Sunday, May 29, 2011

Energy (and Other) Events - May 29, 2011

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@world.std.com

My notes from three recent presentations on the Arab Spring are at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/13/975618/-Notes-on-the-Arab-Spring

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Monday, May 30, 2011
Archiprix International
Time: 9:00a–8:00p
This event occurs daily through June 7, 2011.
Location: 7-431, and in the corridors surrounding the Lobby 7 dome on the fourth floor

A global design competition for the world's best thesis projects in architecture, urban design and landscape architecture, including an exhibit of all 300 entries and a series of design workshops for 100 of the represented students.

Web site: http://www.archiprix.org/2011/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): School of Architecture and Planning
For more information, contact:
Alexander D'Hooghe
617 308 7386
adhooghe@mit.edu

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Monday May 30, 2011 — 8pm at Middlesex Lounge
315 Mass Ave, Cambridge In Central Square
Boston Nerd Night: Psychopaths and Slot Machines
$5

Featuring Nerd-appropriate tunes by Claude Money

Talk 1. “Free Money: The Art and Science of Beatable Slot Machines”

by Zach Alexander

Talk 2. “Stalking the Sasquatch; Or, Are There Psychopaths Among Us?”
by John Fennel

http://boston.nerdnite.com/2011/05/23/nerdnite-may-30-psychopaths-and-slot-machines/ for more information about the speakers and the talks.

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Communicating Trustworthiness - Drivers of Online Trust
Miriam Meckel, University of St. Gallen
Tuesday, May 31, 12:30 pm
Berkman Center, 23 Everett Street, second floor
RSVP required for those attending in person to Amar Ashar (ashar@cyber.law.harvard.edu)
This event will be webcast (http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast) live at 12:30 pm ET and archived on our site shortly after.

User trust has been identified as a key success factor of online business: A user's willingness to provide personal data is a prerequisite for online transactions. Research has shown that this willingness is based on the perceived trustworthiness of the transaction partner. While antecedents of online trust have been studied extensively from a marketing and information systems perspective very little is known about the role of corporate communication in online trust management. Our studies in this field based on qualitative and quantitative analysis (indepth interviews and standardized sampling) examine trust in online businesses distinguished by industries and business models. We identify 9 core drivers of online trust from a corporate communication's as well as the user's perspective and differentiate the contribution of the corporate communication function to these drivers. Communicating trustworthiness is more than luck of the draw. It is based on an approach of strategic communication based on premises that will become increasingly important in digital life.

About Miriam
Miriam Meckel, PhD., holds a professorship for Corporate Communication at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and is the Managing Director of the Institute for Media and Communication Management (since 2005). She is also an adviser for Public Affairs and Business Communication.

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Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Interdisciplinary Workshop on Information and Decision in Social Networks
Speaker: Daron Acemoglu (MIT), Nicholas Christakis (Harvard), Martin Nowak (Harvard), Sandy Pentland (MIT)
Time: 8:30a–6:00p
Location: E14-674
Recent technological and mathematical developments have opened the possibility to considerably improve our understanding of how information flows and decisions are made in large social networks. In this workshop, we bring together researchers from different communities working on information propagation and decision making in social networks to investigate both rigorous models that highlight capabilities and limitations of such networks as well as empirical and simulations studies of how people exchange information, influence each other, make decisions and develop social interactions.

This workshop is being organized by the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems. Pre-registration is required.

Web site: http://wids.lids.mit.edu/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): LIDS Events Calendar
For more information, contact:
Jennifer Donovan
617-253-2142
jdonovan@mit.edu

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Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Innovation Series Event: Offshore Wind in New England: Lessons Learned, The Way Forward
Speaker: Ian Bowles, former Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
Time: 5:30p–9:00p
Location: 32-123
The north-east US is one of the world?s premier opportunities for offshore wind energy ? a 1000 mile coastline with a wide continental shelf on one side and major population centers on the other. Offshore wind technology continues to advance, but Cape Wind?s experience in developing the first major offshore site in the US has shown us that the challenges to further development are political and social, as well as economic.

What are the prospects and the challenges? Where do we go from here?

Web site: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/events/june-innovation-series-event-on-the-the-future-of-offshore-wind-in-the-north-east/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free to students with a valid ID
Tickets: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/events/june-innovation-series-event-on-the-the-future-of-offshore-wind-in-the-north-east/
Sponsor(s): MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
For more information, contact:
Amy Goggins
617-253-3937
entforumcambridge@mit.edu

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Eli Pariser explains
The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You

Wednesday, June 1, 2011
7:00 PM
Location
Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138

This event is free; no tickets are required.
Harvard Book Store is very pleased to welcome former executive director and current board president of MoveOn.org ELI PARISER as he discusses his new book, The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from Us.

In December 2009, Google began customizing its search results for each user. Instead of giving you the most broadly popular result, Google now tries to predict what you are most likely to click on. According to Eli Pariser, Google's change in policy is symptomatic of the most significant shift to take place on the Web in recent years—the rise of personalization. In this investigation of the new hidden Web, Pariser uncovers how this growing trend threatens to control how we consume and share information as a society.

