Apr
12
Wed
Building Local Solutions to Biodiversity Loss: One Pollinator Pathway at a Time!
Apr 12 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Building Local Solutions to Biodiversity Loss: One Pollinator Pathway at a Time!

Communities serious about creating a resilient future need to include strategies for reversing the critical loss of biodiversity.  Why is biodiversity so important, what are the threats it faces, and what can we do?  In this talk Peggy MacLeod describes successful, collaborative approaches to reversing biodiversity loss while addressing the urgency of the climate crisis.  Learn about a movement across Massachusetts to start projects that expand pollinator habitat using important native trees, shrubs, and plants.  Local Easthampton City Councilor, Owen Zaret, will share the progress he’s made to encourage native pollinator plantings on municipal property and to apply for “Bee City USA” status for the City.

Presenter Bios:
Peggy MacLeod – After a 30 year career promoting clean energy and green building, Peggy MacLeod co-founded Western Mass Pollinator Networks and more recently the Massachusetts Pollinator Network.  Peggy’s passion is educating the public about biodiversity loss and stimulating local communities to build hopeful, collaborative solutions; for example, encouraging towns and residents to greatly expand the use of native trees, shrubs, and flowers to form pollinator pathways.
Owen Zaret – Owen is an Easthampton resident of 22 years.  He is currently in his third term as a city councilor at-large for the city.  He has particular interest in biodiversity, ecology, and environmental sustainablity.  He was the sponsor of the city’s single use plastics ordinance, which went into effect in 2022.  He is currently pursuing policies that would make the city an official Xerxes Society Bee City.  Owen is involved in clean up events with the Easthampton Beautification team, and started a campaign to collect nip liquor bottles, of which the city has collected nearly 12,500.  He is a full time health care provider and enjoys hiking, singing, cooking, and time with his family, dog, and cat in his spare time.
Sep
27
Wed
Clean Energy Incentives For All: A Public Forum @ Wilson Hall at Westfield State University
Sep 27 @ 5:45 pm – 8:00 pm

This free forum will take place on September 27th in Wilson Hall at Westfield State University. The forum
begins at 6:30 PM, preceded by a reception and informational exhibits starting at 5:45 PM.

Registration is required for in-person attendance. Click here to register. Trouble registering? – please call (413) 568-7833 x104.

This event will be livestreamed! Watch the livestream by clicking here. Registration is not required to watch the livestream.

If you are interested but unable to attend in-person or watch the livestream, you may watch the forum through a recorded video available approximately two weeks after the event through the member libraries of the PVLC (see below for a listing of libraries)

The Forum’s goal is to highlight existing MA and federal clean energy incentives for individuals, homeowners, renters, businesses, municipalities and nonprofits. Attendees will learn how to access these federal and state tax-based incentives that are available for implementing cleaner means of heating and cooling, transportation, energy efficient appliances, and whole-building energy efficiency.

The speakers panel will include special opening remarks by Hampden County DA Anthony Gulluni, MA State Senator Paul Mark, MA Climate Chief Jonathan Schrag, CEO of Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Beth Spong, and CEO of Green Energy Consumer Alliance Larry Chretien.

This event is being organized by the Pioneer Valley Library Collaborative (PVLC) and its community partner, Voices for Climate (V4C) in conjunction with WSU’s Department of Geography, Planning and Sustainability. The Collaborative’s intention is to be a hub of climate education and conversation. It includes the public libraries of: Agawam, Granville, Westfield, Northampton, Southwick, Tolland, West Springfield, Easthampton, Williamstown, and Westhampton.

Oct
11
Wed
CANCELLED: EHYC Parenting Club with a Podcast
Oct 11 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED AT A LATER DATE: Join the Easthampton Healthy Youth Coalition for Parenting Club with a Podcast–listen, discuss, gripe, strategize, whatever works!

