Greater Boston Group (GBG)

An oil painting representing Harvard Square and the Charles River in 1775

Cambridge as it appeared in 1775 was visualized in a diorama made 1947 and formerly displayed in Harvard University’s Widener Library. At lower left is Harvard Yard. Beacon Hill and the Boston Peninsula are separated from Cambridge by the broad expanse of the Back Bay. (Photo from Inventing the Charles River by Karl Haglund, MIT Press 2003)

GREATER BOSTON GROUP

The GBG covers Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Dedham, Everett, Lexington, Medford, Melrose, Milton, Needham, Newton, Quincy, Reading, Revere, Somerville, Stoneham, Waban, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley, Weymouth, Winchester, Winthrop, and Wollaston.



Recent Events

Revitalizing Ecosystems in Greater Boston to Survive Climate Change

On March 31st, 2018, the Greater Boston Group of the Sierra Club and Biodiversity for a Livable Climate co-sponsored a conference examining the ways in which we can protect our natural ecosystems in order to save ourselves from climate change. The conference featured speakers, panelists, and workshops focusing on biodiversity, natural ecosystems, and climate change adaptation. Learn more about the conference and Biodiversity for a Livable Climate here

See the highlights of the conference below!

Welcome and Introduction

Moderator: John Pitkin, Greater Boston Group of the Sierra Club

Energy Execs, Ecosystems and Alliances

Speaker: Zeyneb Magavi, Research Director for HEET and serves on the National Health Impacts Team and the Gas Leaks Task Force for Mothers Out Front. 

Featured Speaker

Tom Wessels, author of The Myth of Progress: Toward a Sustainable Future, spoke on Self-organization, Co-evolution, Resiliency, and Stability. Wessels described ecosystems through the lens of self-organized, which means that as systems grows, it becomes more complex. He explained how co-evolution works to create the immense biodiversity we see today, and how this process can be used as a model to develop sustainable human systems and save ourselves from climate change. 

Panelists

Anamarija Frankic, UMass Boston Green Harbors Project,
Oyster Beds and Living Shorelines”

Maggie Booz, Cambridge Committee on Public Planting, “Neighborhood Tree Stewardship

Lenni Armstrong, Depave Somerville, “Depave the Way

Kannan Thiruvengadam, Eastie Farm, “Building Soil and Growing Food and Community