This year, each Wright-Locke Farm community talk will focus on topics related to sustainability. First up, on April 14 at 7 pm, enjoy a panel discussion about pollinators, poisons, and planting. Learn what you can do to support healthy ecosystems in your yard and community. These talks will give you a wide range of information to be a better environmental steward. A cause very close to our hearts! These talks are FREE and open to the public, but it helps us get an idea of how many people to expect if you register at https://wlfarm.org/farm-talk-april2026/.
Join Chef Genevieve Meli as she discusses her book, Baking an Impact: Small Changes for More Sustainable Baking
Chef Genevieve Meli is an associate professor of Baking and Pastry Arts at CIA. Among the courses she teaches are Individual and Production Pastries, Baking and Pastry Skill Development, and Applied Baking and Pastry Production. She was the youngest-ever chef to earn the Certified Master Baker (CMB) designation and is also a Certified Higher Education Professional (CHEP). Meli is the author of two cookbooks: Baking an Impact: Small Changes for More Sustainable Baking and Sweet Nature. Outside of the classroom, she volunteers with the Stormville Fire Company Auxiliary and enjoys gardening at her 1800s farmhouse, where she and her husband are raising their son Leonardo.
The title is Chef Meli’s second work, and the first book to be published by CIA Press, the college’s own publishing imprint. The book showcases an incredible array of mouthwatering desserts, savory baked goods, and more, with an eye toward reducing food waste; utilizing alternative ingredients, grains, and pantry staples; and seasonality in the baking and pastry realm. Baking an Impact is available now at all CIA locations and Amazon. It’s an ideal gift for the sustainably minded baker on your list or for anyone looking to level up their baking skills.
“People don’t often consider sustainability when it comes to baking, in part, because the staples in many of our favorite baked goods—dairy, eggs, and refined flours—are inherently not sustainable because of sourcing and heavy processing,” said Meli. “My purpose behind Baking an Impact is to show how the smallest of changes can make a larger impact than you might expect,” according to Chef Meli.
Baking an Impact includes both sweet and savory recipes. Some of Chef Meli’s favorite recipes from the book are Coffee Coffee Cake, Wildflower Lollipops, Koginut Squash Gourds, and Blue Spirulina Oat Mint Truffles.
This free lecture is sponsored by Boston University’s Food Studies Programs and takes place April 16 at 6 pm at 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 124, Brookline, Massachusetts. Register at Eventbrite.
The 30th Annual Boston VegFood Fest takes place at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont Street, on October 18 and 19. Boston Veg Food Fest brings together an amazing array of providers of 100% plant-based food and lifestyle products, notable speakers and chefs, and educational exhibitors in a fun and welcoming environment.
It is a chance to talk directly to food producers, learn about new items in the marketplace, taste samples, and shop at show-special discounts. Learn from experts in the fields of plant-based nutrition, culinary arts, athletics, climate, and sustainable, animal-friendly living. The event is free. For more information visit https://bostonveg.org/foodfest/
Plan to attend the Historic New England Summit 2023 in Providence, Rhode Island on November 2 and 3 convening leading voices in a panel discussing Embodied Carbon: The Sustainability Imperative of Preserving Places. How can we transform the predominant perception of buildings as expendable assets into a perspective where they are recognized as vital instruments in combatting climate change and addressing social disparities? Achieving this paradigm shift necessitates a multidisciplinary approach encompassing adaptive reuse, deconstruction, and innovative construction methods. This approach is essential for reshaping the discourse surrounding building lifecycles, whether existing or new, and for achieving the ambitious objectives of net-zero emissions and zero-waste sustainability.
Moderator Philip Kennicott is Senior Art and Architecture Critic for the Washington Post. He will be joined by Dan Bergsagel, Sustainability Lead at schlaich bergermann, Rebecca Berry, AIA, LEED AP, and Jonathan Rosenbloom, Professor of Law at Albany Law School and Executive Director, Sustainable Development Code.
Register HERE. Registration fees range from $45 to $160.
New England’s largest conference about our collective roles in creating livable and resilient communities will take place November 2 and 3 at the VETS, Providence, Rhode Island, and livestream. The annual Historic New England Summit presents two days of exciting conversations that explore how 21st-century challenges and opportunities are transforming the fields of historic preservation, architecture, urban planning, conservation, arts and culture, museum studies, collections management, public history, and education. The program includes keynote presentations by regional and national leaders, panel discussions, provocations, networking opportunities, and more.
The 2023 Historic New England Summit is your opportunity to gain inspiration from and connect with cutting-edge thought leaders in preservation, arts and culture, social history, education, advocacy, and municipal government. Join the continuing conversation on some of today’s most complex and pressing challenges in these fields and beyond. Share your ideas, collaborate on solutions, and discover new perspectives to strengthen the livability and vitality of our communities.
One of this year’s themes is Sustainability and Climate Change. What is the role of cultural and preservation organizations in driving climate action? What strategies and commitments are essential to achieving net-zero and zero-waste sustainability targets? What innovative strategies are being deployed to protect collections from pervasive, destructive pests?
On the National Register of Historic Places, The VETS is ideally located in downtown Providence on the revitalized Avenue of the Arts across from the Rhode Island State House. It is acclaimed for its unique combination of size and intimacy. The theater celebrates flawless acoustics, a breathtaking proscenium stage, and exquisite interior.
