[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - August 18, 2013
George Mokray
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Aug 18 18:34:34 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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Editorial Notice: I may be taking the next week off. There doesn't seem to be a lot happening until after Labor Day but, if necessity dictates, I'll issue an update between now and September 1.
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Event Index - full Event Details available below the Index
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Monday, August 19
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12pm Harvard Freecycle
6:15pm Free Compost Workshop
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Tuesday, August 20
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7pm Hearing on Zero Net Energy Zoning Petition for Cambridge
7pm Innovation Café #2 w/ CafeSci Boston
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Wednesday, August 21
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7:30am Sustainability Breakfast Meetup: Net Impact Boston Professional Chapter
4pm City Council Committee on Ordinances hearing on the Zero Net Energy Zoning Petition
6pm Boston New Technology: August 2013 Product Showcase #BNT32
6:30pm Planning for Healthier Cities Forum
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Monday, August 26
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7:30pm Iowa State Senator Rob Hogg Book Tour 'America's Climate Century'
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Tuesday, August 27
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6pm Boston Green Drinks - August Happy Hour
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Wednesday, August 28
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Energy Exodus
6pm Minute to Pitch It: MassChallenge
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Event Details
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Monday, August 19
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Harvard Freecycle
Monday, August 19th, 2013
12-2pm
Harvard Science Center Lobby, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Donations welcome from 9am-11am on the day of.
As the summer winds down, prepare for the new school year by cleaning out your home or office, or come by in search of that elusive special something that will make your new place. No donations required- come take what you want!
Welcome items include: Office Supplies, Kitchenware, Books, Clothes, Games and Toys, Small Furniture (lamps, chairs, etc), Appliances, Media (CDs, DVDs, Tapes), Electonics
Early donations (pre-August 16th):
FAS and SEAS staff- email Brandon_geller at harvard.edu to schedule a pickup.
HLS- Email Jourdan_phillips at harvard.edu to schedule a drop off.
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Free Compost Workshop
Monday, August 19
6:15pm
Public Works, 147 Hampshire Street, 1st floor conference room, Cambridge
RSVP to recycle at cambridgema.gov
Save your banana peels and learn how to compost and reduce food waste. Learn the composting options residents have and ways to reduce food waste, from Cambridge's Recycling Director, Ms. Randi Mail. She will review best practices for outdoor composting, indoor composting with worms, options for drop-off and bicycle pickup. Composting and making soil is rewarding, benefits your garden and house plants and curbs climate change! Reducing food waste is incredibly important considering that Americans waste more than 40% of the food we produce for consumption. That comes at an annual cost of more than $100 billion.
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Tuesday, August 20
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Hearing on Zero Net Energy Zoning Petition for Cambridge
Tuesday, August 20
7 pm
Cambridge Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge
The Connolly petition, named for its first signer, would require that large developments meet a "net zero" emission standard in order to obtain a special permit. It would encourage energy-efficient buildings and inclusion of renewable energy generation such as solar panels in projects. It would also require that all energy used in buildings must be from renewable sources.
To obtain energy beyond what is generated on-site, the building's owner and occupants would have the option of either directly purchasing off-site energy from renewable sources or purchasing Massachusetts renewable energy credits (RECs).
It will take a little more effort to construct net zero buildings and cities, but the sooner we start building them, the sooner we will start to put the brakes on climate change.
It's up to the City Council to enact the "net-zero" Connolly petition. So City Councilors need to hear that voters want Cambridge to take this important step to prevent dangerous climate change.
Show your support by adding your name to the list of residents who have endorsed the petition athttp://www.netzerocambridge.org/petition.
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Innovation Café #2 w/ CafeSci Boston
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
7:00 PM
Middlesex Lounge, 315 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Scott Asakawa and the gang at NOVA have invited us once again to the Innovation Cafe at Middlesex Lounge. Join us as we learn about Baxter the Robot who'll be working right along side us in our future workplace, doing all the dirty work with good common sense. There'll be a lecture followed by lots of geeky questions, all while enjoying your favorite food and beverage :)
Presentation starts at 7:00 - get there early tho to find seats and socialize with fellow nerds. Your organizers will be there around 6:30, and will be wearing the usual Meetup pins (and sitting at the head of the class, like good teacher's pets).
From Scott and NOVA:
Hey there Nerd Fun!
