[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - July 28, 2013

Sun Jul 28 13:22:46 PDT 2013

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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Urbann Factory Farming:  Industrial Agriculture Ecologies and LED Pinkhouses
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/28/1227123/-Urban-Factory-Farming-Industrial-Agriculture-Ecologies-and-LED-Pinkhouses

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Event Index - full Event Details available below the Index

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Monday, July 29
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10am  Mass DEP regulatory hearings on GHG regs (RGGI and SF6)
12pm Designing and Operating Safety Systems: The Missing Link
8pm Nerd Nite

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Tuesday, July 30
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9am  Somerville's First Urban Farm Opening
10am  Harvard Lighting Fair: Reduce Your Juice
6pm  Boston Green Drinks - July Happy Hour
7pm  Code for Boston Monthly Demo Night + IxDA

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Wednesday, July 31
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1:30pm  Essays on Volunteer Mobilization in Peer Production
6pm  2013 Midsummer Nights' Science Lecture Series - The coelacanth, its evolution, and how fish first came onto land
7pm   Outside the Textbook: Science & Social Change - A
     Conversation

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Thursday, August 1
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12pm  E-Waste Double Feature
2pm Media Lab Conversations Series: Jack Schulze in conversation with Kevin Slavin
4pm  The Rise of Crowdsourcing and the Gamified Generation - How They Are Changing the Way We Work
5pm  "Methane and CO2 depots, the ocean carbon cycle, interdependence of atmospheric and oceanic CO2"
6:30pm  Green Cambridge

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Saturday, August 3
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10:30am  2013 Boston Skillshare
5th Annual Boston Environmental Film Festival
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Event Details

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Monday, July 29
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Mass DEP regulatory hearings on GHG regs (RGGI and SF6)
Monday, 29 July, 2013
10:00 AM
Mass DEP Headquarters, One Winter Street, Boston

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is proposing two regulatory actions:
First, MassDEP is proposing amendments to the CO2 Budget Trading Program regulations (310 CMR 7.70). 310 CMR 7.70 implements the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in Massachusetts. The proposed amendments would implement program changes resulting from the 2012 RGGI program review. A public hearing on the proposed amendments will be held on July 29, 2013 at 10:00 AM. Please feel free to contact Bill Lamkin (william.lamkin at state.ma.us or 978-694-3294) if you have any questions about this proposal.
Second, MassDEP is proposing a new regulation titled Reducing Sulfur Hexafluoride Emissions from Gas-Insulated Switchgear (310 CMR 7.72). Gas-insulated switchgear is used in high-voltage electrical applications. A public hearing on the proposed regulation will be held on July 29, 2013 at 2:00 PM. Please feel free to contact Will Space (william.space at state.ma.us or 617-292-5610) if you have any questions about this proposal.

The hearing notices, along with copies of the proposed regulations and background information, are available on MassDEP's web siteathttp://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/news/comment/. The hearings will be held at MassDEP's Boston office (One Winter Street). Directions to the hearings can befoundathttp://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/about/contacts/massdep-boston-office-hours-and-directions.html.
Written comments on either proposal may be submitted by mail or to climate.strategies at state.ma.us until 5:00 PM on August 8, 2013.

Event Contact Info
William Lamkin
Email:  william.lamkin at state.ma.us 

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Designing and Operating Safety Systems: The Missing Link
Monday, July 29, 2013
12:00p–1:00p
Virtual:  register at http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_072913/helferich-webinar-safety-systems.html

Speaker: SDM alumnus John Helferich, former senior vice president of R&D, Mars Inc., and Ph.D. student, MIT Engineering Systems Division
MIT SDM System Thinking Webinar Series 

The MIT System Design and Management Program Systems Thinking Webinar Series features research conducted by SDM faculty, alumni, students, and industry partners. The series is designed to disseminate information on how to employ systems thinking to address engineering, management, and socio-political components of complex challenges.

Abstract: Hospital safety, aviation safety, food safety, product safety, and virtually any safety systems designed to control hazards that could result in injuries or deaths, share one critical, but often overlooked component: the people responsible for designing and operating these systems. Recent research indicates that because the people are rarely considered part of the systems, they consequently (and frequently) make mistakes. 

