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
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Monday, August 15, 2011
300 of the world's best design theses on view at SA+P: Archiprix
Time: 9:00a–8:00p
Location: MIT, 7-431, On the 4th floor above Lobby 7, at 77 Massachussets Avenue
A major exhibit on view throughout the summer at the School of Architecture + Planning is presenting 300 of the world's best thesis projects in architecture, urban design and landscape architecture.
Sponsored by Archiprix International, the biennial exhibit is the largest such presentation in the world -- more than 1,400 universities were invited to nominate their best graduating students -- and offers a rare opportunity for assessing current trends in design education around the world and architecture in general.
Hosted by SA+P's Platform for Permanent Modernity, a research program in the Department of Architecture, the exhibit opened May 30 as part of a two-week international event that also features intensive six-day workshops for about 100 of the students represented in the show, conducted at MIT by prominent designers from leading architecture schools in the United States.
Web site: http://www.archiprix.org/2011/
Open to: the general public
This event occurs daily through August 31, 2011, except May 30, 2011 and June 6, 2011.
Sponsor(s): School of Architecture and Planning, Arts at MIT
For more information, contact:
Alexander D'Hooghe
617 308 7386
adhooghe@mit.edu
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MIT SDM Systems Thinking Webinar Series
Why Systems Thinking Is Not a Natural Act
Ricardo Valerdi, Associate Professor, University of Arizona
Date: August 22, 2011
Time: Noon - 1 p.m.
Open to all
Register at https://mitweb.webex.com/mitweb/j.php?ED=145050207&RG=1&UID=0&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D
About the Presentation
Competence in systems thinking is implicitly assumed among the population of engineers and managers — in fact, most technical people claim to be systems thinkers. But this competence is not as prevalent as these assertions might lead one to assume. Controlled experiments show that systems thinking performance, even among highly educated people, is poor. This presentation provides a set of systems thinking competencies and demonstrates how these are not as common as advertised. We also discuss how these competencies can be measured.
The main thesis is that systems thinking is not a natural act because (1) evolution has favored mechanisms tuned to dealing with immediate surface features of problems and (2) the Western education system tends to emphasize reductionist approaches. We discuss the implications of the current state and provide recommendations for closing the gap between the demand and supply of systems thinking through the use of systems thinking flight simulators. Finally, key takeaways are provided for the application of systems thinking across a variety of scenarios.
About the Speaker
Now an associate professor at the University of Arizona, Ricardo Valerdi was formerly a research associate in the Lean Advancement Initiative in the Engineering Systems Division at MIT.
Dr. Valerdi is a two-time recipient of the Best Thesis Advisor Award in the MIT Technology & Policy Program, the Best Article of the Year Award in theSystems Engineering Journal, and Best Paper Awards at the INCOSE Symposium, Conference on Systems Engineering Research and International Society of Parametric Analysts.
His research focuses on systems engineering metrics, cost estimation, test & evaluation, human systems integration, enterprise transformation, and performance measurement. His research has been funded by Army Test & Evaluation, Navy Acquisition Research Program, Air Force Office of the Surgeon General, Air Force Acquisition Chief Process Office, BAE Systems, and the IBM Center for the Business of Government.
Dr. Valerdi is the co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Enterprise Transformation, served on the Board of Directors of the International Council on Systems Engineering, and is a senior member of the IEEE. He received his BS/BA in electrical engineering from the University of San Diego in 1999, and his MS and PhD degrees in systems architecting and engineering from the University of Southern California in 2002 and 2005.
About the Series
The MIT System Design and Management Program Systems Thinking Webinar Series features research conducted by SDM faculty, alumni, students, and industry partners. The series is designed to disseminate information on how to employ systems thinking to address engineering, management, and socio-political components of complex challenges.
Topic: Why Systems Thinking is Not a Natural Act
Date: Monday, August 22, 2011
Time: 12:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)
To register for this meeting
1. Go to https://mitweb.webex.com/mitweb/j.php?ED=145050207&RG=1&UID=0&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D
2. Register for the meeting.
Once the host approves your request, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the meeting.
