NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — MCLA's annual Green Living Seminar Series begins on Wednesday, Jan. 26 and continues through April, presenting a series of lectures on the theme of "Greening the City." 

 

Every semester, the Green Living Seminar Series centers around a different topic, timely and relevant in current sustainability issues. The series is free and open to the public, with seminars taking place on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. from Jan. 26 to April 20. Community members can find up-to-date information about the schedule at mcla.edu/greenliving. 

 

Presentations will also be broadcast on Northern Berkshire Community Television Channel (NBCTC) 1302 at the following times: 

 

Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. 

Fridays at 4 p.m. 

Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. 

Sundays at 11:30 a.m. 

Mondays at 5:30 p.m. 

 

Mark Rabinsky, Green Communities Western Regional Coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, will kick off the series on Jan. 26 with a talk titled "Clean Energy Solutions For Cities And Towns: Massachusetts Green Communities Program.  

 

Future Green Living presentations include: 

 

February 2: "Sustainable Zoning and Municipal Building Decarbonization Strategies" with Kai Palmer-Dunning, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Buildings and Communities Associate 

 

February 9: "Pittsfield Grey to Green: Inclusive Planning for Environmental and Climate Justice" with Allison Egan, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Senior Planner 

                                                                                                         

February 16: "Reducing GHGs from Transportation in Massachusetts," with Katherine S. Fichter, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Assistant Secretary and Chief of Climate And Decarbonization 

 

February 23: "How and Why to Increase Plant-Based Lunch Options in Schools" with Amie Hamlin, The Coalition for Healthy School Food, Executive Director 

                      

March 2: "Community Strategies for Addressing the Plastic Pollution Crisis," with David Sayer, Beyond Plastics and Sustainable Saratoga                                                                                        

 

March 9: "Residential Landscaping to Support Pollinators" with Dr. Susannah Lerman, U.S. Forest Service Research Ecologist 

 

March 23: "Public Health and Community Based Participatory Research in Urban Environmental Justice Communities" with Dr. Madeleine L. Scammell, Boston University School of Public Health, Associate Professor of Environmental Health 

 

March 30: "Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership: Sustainable Forest Management and Natural Resource-Based Economic Development in Northwestern Massachusetts" with Dr. Hank Art, Williams College Rosenburg Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology, Emeritus, Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership, board chair  

 

April 6: "Carbon Farming in Urban and Suburban Areas" with Dr. Nathan Phillips, Boston University Department of Earth and Environment, Professor 

                                                                                                                          

April 13: "Williamstown Composts!: Lessons from a Community Composting Pilot Program" with Nancy Nylen and Ann McCallum of Williamstown, Mass. 

 

April 20: "Bicycling in Berkshire County: History and Future" with Nicholas Russo, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Senior Transportation Planner 

 

The 2022 Green Living Seminar Series is a presentation of the MCLA Environmental Studies Department and MCLA's Berkshire Environmental Resource Center. 

 

For more information, go to www.mcla.edu/greenliving or contact Professor of Environmental Studies Elena Traister at (413) 662-5303.