This webinar will address why and how to incorporate "safety of management" when designing and operating safety systems. It will cover: 
examples of safety failures and high-level analyses of their origins;
a description of the STAMP (Systems Theoretic Accident Model and Process) model developed by MIT Professor Nancy Leveson and described in her book, Engineering a Safer World (MIT Press, January 2012); 
ways that managers can use STAMP's hazard analysis methods to make safer decisions; and 
mitigation strategies for unsafe managerial decisions. 

Webinar attendees will gain a preliminary understanding of how to apply systems thinking to incorporate STAMP and improve safety, no matter what the industry.

Web site:  http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_072913/helferich-webinar-safety-systems.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Tickets: See url above
Sponsor(s): Engineering Systems Division, MIT System Design and Management Program
For more information, contact:  Lois Slavin
617-253-0812
lslavin at mit.edu 

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Nerd Nite
Monday, July 29
8PM
Middlesex Lounge, 315 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

This month’s talks are all about books. You love books! Our first talk comes from two speakers. The Brothers Hilts, a dynamic drawing duo from Cambridge, explain the trials and tribulations of the printing process. Our second speaker, Michael Healy, playfully questions William Shakespeare’s popularity and elaborates on what makes the old bard truly great. Meet us at the Middlesex Monday, July 29, at 8PM for two delightful talks on beloved books.

Talk 1: “You Call That Black? Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Printing Process” by The Brothers Hilts

The Brothers Hilts are: Sean (the younger one) and Ben (the other one). Together they work as a team, illustrating, creating art, and constantly comparing to see whose ideas are better. Ben went to Cooper Union; Sean went to rival Rhode Island School of Design. They are the recent winners of the Founder’s Award for best newcomers from The Society of Illustrators in New York City. The Insomniacs is the first picture book they have illustrated. Currently, they live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and are hard at work on their next book “The Runaway Circus”, which they are writing as well as illustrating. Their website is: www.brothershilts.com.

Talk 2: “Is Shakespeare as great as you’ve been lead to believe?” by Michael Healy

“He was not of an age, but for all time!” was the praise delivered by Ben Jonson, a friend of Shakespeare and a great poet in his own right, in the preface to the First Folio Edition of Shakespeare’s plays, published in 1623, seven years after the Bard’s death. In the intervening nearly four centuries, Shakespeare’s reputation has only increased by many orders of magnitude, such that many people around the world today consider him the greatest writer in any language. George Bernard Shaw referred to the deep, universal love for Shakespeare as ‘bardolatry.’

But is there a reason why the Bard is revered and his plays are performed from Cape Town to Tokyo? Why Baz Luhrmann thought Romeo and Juliet should be retold in Los Angeles? Why Akira Kurosawa was so influenced by him when he made Throne of Blood? What makes him more truly universal than other great authors? Did he have any chief influences? If so, why don’t we hear more about them? Is there any reason why we should care about what these literary critics say when art and literature are very subjective matters? Michael Healy will provide beginnings (and probably not endings) to the answers to many of these questions while charming some of you and aggravating others.

Be there and be square!

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Tuesday, July 30
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Somerville's First Urban Farm Opening
Thursday, July 25, 2013
9 am
100 South Street, Somerville 

Next Tuesday, July 30 at 9am, Groundwork Somerville is hosting the ribbon cutting for the South Street Farm, Somerville's first urban farm! The site features a beautiful wrought iron gate designed and welded by the High School metal shop, and supported by the Somerville Arts Council Local Cultural Council grant. Other features are the EcoShed, a rainwater harvesting surface with a bicycle powered pump, as well as farm fresh snacks prepared by our Green Team youth. The entire site is conceived, designed and maintained by the Green Team.

We hope you can make it! The event will feature some brief remarks by the youth and by the Mayor, followed by demos and a chance to pedal the bike pump!

http://www.groundworksomerville.org/2013/07/18/eco-shed-ribbon-cutting

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Harvard Lighting Fair: Reduce Your Juice
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
10 am-2 pm
Harvard, Science Center Plaza, next to the Farmers' Market

Stop by the Harvard University Lighting Fair to purchase discounted energy efficient lighting and power saving devices for the office and for home!