It's time for our second "Innovation Café," specifically designed around the content of a brand new season of NOVA's Making Stuff. The four new episodes (Faster, Colder, Wilder, & Safer) explore concepts in engineering and high-tech innovation breakthroughs, and are set to air starting in October of 2013!
For our next "Innovation Café," come learn about Baxter—a unique robot that is redefining the way robots can be used in manufacturing environments. It performs a variety of repetitive production tasks, all while safely and intelligently working next to people. How? Baxter exhibits behavior-based ‘common sense,’ capable of sensing and adapting to its task and its environment.
Dr. Matthew Williamson is the director of technology development at Rethink Robotics in Boston. He'll tell us all about this entirely new type of robot and answer all of your questions!
Learn more about Baxter here:
http://www.rethinkrobotics.com/index.php/products/baxter/
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Wednesday, August 21
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Sustainability Breakfast Meetup: Net Impact Boston Professional Chapter
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
7:30 AM to 8:30 AM (EDT)
Pret A Manger, 185 Franklin Street, Post Office Square, Boston
Join us for our fifth informal breakfast meetup of 2013 to get sustainability professionals together for networking, discussion and moral support. It’s important to remind ourselves that we are not the only ones out there in the business world trying to do good!
So come, get a cup of coffee or a bagel, support a sustainable business and get fired up before work so we can continue trying to change the world.
This is an evolving event so your input and participation is more than welcome. Please share any thoughts or ideas with events at netimpactboston.org.
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City Council Committee on Ordinances hearing on the Zero Net Energy Zoning Petition
Wednesday, August 21
4 pm
Cambridge City Hall, Cambridge
The Connolly petition, named for its first signer, would require that large developments meet a "net zero" emission standard in order to obtain a special permit. It would encourage energy-efficient buildings and inclusion of renewable energy generation such as solar panels in projects. It would also require that all energy used in buildings must be from renewable sources.
To obtain energy beyond what is generated on-site, the building's owner and occupants would have the option of either directly purchasing off-site energy from renewable sources or purchasing Massachusetts renewable energy credits (RECs).
It will take a little more effort to construct net zero buildings and cities, but the sooner we start building them, the sooner we will start to put the brakes on climate change.
It's up to the City Council to enact the "net-zero" Connolly petition. So City Councilors need to hear that voters want Cambridge to take this important step to prevent dangerous climate change.
Show your support by adding your name to the list of residents who have endorsed the petition athttp://www.netzerocambridge.org/petition.
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Boston New Technology: August 2013 Product Showcase #BNT32
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
MassChallenge, One Marina Park Drive, 14th Floor, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston_New_Technology/events/130630392/
Check in at the lobby and get your name tag. Then, take the elevator to the 14th floor.
Free event! Come learn about 7 innovative and exciting technology products and network with the Boston/Cambridge startup community! Each presenter gets 5 minutes for product demonstration and 5 minutes for Q&A. Please follow @BostonNewTech and use the #BNT32 hashtag in social media posts: details here.
Products & Presenters:
1. Cloze / @Cloze - Noise-canceling inbox for email and social media (mobile apps) (Alex Cote & Dan Foody / @AlexCote). Tech: iOS, HTML5, jQuery, node.js, Cassandra. www.cloze.com
2. Cognii / @Cognii - New assessment technology evaluates essay-type answers for online learning (Dee Kanejiya & Radek Janowski).Tech: Natural Language Processing, Ruby on Rails. www.Cognii.com
3. JamHub Corporation / @JamHub - Tools and marketplace make it easy for musicians worldwide to collaborate, record, edit and share music (Steve Skillings). www.JamHub.com
4. 3-Spark / @3SparkLLC - Next generation 3D Printer EELA builds components with sensors, electronics, and interconnects (Rich Ranky).Tech: Arduino, Plastic 3D printing. www.3-spark.com
5. Virtual Nurse / @VNurses - Real-time video-based health education with real nurses that can be used anytime, anywhere. (Kalyan Kalwa / @KalyanKalwa) Tech: PHP, Linux, My SQL, HTML, CSS. www.virtualnurse.us
6. Tokutek / @Tokutek - TokuMX is an open source storage engine for MongoDB that increases big data performance with compression, transactions and no fragmentation (Tim Callaghan / @TMCallaghan).Tech: fractal tree indexes. www.tokutek.com
7. Splashscore / @Splashscore - Rewards influential women on Facebook to help brands drive sales. (Lyle Stevens /@TheLyleStevens) Tech: PHP (Yii Framework), Scala, HTML5, CSS3www.Splashscore.com
Agenda:
6:00 - 7:00 - Networking and dinner
7:00 to 7:10 - Announcements
7:10 to 8:30 - Presentations, Q&A
8:30 to 9:00 - More Networking
9:00 - Gather at The Whiskey Priest at 150 Northern Ave, about 2 blocks east of MassChallenge.
