Over the years we have organized many events and campaigns. You can read about and see pictures from some of our past achievements here.
City Council Candidates Night
October 14, 2015
YMCA Theatre, Central Square
Green Cambridge once again hosted a great candidates night, which can be viewed in its entirety on the CCTV website.
YMCA Theatre, Central Square
Green Cambridge once again hosted a great candidates night, which can be viewed in its entirety on the CCTV website.
Cambridge's First Ever Repair Cafe
September 27, 2014
Cambridge Community Center, Cambridgeport
Cambridge Community Center, Cambridgeport
In partnership with the City of Cambridge, Green Cambridge helped organize the first ever Repair Cafe in the city. Many items were repaired or salvaged for parts, and people enjoyed learning how to repair their own items. You can find more pictures on the Cambridge Repair Cafe Facebook page and read more on the official City of Cambridge event page.
City Council Candidates Night
October 30, 2013
Citywide Senior Center, Central Square
Citywide Senior Center, Central Square
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Candidates for City Council answered questions about environmental issues facing the City of Cambridge. A big thank you to Charles Teague for the videography! Hear what the candidates had to say on our youtube channel. |
2013 Annual Meeting: The start of the Net Zero campaign.
June 6, 2013
Youville House Atrium, Inman Square
Youville House Atrium, Inman Square
On Thursday, June 6th 2013, Cambridge residents attended the annual meeting of Green Cambridge, a non-profit organization working to make Cambridge more sustainable. Quinton Zondervan, Green Cambridge's president, said "This was the best attended annual meeting we've had since I joined Green Cambridge two years ago, and it's due to the strong efforts we are making on a number of fronts."
At the meeting, several ongoing policy and community initiatives were discusses, as well as a new citizen's zoning petition to demand net-zero fossil fuel construction in Cambridge for new buildings. "We have to reduce our emissions, and that starts y not adding to our emissions every time we add a new building in Cambridge," says John Pitkin, Vice-President of Green Cambridge of this effort. "We invite and welcome all Cambridge residents to participate in this important effort so our city can grow without growing our greenhouse gas emissions. This is an area where Cambridge can provide leadership that is urgently needed."
Other campaigns and events in progress or planned for the next year include: promoting HEET's Solarize Cambridge program, saving the Silver Maple Forest from destruction, providing free rain barrel installation help, promoting commercial recycling and composting, supporting the bottle bill update, supporting a plastic grocery bags ban n Cambridge, organizing a green film festival and organizing an environmentally themed candidates night in the fall.
Several neighborhood groups, including the Cambridge Residents Alliance, and the Association of Cambridge Neighborhoods, and environmental organizations, including Friends of Alewife Reservation, Cambridge Somerville for Change, and the Green Streets Initiative were represented at the annual meeting. Zondrvan said that "to be successful we have to build a broad coalition and bring together the entire community, including neighboring towns. Activism is all about building community." President since 2011, Zondervan added, "I look forward to another year of building community and advocating for serious action on climate change and environmental stewardship."
Kristen von Hoffman, Sustainability Manager for the Cambridge Public Schools, was newly elected to the Green Cambridge governing board. Samuel Berk, John Pitkin, Elena Saporta, Keren Schlomy, former City Councilor Sam Seidel, City Councilor Minka vanBeuzekom, and Quinton Zondervan were re-elected to the board for another year. Seidel, vanBeuzekom, and von Hoffman are candidates for City Council.
The organization, incorporated in 2006 as Green Decade Cambridge, has been around for more than ten years and is a founding chapter of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network.
At the meeting, several ongoing policy and community initiatives were discusses, as well as a new citizen's zoning petition to demand net-zero fossil fuel construction in Cambridge for new buildings. "We have to reduce our emissions, and that starts y not adding to our emissions every time we add a new building in Cambridge," says John Pitkin, Vice-President of Green Cambridge of this effort. "We invite and welcome all Cambridge residents to participate in this important effort so our city can grow without growing our greenhouse gas emissions. This is an area where Cambridge can provide leadership that is urgently needed."
Other campaigns and events in progress or planned for the next year include: promoting HEET's Solarize Cambridge program, saving the Silver Maple Forest from destruction, providing free rain barrel installation help, promoting commercial recycling and composting, supporting the bottle bill update, supporting a plastic grocery bags ban n Cambridge, organizing a green film festival and organizing an environmentally themed candidates night in the fall.
Several neighborhood groups, including the Cambridge Residents Alliance, and the Association of Cambridge Neighborhoods, and environmental organizations, including Friends of Alewife Reservation, Cambridge Somerville for Change, and the Green Streets Initiative were represented at the annual meeting. Zondrvan said that "to be successful we have to build a broad coalition and bring together the entire community, including neighboring towns. Activism is all about building community." President since 2011, Zondervan added, "I look forward to another year of building community and advocating for serious action on climate change and environmental stewardship."
Kristen von Hoffman, Sustainability Manager for the Cambridge Public Schools, was newly elected to the Green Cambridge governing board. Samuel Berk, John Pitkin, Elena Saporta, Keren Schlomy, former City Councilor Sam Seidel, City Councilor Minka vanBeuzekom, and Quinton Zondervan were re-elected to the board for another year. Seidel, vanBeuzekom, and von Hoffman are candidates for City Council.
The organization, incorporated in 2006 as Green Decade Cambridge, has been around for more than ten years and is a founding chapter of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network.
Silver Maple Forest Day of Action
June 14, 2013
Alewife Station
On Friday, June 14, more than forty citizens of Arlington, Belmont, and Cambridge gathered at Alewife Station to show their support for preserving the Silver Maple Forest at the Belmont Uplands, adjacent to the Alewife Reservation. The forest, surrounded by wetlands, is slated for destruction to make way for a 40B housing development.
