Cambridge as it appeared in 1775 was visualized in a diorama made 1947 and formerly displayed in Harvard University’s Widener Library. At lower left is Harvard Yard. Beacon Hill and the Boston Peninsula are separated from Cambridge by the broad expanse of the Back Bay. (Photo from Inventing the Charles River by Karl Haglund, MIT Press 2003)
GREATER BOSTON GROUP
The GBG covers Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Dedham, Everett, Lexington, Medford, Melrose, Milton, Needham, Newton, Quincy, Reading, Revere, Somerville, Stoneham, Waban, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley, Weymouth, Winchester, Winthrop, and Wollaston.
Revitalizing Ecosystems in Greater Boston to Survive Climate Change
On March 31st, 2018, the Greater Boston Group of the Sierra Club and Biodiversity for a Livable Climate co-sponsored a conference examining the ways in which we can protect our natural ecosystems in order to save ourselves from climate change. The conference featured speakers, panelists, and workshops focusing on biodiversity, natural ecosystems, and climate change adaptation. Learn more about the conference and Biodiversity for a Livable Climate here.
See the highlights of the conference below!
Welcome and Introduction
Moderator: John Pitkin, Greater Boston Group of the Sierra Club
Energy Execs, Ecosystems and Alliances
Speaker: Zeyneb Magavi, Research Director for HEET and serves on the National Health Impacts Team and the Gas Leaks Task Force for Mothers Out Front.
Featured Speaker
Tom Wessels, author of The Myth of Progress: Toward a Sustainable Future, spoke on Self-organization, Co-evolution, Resiliency, and Stability. Wessels described ecosystems through the lens of self-organized, which means that as systems grows, it becomes more complex. He explained how co-evolution works to create the immense biodiversity we see today, and how this process can be used as a model to develop sustainable human systems and save ourselves from climate change.
Panelists
Anamarija Frankic, UMass Boston Green Harbors Project,
“Oyster Beds and Living Shorelines”
Maggie Booz, Cambridge Committee on Public Planting, “Neighborhood Tree Stewardship”
Lenni Armstrong, Depave Somerville, “Depave the Way”
Kannan Thiruvengadam, Eastie Farm, “Building Soil and Growing Food and Community”