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Planning for Healthier Cities Forum
Wednesday, August 21
6:30 – 8:00 pm
Museum of Science, Skyline Room, 1 Science Park, Boston
RSVP at http://www.mos.org/public-events/planning-for-healthier-cities
Share your voice at a forum planned by the Museum's Public Forum youth interns as part of their Climate Change: Planning For Healthier Cities summer internship! To explore the connections between urban air pollution and people's health and mood, the students are currently gathering data at several locations throughout Boston and Cambridge.
The students will present the process, methods, and findings of their research, and ask forum participants — you! — to discuss and offer recommendations for making cities cleaner, healthier places to live, work, and play.
Refreshments will be served from 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. This program is free thanks to the generosity of the Lowell Institute.
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Monday, August 26
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Iowa State Senator Rob Hogg Book Tour 'America's Climate Century'
Monday, August 26
7:30 p.m.
Congregation Kehillath Israel, 384 Harvard Street, Brookline
Join Senator Rob Hogg to call on Americans to make the fight against climate change America's new national purpose.
Senator Hogg is a state senator from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which was hammered by an unprecedented flood in 2008 that caused billions in damage. He brings a "dose of reality" to the climate issue, which requires urgent action to slash greenhouse gas emissions by moving beyond fossil fuels and to safeguard our people and our property against future climate disasters (extreme storms, floods, drought, wildfires, and ecological disruptions).
America's Climate Century is succinct (120 pages), affordable (list price $10.95), patriotic, and accessible. As Cedar Rapids Gazette columnist Jennifer Hemmingsen wrote (4/28/13), it will get you "from zero to well informed in a matter of hours." It is designed for active citizens who want to understand better what climate change means for America in the 21st Century – and what Americans can do about it.
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Tuesday, August 27
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Boston Green Drinks - August Happy Hour
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
Lucca Back Bay, 116 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://aug13bgd-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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Wednesday, August 28
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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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Wednesday, August 28th, 2013
6:00PM - 9:00PM
MassChallenge Headquarters, ONE Marina Park Drive, 14th floor, Boston
RSVP at https://mcminutetopitchit2013.eventbrite.com
Back by popular demand: Join MassChallenge for an evening of speed pitching with the 2013 finalist companies.
Each company has one minute to pitch to a crowd of partners, media, and startup enthusiasts. Check out the incredibly diverse class of global finalists participating in this year's Accelerator.
This is one of the most exciting opportunities to hear from the area's top startup companies- you don't want to miss it!
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Upcoming
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Maximizing Reuse and Recycling Through Deconstruction
Thursday, August 29
10 a.m. Pacific, 11 a.m. Mountain, noon Central and 1 p.m. Eastern
Webinar
RSVP at https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/397804662?utm_source=SCN+InBox+e-Newsletter&utm_campaign=42e5640681-DeconstructionWebinar8-14-13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_11e7ac761c-42e5640681-188562049
Deconstruction is the process of systematically removing a building or structure by taking it apart in the reverse order of construction, with a goal of maximizing reuse and recycling. It's a great way to remove nuisance properties in your community and divert waste from your landfill while creating green jobs and reclaiming valuable building materials.
Join us for this free one-hour webinar featuring Dan Oswald, deconstruction program instructor for the Center on Sustainable Communities and Iowa Central Community College. Mr. Oswald, an authority on deconstruction solutions, will provide an overview on the topic and share his extensive hands-on experience, success stories and insights on this rising industry.
This webinar is sponsored by the Center on Sustainable Communities (COSC), which serves as Iowa’s trusted educational resource for sustainable programming. Working collaboratively with local experts, the nonprofit provides consumer education, professional development and accessible resources that promote green building and improved quality of life. COSC's new Iowa Deconstruction & Reuse Initiative supports the advancement of viable alternatives to demolition that benefit our economy and environment.
