Events at the colleges and universities in Greater Metropolitan Boston, MA.
Saturday, October 29, 2022
Energy (and Other) Events Monthly – November 2022
**Conferences**
2022 C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium & Awards Retaking the helm: Steering clean energy through perilous storms
Wednesday, November 2
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Advancing Environmental Justice and Conservation Innovation: Rethinking Institutions, Governance, and Collaborative Processes
November 3
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Yale Clean Energy Conference
Thursday, November 3rd, 2022, 4:30 PM EDT — Friday, November 4th, 2022, 6:30 PM EDT
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Science, Technology & the Human Future
Thursday, November 3 – Saturday, November 5
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TransCultural Exchange’s 2022 International Conference on Opportunities in the Arts: Create the Future
Friday, November 4 – Sunday, November 6
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Net Zero Carbon Industry by 2050: Myth or Reality? – 4th of November 2022
Friday, November 4
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Annual Climate Symposium 2022 at Harvard Business School
Saturday, November 5 4:00 PM – Sunday, November 6, 5:00 PM EDT
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COP [Conference of Parties] 27: Global Climate Conference
Sunday, November 6 – Friday, November 18
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Innovations in Education for the Global Village Online Summit
Tuesday, November 8
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The First Ecology and Sustainability Forum in Metaverse
Friday, November 11
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World Sustainability Conference 2022
Saturday, November 12
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TEDxBoston: Planetary Stewardship
Sunday, November 13 – Monday, November 14
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Convergence: The Promise and Reality of AI & Quantum
Monday, November 14
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Passive House Symposium
Wednesday, November 16
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International Sustainability Conference 2022
Friday, November 18
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**Lecture Series**
Energy Policy Seminar: “Towards Quantitative Comparison of the Risks and Benefits of Solar Geoengineering”
Monday, October 31
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Leapfrogging in energy technologies: Evidence from China’s electric vehicle industry with Hengrui Liu
Monday, November 3
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Redesigning Our Communities for Life After Fossil Fuels
Saturday, November 12
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Living Between Worlds, with Grace, Dignity, and Power
Wednesday, November 16
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EnergyBar: Go Move 2022 Kickoff
Wednesday, November 16
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Transforming Policy, Procurement & Data to Achieve Carbon-Free Electricity in New England
Friday, December 9
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Earthquakes and the End Times: Global Disasters and Apocalyptic Predictions in the Early Modern English Atlantic
Tuesday, December 13
**Events**
Planning Transformation Coastal Adaptation with a Climate Justice Lens
Monday, October 31
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Centering Gender at COP 27
Tuesday, November 1
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Social & Environmental Impact: Can you be profitable and save the planet?
Thursday, November 3
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Mapping the Circular Economy in Greater Boston
Thursday, November 3
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Derivatives and Bank Climate Risk Report
Friday, November 4
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Energy Seminar: The Decarbonization Imperative – Michael Lenox, Darden School of Business
Monday, November 7
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The future of our ecosystems in a sustainable future
Tuesday, November 8
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Mobilizing Finance for Clean Energy in Emerging Markets
Tuesday, November 8
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Can We Eat Our Way Out of Climate Change?
Tuesday, November 8
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Climate Solutions Roundtable – Decarbonize Cambridge Built Environment
Tuesday, November 8
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“Nature-Based Solutions: Engineering for a Coastal Climate Future”
Thursday, November 10
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The Farm on the Roof
Thursday, November 10
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Can Offshore Wind be an Innovation Anchor for the New Blue Economy?
Monday, November 14
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Concentration and Crises: Exploring the Deep Roots of Vulnerability in the Global Industrial Food System
Tuesday, November 15
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Energy Policy in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam: Can Coal be Curbed?
Tuesday, November 15
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Reimagining the Digital Public Sphere
Tuesday, November 15
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Frances Moore Lappé, Aligning with the Earth: What Will it Take?
Tuesday, November 15
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“Degenerations of Democracy”: A Clough Distinguished Lecture by Craig Calhoun
Thursday, November 17
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Silent Spring Revolution
Thursday, November 17
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On the Contradictions of Sustainability
Tuesday, November 22
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“Democratizing the Economy or Introducing Economic Risk? Gig Work During the Covid-19 Pandemic”
Tuesday, November 29
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Educating for the Anthropocene: Schooling and Activism in the Face of Slow Violence
Wednesday, November 30
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Stefan Rahmstorf: 2022 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication
Friday, December 9
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These kinds of events below are happening all over the world every day and most of them, now, are webcast and archived, sometimes even with accurate transcripts. Would be good to have a place that helped people access them.
This is a more global version of the local listings I did for about a decade (what I did and why I did it at http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html) until September 2020 and earlier for a few years in the 1990s (https://theworld.com/~gmoke/AList.index.html).
A more comprehensive global listing service could be developed if there were enough people interested in doing it, if it hasn’t already been done.
If anyone knows of such a global listing of open energy, climate, and other events is available, please put me in contact.
Thanks for reading,
Solar IS Civil Defense,
George Mokray
gmoke@world.std.com
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com – notes on lectures and books
http://solarray.blogspot.com – renewable energy and efficiency – zero net energy links list
http://cityag.blogspot.com – city agriculture links list
http://geometrylinks.blogspot.com – geometry links list
http://hubevents.blogspot.com – Energy (and Other) Events
http://www.dailykos.com/user/gmoke/history – articles, ideas, and screeds
**Conferences**
2022 C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium & Awards Retaking the helm: Steering clean energy through perilous storms
Wednesday, November 2
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Online
RSVP at https://tamei.regfox.com/c3e-symposium-2022-online
The need for clean, reliable, and affordable energy globally is abundantly apparent. Severe weather, conflict, and a global pandemic have made energy supply, access, and prices even more volatile. Realizing a decarbonized energy system requires new strategies, policies, and innovative technologies,
The need for clean, reliable, and affordable energy globally is abundantly apparent. Severe weather, conflict, and a global pandemic have made energy supply, access, and prices even more volatile. Realizing a decarbonized energy system requires new strategies, policies, and innovative technologies, all while driving the creation of new jobs and improving the quality of life for all people. At the 11th Annual U.S. C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium & Awards, key thought leaders will explore how we can steadily pursue sustainable energy goals through current and future challenges.
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Advancing Environmental Justice and Conservation Innovation: Rethinking Institutions, Governance, and Collaborative Processes
November 3
10am to 2:30pm EST [1:00 pm to 5:30 pm PT]
Online
RSVP at https://bren.ucsb.edu/events/bren-school-mantell-symposium-environmental-justice-and-conservation-innovation
Please join us for a special event that will catalyze the Bren School’s efforts to advance environmental justice and conservation innovation. The symposium will include panel discussions featuring leaders in the environmental justice and conservation innovation space as well as Bren School faculty and the first cohort of Michael Mantell Fellows.
