League of Women Voters/Needham Candidates Night" forum
2021-11-17 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
On Wednesday, November 17 at 7 p.m., the League of Women Voters of Needham will host “Candidates Night,” a forum with a League moderator posing questions to the two candidates on a variety of issues.
Members of the public are invited to join the November 17 live Zoom event; click here to register. All registered attendees will receive initial and reminder emails with instructions on joining the Zoom event.
Registered attendees may ask written questions during the forum. Questions may also be emailed in advance to lwvneedham@gmail.com. Questions should be relevant to both candidates for the office and to current issues. Submit questions by November 16.
The forum will be live streamed at The Needham Channel. It will also be recorded and available for later viewing on the Needham Channel and LWV websites.
A Special Election page on the League’s website includes information and links on voting, the Voter Guide, registration for Candidates Night, and a recording of Candidates Night as they become available.

Green Energy Consumers Alliance (GECA) Fall Meeting
2021-12-07 12:30 - 13:30
Join GECA for their annual solution-packed Fall Meeting! Their focus will be on Massachusetts climate action, with four breakout groups. Choose which one you’d like to attend when you register.
Beyond Offsets: Decarbonizing Flights
Air travel is highly carbon-intensive. Talk with our partners at Jet-Set Offset to hear about technological advancements that could help.
Phasing Out Gasoline
California has a plan. New York has a new law. How fast can we phase-out gasoline in Massachusetts?
Green Municipal Aggregation: What’s New?
As more communities offer cleaner electricity to residents through our “Green Municipal Aggregation” model, here’s why the state government could be doing a lot more to support it.
Baker’s Turn: The Climate Roadmap
The legislature passed the Climate Roadmap. Here’s what needs to be done by the executive branch to implement the new law, and new bills to ensure it’s success.
Click here to register for this Zoom event.

High Performance Building Design: Do It Smart: Do It Right
2022-01-31 17:30 - 19:30
Green Needham Collaborative is excited to be hosting an early evening event for builders, lenders and real estate brokers as well as Town of Needham officials on building “green” net-zero energy homes and buildings. Our presenters will be sharing simple ways to increase the energy efficiency of a building, both for new construction and renovations, to reduce/eliminate greenhouse gas emissions—without significantly changing the way you do your work. We will also be learning about evaluating properties that have been designed with high efficiency in mind.
Please join us…
Monday, January 31st
Time: 5:30pm—7:30pm
Location: Zoom Webinar
RSVP:
As a thank you for attending, Green Needham will be awarding five $100 gift cards for Needham restaurants at the end of the session.
Please register by clicking HERE or by emailing Donna Vello at donna.vello@gmail.com
We look forward to seeing you!
Presenters:
Craig Foley, LAER Realty Partners
Stephanie Horowitz, ZeroEnergy Design
Jonathan Kantar, Sage Builders LLC
Joel Boucher, Boucher Energy Systems, Inc.
Ed Quinlan, Green Needham Collaborative
Presentations will be followed by a Q&A session.

Needham Adult Education: Intro to Sustainable Vegetable Gardening
2022-02-01 18:30 - 20:00
In collaboration with the Needham Community Farm
Virtual
Joe Leghorn
Home-grown produce is far superior to what you can buy at the market because it is fresher. However, the thought of starting your
own vegetable garden can be daunting. This class will provide you with an overview of everything you need to know–from figuring out where to put your garden, how to start your own seedlings, and how to care for and maintain common vegetables. The class will also cover common pests and how they can be controlled by companion planting with annual flowers. After the sessions, you will be ready to grow your own garden vegetables this year! Limited to 20.
Dates: 4 Tuesdays, February 1-March 1 (no class 2/22) Time: 6:30-8:00 PM
Fee: $155

Free "Meatless Monday Needham" Cooking Class
2022-02-10 18:00 - 19:30
Cook along with Meatless Monday Needham at a Zoom class on Thursday, Feb. 10, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Vegetarian cooking instructor Jessica Weiss will demonstrate how to cook a meatless dish featuring tofu, mushrooms, aromatics and Indian spices. Register for this free class and you will receive a list of ingredients and a Zoom link. You may cook along or just watch the preparation of this delicious meal. And if you haven’t already signed the Meatless Monday Needham pledge, we hope you will be inspired to do so!

LWV Sponsors Film Screening: "We Did it For You! Women's Journey Through History"
2022-02-22 18:30 - 20:00
Join Suffrage 100MA on Tuesday, February 22, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for a free film screening of the musical theater production We Did It For You! Women’s Journey Through History, followed by a Q&A session with playwright Thea Iberall.
Sponsored by the League of Women Voters/Needham. Register here.

