What acrobatic raptor was so essential to medieval public health, killing it was a crime and it became the national bird of Wales?

Cool A Quick Summary Nature plays a pivotal role in cooling the Earth, with plants being central to this process. Through transpiration, they release water vapor, which cools the air and aids in cloud formation. This mechanism is crucial in countering the urban heat island effect, where non-vegetated areas like cities absorb more heat. Water…

Redesigning Our Communities for Life After Fossil Fuels A series of virtual and in-person community events in 6 locations in the U.S. and Canada Fifth Event: OREGON • on Zoom Saturday, November 18, 2023 1:00 – 4:30 pm Pacific Time  •  on Zoom Biodiversity for a Livable Climate is partnering with the Post Carbon Institute and…

Four forestry specialists offer their views on how to reduce the wildfire risks. The Wildfire story that no one is talking about.  The media is full of stories about the causes and cures for the massive forest fires raging around the world.  Those fires have finally hit close to the Bio4Climate home in New England…

This presentation, given by Hannah McDonald from NOFA/Mass and the Western MA Regenerative Food System, touches upon the state of our materials economy, how investing in food systems sets the stage for systems change, and why it’s important to have a bioregional focus. Recorded at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, the event concluded with…

In this study, the insect and bird populations of six pairs of suburban yards were measured. Each pair contained one conventionally landscaped yard containing native canopy trees and a mixture of native and non-native shrubs, grasses and understory trees; and one yard with native species only (canopy, understory, shrub and grasses). The level of plant…

Bio4Climate has been studying the Miyawaki Method of reforestation over the past several months. This 50-year-old technique involves densely planting native forest species from shrub to canopy layer to create tiny, fast-growing urban ecosystems[3]. Members of our staff have joined local efforts to establish Miyawaki “mini-forests” in Cambridge, MA, in Los Angeles, CA, and one…

The following articles lay out a few key ecological concepts and terms that may be helpful to become familiar with for the growing number of biodiversity-conscious people and organizations that are beginning to plant more native plants on their land. Native plants, native ecosystems, and native landscapes: an ecological definition of “native” will promote effective…

Listening to the Voices of Nature– Speakers – November 17-18, 2018 Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners

Jon Way has a B.S. (UMass Amherst), M.S. (UConn Storrs), and doctorate (Boston College) related to the study of eastern coyotes/coywolves. He is the author of 2 books: Suburban Howls, an account of his experiences studying eastern coyotes in Massachusetts, and My Yellowstone Experience, which details – in full color – the spectacular wildlife, scenery, and hydrothermal features that…

https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2020/05/20/garden-advice-indigenous-food-growers/ Covid19 has been an additional stressor on many Native American communities already burdened by deprivations from centuries of ongoing injustice. According to Julie Garreau, project coordinator of Cheyenne River Youth Project, which operates a 2.5-acre youth garden in South Dakota, gardens are a source of both food and healing. “Gardens represent so much more,”…

In continuation of the “blessed unrest” section of previous issues of the Compendium, the following sketches illustrate how people everywhere are seeing that humanity depends on nature for both our physical and spiritual wellbeing and our survival. As this awareness takes hold, people act to protect and restore not only the land, but also our…

Urban heat islands are created when solar energy is absorbed by non-reflective, impervious, and often rather dark surfaces, such as asphalt, stone, metal, and concrete, which are ubiquitous in cities. Exacerbating this solar energy absorption effect are abundant amounts of heat released from vehicles, factories and air conditioners, for example, as well as pollutants trapped…

Global change and the ecology of cities, Grimm et al. 2008 Whereas just 10 percent of people lived in cities in 1900, now more than half the global population is urban and that proportion continues to grow. Cities occupy less than 3% of the Earth’s land surface, but generate 78% of global CO2 emissions and…

The industrialization that has built today’s splendid high-tech cities isolated us from the land and water sources of the materials fueling this progress. Our cities scarcely reveal that the oxygen we breathe, the food we eat, the purification of waters, and to some extent the bucolic weather patterns we have long relished have been gifts…

Relatively little is known about the fascinating coyotes in the east It is a remarkable animal, being one of the only carnivores to actually increase its range and distribution in the past one hundred years. Coyotes have taken over as top predator in all environments in New England, from wilderness parks to city greenbelts. Along…

