Data Centers and Energy Usage 101: Impacts on the Electric Grid
2026-09-01 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Online/Zoom
As data center electricity usage projections continue to skyrocket, data centers are already propelling massive electric load growth in many states, testing regional grids and raising concerns for future energy planning. Bloomberg currently estimates that data centers’ power capacity could reach 194 gigawatts by 2035, an 83% increase from its projection last year. State policymakers, regulators, and community advocates face several challenges in understanding and planning for this future demand. This Clean Energy Group (CEG) webinar is a primer for the data center industry and will provide important information on data center energy usage estimates.
In this webinar, Alli Finn, Director of Community Partnerships at AI Now Institute, will provide an overview of the data center landscape underlying this load growth, including operational dynamics, incentive structures, and other key concepts. This will be followed by a presentation from Sarah Smith, a research scientist in Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s Energy Analysis Division. Dr. Smith will present on factors impacting data center electricity usage modelling and considerations for policymakers, regulators, and local authorities when assessing data center load growth, as detailed in the US Data Center Energy Usage Report 2025 Update. The two presentations will be followed by questions and discussion from the audience. CEG Project Director Abbe Ramanan will moderate.
DATE: Tuesday, September 1
TIME: 1:00 – 2:00 pm
LOCATION: Zoom
REGISTER HERE
Clean Energy Group
www.cleanegroup.org

River Magic & Fairy Houses Along the Shore
2026-09-01 16:30 - 17:30 | Linear Park, Williamstown, MA
Fairies appreciate human kindness. Come build them fairy houses along the shore of the Green River from natural found objects. As we co-create beauty around us we’ll sneak in learning about the importance of a healthy riverine ecosystem through song and play. Join HooRWA and naturalist educator Arianna Alexsandra Collins on Tuesday, September 1 from 4:30-5:30pm for this free whimsical family friendly program.
River magic will take place along the Green River on the Linear Link Trail at Linear Park on Water Street (Mount Pleasant Playground) in Williamstown, MA. There is a small parking lot at the Mount Pleasant Playground. If that is full you can park along the road across the street. Please register at https://forms.gle/TYQfzG93QCormQb49 so we know how many fairy friends to expect.
This free program is made possible by a grant from the Berkshire Environmental Endowment Fund, a fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
DATE: Tuesday, September 1
TIME: 4:30 – 5:30 pm
LOCATION: Linear Link Trail at Linear Park on Water Street (Mount Pleasant Playground), Williamstown, MA
REGISTER HERE

Brownfields Roundtable Webinar
2026-09-01 18:00 - 19:30 | Online/Zoom
Brownfields Roundtable Webinar

MassDEP will host a Statewide Brownfields Roundtable Webinar on Tuesday, September 1st from 6:00 to 7:30pm. This meeting will provide an opportunity to learn about funding and technical resources available to support the assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of Brownfields in Massachusetts. Presentations will be given by staff from MassDEP, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, MassDevelopment, and the University of Connecticut Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) Program.
To register, visit the registration link here: MassDEP Brownfields Roundtable Webinar. If you have not yet attended a Brownfields Roundtable in 2026, please join us to hear about the most current guidance and to learn about annual updates from the presenters. If you attended a prior 2026 roundtable and you know others who may benefit from the information provided, please share this information with your colleagues and associates.
MassDEP is pleased to offer simultaneous interpretation of the meeting in Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, Haitian Creole and Cape Verdean Creole. Interpretation will be offered proactively. Participants do not need to request interpretation in these languages in advance.
Thank you and please, if you have any questions about this webinar, contact Abigail Anderson, the Brownfields – Environmental Justice Coordinator at Abigail.E.Anderson@Mass.Gov.
DATE: Tuesday, September 1
TIME: 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
LOCATION: Zoom
Contact Daizha.Baptiste-Johnson@mass.gov with any questions.

Habitat Chat
2026-09-02 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-10-07 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-11-04 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-12-02 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
The Massachusetts Pollinator Network hosts monthly drop-in, informal meetings for participants from across the state to learn about topics relevant to our work, share projects, ask questions, and exchange knowledge, ideas, and updates.
Whether you’re a seasoned community organizer, a home gardener, work in the field already, or are new to pollinator protection concerns, all are welcome! Stay for the entire meeting or just pop in for what you can.

