350 Mass Greater Franklin Node: Meeting, Thursday, April 18

 

The 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node will hold our next meeting this Thursday, April 18, 7:00-9:00 pm.  Please add it to your calendar.

The meeting will be on Zoom: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81930304274?pwd=Tm9VdGxYcDFaVTVDUkwyT3YvUnlFdz09

Meeting ID: 819 3030 4274    Passcode: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

Whether or not you attend the meeting, we ask you to complete two easy but important tasks.

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node

1. Legislative Update: Call/email your legislators to push our 350 Mass priority bills, using our BRAND NEW TOOLKIT! It's very informative, giving you everything you need to know. You will find a script for a phone call and text for an email. Please take these actions this week or next week, before May 1.  

2. It's a "No Brainer" that we tell ISO-New England to stop sending our money to fossil fuel peaker plants! Read about it and sign the statement here.

Please sign up for the Climate Weekly email if you are not yet receiving it. 

Check out upcoming events on our website. 

 

Please try to join us for Thursday's meeting. We will maintain our schedule of meetings on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. 

Thank you.

Node Co-coordinators,
Carolyn Barthel
Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern
ralph.halpern@comcast.net
781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017   

Get your Franklin questions answered, in person or remotely - April 17 at 11 AM

What is going on with .... ?

What happened to ....?

How come .... ?

Join Steve Sherlock, Franklin Matters & Franklin Public Radio Community Information Director (volunteer), for an informal and informative Q&A session. 

What is the session about?

• Steve provides some updates on what's happened in the past month in the first 10-15 minutes, then opens the floor to answer whatever questions you have 

When: Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 11:00 AM  

Where: Franklin Senior Center (2nd floor conf room) and via Zoom

If you want the Zoom link, please use this form (https://forms.gle/9cqXaTTfP9pVU1zWA), or check with the Senior Center front desk, or email me directly (sgsherlock@franklinmatters.org).  

Note: While this event is held at the Senior Center it is not limited to seniors. Any one in Franklin can participate in person or remotely.

Download this flyer as a reminder or to share

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z2vf0SZiH1KyoOkz4mhG4FBcVQb2VBI2/view?usp=drive_link

Get your Franklin questions answered, in person or remotely - April 17 at 11 AM

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node: Meeting, Thursday, April 4, 2024

The 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node will hold our next meeting this week, Thursday, April 4, 2024, 7:00-9:00 pm. 

 

This will be a HYBRID meeting: you can attend in person, or join on Zoom.  

Those of us who have been meeting in Franklin have enjoyed the chance to come together. We hope others will do the same. 

 

Location of the in-person meeting: First Universalist Society in Franklin, 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin. 

 

OPTION:     

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81930304274?pwd=Tm9VdGxYcDFaVTVDUkwyT3YvUnlFdz09             

Meeting ID: 819 3030 4274

Passcode: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node

As usual, we will share information about 350 Mass, and discuss and plan for local and state activities. 

We are scheduling Franklin residents to make Citizen Comments to the Franklin Town Council to advocate for a Franklin Sustainability Coordinator. When you SIGN UP, please write in your name and put an X on the date you want to speak. We really want a variety of town voices, not the same ones each meeting (4 meetings x 3 Citizen Comment speakers = 12 different voices). For those who have already signed up with Xs for all the dates, CHOOSE ONE and PUT PARENTHESES AROUND THE Xs ON THE OTHER DATES in case we need you as backup. DON'T WORRY: THE TALKING POINTS WILL COME LATER THIS MONTH (we're organizing them right now). SIGN UP HERE.

Also, attendees at our Node meeting will share developments in their cities and towns.

IMPORTANT Legislative Update: Call/email your legislators to push our bills, using our BRAND NEW TOOLKIT! It's very informative, giving you everything you need to know. Please take these actions this week and next week.

For more news about ongoing and upcoming events, please sign up for the Climate Weekly email. Also, check out upcoming events on our website. 

 

We look forward to another informative and action-oriented Node meeting. We hope you can join us, in person or on Zoom. We will send a reminder on Thursday.

 

Our next meeting after this week will be the 3rd Thursday of the month, April 18. 

 

Thank you. 

 

Node Co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel
Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern
ralph.halpern@comcast.net
781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017   

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node: Meeting, Thursday, March 21, 2024

The 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node will hold our next meeting this Thursday, March 21, 7:00-9:00 pm.  Please add it to your calendar. 

We will send more details about the meeting on Wednesday/Thursday. 

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node

The meeting will be on Zoom:  

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81930304274?pwd=Tm9VdGxYcDFaVTVDUkwyT3YvUnlFdz09

Meeting ID: 819 3030 4274    Passcode: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

You may be interested in an online program, this Wednesday, March 20, 7-8:30 pm. Presentation on Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change: Communities and individuals must develop strategies to deal with the effects of climate change as they happen. Join Emily Norton, Executive Director of the Charles River Watershed Association, for a presentation and Q&A and learn how you can make your community safer and more secure in the face of our changing climate. Sign up here. Wed, Mar 20, 7-8:30 pm.

Please sign up for the Climate Weekly email if you are not yet receiving it. 