Green Energy Consumers Alliance hosts "Electric Vehicles (EVs) 101" Zoom Call
2022-02-24 10:00 - 11:00
Electric Vehicles (EVs) 101
Thursday, February 24th @ 10AM
Join Green Energy Consumers Alliance’s “Electric Vehicles (EVs) 101” zoom call. They’ll cover environmental and consumer benefits, information about batteries and charging, state and federal incentives to purchase or lease, and more. Plus, we’ll have plenty of time to answer all of your questions.
Click here to register.

Temple Beth Shalom Hosts EDF for Update on its National Climate Action Planning
2022-03-09 19:30
Join Temple Beth Shalom on March 9th at 7:30 PM, when it hosts the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) for an update about its National Climate Action Planning. Derek Walker will be the speaker.
Click here to register for the Zoom call.

Green Energy Consumers Alliance hosts "Electric Vehicles (EVs) Chat: Fun Cars" Zoom Call
2022-03-10 16:00 - 17:00
Electric Vehicles (EVs) Chat: Fun Cars
Thursday, March 10th @ 4PM
Join Green Energy Consumers Alliance’s “Electric Vehicles (EVs) Chat: Fun Cars” zoom call. We’re branching out from the Bolt and the LEAF! Both are fantastic cars, but it’s time to hear from excellent EV owners who have different models – like the Kia Soul EV, pictured below. Stop in to chat with people who drive electric.
Click here to register.

First Parish in Needham Event to Remind Everyone of Climate Change Emergency
2022-03-11 11:00 - 12:00 | First Parish in Needham, 23 Dedham Ave., Needham, MA, 02492, United States
At 11 a.m. on the 11th day of March (Friday), First Parish in Needham and the Congregational Church of Needham will join other Massachusetts houses of worship in ringing their bells to remind people that it is the “eleventh hour” in the battle against climate change. As the bells ring, congregants and others concerned about climate change will stand outside with signs highlighting the need for bold action to address the climate crisis.
The organizers are inviting anyone concerned about climate change to join them or to participate at their own house of worship. The event will be repeated on Monday, April 11 and possibly beyond. First Parish in Needham is located at 23 Dedham Ave. and the Congregational Church in Needham is located at 1154 Great Plain Ave. Contact Eleanor Rosellini efrosell@aol.com for more information.
Ideas for actions that individuals can take to address the climate crisis will appear on the GreenNeedham home page.

Needham Adult Education: Pruning Shrubs and Small Trees
2022-03-12 10:00 - 12:00
In-person
Peter Hauschka
Ornamental trees and landscape plantings can rapidly outgrow their allotted spaces leading to crowding, shading, and loss of vigor. Pruning will reshape and reinvigorate their growth. This hands-on course will cover: 1) visual planning of which cuts to make and why; 2) safe use of hand tools to remove dead wood and excessive growth. Limited to 12.
Date: Saturday, March 12 (rain date Sunday 3/13) Time: 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM
Location: Instructor’s Needham garden Fee: $39

2022 McIver Series Program: The Story of Mercury, the Element
2022-03-20 14:00 - 15:15
Do you know the surprising properties and history of the chemical element mercury (Hg)? Alongside its beneficial uses to humankind historically are mercury’s toxic properties. What is the story of mercury pollution – its sources, its continuing environmental impact, who is most greatly affected, and the global environmental justice questions it raises? What is the history and current status of mercury regulation, both in the United States and globally, in efforts to protect people and the environment from its damaging effects? Our speaker will address these questions.
Presented by MIT Professor Noelle Eckley Selin, PhD, an atmospheric chemist who studies mercury and other hazardous substances, and applies her research to help inform global efforts to regulate toxic chemicals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to protect humans and our environment.
Her 2020 book Mercury Stories: Understanding Sustainability through a Volatile Element, co-authored with Henrik Selin and published by MIT Press in 2020, analyzes human interactions with mercury and sheds light on efforts to promote and achieve sustainability. The authors examine five mercury systems that illustrate important issues in mercury science and governance. Then, looking across the five mercury systems, they distill insights for sustainability analysis more broadly, and draw lessons for researchers, decision-makers, and concerned citizens.
This virtual event is sponsored by the Trustees of the Needham Free Public Library in memory of former director Vivian D. McIver. It is free and open to the public on ZOOM technology. Please register through the library website NeedhamLibrary.org/events to receive the Webinar/Zoom link to attend.