Listening to the Voices of Nature– Program – Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners This program is arranged as cycles, the way Nature does it with water, carbon, sunsets, seasons, dust to dust and phoenixes arising from the ashes.  All of our talks are connected to one another in ways both obvious and subtle.  So rather…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Healthy soils and water cycles are closely intertwined. Opportunities abound to restore fresh and saltwater wetlands, and to manage urban, suburban and rural water flows in ways that help cool the planet. Nature has fascinating and powerful systems…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Healthy soils and water cycles are closely intertwined. Opportunities abound to restore fresh and saltwater wetlands, and to manage urban, suburban and rural water flows in ways that help cool the planet. Nature has fascinating and powerful systems…

Let’s pull carbon out of the atmosphere and bring down the higher temperatures brought about by global warming – safely, inexpensively, low-tech, with a broad range of benefits. It was a great conference!  Video links are directly beneath the title of each presentation, below.Downloads: Conference Program,  Book List,  Take Action!, Carbon Unit Conversions Scenario 300: Making…

The Power and Promise of Biodiversity– Program – Home    Speakers    Program     Scroll down to program for videos and slideshows!——————————We are telling the story of biodiversity. “Biodiversity, a contraction of ‘biological diversity,’ generally refers to the variety and variability of life on Earth. One of the most widely used definitions states it in terms of the…

Resources Biodiversity for a Livable Climate and the EcoRestoration Alliance bring forth a dual-document appeal and action blueprint that unveils a groundbreaking perspective and tangible actions for ecosystem restoration as a viable solution to stabilize our climate. A United Call to Cool the Planet! Dive into scientific insights, explore a hopeful pathway, and join a…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ A welcome from Quinton Zondervan, President of Green Cambridge, and Lucy Alexander, Policy Coordinator for the Climate Action Business Association (CABA), on behalf of their organizations which sponsored our conference. Presented at Biodiversity for a Livable Climate’s “Urban…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Featuring Mel King, Community Activist, State Legislator, Affordable Housing Advocate, MIT Faculty As a State Legislator, Mel King was a leader in the effort to preserve agricultural land in Massachusetts. He founded the South End Technology Center and…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Jennifer Lawrence, Sustainability Planner for the City of Cambridge, speaks on the City’s ongoing Vulnerability Assessment on climate change, and some possible measures the City can take to improve its climate resilience. Duke Bitsko, landscape architect with Chester…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Phil Colarusso, Boston Office of the EPAJonathan Bates, Permaculturist, Co-Author of Paradise LotLuisa Oliveira, Landscape architect, City of SomervilleJoy Gary, Urban Farm Grower, Revision Urban Farm, Dorchester, MassachusettsBruce Fulford, Owner, City Soil Part of the Urban and Suburban…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Revision Urban Farm is an innovative community-based urban agriculture project that grows produce in its own fields and provides access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food to residents of the ReVision Family Home and its extended community.…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Featuring Bruce Fulford, Owner, City Soil. The linkages between urban farms, conservation foundations, and municipalities can all reinforce the power of urban agriculture. Bruce Fulford describes creating agricultural land in an urban setting. Presented at the Urban and…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Featuring Jonathan Bates, Permaculturist, Co-Author of Paradise Lot. A neglected Holyoke house lot is re-born as a thriving edible forest garden with a wide variety of edible plants and trees. Jonathan Bates offers an overview of how he…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Featuring Luisa Oliveira, Landscape architect, City of Somerville. Luisa Oliveira led the team that developed an urban agriculture ordinance for Somerville, the first in New England. She speaks on the traditions, benefits and value of growing urban food,…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Featuring Phil Colarusso, Boston Office of the EPA. Wetlands and coastal waters are exceptionally effective at storing carbon as well as performing many other ecosystem functions. Phil Colarusso tells us how cities and the global climate benefit from…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Thomas Akin, State Resource Conservationist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation ServiceEric ‘T’ Fleischer, Consultant, Harvard Landscape ServicesCharlotte O’Brien, Biochar EntrepreneurAllison Houghton, Permaculture and Gardening Teacher Part of the Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global Warming Conference, organized…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Featuring Allison Houghton, Permaculture and Gardening Teacher. Permaculture methods for ecological design are especially useful for bringing productivity and biodiversity to urban settings. Allison Houghton shares some methods for planning and growing successful garden spaces. Presented at the…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Charlotte O’Brien, Biochar Entrepreneur Biochar is soil amendment made from biomass that leads to fertility and improved plant health and growth. It was developed by indigenous people in the Amazon hundreds of years ago and has excited broad…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Featuring Eric ‘T’ Fleischer, Consultant, Harvard Landscape Services. There are many challenges in improving urban soils. Eric Fleischer reviews these challenges and focuses on Harvard’s successful soil-enhancement project using compost tea applications. Presented at the Urban and Suburban…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Featuring Thomas Akin, State Resource Conservationist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Cover cropping is a soil health-building practice gaining currency in cropland agriculture but also well suited to improving urban soils. Soil-incorporated cover crops provide large volumes of…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Nathan Phillips, Earth and Environment Department, Boston UniversityEric Olson, Brandeis UniversityDavid Morimoto, Biologist, Lesley UniversityDavid Lefcourt, Arborist, City of Cambridge Presented at the Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global Warming Conference, organized by Biodiversity for a…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ An overview of our modern urban ecology, shaped and profoundly altered by human actions. Our relationship with our urban ecosystem can be improved if we recognize the threats that we bring through development and technology and the ways…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Featuring Eric Olson, Brandeis University. Biodiversity contributes significantly to our resilience and quality of life. Eric Olson addresses the presence of countless non-native species of plants and animals in our cities, how we can take steps to re-establish…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Featuring David Morimoto, Biologist, Lesley University. The extraordinary wild spaces that still remain in our cities benefit our spiritual and mental health, not to mention the quality of the air and water. David Morimoto shares slides of the…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Featuring David Lefcourt, Arborist, City of Cambridge. David will discuss how a municipality, with active citizens and volunteers, can get the greatest benefit from its trees for climate and biodiversity. Presented at the Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming…