Complete details and registration may be found at https://summit.historicnewengland.org/register/ Early bird pricing is available through July 16. Online 2-Day member price $55, nonmember $68. After July 17, $90 & $110.
Food Solutions New England will host the 9th version of its food system-oriented free 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge from April 3, 2023 to April 23, 2023. Click here to register. When FSNE first developed this customized version of the Challenge, inspired by the work of Debby Irving and Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr., they intended it to have a food system focus. While many other organizations have been inspired by FSNE’s interactive and customized version, this is the one that focuses most deeply on food, food systems, agriculture, land access, and topics near and dear to the group’s Vision and Values.
Each year, thousands of individuals and hundreds of officially participating organizations join in a shared journey of learning and charting a course of action to dismantle racism in our food system and our world.
About the Challenge
The 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge is simple. You commit to deepening your understanding of, and willingness to confront, racism for twenty-one consecutive days in April of each year and the Racial Equity Challenge will:
Raise your awareness, change your understanding and shift the way you behave.
Go beyond individual or interpersonal racism by helping to demystify structural and institutional racism and white supremacist patterns that are sometimes invisible to people.
Inspire you to act, on your own or with others in your organization, business, or group, to dismantle these systems, to make changes in your work and the world that can build true equity and justice for all.
Plastic horticultural pots are the primary vessels used in horticulture and landscaping. Without them, the Green Industry would not have grown to be the multibillion dollar industry it is today. Primarily after single use, billions of plastic plant pots are disposed of annually in the United States. A staggering 98% end up in landfills and are not recycled. This realization was the impetus behind looking into why it is occurring, how it remained under the radar as long as it did and suggestions for steps we can take moving forward. For the past 23 years, Marie Soulliere-Chieppo has been a landscape designer and horticulturalist with a passion for healthy landscapes. All of her designs incorporate native plants that provide four season interest and habitat for wildlife. She is a big believer in educating her clients and the the public about the importance of strictly organic approaches to gardening, pest control and invasive plant management.
Before she discovered her love for gardening, Marie was the researcher for the Editor in Chief at the New England Journal of Medicine. Being a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designer’s Sustainability Committee, she was asked to research the issue of plastic horticultural pots, their disposal and how their use impacts our environment. For 6 months she plunged into this issue and made some jaw dropping discoveries. The white paper entitled, “Plastic Pots and The Green Industry: Production, Use, Disposal and Environmental Impacts” was published in July 2020.
For one spectacular day each year, the Rose Kennedy Greenway and the City of Boston is transformed into the nation’s largest local & sustainable food hub! Boston Local Food Festival is a free outdoor festival 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.
Festival goers learn about the benefits of sustainably grown and produced food, shop the market, eat delicious local food, participate in fun, educational activities and exhibits, engage with top local chefs and enjoy local music. Themed “Healthy Local Food for All”, the festival connects Massachusetts and New England eaters of all backgrounds with the abundance of fresh, nutritious local food choices available close to home.
The festival is a zero-waste event, meaning we divert over 91% of our waste each year and we offset 100% of our energy use! All perishable items sold are made from locally sourced products. Best of all, we bring this annual event to the community free of charge. So grab your reusable water bottles and bags and enjoy New England’s largest one day farmers market, while celebrating “Healthy Local Food for All.” The event takes place this year on Sunday, September 18 from 11 – 5. For complete details visit http://bostonlocalfoodfestival.com/
The Soil Science Society of America is coordinating with the Global Soil Partnership and other organizations around the world to celebrate the 2015 International Year of Soils and raise awareness and promote the sustainability of our limited soil resources. We all have a valuable role in communicating vital information on soils, a life sustaining natural resource. Soils are a finite natural resource and are nonrenewable on a human time scale. Soils are the foundation for food, animal feed, fuel and natural fiber production, the supply of clean water, nutrient cycling and a range of ecosystem functions. The area of fertile soils covering the world’s surface is limited and increasingly subject to degradation, poor management and loss to urbanization. Increased awareness of the life-supporting functions of soil is called for if this trend is to be reversed and so enable the levels of food production necessary to meet the demands of population levels predicted for 2050. There will be educational activities nationwide throughout the year, and complete information may be found at www.soils.org/iys.
Join Marie Stella and Aran Byrnes to explore the process of creating an ecological and sustainable home and landscape that features environmental awareness, reduced energy consumption, sustainability, and innovative uses of plant material.
Marie and Aran will introduce us to Beaver Lodge, Marie’s LEED platinum certified home and teaching facility, and invite us to explore the process of building an energy efficient, sustainable home and integrating it with a responsibly managed landscape.
They will highlight the ecological elements of Beaver Lodge such as rain gardens, buffer zones, a vegetated roof, and green architecture. This presentation will motivate and encourage us to blend landscape, art, and technology for a more sustainable future. Sponsored by the Ecological Landscaping Association, www.ecolandscaping.org, the program will take place in Nordic Hall (below) at the Scandinavian Living Center, 206 Waltham Street, West Newton, Massachusetts. Cost is $20 for ELA Members, $25 for non-members.