Feb
27
Tue
Poetry & Practice: A Presentation by Easthampton’s Poet Laureate Carolyn A. Cushing
Feb 27 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Poetry & Practice: A Presentation by Easthampton’s Poet Laureate Carolyn A. Cushing

One day last February Carolyn woke up with these words in her head: What if I listened to the landscape and wrote what I heard?

So she did. She pulled on her boots, gathered a 5 x 7 notebook and a pen, and set off on her usual Easthampton walk: past the library, cutting through the football field, over the bike path, by the factory, and into the cemetery by the pond. Nothing usual happened but she listened and looked and wrote as she walked. Her perception widened. The everyday happenings of our small city became extraordinary in their aliveness and in their reflection of our changing climate.

Carolyn will read poems written on these walks and talk about her inspirations and creative practice.

This presentation will inaugurate a series of Walking and Writing sessions with Carolyn on Saturday mornings leaving from the library at 8:30am and convening back there at 9:30 am to share what the landscape said to us.

Mar
2
Sat
Walking & Writing Sessions with Carolyn Cushing, Easthampton’s Poet Laureate
Mar 2 @ 8:30 am
Walking & Writing Sessions with Carolyn Cushing, Easthampton’s Poet Laureate

Three Saturdays, March 2nd, 9th and 23rd, 8:30am meet outside the library to begin walk, 9:30am reconvene inside the library.

Meet on the steps of the library at 8:30am. A map of the “official route” will be provided that you may follow or adapt to your own needs and interests. Our time of walking and writing is followed by a library meet up with this structure:

9:30-9:45 am: Chat about how the writing and walking went

At 9:45am: Anyone who wants to read from their notebook for up to 3 minutes may

Closing: A go around where people are invited to voice an intention about further developing or sharing their writing from the walk

All of these activities are optional. People who have walked at other points in the week are welcome to join for the sharing.

This event is weather dependent. If it is too wet for our notebooks (i.e. steady rain or snow) we will not go. If it is too icy to walk we will not go.

Mar
9
Sat
Walking & Writing Sessions with Carolyn Cushing, Easthampton’s Poet Laureate
Mar 9 @ 8:30 am
Walking & Writing Sessions with Carolyn Cushing, Easthampton’s Poet Laureate

Three Saturdays, March 2nd, 9th and 23rd, 8:30am meet outside the library to begin walk, 9:30am reconvene inside the library.

Meet on the steps of the library at 8:30am. A map of the “official route” will be provided that you may follow or adapt to your own needs and interests. Our time of walking and writing is followed by a library meet up with this structure:

9:30-9:45 am: Chat about how the writing and walking went

At 9:45am: Anyone who wants to read from their notebook for up to 3 minutes may

Closing: A go around where people are invited to voice an intention about further developing or sharing their writing from the walk

All of these activities are optional. People who have walked at other points in the week are welcome to join for the sharing.

This event is weather dependent. If it is too wet for our notebooks (i.e. steady rain or snow) we will not go. If it is too icy to walk we will not go.

Mar
23
Sat
CANCELLED: Walking & Writing Sessions with Carolyn Cushing, Easthampton’s Poet Laureate
Mar 23 @ 8:30 am
CANCELLED: Walking & Writing Sessions with Carolyn Cushing, Easthampton’s Poet Laureate

Due to forecasted weather, this is cancelled.

Three Saturdays, March 2nd, 9th and 23rd, 8:30am meet outside the library to begin walk, 9:30am reconvene inside the library.

Meet on the steps of the library at 8:30am. A map of the “official route” will be provided that you may follow or adapt to your own needs and interests. Our time of walking and writing is followed by a library meet up with this structure:

9:30-9:45 am: Chat about how the writing and walking went

At 9:45am: Anyone who wants to read from their notebook for up to 3 minutes may

Closing: A go around where people are invited to voice an intention about further developing or sharing their writing from the walk

All of these activities are optional. People who have walked at other points in the week are welcome to join for the sharing.

This event is weather dependent. If it is too wet for our notebooks (i.e. steady rain or snow) we will not go. If it is too icy to walk we will not go.