[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - December 18, 2016

[gmoke]

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
What I Do and Why I Do It:  The Story of Energy (and Other) Events
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html

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Index - Full event information follows the Index and notices of my latest writings.  Keep scrolling, please.
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Monday, December 19 – Tuesday, December 20
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MA Electoral College Public Proceedings -It's Your Right to Join
December 19 at 9 AM to December 20 at 12 PM

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Monday, December 19
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12pm  Webinar on President-Elect Trump’s Health Policy Agenda:: Priorities, Strategies, and Predictions

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Tuesday, December 20
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8:30am  Student Clean Energy Seminar
1pm  Virtual Meetup: Staying Safe - Overview of FREE Encryption Tools
7pm  How Parents Talk About (& Don’t Talk About) Class Privilege

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Wednesday, December 21
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7:30am  December Boston Sustainability Breakfast
6pm  Deep Learning tutorial

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My rough notes on some of the events I go to and notes on books I’ve read are at:
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com

City Agriculture - December 15, 2016
http://cityag.blogspot.com/2016/12/city-agriculture-december-15-2016.html

Into That Darkness:  From Mercy Killing to Mass Murder
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2016/12/into-that-darkness-from-mercy-killing.html

Thinking, Fast and Slow
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2016/12/thinking-fast-and-slow.html

Tribe
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2016/12/tribes.html

Notes on Frank Norris’ Octopus
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2016/12/notes-on-frank-norris-octopus.html

Thinking, Fast and Slow
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2016/12/thinking-fast-and-slow.html

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Monday, December 19 – Tuesday, December 20
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MA Electoral College Public Proceedings -It's Your Right to Join
December 19 at 9 AM to December 20 at 12 PM
Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon Street, Boston

You're invited! Join the Hamilton Electors for the public Electoral College proceedings in Massachsetts on December 19, 2016.

The Founding Fathers intended the Electoral College to stop an unfit man from becoming President. The Constitution they crafted gives us this tool. Conscience demands that we use it this year. 

Together, we can stop Donald Trump when the Electoral College votes on December 19th. Electors across the country are pledging to put America first by voting for a responsible alternative who can unify our country and we can all call our President.

These brave Electors need our support. So we need you join us at your State House on the day that the Electoral College meets.

PS. If you have any questions, email the volunteer cordinator at jadams at hamiltonelectors.com. Thanks!

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Monday, December 19
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Webinar on President-Elect Trump’s Health Policy Agenda:: Priorities, Strategies, and Predictions
WHEN  Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, 12 p.m.
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School.
DETAILS  Please join the Petrie-Flom Center for a live webinar to address what health care reform may look like under the new administration. Expert panelists will address the future of the Affordable Care Act under a "repeal and replace" strategy, alternative approaches to insurance coverage and access to care, the problem of high drug prices, innovation policy, support for scientific research, and other topics. The panel will discuss opportunities and obstacles relevant to President-elect Trump’s proposals, as well as hopes and concerns for health policy over the next four years. Webinar participants will have the opportunity to submit questions to the panelists for discussion.
Log on to join the webinar here: http://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/events/details/president-elect-trumps-health-policy-agenda
LINK	http://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/events/details/president-elect-trumps-health-policy-agenda

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Tuesday, December 20
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Student Clean Energy Seminar
Friday, December 2
8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
BU, Questrom School of Business, 595 Commonwealth Avenue, Hariri Building, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/student-clean-energy-seminar-tickets-28893114082

A free event for Massachusetts students to hear from clean energy industry experts and learn about paid internships.
Morning sessions:
Attend panel discussions and learn about career paths.
Solar PV
The solar industry is booming in Massachusetts. Learn how to plug into a new career.
Water innovation
Learn about the cleantech future of water innovation and gain entry points into a career in this sector.
Energy storage
Discuss the importance of this emerging technology and the opportunities in this sector.
Afternoon Internship Fair:
Connect with 20 Massachusetts clean energy employers to get a paid spring or summer 2017 internship!

