The Lincoln Garden Club presents “Native Lawn Alternatives” on Tuesday, April 2 at 7 p.m. in Bemis Hall and on Zoom with Alexis Doshas, nursery manager at the Native Plant Trust’s Nasami Farm. Rethinking your lawn? Replace some or all with native ground covers to create a healthier ecosystem. Alexis will cover techniques for land transformations and refer to specific ground covers for various conditions. Co-hosted by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and Lincoln Common Ground.
In-person social time starts at 7 p.m. and the Zoom meeting begins at 7:15 p.m. To register for the Zoom link, click here.
The Lincoln Builder’s Club, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts Freemasons, and the Mass. Tree Wardens & Foresters Association are giving away small fir seedlings statewide. Visit their tent on Saturday, April 13 from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. at the Simon W. Robinson Masonic Lodge at 3 Bedford St. in Lexington while supplies last. Sponsored by the 14th Masonic District representing Ayer, Bedford, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, and Littleton.
Have you considered battery backup solutions for your home? On Monday, April 22 at 7 p.m., learn about Eversource’s Demand Response for Home Battery Storage program to hook your house battery up to the grid and their future plans to use EV batteries to help manage the grid during peak energy needs. Register for this Zoom event here. The event will be recorded and sent to all registrants. This program is hosted by CFREE, a working group of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee.
The Walden Woods Project is hosting “Thoreau and the Miracle of Poetry: An Earth Day, Birthday, and National Poetry Month Celebration” on Tuesday, April 23 at 6:15 p.m. Join us and three contemporary poets who will read from their work in the spirit of Thoreau. A wine and cheese reception with the poets will precede the reading. Click here to register. Sponsored by The Commons in Lincoln.
Do you need fresh air in winter without opening the window? Would you like air conditioning in the same unit that heats your home? Ants Hartman will share three heating and ventilation systems he has installed along with his emphasis on maintenance for longevity in “Three Unique Case Studies of Home Heating and Ventilation System Upgrades” on Monday, April 29 at 7 p.m. Click here to register for the Zoom link.
The Getting to Zero Series is hosted by CFREE, a working group of Lincoln’s Green Energy Committee.
The Battle Road BioBlitz at Minute Man National Historical Park from Saturday, May 11 to Friday, May 17 will engage scientists, naturalists, and the interested public to survey and document as many species as possible within a designated time period. The 10 free events at various times and locations — including Amphibians and Aquatic Organisms, Battle Road Botanizing, Biodiversity at Dusk, Pollinators and Plants, and Quest for Uncommon Species — take place at various locations and times at the park; sign up for one or several (space is limited). Click here to register or view the entire collection on Eventbrite.
Co-sponsored by MMNHP and Friends of MMNHP; the towns of Concord, Lexington, and Lincoln; the Concord and Lincoln Land Conservation Trusts; the Brookline Bird Club, and Zoo New England. Questions? Contact Margie Brown at margie_coffin_brown@nps.gov.
Lincoln’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, along with the Lincoln School, and MassDOT’s Safe Routes to School program, will host an e-bike demo in partnership with Wheelworks on Wednesday, May 15 at 6 p.m. in the Brooks Gym.
MetroWest Climate Solutions will host a webinar focusing on climate change. To register for either, visit metrowestclimatesolutions.org.
On Thursday, May 30 at 7 p.m.,will look at climate-related bills currently under discussion at the State House. Massachusetts has a mandate to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, so the State Legislature must pass legislation on multiple fronts to make this goal a reality. Casey Bowers, Action Fund Executive Director for the Environmental League of Massachusetts, is responsible for creating and executing the strategy to ensure the policy priorities we need pass the legislature. She will discuss some of the most significant bills before the legislature and their potential impact. The legislative session ends on July 31 so this is the perfect time to reach out to elected representatives to encourage their support for critical climate bills.
New England is currently warming faster than the global average and annual precipitation has increased along with severe rainstorms. Join MetroWest Climate Solutions for their second program on the effects of climate change on Wednesday, June 5 at 7 p.m. when Professor Stephen Young explains the science behind New England’s warming and what impacts this warming is already creating and will create in the future. To register, visit metrowestclimatesolutions.org.
“Hikes Through History” with author and adventurer Alison O’Leary provides a sampling of fun and interesting hikes in eastern Massachusetts from her Appalachian Mountain Club guidebook Best Day Hikes Near Boston. The program on Thursday, June 6 from 7–8 p.m. talks about the history of the land we hike on, including the people and historic events that shaped our parks and open spaces. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Library. Registration required; click here.