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Yale Clean Energy Conference
Thursday, November 3rd, 2022, 4:30 PM EDT — Friday, November 4th, 2022, 6:30 PM EDT
RSVP at https://web.cvent.com/event/aea7d4be-b582-474d-9a6e-08acbad4ed82/summary
Cost: $40 – $80
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Science, Technology & the Human Future
Thursday, November 3 – Saturday, November 5
Harvard, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.sts20th.org/registration/
The Program on Science, Technology & Society at Harvard Kennedy School is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a Symposium on Science, Technology and the Human Future, to be held at Harvard from November 3-5, 2022. This major event will feature a wide range of high profile speakers across political, academic, and broader society.
The Symposium begins at 5pm on Thursday, November 3 with a keynote lecture by novelist Arundhati Roy, including performances of original music and fiction written by Harvard students. We continue on Friday with panels on the role of science and technology in shaping the human future, including the future of knowledge, life, policy, and cities. Saturday includes open discussions on how STS can position us to better understand and govern ourselves, our societies, and our Earth.
CONTACT INFO Laura Flynn, 617-495-5636
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TransCultural Exchange’s 2022 International Conference on Opportunities in the Arts: Create the Future
Friday, November 4 – Sunday, November 6
Colleges of the Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts with attendant activities and events throughout the city of Boston and its neighboring city, Cambridge.
https://transculturalexchange.org/conference-2022/registration/
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Net Zero Carbon Industry by 2050: Myth or Reality? – 4th of November 2022
Friday, November 4
7:50am – 12:45pm [12:50 – 17:45 CET]
Online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/net-zero-carbon-industry-by-2050-myth-or-reality-4th-of-november-2022-tickets-398791665607
An interactive online research conference for leaders of industry, students and associations interested in facing the climate change.
Following the COP26 climate summit, countries and companies all over the world have committed to reduce their carbon emissions by 2050. Some have set challenging targets to achieve carbon neutrality before this.
But is this achievable? Are the changes which have to be made too radical? Or not ambitious enough?
High carbon emission costs (and high energy prices) will influence strategic choices, whilst improvements in digital technologies will influence both the way we operate and the way we work.
Industrial leaders and young sustainability champions will show their commitment to being part of the climate change solution through a series of case studies on:
The Circular Economy
Energy Transition
Digital Operations
Digital Engineering and Construction
Mixed breakout groups of industry managers and students will discuss these contributions and commitments in order to better understand the “2050 challenge”.
Conference chaired by: Mercedes Alonso, Executive Vice President, Renewable Polymers and Chemicals, Neste.
Also happening on November 10: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/net-zero-carbon-industry-by-2050-myth-or-reality-10th-of-november-2022-tickets-398792929387
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Annual Climate Symposium 2022 at Harvard Business School
Saturday, November 5 4:00 PM – Sunday, November 6, 5:00 PM EDT
Harvard Business School Aldrich Hall Soldiers Field Road Boston
RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com/e/annual-climate-symposium-2022-at-harvard-business-school-tickets-400257389627
Cost: $40-$60
Please join us for the Annual Climate Symposium 2022 at Harvard Business School. A student run conference focused on climate.
Conference ticket includes:
Saturday Evening Early Bird Welcome Event: This event is included for first 100 ticket sales (early-bird) and for conference panelists/speakers. Invitations will be extended after that as space allows.
Sunday All Day Conference: 8AM – 5PM on Harvard Business School Campus. Featuring incredible keynotes, facilitated panel discussions, start-up pitch competition and refreshments provided throughout the day. Conference agenda will be made available on our website linked below.
Check out our website at https://climatesymposium.mailchimpsites.com for a more detailed agenda!
STUDENTS can use code student2022 for 50% tickets. MUST show student ID at check-in!
The expected dress code for the conference is business attire.
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COP [Conference of Parties] 27: Global Climate Conference
Sunday, November 6 – Friday, November 18
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt and Online
More information at https://cop27.eg/#/
CERES online events at COP27
RSVP at https://www.ceres.org/events/ceres-cop27
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Innovations in Education for the Global Village Online Summit
Tuesday, November 8
Online
RSVP at https://whova.com/portal/registration/iegv_202211/
We are excited to announce that Fernando Reimers, Ford Foundation Professor of Practice in International Education, is keynoting Hope Collaborative’s November Global Village Summit at Harvard with DWF. Professor Reimers has developed curriculum aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which is in use in many schools throughout the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic he led numerous comparative studies examining the educational consequences of the pandemic and identifying options to sustain educational opportunity and to build back better.
On November 8 2022, leaders and social mission advocates, academics, industry and government leaders, and government policy makers from around the world will come together for the 2022 Innovations in Education for the Global Village: Values, Vision and Impact Summitonline. The summit will feature discussion and debate on the critical challenges humanity faces educating people living in under-resourced regions, and the role that leaders and companies can play in delivering solutions that work. Featured speakers include distinguished experts and leading thinkers in the area of poverty reduction through the scaling of quality education.
Fernando Reimers, Director of the Global Education Initiative at Harvard University
Professor Karthik Muralidharan, Professor of Economics at University of California San Diego
Christopher Dede, Senior Research Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Education
Bhuvana Santhanam, Head of Global Outreach of Sri Sathya Sai Lok Seva Group of Trusts
Robert Schwartz, Senior Advisor to the Harvard Project on Workforce at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy
Sylvia Schmelkes, Provost of Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City
The goal of the 2022 summit is to outline and prioritize key research, best-practices to date, and challenges with the intention of driving positive change and effecting a lasting impact with a roadmap for innovation and impact. The 2022 summit will lay a foundation that focuses on how to organize and align the best thinkers, academics, practitioners, government policy makers, corporations, and organizations globally. Attendees will include distinguished thinkers, practitioners, and leaders from top universities, business schools, global foundations, leading service organizations, multinational corporations, professional students, and guests from around the world. It will be a joyful day of debate, learning, and sharing set against the Harvard University setting. We plan to publish a book that captures best 2022 thinking, research, and best practices.
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The First Ecology and Sustainability Forum in Metaverse
Friday, November 11
3 am – 8am EST [12:00 PM – 5:00 PM Gulf Standard Time United Arab Emirates Time]
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-first-ecology-and-sustainability-forum-in-metaverse-tickets-443508695447
Cost: $25
We bring together Sustainability, Co-Creation and Maecenas in Metaverse. To find solutions major issues of planetary crisis.
The First Meta Eco Forum will take place online in Metaverse on 11 of November.
Metaverse Conference Room is designed by renowned digital artists and has beautiful ecology theme. We have international speakers, moderators and partners from all around the globe. The event is innovative and first of a kind. We are holding MetaEcoForum in virtual reality. Technology paired with creativity resulting an immersive 3D environment. Metaverse will add value by delivering a suite of complimentary digital experience.
The principal matters of the Forum:
Humans and Nature as prime movers
Web 3.0 as a technology to connect people to the green stage of development
Ecology and technology in pop science format
What tools come into our lives to meet the coming challenges?
What is Ecology of consciousness
Let’s create a better sustainable future together!
Link to enter the metaverse will be sent to your e-mail on the eve of the event.