To receive the zoom link, please register here.
DATE: First Wednesday of each month
TIME: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Online via Zoom

Pittsfield Farmers Market
2026-09-05 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-09-12 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-09-19 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-09-26 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-10-03 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-10-10 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-10-17 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-10-24 09:00 - 13:00 and 1 more date | Pittsfield Common, 100 1st St., Pittsfield, MA
Every Saturday through October, rain or shine!
Find more details here: farmersmarketpittsfield.org
DATE: Saturday, May 9 – Saturday, October 31
TIME: 9:00am – 1:00pm
LOCATION: The Common, 100 First St, Pittsfield, MA 01201

Housatonic Heritage Walk: Tree Identification Walk on the Housatonic Rail Trail
2026-09-06 10:00 - 12:00 | Housatonic Rail Trail
Join Chelsey Simmons of Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) for an engaging tree identification walk at one of the Berkshires’ hidden gems. On this guided outing, participants will learn how to recognize commonly encountered trees in Western Massachusetts using key characteristics visible throughout the year.
Led by a local naturalist and tree enthusiast, this walk will share practical tips and tricks to help build confidence in identifying trees across the seasons.
The walk will cover approximately 2 miles over the course of about 2 hours, with a relaxed pace and frequent stops for observation and discussion. Trail conditions are flat and forgiving; it’s generally considered an easy walk.
DATE: Sunday, September 6
TIME: 10 AM to Noon
LOCATION: Housatonic Rail Trail, Housatonic, MA – Meeting location details will be provided to registered participants.
Space is limited to 15 participants, and registration is required. Email chelsey@thebeatnews.org to reserve a spot.

This walk is part of the annual Housatonic Heritage Walks, which are free, guided interpretive walks to the most interesting historic, cultural, industrial, natural, and scenic sites in Berkshire County, MA, & Litchfield County, CT.

The Road Forward for Medium- and Long-Duration Energy Storage
2026-09-09 13:00 - 14:00 | Online/Zoom
ENERGY STORAGE TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT PARTNERSHIP (ESTAP) WEBINAR Made possible by U.S. DOE-OE and Sandia National Laboratories
Medium-duration energy storage (MDES) and long-duration energy storage (LDES) are critical elements for addressing load growth and improving grid resilience. But what is the status of MDES and LDES technologies now, and how will they advance?
This ESTAP webinar will provide a summary of emerging technologies, applications, and markets for MDES and LDES. The webinar will feature presentations from Will McNamara, Principal Investigator for the LDES National Consortium and Grid Energy Storage Policy Analyst for Sandia National Laboratories; Anna Siefken, Director for Policy & Markets in North America at the Long Duration Energy Storage Council; and Jeremy Twitchell, Energy Research Analyst at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Audience questions will be addressed following the presentation. CESA Senior Project Director Todd Olinsky-Paul will moderate.
DATE: Wednesday, September 9
TIME: 1:00 – 2:00 pm
LOCATION: Zoom
REGISTER HERE
This webinar is a presentation of the Energy Storage Technology Advancement Partnership (ESTAP). ESTAP is a federal-state funding and information sharing project that aims to accelerate the deployment of electrical energy storage technologies in the U.S. ESTAP is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity, managed by Sandia National Laboratories, and administered by the Clean Energy States Alliance. Learn more at www.cesa.org/projects/energy-storage-technology-advancement-partnership.
This webinar will be recorded and posted online. If you are not able to attend this webinar but would still like to watch the recording, please register and you will receive an email with the webinar recording and slides 24-48 hours after the webinar ends. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
This webinar is free, but registration is required.
Clean Energy States Alliance
www.cesa.org

Berkshire County Farmers Forum: Williamstown
2026-09-09 17:30 - 19:30 | David & Joyce Milne Public Library, 1095 Main St., Williamstown, MA
Mass Dep, American Farmland Trust, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources present Berkshire County Farmers Forum: Agriculture & The Wetlands Protection Act

What we’ll cover;
• The agricultural exemption under the Wetlands Protection Act, explained
• Conservation planning, engineering, and technical assistance
• The Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program
• Funding opportunities

DATE: Wednesday, September 9
TIME: 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
LOCATION: Milne Public Library, 1095 Main St, Williamstown, MA 01267
Contact Daizha.Baptiste-Johnson@mass.gov with any questions.