5:00 p.m. Potluck, Presentation and Discussion in Cambridge: “Discuss Questions Raised at the Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming Conference.“ View event details.

Upcoming Conference: Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global Warming, Speaker profile: Mel King, Catching Up with Jim Laurie

Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global Warming– Nature Walk –  Conference Home    Program    Sponsors/Partners   Speakers Pre-Conference Guided Nature WalkSaturday, May 2, 2015, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.$20, sliding scale, limited to 15 participants David Morimoto, Associate Professor of Biology, Lesley University, will be our guide as we visit the Alewife Reservation near the Alewife…

 Conference Home    Program    Nature Walk    Sponsors/Partners   Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global Warming-Speakers –  Conference Home    Program    Nature Walk    Sponsors/Partners

Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global WarmingProgram  Conference Home    Program    Nature Walk    Sponsors/Partners   Speakers Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global Warming Sunday, May 3, 2015, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Morning session, 9:00 – 12:00: 9:00 Opening Remarks Quinton Zondervan, President, Green Cambridge and Michael Green, Program Director, Climate…

Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming, Washington, DC Promoting the power of nature to remove excess carbon from the atmosphere where it does untold damage, and restore it to the soils where it supports abundant life and helps reverse global warming. Source: http://bostongreenschools.org/ Saturday, September 26, 2015, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Moot Court RoomDavid A.…

   Program    Nature Walk    Sponsors/Partners   Speakers Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global Warming Conference Home Sunday, May 3, 2015, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Science Center, Hall C, Harvard University 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts A conference for climate activists, gardeners, scientists, educators, homeowners, public officials, the business community and others concerned about our…

Conferences To view the videos from each past conference, please visit the main page or the program page of each conference . . . and check out our Introductory Playlist. Nature’s Solutions as National Policy In 2021, we kicked off a series of mini-conferences on nature’s solutions as national policy. Starting in June, we began fostering…

For upcoming events, please visit our Announcements page. Continue on to see some of our past events, many of which are available to watch on video. Past Events Visit our Life Saves the Planet series on GBH Forum Network and our Meetup pages to view more of our past events.