Though the phenomenon has gone largely undetected until now, personalized filters are sweeping the Web, creating individual universes of information for each of us. Facebook—the primary news source for an increasing number of Americans—prioritizes the links it believes will appeal to you so that if you are a liberal, you can expect to see only progressive links. Even an old-media bastion like The Washington Post devotes the top of its home page to a news feed with the links your Facebook friends are sharing. Behind the scenes a burgeoning industry of data companies is tracking your personal information to sell to advertisers, from your political leanings to the color you painted your living room to the hiking boots you just browsed on Zappos.

In a personalized world, we will increasingly be typed and fed only news that is pleasant, familiar, and confirms our beliefs—and because these filters are invisible, we won't know what is being hidden from us. Our past interests will determine what we are exposed to in the future, leaving less room for the unexpected encounters that spark creativity, innovation, and the democratic exchange of ideas.
General Info
(617) 661-1515
info@harvard.com

Media Inquiries
(617) 661-1424 x1
rbcass@harvard.com

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In a special Green Innovators in Business Network "Growing GIBN" webinar on June 2 at 12pm ET, Farron Levy, founder and president of True Impact, will join us to talk about his efforts to define measures and develop tools to track the "Triple Bottom Line."
Farron will talk about how True Impact approaches the problem of motivating and measuring beyond-compliance activities and demonstrate an online tool they have developed. Together, we'll discuss experiences with these issues and how these types of tools are helpful for sharingbest practices and develop benchmarks.

Date: June 2, 2011
Time: 12pm ET
Register for the webinar online at: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/schedule/display.do?udc=d3gf09raxycc

Dial-in at (760) 569-9000, code: 160031#

True Impact (http://www.trueimpact.com) provides web-based tools and consulting services to help organizations quantify the social, financial, and environmental return on investment (ROI) of their corporate citizenship activities. True Impact's "triple bottom line" evaluations have been adopted by Allstate, Deloitte, GE, Home Depot, PNC Bank, and Verizon among others.

About Farron Levy
Farron Levy, founder and president of True Impact, was previously a consultant with social auditing firm SmithOBrien and economic consultancy Industrial Economics, Inc; and has served as an advisor to City Year, New Profit, and CitySoft. He is on the faculty of Boston College's Center for Corporate Citizenship, where he teaches coursework on ROI evaluation. Farron earned an MPP from Harvard University, and a BS with university honors from Carnegie Mellon University.

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PechaKucha Boston 6/2 at 6:00pm
FREE ADMISSION!

An event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for "chit chat", it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds.

OBERON is located at 2 Arrow Street, Cambridge MA, 02138

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Coming to Boston....
Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time
Join us at the Stuart Street Playhouse!
See the first full-length, high-definition documentary film ever made about legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold and his environmental legacy at the Stuart Street Playhouse in Boston! Green Fire shares highlights from his extraordinary career, explaining how he shaped conservation and the modern environmental movement.

The film also illustrates Leopold's continuing influence, exploring current projects that connect people and land at the local level. Meet urban children in Chicago learning about local foods and ecological restoration. Meet ranchers in Arizona and New Mexico who maintain healthy landscapes by working on their own properties, and with their neighbors, in cooperative community conservation efforts. Meet wildlife biologists who are bringing threatened and endangered species, from cranes to Mexican wolves, back to the landscapes where they once thrived. Viewers will learn how Leopold's vision of a community that cares about both people and land ties all of these modern conservation stories together, and offers inspiration and insight for the future.

DATE: Thursday, June 2, 2011
TIME: Doors open at 6:00pm; remarks and film begin at 6:30pm
LOCATION: Stuart Street Playhouse
ADDRESS: 200 Stuart Street, Boston, MA 02116
TICKETS: Available through Brown Paper Tickets, $8 advance/$10 door
MORE INFORMATION: http://www.greenfiremovie.com

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6/2/2011
Discussion/Signing - John Quackenbush
The Human Genome: Book of Essential Knowledge (Curiosity Guides). The DNA sequence that comprises the human genome--the genetic blueprint found in each of our cells--is undoubtedly the greatest code ever to be broken. Completed at the dawn of a new millennium, the feat electrified both the scientific community and the general public with its tantalizing promise of new and better treatments for countless diseases, including Alzheimer's, cancer, diabetes, and Parkinson's. Yet what is arguably the most important discovery of our time has also opened a Pandora's box of questions about who we are as humans and how the unique information stored in our genomes can and might be used, making it all the more important for everyone to understand the new science of genomics.
Time: 07:00 PM-08:00 PM
Location: Level 3
Recurrence: One Time Event
Place: Harvard Coop, Harvard Square

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Friday, June 03, 2011
Sustainable Design at MIT: Active Owner Engagement Leads to High Performance Buildings
Time: 3:15p–5:00p
Location: 10-250
Join this special Tech Reunions panel for an invigorating update about new campus green buildings and the sustainable design strategies being put into place. The panel will explore the critical role an active, engaged building owner (in this case MIT) can have in shaping the performance of the completed building and its energy efficiency.

