TONIGHT: Sustainable Home Event with BostonEco

Join Boston area entrepreneurs and green living specialists to learn & network! The night will feature lots of activities and giveaways, including:

• Meet modern green home design experts from the award-winning ZeroEnergy Design firm and learn what is a passive home and why it is the future.

• Check out Green City Growers' vision for urban farming in Boston and how to transform any size space into a fresh organic food garden. 

• Find out what's happening at the startup Behind the Walls, the first and only magazine for eco home and healthy living enthusiasts. Pick up a free copy of the newest fall issue.

• Learn about community solar, free home/apartment assessments and free, easy-to-use energy efficient products from Next Step Living.

Plus, there will be free samples from local eco companies including non-toxic, pint-size paint samples from the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co., free copies of Natural Awakenings Boston healthy living magazine, and you could win of one of the giveaways including a $75 gift card from the Climate Store and a copy of "The Urban Bounty" from Green City Growers. 

REGISTER HERE!

Win Tickets to BostonEco's Sustainable Home Event on Oct. 1

Learn what's happening in the local and global green scene! The event will include mix of local Boston area innovative companies to discover new eco living ideas including green home design, urban farming, energy efficiency and more. (BONUS: lots of free samples and giveaways!)

WHAT: BostonEco Healthy Living, Healthy Home
WHERE: District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
WHEN: October 1, 2014 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Registration is just $15, but Boston Green Blog is giving away a free ticket! 

TWO WAYS TO WIN:

1. All you have to do is share a green living tip on twitter or facebook and tag @BosGreenBlog and @BostonEco, use the hashtag #BostonEco and include the registration link to the event: bit.ly/BosEcoHome

       example: Compost at home! #BostonEco bit.ly/BosEcoHome @BostonEco @BosGreenBlog 

2. Share a green living tip in the comments section of this blog post AND register for the BostonEco newsletter.

The contest runs until TOMORROW at 5pm! Contestants are encouraged to enter as many times as they'd like to increase their chances. 

Good Luck! 

*please note that facebook contest entries will only count if your mentions of BostonEco and Boston Green Blog are tags!

This week's eco events

image courtesy of Fine Art America

MONDAY

• Live Online Debate: Can Ban Ki-Moon's summit help build a global movement for climate action?

TUESDAY

• Greenovate Boston's Waste and Reuse Panel

WEDNESDAY

• Net Impact Sustainability Breakfast

THURSDAY

• Boston University's 7th Annual Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety Day

FRIDAY

• Anti-Pipeline Action at Energy Restructuring Roundtable

SATURDAY

• Boston Bikes: TD Bank Mayor's Cup

SUNDAY

• PEOPLE'S CLIMATE MARCH!!!!!!!

Save the Date for the People's Climate March!

Green Events Happening This Week in Boston

source image courtesy of Fab Forgotten Nobility

MONDAY

• Time to start wrapping up that summer bucket list. Use today to finalize what you want to get done before the end of summer. 

TUESDAY

• Get your bike in top shape for fall at Open Shop at the Community Spoke.

WEDNESDAY

• Net Impact's Monthly Sustainability Breakfast

THURSDAY

• BostonCAN Meeting

FRIDAY

• Join Bill McKibbon to Build A Movement for the Peoples' Climate March

SATURDAY

• Explore the world of bugs at the Harvard Natural History Musum

SUNDAY

• Moving next week? Brush up on these eco tips for moving.

Eco Happenings This Week

MONDAY

• Brookline Bicycle Committee Meeting

TUESDAY

• Conduct a home trash audit

WEDNESDAY

• Meet the New Boston Foundation for Architecture

THURSDAY

• Bike Maintenance Basics

FRIDAY

• Greenfest!

SATURDAY

• Greenfest!

SUNDAY

• Greenfest!

Events This Week in Boston

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MONDAY

• Green Routes Coalition Summer Ride

TUESDAY

• Boston Green Drinks

WEDNESDAY

• Download these green living apps

THURSDAY

• HEET Race to Solar Canvass

FRIDAY

• Schedule delivery of organic and local produce with Boston Organics

SATURDAY

• Seed Saving from your Garden

SUNDAY

• Give your home a scrub down with these essential oils. 

This Week's Eco Events

source image courtesy of Mazama

MONDAY

• Summer Savings, Renew Boston Workshop

TUESDAY

• Green Routes Coalition Summer Bike Ride Series: Mystic River Loop

WEDNESDAY

• BCAN Story of Struggle

THURSDAY

• Monthly Planet Southie Meeting

FRIDAY

• Walk/Ride Day

SATURDAY

• Seed Saving from Your Garden

SUNDAY

• Download the iRecycle App

Water Stories: Conservations in Paint and Sound

The Museum of Science opened a brand new art and sound exhibit last week -“Water Stories: Conservations in Paint and Sound” with paintings by Anne Neely and sound by Halsey Burgund.