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World Sustainability Conference 2022
Saturday, November 12
2AM – 12PM EST [8:00 AM – 6:00 PM WAT]
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-sustainability-conference-2022-tickets-362861457387
Cost: $75 – $100
The World Sustainability Conference is an annual gathering of professionals and renowned persons who present their expert ideas on sustainability. It is an online platform that bring together prominent sustainability experts to discuss resolving issues plaguing the earth with seasoned peers.
The theme for this year’s online event is “Life and Development in the 21st Century: Developing Feasible Roadmaps for Sustainable Communities”.
Here are some of our Invited Speakers
Professor Steven L. Schwarcz, Star Distinguished Professor of Law & Business, Duke University
Professor Gang Pan, Director, Centre of Integrated Water-Energy-Food (iWEF), Nottingham Trent University
Dr. Adenike Akinsemolu, Director, The Green Institute
Professor Patrick Paul Walsh, Professor of International Development, University College Dublin, Ireland
Professor Indra Abeysekera, Professor and Chair of Accounting and Finance, Charles Darwin University, Australia
Director Namita Vikas, Founder & Managing Director auctusESG
Professor Onesimus Otieno, Professor of Biological Science, Oakwood University, United States
Dr. Adegbemisilu Abiola, Senior Lecturer, Science Education Department, Adekunle Ajasin, Nigeria
Dr. Purnima Devi Barman, Founder Hargila Army & Wildlife Biologist, Aranyak, India
Dr. Ozak Esu, Video Host, Climate Now & Technical Project Manager R&D, Hilti Group, Liechtenstein
Dr. Miguel Amado, Associate Professor Habilitation in Architecture Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa
Dr. Eugene Eteris, Managing Director, European Integration Institute, Denmark
More speakers will be announced over the coming weeks.
Sub-themes:
Education
Natural Resources and Energy
Economics
Culture and Equality
Biodiversity and Environment
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TEDxBoston: Planetary Stewardship
Sunday, November 13: MIT Media Lab
8:30 am – 7:30 pm
75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tedxboston-planetary-stewardship-registration-427227979387
Monday, November 14: New England Aquarium
8:30 am to mid-afternoon
1 Central Wharf Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tedxboston-planetary-stewardship-registration-427227979387
Join us for our inaugural Planetary Stewardship Event that will elevate transformative ideas on climate and establish Boston as a hub for driving powerful ideas toward global climate and sustainability solutions.
More details + Speaker Schedule at https://tedxboston.com/planetary-stewardship/
Timed to align with the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference, this 2-day event is designed to spotlight actionable ideas for human activity to achieve a sustainable relationship with the planet’s natural systems. 100 talks from a broad range of experts will explore how research and scaling of technologies and practices can bring us closer toward planetary stewardship goals.
The talks will take place at anchor sites across Boston (MIT, New England Aquarium, GBH, The ‘Quin House, Codman Academy) exploring the economic and social structure of several major systems: energy, mobility, agriculture, construction, manufacturing, plastics, resource exploration and extraction, etc., and how they interact with nature’s great systems: atmosphere (air), lithosphere (soil and rock), hydrosphere (oceans), and biosphere (flora and fauna). Speakers will explore initiatives to reduce and reverse environmental damage caused by human endeavors, and bring together community activists who feel compelled to force that change, along with scientists who are inventing and implementing ways to solve these problems.
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Convergence: The Promise and Reality of AI & Quantum
Monday, November 14
9:00 AM – 4:30 PM EST
Little Theater, Kresge Auditorium48 Massachusetts Avenue #W16-035 Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/convergence-the-promise-and-reality-of-ai-quantum-tickets-412863765637
Cost: $149 – $349
MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and MIT’s Center for Quantum Engineering are teaming up to assemble leaders across AI and quantum to discuss the promise and practical realities – as we know them today – about these technologies, and how they will affect the economy and the world.
Join us for Convergence: The Promise and Reality of AI & Quantum, a one-day program that is essential for those wanting to understand where quantum research stands and harness the power of quantum and AI. This program will be held in-person at MIT and virtually.
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Passive House Symposium
Wednesday, November 16
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston
RSVP at https://passivehousema.org/symposium
Cost: $50 – $100
We welcome you to join us as we return to an in-person Symposium and Push the Boundaries of Passive House. Featuring presentations, case-studies, panel discussions, and networking, all in-person at the BSA Space in Boston. Session topics include the new Stretch Code and Specialized Opt-In Code, Retrofit Case-Studies, Winthrop Center, Northland Newton, Mass Timber, Electrification, and Existing Building Policy.
Sessions:
Happening Now – The New Stretch Code and the Specialized Opt-In Stretch Code
Maggie McCarey, Energy Efficiency Director, MA Department of Energy Resources, kicks off our Symposium with a presentation and discussion of the new building code changes, including updates to the Stretch Code, the new “Net Zero” specialized code, Passive House certification requirements, and energy reduction metrics.
Salem Heights – A Deep Energy Retrofit Case Study
This session presents a case study of the just the retrofit of Salem Heights affordable housing high rise apartments, including retrofitting with people in place.
Northland Newton Development – The Path to Passive House
With over 700 units across 8 buildings, this massive new project in Newton aims to be the largest all-electric Passive House development in the world. Hear from the developer, architect, contractor, and PH consultant.
Deep Energy Retrofits on the Cusp
Tim McDonald, Onion Flats, and Wes Stanhope, Building Evolution Corp, present their research on tackling existing buildings.
Mass Timber & Passive House: Low-Carbon Construction
This session dives into the details on an all-electric mass timber Passive House in Roxbury from both the CPHC and Structural Engineer.
All-Electric Senior Living in Newton
David Roache, Mark Development, Senior Vice President of Development, and Marine Sanchez, RDH Building Science, Senior Passive House Consultant, present on this in-development project in Newton that features over 200 units of independent living, assisted living, and memory care services.
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International Sustainability Conference 2022
Friday, November 18
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM WAT
Online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/international-sustainability-conference-2022-tickets-438877312857
The International Sustainability Conference is an annual Dialogue-to-Action Conference for Sustainability Practitioners.
With more than 700 participants from 32 countries, the #international Sustainability Conference is an opportunity for anyone to connect and learn from global leaders on the practical ways that we as a continent and even globally can build resilient systems.
Over 2500 organizations have been reached since 2014, and over 50 countries registered for the virtual conference held last year alone.
As the Lagos Business School Sustainability Centre invites sustainability enthusiasts, experts, and the general public to participate in this conference, you will have the opportunity to obtain knowledge that can be put into action in order to incorporate sustainability in the process of building resilience in your organization.
**Lecture Series**
Energy Policy Seminar: “Towards Quantitative Comparison of the Risks and Benefits of Solar Geoengineering”
Monday, October 31
12 – 1:15 p.m.
Harvard Kennedy School, Rubenstein Building, 414AB, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge
and online
RSVP at https://www.belfercenter.org/event/energy-policy-seminar-towards-quantitative-comparison-risks-and-benefits-solar-geoengineering
SPEAKER(S) David Keith, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University
Join us in-person or online for an Energy Policy Seminar featuring David Keith, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University. Keith will give a talk entitled “Towards Quantitative Comparison of the Risks and Benefits of Solar Geoengineering.” Q&A to follow.
CONTACT INFO Elizabeth Hanlon – ehanlon@hks.harvard.edu
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Leapfrogging in energy technologies: Evidence from China’s electric vehicle industry with Hengrui Liu
Monday, November 3
12-1:30 pm
Tufts, Crowe Room (Goddard 310), 160 Packard Avenue, Medford, MA
RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2uMf6erJZ63-2HqLfgeyPyybPltaylMnnvHqImGdN3qJryw/viewform
To some extent, China’s automobile industry has achieved leapfrogging in manufacturing EVs. China’s pace of EV development has been astonishing. Even a decade ago, the technological gaps between China and developed countries were huge in the internal combustion engine and hybrid-electric vehicles. However, questions remain: What were the limits to leapfrogging, and how did China overcome those limits? What is the role of the domestic innovation system in leapfrogging in EV? What is the role of technology transfer in leapfrogging in EV? How does China’s EV industry differ from the solar PV industry regarding innovation and technology transfer through the global value chain? At an upcoming seminar, Hengrui Liu will present his latest findings on these issues.
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Redesigning Our Communities for Life After Fossil Fuels
Saturday, November 12
11am – 3pm EST [1:00 – 5:00 pm CST]
in-person and virtual
RSVP at https://bio4climate.org/redesigning-our-communities-for-life-after-fossil-fuels-november-12/
It’s time to scale way back, redesign how we’re living and roll up our sleeves to restore our ecosystems, soil, biodiversity and connections with our neighbors.
As we learn and take action on how to live within the Earth’s limits, it’s vital that we co-invent and redesign our new lifestyles with every member of our community, especially our underserved community members, and even look to them for their expertise on how to be resilient.
Too often, communities of color and low income communities have been left out of the conversation, the plans and the funding, despite often being the most seriously impacted by the climate and other crises. Let’s move forward by coming together, learning from one another, and supporting each other as we strengthen our resilience and face the challenges ahead.
Join us!
Keynote: Life After Fossil Fuels
Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow, Post Carbon Institute
Richard Heinberg is a Senior Fellow at Post Carbon Institute and is the author of 14 books, including POWER: LIMITS AND PROSPECTS FOR HUMAN SURVIVAL, along with hundreds of essays and articles, some of which have appeared in NATURE, WALL STREET JOURNAL and THE AMERICAN PROSPECT. He has lectured on 6 continents and has appeared in numerous environmental documentary films.
Plus much more!
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Living Between Worlds, with Grace, Dignity, and Power
Wednesday, November 16
3pm EST (12:00 PM PST)
RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvf-mvrD8qGNUBS287pVRGQr77bUBhKQF4
In these monthly calls [every third Wednesday], we explore the challenges of navigating the world of messes we’ve inherited and built—from climate and Covid to biodiversity and fascism to identity and pluralism—with grace, dignity, and power.
(You can find our previous sessions at https://bit.ly/3wKcE9z. If you like what you see, please Like and Subscribe.)
Who joins these conversations? Executives. Sustainability professionals. Investors. Activists. Entrepreneurs. Seekers. Up-and-comers. A poet or two. And you!
And consider inviting someone who might enrich the conversation. (Maybe even someone who shares our concerns, but is different than you or me.)
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EnergyBar: Go Move 2022 Kickoff
Wednesday, November 16
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM EST
Greentown Labs 444 Somerville Avenue Somerville
and online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/energybar-go-move-2022-kickoff-tickets-403738792597
Join us to celebrate the kickoff of Go Move 2022, a Greentown Go startup-corporate partnerships accelerator program focused on decarbonizing transportation, in partnership with BASF and Magna.
At this Kickoff Event, attendees will hear from inspiring industry experts, lightning pitches from the startup finalists, and network with industry leaders.
To decarbonize the transportation sector, which is responsible for 16 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, we need solutions to electrify transportation, enable alternative fuels, increase efficiency, and promote shared mobility and micromobility.
In this program track, we bring startups and corporates together to accelerate the commercialization of technologies from EVs, to hydrogen refueling technologies, to automotive lightweighting innovations, and more. How do you want to transform transportation?
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Transforming Policy, Procurement & Data to Achieve Carbon-Free Electricity in New England
Friday, December 9
9:00 am-12:30 pm
Foley Hoag LLP 155 Seaport Blvd 17th Floor Boston
and Livestreaming
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/12922-transforming-policy-procurement-data-to-achieve-cfe-in-ne-tickets-436614785577
Cost: $0 – $100
Recent Studies on 24/7 and Emissionality: Time & Location Matching
Convener/Moderator: Dr. Jonathan Raab, Raab Associates, Ltd.
Dr. Jesse Jenkins, Associate Professor Princeton University
Dr. Kathleen Spees, Principal, Brattle Group
Mark Dyson (invited), Managing Director, CFE Program, RMI
At this Roundtable, we will examine what it will take for New England’s states and other important entities, such as municipalities, universities, customers, utilities, and the federal government, to achieve their carbon-free electricity (CFE) commitments. These commitments come in the form of mandatory federal and state requirements, Renewable Portfolio and Clean Energy Standards, and voluntary purchases by corporations and nonprofits of Renewable and Clean Energy Certificates that match their buyers’ annual electricity consumption.
While these strategies have resulted in significant carbon emission reductions, they will not be sufficient to achieve a carbon-free electricity system. There is growing recognition that “not all kWhs are created equal.” Electricity-related carbon emissions vary hour by hour (even minute by minute) depending on the power plants that are operating at the time. They also vary by location, based on the mix of generation in the grid or utility system (even down to the circuit) where the customer is located. Carbon free resources that reduce the use of power plants with high levels of emissions, such as coal plants, reduce more carbon than carbon free sources that reduce the use of plants with lower emissions, e.g., natural gas or even renewable generation. Similarly, actions that reduce consumption in “dirtier” systems or grids, reduce more carbon emissions than actions in a “cleaner” system
As a result, customers, producers, policymakers and researchers are looking more closely at matching consumption with CFE by time and location. The two strategies currently receiving the most attention are, 1) procuring CFE on a 24/7 hourly matching basis; and 2) procuring electricity based on its “emissionality,” a practice that targets emissions where and when they are highest.
This panel will present three ground-breaking studies on what it will take to achieve CFE and whether 24/7 hourly matching or emissionality will be a more effective strategy (theoretically) or equally effective (practically).
Changing Policies, Procurements, and Data to Achieve Time & Location Matching
Guest Moderator: Janet Gail Besser
Tanuj Deora (invited), Director, Clean Energy, White House CEQ
Dr. Caroline Golin, Global Head, Energy Market, Development & Policy, Google
Misti Groves, VP Market & Policy Innovation, CEBA & CEBI
Mason Emnett, Senior VP Policy Constellation
Neil Fisher, Partner, Northbridge
Whether focusing on 24/7 hourly matching or emissionality, changes in policies, procurement practices and data access will be needed to achieve CFE.