To view in other time zones or languages, please click the link:
https://mitweb.webex.com/mitweb/j.php?ED=145050207&RG=1&UID=0&ORT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D
For assistance
1. Go to https://mitweb.webex.com/mitweb/mc
2. On the left navigation bar, click "Support".
You can contact me at:
sgd+sdmwebex@mit.edu
1-6172530812
http://www.webex.com
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This WebEx service includes a feature that allows audio and any documents and other materials exchanged or viewed during the session to be recorded. By joining this session, you automatically consent to such recordings. If you do not consent to the recording, discuss your concerns with the meeting host prior to the start of the recording or do not join the session. Please note that any such recordings may be subject to discovery in the event of litigation.
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REFRESH BOSTON PRESENTS BEYOND FRUSTRATION: PLEASURE, FLOW, AND MEANING IN DESIGN
Date: 8/24/2011
Location: Microsoft New England R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142
Time: 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Audience: Technology, Web Design, Web Development, Usability
Twitter: @refreshboston
Description: Refresh Boston returns in August with author and speaker Dana Chisnell, who will present:
Beyond Frustration: Pleasure, Flow, and Meaning in Design
Is this you?
+ Designer looking for ideas for turning up the notch on designs.
+ IA who thinks that "products" and "solutions" as labels don't capture the conversation you want to have with users.
+ User researcher or usability specialist who want to make a design something more than baseline usable.
If you identify with any of these, this session is for you.
Design is about stimulus and response. We make things to elicit reaction. Often, UX is about spurring people to act: search, select, buy. But what if the response the team wanted to create was emotional? What if there was a specific, positive emotion attached to a technology experience? How might that affect engagement?
There's a vast difference between making a design that doesn't suck and creating one that people will love to use. While at one time it was enough to make something that was usable, learnable, or findable, we are pretty good at that now. We call that UCD. Where do we go next? Experience design. Designs could be much more: delightful or gratifying. They could help people find purpose and belonging.
Dana will present a framework and a language for thinking about and talking about taking designs to the next level with examples of how how some designs are building in emotional, linguistic, and psychological cues - and making sweet, fun, engaging, connected experiences.
RSVP at http://refreshboston.org/rsvp/
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Lean Startup Circle Boston August Meetup
Thursday, August 25, 2011, 6:30 PM
Microsoft New England Research & Development Center (NERD)
One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA (map)
6:30pm - Early Bird Presentation: Customer Development 101
For those new to the concepts of Customer Development and The Lean Startup, Matthew Mamet, Co-organizer of the LSC Boston Meetup and Product Manager at Alleyoop.com will talk about the basics of customer development and lean startups at 6:30pm. Come to listen to the presentation, or hang out and network over pizza!
7pm - Yoav Shapira, VP Platform Strategy at Hubspot
Yoav will discuss how they do Lean Startup at HubSpot, and how they've scaled their development operations to date.
From 2007 to 2010, Yoav was HubSpot's Vice President of Engineering. In that role, Yoav put in place HubSpot's product development framework, including all the processes and standards to facilitate team growth by several multiples, and customer growth from a few dozen to thousands.
Now, Yoav manages a small team of developers who are building the foundation for the next generation of HubSpot products, providing APIs for other HubSpot developers and 3rd parties, and creating a developer ecosystem around HubSpot.
HubSpot, Inc. offers an all-in-one marketing software platform to over 4,000 companies in 31 countries to increase the number of website visitors and convert more of those visitors. HubSpot is also the developer of the popular website analysis tool, WebsiteGrader.com, which has over 3 million users.
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Lean-Startup-Circle-Boston/events/23685901/
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The Boston Women’s Heritage Trail, The Boston Parks and Recreation Department, The City of Boston Women’s Commission, and The Massachusetts Women’s Suffrage Celebration Committee
Invite you to attend
Women’s Equality Day
Celebrating
The 91st Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote, The Release of Boston Women’s Heritage Trail's HerStory Map, & The Paget Family - Founders of the Public Garden Swan Boats, a Newly Dedicated Historic Boston Landmark
Friday, August 26, 2011
11:00 a.m. - Noon
Swan Boats Pavilion, Boston Public Garden
Info at: http://www.mass.gov/ago/womensequality
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Friday, August 26, 2011
TPSS Technology Policy Lunch
Time: 12:30p–1:30p
Location: MIT, E40-380
Reps from ESD PhD, STS, DUSP MCP, CivE MST and other "fellow traveller" science- and technology programs with a policy aspect are invited to help welcome the incoming TPP cohort.