Check out upcoming events on our website. 

 

Please try to join us for Thursday's meeting. We will maintain our schedule of meetings on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. 

Thank you.

Thank you.

Node Co-coordinators,
Carolyn Barthel
Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern
ralph.halpern@comcast.net
781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017   

Get your Franklin questions answered, in person or remotely - March 20 at 11 AM

What is going on with .... ?

What happened to ....?

How come .... ?

Join Steve Sherlock, Franklin Matters & Franklin Public Radio Community Information Director (volunteer), for an informal and informative Q&A session. 

What is the session about?

• Steve provides some updates on what's happened in the past month in the first 10-15 minutes, then opens the floor to answer whatever questions you have

Steve will also be interested to find out what you think should be on the "watch list" for 2024? 

When: Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 11:00 AM  

Where: Franklin Senior Center (2nd floor conf room) and via Zoom

If you want the Zoom link, please use this form (https://forms.gle/DJWtDepRgPxZ3ytP6), or check with the Senior Center front desk, or email me directly.  

Note: While this event is held at the Senior Center it is not limited to seniors. Any one in Franklin can participate in person or remotely.

Download this flyer as a reminder or to share

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16fR4nLs6tJtp0HXobreBjiIusdAoatfo/view?usp=drive_link

Get your Franklin questions answered, in person or remotely - March 20 at 11 AM

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node: Meeting, Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 7 PM

The 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node will hold our next meeting this Thursday, March 7, 2024, 7:00-9:00 pm. 

 

This will be a HYBRID meeting: you can attend in person, or join on Zoom.  

Those of us who have been meeting in Franklin have enjoyed the chance to come together. We hope others will do the same. 

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node

 

·  Location of the in-person meeting: First Universalist Society in Franklin, 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin. 

 

·   OPTION:     

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81930304274?pwd=Tm9VdGxYcDFaVTVDUkwyT3YvUnlFdz09             

Meeting ID: 819 3030 4274

Passcode: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

 

This week, March 7, we'll continue our discussion about working to have our cities and towns adopt the Municipal Opt-in Specialized Stretch Code. Franklin, Sharon, and other towns in our node are taking steps to adopt the bylaw, and spring town meeting agendas are being set now. Here's some background: 

One of the recommended local actions of the 350 Mass Emissions Free Buildings campaign is adoption of the Municipal Opt-In Specialized Stretch Code. This new level of building code pushes new construction towards our Massachusetts state-mandated goals through deep energy efficiency, reduced heating loads, and efficient electrification. Here is one of many online resources that provides helpful information: Mass Climate Action Network (MCAN) and Sierra Club: Fighting for Better Buildings, and Specialized Opt-In Code Toolkit

We will also catch up on legislative action as bills make their way through Committees, the House and the Senate.  

 

For more news about ongoing and upcoming events, please sign up for the Climate Weekly email. Also, check out upcoming events on our website. 350 Mass will hold its annual summit, "Organizing in a Time of Upheaval" on March 16; learn more here.

 

We look forward to another informative and action-oriented Node meeting. We hope you can join us, in person or on Zoom. We will send a reminder on Thursday.

 

Our next meeting after this week will be the 3rd Thursday of the month, March 21. 

 

Thank you. 

 

Node Co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel
Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern
ralph.halpern@comcast.net
781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017   

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node: Meeting, Thursday, January 18, 2024 - hybrid session

The 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node will hold our next meeting this Thursday, January 18, 7:00-9:00 PM. Franklin residents, come to this meeting!  

This will be a HYBRID meeting: you can attend in person, or join on Zoom.  

Those of us who have been meeting in Franklin have enjoyed the chance to come together. Join us! 

 

• In-person meeting: First Universalist Society in Franklin, 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin. 

•  OPTION:   

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81930304274?pwd=Tm9VdGxYcDFaVTVDUkwyT3YvUnlFdz09

Meeting ID: 819 3030 4274    Passcode: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

 

ATTENTION Franklin residents! In addition to our regular agenda, we will hear about and discuss sustainability plans for the Town of Franklin. We will be joined in-person by Gino Carlucci, chair of the Sustainability Subcommittee of the Franklin Master Plan Update Committee, from 7:15-7:35. It will be primarily an introductory discussion to one or more public meetings scheduled over the next 2-3 months, at which everyone interested will have the opportunity to provide input to the master plan in general as well as the sustainability elements in particular. We look forward to our discussion with Gino.

 

The remainder of the Node meeting will focus on the two major 350 Mass campaigns: Emissions Free Buildings and Make Polluters Pay. Read about them here.

The Emissions Free Buildings (EFB) campaign works at municipal and statewide levels to replace building systems with proven renewable energy technologies to make our buildings and homes emissions free, in alignment with the Commonwealth's emission goals.     

 

Along with statewide legislation, the 350 Mass EFB campaign promotes local action to accelerate the transition with five Local Projects that can be undertaken by single communities. We'll discuss the choices for towns within the node:

• Better buildings: Achieving energy efficiency and electrification of buildings and homes; A project to implement Clean Green Schools; and New Building Codes to promote use of renewable energy.
• Municipal aggregation (aka Community Choice Aggregation) where a town or city purchases electricity in bulk for its residents.
• Opposition to proposed new gas pipelines.