Panelists include:
Representing the lead designer's perspective:
Lynne Brooks, AIA, LEED, Principal, Bruner/Cott Architects and Planners

Representing the engineering designer's perspective: Edward D. Allen, P.E., LEED AP, Vice President, van Zelm Engineers
and the owner's perspective:
Walt Henry, P.E. , Director, Systems Engineering Group, MIT Department of Facilities

Moderated by Steve Lanou MCP '98, MIT's Deputy Director, Environmental Sustainability.
Alumni, students and MIT Community members not attending reunions are welcome to attend, but seating is limited. Please email alumnienergy@mit.edu if you'd like to register to attend.

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Tickets: email alumnienergy@mit.edu

Sponsor(s): MIT Alumni Association

For more information, contact:
Christine Tempesta
617-253-8222
alumnienergy@mit.edu

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32nd ANNUAL CAMBRIDGE RIVER FESTIVAL
Saturday, June 4, 2011, 12:00 Noon - 6:00 p.m.
Rain or Shine!

Join us for this one-day celebration of the arts, attracting 200,000 annually. This FREE event along the banks of the Charles River features jazz, folk, Latin and world music performances, dance, art demonstrations, family art-making activities and over 100 specialty food purveyors and craftspeople!

Riverbend Park, Memorial Drive

http://www2.cambridgema.gov/CAC/Community/2011_Cambridge_River_Fest.cfm

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Upcoming

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The FuturICT Flagship - A talk with Prof. Dirk Helbing
what Discussion, Workshop
when 2011-06-06 from 18:00 to 20:30
where swissnex Boston, 420 Broadway, 02138 Cambridge, MA
contact name Sabine Ledermann
contact email sabine@swissnexboston.org

Discover an European Platform to mitigate techno-socio-economic crises!
Today, we know more about the universe than about our society. It's time to use the power of information to explore social and economic life on Earth and discover options for a sustainable future. Together, we can manage the challenges of the 21st century, combining the best of all knowledge. Please join us for a unique and fascinating lecture about the future with modern information technology with Prof. Helbing*.

The ultimate goal of the FuturICT flagship project is to understand and manage complex, global, socially interactive systems, with a focus on sustainability and resilience. Revealing the hidden laws and processes underlying societies probably constitutes the most pressing scientific grand challenge of our century and is equally important for the development of novel robust, trustworthy and adaptive information and communication technologies (ICT), based on socially inspired approaches.
Integrating ICT, Complexity Science and the Social Sciences will create a paradigm shift, facilitating a symbiotic co-evolution of ICT and society. Data from our complex globe-spanning ICT system will be leveraged to develop models of techno-socio-economic systems. In turn, insights from these models will inform the development of a new generation of socially adaptive, self-organized ICT systems.

FuturICT as a whole will act as a Knowledge Accelerator, turning massive data into knowledge and technological progress. In this way, FuturICT will create the scientific methods and ICT platforms needed to address planetary-scale challenges and opportunities in the 21st century. Specifically, FuturICT will build a sophisticated simulation, visualization and participation platform, called the Living Earth Platform. This platform will power Crisis Observatories, to detect and mitigate crises, and Participatory Platforms, to support the decision-making of policy-makers, managers, and citizens.
Swiss style reception to follow.
Please R.S.V.P., seats are limited!

*Dirk Helbing was born on January 19, 1965. He studied Physics and Mathematics, but was always interested in other fields of science as well. In the year 2000, he became Professor and Managing Director of the Institute for Transport & Economics at Dresden University of Technology, and in 2007 he was appointed Professor of Sociology, in particular of Modeling and Simulation, at ETH Zürich. Since 2008, he is elected member of the German Academy of Sciences "Leopoldina".
More than 200 publications in different scientific fields, 300 talks and more than 300 reports in the public media reflect his wide field of interest, reaching from traffic science over crowds and disaster management to biologically inspired logistics. He also had projects with Xerox PARC, Volkswagen, SCA Packaging, Siemens, PTV, further companies, and various foundations.

Helbings's team developed a traffic assistance system and patented the principle of a self-organized traffic light control, which implements massively parallel, decentralized control concepts for the optimization of traffic flows. The resulting increase of performance and the higher flexibility are based on latest developments in the understanding of complex systems. Companies and societies are other examples of such complex systems. This is also the reason why Dirk Helbing is interested in sociology.
Apart from developing information portals to accelerate scientific innovation, he is particularly interested in techno-social systems, which will determine the future of Web2.0. Furthermore, he is the chairman of the newly established ETH Competence Center "Coping with Crises in Complex Socio-Economic Systems", which will develop computer models of crisis scenarios and finally provide decision support for politics and economy.

