Boston GreenScene

6th Annual Global Environmental Sustainability Symposium: Transportation, Human Mobility, and Sustainability at CCSU

April 4th, 2013

 9:45 AM-7:15 PM 

FREE, Registration Required

Central Connecticut State University

New Britain, Connecticut

The CCSU Global Environmental Sustainability Action Coalition invites the public to learn and to teach one another about the actions that we, as human beings, must take to ensure that we live in such a way that we are able to satisfy our needs while ensuring that our children and grandchildren will be able to satisfy their own. The symposium will offer 3 classes, 2 performances, a panel discussion, a tour, and an optional attendance at the town meeting, as well as opening and closing notes from distinguished professionals in sustainability. This event is FREE: anyone can register online to show up. *Exhibitor tables are still open

Schedule

9:45-10:00 AM: Symposium opening and welcome with Dr. Charles Button and Dr. Jack Miller (tentative) at Alumni Hall

10:00-10:45: Transportation, Migration, and Sustainability in Four Worlds Alumni Hall

Dr. John Kelmelis expands upon a possibility raised by the United States National Intelligence Council when they published Global Trends 2030: Alternative World. This work explores four very possible future worlds. Dr. Kelmelis will explain what each of these worlds might mean for our future as well as what strategies we might use to make the most of each circumstance at the local, regional, national, and global levels. 

11:00-11:45: Panel Discussion: Electric Cars and Alternative Vehicles Alumni Hall

The president of the New England Electric Auto Association ( Dave Oliveria), an environmental writer and speaker (Jim Motavalli), the Senior Associates Autos Editor for Consumer Reports (Eric Evarts), and a natural gas car owner (Joe Booth) all come together in one place to talk about the real value that hybrid, extended hybrid, and electric vehicles hold. This is a special opportunity to discover what users and reviewers genuinely think about these alternative vehicles.

12:00-1:45 (*with second free registration): Water Wars Performance and Lunch Alumni Hall

While you enjoy your lunch, the Sonia Plumb Dance Company will be performing Water Wars. This is an emotionally charged piece of art that exposes the very important and very tenuous relationship that human beings have with one of our primary sources of life: water.

Come Play a Hands-On Role in the Grassroots Healthcare Revolution!

Farm to Pharmacy is an innovative internship program that takes place at Goldthread Herb Farm and Apothecary in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts. Educational and life changing, the internship offers participants the chance to play a pi votal role in the Grassroots Healthcare Revolution. Find unparalleled communion with the medicinal plants themselves as well as a community that emphasizes sustainable, non-toxic and cost effective healthcare grounded in organic agriculture and empowered self-care for all.

Goldthread offers interns the rare opportunity to learn fundamentals of both traditional medicine and plant cultivation side by side. Synthesizing Chinese, Ayurvedic and Western herbal traditions, our educational offerings are a comprehensive compliment to the abundance of time spent outdoors. We welcome herbal medicine students from all walks of life and are happy to facilitate college credit where possible.

During this experiential seven-month program, students divide their day at Goldthread’s organic herb farm between classes in herbal theories and supervised work with the plants in over 3 acres of fields. Educational herb walks in the learning garden to practice identification and discuss botanical characteristics will compliment lectures and coursework. Subjects range from the major classifications and their specific healing properties to the medicinal applications for a wide variety of medical conditions.

Over the course of the growing season interns will participate in all aspects of plant cultivation from preparing beds and planting seeds through to harvest and beyond. Interns will learn to process and prepare herbal medicines transforming freshly harvested flowers, leaves and roots into tinctures, syrups, teas, salves, elixirs and oils for our apothecary.

Included in the internship program are many additional learning opportunities taking place off the farm at our apothecary in Florence and in the wider community. Goldthread offers lectures and demonstrations in many specific areas and aspects of healing with monthly themes and outreach programs. Join us as we supply local low-income community gardens with seedlings or sit in on an elaborate discussion of the benefits of an herbal spring cleaning program. The wider community of the Pioneer Valley itself is brimming with opportunities to further your immersion into a culture of true sustainability in action.

Upon completion of the program, interns come away with an extensive understanding of the theories of herbal healing, the agricultural training to cultivate the major medicinal herbs in their own space, and the practical skills to apply their new knowledge and begin healing themselves and their families.

