On Tuesday, May 2 at 7 p.m. at the First Parish Church in Weston (349 Boston Post Rd., Weston) join MetroWest Climate Solutions and special guest Rev. Mariama White-Hammond for “City and Suburbs: Addressing Climate Change and Equity Together,” a discussion on the intersection of climate change and questions of equity. A lifelong resident, pastor, and activist in Boston, Rev. Mariama will explore the question of how residents of the suburbs can most effectively take action to promote greater climate equity. If you prefer to join us online, click here to register.
Rev. White-Hammond was appointed as the City of Boston’s Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space in April 2021. She has supported the amendment of the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) to set carbon targets for existing large buildings and convened a city-led green jobs program. This event is supported by the First Parish in Lincoln, the First Parish in Wayland’s Lydia Maria Child Fund, and the First Parish Church in Weston.
Come try out an e-bike and learn about a less expensive, greener, and more fun alternative for your transportation needs on Wednesday, May 3 from 6–7:30 p.m. at the Brooks gym parking lot (or inside the gym in event of rain). Jason Paige, co-owner of Wheelworks, will come with an array of e-bikes of different styles and sizes for you to test-ride. The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee will also feature a panel of e-bike users whose motivations include a greener way to get around, staying fit while aging, riding with a faster spouse, or climbing hills on the way to work that would otherwise make one sweaty. Helmets available as needed. Demo open to adults aged 18+.
How might we encounter Jesus, and/or the divine more broadly, through faiths beyond Christianity? In this multi-week series, three religious scholars from Boston College will lead us in an exploration of how Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam might help us engage spiritual resources, in a responsible way, beyond the traditional boundaries of Christianity. All sessions are free and meet in Flint Hall at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church from 6:30–8 p.m. The schedule is as follows:
- Thursday, April 13 — “Encountering the Divine through Buddhism” with Yonder Gillihan, Associate Professor of Theology
- Thursday, April 27 — “Encountering the Divine through Judaism” with Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, director of the BC Center for Christian-Jewish Learning
- Thursday, May 4 — “Encountering the Divine through Islam” with Natana DeLong-Bas, Associate Professor of the Practice
Learn how to promote biodiversity in your yard by using materials you have on hand. When you remove an invasive shrub, replace it with a native shrub that will thrive. Cardboard and mulch one small patch of invasives and encourage rowdy, less loved native plant “party crashers” into your designed native plant gardens to knit together a layered team of plants that keep invasives at bay. Click here for information and registration.
The First Parish in Lincoln offers an adventuresome and enlightening supper and discussion of Sidetrack, an innovative 1971 experiment in educational integration for Lincoln and Roxbury seventh- and eighth-graders with participants Peter Thomson (Lincoln) and Tracy Steele (Roxbury) on Wednesday, May 10 from 6-8 p.m. in the stone church. Questions they will consider: What was their experience as Roxbury and Lincoln middle schoolers in the program? How did it affect their lives and help shape the adults they have become? What can we learn today from this experiment in educational integration? To learn more about Sidetrack, see “The radical, forgotten experiment in educational integration that changed my life” (Boston Sunday Globe, January 22, 2023 — click here for a PDF if you aren’t a Globe subscriber). Childcare provided. Requested donation for the meal prepared by FPL cooks is $10 for adults $5 per child ($25 per family maximum).
Hanscom Air Force Base is looking to fill more than 400 civilian positions in a variety of career fields during an Air Force civilian service hiring event on Tuesday, May 23 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Boston Marriott Burlington (1 Burlington Mall Rd., Burlington). The event is open to anyone interested in working for the federal government, including college students and recent graduates, active-duty military personnel transitioning out of service, military spouses, and veterans. Officials will be on hand to discuss positions ranging from entry level to executive in engineering, program management, computer sciences, contracting, logistics, financial management, intelligence, security, human resources, skilled trades, childcare, and many others. Register here to send in your resume and receive updates on the event. For more information, contact Patty Welsh (patricia.welsh@us.af.mil, 781-225-1687) or Mark Wyatt (Mark.Wyatt.1@us.af.mil, 781-225-1685).
Bewildered by clean, carbon-free electricity supply options and marketing buzz? Hesitant about opting up to “100% green” in Lincoln’s electricity program because you aren’t certain how it reduces carbon emissions? Join us on Zoom with Paul Gromer, CEO of Peregrine Energy Group and former Commissioner of the Mass. Department of Energy Resources, as he addressed questions about electricity consumer choice legislation, regulation, and administration in Massachusetts.
Visit lincolngreenenergy.org for more videos and helpful information,
On Thursday, May 31, the Lincoln GearTicks will host a STEM Open House from 7-8 p.m. at Hartwell Pod A where you can see some of the robots that students built this year and learn more about joining one of the many teams.
Robotics programs are organized through FIRST and the Lincoln Recreation Department. FLL Explore introduces kids in grades 1-3 to STEM through Lego building and programming activities and runs for six weeks starting in January. In FLL Challenge, students in grades 4-8 build and program Lego robots for specific tasks on a playing field for lasting 12 weeks starting in early September. FTC caters to those in grades 7-12 with a commitment of 9+ hours/week designing robots using 3D-printed and laser-cut materials and programming in Java. Questions? Email hello@gearticks.com.