Contact Sustainable City Network <Randy at scitynetwork.com>
www.sCityNetwork.com
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Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People
Thu., Aug. 29, 2013
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Harvard, Science Center, Hall D, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge
A complex mix of qualities goes into creating something we call "talent." It's what freshmen arriving at Harvard are expected to have in abundance & it is what Harvard hopes to nurture and develop even more over the next 4 years. How we think about talent has changed over the past century; Professor Banaji will lead us in a discussion of what we know about the concept of "talent," how we recognize it and treat it and how we ought to imagine it, giving ourselves the fullest latitude to achieve it.
See more at: http://community.harvard.edu/events/calendar-opening-days-lecture-2013-blindspot-hidden-biases-good-people#sthash.OrQ8tDNA.dpuf
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Workshop on Armenian Folklore and Mythology
WHEN Sat., Aug. 31 – Sun., Sep. 1, 2013
WHERE National Association for Armenian Studies and Research; 395 Concord Ave; Belmont MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Classes/Workshops, Conferences, Humanities, Lecture, Religion, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mashtots Chair in Armenian Studies and the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University; the Association Internationale des Études Arméniennes, Society for Armenian Studies
SPEAKER(S) James R Russell, Marc Mamigonian, Christina Maranci, Barbara Merguerian, and others
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO nelc at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE This event is dedicated to the blessed memory of Dr. Nira Stone.
Editorial Comment: I love mythology and folklore and have been researching for many years now an old Hungarian folktale that I am making up as I go along.
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Bread and Puppet Total This & That Circus
Sunday, September 1st
3 pm
Cambridge Common, near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Waterhouse Street, Cambridge.
Free performance [pass-the-hat donations welcome], rain or shine.
For further details, call the Boston-area Bread & Puppet Theater information line 617-286-6694 or log onto www.breadandpuppet.org.
As part of a world-wide birthday celebration of "50 Years of Sublime Arsekicking Puppetry," the award-winning Bread & Puppet Theater from Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom presents their Total This & That Circus on the Cambridge Common, a public space they used to frequent prior to the mid-1980’s. For the past few years, the company has once again revived its descent upon the park, resurrecting that age old Harvard Square tradition of outdoor theatrical political rabble rousing.
Total This & That Circus includes the following ingredients, as described by Bread & Puppet's artistic director Peter Schumann:
Daffodil combat forces battling F-35 jets; the elimination of the 800,001st Palestinian olive tree, totally unattended by the National Outrage Orchestra; an Animal Rental Facility, which offers disenchanted customers of civilization instant transformation into frog or deer, cricket or rat. There will also be new characters, such as underprivileged Corporate Dwarves, overshadowed by Ordinary 99% Giants promoting brand-new economy-shrinking ventures, while the Lubblerland National Dance Company enhances the program with eternal values gloves-on dances presented to the gloves-off practitioners in Guantanamo and elsewhere.
Please take note that if some of the circus acts are politically puzzling to adults, accompanying children can usually explain them. The audience is welcome to examine all the masks and puppets after the performance, and Cheap Art will be for sale. Examples of Bread & Puppet’s work can be found atwww.breadandpuppet.org.
Harvard Square's Revival Month:
Bread & Puppet’s outdoor Circus on the Cambridge Common kicks off what now has become Harvard Square’s annual “Revival Month.” The finale to thisentire "month of reincarnations” will be the return of the HONK! Parade on Sunday, Oct. 13th. Bread & Puppet will join two dozen HONK! Festival street bands and hundreds of local participants in a procession to "Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes, and Feet" on Massachusetts Avenue leading into Harvard Square’s35th Annual Oktoberfest (from noon-6 pm). For complete information on Harvard Square’s “Revival Month” visit www.harvardsquare.com. For more information on the HONK! Festival and the parade that runs from Davis Square to Harvard Square, log onto www.honkfest.org.
Bread & Puppet 2013 Celebrating "50 Years of Sublime Arsekicking Puppetry" in the Boston-area:
The Circus on the Cambridge Common also serves as the local launch of a series of national and international "50 Years of Sublime Arsekicking Puppetry"anniversary events. Besides the aforementioned HONK!, there will be a Total This & That Circus performed as part of Lawrence, Mass.' Bread & Roses Festival (www.breadandrosesheritage.org) on Monday, September 2nd. Soon after on Saturday, September 14th, Boston College will host "50 Years Bread & Puppet: Cheap Art and Political Theater" (www.bc.edu/BP50), a day-long symposium packed with scholarly and artistic presentations showcasing the breadth and depth of Bread & Puppet's influence on politics as well as art.