Come help form a graduate student policy community, and help us pick topics and formats for regular interactions throughout the upcoming year.
Open to: MIT, Harvard & Boston-area students of technology & science policy
Sponsor(s): Technology and Policy Student Society, Technology and Policy Program, Graduate Student Council
For more information, contact:
Paul Natsuo Kishimoto
pnk@mit.edu
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VENTURELAB SUSTAINABLE VISION
Date: 8/26/2011 - 8/30/2011
Location: Microsoft New England R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142
Time: 9:00am - 7:00pm
Audience: Students and faculty from the Boston area and around the country working on ventures for the developing world
Description: Please note that this is a week-long workshop: August 26-30, 2011
VentureLab Sustainable Vision is a 5-day intensive workshop for students and faculty working on projects and ventures for the developing world. Students from Boston University, Northeastern, MIT (including Legatum fellows) Harvard and Tufts will meet and work with students from other programs around the country, to develop strong, sustainable business models that create products or services for the benefit of people living in poverty.
http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/VentureLabSustainableVision/tabid/823/Default.aspx
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Boston Social Impact Potluck #III
Saturday, August 27, 2011 from 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM
36 Sciarappa Street
Roofdeck
Cambridge, MA 02141
Come mingle with other social entrepreneurs. Bring your friends who would be interested as well or want to hang out with other cool people trying to save the world [or at least make a lasting impact]!
It's a potluck but you don't have to bring a feast. So bring something light eatery or baked goods... or beer.... or wine - what ever your heart desires.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact the two co-organizers:
Adrian Wong
awong209@gmail.com
mobile 626-607-6029
&
Justin Kang
justinjkang@gmail.com
RSVP http://bostonsocialpotlucks.eventbrite.com/
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Upcoming
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Monday August 29, 2011 — 8pm at Middlesex Lounge
315 Mass Ave, Cambridge In Central Square
$5
Featuring Nerd-appropriate tunes by Claude Money
Talk 1. “Mumblecore: The Movement That Didn’t Roar” by Maria San Filippo
Talk 2. “How Do People Heal? An Integration of Acupuncture, Meditation and Placebo Research” by Jessica Shaw
http://boston.nerdnite.com/
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Green Drinks Boston - August Happy Hour
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (ET)
Kingston Station
25 Kingston St.
Boston, MA 02111
After a successful re-launch of Green Drinks Boston in June, we are building momentum by announcing our monthly happy hours on the last Tuesday of each month! Keep sending feedback to Lyn@greendrinksboston.com for ideas about speakers or content for the future and mark your calendar for drinks in July.
Green Drinks Boston builds a community of sustainably-minded Bostonians, provides a forum for exchange of sustainability career resources, and serves as a central point of information about emerging green issues. We support the exchange of ideas and resources about sustainable energy, environment, food, health, education.
http://bgdaug.eventbrite.com/
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I hope you can join us for the TROMP Benefit at Flatbreads to take place in 3 weeks on Tues, 9/6/11. A portion of the proceeds of all pizzas sold (eat in or take out) from 5pm - 11pm will be donated to TROMP. This is a great time for you to be available to talk to, bowl with, and eat with our supporters!