Berkshire County Farmers Forum: Stockbridge
2026-09-10 18:00 - 20:00 | Stockbridge Town Hall, 50 Main Street, Stockbridge, 01262, United States
Mass Dep, American Farmland Trust, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources present Berkshire County Farmers Forum: Agriculture & The Wetlands Protection Act

What we’ll cover;
• The agricultural exemption under the Wetlands Protection Act, explained
• Conservation planning, engineering, and technical assistance
• The Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program
• Funding opportunities

DATE: Thursday, September 10
TIME: 6:00 PM to8:00 PM
LOCATION: Stockbridge Town Hall, Conference Room, 50 Main St., Stockbridge, MA 01262
Contact Daizha.Baptiste-Johnson@mass.gov with any questions.

Tree Identification & Forest Biodiversity Walk with BEAT
2026-09-12 10:00 - 12:00 | Esau’s Heel Trail
Join BEAT’s Stewardship Director, Chelsey Simmons, for a free biodiversity tree identification walk on Esau’s Trail in Becket on Saturday, September 12, at 10 AM.
Learn how to identify trees using leaves, bark, twigs, fruit, and overall form, with tips for recognizing species year-round — even when leaves aren’t present. Along the way, we’ll also discuss invasive species, tree diseases, and other factors affecting forest health and biodiversity.
The walk will cover approximately 1.5 miles over about 2 hours at a relaxed pace, with frequent stops for observation and discussion. The trail is mostly flat and considered easy. Please dress for the weather and be prepared to be outdoors for the duration.
Space is limited, and registration is required. REGISTER HERE.
DATE: Saturday, September 12
TIME: 10 A M to Noon
LOCATION: Esau’s Heel Trail, 3 Jacobs Ladder Rd, Becket, MA
This is collaborative walk with the Becket Athenaeum and partially funded by the Central Berkshire Fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

Forest Fires in Massachusetts: Myths and Reality
2026-09-12 11:00 - 14:30 | The National Spiritual Alliance, 2 Montague Avenue, Lake Pleasant, 01347, United States
Photo credit: MassWildlife, in cooperation with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, monitors a prescribed fire in the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area on Tuesday. Credit: PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo Greenfield Recorder June 16, 2026
Wildfires in the Western United States and Canada are more and more prominent in the news. There is also growing interest in the role of wildfires and intentional fires (“prescribed” burning) in New England.

In Massachusetts, public agencies are increasingly using prescribed burning in state forests and wildlife management areas, such as the Montague Plains and Muddy Brook wildlife management areas, and Myles Standish State Forest.
Our speakers are experts on these issues and will discuss important questions:
• What is the goal of prescribed burning and where is it happening?
• Does prescribed burning help with wildlife habitat restoration?
• Does prescribed burning help to prevent or mitigate forest fires?
• What is the risk of wildfires in Massachusetts?

Presenters:
David Foster is director emeritus of the Harvard Forest and its Long Term Ecological Research program and currently coordinates Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands and Communities and serves on the editorial board of From the Ground Up. David’s research and conservation focus began with his PhD studies on fire history and ecology of the Labrador wilderness but has increasingly focused on the role of natural and anthropogenic forces, including fire, that have shaped the New England landscape over past millennia. He is an author most recently of “Meeting of Land and Sea: Nature and the Future of Martha’s Vineyard,” and “Wildlands of New England: Past Present and Future.”
Michael Kellett has worked for 40 years to create national parks, save forests, and protect wildlife. He is co-founder and executive director of RESTORE: The North Woods, a New England-based nonprofit organization. He was the lead author of the paper, “Forest-clearing to create early-successional habitats: Questionable benefits, significant costs.”
Bill Stubblefield has a lifelong passion for natural history and holds a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University. He currently devotes his time to activism on behalf of all lifeforms on Planet Earth.
George Wuerthner is an ecologist and photographer who has visited more than 400 designated wilderness areas and more than 200 National Park System units. For a dozen years, he worked as Ecological Projects Director for Doug Tompkins’s Foundation for Deep Ecology and is now Executive Director of Public Lands Media. He has published 38 books, including “Wildfire: A Century of Failed Forest Policy,” “Protecting the Wild: Parks and Wilderness Foundation for Conservation,” and “Keeping the Wild: Against the Domestication of the Earth.