The exhibit features oil paintings ranging in size from up to eight feet across to much smaller creations.  Neely focuses her works on the subject of water.  Inspired after seeing a toxic dump turned aquifer in Maine near her Jonesboro studio, Neely took to the beauty of different bodies of water.  She then began researching the many threats to water such as drought, depleted aquifers, dried up riverbeds, pollution, toxic sediment and fracking.  This is when she started seeing true connections between water preservation and art.

In 2012, she took her idea to museum director David G. Rabkin.  Together they came up with the exhibit and she got to work.  On July 11th, their dream became a reality.  With the help of sound artist, Halsey Burgund, the exhibit was opened in Boston.

“It’s impressionistic and emotional, rather than pure thinking,” says Rabkin.  The exhibit is rooted in art but has an educational side to it.  It is meant to inspire but also inform.

The Museum of Science is excited to feature such a unique crossover exhibit.  Learn more and plan your visit here.

Eco Events this Week

MONDAY

• Need something to listen to at work? Catch up on back episodes of Living on Earth

TUESDAY

• Grab a vegan lunch at Sweetgreen

WEDNESDAY

• Sign up for residential compost collection

THURSDAY

• Partnerships in Clean Tech Panel

FRIDAY

• Boston Bike Party
• Urban Farm Groundbreaking

SATURDAY

• Share your green ideas with local ideas on Engage.Greenovate.Bos

SUNDAY

• Reduce your carbon footprint by unplugging all appliances that aren't in use

Eco Happenings this week

source image courtesy of A Well Traveled Woman

MONDAY 

• Check out ClimateStore's Independence Day Sale

TUESDAY

• Zero Net Energy Buildings: Understanding Costs, Accessing Resources

WEDNESDAY

• Know the basics of living green.

THURSDAY

• Are you lucky enough to have the day off? Visit Singing Beach!

FRIDAY

• 4th of July!!!!

SATURDAY

• Be an eco-savvy party guest!

SUNDAY

• Enjoy the end of the long weekend by using these 7 easy and green ways to reduce stress.

Spotlight: Boston Green Academy

I recently learned about Boston Green Academy while at the Future of Nature Lecture Series hosted by the Nature Conservancy. The school had an information table setup during the cocktail hour, and at one of the events during the series, the speakers were introduced by BGA students. They were enthusiastic participants at the event and learning about their high school was inspiring. Boston Green Academy is a public Boston charter school with a mission to promote sustainability and use it as concept for learning throughout all subjects.
So how, specifically, do students learn about environmental sustainability?

• 9th Grade > Healthy Trees, Healthy Boston: Cross-curricular unit focusing on green space in Boston (Partners: Nature Conservancy and Southie Trees)
• 10th Grade > Environmental Justice: Cross-curricular unit focusing on air quality and food justice in Boston (Partner: ACE)
• 11th Grade > Research paper and thesis defense on social responsibility
• 12th Grade > Capstone Community Action Project and Sustainability Internships (Partner: ACE)

In addition to providing these unique opportunities, the BGA students are doing very well, and the school is expected to see a 90% graduation rate this year. Congrats, kids! I look forward to seeing these graduates take a leadership role in making Boston the most sustainable city in the country!

Eco Events Happening this Week

source image courtesy of fanpop

MONDAY

• Kick off the week by greening your shower routine

TUESDAY

• Boston Businesses Acting on Rising Seas

WEDNESDAY

• Net Impact Speed Networking
• Charlestown Climate Action Meeting

THURSDAY

• BostonCAN Action Committee Meeting
• BostonBARS Launch: Climate Adaption Strategies for Small Businesses

FRIDAY

• Walk/Ride Day

SATURDAY

• Household Hazardous Waste Dropoff

SUNDAY

• Brush up on the 8 ways to be green at a Red Sox game

Green Happenings this Week

source image courtesy of Farm Girl in Flipflops

MONDAY

• Climate Change Symposium Begins and continues through Wednesday.

TUESDAY

• Sustainable B2B Networking Session

WEDNESDAY

• Net Impact Sustainability Breakfast
• Hubway Open House

THURSDAY

• BostonCAN Action Committee Meeting

FRIDAY

• In preparation for tomorrow's Natural Health and Beauty Festival, review the Pocket Guide for Safer Cosmetics.

SATURDAY

• Summer Solstice Celebration at Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
• Natural Health and Beauty Festival

SUNDAY

• Install energy efficient fans in your home for summer

Event: Boston's Future Climate on June 9, 2014

WHERE:
Calderwood Pavilion
Boston Center for the Arts, Wimberly Theatre
527 Tremont Street, Boston

WHEN
June 9, 2014
Reception 5:30 p.m.; panel 6:30 to 8 p.m.

WHAT
What will climate change mean for Boston and other coastal cities? How can we adapt to the impacts of climate change, even as we work to mitigate greenhouse gases emissions in the future? How can New England be more resilient in the face of sea level rise and stronger storms?

Speakers will include: Adam Freed of The Nature Conservancy; Vivien Li, president of the Boston Harbor Association; Brian Swett of the City of Boston; and Vicki Arroyo of the Georgetown Climate Center.