Bowl & Eat Pizza to benefit TROMP on Tues, 9/6/11 Flatbreads in Davis Square
Flatbread & Sacco’s Bowl Haven
45 Day Street, Davis Square, Somerville, MA 02144
EAT & TAKE-OUT: 5pm to 11pm
BOWL: 7pm to 11pm
http://www.trompcambridge.com/index.php
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ROOT CAUSE'S SOCIAL INNOVATION FORUM SEMIFINALIST INFORMATION SESSION
Event Details
Date: 9/7/2011
Location: Microsoft New England R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142
Time: 8:00am - 9:30am
Audience: Root Cause's 2011-2012 Social Innovation Forum semifinalists
Twitter: @RootCause
Description: The Semifinalist Information Session is an optional, but recommended session for all 2011-2012 semifinalists as we want to make sure that organizations understand both the process going forward and the expectations for those chosen as Social Innovators. We will focus on what we’re looking for in the second-round application and how those applications are evaluated. We will also bring in a 2011 Social Innovator to speak for a few minutes about his/her personal experience with the Social Innovation Forum.
Register at http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/RootCausesSocialInnovationForumSeptember2011/tabid/821/Default.aspx
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September 14 and 15
Current TV 24 Hours of Green Programming
WHAT IS 24 HOURS OF REALITY?
24 Presenters. 24 Time Zones. 13 Languages. 1 Message. 24 Hours of Reality is a worldwide event to broadcast the reality of the climate crisis. It will consist of a new multimedia presentation created by Al Gore and delivered once per hour for 24 hours, in every time zone around the globe. Each hour people living with the reality of climate change will connect the dots between recent extreme weather events — including floods, droughts and storms — and the manmade pollution that is changing our climate. We will offer a round-the-clock, round-the-globe snapshot of the climate crisis in real time. The deniers may have millions of dollars to spend, but we have a powerful advantage. We have reality.
http://climaterealityproject.org/
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Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University presents
THE REAL PAPER: JOURNALISM THEN & NOW
with Harper Barnes, Jan Freeman, Laura Shapiro, Paul Solman, and Mark Zanger
moderator Monica Collins
September 15, 6:30-8 pm
C. Walsh Theater
(Boston, MA 02114) Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University presents “The Real Paper: Journalism Then & Now” with Harper Barnes, Jan Freeman, Laura Shapiro, Paul Solman, and Mark Zanger; discussion moderated by Monica Collins. Thursday, September 15, 6:30-8 pm. Admission is free and open to all. C. Walsh Theater at Suffolk University, 55 Temple Street, Boston, MA. Wheelchair accessible and conveniently located near the Park St. MBTA Station. For more information, call the Ford Hall Forum at 617-557-2007 or visitwww.fordhallforum.org.
Ford Hall Forum Vice President and former The Real Paper journalist Monica Collins assembles this riveting The Real Paper reunion withHarper Barnes, Jan Freeman, Laura Shapiro, Paul Solman, and Mark Zanger. Hear how this free alternative weekly newspaper’s laudable format of an employee-run collective was, ironically, its undoing as the opportunity to sell arose, as did interpersonal conflict. Their experience with The Real Paper yields surprising views on modern-day journalism, including sustainable and fair business models, the future of free newspapers in a world of internet media, and whether journalists in today’s economy should strike out on their own.
Further background information on participants:
Harper Barnes is a longtime editor and cultural critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and has written for Rolling Stone and the Washington Post. He is the author of the novel Blue Monday and Standing on a Volcano: The Life and Times of David Rowland Francis, a biography of Woodrow Wilson's ambassador to Russia.
Monica Collins created and writes “Ask Dog Lady,” a humor/lifestyle column about dogs, life, and love that is syndicated to 400+ newspapers nationwide. Collins also hosts the radio program, “Ask Dog Lady,” on 980 WCAP in the Merrimack Valley. She is a regular guest on “The Callie Crossley Show” on WGBH-FM in a continuing series called “Pup Culture.” Collins is also a communications consultant and media strategist for non-profit organizations. A former staff writer and media critic for USA Today and the Boston Herald, Collins has written for the Boston Globeand various magazines, such as USA Weekend, ForbesLife Executive Woman, Ladies Home Journal, Vogue, and, of course, The Real Paper.
Since 1997, Jan Freeman has been writing the Boston Sunday Globe's weekly language column "The Word". She worked as an editor at The Real Paper, Boston and Inc. magazines, and the Boston Globe, where she was a science news editor until she launched her weekly column on English usage. She is the co-author of Ambrose Bierce's Write It Right: The Celebrated Cynic's Language Peeves Deciphered, Appraised, and Annotated for 21st-Century Readers.
