Many May Events, a Job, and E2.0 updates!
Jesse Gorden
Happy Spring CEA friends!
Now that you’ve seen the CEA Spring Newsletter, you have the tips you need to have a successful energy efficient season. Since you’re all set with projects, I’m here to tell you all about the things that you can fill your schedule with for the next couple of weeks! Cambridge’s Go Green Month and Climate Change Week bring a lot to the table in May.
Events coming up can be found listed on the CEA Calendar as well as in this email.
We hope to see you many times this month!
Best wishes,
Jesse Gorden
Outreach Coordinator
Cambridge Energy Alliance
May Events: Go Green Month and Climate Change Week
The First Annual Climate Change Week 2011 is the third week of the City of Cambridge’s “Go Green” month. Climate Change Week hopes to increase the level of awareness in Cambridge, lead to an unprecedented cohesion of the environmental community, and motivate people to action. The week’s events are hosted by various environmentally interested groups and institutions and revolve around informing, motivating, and inspiring folks to action - it’s going to be great!
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National Give Your Stuff Away Day
Cut Carbon AND Clutter
Saturday, May 14th
All Day
Everywhere
Don't throw that stuff away! Give it to someone who can use it. Join the national "Give Your Stuff Away Day" and put out good stuff that you no longer want (no chemicals, toxics, etc) for others to take. Likewise, visit your neighbors and take home things that might be useful to you. Everyone wins and the climate is saved from needless CO2 to make more stuff!
For any leftover items, see the DPW "Get Rid of It Right" page for locations that can use non-recyclable, useful items.
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Green Homes Bike Tour 2011
Check out your neighbors’ eco-friendly home features!
Sunday, May 15th
10:00am
Meet at Danehy Park
99 Sherman Street, Cambridge
Take a 5-mile bike ride through North Cambridge and Somerville to five homes where owners will give tours demonstrating and discussing their different energy efficiency measures and sustainable practices. Tours will include features like geothermal heat pumps, community gardens/composting, deep energy retrofitting, and more! There will be a free lunch served at the end of the day.
More details to be found on CEA’s web calendar
To RSVP please email in...@CambridgeEnergyAlliance.org with the subject line “GREEN BIKE TOUR”
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CREATe Mini Film Festival
At the historic Brattle Theater
Sunday, May 15th
5:30-11:00pm
Brattle Theater
40 Brattle Street, Harvard Square
5:30pm Plan B-Mobilizing to Save Civilization
Starring Lester Brown, Thomas Friedman, Paul Krugman narrated by Matt Damon
7:00pm Guided Discussion
7:30pm Food Inc.-Hungry for Change
By Emmy award winning filmmaker, Robert Kenner, appearances by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser
9:30pm Winged
Migration
Spectacular footage of migratory patterns of birds taken over three years on all seven continents
Three films that explore the depth and breadth of climate change and what we can do about it.
There will be a charge for this event.
Contact: Elena Saporta, 617-717-9228
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Smarter Living Expo
Generating a New Understanding of Energy Efficiency as a Key to Sustainable Development
Tuesday, May 17th
6:00pm
Cambridge Main Library
449 Broadway
Meet local experts and learn more about sustainable living.
Please RSVP to attend.
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Witnesses of Climate Change
Real Effects, Right Now
Tuesday, May 17th
7:00-9:00pm
Harvard NW Science Bldg. Room B-103
52 Oxford Street
Hear eyewitness accounts of how changing climate and extreme weather events are already impacting people and agriculture, from Kenya and Argentina to the U.S. Midwest.
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HEET Vampire Hunt and Efficiencyware Party
Test what you know about energy vampires, and then take action!
Thursday, May 19th
7:00-9:00pm
Jewett Hall, First Church in Cambridge
11 Garden Street, Harvard Square
Test out the different appliances that are energy suckers and find out which ones drain your wallets dry. Once you’ve learned which of your electronics are true electricity vampires, you can take a look at the multitude of home efficiency products and take immediate action to save yourself some money (and carbon). Bonus: information about Green Remodeling will be available as well.
For more information, contact HEET at heet.ca...@gmail.com
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Fred Small Concert
Singing with an environmental edge
Friday, May 20th
7:30-9:30pm
First Parish in Cambridge, Unitarian Universalist
1446 Massachusetts Avenue
After a first career as an environmental lawyer, Fred Small became a folksinger. Many of his songs have an environmental theme. In his subsequent career as a minister he continues speaking and singing about the environment. A video of his most recent song, "3-5-0," sung with Rosi and Brian Amador, is on his church's website,
Fred now does one performance a year, to support the First Parish in Cambridge fund for diversity and accessibility. Tickets may be purchased at the church, at brownpapertickets.com, or 800-838-3006. There will be a raffle and an auction for an original manuscript. CDs, books, and refreshments will be sold during the intermission. The church is wheelchair accessible and the performance will be ASL interpreted.
Contact: off...@fpcambridge.org
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Urban Gardening Seminar
Overcome Limited Space & Sun
Saturday, May 21st
10:00-11:30am
Cambridge Main Library
Lecture Hall (L2 in elevator)
449 Broadway
The Cambridge Conservation Commission and Green City Growers are co-sponsoring an urban gardening seminar. The event will consist of a powerpoint presentation, question and answer session followed by some light refreshments.