Agenda:
8:30 am  Registration              
9:00 am  Welcome and Opening Session 
9:30 am  Panel Session 1 (students choose one)
10:30 am  Break  
10:45 am  Panel Session 2 (sessions repeated, students choose one) 
11:45 pm  Break
12:00 pm  Lunch
1:30 pm   Internship Fair

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Virtual Meetup: Staying Safe - Overview of FREE Encryption Tools
Tuesday, December 20
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
webinar at https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/event/cjfhrydio4rhi9bpgih1coop154?hl=en

We will take a look at the FREE tools that you can use to maintain your privacy online, and discuss which ones are best for your needs.

Security and privacy - what does it mean to you in your everyday life? It used to be hard to use the tools that safeguard your identity and your information online. You had to be a pretty technical person - the good news is that it has gotten easier to be secure in your online persona.

These are some of the tools we will look at:
1. Off-the-Record (OTR) Messaging allows you to have private conversations over instant messaging.  
2. Email Encryption using Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is a data encryption and decryption computer program that provides cryptographic privacy and authentication for data communication. There is also the GnuPG system here: https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/en  
3. Tails is a live operating system, that you can start on almost any computer from a DVD, USB stick, or SD card. It aims at preserving your privacy and anonymity.

There are also some great apps for secure texting and secure phones that provide end-to-end encryption for your calls, securing your conversations so that nobody can listen in. There is no way to be bulletproof, but knowing about the options available can provide a measure of security. It is ultimately up to you to decide how much security you want.

Link to hangout: https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/event/cjfhrydio4rhi9bpgih1coop154?hl=en 

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How Parents Talk About (& Don’t Talk About) Class Privilege
Tuesday, December 20
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EST
Le Laboratorie Cambridge, 650 East Kendall Street, Cambridge

Luba Falk Feigenberg, EdD, Research Director, Making Caring Common
Luba Falk Feigenberg, EdD, is a developmental psychologist whose work focuses on children’s social, emotional, and ethical development. Currently, she serves as the Research Director at Making Caring Common, a project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education focused on helping parents and educators raise caring, ethical kids. Dr. Feigenberg has experience in a range of non-profit and educational settings, including schools, early childhood education, after school programs, the juvenile justice system, and community mental health. In this talk, Dr. Feigenberg will discuss findings from a study on how parents talk with their children about income inequality, differences in family income, and class privilege. She'll pay particular attention to the places where parents feel challenged in these conversations.

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Wednesday, December 21
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December Boston Sustainability Breakfast
Wednesday, December 21
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM EST
Pret A Manger, 101 Arch Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/december-boston-sustainability-breakfast-tickets-29626511694

Join us for the last 2016 Sustainability Breakfast - Net Impact Boston's informal breakfast meetup of 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! Feel free to drop by any time between 7:30 and 8:30 am.

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Deep Learning tutorial
Wednesday, December 21
6:00 PM
Anchor room, 121, 50 Milk Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.meetup.com/QuantUniversity-Meetup/events/236255754/

Interest in Deep Learning has been growing in the past few years. With advances in software and hardware technologies, Neural Networks are making a resurgence. With interest in AI based applications growing, and companies like IBM, Google, Microsoft, NVidia investing heavily in computing and software applications, it is time to understand Deep Learning better!

In this lecture, we will discuss the basics of Neural Networks and discuss how Deep Learning Neural networks are different from conventional Neural Network architectures. We will review a bit of mathematics that goes into building neural networks and understand the role of GPUs in Deep Learning. We will also get an introduction to Autoencoders, Convolutional Neural Networks, Recurrent Neural Networks and understand the state-of-the-art in hardware and software architectures. Functional Demos will be presented in Keras, a popular Python package with a backend in Theano. This will be a preview of the QuantUniversity Deep Learning Workshop that will be offered in 2017.

Agenda:
 Refreshments and Networking
Deep Learning 101 : Tutorial and Demo

With the Holiday season around, we will have some holiday treats! Hope to see you there!

Attendance to this lecture is FREE! 