Special thanks to the Cambridge Arts Council and the Harvard Square Business Association for helping make Bread & Puppet's return to the Cambridge Common possible; funded in part by the Cambridge Arts Council.
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Wonder Woman Photo Shoot
Tuesday, September 3
11:00a–4:00p
MIT, Building 10 Lobby, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
AS LOVELY AS APHRODITE - AS WISE AS ATHENA - WITH THE SPEED OF MERCURY AND THE STRENGTH OF HERCULES - SHE IS KNOWN ONLY AS WONDER WOMAN.
You can be Wonder Woman too!
WONDER WOMAN PHOTO SHOOT
Wonder Woman costume: lasso of truth, tiara, T-shirts and skirts for children and adults of all sizes provided at the photo shoot.
Free Wonder Woman swag for all participants!
Web site: web.mit.edu/wgs/
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Sponsor(s): Women's and Gender Studies
For more information, contact:
The Friendly WGS Staff
617-253-8844
wgs at mit.edu
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WONDER WOMEN! The Untold Story of American Superheroines
Tuesday, September 03, 2013
7:00p–8:30p
MIT, Building 6-120, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: WGS Professor A. Walsh will lead a Q & A after the film
A film by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan
WONDER WOMEN! THE UNTOLD STORY OF AMERICAN SUPERHEROINES traces the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the blockbusters of today, WONDER WOMEN! looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society's anxieties about women's liberation.
WONDER WOMEN! goes behind the scenes with Lynda Carter, Lindsay Wagner, comic writers and artists, and real-life superheroines such as Gloria Steinem, Kathleen Hanna and others, who offer an enlightening and entertaining counterpoint to the male-dominated superhero genre.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Women's and Gender Studies, Student Activities Office
For more information, contact:
The Friendly WGS Staff
617-253-8844
wgs at mit.edu
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The Social Brain: New Opportunities for Discovery & Technology Development
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM (EDT)
MIT, Building 46-3002, Singleton Auditorium, 43 Vassar Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://scsbworkshop2013.eventbrite.com
The Simons Center for the Social Brain will host a workshop on September 4, 2013 to share ideas and foster discussion around current research and funding opportunities in understanding the social brain and its disorders, including autism.
Speakers:
Mriganka Sur, PhD, Newton Professor of Neuroscience; Director, Simons Center for the Social Brain, MIT
Leonard Rappaport, MD, Chief, Division of Developmental Medicine; Director, Developmental Medicine Center, Boston Children's Hospital; Mary Deming Scott Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Evelina Fedorenko, PhD, Research Scientist, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT
Isaac Kohane, MD, PhD, Lawrence J. Henderson Professor of Pediatrics and Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Medical School
Jorg Scholvin, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Synthetic Neurobiology Group, MIT
Panel Discussion on Technologies for Understanding the Brain:
Alan Jasanoff, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Engineering; Associate Member, McGovern Institute for Brain Research; Director, Center for Neurobiological Engineering, MIT
Guoping Feng, PhD, Poitras Professor of Neuroscience, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Investigator, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT
Edward Boyden, PhD, Benesse Career Development Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, MIT
Reception:
The panel discussion will be followed by a reception from 6:00-7:00pm in the Atrium outside of Singleton Auditorium.
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Rally to Make MA the First State to Divest from Fossil Fuels!
Tuesday, September 10th
9:30am
State House, 24 Beacon Street, Boston
What's better than a huge divestment rally? A huge divestment rally in front of the State House for a bill that has a real chance of making Massachusetts the first state to divest from fossil fuels!
RSVP on Facebook NOW and invite your friends: https://www.facebook.com/events/221918627960411/
WHAT: Rally and Hearing for MA State Divestment bill S. 1225!
Senate bill S. 1225, from State Senator Downing, has its first hearing in the Joint Committee for Public Service on Tuesday, September 10th. We're gathering at 9:30am for musical performances, chants, and inspiring speakers. Make sure to bring banners and wear clothing proclaiming: "As a member of my community, school, union, or faith group, I want MA to divest from fossil fuels and take bold action on climate!"
We've seen what happens when Massachusetts boldly leads: what was thought politically impossible can quickly becomes a reality across the country. That's what we need to do again and even quicker. This bill needs to pass quickly through two committees and the Senate, to have a chance of passing in the House and becoming law during this legislative session.