Alewife Station
On Friday, June 14, more than forty citizens of Arlington, Belmont, and Cambridge gathered at Alewife Station to show their support for preserving the Silver Maple Forest at the Belmont Uplands, adjacent to the Alewife Reservation. The forest, surrounded by wetlands, is slated for destruction to make way for a 40B housing development.
Many community and political leaders were in attendance to voice their support for preserving the forest forever. Quinton Zondervan, President of Green Cambridge, indicated the need for preservation, saying "In the age of climate change, we cannot afford to destroy important natural areas like the Silver Maple Forest that provide essential ecosystem services. The forest is a home for wildlife, and provides our cities with clean air, clean water, and essential flood storage that cannot be artificially recreated. We must learn to value these natural areas that are so important to our health, safety, and happiness."
Volunteers held up banners proclaiming their requests that the forest be preserved by means of not issuing building permits necessary for construction and by committing public funds to purchase the development rights. Although the proposed development is situated in Belmont, all three communities must come together to prevent the possibility of further habitat destruction and ecological degradation. commuters were able to earn more about the forest by receiving flyers and also had an opportunity to sign postcards addressed to their town and city governments, requesting that the forest be preserved.
The action was carried out mostly during the morning and evening commute hours. Despite the heavy rain in the morning, over a dozen participants showed up for the early shirt. By the afternoon the weather cleared up and turn out was even greater, bolstered by the bike tour participants who started from Alewife Station after participating in the action.
Ellen Mass, President of Friends of Alewife Reservation was pleased with the turnout and support, saying "I'm glad people got to enjoy the reservation through a bike tour we organized for the afternoon. The more people see and experience this beautiful area, the more they will understand how important it is that we keep this urban wild preserved forever."
Many groups collaborated to organize this event, including Green Cambridge, Friends of Alewife Reservation, TROMP, Sustainable Arlington, The Belmont Coalition to Preserve the Silver Maple Forest, among others. The groups plan to organize further actions in Arlington, Belmont, and Cambridge to continue raising awareness for the forest.
State Senator Will Brownsberger, City Councilor Minka vanBeuzekom, and City Council candidates Dam Seidel and Kristen von Hoffman were also present to express support for the preservation of the forest. The organizers would like to thank all attendees for a peaceful and successful event.
More photos of this event can be viewed here.
Virtual Tour of the Alewife Reservation North Trail.
Volunteers held up banners proclaiming their requests that the forest be preserved by means of not issuing building permits necessary for construction and by committing public funds to purchase the development rights. Although the proposed development is situated in Belmont, all three communities must come together to prevent the possibility of further habitat destruction and ecological degradation. commuters were able to earn more about the forest by receiving flyers and also had an opportunity to sign postcards addressed to their town and city governments, requesting that the forest be preserved.
The action was carried out mostly during the morning and evening commute hours. Despite the heavy rain in the morning, over a dozen participants showed up for the early shirt. By the afternoon the weather cleared up and turn out was even greater, bolstered by the bike tour participants who started from Alewife Station after participating in the action.
Ellen Mass, President of Friends of Alewife Reservation was pleased with the turnout and support, saying "I'm glad people got to enjoy the reservation through a bike tour we organized for the afternoon. The more people see and experience this beautiful area, the more they will understand how important it is that we keep this urban wild preserved forever."
Many groups collaborated to organize this event, including Green Cambridge, Friends of Alewife Reservation, TROMP, Sustainable Arlington, The Belmont Coalition to Preserve the Silver Maple Forest, among others. The groups plan to organize further actions in Arlington, Belmont, and Cambridge to continue raising awareness for the forest.
State Senator Will Brownsberger, City Councilor Minka vanBeuzekom, and City Council candidates Dam Seidel and Kristen von Hoffman were also present to express support for the preservation of the forest. The organizers would like to thank all attendees for a peaceful and successful event.
More photos of this event can be viewed here.
Virtual Tour of the Alewife Reservation North Trail.
Green Cambridge 2012 Annual Meeting
June 7th, 2012
Green Cambridge elected a new board and welcomed newcomers, signs of the continuing growth of the organization. Long-time member Rosalie Anders, recent and active member Sarah Eckstein, and former City Councilor and former Green Decade/ Cambridge board member Sam Seidel were voted onto the nine member board. Sam Berk, John Pitkin, Elena Saporta, Keren Schlomy, Minka vanBeuzenkom, and Quinton Zondervan were re-elected to the board. Sam Berk and Quinton Zondervan were voted to a second term as Treasurer and President respectively. It's an exciting time for the organization as we continue to build momentum nd broaden our reach in the areas of environmental advocacy and community service.
June 7th, 2012
Green Cambridge elected a new board and welcomed newcomers, signs of the continuing growth of the organization. Long-time member Rosalie Anders, recent and active member Sarah Eckstein, and former City Councilor and former Green Decade/ Cambridge board member Sam Seidel were voted onto the nine member board. Sam Berk, John Pitkin, Elena Saporta, Keren Schlomy, Minka vanBeuzenkom, and Quinton Zondervan were re-elected to the board. Sam Berk and Quinton Zondervan were voted to a second term as Treasurer and President respectively. It's an exciting time for the organization as we continue to build momentum nd broaden our reach in the areas of environmental advocacy and community service.
Silver Maple Forest Benefit Concert
February 2012
The Silver Maple Forest Benefit Concert held in February 2012 was a great success! Photos can be viewed via the Cambridge Chronicle or the Friends of Alewife Reservation.
February 2012
The Silver Maple Forest Benefit Concert held in February 2012 was a great success! Photos can be viewed via the Cambridge Chronicle or the Friends of Alewife Reservation.