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*Skillshare: Time Banking in the Time Trade Circle****
Monday, June 6
6-8:30PM*
The NonProfit Center by South Station
Looking for an alternative economy? Need a ride to the airport, help with your garden or a massage? This workshop will talk about time banking - exchanging services based on time - and tell you all about the Time Trade Circle (TTC), a local time bank with 800+ members all over the greater metro-Boston and Eastern-Mass area. The workshop will explain how to join if you are interested, and forms will be available. I'll explain how time banking is different from bartering, how our local Time Trade Circle time bank works, what kinds of services people trade, and how members participate through their online account.
www.TimeTradeCircle.org
*Learn more and RSVP:** *http://www.sojust.org/events/17664391/* *(bring your own dinner)

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ew England Wind Energy Education Project (NEWEEP) Conference/Workshop Volunteer Opportunities

June 07, 2011 8:00a–8:00p

The conference/workshop will focus on presenting balanced information relevant to issues of importance to individuals and communities affected by wind energy proposals throughout New England, including environmental and economic benefits as well as siting concerns. Our goal is to ensure that participants know where to go to obtain the latest research, identify areas where more research is needed, and identify strategies for continuing the NEWEEP effort.

This one-day conference/workshop will start with presentations and discussion panels. In addition, facilitated breakout sessions will allow participants to collectively brainstorm issues associated with wind development, siting, and permitting, and to identify areas where more credible research is needed and how to oversee and fund it.

NEWEEP's premise is that wind energy has benefits and that responsibly-sited wind power has a role to play in New England, but, not every place is the right place for wind generation. NEWEEP's mission is to seek and make available the best information possible to support good decisions.

Category: lectures/conferences

Location: Best Western Royal Plaza, Marlborough, MA

Sponsored by: MIT Energy Campus Events

Admission: Open to the public

For more information: Contact Kathryn Craddock

kcraddock@seadvantage.com

http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/newengland/neweep/index.asp

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June 10, 2011
New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable:
Better Integrating Policy, Planning, and Electricity Markets in New England

Raab Associates presents:
The 123rd NE Electricity Restructuring Roundtable
Date: Friday, June 10, 2011
Time: 9:00 am to 12:30 pm

Foley Hoag LLP
155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor
Boston, MA 02210

June 10, 2011
New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable
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Better Integrating Policy, Planning,
and Electricity Markets in New England

New England has spent nearly two decades restructuring its electric utility industry, and developing more competitive market structures, ostensibly to bring enhanced benefits to customers. During the same time period, federal, state, and even local governments have developed a multitude of energy policies to encourage the development of particular resources, such as energy efficiency, demand response, and renewable energy (think RPS, energy efficiency and renewable energy system benefit charges, demand response initiatives), while discouraging other resources (think RGGI, various environmental regulations, etc.). Other types of policies and planning frameworks impact the choice between building more wires or more resources. Some states are even putting out RFPs to develop very specific types of resources. This Roundtable will explore the tensions between the desire for both workable markets and a variety of public policy objectives, and will consider how we can move forward to forge a more workable system here in New England.

Our first panel takes a step back from the specific struggles within New England to explore how these issues are playing out on the ground nationally, providing some bold ideas for New Englanders to consider. Former FERC Commissioner Nora Brownell will kick off the panel by discussing how markets can successfully accommodate a wide range of policy/planning objectives. Rich Sedano, Principal at the Regulatory Assistance Project, will share work RAP is currently undertaking to redefine the way markets and policy/planning should be integrated in pursuit of "Responsive Resources." Finally, Mauricio del Valle, Vice President, Global Power and Utility Group, Morgan Stanley, will provide some reality-testing from Wall Street about what's actually needed from markets and policy to get energy projects funded and built.

Our second panel focuses specifically on the current situation in New England, and offers some thoughts on what we should do over the next five to ten years to better integrate electricity markets and policy/planning. Leading off the panel will be Gordon van Welie, President/CEO of ISO New England, which is responsible for keeping the lights on and operating the markets in the face of increasing complexity. Massachusetts DPU Chair Ann Berwick will provide a state regulatory perspective, followed by Daniel Weekley, Vice President of Government Affairs at Dominion Resources, who will provide a generator perspective (and reflect on Dominion's just-announced decision to close Salem Harbor). Rounding out the panel will be Mary Healey, Consumer Counsel for the State of Connecticut and immediate past president of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates.

The Restructuring Roundtables are free and open to the public. Advanced registration is not required.

The Restructuring Roundtable has been meeting bimonthly since 1995, to discuss current topics related to revolutionary changes in the electric power industry in Massachusetts and throughout New England. It is supported by over 25 generous sponsors.

Jonathan Raab, Ph.D, moderator of the Roundtable, is president of Raab Associates, Ltd, a Boston-based mediation and facilitation firm specializing in energy and environmental issues. He also teaches the sustainable energy policy class at MIT.

Raab Associates, 118 South St. 3A, Boston, MA 02111
tel. 617-350-5544 fax 617-350-6655
http://www.RaabAssociates.org

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Greater Boston Connected and Consequential Conference: June 10, 11 and 12
June 10 & 11 Egan Center, Northeastern University
June 12 Design Studio for Social Intervention?

A place for artists and other creative thinkers and practitioners to gather and explore the intersection of art and other fields, including Health, Nature, Consumption and Justice. Through case studies and moderated discussions, conference participants will?learn how artists and their collaborators are using their creativity and finely honed skills to intervene in the major issues of our time to produce positive social outcomes.? The proceedings will focus on the best ways to develop successful?"integrated or hybrid?practices", including the role of collaboration, research, technology and sustainability.

The conference is free, but please pre-register online at
http://www.artistsincontext.org/index.php/connected-a-consequential/greater-boston/greater-boston-conference.html

Friday, June 10 at Northeastern University, Egan Center,120 Forsyth Street,
Boston, MA 02115
6:30-8:30 p.m. Stories from the Field, with artists and community practitioners Gail Burton, New Freedwoman Project; Michael Dowling, Medicine Wheel Productions; Mariama White-Hammond, Project Hip Hop; Andi Sutton, National Bitter Melon Council; John Osorio-Buck; moderated by Kenneth Bailey, Design
Studio for Social Intervention

Saturday, June 11 at Northeastern University, Egan Center,120 Forsyth Street, Boston, MA 02115
8:00 a.m. Registration and Breakfast

9:00 a.m. Introductory Remarks and Video, Marie Cieri and Louisa McCall, Artists in Context

9:15 a.m. Jeremy Nobel, Art and Healing
Jeremy Nobel is an Adjuncy Lecturer on Health Policy and Management Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health and President and Founder, Foundation for Art and Healing

9:30-10:30 a.m. Case Study: SUGAR and Story Circles with artist Robbie McCauley
Moderated by Jeremy Nobel, the discussion of story circles and their impact on diabetics, attitude, care-taking and healing will include Sharon Jackson, Mattapan Community Health Center, and Kathryn, a story circle participant. The case study will also examine how community interest and desire for this type of engagement are determined.

10:35-11:35 a.m. Case Study: Ideas Team with Artistic Director of Artlink, Edinburgh, Alison Stirling, and artists Kelly Dobson, Steve Hollingsworth and Wendy Jacob
How can people with profound developmental disabilities inform an artistic process? How do you bring people together to further inform and realize these ideas? In February, a group of artists, engineers, arts administrators and case workers met in Edinburgh to discuss the creation of a center part ideas laboratory, part university and part day center where individuals from across a range of abilities and disciplines could collaborate on creative projects that challenge normative ways of communication and being in the world. The aim of the center is to use the most cutting edge ideas for the most disadvantaged people.

11:45-12:30 p.m. Open Time networking and resource tables

12:30-1:30 p.m. Lunch, Judy Meredith, Institute for Public Policy
Negotiating Change with Power

1:30-2:30 p.m. Case Study: Crossing the Rubicon: On Contamination, Tragedy and the Possibility of New Cultures with Dan Borelli, artist; Gavin Kroeber, producer; moderated by Marie Cieri, Artists in Context Environmental contamination may be perpetrated by specific individuals and corporations, but the cultural conditions that permit such disregard are
collectively produced.? Starting from the environmental and social histories of Ashland, MA and the Nyanza EPA Superfund site that it is home to, this talk explores the possibility of an artwork that can trace a society?s failure to address its own excesses, honor the victims and heroes of this history, and finally lay the ground for a fundamentally more complex relationship within our community.

2:35-3:35 p.m. Case Study: The Story Behind with Mario E. Quiroz-Servellon, artist; Franklin Soults, Communications Director, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee and Advocacy Coalition; moderator TBD

3:45-5:00 p.m. Wrap Up Community Discussion

5:00-6:00 p.m. Open Time networking and resource tables

Sunday, June 12 at the Design Studio for Social Intervention, 1946 Washington Street, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02118 (entrance on Thorndike Street)
10:30-1:00 p.m. Conference reflections, discussion and networking

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Come Celebrate Magazine Beach
Saturday, June 11
9 am to 3 pm

9am to 12 pm Cleanup: Meet at Riverside Boat Club (across from Starbucks)
12 pm to 2 pm Picnic/Potluck/Barbecue with music by Best Ever Chicken (behind DCR swimming pool)
1 pm to 3 pm Learn to Row at Riverside Boat Club
RSVP for clean up at lcw@thecharles.org
For further information, including rain date updates (rain date is Sunday, June 12), go to http://www charlesriverconservancy.org, http://www.riversideboatclub.com, or contact Cathie Zusy at cathzusy@gmail.com or 617-868-0489

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Global Pitchfest" - International Start-up Competition
Thursday, June 16, 2011 from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM (ET)
Boston, MA

Switzerland’s most outstanding young innovators journey to Boston every year for an entrepreneurial “boot camp” called venture leaders, and you are invited to this year’s finale.
Coordinated by venturelab and swissnex Boston, this year’s 20 selected startups range from medtech to iPhone apps. They will undergo ten days of training culminating in the Global Pitchfest 2011 at MassChallenge on June 16.