Laura Shapiro currently writes as a columnist for Gourmet.com, Gourmet magazine’s website. Formerly, Shapiro worked as a columnist at The Real Paper and after that worked for sixteen years as a writer for Newsweek. There, she covered food, women’s issues and the arts and won several journalism awards for her work. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Gourmet, Granta, The American Scholar, Gastronomica, Slate and many other publications. Her first book was Perfection Salad: Women and Cooking at the Turn of the Century. She is also the author of Something from the Oven: Revinventing Dinner in 1950s America and Julia Child.
Since 1985, Paul Solman has been a business and economics correspondent for the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. A business reporter for WGBH Boston since 1977, Solman was the co-originator and executive editor of PBS's business documentary series, ENTERPRISE. Solman was also the founding editor of The Real Paper as well as the East Coast editor of Mother Jones magazine. Solman began his career in business journalism as a Nieman Fellow at the Harvard Business School in 1976. His reporting has won him several Emmys and two Peabody Awards. Solman has also served as a Professor at the Harvard Business School, teaching media, finance and business history. He also co-authored the book, Life and Death on the Corporate Battlefield. In addition, Solman is the presenter and author of Discovering Economics With Paul Solman, a series of videos that accompany McGraw-Hill introductory economics textbooks. Solman also lectures on college campuses and has written for numerous articles including for Forbes magazine.
Since 2007, Mark Zanger has worked as the Director of Communications for the Coalition of Families and Advocates for the Retarded. Also, a seasoned journalist, Zanger has worked as a freelance writer and restaurant critic for the Boston Phoenix since 1981. Zanger has published five books most of which are related to his work as a restaurant critic. He has previously served as chief editor of delphiforums.com, op-ed editor ofMetroWest News, and Public Information Officer for Oxfam America, Inc. Before that he served as Editor-in-Chief of The Real Paper from 1975 through 1980. Zanger studied English at Yale University.
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September 16, 2011
New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable:
Two Timely Topics:
FERC Order 1000 (Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation Requirements);
and
The Future of Solar in New England
Raab Associates presents:
The 124th NE Electricity Restructuring Roundtable
Date: Friday, September 16, 2011
Time: 9:00 am to 12:30 pm
Foley Hoag LLP
155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor
Boston, MA 02210
On July 21, FERC issued Order 1000, its long-anticipated, 600-plus page rule on the future of transmission planning and cost-allocation in the United States. According to Chairman Wellinghoff, "The Final Rule will profoundly affect the development of our nation's transmission system in coming decades." One of the many unique features of this Order is the requirement for integrating federal and state energy policies (e.g., RPS) in transmission planning and implementation.
Please join us at our next Restructuring Roundtable as we learn aboutFERC Order 1000 and discuss its ramifications and implications for New England transmission and non-transmission alternatives. The panel will begin with a succinct synopsis by Mason Emnett, Associate Director of FERC's Policy Office, and a lead FERC staffer on Order 1000. Mason will be followed by a panel of three discussants who will reflect on how this order will likely impact transmission, renewables, and other resource planning and implementation in New England.
Heather Hunt, Executive Director of the New England States' Committee on Electricity (NESCOE), will lead off the panel with reflections garnered from the six New England State PUCs on Order 1000 and an update on NESCOE's coordinated competitive renewable procurement and new interstate transmission siting collaborative. Peter Flynn, President of FERC Regulated Businesses at National Grid, will provide a transmission owner's perspective, and Seth Kaplan, VP of Policy and Climate Advocacy at Conservation Law Foundation, will offer an environmental perspective.
Our second panel focuses on the Future of Solar in New England. With photovoltaic prices continuing to drop due to technology breakthroughs and increasing economies of scale, coupled with new solar-related state policies, PV installations in New England are on the rise. Our panel starts off with international solar expert, ChrisPorter, Lead Downstream Analyst, Photon Consulting, who will talk about the international technology and price progressions and how they may impact solar supply and demand in New England. DOERCommissioner Mark Sylvia will then discuss the evolution of solar-related policies in Massachusetts, including the Commonwealth's unique SREC market and net metering rules. We round out the panel with two leading solar developers as they discuss both the opportunities and on-going challenges of developing solar projects throughout New England: Dan Leary, President, Renewable Energy Solutions, Nexamp and President of the Solar Energy Business Association of New England (SEBANE), and Bryan Miller, VP of Energy Policy/Sustainable Energy at Constellation Energy.
