[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - July 16, 2017
gmoke
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Jul 16 09:37:27 PDT 2017
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) EventsGeo
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html
----------------------------------------------------------
*******************************************
Details of these events are available when you scroll past the index
*******
———
Index
———
******
————————
Monday, July 17
————————
12:30pm A Crash Course in Data Encryption: Concepts, Techniques, Limitations, and Unrealized Potential
—————————
Tuesday, July 18
—————————
6:30pm INTRO TO THE BOSTON STARTUP COMMUNITY
7pm Thoreau and the Language of Trees
7pm National Bird , a film about the secret US drone assassination program
——————————
Wednesday, July 19
——————————
7:30am Boston Sustainability Breakfast
11am Imaging in science and medicine: Trends, techniques, applications, components
6pm Envision Cambridge Climate & Environment Working Group
6pm Pre-malignancies and the prevention of cancer
6pm Independents Party
—————————
Thursday, July 20
—————————
8:30am USING EYE-TRACKING AND HEAT-MAPS TO MAKE BETTER BUILDINGS
1:30pm Individualized Critical Care: Applied Precision Medicine
4pm Fungi are microbes too!
6pm INNOVATION IN AGING – COLLABORATING TO REINVENT AGING IN JAPAN, U.S. AND THE WORLD
6pm Climate Ready Charlestown Open House
6pm Local Emerging Market Series: Energy Storage
6:30pm TECH AND MUSIC
7pm The Ambulance Drivers: Hemingway, Dos Passos, and a Friendship Made and Lost in War
———————
Friday, July 21
———————
10am BREAK THE NEWS / IDEO + (DATE CHANGE)
—————————
Saturday, July 22
—————————
Women in Tech Summit
————————
Sunday, July 23
————————
1pm The Power of Play: An interactive art workshop on taking risks
————————
Monday, July 24
————————
6pm From the Ashes - film screening
7pm Why?: What Makes Us Curious
————————
Tuesday, July 25
————————
9am Boston Smart Utilities - July Whiteboarding Session
6pm BYOFruit : An Experimental Jam Sesh
----------------------------------------------------------
*******************************************
My rough notes on some of the events I go to and notes on books I’ve read are at:
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com
Opposition Research and the Republican Party
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/07/14/1680523/-Opposition-Research-and-the-Republican-Party
----------------------------------------------------------
*******************************************
————————
Monday, July 17
————————
A Crash Course in Data Encryption: Concepts, Techniques, Limitations, and Unrealized Potential
Monday, July 17
12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
BU, School of Law, Room 203, 765 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
This talk, part of an ongoing collaboration with the Hariri Institute of Computing, is aimed at a non-technological academic audience that is interested in understanding the concept of data encryption, with its many facets. Prof. Ran Canetti, the Director of the Center for Reliable Information Systems and Cyber Security (RISCS), will be covering:- The main mathematical and algorithmic concepts surrounding encryption, including confidentiality, privacy, authenticity, repudiability, verifiability, and provability- Some basic techniques, their power and limitations- Modern forms of encryption that open the door to completely new forms of protected interaction between mutually distrustful entitiesThroughout the talk Prof. Canetti will also discuss the legal and public-policy aspects of the concept and the technology.Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to Tyler Gabrielski at tgabs at bu.edu.
—————————
Tuesday, July 18
—————————
INTRO TO THE BOSTON STARTUP COMMUNITY
Tuesday, 18 July
6:30 – 8:30 pm EDT
GA Boston, 125 Summer Street 13th Floor, Boston
RSVP at https://generalassemb.ly/education/intro-to-the-boston-startup-community/boston/38879
By signing up for this event, you're giving our sponsors permission to contact you about upcoming events and promotions.
Join us for a panel discussion with Boston's top community organizers and get an exclusive inside look into the startup culture that’s rapidly growing in the city.
Why it Matters?
In Boston, new tech solutions are emerging everyday to improve our lives, spanning industries from biotech and real estate, to wellness-tech and social impact. This has opened up countless opportunities for jobs and career development in the city, but breaking in is not always easy.
What You'll Take Away?
This free event is an orientation to help newcomers to the startup scene get acquainted with the Boston ecosystem. We will give you the inside scoop on key events/ meetups to attend, people, companies, VCs, blogs, incubators, programs, hot issues, and more.
Agenda:
6:15PM–7:00PM Doors open networking and dinner
7:00PM–8:00PM Panel Discussion
8:00PM–8:20PM Q & A
8:30PM Event Wraps
About the Presenters
Jay Neely, Creator, Boston Startups Guide
Jay is a digital maker / marketer, startup founder, and community builder. Active in the Boston startup community for the past ten years, Jay has been a mentor for early-stage startups, an instructor at organizations like General Assembly & Startup Institute, and organizer of the BarCamp Boston tech conference. Currently Jay runs Boston Startups Guide, a curated guide to Boston startups - what they do, technology they use, which are hiring - and resources for them.
Dylan Martin, Tech Writer, BostInno
Dylan Martin is a Boston-based journalist currently working as tech writer for BostInno, an American City Business Journals property, where he covers early-stage startups, venture capital, large enterprises and just about everything else within the greater Boston innovation ecosystem. You might find him at an event like this on any given week.
He previously worked for Mainebiz as its online editor and The Forecaster newspapers as a municipal reporter. His work also has appeared in the Bangor Daily News, the Lewiston Sun Journal, The Free Press and Dispatch Magazine.
Dylan moved to Boston last fall to work for BostInno after growing up in Maine. He graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a Bachelor's in media studies, and he has fond memories of playing with his family's Mac Classic and using Google Reader.
Kara Cronin, US Partnerships Manager, MassChallenge
In her role as a US Partnerships Manager at MassChallenge, the most startup-friendly accelerator on the planet, Kara focuses on supporting existing relationships with MassChallenge’s sponsors and partners. Through customized interactions with partners including formal pitch days, employee engagement opportunities, participating in innovation roundtables, Kara’s goal is to connect Fortune 500 companies to the most promising early-stage ventures in a meaningful way for both parties.