Over drinks and high-powered networking, come out to see the venture leaders show off the skills they learned in Boston. They will pitch their ideas to the top start-ups and investors from the Boston area, while competing against 20 local counterparts for airline tickets courtesy Swiss International Airlines. You choose the winners with your votes!

Come and join us for this exiting "Global Pitchfest" and have a chance to select the winner of the night.

Organizers:
Visit the following link for additional information on the entrepreneurs visiting from Switzerland:http://www.swissnexboston.org/activities/ventureleaders
For local startup teams: We are looking for 20 entrepreneurs who would like to take advantage of this opportunity to get visibility for their companies. If you are interested in joining the lineup of presenters, please contact Thomas Boillat (thomas@swissnexboston.org).

MassChallenge: MassChallenge is running the largest-ever global startup competition and accelerator to catalyze the launch and success of high-growth, high-impact new businesses. Around 100 of the highest-potential entrants will receive intensive mentorship and other free resources, including office space and targeted introductions to customers and funding sources. The very best startups will be identified by expert judges to receive cash awards toward launching their businesses.

swissnex Boston: They act as a physical and virtual environment fostering closer ties between Switzerland, New England and Eastern Canada in academia, industry and society. It places particular emphasis on the next generation of creative thinkers and leaders, through a network that promotes the exchange of knowledge and generates cooperation in an innovative, inspiring, and rewarding atmosphere.

ventureleaders: This year will be the 11th edition of Venture Leaders, an entrepreneurial "bootcamp" that will bring to the Boston area 20 entrepreneurs from Switzerland to visit local high tech companies, attend courses with Babson College professors, interact with experts and most importantly network with local entrepreneurs, investors and other members of the high-tech community. The program is a collaboration between CTI (Swiss innovation agency), venturelab (Swiss entrepreneurship training platform) and swissnex Boston, Consulate of Switzerland

http://pitchfest2011.eventbrite.com/

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Taking Risks: The Journey from Blackjack to Big Blue - a talk with Yuchun Lee
Monday, June 20, 2011 from 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM (ET)

IBM Center for Social Software
1 Rogers Street
Cambridge, MA 02142

http://yuchun-lee.eventbrite.com/?ref=enivte?amp;utm_source=eb_email&utm_media=email&utm_compaign=invitenew&utm_term=readmore

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TECHNOLOGY AND MICRO FINANCE
• Date: 6/23/2011
• Location: Microsoft New England R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142
• Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
• Audience: general public
• Description: This event hosted by the MFC (Micro Finance Club) of Boston will focus on the influence technology has recently had on micro finance organizations including Grameen, KIVA, WOKAI, and ACCION. Technology has played an important role in shaping micro finance in developing countries in a variety of ways. Technology has allowed farmers in rural areas better access to information about agriculture and through technology pregnant women have been able to receive medical updates without leaving their villages. This informative presentation will aim to bring together people in the community to discuss the future of technology and ways in which individuals can help locally, whether that be donating old cellphones or volunteering their time.

http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/TechnologyandMicroFinance/tabid/754/Default.aspx

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*Recess for Justice - Saturday, June 25 - 11am-1pm*
Southwest Corridor across from Stony Brook T station in JP
Bring your favorite outdoor game or check out the assortment of fun we'll have on hand: Frisbees, kickball & chalk (for 4-square!), jump rope, basketball, softball (bring a glove) and whatever other randomness we can think of. If it's hot we can run through the fountain sprinkler to cool off. Around 1pm, we'll likely get out of the heat by going to Ula Cafe for lunch. So look no further if you want to cross-promote your events and campaigns while perfecting your Frisbee forehand, you're seeking like-minded progressives to hang out with in Boston, or are new to the area and looking for groups to get involved in.
*RSVP:* http://www.sojust.org/events/17521346/ *Newcomers always welcomed!*

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Climate Change Adaptation Workshop

Consensus Building Institute
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions
The Trustees of Reservations' Putnam Conservation Institute

present

Local Communities Adapting to Climate Change: Managing Risk in Decision Making
Monday, June 20, 2011
9am-4:30pm
Leominster, MA

This one-day course will introduce municipal and community leaders, and planning professionals to the tools they need to better assess and manage the risks associated with climate change. Our approach helps community leaders to consider how they can alter everyday decision making to better prepare for the risks that may lie ahead. This course is tailored specifically for the needs of suburban and rural communities. The key concepts introduced will be "scenario planning" and collaborative approaches to decision-making.