On December 8, 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration issued an Executive Order requiring 100 percent CFE by 2030 for all federal buildings and facilities–at least half of which must be locally supplied clean energy to match 24/7 hourly demand. In August 2022, the White House Council on Environmental Quality provided initial implementing instructions, with additional guidance forthcoming.
Large corporate electricity buyers, such as Google and the Clean Energy Buyers Alliance, have been pursuing CFE procurement, using 24/7 and emissionality strategies. Meanwhile, suppliers have been working to provide these buyers with the CFE products they need to apply these strategies. Speakers will share how their collective experience in other states and regions could be applied in New England.
Finally, experts have been focusing on the policies and procurement practices that will need to be modified to enable and support CFE procurement, as well as the underlying data and data access that will be required to execute these strategies. These include next generation procurement strategies that can be implemented by customers, government agencies, and even by utilities procuring electricity supplies for default service. These strategies could also necessitate a reframing of overall mandates and goals, and major revisions to supporting policies.
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Earthquakes and the End Times: Global Disasters and Apocalyptic Predictions in the Early Modern English Atlantic
Tuesday, December 13
5:00PM – 6:15PM
This is an online event.
RSVP at https://18308a.blackbaudhosting.com/18308a/Environmental-History-Seminar-Prof-Jennifer-Egloff-Virtual-Event
Author: Jennifer Egloff, NYU Shanghai
Comment: Conevery Bolton Valencius, Boston College
Throughout early modern Europe and the Atlantic World, individuals recorded details of earthquakes in diaries and letters, contemplated meanings in sermons, and learned about distant disasters via broadsides and pamphlets. Highlighting the contemporary providential worldview, this paper argues that numbers contained in earthquake reports were particularly significant. By recording precisely when earthquakes occurred—and making correlations with distant earthquakes—individuals interpreted God’s messages apocalyptically, arguing that particular earthquakes correlated with those described in Revelation. Some people combined this with additional chronological information to predict when Judgment Day would occur. This paper explores the extent to which New Englanders were unique in their providential and apocalyptical interpretations of global disasters, compared to their Atlantic counterparts.
The Environmental History Seminar invites you to join the conversation. Seminars bring together a diverse group of scholars and interested members of the public to workshop a pre-circulated paper. Learn more.
Purchasing the $25 seminar subscription gives you advanced access to the seminar papers of all seven seminar series for the current academic year. Subscribe at www.masshist.org/research/seminars. Subscribers for the current year may login to view currently available essays.
**Events**
Planning Transformation Coastal Adaptation with a Climate Justice Lens
Monday, October 31
10am – 11:30am
Northeastern, Renaissance Park, 310R, 1135 Tremont Street, Boston
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Centering Gender at COP 27
Tuesday, November 1
10:00-11:00 a.m. EDT
Zoom Webinar
RSVP at https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/events-calendar/centering-gender-cop27?utm_source=Center%20on%20Global%20Energy%20Policy%20Mailing%20List&utm_campaign=6517fb3e4f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_15_01_21_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0773077aac-6517fb3e4f-102381642
The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, is rapidly approaching. In order for COP27 to successfully address the scale of the climate crisis, attending nations must consider the gender balance of their delegations and hosted speakers. Women’s political leadership is integral to climate change, political awareness, and government action.
The Center on Global Energy Policy will host a panel of experts to discuss the contribution of women to climate diplomacy and the important role of a gender framework in promoting successful climate action. The panel will feature Catherine McKenna, who launched Women Leading on Climate at COP26 in Glasgow, and Amy Myers Jaffe, who recently released a commentary on women and gender in climate diplomacy.
Moderator:
Amy Myers Jaffe, Research Professor and Managing Director, Climate Policy Lab, The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and Co-chair of the Women in Energy Steering Committee, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA
Panelists:
Catherine McKenna, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA and Founder and Principal, Climate and Nature Solutions
Additional panelist to be announced
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Social & Environmental Impact: Can you be profitable and save the planet?
Thursday, November 3
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
Online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/social-environmental-impact-can-you-be-profitable-and-save-the-planet-tickets-431057694167
Join us for a virtual Keynote Debate as leading industry experts discuss the challenges of balancing sustainability and profitability.
In 1994, business writer and entrepreneur, John Elkington, coined the phrase, the triple bottom line (TBL), which encourages businesses to commit to measuring their social and environmental impact, and not just the financials of the standard bottom line. Thus the “three Ps” of profit, people, and planet was born. In recent years, firms and investors have embraced ESG, or environment, social, and corporate governance, at an accelerating pace. ESG approaches seek to manage these sustainability related issues, historically sidelined by traditional finance. Faced with an alphabet soup of sustainability standards and reporting frameworks, business leaders must think strategically to balance the demands of shareholders and other stakeholders.
In July 2022, the business magazine The Economist declared that ESG was a broken system and needs urgent repair. Forbes pointed out that ESG factors are, “complex, multi-dimensional and continuously evolving”. It is unsurprising, then, that so many companies face challenges in understanding ESG, its impact, and how best to integrate the requirements of ESG into existing business practices. So, how do firms navigate the complicated waters of the TBL and ESG, and retain their profitability, while advancing social and environmental concerns?
Tune in via Zoom on November 3rd as our panel of experts debate this fascinating and topical issue, seeking to answer the question: Can you still be profitable and save the planet? The panel discussion and networking event is part of ongoing celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Tufts Gordon Institute, as we celebrate our mission to create the next generation of transformational leaders with purpose, equipped with the mindset and skill set to greet the dynamic changes facing our society.
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Mapping the Circular Economy in Greater Boston
Thursday, November 3
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM EDT
Venture Café Cambridge One Broadway Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mapping-the-circular-economy-in-greater-boston-tickets-449774727317
In this session, Circular Economy Club Boston will give a brief introduction to the circular economy and what business opportunities it presents for our region.
Participants will have the chance to map out the existing circular economy initiatives in our region, brainstorm ideas, and learn how they can apply circular economy frameworks and models to their businesses, projects, and initiatives.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, teacher, non-profit leader, or government representative, you will walk away from this session with an understanding of the opportunities the circular economy provides for your sector.
For more information on venture cafe: https://venturecafecambridge.org/sessions/mapping-the-circular-economy-in-greater-boston/?type=session
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Derivatives and Bank Climate Risk Report
Friday, November 4
11:00 AM
Online
RSVP at https://ceres-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/9616642914661/WN_MtsDUhXZR0a6JJwFyMzlGQ
U.S. banks have made strong progress in understanding the climate risk and impact of their lending activity, but huge parts of banks’ businesses are still a black box in terms of climate. This webinar will discuss Ceres’ recent report “Derivatives and Bank Climate Risk” and make the case that derivatives should be (at least) as important for banks to address as investment banking. Given that the derivatives market is $600 trillion in size, accounts for more than 10% of the revenue of the largest banks, and it is highly interconnected to the rest of the financial system, it is a proverbial “elephant in the room” when it comes to banks’ climate strategies. If we want to decarbonize at the speed required by science, derivatives must be part of the solution and not a roadblock to bank climate action.