St. Anne’s Episcopal Church will show the next in its Climate Justice Film Night series, “Current Revolution,” on Friday, June 2 in Flint Hall starting with a vegetarian soup supper at 6:30 p.m. The 37-minute documentary about the challenges of converting the electricity grid from fossils fuels to renewables will start around 7:10 p.m. Climate activist Nathan Phillips, a professor at Boston University, will respond to the film and discuss his work on the issue with ISO New England, followed in turn by a discussion about opportunities for activism here in New England.
Codman Community Farms will celebrate its 50th birthday at “An Evening in the Field” on Thursday, June 8 from 6–9:30 p.m. The adults-only event starts with cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres followed by a multi-course plated dinner at a long communal table nestled in the fields surrounded by fruit trees and gardens. Tom Fosnot and Ruth-Anne Adams of The Hyve, will serve a menu almost exclusively made of Codman-grown ingredients: vegetables and herbs from the gardens, eggs from their chickens, and protein from their pastured animals. Click here to order tickets.
Lincoln dietician and Happy Jars owner Jodi Gorman will offer a cooking class featuring summer parties and picnics for kids age 10+ on Friday, June 9 at 3:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library. Jodi will go over basic kitchen skills as well as how to create a versatile, tasty salad for all seasons. All materials will be provided. Email sfeather@minlib.net for registration and more information.
The GRALTA Foundation presents “What Can Progressives Do to Change America’s Middle East Policy?” with Philip Weiss, founder and senior editor of Mondoweiss, on Saturday, June 10 at 1:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Weiss is co-editor of “The Goldstone Report: The Legacy of the Landmark Investigation of the Gaza Conflict,” a 2011 retrospective on the official report prepared for the U.N. on Israel’s 2009 incursion into Gaza. Mondoweiss is a source of news and analysis for progressives interested in the struggle for human rights equality for all people— Jews and non-Jews—living in Israel and the territories it has annexed and/or occupies. For more information, contact Steve Low at 781-259-1300 or steve.low@gordianconcepts.com.
Codman Community Farms will hold a Chili Cookout and Campout on Saturday, June 17 from 6–9:30 p.m. Vegetarian and pasture-raised beef chili as well as chili dogs made from Codman-grown ingredients will be on offer. Sides include CCF-made potato salad, cornbread, and cookies. Bring a favorite drink, gather around the campfire, stuff yourself with s’mores, and sing with friends. Optionally, pitch your tent, stay overnight, wake up to the sounds of the farm, and enjoy a simple breakfast on Sunday morning. Space is limited; click here to buy tickets in advance.
Join climate change activist Bill McKibben of Third Act, Neil Rasmussen of Save Our Heritage, and others who are fighting to prevent a major private jet expansion at Hanscom Field (or anywhere) for an informational virtual webinar on the climate impacts of the proposed expansion on Wednesday, June 21 at 5 p.m. Rasmussen will present recent research on the impacts of the proposed development on state and municipal climate goals. McKibben will address why he calls the Hanscom proposal a “zombie project from the fossil fuel era.”
Click here to register. Sponsored by the Coalition to Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere. For more information, email Sabine von Mering at vonmering@brandeis.edu or info@StopPrivateJetExpansion.org.
CFREE (Carbon Free Residential, Everything Electric), a working group of the Green Energy Committee, is sponsoring an electric vehicle display with various models and at least one dealer on Tuesday, July 4 after the parade at the Pierce House Boy Scout barbecue. If you have an EV you’d would like to show off, please email Colette Sizer at cfreeworking@gmail.com.
The Food Project invites everyone to its annual Farm Lunch on Wednesday, July 12 at the intersection of Baker Bridge Road and Route 126. Learn informally about TFP’s mission and programming, including through conversations with teenage members of Root Crew, professional farmers, and regional directors. Arrive by noon for a walking tour of the farm. A complimentary buffet lunch including vegetarian options featuring items from the farm will be provided at 12:30 p.m. as everyone gathers at picnic tables or under the pavilion. While philanthropic support of The Food Project is always welcomed, there is no expectation of a donation associated with these community building events. Due to limited capacity, RSVP is required; email jsoto@thefoodproject.org.
The Great Meadows Public Health Collaborative (GMPHC) invites parents and caregivers to “Just Talk About It: Anxiety, Leaving High School, and Adolescent Mental Health,” a virtual program about youth mental health focusing on anxiety and young adults, on Wednesday, July 12 at 6:30 p.m. (click here for the Zoom link). Join clinician Sara Eldridge for a dynamic presentation providing a framework to understand and navigate your young adult’s emotional health, the signs and symptoms of the most prevalent mental health concerns, and how to be an effective support as they transition out of high school. A student will also share her experience with anxiety.
The GMPHC was established through two state grants and includes Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Lincoln, Sudbury, Wayland, and Weston. Its goal is to pool resources, increase staff capacity and expertise, attract additional funding, and deliver better health protections, programs, and outcomes. For more information, contact Regional Public Health Nurse Katie Rines at krines@wayland.ma.us.
Mothers Out Front invite everyone to participate in a statewide climate action call to learn about the high environmental cost and low societal benefit of expanding private jet travel on Tuesday, Aug. 22 at from 12-12:45 p.m. The issue is front and center because the state is considering a proposal to enlarge hangar space at Hanscom Field. Register here for this informational meeting. Sponsored by MOF chapters in Acton, Bedford, Concord, East Boston, Lincoln, and Winthrop — members of the Coalition to Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere.