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Events Off Campus

Opening Reception: Rising Waters/Blazing Earth
September 10, 2021
To address climate change, experts from all walks of life will need to collaborate. That is one of many messages of the Fall 2021 exhibition Rising Waters/Blazing Earth and a particular focus of the opening reception. Smith alumna Gabrielle Russomagno, photographer and installation artist, and Professor Robert M. DeConto, geoscientist, will take part in a 40-minute discussion (Begins at 6 p.m.) on climate change to share their knowledge and experience on issues raised by the artwork displayed. Rising Waters/Blazing Earth is an exhibition presented by Florence, MA studio Zea Mays Printmaking. It features multimedia works by 30 artists about the political, social, and personal issues related to natural resource exploitation—its forms and its consequences, including its effect on art making and human life. The exhibition is associated with a pan-global art project, Extraction: Art on the Edge of the Abyss (recently featured in Orion Magazine), “a multimedia, multi-venue, cross-border art intervention that will investigate extractive industry in all of its forms from mining and drilling to the reckless exploitation of water, soil, trees, marine life, and other natural resources.”
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Augusta Savage Gallery at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Introduction to Small-scale Biogas
September 10, 2021
Kathy Puffer of SolarCities and NE Womyn in Permaculture is coming to Western Mass this September to empower more people to take global cooling and safe, renewable, resilient, local fuel production into our own hands. Learn about how the technology works, recent local and global developments, and the economic and environmental benefits of methane biogas production. $10-20, sliding scale, * notaflof * RSVP to elyssa.serrilli@ gmail.com (of Patch Neighborhood Farm). Additional donations welcome and will go to relief for Haiti from recent hurricane and earthquake events. * notaflof * = no one turned away for lack of funds.
Virtual
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

The Northeast's Paraglacial Shore and Its First Order Control.
September 15, 2021
Hosted by Dr. Jon Woodruff and Dr. Brian Yellen from Umass Northeast Climate Adaptation Center. In the Northeast, glacial deposits serve as the predominant sediment source for shorelines extending from New York City to the Maine/Canadian border. In this talk, active research on the spatial distribution and characteristics of these paraglacial deposits and their first-order control on both the current and future integrity of coupled marsh-beach systems will be presented and discussed.
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Virutal via zoom
4:00 pm

Events at Smith

Arava Institute for Environmental Studies Info Session
September 17, 2021
Students are invited to learn more about the The Arava Institute - an environmental and academic institution in the Middle East, dedicated to preparing future leaders from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and around the world to cooperatively solve the regional and global challenges of our time. Students should email studyabroad @smith.edu to request the zoom link.
Virtual
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

CEEDS Lunch and Chat for students
September 17, 2021
September 21, 2021
Bring your own lunch and join staff from the Center for the Environment for an informal chat about your interests in sustainability and the environment. Are you passionate about the environment and sustainability and want to pursue your passion at Smith? Want to think through how you can connect what you're studying to issues of environmental justice? Need to talk through an article you just read or an idea you just learned about? Just want to hang out? You'll find good company at CEEDS.
CEEDS Office, Wright Hall, Lower Level
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Smith's Notable Trees
September 18, 2021
Take a late-summer walk (rain or shine) with one of Smith's arborists, John Berryhill, and enjoy a multi-sensory, casual learning experience about Smith's fabulous trees. Open to all Smith students, but registration is capped at 30 people! The walk will be accessible to all. Brought to you by the Smith College Botanic Gardens and CEEDS. Use your Smith email and register at the link below:
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Meet on Chapin Lawn
11:00 am

Sustainable Development: Four Years Linking the Smith Campus and the Global Challenge
September 20, 2021
Join Dano Weisbord, Smith College's Associate Vice President for Administration and Campus Planning in this ENX 100 lecture series discussion about carbon mitigation policy and practice. All members of the Smith campus community welcome.
McConnell B15
2:45 pm to 4:00 pm

Exhibition: Grow in Light (2021) by Artist Wendy Kawabata
September 23, 2021
While Grow in Light relies on the armature of laborious process, the drawings embrace chance effects and are full of longing in the best way possible. They look at landscape both interpreted and remembered. In this way they are visual condensations; materialization of landscape as a means for mining the remnants of what is physically inaccessible. Born from the same experience, the whole is an attempt to convey beauty, sincere expression, and regard, with simplicity: to take nothing more than needed and, in doing so, offering more than given. Exhibit open September 23th - October 21, Monday through Friday 8:30-4:30.
Oresman Gallery, Hillyer

Workshop: Cross-pollinations, ingenious hybrids, and deep mapping:
September 23, 2021
where scientific research and creative writing synthesize. With Katherine Larson, writer and scientist. This workshop is open to students of Bucknell University, Smith College and Washington College. Co-sponsored by the Small Literary Arts Center.
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Virtually via Zoom
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

Events Off Campus

Field Notes (and bluegrass!) with CISA
September 17, 2021
An evening of live music and stories about local food and farming in western MA, told by your neighbors. Enjoy live bluegrass music before the film starts at dusk (around 7:45pm). Six amazing local storytellers share their adventures (and misadventures) in farming, cooking, navigating new cultures and relationships, building community, and more! Traditionally a live show, this year’s Field Notes performance was instead filmed at the Academy of Music Theatre by Reelife Productions and edited into a feature film for all to enjoy. If the weather looks bad, the event will move to an online livestream. Check CISA’s Facebook page on Friday afternoon for updates and information on how to stream. A free event brought to you by CISA and River Valley Co-op.
Millside Park, 2 Ferry St, Easthampton.
6:30 pm

Constructing a Small-Scale Biogas System
September 18, 2021
Hosted by Kathy Puffer and Dr. Martin Hunter of the UMass Biomedical Engineering Dept. Participants will construct 3 1-gal and 1 55-gal biodigester, and learn how to retrofit a small camping stove for use with non-pressurized methane. Community members will learn alongside students in the UMass Biomedical Engineering Department who have chosen this as their capstone project. UMass students have studied and experimented with small-scale biogas for several years, and now the university is exploring supporting the development of small-scale biogas systems for home, neighborhood and small farm usage. Welcoming local farmers, food cooperatives, neighborhoods and intentional communities who are interested in the development of small-scale biogas for their operations. 4 hour long workshop- time and location to be shared with registration. $25-50, sliding scale, * no one turned away for lack of funds.* RSVP to elyssa.serrilli@ gmail.com (of Patch Neighborhood Farm) Limited to 10 community members.
TBA

Neighborhood and Small Farm Biogas Systems
September 19, 2021
Hosted by Kathy Puffer, Elyssa Serrillli of Patch Neighborhood Farm & Dr. Martin Hunter of UMass BME. Participants will construct 1 55-gal biodigester, see a demonstration of a 1-gal digester, learn how to retrofit a small camping stove for use with non-pressurized methane, and learn more about the 300-1100 gallon HomeBiogas systems, suitable for larger homes, neighborhoods and small farm use. We will also discuss some of the logistics of home and small farm use through examples in action, as well as the current zoning and building requirements for these systems. $25-50, sliding scale, * notaflof * RSVP to elyssa.serrilli@gmail.com Additional donations welcome and will go to relief for Haiti from recent hurricane and earthquake events. * notaflof * = no one turned away for lack of funds.
TBA with registration
10:00 am to 2:00 pm

The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere
September 21, 2021
This talk focuses on a reclaimed history of the deep past Indigenous people in North and South America during the Paleolithic. Dr. Paulette Steeves, Associate Professor Sociology/Anthropology and Canada Research Chair Tier II Healing and Reconciliation, Algoma University, will share evidence from archaeology sites and Paleolithic environments, landscapes, and mammalian and human migrations to make the case that people have been in the Western Hemisphere not only just prior to Clovis sites (10,200 years ago) but for more than 60,000 years, and likely more than 100,000 years. Steeves will also discuss the political history of American anthropology to focus on why pre-Clovis sites have been dismissed by the field for nearly a century. She will share supporting evidence from genetics and linguistic anthropology regarding First Peoples and time frames of early migrations. Part of The Peabody Museum's "Diggin In" series. Register for the link to join below:
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Virtual via Zoom
1:30 pm

The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere
September 22, 2021
This talk focuses on a reclaimed history of the deep past Indigenous people in North and South America during the Paleolithic. Dr. Steeves will sare evidence from archaeology sites and Paleolithic environments, landscapes, and mammalian and human migrations to make the case that people have been in the Western Hemisphere not only just prior to Clovis sites (10,200 years ago) but for more than 60,000 years, and likely more than 100,000 years.
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Online
1:30 pm

Webinar: From boat to food bank to dining hall: how local chowder became a community solution
September 22, 2021
During the market shift caused by the pandemic, the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance and numerous partners developed a seafood chowder from Cape-caught haddock. A true collaboration, the fish are caught by independent fishermen, processed by a local processor, and made into the chowder by a family-owned company. This chowder helped feed New England communities through food banks and community pantries. Then, working with MIT Dining, they modified packaging and delivery to serve institutional markets as well. If you are food system advocate, fisherman, or interested in supporting regional food systems, you’ll come away from this webinar inspired by this story of innovation and collaboration. Get more information and register at link below:
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virtual
2:00 pm

Building a Better World: Women and Climate Justice
September 23, 2021
Agnes Scott College’s Second Annual Women’s Global Leadership Conference. A virtual conference, free to all faculty, staff, and students. More details about speakers and the schedule at the link below. NOTE: if the registration page shows a cost, to register for free, use the discount code “Partner”. In put this code in the appropriate spot which you will find in one of the last pages in the registration process.
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Virtual

Lecture: The Origin and Future of a Tropical Biodiversity Hostpot
September 23, 2021
with Dr. Carlos Daniel Cadena Ordonez (Universidad de los Andes). The Northern Andes and surrounding areas in South America are global hotspots of biological diversity across various groups including birds. Dr. Ordnoez will describe his research on the ecology, evolution, and conservation of Neotropical birds focused on two main questions: (1) why is avian diversity so high in northern South America, and (2) are we conserving the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain such diversity? He will highlight examples of his work on old and new ideas on the origin of diversity, and on the role of historical collections and modern resurveys as windows to study and conserve diversity through time. Sponsored by the Living Earth Collaborative. Click the link below to watch live.
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Live streamed on YouTube. Click on Link.
3:00 pm

Landscape Sustainability through Innovative Design
September 23, 2021
The primary goal of the presentation is to provide an overview of the background and the approach for the contemporary renewal of the cityscape/landscape in Hungary. Renovations of (mostly) historic sites started at the beginning of the 2000s. The past fifteen years have brought significant results in this field. The study also intends to highlight the outstanding role the landscape architecture profession played in the development and implementation of the renovation strategies for the historic open spaces, and the importance of the "landscape approach" in the identification, assessment, protection, and management of historical areas. Presented by Professor Albert FEKETE, from the Institute of Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Garden Art Budapest, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Hungary.
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Umass, 170 Design Building.
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Taking Meaningful Action on Climate Change Using the Tools of Democracy: Student Info Session
September 23, 2021
Want to do something about climate change? Tune in to a Citizen's Climate Lobby informational session to learn about how you can make a difference in creating the political will for legislation that will put us on the path to reduce the emissions that are changing our climate. By attending this session you will learn: Who we are: CCL's mission, history, values; Our solution to climate change: Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act; Our method: Utilizing the tools of democracy to effect political change. RSVP to the session at the link below:
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Virtual
8:00 pm

Events at Smith

Casual Botanical Exploration
September 24, 2021
Join Capen Garden Gardener Dave Dion for a hands-on introduction to botany and some of the edible and unique plants on our campus. Sponsored by CEEDS and the Botanic Garden. Use your Smith email to sign up at the link below. The event is limited to 30 participants.
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Meet at Capen Garden, rain or shine
4:30 pm

Exhibition: Grow in Light (2021) by Artist Wendy Kawabata
September 27, 2021
While Grow in Light relies on the armature of laborious process, the drawings embrace chance effects and are full of longing in the best way possible. They look at landscape both interpreted and remembered. In this way they are visual condensations; materialization of landscape as a means for mining the remnants of what is physically inaccessible. Born from the same experience, the whole is an attempt to convey beauty, sincere expression, and regard, with simplicity: to take nothing more than needed and, in doing so, offering more than given. Exhibit open September 23th - October 21, Monday through Friday 8:30-4:30.
Oresman Gallery, Hillyer

CEEDS Lunch and Chat for students
September 29, 2021
Bring your own lunch and join staff from the Center for the Environment for an informal chat about your interests in sustainability and the environment. Are you passionate about the environment and sustainability and want to pursue your passion at Smith? Want to think through how you can connect what you're studying to issues of environmental justice? Need to talk through an article you just read or an idea you just learned about? Just want to hang out? You'll find good company at CEEDS.
CEEDS Office, Wright Hall, Lower Level
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

ES&P "Students Share" Tea
September 29, 2021
Two ES&P majors share their experiences with the National Science Foundation sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) Site in Vermont and Uganda and Conservation X Labs. Join us for some refreshments and a casual conversation with peers about these organizations and programs and how you might also apply.
CEEDS, Wright Hall 005
4:15 pm

Info session: DIS in Scandinavia
September 30, 2021
The DIS Copenhagen program offers over 200 courses across many disciplines (and many focused on the environment and sustainability). Students are encouraged to discover Europe through Study Tours and bring course topics to life. DIS also offers a wide variety of cultural engagement and housing options. Students should email studyabroad@smith.edu to request the zoom link.
Virtual
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Events Off Campus

Building a Better World: Women and Climate Justice
September 24, 2021
September 25, 2021
Agnes Scott College’s Second Annual Women’s Global Leadership Conference. A virtual conference, free to all faculty, staff, and students. More details about speakers and the schedule at the link below. NOTE: if the registration page shows a cost, to register for free, use the discount code “Partner”. In put this code in the appropriate spot which you will find in one of the last pages in the registration process.
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Virtual

How to Prepare for Climate Change
September 24, 2021
Virtual Keynote with author David Pogue (discussion immediately afterwards) The world is getting hotter, natural systems are going haywire, and you might want to prepare. New York Times bestselling author David Pogue spent a year researching how an individual can prepare for the coming era of climate chaos for his book How to Prepare for Climate Change. Learn about a practical path forward that’s within your control. If you want to join remotely you can register using the link below:
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Zoom OR UMass, Science and Engineering Library, Learning Studio
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm

Environmental Justice in Urban and Community Forestry: Deepening the Connection
September 30, 2021
with Christine E. Carmichael, Ph.D., Founder and Principal, Fair Forests Consulting, LLC. Cities across the U.S. are ramping up initiatives to plant more trees in underserved neighborhoods. However, creating more just and equitable urban and community forests is not as simple as planting trees in low canopy neighborhoods. This work will entail sustained and cohesive efforts among several sectors to dismantle oppressive power structures. In this presentation, Dr. Carmichael will describe findings from her research in Detroit, Michigan and how these findings can be applied to engage more diverse people in equitably restoring and sustaining urban forests, as well as future research opportunities to advance environmental justice in urban and community forestry.
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UMASS Olver Design Building, Room 170
4:00 pm

Saving Seahorses to Save seas
September 30, 2021
Amanda Vincent, the 2021 Indianapolis Prize winner, has dedicated her career to understanding and advocating for seahorses, which serve as a flagship species for a wide range of marine conservation issues. She is credited with bringing the world’s attention to the 44 known species of seahorses and with developing a collaborative approach to marine conservation that is also improving the status of many other marine fishes, such as sharks, rays, groupers, and eels. Hear how her determination and optimism are saving not only these iconic sea creatures but also our world’s oceans. Presented by the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, and the Indianapolis Prize of the Indianapolis Zoological Society, Inc. Advance registration is required. View link below.
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Virtual via zoom
6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

Rediscovering Northampton: Natural & Cultural History of a Single Street - Spotlight on Hawley St
September 30, 2021
Historic Northampton co-director and naturalist Laurie Sanders will take the long view of Hawley Street, from the era of Glacial Lake Hitchcock to the present. During this zoom presentation, she'll cover both the natural history changes over time as well as highlight some of the important people, businesses and events that influenced today's look at one of Northampton's oldest byways. More information and registration is at the link below:
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Virtual via Zoom
7:00 pm