In the spirit of the holiday season, donations are accepted. Any amount collected by the QuantUniversity meetup using Meetup Chip in this year shall be donated to Pine Street Inn, a homeless shelter in Boston. You could also donate directly to Pine Street Inn if you choose to do so. 

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Upcoming Events
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2017
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Sunday, January 1
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AIAS Forum 2016:  Revolution Reception at the Boston Architectural College
Sunday, January 1
7:30-9:30pm
Boston Architectural College, 320 Newbury Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aias-forum-2016-revolution-reception-tickets-29283262025

Hosted by BAC's Karen Nelson, Dean of Architecture, and Richard Griswold, Associate Vice President + Dean of Students

Stop by for drinks and bites
Listen to music provided by Berklee College of Music students
Explore Knoll's Working Now exhibit to discover the latest office environments
Mingle with the BAC community

21+? Bring your ID!

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Tuesday, January 3
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ProfDev: Art of the Schmooze
Tuesday, January 3
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
The NonProfit Center, 89 South Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.meetup.com/sojust-tm/events/236051651/
Price: $15.76 /per person

Are you ready to stop wasting time networking? 

Join Socializing for Justice for a  fast-paced, fun & interactive ProfDev (professional development training) on the Art of the Schmooze on Tuesday, January 3, 6:00 - 8:30 PM.  

Fee: $15 advance/$30 door is split with the trainer. 
Limited space - register ahead of time  
Credit cards accepted online and at the door. 
Newcomers always welcomed!

Art of the Schmooze 
Forming and cultivating relationships is at the heart of any successful fundraising campaign, volunteer drive, committee effort or community building activity. This training will give you the confidence to pursue your personal and professional goals - from the importance of shaking hands and making eye contact, to tips on the best opening line and how to exit a conversation gracefully. An amazing side benefit is that you'll learn how to create a welcoming community space by keeping an eye out for outliers, considering yourself a host instead of a guest and knowing how to compliment someone without "othering" them.

ABOUT OUR PRESENTER  
Robbie Samuels has been recognized as a networking expert by Inc. and Lifehacker, and profiled in Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following Around It. Since 2009, his engaging and fun presentations have helped a wide array of audiences increase their confidence when it comes to building their professional network and strong, welcoming communities. 

Learn more about his work and get connected at www.RobbieSamuels.com. 

He is the host of On the Schmooze, his podcast about leadership, career challenges, work/life balance, and building a professional network - www.OntheSchmooze.com. 

In 2006, he founded Socializing for Justice (SoJust.org) to build a cross-cultural, cross-issue progressive community and network in Boston based on the philosophies of abundance and radical inclusion. 

SCHEDULE 
6:00-6:30 Socializing -  bring your own dinner 
6:30-8:30 Training and Q&A

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Thursday, January 5
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If Our Bodies Could Talk:  A Guide to Operating and Maintaining a Human Body
Thursday, January 5
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store welcomes senior editor at The Atlantic JAMES HAMBLIN for a discussion of his book, If Our Bodies Could Talk: A Guide to Operating and Maintaining a Human Body.

About If Our Bodies Could Talk
In 2014, James Hamblin launched a series of videos for The Atlantic called "If Our Bodies Could Talk."  With it, the doctor-turned-journalist established himself as a seriously entertaining authority in the field of health. Now, in illuminating and genuinely funny prose, Hamblin explores the human stories behind health questions that never seem to go away—and which tend to be mischaracterized and oversimplified by marketing and news media.  He covers topics such as sleep, aging, diet, and much more: 
 
Can I “boost” my immune system?
Does caffeine make me live longer?
Do we still not know if cell phones cause cancer?
How much sleep do I actually need?
Is there any harm in taking a multivitamin?
Is life long enough?
 
In considering these questions, Hamblin draws from his own medical training as well from hundreds of interviews with distinguished scientists and medical practitioners.  He translates the (traditionally boring) textbook of human anatomy and physiology into accessible, engaging, socially contextualized, up-to-the-moment answers. They offer clarity, examine the limits of our certainty, and ultimately help readers worry less about things that don’t really matter.

