Are you wondering how to keep the lights on when the sun’s not shining? Jay Turner, an environmental studies professor at Wellesley College, will draw on his recent book Charged: A History of Batteries and Lessons for a Clean Energy Future and his experiences retrofitting his home in Natick to be net energy positive to discuss the big picture and fine details of electrification on Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. Click here to register and receive a Zoom link. This series is hosted by CFREE, a working group of Lincoln’s Green Energy Committee.
Click here for the Zoom link (passcode: 284293). For details, see “CapCom, CPC spending proposal to be aired on March 11.”
The Lincoln PTO will host a town election candidate forum on Tuesday, March 12 from 7–9 p.m. in the Lincoln School Learning Commons. It will also be accessible via this Zoom link.
Candidates will have three minutes to introduce themselves and present a substantive statement of their platform. Moderators Rob Stringer and Sarah Cannon Holden will then direct questions to candidates that were submitted on cards filled out by attendees shortly after they arrived, or that are posed via the chat function on Zoom. Candidates will have two minutes to respond. The LPTO can’t guarantee that there will be enough time to get to all the questions.
The forum is intended not as a debate but as an information session and meet-and-greet whereby voters can get acquainted with candidates and their views. Candidates have been asked to refrain from addressing or referring to fellow candidates and to refrain from campaign speeches or speechifying.
The candidates scheduled to participate in the forum are as follows (each seat is for a three-year term):
Select Board:
- Incumbent Jennifer Glass (jlrglass@mac.com)
- Frank Clark (clark@gmail.com)
Planning Board:
- Incumbent Gerald Taylor (gatlincoln@gmail.com)
- Sarah Postlethwait (sarah@bayhas.com)
Upon arrival, attendees should stop at the LPTO table to fill out a name tag before settling into the Learning Commons. Volunteers will also offer audience members question forms and pencils prior to entering the Learning Commons. Attendees will be invited to join in a collective round of applause for all the candidates at the beginning and end of the Introductions round and are asked to refrain from cheering for anyone candidate during that round.
The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust invites residents to help out on Stewardship Work Days starting on Friday, March 15 at 1 p.m. Join volunteers and staff from LLCT and LCD to pull non-native plants from conservation land. Tools and snacks will be provided. Click here to sign up.
The Youth Programs Committee at the First Parish in Lincoln is hosting an interfaith candlelight vigil on Wednesday, March 20 from 6–7 p.m. at the white church for all children lost in both the Palestinian and Israeli communities. Children can bring a bird they’ve made for a specific child (see Birds of Gaza for ideas) or for children more broadly. Craft kits with various art supplies to create birds are still available outside the side door of the Stone Church. Birds can be fashioned out of any medium you choose (clay, paper, your own materials, etc.). A short prayer will be offered at the vigil that is appropriate for all ages.
The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust will host a movie night to welcome spring and continue our focus on both pollination systems and the importance of dark skies for wildlife by screening “Bat Man of Mexico,” a 50-minute PBS episode about the lesser long-nosed bat, a crucial pollinator of agave plants, on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in the LLCT office (145 Lincoln Rd, Suite 102A).
According to NASA, turf grass lawn covers more of the U.S. than any other irrigated crop. Lawns are resource-heavy, requiring mowing, irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticides to thrive in New England. Learn why you should “kill your lawn” and how to replace it with beautiful and environmentally friendly gardens. Transitioning your yard to incorporate native plants in the lawn or gardens helps to mitigate floods, heat waves, sea level rise, and the mass extinction of species.
This free session will be presented by Mark Richardson, Director of Horticulture for New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. and is sponsored by MetroWest Climate Solutions (a growing partnership between First Parish in Wayland, First Parish Church in Weston, First Parish in Lincoln, the Congregational Church in Weston, Energize Wayland, Sustainable Weston Action Group, and other communities and individuals). To register, visit metrowestclimatesolutions.org.
Babies and their families are invited to join Julie Stepanek and her ukulele as she leads participants in a singalong. This gentle program includes both classic songs and new favorites. Shakers and scarves will also be incorporated in the program. Best for infants through age 3 but older siblings are welcome. No registration necessary.
Want to try an instrument that’s fun and easy to play? Join Julie Stepanek as she shows the fundamentals of ukulele playing. No experience necessary. Ukuleles provided. Best for families with children ages 6 and up. Register here.
Click here for a list of candidates. For Election Day information, click here.
State Rep. Carmine Gentile (D-Sudbury) will hold virtual office hours on Tuesday, March 26 from 1–3 p.m. Any constituent who wishes to speak to Rep. Gentile can sign up for a 20-minute time slot by emailing his legislative aide, Ravi Simon, at ravi.simon@mahouse.gov. Please provide your full name, address, phone number, email, and discussion topic.
How much is your old water heater costing you? It accounts for about 18% of your home’s energy usage. Replacing an electric resistance water heater with a heat pump water heater can save you money. Join us on Tuesday, March 26 at 7 p.m. to learn from Larry Chretien, CEO of Green Energy Consumer’s Alliance, about super-efficient heat pump water heaters — how new models are much quieter and how 120V models can replace gas water heaters without expensive electric upgrades. Best of all – find out how really strong rebates reduce the cost enormously. Click here to register for the Zoom link.
Author Lorenz Finison will discuss his newest book, Bicycling Inclusion and Equity: Histories of New England and Beyond. His work provides a sweep of cycling’s social history, from the 1870s to the present day, from Boston through New England and across the nation. In-person event; no registration necessary.
Author Linda Booth Sweeney will read The Noisy Puddle: A Vernal Pool Through the Seasons to everyone and conduct a movement activity while teaching about vernal pools. No registration necessary. Best for families with children ages 4 and up.
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.