Month: September 2015

  • Sunday, October 4, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Emerald Necklace YogaFest

    On Sunday, October 4, enjoy a day long yoga festival, connecting people and parks to benefit the Emerald Necklace.  The event will take place at Clemente Field in the Back Bay Fens from 9 – 3.  General admission is $50, Supporter tickets are $125, and Advocate tickets are $250.  There will be Yoga, AcroYoga, food trucks, vendor booths, and more.  In the event of rain the party will move indoors.  You will find more information at www.emeraldnecklace.org/EmeraldNecklaceYogaFest.  Media partners are Boston Magazine and Hub Health, Boston.  Music by Djour Entertainment.

  • Thursday, October 8, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Anson Mills

    Chefs all over the country turn to one source for hand-milled, heirloom grits, grains, and flours: Anson Mills. Anson Mills’ products are grown, cultivated, and processed in the traditional Southern style, nearly lost to modernity and revered by professional cooks and home consumers alike. At Boston University’s Demonstration Kitchen at 808 Commonwealth Avenue on Thursday, October 8, from 6 – 8, Barry Maiden, winner of the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef Northeast 2015, will demonstrate recipes showcasing some of these exemplary products, while Glenn Roberts, founder of Anson Mills, will discuss the creation and journey of each bag, from plant to plate. $70. Register online at http://www.bu.edu/phpbin/registration-manager-catalogs/foodandwine/app/catalog.php?action=section&course_section_id=3201

  • From the Archives: Air Pollution Concerns

    From the Archives: Air Pollution Concerns

    In the early 1970’s, The Garden Club of the Back Bay teamed with The Greater Boston Citizens for Clean Air to host a meeting at Fisher College with three speakers of note: Dr. William A. Feder of the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Dr. James J. Mackenzie of the Union of Concerned Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Paul P. Brountas, Chairman of the Metropolitan Boston Coalition for Cleaner Air. The three men spoke on Air Pollution – What the Citizen Can Do About It.

    The late Dr. Feder was an authority on acid rain, sewage sludge and pollution from cooling towers at power plants, and was a professor of plant pathology and environmental pollution. Dr. Jim MacKenzie, since 1986, was a Senior Associate in World Resources Institute’s Program in Climate, Energy and Pollution. He is author or co-author of numerous books and studies on transportation (including climate impacts, financial subsidies, electric cars, and impacts on US culture), climate change, energy security, acid rain and its impacts on trees, and global oil resources. Paul Brountas, an attorney, joined Hale and Dorr, the predecessor of WilmerHale, in 1960. He became a partner in 1968 and served as senior counsel to the firm from 2003 until his retirement in 2005. At Hale and Dorr, Mr. Brountas was chairman of the Corporate Department, chairman of the Executive Committee and chairman of the firm’s Strategic Planning Task Force.

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay continues to monitor environmental issues connected with our neighborhood, most recently our concern for the street trees suffering damage from the numerous gas leaks under our streets.

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  • Saturday, September 19, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Somerville Garden Club Plant Sale

    Discover the perfect plant to enliven your garden or windowsill at this popular yearly sale, to be held this Saturday, September 19, from 9 – 1 in Davis Square. Perennials for sun and shade, plus a wide variety of house plants, will be featured, as well as herbs, shrubs, and groundcovers. Choose from hundreds of plants donated by both Somerville Garden Club members and community friends of the Club.

    Visit the Connoisseur Table for that unique specimen or find a tried-and-true favorite. There’s something for everyone! Horticultural books, decorative containers, and garden tools will also be for sale.

    Experienced gardeners will be available to answer questions and assist with plant selections. And the littlest gardener will enjoy the Children’s Table.

    Proceeds benefit the educational programs and public plantings of the all-volunteer, non-profit Somerville Garden Club. For additional information visit www.somervillegardenclub.org.

  • Wednesday, March 23 – Thursday, March 31 – Costa Rica

    Join Pacific Horticulture March 23 – 31, 2016 as we explore this jewel of the neotropics. Situated at the southern end of Central America, Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity is a concentration of the plants, birds, and animals from both Central and South America.

    You’ll encounter a variety of microclimates including cloud forest, sub-tropical montane forest, dense riparian jungle, and lush rain forest habitats all the while learning about the remarkable flora and fauna of each region including orchids, heliconias, bromeliads, and ferns.

    You’ll visit well-recognized destinations such as such as the Nectandra Cloud Forest (pictured) and the Las Cruces Biological Station with its 800 butterfly species and 400 native and migratory bird species.

    Our tour includes major public gardens that you’d expect to enjoy on a trip to Costa Rica as well as private reserves and gardens not found on most. These include spectacular orchid collections, tropical plants thriving along the humid Caribbean coast, and a butterfly “farm.”

