Sustaining Communities
https://mymedia.bu.edu/media/t/1_8t7v0mab
SUSTAINING COMMUNITIES
held April 28, 2:30-5:30 By Zoom
Municipalities, counties and neighborhoods, with equitable state and federal support, could have the ability and resources to move positively towards sustainability. Adequate staff, training and resources for regularly engaging with new issues and the public would accelerate policy development and progress in transitioning to cleaner and safer communities.
This event was a public discussion of some key aspects of this effort, with brief reports of student research and student interviews of experts.
2:40 – 3:40 Transitioning to a Community-Focused Energy System
A community-focused energy system is one that is in rapid transition to cleaner and safer energy and which is designed to provide benefits to the local economy and foster continuous innovation. Creating one involves learning about Microgrids, Grid Modernization, Community Choice Aggregation, Distributed Energy, Virtual Power Plants, System Efficiency Pricing, and Public Interest Engagement with DPUs and ISOs, among other things. Interviewers: Susan Shobeiri, Matthew Siegal, Sarah Allam, Lily Hall. Discussants: clean energy professionals James Dodenhoff, Baird Brown. Brief Research Report: Using old mines for residential geothermal. Lily Matthews.
3:40 – 4:50 Prioritizing Prevention of Common Threats to Communities
The value of effective Safety, Health and Environment initiatives has been proven but not every community has capacity to address long-standing threats, or new issues. Brief Research Presentations: Lead, Nathalie Chateauneuf, Katherine Rees; Engineered Nanoparticles, Anya Pimenta; Wildfire Prevention, Paige Dong; Reduction of Exposure to Asthmagens, Ramona Hoi Lam Leung. Ellen Goldberg of Clean Production Action explained how CPA works with companies to reduce toxics in products, and joined discussants Elizabeth Harriman, of the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction program and Bill Judd of Industrial Compliance Group to share their experience in reducing toxic threats through safer substitutions.
4:50 – 5:00 Socio-psychological Aspects and Aspirations
Psychological Aspects of Our Dysfunctional Relationship with Nature: Jeremie Nsubayi. Steps to a Caring Society: Maria de Urioste Gonzales and BU Professor Ann Short.
5:00 to 5:10 – Developing Apps for Sustainability – Measuring Sound to Reduce Noise, Tatiana Carrido; Avoiding Toxic Products, Makayla Gladden.