The Fair will offer education about the features and benefits of ENERGY STAR®-qualified lamps, lighting, and power saving products, as well as special pricing for those with a Harvard ID!

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Boston Green Drinks - July Happy Hour
Tuesday, July 30, 2013 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
Kingston Station, 25 Kingston Street, Boston
RSVP at http://july13bgd-es2.eventbrite.com

Join the conversation with sustainability professionals and hobbyists.  Enjoy a drink 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.  Also, if you RSVP and can't make it, e-mail us to let us know.

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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Code for Boston Monthly Demo Night + IxDA
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
7:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Cambridge Innovation Center, 5th Floor, Havana Conference Room, 1 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Code-for-Boston/events/116672192/

For this month's Demo Night, we'll be co-hosting with the Boston Interaction Design Association (IxDA). Let's make sure to give a big welcome from Code for Boston to our design colleagues!

Our monthly Demo Night will be at the Cambridge Innovation Center in Kendall Square, on the FIFTH FLOOR, in the HAVANA room.

At demo nights, Brigade teams will have the opportunity to show off the projects they're working on, celebrate successful work, and discuss blockers they're working through. We may be joined by members of the public, and may have outside guests present their own work to the Brigade community.

There is a pay parking lot underneath the building, and limited meter parking in the area. The MIT parking lot at Hayward St is free after 5pm. The best way to get to CIC is by Red Line.

Please make sure to check in with security when you arrive, and take the elevator to the 5th floor; the Havana room is to the left. Looking forward to seeing you there!

To sign up to present a product demo, pitch a new project / request help for an existing project, or speak on another topic, fill out the submission form: http://bit.ly/1dBkqTS

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Wednesday, July 31
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Essays on Volunteer Mobilization in Peer Production
Wednesday, July 31, 2013 
1:30pm - 3:30pm
MIT, Building E14-525, MIT Media Lab, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Benjamin Mako Hill
Participant(s)/Committee: Eric von Hippel, Mitchel Resnick, Yochai Benkler, Thomas Malone

Although some examples of Internet-based collaborative "peer production"— like Wikipedia and Linux—build large volunteer communities and high-quality information goods, the vast majority of attempts at peer production, like other forms of collective action, never even attract a second contributor. This dissertation is composed of three essays that describe and test theories on the sources and dynamics of volunteer mobilization in peer production.

The first essay is a qualitative analysis of seven attempts to create English-language online collaborative encyclopedia projects started before January, 2001, when Wikipedia was launched. Hill offers a set of three propositions for why Wikipedia, similar to previous efforts and a relatively late entrant, attracted a community of hundreds of thousands while the other projects did not. Using data from interviews of these Wikipedia-like projects' initiators, along with extensive archival data, he suggests that Wikipedia succeeded because its stated goal hewed closely to a widely held concept of "encyclopedia" familiar to many potential contributors while the project innovated around the process and the social organization of production.

In the second essay, Hill presents evidence of a trade-off between "generativity" (i.e., qualities of work products likely to attract follow-on contributors) and the originality of the derivative work products that follow. Using data from the Scratch online community — a large website where young people openly share and remix animations and games, he builds on foundational theoretical work in peer production to formulate and tests a series of hypotheses suggesting that the generativity of creative works is associated with moderate complexity, prominent authors, and cumulativeness. Hill also formulates and tests three hypotheses that these qualities are associated with decreased originality in resulting derivatives. He finds broad support for the hypothesized trade-off.

Finally, in the third essay, he considers the relationship between volunteer mobilization and governance in peer production organizations. Although large successful peer production projects have inspired a wave of social movements and scholars, he hypothesizes that, like other democratic organizations, peer production exhibits governance consistent with Robert Michels' "Iron Law of Oligarchy." Using exhaustive longitudinal data of internal processes drawn from a population of wikis, he constructs measures of organizational participation and present evidence of increases in oligarchy and decreases in democracy associated with volunteer mobilization. In contrast to previous work, Hill finds support for Michel's iron law and conclude that the adoption of organizational forms used in peer production may not enhance democratic outcomes.