Presenters/Facilitators:

Patrick Field
is Managing Director of North American Programs at the Consensus Building Institute and Associate Director of the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program. Patrick has helped thousands of stakeholders reach agreement on natural resource, land use, water, and air issues across the United States and Canada.

Steve Aldrich
is the founder and President of Bio Economic Research Associates LLC, an independent research and consulting firm specializing in complex issue analysis at the intersection of our emerging knowledge of biology and the economy. Steve studied evolutionary biology and has more than 25 years of experience working in various industries, including energy planning.

Workshop Fee: $45*

For More Information or to Register:
Pre-register online
www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/central-ma/adapting-climate-change-jun20.html
Or contact
Miriam Scagnetti
978.840.4446 x1935
mscagnetti@ttor.org

* Members of The Trustees of Reservations or the MA Association of Conservation Commissions may register for this workshop for $30 - New members welcome!

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Fundraiser for Water for Niger, Africa
When: Sunday, June 25 from 8 pm to 11 pm
Where: 239 Arlington Street, Acton MA 01720
What: African drummers will perform and afterwards a dance party.
Why: To raise funds to help build wells for villages that have been put at risk by the many droughts in the region.
Donation: We are asking people to make reservations with a $25 donation.

Make checks payable to Bokai Inc, 239 Arlington Street, Acton. MA 01720

Bokai Inc: Established by a former Peace Corps volnteer with a direct relationship with town officials in Guidan Roumji. It is a 501 C-3 charitable organization. The towns of Action and Guidan Roumji have become Sister Cities. High School students have exchanged letters. Money has been sent for business micro-loans, farming and tree planting. All money will go towards the well building project.

For more details, contact Michael Klinger #978 263-7925, mklinger@anzuglobal.com

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NO NUKES PARTY

JUNE 25, 1-8PM
WENDELL, MA, TOWN HALL, Common
POTLUCK***CELEBRATE***RE-CONNECT*** SINGING
(And discuss non-violent action plans 3-5:30pm)

Sponsored by: Wendell Conservation Commission?? ???????????????????????????????

Co-sponsors: Clamshell Legacy and Antinuclear Mobilization (info@clamshellalliance.org), ???????

Citizens Awareness Network (nukebusters.org),?? Safe & Green (safeandgreencampaign.org)

Green Mtn. Post Films (gmpfilms.com); W. MA AFSC (westernmassafsc.org);

Traprock Center for Peace and Justice (traprock.info); Solar Rollers

???? More information, contact info@clamshellalliance.org

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Every year, the International Co-operative Alliance, based in Geneva, and the United Nations co-sponsor the International Day for Co-operatives on the first Saturday in July, which is July 2nd in 2011.

This year, Harvest Cooperatives has agreed to sponsor a Co-op Faire, featuring Boston-area cooperatives and their supporters. We will come together in the parking lot adjacent to Harvest from 10 AM to 2 PM and set up tables / canopies / booths with banners and signs, to pass out flyers to the public, talk with interested potential members, share an afternoon with coop-minded people, and celebrate the joy of building the co-op movement. Add a bit of food for the gatherers to share, maybe some acoustical music, possibly a skit or other performance and a demonstration project or two and we will have a marvelous time supporting co-ops and connecting with co-ops around the world.

History shows that the periods of greatest co-op growth are when the economy is coming out of a recession. As people get back on their feet, they work to organize different ways of building economic organizations that will not replicate the previous business disasters. That time is now. As we come out of the "Great Recession", we are already seeing a boom in co-op organizing and now is the time to point the way to a better future -- co-operatively.

If your co-op or supporting organization would be interested in reserving a table space for the Faire, please contact Wayne Clark at rwayneclark@irg.org or 603-512-8015 (cell) or 617-467-4113 (home). You can complete the registration form and prepare to participate.

Hopefully, the 2011 International Day for Co-operatives, Mass Bay Co-op Faire will begin an annual event where co-ops in our area can promote the benefits of co-operatives and develop our organizations and their members.

Come share the wisdom in the nearly 200 years of the co-op movement.

I hope to see you there, R. Wayne Archer-Clark (rwayneclark@igc.org)

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Opportunity

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From John Bolduc, Environmental Planner, Community Development Department, Cambridge, MA:

"Finally, I wanted to let folks on the list know, if you are interested, that I will be going, on a personal basis, on a study tour of cities in Germany and Holland taking a look at climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives. The tour is organized by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability. We will visit Freiburg, Dresden, Bonn, and Rotterdam. We will also participate in the ICLEI Climate Resilient Cities Conference in Bonn. I am leaving today for 2 weeks and I plan to blog along the way as a way to share information. If you are interested, please visit the Energy 2.0 blog hosted by the Cambridge Energy Alliance. You can visit the site athttp://energytwodotzero.org/. You can also subscribe to the blog to be informed of updates. I plan to post 4 or 5 times with photos. So join me for the trip."

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The Medford Farmers Market is looking for organizations, individuals, chefs, nutritionists, educators, musicians, physical activity specialists, gardeners, and other fun people who would like to do educational activities on market days.

