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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260424T080000
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UID:10000085-1777017600-1777926600@energizeacton.org
SUMMARY:Bioblitz! Nature of Acton and Boxborough 2026
DESCRIPTION:Please join the Nature of Acton and Boxborough 2026 Bioblitz this April.\n  \nWe invite you to document and celebrate biodiversity in Acton and Boxborough! Last year 26 participants made almost 1000 observations and identified over 500 species in the Acton and Boxborough area. Let’s make even more observations this year! How does one participate? You just need a smartphone\, the directions below\, and time outdoors between April 24–May 4\, 2026. \nDirections\n\nTo join\, first create an account on iNaturalist on your phone at www.iNaturalist.org.\nThen\, join our Project. You can search for our Project on the Community tab on your phone.\nSearch for Nature of Acton and Boxborough April 2026 or click here:   https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/nature-of-acton-and-boxborough-2026  (Please make sure you are joining the 2026 project\, not the 2025 project!)\n\n  \n \n  \nObservations can be uploaded from April 24–May 4\, 2026.  But the Boston Area City Nature Challenge will only count observations from April 24 to 27\, so it’s important to make observations during that time period as well. For more information about the Boston Area CNC\, visit: https://www.bostoncnc.org/ \nThere are over 2\,000 acres of conservation areas in Acton and Boxborough with a variety of habitats\, such as cattail marshes\, ponds\, open fields and dense forests. These habitats host snapping turtles\, reptiles\, frogs\, insects\, birds\, mammals\, and many plant species. Another 3\,000 acres of private land provides habitat for wildlife\, including two steps outside your door! What kind of wildlife lives here? Let’s find out this April! \nThen snap away at any plant\, animal or fungus you see and get it on our list. Can we break 500 species this year? Who can ID the most? Taking observations of wildlife helps advance science too! According to National Geographic\, “High quality data uploaded to iNaturalist become part of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility\, an open source database used by scientists and policy makers around the world.” \nThis is a fun activity for your family and to celebrate Earth Month.\nThis Bioblitz is a collaboration of people from  the Acton Conservation Trust\, the Boxborough Conservation Trust\, Energize Acton\, and the Town of Acton Sustainability Office\, along with individuals from Green Acton\, AB Steam\, Acton Men’s Outdoor Club\, Congregation Beth Elohim and the Discovery Museum.
URL:https://energizeacton.org/event/bioblitz-nature-of-acton-and-boxborough-2026/
LOCATION:Acton/Boxborough Yards\, Parks\, and Conservation Lands\, Acton\, 01720\, United States
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ORGANIZER;CN="EnergizeActon.org":MAILTO:energizeacton.org@gmail.com
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T190000
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UID:10000087-1777489200-1777492800@energizeacton.org
SUMMARY:Climate Goals: Why Heat Pumps Matter
DESCRIPTION:Massachusetts Heat Pump Targets:\nWhere Do We Stand and Why Are They Important?\n  \nAs the MA legislature considers cutting clean energy incentives\, do climate goals still matter? Join Amanda Barker\, of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance\, as she looks at a specific slice of the climate picture–how we heat and cool our homes and buildings. What are Massachusetts heat pump goals and are we on track to meet them? Can heat pumps work in the north? Outlining Maine’s success story with cold weather heat pumps\, she looks at new Massachusetts heating and cooling solutions\, including the heat pump discount rate and the New England heat pump accelerator program. Please join us for this hopeful talk about heat pumps as part of a strong\, reliable energy future. \nEnergize Acton is celebrating heat pumps this month (ground source heat pumps—geothermal—in the Boardwalk Campus and air source heat pumps for households). Amanda’s talk will give us a bigger view as the State of Massachusetts takes on both  the challenges we face and the potential for success. \nSome Background \nLast fall\, a Massachusetts House of Representatives committee floated the idea of a significant step back from state climate goals. After an outcry from the environmental community\, this winter the Mass House of Representatives passed its new proposed climate bill* that saw improvements over the fall version. However\, it still includes major funding cuts to Mass Save. In effect\, without an alternative to Mass Save\, this is a step back from state climate targets for clean energy.  (*The Massachusetts Senate will do its own version of a climate bill and the two versions\, House and Senate\, will have to be reconciled.) \nSome voices in the media—and in the legislature—are saying that clean energy is too costly. They claim that\, by cutting back on Mass Save and slowing the transition to clean energy\, the state government can lower energy costs. \nMassachusetts energy costs are an incredibly valid issue. The question is\, “Will reducing our commitment to clean energy also reduce heating\, cooling\, and electricity costs for Massachusetts residents?” Energy in New England is a tough topic! But the Green Energy Consumers Alliance will lay out the argument that achieving climate goals for heat pumps and other forms of electrification will save costs in the long run and\, for many\, even in the short run. \nCurrent events bring home the reality that we live in a complicated world. Committing to renewable energy brings New England a higher degree of energy stability and reliability. Plus\, the western United States (really\, the west of all the Americas\, from Canada to Chile) just experienced an extraordinarily hot March\, racing past all previous records. This reminds us that fossil fuels also have costs. As much of the world is successfully implementing clean energy\, let’s remember . . . We can do this! And it could even be affordable!
URL:https://energizeacton.org/event/why-climate-goals-matter/
LOCATION:Zoom
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ORGANIZER;CN="EnergizeActon.org":MAILTO:energizeacton.org@gmail.com
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