Please contact Jennifer Wright to pre-register at (617) 349-4680 or jwr...@cambridgema.gov.
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Climate Week Finale: Action Fest
Kick off your own part in the fight
Saturday, May 21st
12:00-3:30pm
Cambridge College
1000 Massachusetts Avenue
Celebrate our community's efforts and find actions you would like to take part in to fight climate change, with resources for energy-efficiency, conservation, local needs, and political action. Engage with action-oriented booths, speakers, and projects. There will be food and music, as well as a whole section for children including crafts and games. For more information, please email cccwe...@gmail.com.
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The Climate Project at Fresh Pond Reservation
Ileana Jones On Climate and Building Movement
Sunday, May 22nd
1:00-3:00pm
Maynard Ecology Center
650 Concord Avenue
Ileana Jones is a retired science teacher and a member of The Climate Project and the Citizens Climate Lobby. Ileana will introduce the Million Letter March to write Congress. She will use slides to illustrate her talk and you will have an opportunity to take action on this most vital issue by participating in the Million Letter March. Please bring either your laptop or pen and paper.
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Sustainability in the Square
A business-to-business conversation
Monday, May 23rd
6:00pm-7:30pm
Cambridge Brewing Company
1 Kendall Square, Building 100
Cambridge Energy Alliance along with the Sustainable Business Leader Program and Cambridge Local First are sponsoring a Sustainable Business workshop for business owners, at the Cambridge Brewing Company (CBC). The owners of CBC will highlight the steps they took in order to become more efficient. In a business-to-business conversation, you will be able to learn about the costs and benefits of efficiency projects from a business that has already taken action. Post-event networking & beer will be provided by CBC.
Invitation is directed at businesses only, please.
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Weatherization Barnraising
Make a hands-on difference in your community!
Saturday, May 28th
12:00pm-5:00pm
A local house of worship
In collaboration with the Home Energy Efficiency Team, Harvard’s Hope In Action, and a team of great volunteers (maybe including you?), we will bring significant savings to a house of worship through hands-on weatherization improvements.
To volunteer, please email in...@CambridgeEnergyAlliance.org with the subject line “MAY BARNRAISING”. Location details will be sent to volunteers before the event.
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Jobs
Summer Internship with the Youth Energy Efficiency Project in Cambridge
A college intern with an interest in community sustainability is needed to coordinate a team of 14-15 year olds participating in the Youth Energy Efficiency Project. The project will provide a learning experience for six to eight students. The teens will learn about energy efficiency and climate adaptation from interviewing local organizations and officials involved in these fields. Hands-on activities will include developing a short presentation for speaking to middle-schoolers at neighborhood camp programs, updating a YouTube video about the Cambridge Energy Alliance, conducting an energy efficiency audit, and assisting with installation of energy efficiency measures at several non-profit organizations. The project will introduce students to what the City is doing to save energy, and the practical measures that students and their families can take to lower energy use. Visits will be planned to businesses and universities in Cambridge that have undertaken renewable energy generation and/or energy efficiency steps in their operations, and have research projects on climate adaptation.
The project will be based at the Cambridge Community Center from July 1-August 12, weekdays, 9 AM-1 PM with a few additional hours during the week as necessary for planning and preparation. The internship comes with a stipend. For further information, contact youthenergy...@hotmail.com, or 617-599-3234.
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Updates
Hope In Action/Humanist Chaplaincy CFL Exchange
On April 10th CEA, HEET, Harvard’s Hope In Action, and Harvard’s Humanist chaplaincy came together in Area IV, hosted by Margaret Fuller House, to do the 2nd most successful CFL exchange in CEA history (this event only fell 4 short of matching the largest donation ever made by CEA).
We donated 497 CFLs-
--Saving our neighborhood $26,588 in lifetime operating costs
--Saving 223,650 kWh of energy
--Reduced carbon emissions by 344,421 pounds, which is equal to removing 29 cars from the road or planting 36 acres of forest
We also signed up over 30 people for home energy audits, which will help people save even more money and energy!
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From the E2.0 Blog
Cambridge Climate Change Week 2011
MA Residents Chime in on Climate Change
Senator Brown’s Environmental Flip-flop
Nextransit: The Next Generation in Mobility
Something to Learn From: Biking in the Netherlands
Spoil and the Great Bear Rainforest
China to Enact Strict Plan for Energy Conservation
Local Green Happenings for Spring
We truly appreciate you taking time out of your day to read through this email!
Please feel free to pass this along to anyone you know who may be interested in attending our events or volunteering to help their community become more sustainable.
Others may subscribe to this mailing list by sending a blank email to updates+...@cambridgeenergyalliance.org
Jesse Gorden
CEA Outreach Coordinator
617-491-0488 ext.124
Cambridge Energy Alliance: Save Money. Save the Planet.
1385 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
http://www.cambridgeenergyalliance.org | http://www.energytwodotzero.org | http://www.facebook.com/CambridgeEnergyAlliance