Kara graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Management Consulting and Economics. While a student, she co-founded ProMazo, a company that enables students to work virtually during the academic semester for partner companies ranging from Fidelity Investments to startups. Outside of her involvement in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, Kara volunteers with and fundraises for nonprofit organizations that support adults and children with developmental disabilities and rare disease.
Chris Requena, Co-founder, Boston New Technology & Mobinett Interactive
Chris is an app/software innovator, business grower, community builder and people connector. Chris has 20 years of experience in leading software, web and app development projects for businesses of all types, sizes and stages. He greatly enjoys collaborating with clients and users to design and build innovative solutions that solve problems! For 6 years, Chris has been co-running app development firm, Mobinett Interactive, where he co-founded hubEngage, a platform for employee communication and engagement. For 6 years, Chris has also led the operations and growth of Boston New Technology, to become one of the top tech and startup meetup groups in the world. BNT helps startups get significant publicity and free support from the community through networking and live presentations at free monthly events, digital marketing and exclusive opportunities and services from BNT's network.
———————————
Thoreau and the Language of Trees
WHEN Tuesday, July 18, 2017, 7 – 8 p.m.
WHERE Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Poetry/Prose, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
SPEAKER(S) Richard Higgins, Writer and Editor
COST $5; Free Students and Arnold Arb. members
TICKET WEB LINK https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1247&DayPlannerDate=7/18/2017
TICKET INFO 617-384-5277
CONTACT INFO adulted at arnarb.harvard.edu
DETAILS Trees were central to Henry David Thoreau’s creativity as a writer, his work as a naturalist, his thought, and his inner life. He admired their beauty, studied how they grew, took them as spiritual companions and wrote about them as few have. When he said the poet loves the pine tree as his own “shadow in the air,” he was speaking about himself. In short, he spoke their language. This original illustrated talk by Richard Higgins explores Thoreau’s deep connections to trees. Using Thoreau’s words, photographs of historic trees and his own black-and-white photographs of trees today, Higgins looks at Thoreau’s keen perception of trees, the poetry he saw in them, and how they fed his soul. He presents trees as a central thread connecting all parts of Thoreau’s being — heart, mind, and spirit.
"Thoreau and the Language of Trees" will be available for purchase and signing by the author.
—————————————
National Bird , a film about the secret US drone assassination program
Tuesday, July 18
7 pm
Central Square Library, 45 Pearl Street, Cambridge
Why is our government killing thousands of people around the globe they can?t even identify?
Directed by Sonia Kennebeck, this powerful documentary follows the dramatic journey of three whistleblowers who are determined to break the silence around one of the most controversial current affairs issues of our time: the hidden U.S. drone war, which has escalated under President Trump.
Plagued by PTSD and guilt over participating in the killing of thousands of faceless people, including children, they courageously decide to speak out publicly, despite the possible severe consequences. The film also interviews people on the ground in Afghanistan whose families and lives have been shattered by the deaths and lost futures of those who have been injured and terrorized by drones.
After the film there will be a short discussion with suggestions of things we can do to stop this immoral and indefensible form of warfare.
Refreshments will be served.
Sponsored by Eastern Massachusetts Anti-Drones Network, a task force of UJP (United for Justice with Peace) JusticeWithPeace.org, (617) 776-6524 .
Co-sponsored by Mass Peace Action, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Veterans For Peace, Smedley Butler Brigade
——————————
Wednesday, July 19
——————————
Boston Sustainability Breakfast
Wednesday, July 19
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM EDT
Pret A Manger, 101 Arch Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-sustainability-breakfast-tickets-30734224894
Join us every month for Net Impact Boston's informal breakfast meetup of sustainability professionals 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.
——————————
Imaging in science and medicine: Trends, techniques, applications, components
Wednesday, July 19
11:00 AM EDT
Webinar
RSVP at https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1151791&tp_key=f75d2ac3b6&sti=em1
Webcast Description: Today, imaging in science and medicine extends beyond just the microscope. Numerous vision technologies provide benefits in scientific and medical imaging, or life sciences applications, and a free webcast on July 19 will explore these and more.
Tom Brennan, President of Artemis Vision, will provide an overview of using vision in life sciences, including the types of components available for these applications, the opportunities that vision provides, and how these technologies are currently being deployed, and how they may be in the future.
He will also discuss the latest trends and technologies enabling these applications, real life case study success stories, and the challenges that come with developing these systems.
The webcast will conclude with a question and answer period.
Presented by: Tom Brennan, President, Artemis Vision
Tom Brennan is President of Artemis Vision a machine vision software and integration company headquartered in Denver, CO with regional offices in Dallas and Charlotte. The company founded in 2010 has been entirely funded by successful customer projects and is leading development into Vision Guided Robotics, Parallel Computation for Vision, 3-D Vision and Traceability. The company specializes in innovative approaches to industrial, medical and scientific vision problems.
———————————
Envision Cambridge Climate & Environment Working Group
Wednesday, July 19
6:00 pm, Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
For more information, see the Envision Cambridge website at http://
envision.cambridgema.gov
——————————
Pre-malignancies and the prevention of cancer
Wednesday, July 19
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pre-malignancies-and-the-prevention-of-cancer-tickets-35138166201
Benjamin L. Ebert, Institute Member, Broad Institute
Cancer is caused by a series of mutations that are acquired, in many cases, over many years. But in the beginning, the initiating mutations can lead to a pre-malignant lesion (such as a polyp in the colon) before causing full-fledged disease. Broad institute member Benjamin Ebert will discuss his lab’s work in learning about these pre-malignancies, their clinical consequences, and how to detect them — raising the question of whether clinicians could use this information to prevent the development of some cancers.
————————————
Independents Party
Wednesday, July 19
6:00pm - 8:30pm
Symphony Road Community Garden, 63 Symphony Road, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/independents-party-tickets-34286044482
Cost: $15 - $25
In celebration of local and independent businesses, SBN is excited to host our Summer Independents Party at the Symphony Road Community Garden!