LWV & Meatless Monday sponsor Forum: Feeding Our Students—A Look at Nutrition Services in the Needham Public Schools
2022-03-24 19:00 - 20:00
The League of Women Voters of Needham and Meatless Monday Needham are collaborating on the forum Feeding Our Students—A Look at Nutrition Services in the Needham Public Schools. Our speakers will be:

Colin Boisvert, Director of Nutrition Services, Needham Public Schools
Jennifer Tuttelman, Assistant Director of Nutrition Services, Needham Public Schools

The forum will be held on Thursday, March 24, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Zoom. Register here to get the meeting link.

Needham Adult Education: Low-Maintenance Gardening: Spring Workshop
2022-03-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Needham High School – Room 409, 1330 Highland Ave, Needham, MA
Were you disappointed with last year’s garden? Do you need to update your overgrown landscape? Most importantly, do you feel you are spending too much time and money on landscape maintenance? If you answered yes to any of these questions, join us for this two-session class to learn how to cultivate a beautiful but low maintenance garden. We will focus on techniques for designing, planting, and maintaining an inexpensive and environmentally responsible garden. In addition, you will be introduced to some new plants to enhance your garden this spring, including lesser-known,bulbs, perennials, and ground covers for sun or shade, wet or dry sites. This course includes a photo-presentation of plants, useful handouts to take home, and time for specific questions. Limited to 20.
Date: 2 Wednesdays, March 30-April 6 Time: 7:00-9:00 PM
Location: Needham High School, Room 409 Fee: $76

Needham Adult Education: Garden Bed Design and Construction
2022-04-09 10:00 - 12:00
In-person
Peter Hauschka
Spring is a great time to build new gardens or to improve and redesign existing ones. This hands-on class at the instructor’s one-acre garden will cover garden bed layout, rain garden design, sod removal, digging, edging, soil sifting and amendment, mulching, and the planting of perennials, shrubs and trees. Limited to 12.
Date: Saturday, April 9 (rain date Sunday 4/10) Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Instructor’s Needham garden Fee: $39

Climate Emergency Vigil
2022-04-11 11:00 - 11:15
On Monday, April 11 at 11 a.m., church bells will ring for 11 minutes at First Parish in Needham, 23 Dedham Ave. and the Congregational Church of Needham, 1154 Great Plain Ave., as a reminder that we are in the 11th hour of the Climate Emergency. As the bells ring, all are welcome to join the vigil on the lawn of either church. Bring your own sign or use one of the signs provided.

Fair Housing Through the Context of Modern-Day Needham
2022-04-11 19:15 - 20:30
This virtual event, presented by Temple Beth Shalom in partnership with Equal Justice Needham, will be an engaging presentation and discussion with urban planner and fair housing policy expert Judi Barrett.
Register here.
Join the program virtually at 7:15 pm on Monday, April 11th as urban planner and fair housing expert Judi Barrett leads an educational and engaging discussion on the history and present-day implications of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. On the anniversary of the signing of this law, Judi will help participants better understand the history of housing segregation and redlining in our country, the events that led to creation of this landmark statute, the progress that has taken place since that time, as well as the continued systemic barriers that prevent so many from achieving equal access to a safe, decent, and affordable home.
Judi Barrett is the founding principal and managing director of Barrett Planning Group LLC. She brings 33 years of planning and community development experience as a consultant and community and economic development professional with state and local government. She is well known for her work in affordable and fair housing policy and inclusionary zoning.

Needham Adult Education: Establishing and Maintaining a Healthy Lawn
2022-04-14 18:00 - 19:30
Virtual
Nicholas Nogueira
It takes knowledge and care to establish and maintain a beautiful lawn, but that doesn’t mean that you need to hire an expensive service to do the work for you. In this class, you will learn important tips that will enable you to care for your lawn. Topics covered will include: soil health; organic fertilization needs for every lawn type; identifying and rectifying common problems such as weed control, fungus/moss/mushrooms, soil pH and heat stress; required maintenance practices (watering, aeration, detaching etc.). The instructor has over 12 years of lawn care experience and many tips to share. Limited to 15.
Dates: 2 Thursdays, April 14-21 Time: 6:00-7:30 PM
Fee: $49

Needham Community Farm Program: Landscaping with Native Plants
2022-04-14 19:30 - 20:30
Join the Needham Community Farm’s “Landscaping with Native Plants” Program on April 14th at 7:30pm – this is a virtual event via Zoom.