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2013 Midsummer Nights' Science Lecture Series - The coelacanth, its evolution, and how fish first came onto land
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
6:00p–7:00p
Broad Institute, 7 Cambridge Center, Auditorium (first floor), Cambridge

Speaker: Jessica Alfoldi
The African coelacanth, whose genome was recently sequenced, is a highly unusual fish that closely resembles the fossils of its 300-million-year-old ancestors. Scientists have debated for decades about whether it truly is a slow-evolving fish, and how closely related it is to our own ancestor - the fish that first came up onto land. Jessica Alfoldi will discuss the history of the enigmatic coelacanth and what its genome has taught us about our own evolution.

Web site: http://broad.io/midsummer
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): IS&T Computing Help Desk, Broad Institute
For more information, contact:  Monica Concepcion
617-714-7156
events at broadinstitute.org 

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Outside the Textbook: Science & Social Change - A Conversation
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
7:00 p.m. 
@ encuentro5 - 9 Hamilton Place, Suite 2A, Boston
http://www.encuentro5.org/home/node/306
https://www.facebook.com/events/484696791604643/*

Join an MIT historian of science, Abha Sur, as she takes us beyond the textbook account of science. Drawing on her own research and analyses, insights from Richard Levins and others, Abha untangles two critical approaches to the traditional story of science via a participatory conversation. e5 is excited to host this conversation which takes science as an ally in social change while subjecting its history to rigorous scrutiny: "Textbook versions of the history of modern science as a triumphant victory of the European Man over nature have been challenged simultaneously by two related yet different impulses. A number of recent studies have shown the ways in which race, gender, caste, and class
influence scientific knowledge, while others have illustrated the extensive influence of Afroasiatic knowledge systems in the development of modern science. The attendant abnegation of modern science in the former impulse coexists with the possibility of an alternative vision in the latter impulse, which implicitly affirms and identifies with certain aspects of science by proclaiming its own past past and present participation in it. Together the two bring to the fore the essential contradiction in science--science as imperialism and science as knowledge--where, according to Richard Levins, class mediated science can still produce some "real truths about the world." This conversation will be accessible to everyone and does not require any specialist knowledge.

Abha Sur is a scientist turned historian of science. She received her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Vanderbilt University and post-graduate training in the field of mutli-photon ionization spectroscopy at SUNY, Stony Brook and at Yale University. She has published several articles in chemistry. Her more recent research focuses on the history of modern science in India from a subaltern perspective. Her book Dispersed Radiance: Caste, Gender, and Modern Science in India<http://www.amazon.com/Dispersed-Radiance-Gender-Modern-Science/dp/8189059327>(New Delhi: Navayana, 2011) examines the confluence of caste, nationalism, and gender in science and unpacks the colonial context in which science was
organized. Reviews and information about the book are available at navayana.org. Abha Sur was a fellow at the Bunting Institute at Harvard University and at the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology at MIT. She is presently a lecturer in the Program in Women's and Gender Studies and a research associate in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT. 

<<suggested reading - "Class Science & Scientific Truth" by Richard Levins

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Thursday, August 1
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E-Waste Double Feature
Thursday, August 1, 2013
12-1pm
Harvard University Hall Basement Conference Room

Join the FAS Green Program for a double feature about E-Waste. We will be watching the Basel Action Network's films "Exporting Harm" and "Digital Dump".

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Media Lab Conversations Series: Jack Schulze in conversation with Kevin Slavin
Thursday, August 01, 2013 
2:00pm - 3:30pm
MIT Media Lab, E14, Third Floor

All talks at the Media Lab, unless otherwise noted, are open to the public.
This talk will be webcast. Join the conversation on Twitter: #MLTalks

Jack Shulze is a Principal at BERG, and co-founded the studio in 2005. He obtained his MA in Interaction Design from the Royal College of Art in 2006, previously running an independent design studio for four years.

Jack leads BERG new product development work both for clients and self-initiated work such as the Here & There map. He leads many media design consultancy projects, including previous engagements with Bonnier and the BBC among others.