A significant amount of our carbon footprint is generated by the foods we consume. Join Charles Sizer and Vicky Diadiuk at Town Hall or on Zoom on Thursday, June 6 at 7 p.m. as they provide insight on the carbon footprint of your diet and how you can reduce greenhouse gases while also eating a healthier diet in “Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: Low-Hanging Fruit and Food Choices.” In-person attendees can take part in a tasting after the lecture that will compare similar foods prepared with different technologies that impact carbon footprint. To register for the Zoom link, click here. This program, part of the “Getting to Zero” series, is hosted by CFREE (Carbon-Free Residential, Everything Electric), a working group of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee.
The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust at our Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 23 at 4 p.m. at the Lincoln School’s learning commons. After LLCT members vote in the business meeting, Mark and Marcia Wilson from Eyes on Owls will lead a program where attendees can meet six live owls up close. This live animal program can be enjoyed by people of all ages (5+ is recommended) and young naturalists will be invited to sit on the floor at the front of the room.
After the owl program, LLCT will host a burrito dinner from the Tack Room in the adjacent dining commons. Burritos will be prepared in advance, so we are asking participants to RSVP so we can plan accordingly. Suggested donation for the burrito dinner is $10/person. Click here to learn more and RSVP.
Do you have questions about long-distance travel in an EV (electric vehicle)? Are you worried about indoor air quality but unsure about induction stoves? Is your aging hot water tank inefficient? Do you want to learn more about saving energy with a heat pump dryer? Lincoln Green Energy Coaches are here to help you make a plan! The Lincoln Green Energy Coach program will debut with an event on Saturday, Sept. 14 in Bemis Hall from 1–3 p.m. There will a short introduction about the program with some examples of homes that have reduced their carbon footprint in different ways. Coaches will then be available to discuss different topics from heat pumps to solar PV. Click here to register.
The event is being held in conjunction with the Friends of Modern Architecture tour of three energy-efficient modern homes on the following day. Click here for more information and tickets. The Green Energy Coaching program is sponsored by CFREE, a working group of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee and the Lincoln Climate Action Planning committee.
Friends of Modern Architecture will present a tour of three Modern houses in Lincoln. Homeowners will lead half-hour tours about the sustainable choices they made in building or renovating their houses. A reception with refreshments will follow where you can talk further with the homeowners and experts. Tour space is limited to 75 participants. Tickets are $30 per person. Click here to buy tickets and reserve your place on the tour.
The tour is part 2 of “Future Ready Living: Modern Homes (and Yours) in the Climate Age” that begins with a forum hosted by the new Lincoln Green Energy Coach program on Saturday, Sept. 14 in Bemis Hall from 1–3 p.m.
These gently paced walks are all about the journey, not the destination. They take place on first Tuesdays and mid-month Wednesdays from September 18 through December 11. Click here or more details, dates and locations, and registration.
Join the Walden Woods Project and RESTORE: The North Woods for “Thoreau, Landscape Scale Wildlands and Natural Democracy” with wilderness activist and author Jamie Sayen will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 18 from 6:15–8 p.m. at the Walden Woods Project (44 Baker Farm Rd., Lincoln). Thoreau proposed the establishment of reserves decades before the designation of the first national parks. Click here to learn more and register.
LLCT welcomes Tia Pinney, a senior naturalist at Mass Audubon, to speak about the science of fall foliage via Zoom. Click here to register.
Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere will hold a webinar on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. on “The SPJE Statewide Campaign: What We’ve Achieved Together & What’s Next.” Speakers include Nobel Prize winner Susan Solomon, MIT professor of atmospheric chemistry and author of Solvable: How We Healed the Earth and How We Can Do It Again, and Neil Rasmussen, president of Save Our Heritage, and Alex Chatfield of the St. Anne’s Climate Justice Ministry. Click here to register.
The public comment period on the proposal has been extended to October 4. On the state Environmental Monitor web page, click on “Projects Under Review” and then “Environmental Impact Reports “in the line under that. The last entry on the list is the Hanscom project. Then click on “Comment” in the right-hand “Actions” column.
Author Heather Wolf, author of Birding at the Bridge: In Search of Every Bird on the Brooklyn Waterfront, will discuss via Zoom how to find and identify more birds by picking a “patch,” a place close to home where you can watch birds often. Click for event flier or register here.