Join SBN for a low-key summer evening filled with great people, local food, local drinks, and fun! Grab a bite from the Rice Burg food truck, sip on local beverages like cocktails featuring Rumson's Rum and ParTea, Lookout Farm Cider, and honey-based soda from Green Bee Soda, network with fellow local businesses, and enjoy the cool summer breeze and garden air.
Attendees are eligible to win great door prizes from local and independent business members of SBN!
—————————
Thursday, July 20
—————————
USING EYE-TRACKING AND HEAT-MAPS TO MAKE BETTER BUILDINGS
Thursday, July 20
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM (EDT)
USGBC MA, 50 Milk Street, 16th Floor, Edison Room, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/using-eye-tracking-and-heat-maps-to-make-better-buildings-tickets-34087635034
Cost: $15 - $25
Science is progressing to the point that we no longer have to rely on our naked eye to 'see' how a building impacts us and the environment. There are tools that we use to measure performance, but sometimes seeing the impact of a building speaks more than numbers.
Biometrics is the measurement and statistical analysis of people's physical and behavioral characteristics. Why not apply this same logic to a building? By using biometric tools such as eye-tracking software and heat maps, we can 'see' the effects of a building.
This lecture reviews some of the biometric tools, frequently used in advertising and web design today, that also can help us better understand our architectural experience.
This presentation will be led by Ann Sussman, a writer known for her research into how buildings influence behavior.
————————————
Individualized Critical Care: Applied Precision Medicine
Thursday, July 20
1:30pm - 2:30pm
Wyss Institute, Room 521, 3 Blackfan Circle, CLS 5th Floor, Boston
In this talk, the daily challenges faced by critical care physicians with regards to the wide inter- and intra-patient variability of disease presentations and response to interventions encountered will be presented. The concept of applied precision medicine in critical care will be introduced. Implication in clinical trial design will be discussed.
COL Kevin K. Chung, MD, FCCM, FACP
Chief, Department of Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center; Critical Care Consultant to the Surgeon General; Professor, Department of Surgery (Secondary), Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD; Professor, Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD; Adjunct Associate Professor, Division of Trauma Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Contact events at wyss.harvard.edu
(617) 432-7038
———————————
Fungi are microbes too!
Thursday, July 20
4:00pm – 5:30pm
Harvard, Center for the Environment, 26 Oxford Street, 4th Floor, Room 440, Cambridge
MSI Undergraduate Fellows Meeting
———————————
INNOVATION IN AGING – COLLABORATING TO REINVENT AGING IN JAPAN, U.S. AND THE WORLD
Thursday, July 20
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Venture Cafe at Cambridge Innovation Center, 5th floor, 1 Broadway, Cambridge
Caring for the aging population is a global challenge as people are living longer and the cost of healthcare increases. Innovations in technology and care solutions are evolving to address these issues, but much more needs to be done. Sompo and Venture Cafe are organizing a global collaboration with innovators to identify highly scalable and extensible solutions that can be deployed in Japan, the U.S. and other countries around the world.
Please join us on July 20th to hear from thought leaders on how to address challenges in areas such as cognitive health, home caregiving, remote care delivery and financial security.
The program includes:
Keynote from Mikio Okumura, Managing Executive Officer, Sompo Holding, Director Nursing Care and Healthcare
Panel
Tim Driver, Ambassador at Aging2.0 Boston
And others soon to be announced
More information at http://www.greenhornconnect.com/event/innovation-in-aging-collaborating-to-reinvent-aging-in-japan-u-s-and-the-world/
————————————
Climate Ready Charlestown Open House
Thursday, July 20
6 pm - 8 pm
Schrafft's City Center: 529 Main Street, Charlestown
RSVP at http://www.greenovateboston.org/crc_open_house
The City of Boston is addressing our climate change risks through the Climate Ready Boston initiative. Climate Ready Charlestown is a neighborhood-focused planning project to protect Charlestown from coastal flooding and storm surges, and to provide other benefits for the neighborhood. Join us next Thursday for this neighborhood-focused update on the planning project.
The event is open house style, and we recommend you plan to attend for about 30 minutes anytime between 6-8 pm.
Climate resiliency planning is happening in Boston’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. Your attendance will help inform our ongoing efforts to best address climate change in our city, and use the risks as an opportunity to benefit our residents.
————————————
Local Emerging Market Series: Energy Storage
Thursday, July 20
6-8pm
Old West Church, 131 Cambridge Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/local-emerging-market-series-energy-storage-tickets-35203367219
Energy storage has massive market potential in Massachusetts. Recent efforts by the state administration aim to make Massachusetts a national incubator and leader in the deployment and use of these innovation energy solutions, by adopting 2020 storage procurement targets by July. Energy storage provides significant benefits for the electrical grid, including clean energy integration, grid reliability and efficiency, and peak demand reduction. But energy storage also has potential to make our local communities more resilient. For states and municipalities, the resiliency benefits of energy storage are becoming increasingly important, as extreme weather increases and grid outages become more frequent and severe.
Over the past five years, Massachusetts has become the national incubator for innovative business solutions to climate change. Climate Action Business Association has developed a free series of reports, Local Emerging Market Reports (LEMR) to offer a spotlight on what we see as further opportunities for leadership in the transition to a carbon-free economy. This event is part of our Local Emerging Market Series in which we focus on specific industries to encourage dialogue within the local industry.
Join Climate Action Business Association and Peregrine Energy Group for a panel discussion to learn about the state’s energy storage target and how we can ensure increasing investment to emerging technologies is targeted to community resilience.
———————————
TECH AND MUSIC
Thursday, 20 July
6:30 – 8:30 pm EDT
GA Boston, 125 Summer Street 13th Floor, Boston
RSVP at https://generalassemb.ly/education/tech-and-music/boston/37331
By signing up for this event, you're giving our sponsors permission to contact you about upcoming events and promotions.