Dates: Wednesdays 9-4 , April 11th -October 10.
Work study is available and will begin on March 15.

Tuition: $2450. Pay in full before March 15th and save 10%.
A non-refundable 25% deposit is required to hold space.

See our website for more details: www.goldthreadapothecary.com

WHERE ARE ALL THE GREEN JOBS WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT?

by Kate Waller

It seems like every time you turn on the TV, another politician is making shiny new promises.  From healthcare, to balancing the budget, to defense strategy, everyone has an angle.  But one thing that they all seem to agree on is that America needs jobs – and lots of ‘em.

The Obama Administration in particular pins its hopes on green jobs.  They paint a picture of a carbon-neutral American Utopia where well-paid technicians happily install solar panels, highly educated engineers design new automotive technologies and every home whirs along in Prius-like silence as Smart Meters monitor electricity use.

So where are all these green jobs?

Sustainable Design Summer Courses at BAC

Interested in learning more about sustainable design, green building, environmental systems, LEED ratings and other green practices?  The Boston Architectural College (BAC) has recently announced its online sustainable design courses for the Summer 2010 session.  These courses are a part of the BAC's Sustainable Design Program, which offers four possible graduate certificates in sustainable design.  These courses were developed in partnership with BuildingGreen and are a part of the most design curriculum in the country.  Sounds like a great opportunity to us!

Who: You

When: June 7 - July 31 2010

Where: Boston Architectural College

Contact: Boston Architectural College

Greening a New Generation: One Course at a Time

Professor George Buckley and Harvard Extension Set up a Big Tent for All Fledgling Environmentalists

by David Pierotti

By now everyone has heard of green jobs. Headlines with that phrase have been ubiquitous for months. President Obama has made them a key aspect of his economic recovery program and studies show they comprise one of the fastest growing economic sectors, even during the current recession.

But who will fill these jobs? And how will they develop the knowledge and skills to grapple with the challenges energy and environmental issues pose for every type of business?

This was not purely an academic question for me. Seeking a way to stimulate my career and my mind, I went looking for academic programs that might do both. I found a couple of gentlemen at the Harvard Extension School who have gradually been providing answers to those questions. Professor George Buckley and his fellow professor and longtime friend, John Spengler, pioneered a unique set of courses that has evolved into the Sustainability and Environmental Management degree program.

Get Listed in Boston GreenScene's Local Green Directory While it's Still Free!

From the Editor's Desk

Looking for things green in Boston? Look no further! Boston GreenScene is working hard to fulfill its commitment to be THE online portal to all things green in Boston and beyond. Whether you are looking for a green builder or architect, a scholarship for environmentally-geared education, green clothing and accessories, a green group to join, green parenting resources, recycling resources, funding for your green project or initiative, or anything else green in the Greater Boston Area or within Massachusetts, Boston GreenScene provides an excellent source of information! Visit our Local Green Directory for all things eco in and around Boston!

If you are a green organization, sell green products, or are otherwise connected to the green movement and are not currently listed with us, contact us today! Listings are currently free, but in order to maintain our service to our readership, we will eventually have to charge! We anticipate instituting a fee in the coming few months. Get grandfathered in today!

Announcement: MIT Sustainability Summit - Limited Time Rates!

Bulletin from the Editor's Desk

Industry Professionals:

Act now to get a limited time "Industry Professionals" discount rate for MIT's April 24 Sustainability Summit! The summit features numerous high caliber speakers and the following panel discussions:

• How do we progress toward sustainability during a recession?
• How do we measure the success of our sustainability practices?
• How do we seize opportunities for innovative approaches, technological breakthroughs, and partnerships in sustainability?

The discounted rate, available until April 1, is $99. After April 1, the price increases to $150.

You can see details on the summit here: http://sustainability... /
and register at the discounted rate here: https://alum.mit.edu/...

Anneli C. Olila
Boston Greenscene
Founder / Editor-in-Chief

Higher Education in Boston Looks Greenward

by Megan DiPerri

Higher education in Massachusetts is trending green with leaders focused on corporate social responsibility, the triple bottom-line, and green initiatives through technology.

This Boston Channel 5 video shows how Babson College - through both technology and entrepreneurialism - is planting the way to "thinking globally and teaching locally."