If Our Bodies Could Talk is a comprehensive, illustrated guide that entertains and educates in equal doses.

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Friday, January 6
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Assassin of Youth:  A Kaleidoscopic History of Harry J. Anslinger’s War on Drugs
Friday, January 6
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store welcomes author ALEXANDRA CHASIN, associate professor of literary studies at the New School, for a discussion of her latest book, Assassin of Youth: A Kaleidoscopic History of Harry J. Anslinger’s War on Drugs.
About Assassin of Youth

Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics from its establishment in 1930 until his retirement in 1962, Harry J. Anslinger is the United States’ little known first drug czar. Anslinger was a profligate propagandist with a flair for demonizing racial and immigrant groups and perhaps best known for his zealous pursuit of harsh drug penalties and his particular animus for marijuana users. But what made Anslinger who he was, and what cultural trends did he amplify and institutionalize? Having just passed the hundredth anniversary of the Harrison Act—which consolidated prohibitionist drug policy and led to the carceral state we have today—and even as public doubts about the drug war continue to grow, now is the perfect time to evaluate Anslinger’s social, cultural, and political legacy.

In Assassin of Youth, Alexandra Chasin gives us a lyrical, digressive, funny, and ultimately riveting quasi-biography of Anslinger. Her treatment of the man, his times, and the world that arose around and through him is part cultural history, part kaleidoscopic meditation. Each of the short chapters is anchored in a historical document—the court decision in Webb v. US(1925), a 1935 map of East Harlem, FBN training materials from the 1950s, a personal letter from the Treasury Department in 1985—each of which opens onto Anslinger and his context. From the Pharmacopeia of 1820 to death of Sandra Bland in 2015, from the Pennsylvania Railroad to the last passenger pigeon, and with forays into gangster lives, CIA operatives, and popular detective stories, Chasin covers impressive ground. Assassin of Youth is as riotous and loose a history of drug laws as can be imagined—and yet it culminates in an arresting and precise revision of the emergence of drug prohibition.

Today, even as marijuana is slowly being legalized, we still have not fully reckoned with the racist and xenophobic foundations of our cultural appetite for the severe punishment of drug offenders. In Assassin of Youth, Chasin shows us the deep, twisted roots of both our love and our hatred for drug prohibition.

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Saturday, January 7
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Winter Solstice Luncheon! Chip Berlet on "Trump, Populism, and Fascism"
Saturday, January 7
1:30 PM
India Pavilion, 17 Central Square, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.meetup.com/GreaterBostonHumanists/events/236222153/

One of our oldest continuous traditions at Greater Boston Humanists is putting on our Winter Solstice Luncheon, as always a way to recognize the holiday season, a new year, and the return of lengthening days in our hemisphere, with the Earth's tilt. 

We'll share a buffet lunch at our newest gathering place for such events, the India Pavilion Restaurant in Central Square Cambridge, on SATURDAY January 7 at 1:30 pm.

Our after-lunch speaker will be Chip Berlet, on "Trump, Populism, and Fascism"

"As President, Donald Trump, a classic demagogue, will continue to use right-wing populist rhetoric to build an angry mass base that includes fascist forces unleashed and empowered by his bigotry and fraudulent conspiracy theories of liberal and progressive treachery. This is a toxic and dangerous reality that threatens democracy itself. We need to unpack these concepts to craft a practical toolset for resistance."

Berlet, co-author with Matthew N. Lyons of Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort, has written for the Progressive, The New York Times, and the Boston Globe. His scholarly studies have been published in book chapters & journal articles in four languages. 