DATE: Saturday, September 12
TIME: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM — Presentations and panel discussion in person and on Zoom. Please register to attend in person.
1:30 PM to 2:30 PM— Walking tour of the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area
LOCATION: The National Spiritual Alliance, 2 Montague Avenue, Lake Pleasant, MA 01347
RSVP: jasinclair@verizon.net
REGISTER: Zoom

Please park near the intersection of Old Northfield Road and Lake Pleasant Road if possible.
Light snacks and beverages provided.

SPONSORED BY:
Climate Democracy Project, Community Land and Water Coalition, Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Northeast Wilderness Trust, Partnership for Policy Integrity, Protect the Montague Plains, RESTORE: The North Woods, Save Massachusetts Forests, Sierra Club Massachusetts, Standing Trees, Wendell State Forest Alliance

Act on Climate with 350Mass Berkshires
2026-09-16 18:00, 2026-10-21 18:00, 2026-11-18 18:00 | Online
Join members of 350Mass, the local climate group, at their monthly zoom meetings (and sometimes in-person) for good conversation and effective action. Learn about their efforts to promote affordable renewable energy and sustainable building practices in our schools, homes, and municipalities.
The group meets monthly on the 3rd Wednesday at 6:00 pm and is always looking for new people to bring ideas, brainstorm clever actions, and help implement current initiatives.
Please join and you will be made welcome! To contact us and get the Zoom link, email at: berkshires@350mass.org
DATES: 3rd Wednesdays
TIME: 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Online via Zoom

Siting & Permitting 101: Large Clean Energy Infrastructure Projects
2026-09-17 12:00 - 13:30 | Online/Zoom
Siting & Permitting 101: Large Clean Energy Infrastructure Projects
The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) invites you to join a Siting & Permitting 101: Large Clean Energy Infrastructure Projects webinar on September 17, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM. This virtual webinar is intended for municipal officials, regional planning agencies and community-based organizations interested in learning about the Energy Facilities Siting Board’s (EFSB) new consolidated permit process for large clean energy infrastructure projects.
Please register in advance to receive the Zoom link for the webinar.

Staff will present an overview of the EFSB’s new siting and permitting process covering each phase from pre-filing to the conclusion of the adjudicatory proceeding. The webinar will highlight opportunities for public participation, including intervention, review key changes under the new regulations and offer a look into how EFSB evaluates projects and reaches its decisions. Interpretation and translation services are available upon request. To request language access accommodations, please email dpu.ej@mass.gov.

DATE: Thursday, September 17
TIME: 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM
LOCATION: Zoom
Contact Daizha.Baptiste-Johnson@mass.gov with any questions.

Women's Water Walk: Stop the Constitution Pipeline
2026-09-19 - 2026-10-04
On September 19, 2026 the Women’s Water Walk will begin a two-week, 113 mile prayer walk led by women through towns along the route of the proposed Constitution Pipeline in New York State.​​
The Constitution Pipeline is a fracked gas mega pipeline proposed by the Oklahoma-based Williams Company, which would run from northeast Pennsylvania to Schoharie County, New York. Rejected in 2016 by New York State as a danger to our water, the Constitution Pipeline project has returned to line the pockets of big corporations who want to overturn New York’s fracking ban.
The pipeline would cut through 125 miles of forests, wetlands, wild habitats and rural farm communities, providing a corridor of power for AI data centers and deafening compressor stations that cause serious air pollution and acid rain.
The Women’s Water Walk, which men are encouraged to join, will begin outside of Damascus, N.Y. and continue through towns along the proposed pipeline route. ​Our walk is rooted in prayer and positive action. We will sing as we walk and stop to make offerings at the many rivers, lakes and waterways along our path. We will gather daily to discuss community solutions, actions and legal frameworks to protect our land and water – focusing not only on what we seek to stop, but also on what we are trying to build.
We invite teachers, students, farmers, neighbors, workers, artists, faith leaders, elected representatives and all relations to walk with us. You can walk for a week, a day, or even an hour. One step at a time, we are planting seeds of love, action and change for the generations to come.
DATE: September 19 – October 4, 2026
LOCATION: See map for walking route
REGISTER HERE
For more information, contact info@womenswaterwalk.org