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THE THIRD ANNUAL URBAN-AG FAIR
CELEBRATING LOCAL GARDENS, GROWERS AND FOOD
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2011
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
MT. AUBURN STREET AND WINTHROP PARK (between Eliot and JFK)
The Urban-Ag Fair will showcase incredible locally grown fruits and vegetables in a judged competition. Visitors may sample recipes prepared using local ingredients and get tips from local experts on gardening topics like composting, container gardening, and raising chickens and bees.
The entire event is free, open to the public, and family-friendly. Cooking demonstrations by local chefs and Cambridge school student growers will be held throughout the day, along with talks on gardening topics. Prizes will be awarded for fruits, vegetables, flowers, honey, eggs, baked goods, preserves/pickles, and beverages, in the categories of tastiest, biggest, prettiest/most creative, most interesting/funny-looking, and student grower (under 17).
Applications for growers and vendors or anyone who might want to have an information table are attached. Please return the forms by September 8. You can also download forms from www.harvardsquare.com
Questions? hsba@harvardsquare.com or 617-491-3434
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Wednesday, September 21st, 2011, 7:00 p.m. Sustainability and Portland's 5 Ecodistricts: A Discussion with Garry Sotnik
Join us for a a round table discussion with sustainability economist, Garry Sotnik,visiting from the hub of environmental innovation, Portland, Oregon. Presenting his paper on Portland's five ecodistricts, an initiative launched in 2009 in Portland, OR, to catalyze the city’s transition process towards sustainable development, Garry will also share his analysis on adaptability: What does it mean to adapt? What is required for adaptation? And what can be done to assist human systems (e.g. households, communities, regions, etc.) in adapting? He will then open the floor for an open discussion on the role of community organizing within the environmental movement, the ideas of connectedness and resiliency in the face of climate change, what could movements in Boston learn from the large-scale and well-subsidized efforts in Portland, similarly, what can the Ecodistrict Initiative learn from grassroots and multi-focus social change organizing?
encuentro 5
33 Harrison Avenue
5th Floor
Boston, MA 02111
Close to Chinatown, Downtown Crossing, and Boylston T stops
www.encuentro5.org
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Join us for the Greater Boston Slow Money Entrepreneur Showcase!
Thursday, September 22
6pm – 9pm
Non-Profit Center
89 South Street, Boston
South Street Conference Center
We will be bringing together investors, sustainable food entrepreneurs and leaders working together to rebuild our local food system. Learn about investment opportunities and how you can participate in rebuilding local economies based on the principles of soil fertility, sense of place, care of the commons and economic, cultural and biological diversity.
For investors: The Entrepreneur Showcase will provide access to sustainable food and farming businesses at different stages of development from start-up to expansion of existing businesses. The businesses and initiatives are also seeking different levels of financing — from small loans to major capital, as well as donations. Greater Boston Slow Money encourages investors of all resource levels to attend including institutional, individual, accredited, and unaccredited investors. This showcase event is not an offer to sell securities or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities.
For Entrepreneurs: The Showcase is a tightly produced event. Each entrepreneur will have five minutes and 6 slides to tell their stories, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A from the audience. Presenters will also benefit from the networking opportunity specifically designed to encourage and elevate investor dialog. Throughout the event, your collateral will be available for attendees, and you will be mentioned in all promotional materials for the event.
The Entrepreneur Showcase offers all the advantages of a traditional venture fair and many more. Because of the shared vision that brings us all together, it is an unparalleled opportunity for you to build relationships with investors and entrepreneurs from all over the region. We are confident that, if chosen to participate, you will have opportunities to make important connections that add value to your enterprise.
Given the relatively short time horizon, please submit your application no later than Wednesday, August 31, 2011. Demand for participation in the Showcase is high; spots will fill up.