In this webinar, attendees will:
Identify the findings of Ceres’ recent report on the climate risk and impact of banks’ derivative portfolios.
Interpret the recommendations Ceres has for banks and how these tie into previous banking reports.
Discover how derivatives should fit into banks’ target-setting and carbon accounting calculations.
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Energy Seminar: The Decarbonization Imperative – Michael Lenox, Darden School of Business
Monday, November 7
1:30 – 2:30pm (EST) [4:30pm to 5:20pm PT]
https://stanford-pilot.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=ce161bc6-f6ae-4626-8c71-af1501842462
Speaker bio
Michael Lenox is the Tayloe Murphy Professor in Business Administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He helped found and served as the inaugural president of the multiple-university Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability. Prior to joining Darden in 2008, Professor Lenox was a professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, where he served as the area coordinator for Fuqua’s Strategy Area and the faculty director and founder of Duke’s Corporate Sustainability Initiative. He received his Ph.D. in Technology Management and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999 and the degrees of Bachelor and Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia.
Lenox’s primary expertise is in the domain of technology strategy and policy. He is broadly interested in the role of innovation and entrepreneurship for economic growth and firm competitive success. In particular, he explores the business strategy and public policy drivers of the direction of innovative activity. Professor Lenox also has a long-standing interest in the interface between business strategy and public policy as it relates to the natural environment. Recent work includes the books “Can Business Save the Earth” (2018) and “The Decarbonization Imperative” (2021) both from Stanford University Press.
More information at https://events.stanford.edu/event/energy_seminar_the_decarbonization_imperative_-_michael_lenox_darden_school_of_business
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The future of our ecosystems in a sustainable future
Tuesday, November 8
7am to 8am EST [12:00 – 13:00 London]
RSVP at https://www.eventsforce.net/nesta/frontend/reg/thome.csp?pageID=37365&eventID=138&mc=WEB&CSPCHD=000004000000GiqTfGufgUNIPZFTs5e$72THRRFP7ru1RP2ENO
Human destruction of the natural environment is often thought of as terminal. Once ecosystems are eradicated from places – for instance through forest clearance or nuclear catastrophe – there is no hope of their return. In her latest book, Islands of Abandonment, Cal Flyn shows this not to be the case. War zones and abandoned cities flourish in the absence of human-induced environmental catastrophe, becoming important sites of ecological richness.
Join us in conversation with Cal Flyn and our Sustainable Future Mission Manager Oliver Zanetti. We’ll be talking to Cal about her research – from the recolonisation of piles rock from mining waste to examples of species reconquering nuclear sites and polluted lakes – and how we can find hope in the face of environmental catastrophe.
Why you should come
This event is for anyone interested in the resilience of our ecosystems, whether you’re working in the sector or just interested in the future of our natural world. Cal and Olly will discuss environmental renewal, the future of our ecosystems and how an optimistic approach to ecology could be the key to overcoming climate anxiety and inactivism.
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Mobilizing Finance for Clean Energy in Emerging Markets
Tuesday, November 8
5 am
Online at https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/livestream
Nearly 600 million people across Africa lack access to energy. At the same time, developed nations are falling short on their promise to deliver US$100 billion a year in climate finance to less wealthy countries. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the financing gap for climate in developing economies amounts to $23 trillion between now and 2030—or roughly $1.5 trillion per year. To make matters worse, countries around the world are facing the greatest energy crises since the 1970s, forcing many European energy companies to scramble and find new sources like Africa for energy supply.
Please join Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, along with the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, for a special event to explore concrete actions that can be taken to mobilize private capital for energy opportunities in Africa and other emerging markets while pushing forward with aggressive climate action.
The discussants will explore a range of ideas and issues including: tools for de-risking emerging markets investments; novel approaches to blended finance to unlock and mobilize capital; and how the decision makers can ensure equitable solutions in finance.
Moderator:
Jason Bordoff, Founding Director, Center on Global Energy Policy and Co-Dean, Columbia Climate School
Speakers:
Tariye Gbadegesin, Managing Director and CEO, ARM-Harith Infrastructure Fund
Dr. Mo Ibrahim, Founder and Chair, Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Andrew Kamau, CBS, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum & Mining, Government of Kenya
Jake Levine, Chief Climate Officer, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
This event will be hosted in person in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. All in-person attendees are required to register to attend the event and register to enter the Climate Action Innovation Zone. Please note: these are two separate registration pages and all attendees will need to register via both forms to access the event. We encourage you to explore the other event offerings taking place in the Climate Action Innovation Zone during COP27.
Advance registration for in-person attendance is required. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email.
The event will be live streamed on the CGEP website. Registration is not required to view the live stream. The video recording will be added to our website following the event.
This event is open to press, and registration is required to attend. For media inquiries or requests for interviews, please contact Natalie Volk (nv2388@columbia.edu).
For more information about the event, please contact energypolicyevents@columbia.edu.
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Can We Eat Our Way Out of Climate Change?
Tuesday, November 8
2pm EST (5:00 PM PST)
RSVP at https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2022-11-08/can-we-eat-our-way-out-climate-change
Providing nutritious, safe and affordable food in the face of the Earth’s changing climate is an urgent global challenge. How can we produce enough food for everyone at the same time as improving our relationship with our environment? And can what we eat contribute to a more sustainable future for communities on the West Coast, across North America and around the world?
Join the conversation with Peter Dhillon, chairman of Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., and Steve Banwart, dean for global development at the University of Leeds, as they explore how we begin to tackle the tensions between climate change and food supply.
They’ll discuss how fostering closer collaboration and partnership between researchers, food producers, policymakers, communities and businesses worldwide will help us find pathways toward a radically different global food system—one that works with nature and adapts to our changing climate. They’ll also delve into how we challenge assumptions to break new ground in developing climate-smart, socially just solutions that will create a positive future for our people and planet.
As the first Canadian chairman of Ocean Spray, Peter Dhillon has experienced first hand what it takes to build a global plant-based cooperative that remains closely connected to first nation, indigenous and immigrant communities. As chair of the the British Columbia Food Security Task Force, he was also instrumental in providing recommendations to the Canadian government on agricultural development needed in the province, which relies heavily on imported produce from California.
Professor Steve Banwart is the dean for global development at the University of Leeds, and also the director of the Global Food and Environment Institute, which brings together leading scientists, engineers and social scientists working with universities, alumni, farmers and citizens around the world to find new solutions to enhance the future habitability of our planet.
All attendees are welcome to join us after the program for complimentary wine, soft drinks, and light snacks. Please join us.
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Climate Solutions Roundtable – Decarbonize Cambridge Built Environment
Tuesday, November 8
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST
Harvard Innovation Labs 125 Western Avenue Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-solutions-roundtable-decarbonize-cambridge-built-environment-tickets-450889170647
Are you concerned about Climate Change and want to solve it through innovation? Join us on Tuesday 8th Nov, 7pm at the i-lab
We hope to build a diverse community of people interested in solving Climate Change related problems through innovation.
