Berkshire Environmental Resource Center To Begin Series Of Green Living Lectures At MCLA
North Adams – The Berkshire Environmental Resource Center (BERC) at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will kick off a series of 14 “Green Living” seminars this Thursday, Jan. 17, at 5:30 p.m. with “Choices toward a Sustainable Future,” in Murdock Hall conference room 218.The public is invited to attend this free lecture series, “Achieving Energy Sustainability for the 21st Century: Choices and Challenges.” The aim of the series is to inform students and the community about strategies for meeting our growing demand for energy and to encourage debate around several energy options, including those involving water, wind, hydrogen and nuclear power.
“I encourage area residents to attend these ‘Green Living’ lectures as we collaborate together as a community for a sustainable future,” said Elena Traister, MCLA professor of environmental studies.
The first lecture is “Choices toward a Sustainable Future,” by Tony Sarkis ’93, a Ph.D. candidate at Antioch University New England who teaches graduate courses at that institution. Sarkis will talk about how to apply sustainability concepts to real world problem solving. “Either as a consumer, as an employee or member of an organization or someone who necessarily occupies a living space on the landscape, individuals are learning to become more environmentally responsible and realize true savings through adopting sustainability driven policies and practices,” Sarkis said.
“The premise of this presentation is that the material and energy flow throughout one’s home or business is part of a greater life cycle which stretches from raw material extraction through the manufacturing stages and onto consumer and post consumer stages. Key concepts and tools necessary toward better understanding and moving toward a holistic vision of a more sustainable future will be introduced. Sarkis created and co-produced the first film to demonstrate how businesses can increase profits by applying principles of sustainability. “Industrial Systems of Tomorrow: Finding Sustainability through Natural Cycles” features the achievements of several New England businesses and highlights the work of the surface cleaning lab at the Toxics Use Reduction Institute.
On Thursday, Jan. 24, Bruce Harley, technical director of Conservation Services Group, a non-profit company based in Massachusetts that runs nationwide energy programs, will present “Insulate and Weatherize.” Harley built his own energy-efficient solar electric home in Stamford, Vt. The lecture also will take place in Murdock Hall room 218, at 5:30 p.m. The series will continue on Thursdays through April 24. For more information, go to www.mcla.edu or contact Traister, (413) 662-5303.