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The Rise of Crowdsourcing and the Gamified Generation - How They Are Changing the Way We Work
Thursday, August 1, 2013
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM (EDT)
Harvard Innovation Lab, 125 Western Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7081315405/

Morgan Lynch, CEO of Needle, started one of the first successful crowdsourced companies in the world called Logoworks (acquired by HP in 2007). By utilizing a gamified model to attract and incentivize a highly talented pool of graphic designers from all parts of the world, Lynch saw firsthand the convergence of two emerging trends that are going to dramatically shape employee/employer relationships in the future: remote workers (or "iworkers") and radical shifts in how the next generation of workers are motivated. Morgan will present learnings from both Logoworks and Needle on how companies must adapt to access a generation of workers who have a different perception of what "work" means and where it gets done, along with how to access the intrinsic motivation of a gamified generation.

The Harvard Innovation Lab checks all attendee registrations at the door. Please bring a printed or smartphone copy of your EventBrite registration and Harvard student ID if you have registered as a Harvard Student.  Attendance will be limited to registered guests and tickets will not be available at the door.

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"Methane and CO2 depots, the ocean carbon cycle, interdependence of atmospheric and oceanic CO2"
Thursday, August 1, 2013 
5:00pm - 7:00pm
MIT, Building 68-181, 31 Ames Street, Cambridge
Editorial Comment:  The venue is the Koch Biology Building at MIT and, yes, it is one of the Koch Bros.

Presenter Roger Summons
Open CO2 Seminar Series

The Sinskey lab (Department of Biology) is hosting an open seminar series on CO2. 
The complete series will feature different aspects of CO2 from 5 different research perspectives: 1) CO2 chemistry and the global carbon cycle; 2) Co2 in biological systems; 3) CO2 in the atmosphere; 4) CO2 in the oceans; 5) CO2 and its impact on politics and economics.

More information at https://biology.mit.edu/about/events/open_co2_seminar_series_8

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Green Cambridge
Thursday, August 1st 
6:30 pm 
Eastern Bank in Harvard Square. 

All are welcome and most warmly invited!

http://greencambridge.org/Calendar.html

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Saturday, August 3
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2013 Boston Skillshare
Saturday, August 3, 2013
10:30 AM to 6:30 PM
SPONTANEOUS CELEBRATIONS, 45 Danforth Street, Jamaica Plain

The 2103 Skillshare is underway! If you want to take a class, come before 5:30pm. If you want food, come before it runs out! I hope to see you there!
http://www.bostonskillshare.org/2013/info 

$3-$10 sliding scale donation to cover costs. Also, if you have a skill you'd like to share, contact Boston Skillshare now, to get on this year's schedule!

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5th Annual Boston Environmental Film Festival
Saturday, August 3
All day
Atlantic Wharf, Castle Square, Charlestown Navy Yard, and Goethe Institute

Full schedule at http://e-action.us/index.php/film-festival/venues/

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Upcoming
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"Atmospheric CO2 Levels, change of level during the ages, relation between CO2 level and lower atmosphere temperature, adaption of plants to increasing CO2 levels"
Monday, August 5, 2013 
5:00pm - 7:00pm
MIT, Building 68-181, 31 Ames Street, Cambridge
Editorial Comment:  The venue is the Koch Biology Building at MIT and, yes, it is one of the Koch Bros.

Presenter Tim Lenton

Open CO2 Seminar Series
The complete series will feature different aspects of CO2 from 5 different research perspectives: 1) CO2 chemistry and the global carbon cycle; 2) Co2 in biological systems; 3) CO2 in the atmosphere; 4) CO2 in the oceans; 5) CO2 and its impact on politics and economics.

https://biology.mit.edu/about/events/open_co2_seminar_series_9

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Green tech Entrepreneur Forum & Brainstorming.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Eastern Bank, 647 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
You can see into the conference room from the street

The Agenda is:
We will introduce ourselves and tell about our interest, expertise or work (1st hr)
You can give a ~3 to 5 minute elevator speach about your startup if you would like. (We will divide the 1st hour by # of people.)
What stage is your ideas or startup?  What is your goal?
Tell what personnel or additional expertise, funding, etc. you are seeking,
Discussion and Brainstorming on (2nd hr)
ideas for viable moneymaking startups,
methods of collaboration, networking, forming teams & partnerships etc.
marketing, media, social media, ideas that have worked well for publicity
Agencies, websites, companies that assist startups
Boston Greenfest & Gov't opportunities.
What would ou like to see in future meetups?
Seminars - We will have seminars by Sustainable Energy engineers and other tech experts as often as possible.