Session 2 will focus on decarbonizing Cambridge built environment. Depending on interest we could form a team or two for MIT Energy Hack (Theme – Decarbonize the Built Environment) on Nov 11-13th.
During the first session, members came up with four different solutions to eliminate disposable food/takeout containers from Cambridge ecosystem. One of those solutions was a valid startup idea that could’ve taken shape with four interested members, who were open to new ideas. First session wasn’t perfect, but we could try that in this session 🙂
After all, Cambridge houses are a prime target for decarbonization – old and inefficient appliances, under renovation, money savvy home owners etc. Probably, the best ecosystem to test and learn!
Here’s the current approach:
Foster peer-to-peer learning with content from diverse sources
Organize discussion roundtables with parallel thinking principles
Enable authentic connections in an empathetic environment
Target audience: Engineers, Scientists, Entrepreneurs, Conservationists, Policy advocates, Students, Artists, and Misfits. No prior knowledge required.
Background material would be shared with registered participants and brainstorming session is conducted using six thinking hats method. Roundtables are currently organized in-person only. Participation is limited to about 20 members per session. Snacks will be provided, please bring your own dinner.
Community values:
Respect each other: Empathize with others, value others’ opinion, no judgements, honor RSVP, arrive on time, avoid using phone during workshop, etc.
Be fully present: If you’re speaking with someone or brainstorming in a group, please focus your attention in that moment
Be open to new ideas 🙂
Climate is a system problem and we need a system solution!
P.S.: If you’re interested, but can’t make it for this event, please sign up for the mailing list to be in the loop for future events. If you have any questions, please email Yogi at niy397@g.harvard.edu
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“Nature-Based Solutions: Engineering for a Coastal Climate Future”
Thursday, November 10
9am- 10am EST [12pm to 1pm PT]
Online
RSVP at https://stanford.zoom.us/j/97974309671?pwd=N3llN0k4MjFRNXRlcWtQaUJqakdzQT09
Password: 314159
Julia Hopkins, Northeastern
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The Farm on the Roof
Thursday, November 10
5:30pm
Boston College, Devlin Hall, Room 101, 255 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill
Anastasia is the chief impact officer and co-founder of the Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm. She is a passionate and outspoken crusader for urban agriculture and green infrastructure, Anastasia spent several years working in the food and beverage industry before her desire to make a more meaningful contribution to the food system led her to co-found Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm in 2010, and the farm’s non-profit sister organization, City Growers, in 2011.
She wears many hats for the business, all centered on creating strong and meaningful connections between the farm and the community. She has spoken to audiences internationally about topics such as circular economies and designing sustainable cities, and published a book about the business, titled The Farm on the Roof: What Brooklyn Grange Taught us About Entrepreneurship, Community, and Growing a Sustainable Business.
A born-and-raised New Yorker, Anastasia is dedicated to making the city that raised her a greener and more resilient place to live.
Editorial Comment: Years of links to urban and advanced agriculture at http://cityag.blogspot.com which is also a free listserv. Contact me if you wish to be on the mailing list.
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Can Offshore Wind be an Innovation Anchor for the New Blue Economy?
Monday, November 14
2:00 PM EST
District Hall Boston 75 Northern Avenue Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/can-offshore-wind-be-an-innovation-anchor-for-the-new-blue-economy-tickets-397142974327
Join SeaAhead, MassCEC, and Orsted to learn about and celebrate startups innovating in the New Blue Economy.
The United States’ East Coast is a growing Hub for bluetech innovation that can anchor and drive the New Blue Economy – where the explosive growth of the offshore wind industry can also spur innovation in related sectors, including maritime, coastal resilience, biodiversity conservation, and more.
Startups are developing solutions to an array of intersectional challenges across the Blue Economy and can play a key role in building effective, competitive, and responsible ocean-based industries. However, it is often difficult for startups to gain traction, as stakeholders and supply chains can be hesitant to rely on innovations without a track record of implementation. Startups need to find appropriate entry points to gain access to opportunities that will allow them to prove their concepts and value.
The purpose of this Showcase is to give visibility to novel solutions and facilitate connections between startups and the key stakeholders that can harness innovation that will help secure a more resilient ocean future.
Innovation Showcase: SeaAhead, MassCEC, & Ørsted will select up to eight startups to give 5-minute flash talks before an audience of Blue Economy stakeholders and investors in the Northeast.
If you are a startup interested in presenting at this event, learn more and apply here: https://share.hsforms.com/1psVIE-G8QK-dwoCXoVQhdQ4g3xy
Participants will be eligible to receive one of up to three one-year SeaAhead Startup Community Memberships, sponsored by Ørsted.
Startups selected to participated will receive the opportunity to meet with experts from SeaAhead, MassCEC, and Ørsted to tailor their talks to the offshore wind audience.
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Concentration and Crises: Exploring the Deep Roots of Vulnerability in the Global Industrial Food System
Tuesday, November 15
12:30 pm – 1:15 pm
Harvard Law School, WCC, 1015 Classroom, 18 Everett Street, Cambridge
The world is in the grips of a multi-dimensional food crisis. The effects of the war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the climate emergency are wreaking havoc on global food supply chains and contributing to rising world hunger. This talk outlines some of the key features of the global food system that makes it prone to crises in the face of shocks, identifying concentration as a common thread at multiple scales of the system. It draws lessons from the origins of this multi-level concentration to inform the current food systems transformation agenda.
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Energy Policy in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam: Can Coal be Curbed?
Tuesday, November 15
3 – 4 p.m.
Harvard, Littauer Building, Malkin Penthouse, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://hksexeced.tfaforms.net/f/event-registration?s=a1n6g000000nJmzAAE&c=7014V000002IuliQAC
SPEAKER(S) Cecilia Springer, Assistant Director of Boston University Global Development Policy Center
David Dapice, Senior Economist for Mainland Southeast Asia at the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia
Benny Subianto, Vietnam Program Visiting Fellow at the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia
The Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia at the Ash Center invites you to a discussion about the future of energy policy in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Specifically, panelists will examine whether coal use can be curbed in light of the region’s growing demand for energy. Joining us will be Cecilia Springer, Assistant Director of Boston University Global Development Policy Center; David Dapice, Senior Economist for Mainland Southeast Asia at the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia; and Benny Subianto, Vietnam Program Visiting Fellow at the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia. Light refreshments will be served.
CONTACT INFO info@ash.harvard.edu
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Reimagining the Digital Public Sphere
Tuesday, November 15
4:30pm to 5:45pm
Northeasternm Alumni Center, Pavilion, 716 Columbus Place, 6th Floor, Boston
RSVP at https://camd.northeastern.edu/event/deans-distinguished-speaker-ethan-zuckerman/
Join the CAMD Office of the Dean for a conversation with Ethan Zuckerman, Founder of the Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure and Professor of Public Policy at UMASS Amherst.
Ethan Zuckerman has written two books, Mistrust: Why Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform Them, and Rewire: Digital Cosmopolitans in the Age of Connection.