And to pass quickly we need to make sure legislators see this is a bill, and a climate movement, with broad, passionate public support.
P.S. If you haven't already signed the Go Fossil Free petition to make Massachusetts the first state to divest from fossil fuels please sign now and share with friends: we're already almost to 2,000 signatures. So help push us over the edge!http://campaigns.gofossilfree.org/petitions/divest-the-state-of-massachusetts-pension-funds/
Event Contact Info
Darcy DuMont
Email: dumont140 at yahoo.com
Phone: 413 210 2201
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/221918627960411/
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Socializing for Justice Seventh Anniversary Party
Spetember 12
6-9pm
903 Boylston St, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/sojust-tm/events/129823642/
Sliding scale from $5 to $20 cash at the door
On September 12th from 6-9PM, Socializing for Justice will be hosting it's largest event of the year, Connecting for Justice (@SoJust Open House), at Lir on Boylston. This event draws 120+ progressives of all stripes and is a great way to get connected to SoJust's cross-issue progressive community. This is a welcoming space where all attendees, diverse by age, race, gender, sexual orientation, newness to Boston, and experience with activism, come together to ?put the SOCIAL back in social justice!?
Newcomers and longtime members will celebrate the remarkable success of this member-driven, volunteer-run grassroots group. Since 2006, SoJust has grown to 2300 members and hosted over 160 events.
Contact www.SoJust.org
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Discussion on Rooftop Farming!
Thursday, September 12
6:30 pm- 8:00 pm
BNAN Offices, 62 Summer Street, Downtown Boston
(Accessible by T on the Orange, Green, and Red line)
The Rooftop Farming Panel will bring together pioneers of rooftop farming in Boston to discuss refreshing, new ways of growing food in the city. Using a wide variety of innovative practices, the five panelists will offer insight on how to begin, sustain, and grow through rooftop farming. Come out to ask questions and learn about rooftop farming in Boston!
Special guests include:
Mark Winterer- Recover Green Roofs
Jason Price- Green City Growers
Courtney Hennessey- Higher Ground Farms
John Stoddard- Higher Ground Farms
Sandra Fairbank- Fairbank Design
Casey Townsend (moderator)- BNAN
The event is FREE and open to all! To register, please contact Dana at
dana at bostonnatural.org
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Live Webcast: Why We Overeat: The Toxic Food Environment and Obesity
WHEN Fri., Sep. 13, 2013, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE www.forumhsph.org
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Health Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health
SPEAKER(S) Walter Willett, chair, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health; Dariush Mozaffarian, associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School; David Kessler, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco
CONTACT INFO theforum at hsph.harvard.edu
NOTE E-mail questions for the expert participants any time before or during the live webcast totheforum at hsph.harvard.edu.
LINK www.forumhsph.org
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Fifty Years Bread and Puppet: Cheap Art and Political Theater
A Symposium with Performance
Saturday, September 14, 2013
RSVP at https://commerce.cashnet.com/cashnetc/selfserve/EditItem.aspx?PC=ASSC-TH1&ItemCount=1
Boston College Theatre Department presents a day-long celebration of the Bread and Puppet Theater and their five decades of changing the world one puppet and one performance at a time.
Events include panel discussions, scholarly presentations, archival film screening, a Bread and Puppet performance of The 50 Years Cabaret, and a fiddle lecture
and public interview with founder Peter Schumann.
Registration for this special event is required. Only those who register are guaranteed a seat for the evening performance of The 50 Years Cabaret.
Editorial Comment: $25 is indeed cheap for such an opportunity.
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Askwith Forum: The Civil Rights Movement for a New Generation and Sneak Preview of Walden Media film, The Watsons Go to Birmingham
WHEN Mon., Sep. 16, 2013, 5 – 8 p.m.
WHERE 13 Appian Way, Cambridge
TYPE OF EVENT Film, Forum
BUILDING/ROOM Askwith Hall
CONTACT NAME Amber DiNatale
CONTACT EMAIL askwith_forums at gse.harvard.edu
CONTACT PHONE 617-384-9968
SPONSORING ORGANIZATION/DEPARTMENT Harvard Graduate School of Education
REGISTRATION REQUIRED No
ADMISSION FEE This event is free and open to the public.
