Month: February 2012 (Page 1 of 6)

Feb 28,29 & Mar 1,6: MBTA Medford/Somerville Public Service Cut Meetings

We wanted to bring to your attention the MTBA’s latest proposal to address its serious budget shortfall. The MBTA is proposing to eliminate some service to the Tufts Medford/Somerville campus and to reduce routes in and around Boston that may have a major impact on access for faculty, staff and students. Proposed changes would affect subway, bus and commuter rail.

The routes that would be affected include the #80 and #96 buses, serving Medford, as well as many others. The proposal also includes fare increases of 35% to 45%.

Please take a few minutes to review this information so that you will understand how these changes might affect your daily commute to work or other trips for which you rely on public transportation. Complete information is available at http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/?id=23567.

The MBTA has been holding meetings in affected communities to allow users of public transportation to express their concerns. We encourage you to add your voice so that MBTA officials understand the full impact of these proposed service eliminations. You can write a letter, send an email or attend one of the remaining scheduled meetings. Meeting dates and contact information are listed below.

Public meetings:

February 28th –Somerville High School Auditorium, 81 Highland Avenue, 6:00-8:00 pm (http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/?id=23598)

February 29th – Cambridge City Hall Council Chambers, 795 Massachusetts Avenue, 6:00-8:00 pm (http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/?id=23581)

March 1 – Waltham Government Center, 119 School Street, 6:00-8:00 pm (http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/?id=23599)

March 6 – Brockton, Massasoit Community College, 1 Massasoit Boulevard, Liberal Arts Building, 6:00-8:00 pm (http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/?id=23618)

A list of all public meeting dates and locations can be found at http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/.

Letters should be addressed to:

Fare Proposal
10 Park Plaza, Suite 3910
Boston, MA. 02116

Email address: fareproposal@mbta.com

March 22: Understanding How to Grow Green Jobs Webinar

March 22, 2012; 1:00 p.m. Eastern; Online
Sponsored by the Consortium for Education in Renewable Energy Technology, “Help Your Students and their Employers Understand How to Grow Green Jobs” will help participants go beyond the standard marketing, sales and business courses to create more success for students and for the businesses where they will work. The webinar will share concepts, learning outcomes and learning activities for incorporating successful green business model curricula.

Click here to register.

March 22: SSF Webinar: Economic Vitality in a Changing Climate

March 22, 2012; 1:15 p.m. Eastern; Online
The fifth and last in a complimentary Adaptation and National Security monthly webinar series from the Security and Sustainability Forum (SSF), this webinar will address successful local and national approaches to maintaining business continuity and jobs while responding to extreme weather events, energy impacts and threats from other disruptions to national systems. In partnership with AASHE, the event will feature a panel of experts including the ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability founder.

Click here to register.

Win a Trip to Rio+20: United Nations Conference

The United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and Aarhus University in Denmark invite students and faculty to join the global PRME Leaders+20 case competition. Those who integrate sustainability perspectives into new or existing course descriptions and curricula, demonstrate an inspiring cross-generational cooperation between students and faculty, and present their team’s innovative ideas in writing and video have a chance of winning the first prize trip to Rio+20: United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012.

Click here for more information.

Mar 4: Deep Energy Retrofit Open House (Sudbury, MA)

When: Sunday, March 4, 2012, 12 Noon — 3 PM

Where: 61 Oakwood Avenue, Sudbury, MA

National Grid will be sponsoring an Open House showcasing the Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) of a single family residence at 61 Oakwood Avenue in Sudbury, MA. Synergy Construction LLC, the project’s DER envelope subcontractor, and October Engineering LLC, the owner and mechanical systems installer, will be on hand to discuss the concepts and construction details. The home was built in 1961.

The owners, Deborah Wolozin and Robert Morrison, purchased the home in 2010 as a rental property in one of Sudbury’s family-friendly neighborhoods. A subsequent home energy audit and review of utility bills revealed its poor energy performance. The owners were uncomfortable passing these high utility costs onto future tenants. In the course of researching window replacements and air-sealing energy retrofits, they discovered the NGrid DER Pilot Program. The owners decided on an expanded financial planning horizon which incorporated the benefits of the pilot program to pursue a gut-rehab, deep energy retrofit in conjunction with a second floor expansion.

The super-insulated and air-tight enclosure, made possible through financial and technical support from National Grid and Building Science Corporation, will include interior spray foam insulation for air sealing and insulation in addition to an exterior insulation wall and roof build-out. A heat recovery ventilator will provide fresh air while recovering energy from exhausted air. A premium efficiency hot water heating system is being installed. A multi-split system heat pump will be installed for air conditioning and backup heating. A solar photovoltaic array is currently being designed. The project is aiming for completion by July 2012.

For more information on National Grid, the Deep Energy Retrofit Program, or for directions to the Open House, click the link to their website.

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