This Dean’s Distinguished Lecture is co-sponsored by the School of Journalism, the Department of Communication Studies, the Center for Design, the Burnes Center for Social Change, the Network Science Institute, and the NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks.
This event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. There will be a short reception after the event. An RSVP link will be available here starting November 1st.
For more information, contact:
Katherine Calzada – k.calzada@northeastern.edu
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Frances Moore Lappé, Aligning with the Earth: What Will it Take?
Tuesday, November 15
7:00pm
Boston College, Fulton Hall, 511, 257 Beacon St, Chestnut Hill
Beginning with her own awakening to the roots of hunger and ecological devastation she shares her journey of asking the question behind the question–that is, until she got to the biggest of all: Why are we, such a bright species, creating together a world that as individuals none of us would choose? She captures in dramatic data and images of the waste, destruction, hunger, and ill health built into our dominant food and agricultural systems.
She emphasizes, however, dramatic stories illustrating the power of our “mental maps” either to blind us or to enable us to see possibility. She shares stories of more democratic rules and practices bringing to life an underappreciated, global transformation holding the promise of ecological health and human thriving for all.
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“Degenerations of Democracy”: A Clough Distinguished Lecture by Craig Calhoun
Thursday, November 17
4:00pm to 6:30pm [4:00-5:30: Program, 5:30-6:30: Reception]
Boston College, Gasson Hall, 100, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hil
Craig Calhoun is a world-renowned social scientist whose work connects sociology to culture, communication, politics, philosophy, and economics. Currently the University Professor of Social Sciences at Arizona State University, he has previously served as Director of the London School of Economics, President of the Social Science Research Council, and University Professor of the Social Sciences at New York University.
As the first speaker in the Clough Center’s relaunched “Distinguished Lecture” series, Prof. Calhoun will address the issues explored in his most recent book, Degenerations of Democracy, co-authored with Charles Taylor and Dilip Gaonkar. Challenging commonplace narratives, this work interrogates the underlying causes of democratic decline, and examines the most promising strategies for revitalizing democracy across the globe. Calhoun’s respondent is Elizabeth McKenna, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and an expert in social movements, political parties, and grassroots democratic politics.
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Silent Spring Revolution
Thursday, November 17
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Smith Hall, Columbia Point Boston and Online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/silent-spring-revolution-tickets-439621197837
Douglas Brinkley discusses his forthcoming book Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, and the Great Environmental Awakening, which explores the rise of environmental activism.
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On the Contradictions of Sustainability
Tuesday, November 22
12:00 PM EST [18:00 – 19:30 CET]
Online
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/on-the-contradictions-of-sustainability-tickets-442714058667
This talk explores the contradictions of sustainability: between greenwashing, politics of production, and overconsumption.
As the earth burns and drowns in front of our eyes due to our overconsumption, we, designers, promote the discourse on designing for a better world but carry on with business as usual. In an era of instant gratification—made easier by access to cheap credit and contactless societies—designers are utilizing their power to conflate need and desire more than ever, but branding it as sustainable to evade responsibility.
Through entries from Danah Abdulla’s recent book Designerly Ways of Knowing: A Working Inventory of Things a Designer Should Know, this talk will explore the contradictions of sustainability: the way brands greenwash their practices to signal their good and ethical practices, and how they continue to create products and services branded as sustainable that we just do not need, but never challenging the systems that created the problems, to begin with. The talk will conclude by considering how we can design over time and confront the effects these products and services we think we need have on the world (and the worlds within that world).
Danah Abdulla (she/her) is a designer, educator and researcher interested in new narratives and practices in design that push the disciplinary boundaries and definitions of the discipline. She is head of Graphic Design at Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges of Arts (University of the Arts London), and a founding member of the Decolonising Design platform. Her first book Designerly Ways of Knowing: A Working Inventory of Things a Designer Should Know was published by Onomatopee (2022).
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“Democratizing the Economy or Introducing Economic Risk? Gig Work During the Covid-19 Pandemic”
Tuesday, November 29
12:30pm to 2:00pm
MIT Building 9-255, 105 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA
Daniel Auguste, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Florida Atlantic University., Faculty Affiliate, Social Policy Institute, Washington University, MIT MLK Visiting Assistant Professor 2022-2023
Synopsis: The growth of the gig economy has coincided with increased economic precarity in the new economy, but we know less about the extent to which gig work may fuel economic insecurity among American households. We examine the extent to which the expansion of the gig economy may exacerbate labor market inequality, as well as the degree to which a family’s wealth endowment may protect people against adverse economic consequences of the gig economy.
Bio: Daniel Auguste is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Florida Atlantic University and a faculty affiliate at the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis. He earned his PhD in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interests include inequality, stratification, economic and organizational sociology, and entrepreneurship. More specifically, Auguste’s research agenda seeks to understand the structural forces determining who gets what, who participates and to what level they participate in the capitalist production process–questions that have been at the center of sociological inquiry for decades. Drawing on structural sociological theories and using large-scale survey data and various statistical methodologies, Auguste offers new theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence to these timeless questions.
Panelists:
Daniel Acheampong, Co-Founder & General Partner, visiblehands.vc
Jenny Larios Berlin, Entrepreneur in Residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship; Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management
Jason Jackson, Assistant Professor in Political Economy and Urban Planning, DUSP
Elisabeth Reynolds, Principal Research Scientist and Executive Director, MIT Industrial Performance Center; Lecturer, DUSP
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Educating for the Anthropocene: Schooling and Activism in the Face of Slow Violence
Wednesday, November 30
12 – 1 p.m.
Online
RSVP at https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8CuffneAQR-nxiIgWLjJTA
SPEAKER(S) Peter Sutoris, Environmental anthropologist, Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Education at the University of York, and Honorary Senior Research Associate at University College London.
Education has never played as critical a role in determining humanity’s future as it does in the Anthropocene, an era marked by humankind’s unprecedented control over the natural environment. Drawing on a multi-sited ethnographic project among schools and activist groups in India and South Africa, Peter Sutoris explores education practices in the context of impoverished, marginal communities where environmental crises intersect with colonial and racist histories and unsustainable practices. He exposes the depoliticizing effects of schooling and examines cross-generational knowledge transfer within and beyond formal education. Finally, he calls for the bridging of schooling and environmental activism, to find answers to the global environmental crisis.
Please contact myanne_krivoshey@gse.harvard.edu if you have questions/requests regarding accessibility.
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Stefan Rahmstorf: 2022 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication
Friday, December 9
7am EST (10:00am PST)
RSVP at https://www.climateone.org/events/stefan-rahmstorf-2022-stephen-h-schneider-award-outstanding-climate-science-communication
Climate One is delighted to present the 2022 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication to climate scientist and ocean expert Dr. Stefan Rahmstorf.
In a year of unprecedented oceanic changes, Dr. Rahmstorf exemplifies the rare combination of superb scientist and powerful communicator in his work to convey the impact of climate on oceans, sea level rise, and increasing extreme weather events.