TECH AND...is a monthly event series where we host thought-leaders from a specific industry and explore new intersections between their field and technology.
Note: This event has been rescheduled from its original date (June 15th).
TECH AND MUSIC
In July we are exploring the intersection of music and technology. You’ll hear thought leaders and musicians in the Boston scene share how the distribution of songs and albums has been shaped by the internet’s free market, how the relationship between record labels and artists has adjusted to the times, and what the future of music looks like in a digital world.
Why It Matters: The omnipresence of technology has rapidly transformed lives over the last decade (remember, the iPhone was only released in 2007). Now, it’s rare to go about a regular day without interacting with tech — whether it’s an alarm app that wakes you up, your Nest Thermostat-regulated apartment, or the software you use at work. Staying ahead of the innovation curve and being able to predict the future of tech in various industries has never been more important — both at work and at play.
About the Speakers
Arpit Gupta, Senior Product Manager, Wayfair
Arpit works as Senior Product Manager at Wayfair, where he is responsible for their iOS mobile app. He is an experience product manager with over eight years of experience leading technology solutions from the ground up for the healthcare, mobile advertising, e-commerce industries. He is also the COO of the largest ever AR/VR hackathon taking place at the MIT Media Lab during the Columbus Day weekend (Oct 7 -10).
Christopher Igoe, Technical Co-Founder, Songspace
Christopher Igoe is the technical co-founder of Songspace and has helped raise over $2.6 million in strategic capital from angels, music companies and early stage firms in L.A., Nashville, and NYC to fund Songspace.
Kristina Latino, Founder, Cornerscape Projects
Kristina is the founder of Cornerscape Projects, an arts and creative placemaking consultancy with a strong emphasis on music programs and events. Previously, she worked as the Operations Manager for Passim, a music nonprofit and venue in Cambridge, MA, where she also worked as a sound engineer and venue manager several nights a week. Prior work also includes Project Coordination for Arts and Culture at Harvard University. Kristina serves on the Leadership Committee for Women in Music Boston.
———————————
The Ambulance Drivers: Hemingway, Dos Passos, and a Friendship Made and Lost in War
Thursday, July 20
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store and Mass Humanities welcome bestselling biographer JAMES MCGRATH MORRIS—author of the National Book Prize–winning Eye on the Struggle: Ethel Payne, The First Lady of the Black Press and Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print, and Power—for a discussion of his latest book, The Ambulance Drivers: Hemingway, Dos Passos, and a Friendship Made and Lost in War.
About The Ambulance Drivers
After meeting for the first time on the front lines of World War I, two aspiring writers forge an intense twenty-year friendship and write some of America's greatest novels, giving voice to a "lost generation" shaken by war.
Eager to find his way in life and words, John Dos Passos first witnessed the horror of trench warfare in France as a volunteer ambulance driver retrieving the dead and seriously wounded from the front line. Later in the war, he briefly met another young writer, Ernest Hemingway, who was just arriving for his service in the ambulance corps. When the war was over, both men knew they had to write about it; they had to give voice to what they felt about war and life.
Their friendship and collaboration developed through the peace of the 1920s and 1930s, as Hemingway's novels soared to success while Dos Passos penned the greatest antiwar novel of his generation, Three Soldiers. In war, Hemingway found adventure, women, and a cause. Dos Passos saw only oppression and futility. Their different visions eventually turned their private friendship into a bitter public fight, fueled by money, jealousy, and lust.
Rich in evocative detail—from Paris cafes to the Austrian Alps, from the streets of Pamplona to the waters of Key West—The Ambulance Drivers is a biography of a turbulent friendship between two of the century's greatest writers, and an illustration of how war both inspires and destroys, unites and divides.
———————
Friday, July 21
———————
BREAK THE NEWS / IDEO + (DATE CHANGE)
Friday, July 21
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM EDT
IDEO Cambridge, 80 Prospect Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/break-the-news-ideo-date-change-tickets-34438506500
Break the News is an IDEO+ makeathon bringing together a wide range of experts in design, publishing, storytelling, politics, and emerging technologies to fundamentally rethink how we create, consume, and verify news and other shared public information. In the makeathon, we will collectively challenge existing structures, and prototype alternative systems that can transform how we gather and share stories. Together, we will tackle themes ranging from questions of truth & trust to citizen journalism to propaganda to secrecy & anonymity to underground fringe publishing.
Our goal is to design a series of concept provocations that can be shared with the public, newscasters, policymakers, and digital strategists, helping inspire innovation and best practices in one of the most critical components of a free society - the Open Press. Come join IDEO+ in breaking the news on July 21, 2017.
The make-a-thon will give you a glimpse into IDEO’s process, as well as give us an opportunity to see your skills in action.
—————————
Saturday, July 22
—————————
Women in Tech Summit
Saturday, July 22
General Assembly Boston Downtown, 125 Summer Street, Boston
RSVP at http://womenintechsummit.net/boston-home/
Cost: $100
————————
Sunday, July 23
————————
The Power of Play: An interactive art workshop on taking risks
Sunday, July 23
1:00 PM – 3:30 PM EDT
The Democracy Center, 45 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-power-of-play-an-interactive-art-workshop-on-taking-risks-tickets-35804445059
Cost: $7.50 – $15
This interactive workshop will focus on how we can take more risks through harnessing the power of play. Risks are often necessary to create our dreams, deepen our relationships, and make the change we want in the world.
Through silly art games, reflection and optional sharing, we will explore risks you want to take to reach your dreams, the fears that get in the way and strategies you can use to expand the risks you feel comfortable taking.
Please dress comfortably and in clothes you feel comfortable getting washable paint on. The Democracy Center is not wheelchair accessible. please contact info at democracycenter.org or 617 492 8855 to discuss our improvement plans or your accessibility needs. You can also contact the event organizer at mx.dani.patrick at gmail.com with any questions about the event or information about how we can make it work for you.