We are looking for activities that are interactive and enjoyed by all ages. Demos, how-tos and games are encouraged. Should be somehow related to sustainable living, health, nutrition, farming, gardening, physical activity, sustainability, learning and development, music, art, creativity. Most importantly it should be entertaining for people at the market.

We are looking to fill 1, 2, 3 or 4 hour time slots. The Medford Farmers Market is a great place for you to gain experience and exposure - there are over 20 vendors signed up for the season including local wine, meat, vegetables, honey, bread, art.....Your activity/demo/gig will be well publicized via social media, as well as local newspapers and newsletters sent to hundreds of people.

The market goes from June 16- Oct 13 at the Whole Foods Market Parking Lot, 2151 Mystic Valley Parkway (Rt 16), Medford, MA 02155. Plenty of parking and restrooms are available.

Please contact me if you are interested. Please feel free to forward this e-mail to people who you think may be interested. Thanks so much, have a great weekend!

For more info, please see the following:
website: www.medfordfarmersmarket.org
e-mail: medfordfarmersmarket@gmail.com
twitter: MedfordFarmMkt
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Medford-Farmers-Market/135452753138491
Address: Whole Foods Market Parking Lot, 2151 Mystic Valley Parkway (Rt 16)

Editorial Comment: I have taken some of my solar displays to farmers' markets from time to time and have advocated doing so as a way to change US energy attitudes, policies, and realities as the people who go to farmers' markets are a core constituency for renewable energy. More at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/5/27/870257/-How-to-Change-US-Energy-in-One-Growing-Season

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Resource

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Massachusetts Attitudes About Climate Change – An opinion survey of Massachusetts residents conducted by MassINC and sponsored by the Barr Foundation found that 77% of respondents believe that global warming has “probably been happening” and 59% of all respondents see see it as being at least partially caused by human pollution. Only 42% of the state’s residents say global warming will have very serious consequences for Massachusetts if left unaddressed. The 18 to 29 age group is more likely to believe global warming is appearing and caused by humans compared to the 60+ age group. African-American (56%) and Latino residents (69%) are more likely than white residents (40%) to believe global warming will be a very serious problem if left unaddressed. The MassINC report, titled The 80 Percent Challenge: What Massachusetts must do to meet targets and make headway on climate change (http://www.massinc.org/Research/The-80-percent-challenge.aspx), contains many other findings. MassINC will hold a forum about the report on May 19, 5:00 to 6:30 pm at the City Year Headquarters, 287 Columbus Avenue, Boston. To register, click here. [MetroWest Daily News, 4/14/11]

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The presentations from the recent Affordable Comfort National Home Performance Conference are available online at
http://2011.acinational.org/downloadable_resources

Lots of good information from what some call the best energy conference in the USA on Deep Energy Retrofits to Community Energy Challenges with details on insulation, heat flow, energy metering, ducting, hot water, and many, many other topics. If you are a practical energy wonk, this should make your eyes light up.

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Free Monthly Energy Analysis

CarbonSalon is a free service that every month can automatically track your energy use and compare it to your past energy use (while controlling for how cold the weather is). You get a short friendly email that lets you know how you’re doing in your work to save energy.

https://www.carbonsalon.com/

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Boston Food System

"The Boston Food System [listserv] provides a forum to post announcements of events, employment opportunities, internships, programs, lectures, and other activities as well as related articles or other publications of a non-commercial nature covering the area's food system - food, nutrition, farming, education, etc. - that take place or focus on or around Greater Boston (broadly delineated)."

The Boston area is one of the most active nationwide in terms of food system activities - projects, services, and events connected to food, farming, nutrition - and often connected to education, public health, environment, arts, social services and other arenas. Hundreds of organizations and enterprises cover our area, but what is going on week-to-week is not always well publicized.

Hence, the new Boston Food System listserv, as the place to let everyone know about these activities. Specifically:
Use of the BFS list will begin soon, once we get a decent base of subscribers. Clarification of what is appropriate to announce and other posting guidelines will be provided as well.

It's easy to subscribe right now at https://elist.tufts.edu/wws/subscribe/bfs

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Artisan Asylum http://artisansasylum.com/

Sprout & Co: Community Driven Investigations http://thesprouts.org/studios

Greater Boston Solidarity Economy Mapping Project http://www.transformationcentral.org/solidarity/mapping/mapping.html
a project by Wellesley College students that invites participation, contact jmatthaei@wellesley.edu

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Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com

Thanks to

Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the
Boston Area http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html

Boston Area Computer User Groups http://www.bugc.org/

http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/mit_events_template

http://sustainability.mit.edu/

http://www.environment.harvard.edu/events/calendar/

http://green.harvard.edu/events

http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/tabid/57/Default.aspx

http://pechakuchaboston.org/blog/

http://boston.nerdnite.com/

http://www.meetup.com/

http://www.eventbrite.com/

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