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Sunday, January 8
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The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health
WHEN  Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, 2 – 3 p.m.
WHERE  Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Environmental Sciences, Health Sciences, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
SPEAKER(S)  David R. Montgomery, Ph.D., University of Washington, Earth and Space Sciences, and Ann Bikle, M.L.A., Biologist and Environmental Planner
COST  $10 general; Free Arboretum member and student
TICKET WEB LINK  https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1571&DayPlannerDate=1/8/2017
TICKET INFO  617-384-5277
DETAILS	  From garden to gut, David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé will present a new view of the tiniest creatures on Earth and how it is changing the way we see nature and ourselves. Through the twists and turns of history, science, and personal experience, they’ll reveal our tangled relationship with the microbial world, including the stunning similarities between what’s going on around the roots of plants and deep within the human gut.
LINK  https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1571&DayPlannerDate=1/8/2017

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Monday, January 9
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23/7:  Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement
Monday, January 9
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store welcomes former Human Rights Watch associate KERAMET REITER—assistant professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine—for a discussion of her book, 23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement.

About 23/7
Originally meant to be brief and exceptional, solitary confinement in U.S. prisons has become long-term and common. Prisoners spend twenty-three hours a day in featureless cells, with no visitors or human contact for years on end, and they are held entirely at administrators’ discretion. Keramet Reiter tells the history of one “supermax,” California’s Pelican Bay State Prison, whose extreme conditions recently sparked a statewide hunger strike by 30,000 prisoners. This book describes how Pelican Bay was created without legislative oversight, in fearful response to 1970s radicals; how easily prisoners slip into solitary; and the mental havoc and social costs of years and decades in isolation. The product of fifteen years of research in and about prisons, this book provides essential background to a subject now drawing national attention.


NATASHA LAMB: PUSHING THE ENVELOPE OF SHAREHOLDER ACTIVISM
Tuesday, January 10
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (EST)
Cambridge Innovation Center - Venture Cafe, 1 Broadway, 5th Foor, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/natasha-lamb-pushing-the-envelope-of-shareholder-activism-tickets-30206656924
Cost:  $8 - $12

BASG returns from its winter break on January 10th with a guest speaker and topic sure to ignite your 2017 and to appeal to your activist side. If you haven't yet heard of or read about Natasha Lamb, Managing Partner of Arjuna Capital, in the many media segments covering her progressive work, now is your chance to hear it from her directly. Natasha will present to BASG on the evolution of shareholder activism highlighting key efforts such as her shareholder campaign for gender pay equity and her 2014 landmark negotiation with Exxon Mobil that led to the company’s first public report on global warming and carbon asset risk.

About Our Speaker
Natasha Lamb, Managing Partner, Arjuna Capital
Natasha integrates Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors into Arjuna’s investment process while engaging major corporations to improve their performance through shareholder advocacy. Previously, Natasha was Vice President, Shareholder Advocacy and Corporate Engagement, and an Equity Analyst at Trillium Asset Management. Natasha has been profiled in Forbes and the Boston Globe, while her work has been featured in Rolling Stone, the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, as well as on NPR and CNN. In 2016, Natasha received the Upstart Business Journal Upstart 100 Award and the Aiming High Award from Legal Momentum for pioneering a shareholder campaign on gender pay equity. Her 2014 landmark negotiation with Exxon Mobil led to the company’s first public report on global warming and carbon asset risk. Natasha is a trustee of The Food Project and Chairman of the Crane Institute of Sustainability, host to the Intentionally Designed Endowments Network. She teaches sustainable investing at Pinchot University and holds an M.B.A in Sustainable Business from Pinchot. Natasha received her B.A. cum laude from Mount Holyoke College.

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Tuesday, January 10 - Friday, January 13
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ComputeFest 2017 //Computational & Data Science Workshops
WHEN  Tuesday - Friday, Jan. 10 -13, 2017
WHERE  Harvard, Northwest Building B1 Level, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Classes/Workshops, Information Technology, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	The Institute for Applied Computational Science (IACS) at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
COST  Free and open to the public.
TICKET INFO  Registration required.
CONTACT INFO  iacs-info at seas.harvard.edu
DETAILS	  ComputeFest is an annual two week program of knowledge- and skill-building activities in computational and data science. This year's workshop topics include Tableau/Data Viz, MATLAB, Deep Learning, R, SQL, and Python (data science track).
LINK  http://computefest.seas.harvard.edu/workshops

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Opportunity
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Discounted Solar for Somerville

As part of the State’s Solarize Mass program, local volunteers and the City of Somerville recently launched the Solarize Somerville campaign to make it easier and cheaper for residents and small businesses to install solar panels.