————————
Monday, July 24
————————
From the Ashes - film screening
Monday, July 24
6:00pm
EDF, 18 Tremont Street, Suite 850, Boston
RSVP at aperez at edf.org
From the Ashes explores the reality of the coal industry in America and its future under the Trump administration. The documentary offers a view of how we can help struggling communities that rely on coal while still fighting climate change at the same time.
Come join us for this special screening with time for discussion after. Wine and cheese will be served.
—————————————
Why?: What Makes Us Curious
Monday, July 24
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store welcomes astrophysicist MARIO LIVIO—the bestselling author of The Golden Ratio, Is God a Mathematician?, Brilliant Blunders, and The Accelerating Universe—for a discussion of his latest book, Why?: What Makes Us Curious.
About Why?
Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio investigates perhaps the most human of all our characteristics—curiosity—as he explores our innate desire to know why.
Experiments demonstrate that people are more distracted when they overhear a phone conversation—where they can know only one side of the dialogue—than when they overhear two people talking and know both sides. Why does half a conversation make us more curious than a whole conversation?
In the ever-fascinating Why? Mario Livio interviewed scientists in several fields to explore the nature of curiosity. He examined the lives of two of history’s most curious geniuses, Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Feynman. He also talked to people with boundless curiosity: a superstar rock guitarist who is also an astrophysicist; an astronaut with degrees in computer science, biology, literature, and medicine. What drives these people to be curious about so many subjects?
Curiosity is at the heart of mystery and suspense novels. It is essential to other forms of art, from painting to sculpture to music. It is the principal driver of basic scientific research. Even so, there is still no definitive scientific consensus about why we humans are so curious, or about the mechanisms in our brain that are responsible for curiosity.
Mario Livio—an astrophysicist who has written about mathematics, biology, and now psychology and neuroscience—explores this irresistible subject in a lucid, entertaining way that will captivate anyone who is curious about curiosity.
————————
Tuesday, July 25
————————
Boston Smart Utilities - July Whiteboarding Session
Tuesday, July 25
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM EDT
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-smart-utilities-july-whiteboarding-session-tickets-35381870126
Please join the Boston Planning and Development Agency (formerly the Boston Redevelopment Authority) and the City of Boston to review Boston’s new:
Smart Utility Standards
Smart Utility requirements for new development.
This is an opportunity for attendees to workshop the role of each sector in infrastructure implementation, build external alliances, and team with technical partners.
Attendees will represent 4 sectors:
1. State and local government officials
2. Industry: infrastructure, construction, finance and smart cities professionals
3. Non-profit/NGOs: Boston Area academic institutions, Northeast Clean Energy Council, C40, Barr Foundation, Smart Cities Council, smart cities accelerators and advocacy groups
4. Boston area utility companies
Steering Committee
Amy Cording, Chief Engineer, Public Improvement Commission
Anne Schwieger, Broadband and Digital Equity Advocate, Department of Information Technology
Brad Swing, Director of Energy Policy and Programs, Environment, Energy, and Open Space
Bryan Glascock, Senior Advisor of Regulatory Reform, Boston Planning and Development Agency
Colin Curzi, Smart Utilities Fellow, Boston Planning and Development Agency
Irene McSweeney, Director of Construction, Boston Water and Sewer Commission
John “Tad’ Read, Senior Deputy Director, Boston Planning and Development Agency
Katie Choe, Chief Engineer/Director of Construction Management Construction, Public Works Department
Mary Knasas, Senior Planner, Boston Planning and Development Agency
Travis Sheehan, Senior Infrastructure Advisor, Boston Planning and Development Agency
——————————
BYOFruit : An Experimental Jam Sesh
Tuesday, July 25
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Cambridge Community Television, 438 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
with Scotty Vercoe and Keaton Fox
Do you like making music? Do you like playing with food? Do you like playing music with food?
CCTV will be hosting our first BYOFruit jam sesh with the help of a new tech toy called Playtronica.
Playtronica is an electric device that uses wires to connect objects (like a watermelon) to different kinds of sounds. When you hit the object (or fruit) it will make a sound !
We will be testing this new equipment in our big studio, with the help of our favorite audio wizard - Scotty Vercoe.
There will lights, sounds, smells, and more.
We hope you’ll come join us as we explore this new way of sound-making together.
Don’t forget to bring your own fruit !
Register Today!
contact Keaton Fox at 617-661-6900 or email keaton at cctvcambridge.org
*****************
----------------------
Upcoming Events
----------------------
*****************
——————————
Wednesday, July 26
——————————
Precision medicine in diabetes
Wednesday, July 26
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/precision-medicine-in-diabetes-tickets-35193453567
Jose C. Florez, Institute Member, Co-director of the Metabolism Program, Broad Institute, Chief, Diabetes Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital
What is diabetes? Why do some people develop diabetes and others do not? Could prevention and treatment be individualized for each patient? Using diabetes as a case study, Broad Institute member Jose Florez will discuss the emerging approach of precision medicine — a quest to unravel the genetic basis of diseases and their complications in order to provide a basis for effective, tailored therapies. Florez will illustrate the power of contemporary genetics to address these crucial areas.
————————————
Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Combat Superbugs: A Case Study
Wednesday, July 26
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
Royal Sonesta Boston, Riverfront Ballroom, 40 Edwin H Land Boulevard, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/interdisciplinary-collaboration-to-combat-superbugs-a-case-study-tickets-35611431751
Join WorldBoston for a talk from visiting Saudi microbiologist Dr. Hosam Zowawi.
The main event will take place from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, followed by a reception until 7:30pm.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria know no borders. “The possible nightmare scenario of normally treatable infections not being treatable is a major threat to human health now and in the future,’’ says Dr. Hosam Zowawi, a microbiologist and public health advocate who has devoted his career to not only developing better diagnostic tests, but to fostering international cooperation between the medical community and general public. Having earned international recognition for developing a new tool that can identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hours instead of days, Saudi-born Zowawi is working with the medical community to better deliver such research findings to the public. His current work is centered on how to alleviate barriers to global health programming and policymaking by building bridges of communication between stakeholders to enhance prevention from the lab to the home. In Boston, Zowawi will share his insights into the challenges and successes of international and regional cooperation in the medical community, and how many of these successes involve and engage the general public.
