LIFE IN THE BALANCE

League of Women Voters^®
of Concord-Carlisle, Massachusetts

"Let's Talk Trash," "Food for Thought" and "Powering the Future"

This free public forum series in Concord will address issues relating to climate change and living sustainably. All are welcome!

Life in the Balance. Powering the Future. Food for Thought. Let's Talk Trash. What You Can Do.

Life in the Balance

Life in the Balance began with Let's Talk Trash, a fresh look at Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, with a focus on waste reduction. Food for Thought was the second part of the series, followed by Powering the Future. The programs comprise a 2009-2010 public forum series sponsored by the LWVCC, along with ConcordCAN (Concord Climate Action Network), Carlisle Climate Action and Concord-Carlisle Adult & Community Education.
For further information, contact Green_Initiatives@lwvcc.org or call 978-369-3842. Click here for series flyer.

Powering the Future

READ the news report by the Carlisle Mosquito on the Feb. 5 Powering the Future forum.
Life in the Balance: Powering the Future, was a two-part program on Friday, January 22 and Friday, February 5. Click here for flyer.
POWERING THE FUTURE, PART 1: The Great Squeeze: Surviving the Human Project
Film Screening and Reflection
Friday, January 22, 7-9pm
Alcott School Auditorium, 93 Laurel St., Concord
Free and open to all.
Post-film discussion moderated by Rev. Tony Buquor, Trinity Episcopal Church.
The Great Squeeze looks at the environmental and economic challenges brought on by low-cost, plentiful energy. This 2009 film won multiple awards. Please visit your local library to borrow a copy of this film.
POWERING THE FUTURE, PART 2: Our Community and Tomorrow's Energy
Forum and Group Sessions
Friday, February 5, 7-9pm (snow date Feb. 7)
Harvey Wheeler Community Center, 1276 Main St., W. Concord
Free and open to all. See speakers below.
February 5 forum speakers included (click here for bios):
->State Representative Will Brownsberger (24th Middlesex District), Vice-Chair, House Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change
->Gretchen Brewer, principal, Earth Circle Conservation & Recycling
->Dr. Warren Leon, adjunct professor, Brandeis University; co-author, The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices; former director, Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust
->Christopher J. Ryan, AICP, urban planner; principal, RELOCALIZATIONS Planning Consulting; planning director, Town of Dedham, MA
Powering the Future was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Concord-Carlisle, along with ConcordCAN (Concord Climate Action Network), Carlisle Climate Action and Concord-Carlisle Adult & Community Education. For further information, contact Green_Initiatives@lwvcc.org or call 978-369-3842. Click here for press release.

Food for Thought

TAKE ACTION on promoting a sustainable food system! Read our Food for Thought Food Actions & Websites guide for websites to visit, issues to explore, and personal steps you can take. Thank you to our November 20 presenters for assisting us in compiling this information.
VIEW the Food for Thought video recording now at http://www.concordtv.org (Video on Demand, keyword "food"), or check the Concord-Carlisle local cable Channel 8 program schedule (at http://www.concordtv.org, keyword "life") for cablecast times starting Dec. 12.
READ the news reports by the Concord Journal and the Carlisle Mosquito on the Nov. 20 Food for Thought forum.
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The Life in the Balance series continued in November with Food for Thought, a two-part program on Friday, November 6 and 20, 2009, 7pm. Click here for flyer, and here for action guide.
PART 1: Over 200 people watched Food, Inc. on November 6, 7pm, at the Alcott School auditorium in Concord and engaged in post-screening discussion led by guest speaker Charlotte Vallaeys, Farm & Food Policy Analyst for the Cornucopia Institute.
PART 2: On Friday, November 20, at the Trinitarian Congregational Church in Concord, over 100 people listened to a keynote speaker and panelists and discussed moving toward a sustainable food system.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Brian Donahue, Ph.D., Assoc. Professor of American Environmental Studies, Brandeis University
PANELISTS:
->Willow Blish, Slow Food Boston
->Jim Catterton, Concord Agriculture Committee
->Jen Hashley, Tufts University, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project; Owner, Pete & Jen's Backyard Birds
->Charlotte Vallaeys, Farm & Food Policy Analyst, Cornucopia Institute
Food for Thought is sponsored by the LWVCC, along with ConcordCAN (Concord Climate Action Network), Carlisle Climate Action and Concord-Carlisle Adult & Community Education. For further information, contact Green_Initiatives@lwvcc.org or call 978-369-3842.

Let's Talk Trash

TAKE ACTION on reducing waste, reusing goods and recycling! Read our Let's Talk Trash action guide for websites to visit, legislation to support, and personal steps you can take. Thank you to our October 14 presenters for assisting us in compiling this information.
WATCH "Let's Talk Trash" online at http://www.concordtv.org. Go to Video on Demand and search for "trash."
READ the news report on the Let's Talk Trash forum.
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The Life in the Balance series began with Let's Talk Trash, Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 7pm, at the Concord Academy Chapel, 166 Main St., Concord. "Let's Talk Trash" traced the life cycle of trash from its generation, to its disposal, to its impact on our resources, environment and economy. Nearly 100 of you joined us on October 14 to learn why trash is trouble and how we can dig our way out from under its growing piles.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Lynne Pledger, Clean Water Action
PANELISTS:
->Rep. Cory Atkins, 14th Middlesex District
->Brooke Nash, Branch Chief, Municipal Waste Reduction Program, MassDEP
->Ann Dorfman, Principal: Recycling & Resource Management Consulting, former Recycling and Waste Management Administrator, Town of Concord, MA (1998-2007).
->Amy Perlmutter, Principal: Perlmutter Associates. Former Executive Director, Chelsea Center For Recycling and Economic Development, Director of Recycling for City and County of San Francisco, and Director of Solid Waste for Passaic County, NJ
Let's Talk Trash is sponsored by the LWVCC, along with ConcordCAN (Concord Climate Action Network), Carlisle Climate Action and Concord-Carlisle Adult & Community Education. For further information, contact Green_Initiatives@lwvcc.org or call 978-369-3842.

What You Can Do

LET'S TALK TRASH: Take action on reducing waste, reusing goods and recycling! Read our Let's Talk Trash action guide for websites to visit, legislation to support, and personal steps you can take.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Take action on promoting a sustainable food system! Read our Food for Thought Food Actions & Websites guide for websites to visit, issues to explore, and personal steps you can take. If you are interested in the Action Groups that formed at the Food for Thought forum, contact Green_Initiatives@lwvcc.org or call 978-369-3842.

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: September 1, 2010 16:38 PDT.