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Film, Special Events
NOTE Moderator: Joe Blatt, senior lecturer, HGSE
Discussants: Tomiko Brown-Nagin, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School; Professor of History, Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Tonya Lewis Lee, children’s book author and screenwriter; co-producer, film:The Watsons Go to Birmingham
Robert L. Selman, Roy E. Larsen Professor of Education and Human Development, HGSE
Randy Testa, Ed.M.’79, Ed.D.’90, vice president, Education and Professional Development, Walden Media, LLC
Fifty years ago, the March on Washington and the church bombing in Birmingham launched the modern civil rights movement. How can we bring this history alive for today’s students? Our panel will tackle this challenge, bookending a sneak preview of The Watsons Go to Birmingham, a film based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Paul Curtis. The film, created by Tonya Lewis Lee and Nikki Silver, and directed by Kenny Leon, is set in 1963 and is told through the eyes of a rebellious 12 year-old. Kenny’s family – his parents, nerdy younger brother, and angelic little sister – leave Flint, Michigan, to visit their grandmother in Birmingham, Alabama. It’s a road trip that will change their lives forever – in a year that helped to change a nation.
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HACKFit Boston
Sept 20-22
Spots are limited, register at http://hackfitboston2013.eventbrite.com/.
Love activity tracking and interested in working on startup concepts relating to the Withings Pulse, BodyMedia FIT, or RunKeeper app? Interested in connecting with hundreds of fun startup enthusiasts with a passion for fitness, sport, and activity? Looking for an action-packed weekend combining startup challenges with climbing, crossfit, and yoga?
Get ready for the first EVER startup-event with activity challenges, exercise classes, and expert mentorship from angels, VCs, and serial entrepreneurs. Register NOW for HACKFit Boston on Sept 20-22nd, and become a Legendary Startup Warrior.
Learn more at www.hack-fit.com.
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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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Energy Upgrade Work Party
Roxbury Presbyterian
Saturday, September 21st
9:00am-1:30pm
328 Warren St.
Roxbury
Roxbury Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church. The gorgeous Gothic church building was constructed in 1891 by John C. Spofford and William Swanson. The warm and caring congregation is led by the well-known Rev. Liz Walker. This event's tasks will include installing efficient light bulbs and water aerators, weatherizing doors, windows and attic hatches, repainting mortar and fixing computer system preferences. This is a rescheduled event.
Please sign up here: (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGVSZURVV0MtU1E2cHhkTmxVMmtFb2c6MA#gid=0).
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FUTURE ENERGY - INVESTOR FEEDBACK FORUM
Wednesday, September 25
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Microsoft New England R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at http://futureenergyboston.eventbrite.com
Future Energy, an Ultra Light Startups brand sponsored by Shell GameChanger, is a series of events that connects entrepreneurs, researchers, and private investors in the energy and clean-tech industries to develop and commercialize radical solutions to the world’s energy challenges.
At each Future Energy event, 8 startups present to a panel of energy and cleantech venture capital investors for feedback, advice, and networking. The audience votes on the best presenters who win prizes and media attention to help launch their business.
Audience: Entrepreneurs, Investors, Media. Service Providers, Open to all
Twitter: @crisdeluca #ulsboston
Applications to pitch can be submitted at http://ultralightstartups.com/future-energy/application-form/
Register using the promocode MSNERD for 50% off registration ticket
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Energy Upgrade Work Party
Second Church of the Nazarene, Dorchester
Saturday, September 28th
9:00am-1:30pm
44 Moultrie St
Dorchester
A stop on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War, Second Nazarene Church in Dorchester needs an energy upgrade. Join HEET and Co-op Power to help the church reduce energy bills and energy use. The church has a dirt-floor basement that is exhaling a lot of cold air and moisture into the building. Learn how to install a vapor barrier in the basement inexpensively and easily. A variety of other work will also be taught.
Sign up here: (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFUteWN0Q1BEVHluZnRJb0RrSE5wM1E6MA#gid=0)
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Energy Upgrade Work Party
Emmanuel Church of Boston
October 13th - Time TBA, around 1pm-5pm
15 Newbury Street
Boston
Emmanuel Church of Boston has the most beautiful Sanctuary and chapel we've ever been in. As an additional plus, the artist who builds the Bread and Puppets' puppets has a studio in the basement. A truly amazing place to be. We'll teach you how to install pipe insulation, and how to save energy in many other ways.
Sign up here: (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEdrVnFLeW1neWtxVjNMSVl6WE1DOVE6MA#gid=0)
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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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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/
More information about the Act-MA
mailing list