About the event

What is a “native plant” and why should you add them to your landscape? Native plants support bugs, birds, butterflies and other wildlife, and don’t need watering (once established), fertilizer, or pesticides. Not sure how or where to start? Needham resident Joanne Neale, the owner of Garden MentorSM landscape design and consulting, will talk to us about the benefits of native plants, how to prepare a bed, and show us slides of suggested natives. Joanne’s gardening philosophy is based on low maintenance, sustainability, and organic methods, with an emphasis on native plants. She has published articles on gardening, teaches at Needham Community Education, and is a member of Green Needham and many other environmental and horticultural organizations. This workshop is co-sponsored by Temple Beth Shalom Environmental Action Committee and Green Needham.
Register for the Zoom meeting at: RSVP

Attendees will be given access to the First Annual Native Plant Sale, hosted by Needham Community Farm and Green Needham. Three native plant bundle options will be offered: full sun, part sun/part shade, full shade. Plants will be available for pick up on Saturday, May 21. More information available soon.

Green Energy Consumers' Webinar: Earth Month: EV Chat
2022-04-26 12:00 - 13:00
Join Green Energy Consumer Alliance’s “Earth Month: EV Chat” webinar

Tuesday, April 26 2021, 12:00pm
Online – Zoom

EV owners and enthusiasts alike are eager to chat about the benefits of driving electric. Electric Vehicle Chats are a chance for folks to come together to talk about EVs and for beginners to have their questions answered by experienced EV owners. This session is both informal and informative. Register to join the conversation today!

RSVP Now to participate.

Needham Townwide Clean Up Day
2022-04-30 12:00 - 14:00 | Claxton Field, 1380 Central Ave, Needham, MA, 02492
As we continue our Earth Day celebrations, we hope you join Needham High School’s Environmental Action Club and the Needham community on 4/30 from 12-2pm at the Quarry at Claxton Field (where the NHS Boosters sells Christmas trees) to listen to various speakers, clean up the town forest, and meet other environmental enthusiasts. Trash bags and gloves will be provided. We hope to see you there!”

Native Plant Sale
2022-05-21 10:00 - 14:00
Ready to get started with natives? The co-sponsors have worked with the Native Plant Trust and Joanne Neale to offer three native plant collections for sale – one for sun, one for shade, and one for mixed sun/shade. In the workshop, Joanne will specifically discuss each of these plants and best practices for successful planting and care.
Plant collections must be pre-ordered, and will be available for pick-up in Needham on May 21st.
CLICK HERE to go to the Native Plant Sale website.
Questions? NativePlantSale@NeedhamFarm.org

Green Needham Virtual Open House
2022-06-09 19:00 - 20:30
Do you ever wonder who the people are behind Green Needham and what they are working on? Come “meet” the Green Needham team virtually and hear what Green Needham has been up to recently, and what our priorities are for the coming year. This is a great time to ask questions, share your suggestions, and even volunteer to help Green Needham on one of its active projects.
Meet us on Zoom from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 9. Click here to register.
The timing is especially important now that the Town is making a Climate Action Plan that will introduce exciting new opportunities to our community.

Needham High School Civics Showcase - featuring climate change and environmental issues
2022-06-11 14:00 - 16:00 | Powers Hall, Needham Town Hall, 1471 Highland Ave., Needham, MA, 02492, United States
The League of Women Voters of Needham and the Needham High School Social Studies Department are co-sponsoring Students Advocate for Change, the inaugural Needham High School Civics Showcase, on Saturday, June 11 at 2-4 PM at Powers Hall, Needham Town Hall.
The new civics education law requires all high school students to select a state or local issue and prepare an advocacy plan. At the Showcase, eleventh grade students will share their research, materials, and positions in a science fair type setting.
Needham High School students (and teachers) have been involved with Green Needham since our earliest days. Green Needham has supported their work, and students and student organizations have been catalysts and contributors on past and current projects. The impacts of climate change are no longer in the future – we are experiencing them here and now. So it is no surprise that the largest number of projects at the showcase address climate change and the environment:

A tree-planting project in Needham, specifically graduation trees that students plant from the time they are in their first year of elementary school
Adding solar panels to schools in Needham
Electrify the Commonwealth’s vehicle fleet
Government action for conversation and protection of the environment, as well as limiting pollution.
Help to reduce pollution
Improved conservation of energy and advocating for increased energy efficiency.
Make Massachusetts more sustainable.
Promoting that all new construction should accommodate solar energy
Reducing pesticides
To pass the 100% Clean Energy Act to improve our economy and consumption in our community.
We are advocating for the Massachusetts 100% renewable energy by 2035 bill, aka Bill H.3288.

Please join them – and us – at Powers Hall on Saturday June 11th to learn about our students’ civic engagement.