To apply: send an email to gbslowmoney@gmail.com and we will send you the application. It is free to apply, but costs $25 to present and take advantage of this exciting opportunity.
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September 24
Moving Planet: A Day to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels
On Sept. 24th, 2011, on the streets of Boston, join a worldwide event – Moving Planet – calling on our elected leaders, businesses and communities to get serious about moving beyond fossil fuels. Come on bike or on foot, by boat, carpool or public transportation! Come with your community, your organization, or simply yourself to help make one big, bold, beautiful statement:
We have the power to build a secure, healthy, just and sustainable future for our children and our planet!
http://moving-newengland.org/
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Opportunity
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AC Swap – The Cambridge Energy Alliance’s window air conditioner swap program is in progress. Residents can obtain a voucher for $125 if they swap an inefficient window AC unit for an Energy Star rated model This is a limited time offer. Go to the CEA website for participation details:http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/resources/a-c-swap
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Free Solar Panels for Houses of Worship
From a recent Mass Interfaith Power & Light (http://mipandl.org/) email
"We've recently been talking with DCS Energy (http://www.dcsenergy.com/) who has an unbeatable offer: if your site qualifies, they design and install the panels at no cost, don't charge you for any electricity, and donate the system to your house of worship after five years. Your only costs will be for a building permit, possibly a structural engineer to verify that your roof can support their weight, and any preparatory work such as roof work or tree removal. If solar panels are so expensive how can anyone give them away for free? First, there is a federal grant program that is only available until November that pays for 30% of the cost of the system. Then there is an accelerated depreciation option that gives certain kinds of investors another tax advantage. Finally, the state awards a special allowance called a "Solar Renewal Energy Credit" (SRECs) to owners of solar electricity systems which are sold at auctions to utilities who buy them to meet their requirements under the Massachusetts' renewable portfolio standard. DCS is betting that the price of these SRECs will remain high. Jim Nail, president of MA IP&L, has talked to DCS Energy and is currently having them prepare a proposal for his church, St. Dunstan's Episcopal in Dover. Jim says, "The references I've talked to have been quite positive about the program and the company has been very responsive. "If you think your site might qualify, contact Peter Carli, pete@dcsenergy.com, with the address of your house of worship and your contact information. He'll take a preliminary look at your site and advise you if it meets their criteria."
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Young World Inventors (http://yinventors.wordpress.com/) has started a Kickstarter campaign (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1036325713/youngworldinventorscom) to fund insider web stories of African and American innovators in collaboration, whom Diane Hendrix will be following with her camera from June 23 to August 2 in Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. They are building a community and raising funds for production and editing.
One of the people she will be following is Bernard Kiwia, a Tanzanian inventor who teamed up with MIT grad Jodie Wu to start Global Cycle Solutions in Arusha, near the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. They are starting with ten insider stories of innovators (high and low tech) in East Africa on a new interactive site, with collaborators who'll help distribute stories, such as AITI, who who led us to some fascinating projects (see our intro to AITI on YouTube).
Editorial Comment: I too have met Bernard Kiwia and am deeply impressed by the variety of projects and collaborations happening between Africa and the USA. Bernard's bicycle cell phone charger is only one of the many innovative ideas coming out of young African and American imaginations and expertise these days.
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What you need to know: The Staples Youth Social Entrepreneur (YSE) Competition is a global competition created by Staples Foundation and Ashoka to recognize exceptional young people using innovation and technology to advance social change and improve their community and the world.
Who’s eligible?: Young people (age 12-24), living anywhere in the world, are eligible to apply.
Dates and details: Apply online between June 22 and September 19, 2011.
For more information: http://ashokayouthcompetition.org/
--
Laura Sampath
MIT International Development Initiative
77 Mass Ave, 10-110
Cambridge MA 02139
617.253.7052
Sign up for the 2011 Yunus Challenge Facebook page: yunus2011@groups.facebook.com
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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.
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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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Bostonsmart.com's Guide to Boston http://www.bostonsmarts.com/BostonGuide/
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Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com
Thanks to
Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the
Boston Area http://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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