The program, which is offering information and guidance, free site consultations, and solar panel discounts through November, has set an ambitious goal to inspire at least 200 property owners to sign up for solar —and each of those private solar installations will also benefit the community directly. For every 400 kW in signed private contracts through the program, the program’s solar vendor SolarFlair will donate a system of up to 5 kW for a public or community purpose. All are invited to the program kickoff at a Meet the Installer event on Tuesday, July 26 at 6-7:30 p.m., 167 Holland St. Additional events on topics such as solar basics, financing, and solar for multifamily homes will be announced.

Unique to the program is its neighbor-to-neighbor approach: trained resident volunteers and a designated volunteer Solar Coach are available essentially as mentors. They can, for example, walk anyone through the process, provide general loan program and tax incentive information, and share their own solar experiences. The campaign’s webpage and blog offers useful information, tips, and a link to websites where you can estimate the solar potential of your home and roughly calculate how much solar could save you on your energy bills at www.somervillema.gov/sustainaville/solarize.

Somerville is one of the most urban communities ever to participate in Solarize Mass, which makes the neighbor-to-neighbor approach especially helpful due to some of the unique challenges here such as multi-family houses with more than one owner. Winter Hill resident Mary Mangan, the program’s volunteer Solar Coach, went through that process and is ready to share helpful tips.

"I'm excited to work with our eager volunteers to help our neighbors understand the benefits of solar power. As a co-owner of a two-family home with solar, I can also offer some insights about how that process went for us," said Mangan.

Also key to the program is the selection of a designated vendor, which allows the program to offer reduced cost installation through bulk purchasing. Through a competitive process, SolarFlair, based in Ashland, MA, was selected. They were also the selected installer for the communities of Arlington, Hopkinton, Mendon, Brookline, Carlisle-Chelmsford, Newton, and Quincy.

"We're excited to be the selected installer for Solarize Somerville, and look forward to speaking with any home or business owners that are interested in reducing their electric bills while also making a great investment," said Matt Arner, the owner and President of SolarFlair.

Quick facts:
Solar systems can be purchased outright (with a payback of about 4-5 years). The Mass Solar Loan program offers rates of 3.25% or less. 
Or, for no money down owners can choose a power purchase agreement (PPA), where the system is owned and maintained by a third party, and residents buy back the electricity at a discounted price.   
More on-site renewable energy is critical to reducing carbon emissions.  It also saves money for residents.

Tax incentives for solar installations include:
Federal Tax Credit: A 30 percent federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is available for qualified residential and commercial projects
Massachusetts Personal Income Tax Credit: The lesser of 15% of the total cost of the solar electric system or $1,000, for qualified clean energy projects
Five-year Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS): Business owners can depreciate solar electric systems over a five-year schedule

For more information or to sign up for a free site consultation:

Visit the Solarize Somerville webpage at www.somervillema.gov/sustainaville/solarize for
Helpful information and FAQs
To contact a volunteer or Solar Coach Mary Mangan to discuss solar options and incentives
To set up an appointment for a free site consultation directly with SolarFlair
To find out about events
To volunteer for Solarize Somerville

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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

Solar map of Cambridge, MA
http://www.mapdwell.com/en/cambridge

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Hey Cambridge residents!

Did you know the City of Cambridge is trying to win the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize? It was created to develop a cleaner and more efficient energy future. Energy efficiency and conservation are the best ways to save energy and minimize environmental impact. In that effort, Cambridge is hoping all residents will get a no-cost energy assessment in order to make their homes more efficient and comfortable. Let us know you're interested here: http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/sign-up-for-an-assessment

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

Again, let us know you're interested here: http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/sign-up-for-an-assessment and someone will be in contact with you shortly to give you personally tailored contact information on how you can get your no-cost home energy assessment. Renters are also eligible!