The bank is near the center of Central Sq., where Prospect and Mass Ave cross, - there is a Starbucks on the Northeast corner of the intersection.  Next to Starbucks is a Flower shop, and next to that is Eastern Bank.  You can see the conference room thru the window, so just wave to us and we will let you in.

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Boston Greenfest
Thursday-Saturday, August 15-17, 2013
Boston City Hall Plaza, Boston
Free admission

Boston GreenFest 2012 is a fully inclusive festival filled with fun learning experiences to address the important changes we need to make in our daily lives and our neighborhoods. It will begin at Boston City Hall Plaza with a Kick-Off Concert on Thursday, August 16, from 5-9:30 pm and will continue all day long, Friday-Saturday, August 17-18, from noon-9:30 pm and 11 am-8 pm. This year we are introducing The Movement Festival and will have performances and free dance classes on Sunday, August 19 from 10 am-5 pm. It is an event that will have something for everybody, young and old.

What's Happening at Boston GreenFest 2012? 
All of our neighborhoods will come together from across Greater Boston to work on solutions to make our city a healthy sustainable place to live. People from all over New England will be welcome to join us. Boston GreenFest 2012 brings many opportunities to the heart of our city to learn about green products, services, ideas, networks, and jobs. There will be interactive exhibits, workshops, presentations, and special features: continuous live entertainment on three stages, EcoTimeTrail, EcoFashion, GreenFilmFest for children and adults, eco-games, One Gallon Challenge – a "race" starting at noon on Thursday, August 16th from Plymouth, MA to GreenFest for cars that can drive 112 miles on 1 gallon of gas and arrive at City Hall throughout the afternoon to be on hand during the entire festival, lots of great kids' activities, great food, and much more.
Learn and Celebrate!

Find out how to save money and make your home efficient. Buy local fresh and organic fruits and vegetables. Explore interesting vendors of unique crafts and products. Check out new clean technologies and green inventions. Be amazed at how we can begin to make a difference with small changes to our own lives and how we can build on these changes with our neighbors. Let's learn and celebrate together!

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FAS Monthly Environmental Movies/Brown Bag Lunch Series
Thursday, August 15, 2013 
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Harvard, Mallinckrodt 102, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge

Join us for screenings of the most inspiring TED talks on a variety of environmental topics. Every 3rd Thursday of the month.

Contact Name:  Gosia Sklodowska
gosia_sklodowska at harvard.edu

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National Honey Bee Day 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Follow the Honey, 1132 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

This is our 3rd year hosting free public events during National Honey Bee Day at Follow The Honey. We'd love to hear from you for apis mellifera inspired performance, presentations & demonstrations. Is there something you would like to say? Is there something you would like to learn? Is there someone you know who should bee in the lineup? Please be in touch and let's cross pollinate a community based day of honey bee loving fun! 
Editorial Comment:  Always good to remember the bees, Mr President.

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Energy Exodus
August 28 to September 2, 2013
From Somerset, Mass To Cape Wind, Across the South Coast, MA

From August 28th to September 2nd, the Better Future Project will sponsor the Energy Exodus -- a march from the largest point-source carbon emitter in the North East to the site of the nation's first off shore wind farm. Whether for a single day or for the entire march, we hope you can join us on this six-day trek from Brayton Point to Barnstable, MA. By the end, with over 1,000 people participating, we will have demonstrated the strength of our movement and progressed toward the clean, safe future that we all deserve.

Let us know you're interested here: http://energyexodus.org/
Facebook: Energy Exodus: March from Coal to Cape Wind  https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/332490020213403/
Sponsored by: Better Future Project
http://www.betterfutureproject.org/

Contact Better Future Project
Email:  info at betterfutureproject.org 
Phone: (617) 299-0771 
Website: http://energyexodus.org

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The New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable Presents: Modernizing the Electric Grid in New England
September 20, 2013
9 am to 12:30 pm
Foley Hoag LLP, 155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor, Boston

In October of 2012, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities issued a notice of inquiry (NOI) on electric grid modernization that sought to develop a vision for a modern grid in Massachusetts and a road-map to get there. The NOI launched a stakeholder process charged with exploring both grid-facing and customer-facing issues, as well as developing recommendations for the DPU. 