EVs 101 for Businesses
2022-06-14 12:00 - 12:45 | Zoom Webinar, Online
Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining popularity because they’re fun to drive, cost less to fuel and maintain, and are better for the environment. For businesses with vehicles, those benefits can add up quickly. The Charles River Chamber of Commerce’s Environment Committee is pleased to offer a EV 101 webinar for businesses, free to members and non-members. Join Mal Skowron, policy & program coordinator at Green Energy Consumers Alliance to learn more about the benefits of EVs, how quickly the car market is changing in Massachusetts, and how to consider charging infrastructure for your business.
RSVP here for this complementary webinar on Tuesday, June 14th from 12:00 noon to 12:45 pm.
Green Needham is a member of the Charles River Chamber of Commerce’s Environment Committee.
Green Energy Consumer Alliance is a non-profit organization based in Boston with the mission to harness the power of energy consumers to speed the transition to a low carbon future.

Green Needham's "Plastic Waste Reduction Group" hosts Zoom call to discuss Plastic Bag Ban by-law in Needham
2022-06-22 19:00 - 20:30
Green Needham’s Plastic Waste Reduction Group is working toward passing a Plastic Bag Ban by-law for our town. We will be having a planning meeting on Wednesday, June 22nd from 7-8:30PM, and invite anyone interested in helping to join us. We will devise a plan to reach out to Town Meeting members to get their help in encouraging our Select Board to add the by-law to the October warrant for a vote. Our larger goal is to motivate people to bring reusable bags when shopping, so we will also discuss ways to encourage this change in behavior including: adding signage at stores as reminders, discussing the feasibility of adding a fee for paper bags, and ways to involve students in elementary, middle and high school to help spread the word.
In addition, our group aims to educate Needhamites on the negative impact of single-use plastics on climate change, human health, and the environment. To that end, we are working on a Public Service Announcement, and will also host guest speakers to raise awareness about this important topic.
Zoom info for the team meeting:
Topic: Green Needham Plastic Waste Reduction team meeting
Time: Jun 22, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84877155917?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 848 7715 5917
Passcode: [REDACTED]
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,84877155917#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (Chicago)
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Sustainable Lawn Care Event
2022-07-16 10:00 - 12:00 | 7 Sassamon Rd. Natick MA 01760
Are you tired of lawn care that causes high pollution and incessant noise? Join us on July 16th to learn about lawn care sustainability. All participants will have the opportunity to learn/demo electric equipment, electric lawn services, and robotic mowers! This is a free public event intended to make lawn care a more sustainable practice in our community.
Sponsored by the Needham Garden Center and the Town of Sherborn’s Sustainability Coordinator – click here for event flyer.

Dispelling Myths about Net Zero & Passive House Buildings
2022-08-11 09:00 - 10:00
Watch a reply of the August 11th webinar here.

Recognizing the growing demand to make residential buildings energy efficient, an increasing number of developers, architects, and builders are embracing Passive House building standards.
But others are skeptical that Passive House and net zero residential buildings can be built at a reasonable cost, look beautiful and cut energy use by the promised 40% to 60%.
The Charles River Chamber of Commerce invites you to a free webinar on Thursday, August 11th from 9:00 am to 10;00 am.
In this webinar, we’ll share examples of recently-built developments. We will discuss what was hard, what was easy, and the lessons learned by teams that build Passive House and net zero buildings. We will also describe the significant financial incentives both for building Passive House buildings, and for attending training sessions about high-performance all-electric single-family homes.
The webinar is targeted for those in the development, building and real estate sectors but the content could be of interest to anyone looking to understand opportunities and obstacles towards making single and multi-family homes more energy efficient.
The webinar will include a Q & A.
Registration for this free webinar is here at the Chamber’s website.

Green Needham Plastic Waste Reduction team meeting
2022-09-01 19:30 - 21:00
Topic: Green Needham Plastic Waste Reduction team meeting
Time: Sep 1, 2022 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85737385314?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 857 3738 5314
Passcode: [REDACTED]

One tap mobile
+13092053325,,85737385314#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US
+13126266799,,85737385314#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (Chicago)

Needham St/ Highland Ave Corridor Project Update
2022-09-09 09:00 - 10:00
Fri. Sep 9th, from 9 to 10 a.m.
via zoom
Free, advanced registration required
The Charles River Regional Chamber (formerly Newton-Needham Chamber) has invited MassDOT and contractor P. Gioioso & Sons to provide business owners and other stakeholders with an update on construction completed so far for the Needham-Newton Corridor Project.
We’ll take a lookahead at upcoming work and provide a summary of what impacts abutters can expect as the construction moves into the fall.
This multi-year project entails improvements for traffic safety and operations and multimodal accommodations from Winchester Street at Route 9, along Needham Street in Newton to Highland Avenue at Webster Street in Needham. The project also includes widening the bridge over the Charles River.
Please join us – RSVP to register.