Click here to buy tickets to our June 9 event

Eco Events in Boston This Week

source image courtesy of British Prep

MONDAY

• In the wake of the ground beef recall, get to know your meat-free protein sources.

TUESDAY 

• Boston Green Drinks is back in action!
• Why Consumers Alone Can't Save Our Fish Event at New England Aquarium

WEDNESDAY

• Net Impact Sustainability Breakfast
• Building Energy Deep Retrofits Workshop at Merrimack College

THURSDAY

• BostonCAN Action Committee Meeting
• Planet Southie Monthly Meeting

FRIDAY

• Long weekend! Pack your green beach bag essentials and head to the beach.

SATURDAY

• Catch up on Showtime's Years of Living Dangerously.

SUNDAY

• Pick out some green reads for the summer!

MEMORIAL DAY

• Take it easy and enjoy the outdoors. 

Takeaways from #FutureofNature Investing in Nature: Conservation and the Bottom Line

This past Monday was the second installment of The Nature Conservancy's #FutureofNature series - Investing in Nature: Conservation and the Bottom Line. The evening featured a lively discussion of how well thought out investments can both protect the environment and drive the economy. The evening was hosted by Mark Tereck and Howard H. Stevenson, both of whom have a long history in business and a passion for preserving our natural environment.

Here are the top 10 takeaways from the event:

1. We need more people and more money to be invested in nature.

2. Climate Change and conservation can be addressed collaboratively with big businesses

3. Investing in sustainable infrastructure has a quick ROI and provides "real, hard, cash."

4. Every investment is a bet.

5. Big business CEO's believe in climate change but are hesitant to speak up. We need more people to take a stance on climate change.

6. Preserving something is often cheaper than cleaning it once its already destroyed.

7. American voters need to be louder and more engaged on environmental issues.

8. Its easier to talk about weather than climate because everyone agrees on weather (small talk, anyone?). Frame climate change in terms of weather for tough conversations.

9. Big businesses want to do the right thing. They are not evil. Many CEO's are passionate and are looking for ways to make sure their investments protect the environment.

10. Nature as capital is too often ignored.


We look forward to seeing you at the next #FutureofNature event on June 9!

Squeaky Leaks Project & Fundraiser

Did you know old pipes cause natural gas to leak into our air? The Squeaky Leaks Project is tackling this issue in Cambridge and Somerville. In June, their team will drive down every street in Cambridge and Somerville with a high-precision methane analyzer. With the information they collect, they will post the maps of the leaks to the public, pinpoint the worst leaks, and create a national website where any community can post a map of their leaks and organize citizens to call those leaks in until they are fixed.

Why is this important?

• Natural gas (before it is burned) is a potent greenhouse gas; 34 times more destructive than CO2.
• The gas is delivered through pipes under our streets.  Many of these pipes were installed pre-1950. These ancient pipes rust and leak gas, damaging our climate, suffocating our trees, and potentially cause explosions.
• The utilities pass the cost of this waste onto you in your gas bill, forcing you to pay for hurting the planet.  The total cost for lost gas in Massachusetts alone is $640 million per year at the minimum (according to Sen. Ed Markey).

Help further support this initiative by attending their upcoming fundraiser!

Squeaky Leak Fundraising Mixer

The Asgard Irish Pub and Restaurant

350 Massachusetts Ave

Cambridge, MA 02139

Tuesday, June 3, 2014 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)

#SaveCitySoil Day of Action

Zoo New England, under pressure from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), has formally asked City Soil to leave their land in Mattapan.

City Soil staff has a meeting with Secretary Sullivan on Wednesday, May 14th, but the formal eviction letter is not a good sign. Before the meeting we need to make sure that Governor Patrick understands that our community stands with City Soil;

ON TUESDAY, May 13th, please call AND e-mail Governor Patrick and respectfully ask him to stop the eviction of City Soil.

Phone: 617-725-4005

E-mail: goffice@state.ma.us, jwalsh@devalpatrick.com info@devalpatrick.com

Please let Everett of City Soil (everett@citysoil.org) know when you've called/emailed so that they can keep track of our impact.

If the meeting does not go well, there will be a rally on Saturday:

Rally to #SaveCitySoil!

SATURDAY, MAY 17th

11 a.m.

City Soil & Greenhouse site

415 American Legion Highway, Mattapan 02126

Stay tuned to learn how the meeting goes and if we will need to mobilize. Thank you so much for your support!

Boston's Eco Events Happening this Week

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MONDAY

• Investing in Nature: Conservation and the Bottom Line

TUESDAY

• Mattapan / Hyde Park Weatherize Now Workshop
• There Will Be Blood: Seal & Sea Lion Healthcare at the New England Aquarium 

WEDNESDAY

• Third Annual Sustainability Leadership Conference

THURSDAY

• What's New with LNG and CNG Panel

FRIDAY

• Peak Organic Beer Tasting and Pickle Pairing 

SATURDAY

Lecture Exploring Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park

Earth Fest!

SUNDAY

• Boston Enviro Film Festival