About Dr. Zowawi
Dr. Hosam Zowawi is a clinical microbiologist working on the issue of antibiotic-resistant microbes through cutting edge research and raising awareness in his native Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region. As part of his PhD studies at the University of Queensland, Dr. Zowawi has developed a fast diagnostic tool called “Rapid Superbug” that identifies antibiotic resistant bacteria more rapidly than previously possible, allowing for more targeted treatments. Along with his laboratory research, Dr. Zowawi is dedicated to raising awareness of antimicrobial resistance through direct public engagement and working with the press to simplify, publicize and translate scientific papers. He is a founder of the GCC Surveillance Network for Antimicrobial Resistance, the first network of hospitals across the Gulf to share data in order to track the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant infections. Dr. Zowawi is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Queensland, Australia’s School of Medicine.
—————————
Thursday, July 27
—————————
Emerging Trends Series: State & Federal Perspectives on Energy Storage
Thursday, July 27
8:30 AM – 10:30 AM EDT
Pierce Atwood LLP, 100 Summer Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/emerging-trends-series-state-federal-perspectives-on-energy-storage-tickets-34757124495
Cost: $0 – $50
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) is slated to release their 2020 storage procurement targets by mid-Summer. The State of Charge report put forth a suite of policy recommendations designed to achieve 600 MW of storage by 2025. Setting an ambitious storage target will confirm the message of the report that Massachusetts is open for storage businesses.
On July 27, NECEC's Emerging Trends Series event will feature Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Judith Judson, Demand Energy Network's Vice President for Global Business Development Doug Staker, Ambri CEO and President Phil Giudice, and Pierce Atwood Partner Andrew Kaplan to discuss the target, its implications for the Commonwealth and national energy sector, and what it will mean for the industry at large.
NECEC’s Emerging Trends Series are networking and educational events that discuss hot topics, growing markets and emerging trends in the clean energy industry. Forums are hosted at NECEC Sponsor offices and free to NECEC Members and Sponsors.
——————————
Residential Energy Assistance Resource Fair
Thursday, July 27
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM EDT
East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross Street, Somerville
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/residential-energy-assistance-resource-fair-tickets-35613653396
Join your neighbors to learn about programs available to help you save money on your utility bills and live more comfortably. Hosted by the City of Somerville, this event will feature consumer advocates from area organizations, non-profits, and institutions to help connect residents to the program that fits their needs.
Guests include:
National Grid
Eversource
CAPIC
Cambridge Fuel Assistance Program
And more!
This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.
Learn about Somerville energy-efficiency programs at: http://somervillema.gov/seen
————————————
Recognition and Farewell Event for Julie Wormser and Phil Griffiths
Thursday, July 27
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM EDT
Mintz Levin, 1 Financial Center, Conference Room 38A, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/recognition-and-farewell-event-for-julie-wormser-and-phil-griffiths-tickets-36123206483
Join Boston Harbor Now's Board of Trustees and staff as we recognize the contributions and dedication of our friends, Julie Wormser and Phil Griffiths to the organization, the city's waterfront, and Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. We will also be wishing them both well on their future ventures and successes.
The event is generously hosted at Mintz Levin and we strongly encourage guest to RSVP.
Please have ID available for check-in at the front desk.
————————————
Boston Climate Action Network Meeting
Thursday, July 27
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT
First Baptist Church, 633 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-climate-action-network-meeting-tickets-35334786297
We're working towards fighting climate change through improved energy policy and education at the local level in Boston. The BCAN Action Team meeting is a great way to get directly involved in the effort to combat climate change in the era of Trump. We gather twice per month on the 2nd and 4th Thursday from 6-8pm at First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain.
Come meet the Communications Team, the Arts Team, and other dedicated climate campaigners to learn how you can help us plan outreach for the Community Choice Energy campaign.
————————————
Innovation Bioscience: Deep Dives in Entrepreneurship – Technology, Innovation, and Aging Well
Thursday, July 27
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT)
Workbar Cambridge, 45 Prospect Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/innovation-bioscience-deep-dives-in-entrepreneurship-technology-innovation-and-aging-well-registration-35791198438
Cost: $15.00 $0.00 Ticket Quantity
Innovation Bioscience Initiative:
Innovation Bioscience is a training and incubation initiative focused on bridging the gap between biomedical research and healthcare need. The Deep Dives in Entrepreneurship series provide an opportunity to learn about upcoming training opportunities as well as learn from and connect with the vibrant start-up community of Greater Boston.
This session of Deep Dives in Entrepreneurship will focus on Innovation, Technology, and Aging Well. Over the past several years we have started to look upon aging as a chronic disease that if properly managed could have less of an impact on overall quality of life as we grow older. As the population of Americans over the age of 65 continues to grow we see an opportunity for biomedical professionals to make a significant impact on aging through leveraging their domain expertise and entrepreneurial training.
Deep Dive Entrepreneurship Speakers:
Edward Melia, Co-Founder and General Partner at New World Asset Partners, LLC
Edward Melia has more than 20 years’ experience spanning global business management, management consulting, entrepreneurship, venture capital, private equity and mergers and acquisitions. In his career, Edward has focused on disruptive technologies with specific sector proficiency in life sciences, new energy, digital media and information technology. He is currently the Co-Founder and General Partner at New World Asset Partners, an affiliation of elite independent private wealth advisors and wealth management firms located throughout New England. Edward works closely with investment groups, family offices, strategic buyers, and sovereign wealth funds to identify and vet early stage high potential innovation and discovery in technology and life sciences.
Further, passionate about healthcare Edward also sits on the board of the Aging Well Institute (AWI). AWI is a transformative platform designed to catalyze groundbreaking discoveries for chronic disease prevention, inform policies for reducing economic costs and healthcare burden generally associated with advancing age, and identify determinants of sustaining lifelong physical, cognitive and mental health.
