“Author Helen Humphreys in Conversation with Jeffrey S. Cramer” happens on Sunday, Oct. 6 from 2:00–3:30 p.m. at Thoreau Farm (341 Virginia Rd., Concord) and online. Inspired by the life, letters, and diaries of Henry David Thoreau, Humphreys’ novel Followed by the Lark shows how strikingly similar the concerns of the early nineteenth century are to our own, and reminds us to listen for news of change. Click here to learn more and register.
Fall measures such as composting, “leaving the leaves,” and sheet mulching nurture inset life and soil while avoiding use of fossil fuels for leaf-blowing. Join Lincoln Common Ground (part of Mothers Out Front Lincoln) and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. for a Zoom discussion on “Leaving the Leaves and More: A Community Q&A about Eco-gardening Practices.” Click here to register for the Zoom link.
Instead of throwing them in the trash, have fun and help the environment by bringing your jack-o’-lanterns and decorative gourds to the regional Great Pumpkin Smash at Codman Community Farms (CCF) on Sunday, Nov. 3 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. When pumpkins end up in landfills, they break down and produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Smashing pumpkins and feed to the Codman Farm pigs while enjoying live music, CCF sandwiches, and ice cream from a local vendor. Get tips on how to get started with composting in your home or with a curbside collection program. Prepare your pumpkins for composting by removing any stickers, candles, and other decorations and please leave painted pumpkins at home. Suggested donation of $1 per pumpkin to benefit the farm. Organized by CCF, the Lincoln and Concord chapters of Mothers Out Front, the Weston Community Children’s Association, and LincFam.
State climate legislation assumes that forest carbon sequestration (sometimes called “negative emissions”) can be counted to offset up to 15% of the emissions reduction goal. Is this a good idea? Is it even possible? How can we influence forests’ ability to sequester and store carbon? Join Dr. Jonathan Thompson, a senior ecologist and research director at the Harvard Forest, on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. for “Forests for Our Future: The Role of Massachusetts Forests in Combating Climate Change” at the First Parish in Lincoln (4 Bedford Rd.) and on Zoom. Register here. Sponsored by MetroWest Climate Solutions and CFREE, a working group of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee.
Zoom in with CFREE on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. to hear building engineer Ross Trethewey for “This Old House” and “Ask This Old House” talk about “Electrifying the Home: Where and When It Makes Sense to Do So.” Click here to register for the Zoom session or go to www.lincolngreenenergy.org.
There are 300 solar installations on homes and businesses in Lincoln? If you have questions about installing solar on your home we would be happy to share our expertise. Lincolngreencoach@gmail.org. CFREE (Carbon Free Residential – Everything Electric) is a 13-person subcommittee of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee. Email cfreeworking@gmail.com with questions or suggestions, or if you’d like to join us in our work.
Join the Walden Woods Project for a virtual presentation on “Each Town Should Have a Park: 100 New National Parks for America” with Michael Kellett on Wednesday, Dec. 4 from 7–8 p.m. The New National Parks campaign has proposed 100 new national parks to help relieve pressure on existing parks, help fight climate change, and avoid biodiversity loss. Kellett is executive director of RESTORE: The North Woods and has 40 years of experience in the land conservation movement, including developing the proposal for a 3.2 million-acre Maine Woods National Park, which led to President Obama’s 2016 designation of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Click here to register for the Zoom event.
On Thursday, Dec. 12 from 7:30–8:30 p.m. on Zoom, Ron McAdow will share his slide presentation on Well Meadow, a pristine wetland near Fairhaven Bay on Lincoln’s western boundary. Click here to register and get the Zoom link. Sponsored by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust.