping out in identifying a non-profit organization, then please let  
me know.

Sponsor:  Boston Predictive Analytics

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Boston GreenFest
Thursday, Aug 16   5 pm - 9:30 pm
(Performers/Food)
Friday, Aug 17       noon - 9:30 pm
(Exhibitors/Food/Vendors/Performers)
Saturday, Aug 18    11 am - 8 pm
(Exhibitors/Food/Vendors/Performers)
Sunday, Aug 19    10 am - 5 pm
Featuring: The Movement Festival!
(Dance/Food/Vendors/Performers)

Boston City Hall Plaza, One City Hall Square, Boston

http://www.bostongreenfest.org/index.html
info at bostongreenfest.org
617-477-4840

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SOMERVILLE CONFERENCE ON THE CREATIVE ECONOMY
Thursday, August 23, 2012
7 to 9 pm
Artisan's Asylum, 10 Tyler Street, Somerville

Uncover What's Next for the Creative Economy
CreativeNEXT is a series of 21 state-wide events held bythe  
Massachusetts Creative Economy Council, an advisory Council to the  
Legislature and the Executive Office of Housing and Economic  
Development, and a variety of local partners. The MA Creative Economy  
Council is tasked to develop a statewide strategy for the enhancement,  
encouragement, and growth of the creative economy in Massachusetts.  
Working with the Creative Economy Industry Director this listening  
tour will help to guide the future priorities of the Council. The  
greater Boston event, co-hosted by the Artisan's Asylum and Union  
Square Main Streets, will take place on Thursday, August 23, 2012 from  
7 to 9 pm at the Artisan's Asylum, 10 Tyler Street, Somerville. Join  
colleagues in a discussion on furthering the visionary growth of your  
business and other creative industries across the state. Who should  
attend? Businesses, Organizations, and Individuals working in:  
Marketing: Advertising and marketing agencies and professionals  
Architecture: Architecture firms and architects Visual Arts + Craft:  
Museums, galleries, theatres and curators, artists, + artisans Design:  
Industrial, interior, graphic, web, fashion firms and designers Film +  
Media: Film, TV, animation, and radio businesses and talent Video  
Game: Companies, programmers, and individuals producing games Music +  
Performance: Venues, producers, and performers Publishing: Content  
creation, editors, writers and distributors What's on the agenda? You  
are! We want to hear from you, about you, as we explore future  
opportunities for like-minded businesses within the creative  
landscape. Through a round table discussion we hope to gain valuable  
insights concerning the growth and sustainability of your business  
within the state of Massachusetts.

For more information and to register your space: http://creativenextgreaterboston.eventbrite.com

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National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance
SUSTAINABLE VISION VENTURE LAB
8/23/2012 - 8/27/2012
9:00 am - 8:00 pm
Microsoft New England R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA  
02142

Audience: Faculty and students from New England and throughout the  
country working to commercialize ventures for the developing world
Description: Sustainable Vision VentureLab is an intensive, five-day,  
highly experiential and immersive workshop designed to enhance the  
success of base of the pyramid ventures. Students from Boston  
University, Northeastern, MIT (including Legatum fellows) Harvard and  
Tufts will meet and work with students from other programs around the  
country to develop strong, sustainable business models that create  
products or services for the benefit of people living in poverty.

$100 per team
Register at https://secure.nciia.org/WebObjects/NciiaApplyForGrants.woa/wa/EV/instantRegistration?i=1000319

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Opportunity

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Boiler Rebate
If your boiler is from 1983 or earlier, Mass Save will give a $1,750  
to $4,000 rebate to switch it out for a new efficient boiler that uses  
the same fuel (i.e. if you have oil, you have to continue to use oil)  
so long as it is installed by July 31, 2012.

Call Mass Save (866 527-7283) to sign up for a home energy assessment  
or sign-up online at  www.nextsteplivinginc.com/HEET  and HEET will  
receive a $10 contribution from Next Step Living for every completed  
assessment.

This is a great way to reduce climate change emissions for the next 20  
or so years the boiler lasts, while saving money.

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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).

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

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

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

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

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

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/

http://www.greenhornconnect.com/events/calendar

http://harddatafactory.com/mobileapp.shtml

http://bostoneventsinsider.com/boston_events/
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