AWI focuses on urban living, aging and well-being, health across the life course and health systems. AWI provides the platform to quickly and efficiently transfer scientific research and technology br
———————
Friday, July 28
———————
MD5 Hacking Emergency Response
Friday, July 28
12:00p–12:00p
MIT, Building E14, Media Lab, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Developers. Engineers. Designers. Join a hackathon challenge unlike any other. Work with other innovators from the DoD (Department of Defense), MIT Innovation Initiative, AFFOA (Advanced Functional Fabrics of America), and the MIT community to build product prototypes that incorporate functional fabrics as part of a system that addresses emergency response in challenging environments.
These environments may include disaster sites, conflict zones, and other scenarios of emergency response. Experts from the field will provide unique insights into the challenges of communications, data collection and emergency response in these environments.
Beside access to advanced fabric technologies, hackathon participants will have the opportunity to be mentored by a diverse group of experts: mentors who are experts in the hackathon challenge areas, technology mentors, and pitch mentors.
Winning team(s) to receive up to $15K to further develop their ideas.
Web site: https://innovation.mit.edu/md5
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/md5-hacking-emergency-response-tickets-34077735424
This event occurs daily through July 30, 2017.
Sponsor(s): MIT Innovation Initiative
For more information, contact: Terri Park
617-715-2330
innovation at mit.edu
———————————
Building a Greenwall, Rose Kennedy Greenway Horticulture Demonstration
Friday, July 28
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, North End Parks, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/building-a-greenwall-rose-kennedy-greenway-horticulture-demonstration-tickets-35205265898
Cost: $10
Are you interested in how The Greenway's horticulture staff does some of their coolest work? New this year, horticulture demonstrations will give a more in-depth look at the work of our knowledgeable horticulturists.
As part of a temporary art exhibit by Meredith James, Greenway horticulturists wrapped the walls of the piece with a vertical plant installation, commonly referred to as a greenwall. This collaboration between the Horticulture staff of The Greenway and the artist softens the connection between the park lawns and the sculpture, and provides an exciting opportunity to explore greenwall concepts.
In this demonstration, staff will talk about and show how they designed the greenwall, which includes constructed shelving filled with tender annuals and metal trellises planted with tender hop vines, annual beans, and pleached dogwoods.
Attendees will meet at the piece, Far from this setting in which I now find myself, which is located on the lawn of our North End Park Parcel between North Street and Hanover Street. This location is easily accessible from the Haymarket stop on the Orange Line or North Station.
The demonstration will last approximately one hour with available time for questions. In the case of inclemement weather, this demonstration may be cancelled or rescheduled.
Tours are $10/person and advanced registration is required.
—————————
Saturday, July 29
—————————
Radical: Cambridge and Somerville activism in the ’60s and today
Saturday, July 29
11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cambridge Main Library, lecture hall, 449 Broadway, Cambridge
“Radical” brings to the stage 1960s activists such as: Ti-Grace Atkinson, the radical feminist who took on The New York Times; Bill Cunningham, local housing activist and historian; Saundra Graham, who fought Harvard expansion; Laury Hammel, who went from Students for a Democratic Society to advocating for sustainable businesses; Carol Hill, who went to jail for defying a grand jury; and Ken Reeves, who applied the ideals of the 1960s to city government as a city councillor and mayor.
New generations
Participating activists from more recent generations include Mari Gashaw, a young activist who chained herself to City Hall as part of a Black Lives Matter protest over affordable housing; Klara Ingersoll, who fought for change at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School by organizing a walkout against a culture of sexual harassment; and state Rep. Mike Connolly, who went from being an Occupy Boston lawyer to the State House with inspiration from Bernie Sanders.
Historians
Presenting first in the day to explain what Cambridge and Somerville were like in the heady days of the 1960s and early 1970s are local historians Charles Sullivan, executive director of the Cambridge Historical Commission, co-author of “Building Old Cambridge: Architecture and Development”; and Tim Devin, artist, librarian and author of “Mapping out utopia: 1970s Boston-area counterculture, book 1: Cambridge.”
————————
Sunday, July 30
————————
Cambridge Jazz Festival 2017
Sunday, July 30
12:00 PM – 6:00 PM EDT
Danehy Park, 99 Sherman Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cambridge-jazz-festival-2017-tickets-33504191940
Cost: $0 – $20
The Cambridge Jazz Festival is a FREE music festival featuring exceptional live Jazz music performed by world class musicians. Come out and enjoy this years lineup featuring our headliner PIECES OF A DREAM.
—————————
Tuesday, August 1
—————————
Boston TechBreakfast: ContributeCloud.com, Kinetica, ErgoSensePro, HoliSym
Tuesday, August 1
8:00 AM
O'Reilly, 2 Avenue de Lafayette, Boston
RSVP at https://www.meetup.com/Boston-TechBreakfast/events/236589547/
Interact with your peers in a monthly morning breakfast meetup. At this monthly breakfast get-together techies, developers, designers, and entrepreneurs share learn from their peers through show and tell / show-case style presentations.
And yes, this is free! Thank our sponsors when you see them :)
Agenda for Boston TechBreakfast:
8:00 - 8:15 - Get yer Food & Coffee and chit-chat
8:15 - 8:20 - Introductions, Sponsors, Announcements
8:20 - ~9:30 - Showcases and Shout-Outs!
ContributeCloud.com: Air cDMS - John McKenney
Kinetica: Kinetica DB - Karthik Lalithraj
ErgoSensePro: ErgoSenseHealth - Aleck Alexopoulos
HoliSym - Merav Ozair
~9:30 - end - Final "Shout Outs" & Last Words Boston TechBreakfast Sponsors:
ConferenceEdge - EVENTS to the power of Edge
DLA Piper (Boston) - DLA Piper is a global business law firm that provides corporate, IP, capital raising and other legal advice to technology startups and high growth businesses.