Any action to save energy in the home will help Cambridge win this competition while protecting the environment. For additional ideas on how to save energy, please see the Cambridge Energy Alliance website at http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/resources/interactivehome

Please share with your Cambridge friends and family and ask them to get a free energy assessment!

Want to be more involved? Become a neighborhood Block Captain! Block Captains help their community members sign up for and complete no-cost home energy assessments through the MassSave program. Our team will give you the tools and guidance needed to recruit neighbors to get an assessment and improve the efficiency of their homes. Participation is welcome at whatever level you are able to commit to.
If you are interested in becoming a Block Captain, please fill out the form at http://tinyurl.com/blockcaptainsurvey and someone from the Cambridge Energy Alliance will be in contact with you shortly. If you know someone who might be interested, please let them know about this opportunity!

Questions? Contact jnahigian at cambridgema.gov

Cambridge Energy Alliance
http://www.cambridgeenergyalliance.org/winit
@cambenergy 
http://facebook.com/cambridgeenergyalliance

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Sunny Cambridge has just launched! Sunny Cambridge is the city-wide initiative that makes it easy for all types of residents to get solar power for their homes. Cambridge has lined up local solar installers through the EnergySage Solar Marketplace, which helps you request, receive, and compare solar quotes 100% online with support available every step of the way.

The City of Cambridge is working on many levels to reduce energy use and GHG emissions to make the city more sustainable. As a semifinalist in the nationwide competition for the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize, Cambridge Energy Alliance is encouraging residents to take actions to save energy, save money, and protect the environment. Get involved by signing up for a no-cost home energy assessment at the Cambridge Energy Alliance home page (www.cambridgeenergyalliance.org/winit)
and going solar at http://www.sunnycambridge.org 

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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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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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The Boston Network for International Development (BNID) maintains a website (BNID.org) that serves as a clearing-house for information on organizations, events, and jobs related to international development in the Boston area. BNID has played an important auxiliary role in fostering international development activities in the Boston area, as witnessed by the expanding content of the site and a significant growth in the number of users.
The website contains:
A calendar of Boston area events and volunteer opportunities related to International Development - http://www.bnid.org/events
A jobs board that includes both internships and full time positions related to International Development that is updated daily - http://www.bnid.org/jobs
A directory and descriptions of more than 250 Boston-area organizations - http://www.bnid.org/organizations
Also, please sign up for our weekly newsletter (we promise only one email per week) to get the most up-to-date information on new job and internship opportunities -www.bnid.org/sign-up
The website is completely free for students and our goal is to help connect students who are interested in international development with many of the worthwhile organizations in the area.
Please feel free to email our organization at info at bnid.org if you have any questions!

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Boston Maker Spaces - 27 and counting:  https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zGHnt9r2pQx8.kfw9evrHsKjA&hl=en
BASEN / Boston Solidarity Network Economy:  http://ba-sen.tumblr.com
Bostonsmart.com's Guide to Boston:  http://www.bostonsmarts.com/BostonGuide/

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Links to events at over 50 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
MIT Events:  http://events.mit.edu
MIT Energy Club:  http://mitenergyclub.org/calendar
Harvard Events:  http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/
Harvard Environment:  http://www.environment.harvard.edu/events/calendar/
Sustainability at Harvard:  http://green.harvard.edu/events
Mass Climate Action:  http://www.massclimateaction.net/calendar
Meetup:  http://www.meetup.com/
Eventbrite:  http://www.eventbrite.com/
Microsoft NERD Center:  http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/
Startup and Entrepreneurial Events:  http://www.greenhornconnect.com/events/
Cambridge Civic Journal:  http://www.rwinters.com
Cambridge Happenings:   http://cambridgehappenings.org
Cambridge Community Calendar:  https://www.cctvcambridge.org/calendar

If you have an event you would like to see here, the submission deadline is 12 PM on Sundays, as Energy (and Other) Events is sent out Sunday afternoons.