    Many different species of trees can be seen in the high altitude forests of Cerro de la Muerte mountain, which is also considered a bird watcher’s paradise with fairly common sightings of the iconic Resplendent Quetzal, Emerald Toucanettes, and hummingbirds.

    You’ll stay in metropolitan San Jose for a short portion of your trip, in cabins at the Las Cruces Reserve and the Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve and Spa the balance, letting you experience this progressive country at its finest. For more information visit www.pacifichorticulture.org.

  • Sunday, September 20, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm – Boston Local Food Festival

    The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts will sponsor a free outdoor festival on the Rose Kennedy Greenway on Sunday, September 20 from 11 – 5 that showcases farmers, local restaurants, food trucks, specialty food producers, fisher folks, and organizations focusing on healthy food and fitness from New England. The festival also features lively chef & DIY demos, a seafood throwdown competition, diverse music and performances, family fun zone and more. For complete information visit http://www.bostonlocalfoodfestival.com.

  • Tuesday, September 15, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Eco-Innovation Districts

    Please join the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay’s Green Committee to hear guest speaker David Queeley discuss Codman Square Talbot-Norfolk Triangle Eco-Innovation District. Explore applications to Back Bay efforts to reduce our energy footprint. Boston’s first Eco Innovation District is a community-driven project working to create an innovative, sustainable, green, equitable district that meets residents’ needs They are affiliated with local and national organizations such as EcDistricts, a national organization that promotes district scale sustainability across North America and Architecture 2030 initiatives. Everyone is welcome, Tuesday, September 15th, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Learning Project, 107 Marlborough Street.

  • Saturday, September 26, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Recreational Lake Shore Restoration: Lake Massapoag

    Like many New England towns, Sharon, Massachusetts has its own recreational jewel, a small lake where children learn to swim and sail, enthusiasts fish, and kayakers and canoeists paddle. In heavy use since Colonial times, Lake Massapoag had developed worn and depleted areas along its shoreline, especially at the town park where dumping of beach sand and cutting of typical lakeside vegetation created their own problems.

    What are some of the ways a lakeside recreation area can be ecologically restored while maintaining recreational uses? Join landscape architect Amanda Sloan at Memorial Beach on Lake Massapoag on Saturday, September 26 from 10 – 12 to learn more about how she met the challenges of this lakeside park. Enjoy the beautiful fall colors and learn about techniques for restoring shore plants, stopping erosion, controlling storm water, meeting ADA accessibility, addressing the challenge of Canada geese, and more.

    For more than 22 years, Amanda Sloan, RLA, ASLA, has worked to bring beauty as well as function to the design of parks and trails throughout New England. Amanda combines her background in natural science, community design, and art on projects such as school and playground gardens, lakeside parks, recreation sites, rain gardens, and home landscapes. Amanda is currently a landscape architect with BETA Group where she specializes in rain garden design and native plants. $44 for Ecological Landscape Alliance members, $32 for nonmembers. See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/recreational-lake-shore-restoration-lake-massapoag/#sthash.DYE1HtSf.dpuf

  • Saturday, January 9 – Wednesday, January 20 – Gardens of the Cape, South Africa, with Optional Safari

    Experience firsthand one of most diverse botanical regions of the world. Visit private gardens that reflect the history and culture of the region, and tour world-renowned Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Be captivated by a land of extraordinary scenic beauty.

    This American Horticultural Society study tour has been specially created for AHS. In addition to the historic seaport of Cape Town, our travels will take us to the Cape Winelands, Western Cape, and Coast regions. See African wildlife as well, when you stay another three days for the optional safari.

    This is an intimate tour for only 18 travelers, so places are going quickly. Prices and forms may be found at http://www.ahs.org/uploads/pdfs/AHS_Travel_Reserv_Int_2016_SoAfrica_rev.pdf. Please register as soon as possible. View full brochure at http://www.ahs.org/uploads/pdfs/South-Africa_2016_WEB.pdf

  • Sunday, September 20, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – The Big MOE

    Experience the Massachusetts Outdoor Expo (“The Big MOE”) at the Hamilton Rod and Gun Club grounds in Sturbridge, Massachusetts on Sunday, September 20, 2015 from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. This FREE, family-oriented event celebrates outdoor skills, nature, art, and wildlife. With over 45 activity stations, there’s something for everyone at The Big MOE! Stations include sporting dog demonstrations, fishing, bird box building, archery, mountain biking, kayaking, trap shooting, and more. For a complete listing of activity stations, please visit www.FawnsExpo.com.

    Convenient, off-site parking will be provided at the Sturbridge Business Park at 660 Main Street (Rte. 20) and FREE shuttle bus transportation will run nonstop from the Business Park to the Big MOE throughout the day. On-site parking is reserved for volunteer staff and those requiring handicapped access (plate required).