G2 Tech Group - Managed DevOps for startups and small businesses
hedgehog lab - hedgehog lab is a technology consultancy that designs and builds great apps for mobile
———————————
Live from the Deep Ocean
Tuesday, August 1
2:00pm
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street. Cambridge
Join us for a live glimpse of the biological diversity of previously unexplored areas in the deep sea off California. The museum will host a live Q&A with Peter R. Girguis, Harvard Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and Jennifer Berglund, Exhibit Developer for the Harvard Museums and film producer, who are working with an international team aboard the E/V Nautilus.
The research team is exploring areas of the deep sea that are nearly devoid of oxygen, and trying to understand the diversity of animal and microbial life in those areas. They will be using unmanned, remotely operated underwater vehicles for collecting imagery and samples from the deep sea. They will also be testing several components of the ABISS (Autonomous Biogeochemical Instrument for In Situ Studies), the very first deep sea “wireless broadband” observatory developed by Peter and his team.
The live Q&A will be on Tuesday August 1st at 2 PM from the Geological Lecture Hall at the Harvard Museum of Natural History at 24 Oxford Street. You’ll see the ocean, from the water column to the seafloor down at 3800 feet (1100 meters), live and in high definition from the deep-diving robotic submarine. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions of Dr. Girguis and Ms. Berglund in a conversation moderated by Ms. Erin Callahan, a science communications student at Boston University.
————————————
Summer Lightning Talks at Upstatement
Tuesday, August 1
7:00 PM
Upstatement, 133 Portland Street, 4th floor, Boston
RSVP at https://www.meetup.com/hackshackersboston/events/241599429/
Come join us for an evening of Lightning Talks from across Boston Media: new products! new technology! new research! new friends!
************
----------------
Opportunity
----------------
************
Greenfest Looking for Volunteers
10th Annual Boston GreenFest will be at Boston City Hall Plaza, August 11-13, 2017. It is the largest multicultural environmental music festival in the region featuring lots of local and international exhibits, performances, films, food, fashion and forums. Our goal is to educate and empower people to create a more sustainable, healthier world. We are actively building an interconnected, ever expanding network throughout our neighborhoods, city and region. From business to nonprofit, neighborhood association to academic institution, Boston GreenFest spans age, culture and industry. Celebrating our 10th anniversary, Boston GreenFest is excited to bring this wonderful free three-day festival to Boston City Hall Plaza as it is transformed into a fun interactive community classroom.
We are looking for volunteers to help throughout the weekend.
Please visit: http://www.bostongreenfest.org/
———————————
New Climate CoLab Contests:
Adaptation
Buildings
Carbon Pricing
Energy Supply
Land Use Change
Shifting Attitudes & Behaviors
Transportation
More information at https://www.climatecolab.org/
———————————
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
———————————
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. 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://somervilleyogurtmakingcoop.wordpress.com
——————————
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
———————————
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
—————————
Cambridge Coalition Solar Access Campaign is part of the DOE SunShot Solar in Your Community Challenge with a goal of 40 new solar electric systems installed in Cambridge, with a focus on serving low-to-moderate income communities.
Coalition partners include Green Cambridge, which works to create a more sustainable city and to protect the environment for the health and safety of all, Resonant Energy, a community-based solar developer, Solstice, helping every single household in America go solar, and Sunwealth, a solar investment firm.
More information at http://www.resonant.energy/sap-overview/
hat tip Cambridge Civic Journal
http://www.rwinters.com
*********
------------
Resource
------------
*********
"Greening Our Grid" Report Released April 24, 2017
MAPC is excited to announce the release of “Greening Our Grid,” a fact sheet and a case study detailing MAPC’s strategy to use municipal aggregation to help build new renewable energy in New England.
“Greening Our Grid” highlights MAPC's work with the City of Melrose as a case study for MAPC's innovative green municipal aggregation strategy. Melrose recently completed its first year of implementation. The city’s results demonstrate that economic and environmental goals can be met simultaneously, and provide a compelling example for others to follow.
The case study and fact sheet further describe the renewable energy strategy overall, why it can have a real impact on our electricity grid, and MAPC’s program to help other municipalities follow Melrose's lead. Arlington, Brookline, Gloucester, Hamilton, Millis, Somerville, Sudbury, and Winchester are poised to roll out their green aggregations within the year.
MAPC believes that municipal aggregation offers an opportunity for communities to leverage the collective buying power of their residents and businesses to transform our electric grid to cleaner sources of energy, while also providing cost savings and price stability for electricity. The fact sheet and case study will be useful tools for cities and towns that are exploring green municipal aggregation, as well as for those that already have active aggregation programs.
Check out “Greening Our Grid” today at http://www.mapc.org/greening-our-grid, and contact Patrick Roche, MAPC Clean Energy Coordinator, at proche at mapc.org for more information about MAPC's program.
——————————
Cambridge Climate Change Game
Extending our work on face-to-face games, the MIT Science Impact Collaborative has developed a digital game on the health impacts of climate change that you can play alone on your computer or on your mobile phone. The game should take about 10-20 minutes. We would appreciate it if you could play the game at your convenience.
Play the game at http://www.doublecoconut.com/climate/
Any and all feedback on the game should be directed to Ella Kim at ella at mit.edu.
Thank you for your time and consideration!
————————————
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
————————————
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
———————————
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!
——————————
Boston Maker Spaces - 41 (up from 27 in 2016) and counting: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zGHnt9r2pQx8.kfw9evrHsKjA&hl=en
Solidarity Network Economy: https://ussolidarityeconomy.wordpress.com
Bostonsmart.com's Guide to Boston: http://www.bostonsmarts.com/BostonGuide/
****************************************
------------------------------------------------------
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/
Harvard Events: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/
Harvard Environment: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/calendar/
Sustainability at Harvard: http://green.harvard.edu/events
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
Take Action MA: http://takeactionma.com
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.
More information about the Act-MA
mailing list