On July 2, 2013, the MA Grid Modernization Steering Committee, comprised of the four investor-owned utilities and representatives from over 20 diverse stakeholder groups, filed a 141 page Final Report with the DPU. The Report includes 1) goals, opportunities, and barriers; 2) a clear taxonomy of a modernized grid including outcomes and enablers; 3) a snap-shot of utilities' current systems and technologies; 4) a joint fact- finding summary of advanced metering functionality and cost, as well as time-varying rates; and 5) extensive recommendations on a wide range of grid modernization issues, including the appropriate regulatory and cost-effectiveness frameworks to foster grid modernization.

Join us at our 136th Roundtable as we discuss the Report and the DPU's plans for adopting and implementing an appropriate grid modernization regulatory framework. The panel will be anchored by MA DPU Chair Ann Berwick, who will discuss the DPU's vision and its next steps. She will be joined by representatives from the MA Grid Mod Steering Committee who will discuss the findings and recommendations of the report, including those where consensus was reached and those where two or more options were delivered to the DPU:

Jamie Tosches, Assistant Attorney General, MA AGO 
Peter  Zschokke, Director, Regulatory Strategy, National Grid 
Camilo Serna, VP Corporate Strategy, Northeast Utilities 
Janet Besser, VP Policy and Govt. Affairs, NE Clean Energy Council

To provide additional perspective on grid modernization, we have invitedCommissioner Kelly Speakes-Backman, Maryland Public Service Commission, to kick-off the Roundtable by discussing Maryland's efforts to modernize its grid. Maryland utilities are currently involved in the widespread deployment of advanced metering infrastructure and a peak-time rebate program, among other grid modernization activities. Commissioner Speakes-Backman, who has been actively involved in Maryland's grid modernization efforts, also serves on RGGI and was previously the Clean Energy Director at the Maryland Energy Administration.

Free and open to the public with no advanced registration!!

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Opportunity
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Where is the best yogurt on the planet made? Somerville, of course!

Join the Somerville Yogurt Making Cooperative and get a weekly quart of the most thick, creamy, rich and tart yogurt in the world. Membership in the coop costs $2.50 per quart. Members share the responsibility for making yogurt in our kitchen located just outside of Davis Sq. in FirstChurch.  No previous yogurt making experience is necessary.

For more information checkout.
https://sites.google.com/site/somervilleyogurtcoop/home

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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.)

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Resource
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Cambridge Solar Challenge

We're working to get 100 solar-panel installations on residential roofs in Cambridge this summer.

Because of the scale of the project, we've managed to bargain with Next Step Living (the solar installer) to get a:
20% discount for Cambridge residents from May 1st until August 1st. (That's 20% below the state average price per watt installed.)  The discount applies whether the solar is purchased outright or leased.

$300 donation to any nonprofit for any solar installations that result from their referral.  So, if your church, preschool or other nonprofit persuades a family in its community to sign up for a solar evaluation, and the family ends up installing solar, the nonprofit will earn $300 for its sustainability needs (such as adding insulation, installing efficient lighting, creating a garden, etc.). In this way we double the amount of good we are doing.

You can easily look up your home's solar potential through MIT's solar map (http://www.cambridgema.gov/solar/). Then email us (heet.cambridge at gmail.com) to sign up for a free solar assessment with an expert.

If you are associated with a nonprofit and want to help sign up solar assessments to increase the renewable energy  in Cambridge as well as earn money for your nonprofit, email us with questions or to get started.

We will happily attend events at your nonprofit in order to explain how solar works, figure out who has good solar potential and explain how it can save residents money.

Contact http://www.heetma.com

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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

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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/

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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

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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

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

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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/

Cambridge Civic Journal  http://www.rwinters.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/Johnny_Monsarrat/index.html

http://bostoneventsinsider.com/boston_events/