Berkshire Biodiversity Day 2026
2026-09-19 12:00 - 2026-09-20 12:00 | Bartholomew’s Cobble, 105 Weatogue Rd, Sheffield, MA
As global biodiversity faces unprecedented challenges, Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) is bringing the community together to celebrate and explore the rich variety of life found in the Berkshires.
The 17th annual Berkshire Biodiversity Day, also known as Berkshire BioBlitz, invites nature lovers of all ages to join scientists, naturalists, and environmental educators in identifying as many species as possible—plants, animals, fungi, and more—over the course of 24 hours.
The event will take place from noon on Saturday, September 19, to noon on Sunday, September 20, at Bartholomew’s Cobble, a property of The Trustees located at 105 Weatogue Road in Sheffield, MA. Participation is free and open to everyone, regardless of age or experience.
Attendees are invited to drop in at any point during the event to join scheduled guided walks, attend hands-on demonstrations, and learn from expert-led presentations.
All activities and presentations will be based at Bartholomew’s Cobble, where attendees must register upon arrival. Participants may stop by anytime to take part in the scheduled guided walks, live demonstrations of surveying techniques, and educational presentations, or contribute their own observations to the species survey across the Cobble’s diverse 357-acre landscape.
A full schedule of guided walks and presentations will be available soon—stay tuned!
Berkshire Biodiversity Day is organized by Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT). This year’s program is co-sponsored by The Trustees of Reservations and BEAT.

An Introduction to Virtual Power Plants (VPPs)
2026-09-29 13:00 - 14:00 | Online/Zoom
Virtual power plants (VPPs) have the potential to help meet rising electricity demand while saving billions of dollars annually in avoided costs. A VPP is a network of distributed energy resources that work together to support the electric grid while providing important services to the community. Instead of relying on a single large power plant, VPPs coordinate many smaller, customer-side resources—such as solar, batteries, EVs, smart appliances, and flexible commercial loads—to deliver energy services cheaply, cleanly, and quickly. There are currently 82 battery-based VPPs across 30 US states. (Read more about these programs in CESA’s newly updated table of battery-based VPPs.)
This Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) webinar will cover the basics of VPPs and how they can create value for both utilities and customers. Webinar panelists Adam Warren, Senior Advisor at Luminate LLC and author of CESA’s forthcoming VPPs 101 guide, and Todd Olinsky-Paul, Senior Project Director at CESA, will explain how VPPs operate, highlight key policy design considerations for states, and discuss the current U.S. VPP landscape. The presentation will be followed by questions and discussion from the audience. CESA Senior Project Director Nate Hausman will moderate the discussion.
This webinar is a presentation of the VPP Acceleration Initiative. The Initiative helps states, local governments, communities, and financial institutions deploy and scale VPPs—advancing affordability, strengthening resilience and grid reliability, and supporting decarbonization. This initiative is led by CESA, Clean Energy Group (CEG), and World Resources Institute (WRI).
DATE: Tuesday, September 29
TIME: 1:00 – 2:00 pm
LOCATION: Zoom
REGISTER HERE
Clean Energy Group
www.cleanegroup.org

2026 MA DCR Town Forest Conference
2026-10-17 09:00 - 16:30 | West Elementary School, 58 Beacon St, Andover, 01810, United States
2026 MA DCR Town Forest Conference Stewardship: The Preservation, Health, and Growth of New England Town Forests
Join community leaders, forest conservationists, foresters, & ecologists from around the state to learn, connect, and bring home ideas about town forests. Learn more here!
Keynote

Tending Your Town Forest Through Ecological Forestry
Paul Catanzaro (UMass)

Concurrent Sessions

Tackling Invasives: You got this!
Amy Janovsky (AVIS)
Forests, Forestry, & Community Resilience
Abby Hardy-Moss (Greenbelt) & Tom Lautzenheiser (Mass Audubon)
Managing Local Open Space: Lessons from the Field
Rob Moore (Haverill) Mike Murray (Andover)

Afternoon Field tours

Tour A: Deer Jump Reservation
Tour B: Wood Hill/Bald Hill Reservation
Tour C: Retelle Reservation

DATE: Saturday, October 17
TIME: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
LOCATION: West Elementary School, Andover, MA
REGISTER HERE
Sponsored by MA DCR’s Forests Work
