The BEAT News February 27, 2014

News Headlines

Full House at Berkshire Organics

Expansion plan opens door to cadre of complementary vendors with shared philosophy

From Berkshire Trade & Commerce, Vol. 17, No.11, “The Business Journal For Berkshire County”

 Click Here to Read Article

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Green Living Seminar Series

Upcoming events in MCLA’s ongoing series of public programs on local agriculture.
All seminars are at 5:30 in Murdock Hall, Room 218.

Panel Discussion: Sustainable Food Systems on College Campuses
Including MCLA Aramark Food Services Director John Kozik, Williams College Sustainable Food and Agriculture Program Manager Brent Wasser, Hampshire College Sustainability Initiative Director Beth Hooker, and UMass Auxiliary Enterprises Sustainability Manager Rachel Dutton
2/27/2014

Sustainable Business as a Vehicle for Social Change
Dean Cycon, Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Company, Founder and CEO
3/6/2014

Current Status of Farming in Berkshire County
Melissa Adams, Keep Berkshires Farming Program Coordinator and Sarah Gardner, Williams College Center for Environmental Studies Associate Director
3/20/2014

Meat Production and Processing
Ali Berlow, Author of The Mobile Poultry Slaughterhouse: Building a Humane Chicken Processing Unit to Strengthen Your Local Food System
3/27/2014

Permaculture and Resilient Food Systems
Jono Neiger, The Conway School, Professor of Regenerative Design, and Regenerative Design Group, Principal
4/3/2014

Community Gardens: Sharing the Harvest
Jennifer Munoz, Growing Healthy Garden Program Director and Russell Moody, Pastor at Pittsfield Church of Christ
4/10/2014

Farmers’ Roundtable Discussion: Successes, Opportunities, and Challenges Farming in the Berkshires
Aurash Khawarzad, Change Administration
4/24/2014

For more details or to listen to a podcast of past presentations:

http://www.mcla.edu/About_MCLA/Community/berkshireenvironmentalresourcecenter/greenlivingseminars/

If you can’t make it to the seminar you want, presentations are broadcast on local cable access television:

Fridays at 4 pm

Sundays at 11:30 am

Tuesdays at 7:30 pm

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Cricket Creek Farm

Cricket Creek Farm in Williamstown will be launching a Kickstarter project on March 1st to raise money for a two-pronged project: renovate the upstairs of their historic Stone Barn to be used as an event space, and invest in solar power to put the small farm on the path to financial sustainability.

On February 28th, they are hosting a LAUNCH PARTY at the farm with live music, a massively tasty cheese spread and other delectable local treats!

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ReStore Expanded Hours Continue!

Thursdays, 3 to 7 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays, 9 to 5 p.m.

You just never know what you’ll find at the ReStore, which is why it’s important to keep an eye on our page, or pop into the store pretty regularly to explore and see what’s new. Because the good stuff doesn’t last. Poof! It’s gone! Don’t miss the great deals. And are you renovating or moving? Think of us! Your old cabinets, bathroom vanities, dressers and bed frames are new to someone else, and remember, your donation supports Berkshire Habitat. For more information, call the ReStore at 413.433.2106.

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Municipal Clean Energy Contest Offers $5 Million Prize

Organizers of the Georgetown University Energy Prize are advising interested municipalities to submit a non-binding letter of intent by the end of February. The competition challenges communities to work together with their local governments and utility companies to develop and begin implementing plans for innovative, replicable, scalable, and lasting measures that reduce the per capita energy consumed from local natural gas and electric utilities. Participating communities will be asked to develop a long-term energy efficiency plan and to demonstrate initial effectiveness and sustainability over a two-year period. Participating communities will benefit from access to various resources and the winning community will receive $5 million to help to support its continuing community-based energy efficiency efforts. Municipalities with populations between 5,000 and 250,000 are eligible to apply.  For more information, visit the energy prize website.

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Grants Available for Organics-to-Energy Feasibility Studies

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s (MassCEC) Commonwealth Organics-to-Energy Program is again accepting applications for Feasibility Study grants.  Commonwealth Organics-to-Energy supports the use of anaerobic digestion and other technologies that convert source-separated organic wastes into electricity and thermal energy. Both private and public-sector entities are eligible to apply for the grants.  MassCEC is also continuing to accept applications from public entities for technical services grants, and from both private and public-sector entities for construction or pilot project grants.

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