Here is your opportunity to promote climate action in your town and get guidance to make that happen! The Greater Franklin Node encompasses 20 towns. We want to identify potential Local Projects for towns. Which projects make sense for your town? Who are the key players? How to engage local citizens? This is your chance to make a difference in 2024 and take on the challenges that we face in climate and energy. Join us!

 

Please sign up for the Climate Weekly email. 

Check out upcoming events on our website. 

 

Please try to join us for Thursday's meeting. We will maintain our schedule of meetings on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. 

 

Note: We typically will hold a hybrid meeting on the 1st Thursday and a Zoom-only meeting on the 3rd Thursday, but this week's meeting is a hybrid event so we can welcome Gino Carlucci and residents of Franklin for an in-person discussion.  

 

If you have questions or items for the agenda, you can contact the Node coordinators, carolyncbarthel@gmail.com and/or ralph.halpern@comcast.net. We will send a reminder on Thursday.  

 

Thank you.

Node Co-coordinators,
Carolyn Barthel
Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern
ralph.halpern@comcast.net
781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017   

Get your Franklin questions answered, in person or remotely - Jan 17 at 11 AM

What is going on with .... ?

What happened to ....?

How come .... ?

Join Steve Sherlock, Franklin Matters & wfpr.fm Community Information Director (volunteer), for an informal and informative Q&A session. 

What is the session about?

• Steve provides some updates on what's happened in the past month in the first 10-15 minutes, then opens the floor to answer whatever questions you have

Steve will also be interested to find out what you think should be on the "watch list" for 2024? 

When: Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 11:00 AM  

Where: Franklin Senior Center (2nd floor conf room) and via Zoom

If you want the Zoom link, please use this form (https://forms.gle/yPGvpaJJbdu4Q6yu6), or check with the Senior Center front desk, or email me.  

Download this flyer as a reminder or to share

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q2FcXBb3xYclaE4tW8sXoObMsAYuQ4cy/view?usp=drive_link

Get your Franklin questions answered, in person or remotely - Jan 17 at 11 AM

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node: Meeting, Thursday, January 4, 2024

The 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node will hold our first meeting of the new year, Thursday, January 4, 2024, 7:00-9:00 PM. 

This will be a HYBRID meeting: you can attend in person, or join on Zoom.  

Those of us who have been meeting in Franklin have enjoyed the chance to come together. We hope others will do the same. 

 

·    Location of the in-person meeting: First Universalist Society in Franklin, 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin. 

 

·    OPTION:  Join on Zoom   

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81930304274?pwd=Tm9VdGxYcDFaVTVDUkwyT3YvUnlFdz09             

Meeting ID: 819 3030 4274

Passcode: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

 

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node: Meeting, Thursday, January 4, 2024

With the start of the new year, 350 Mass and all the regional nodes are making plans to continue the work on the two major 350 Mass' campaigns: Make Polluters Pay and Emissions Free Buildings. Read about them here.  Then join our meeting to discuss options for activities across and within the communities that comprise the Greater Franklin region. This is your chance to make a difference in 2024 and take on the challenges that we face in climate and energy.

350 Mass invites everyone to two January events, listed here. 

• First, on this coming Sunday, January 7, the Make Polluters Pay Campaign will have an afternoon of strategizing and socializing to go over our accomplishments from 2023 and plan out our campaign strategy for 2024 over tea and cookies.
• Second, on January 17 join Climate Cafe. a supportive place to talk over your reactions to climate change, possible solutions, or climate activism.

If you haven't already done so, please sign up for the Climate Weekly email. Also, check out upcoming events on our website. 

Please try to join us for Thursday's meeting. We will maintain our schedule of meetings on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. If you have questions or items for the agenda, you can contact the Node coordinators,   carolyncbarthel@gmail.com    and/or       ralph.halpern@comcast.net. We will send a reminder on Thursday.  

Thank you.

 

Node Co-coordinators,
Carolyn Barthel
Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern
ralph.halpern@comcast.net
781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017   

Your Franklin questions answered, in person or remotely - Dec 20 at 11 AM

What is going on with .... ?

What happened to ....?

How come .... ?

Join Steve Sherlock, Franklin Matters & wfpr.fm Community Information Director (volunteer), for an informal and informative Q&A session. 

What is the session about?

• Steve provides some updates on what's happened in the past month in the first 10-15 minutes, then opens the floor to answer whatever questions you have

When: Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 11:00 AM  

Where: Franklin Senior Center (2nd floor conf room) and via Zoom

If you want the Zoom link, please use this form, or check with the Senior Center front desk, or email me:  https://forms.gle/ytKRJPxM8FFH1YUV7  

Download this flyer as a reminder or to share ->   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rh5NP7ngcpi90Fp4rBeM6bNbdxrvwuwD/view?usp=drive_link

Your Franklin questions answered, in person or remotely - Dec 20 at 11 AM

Franklin Public Library: All that Glitters is Gold: Gustav Klimt - 7 PM

"Hybrid Program | Register Here for Virtual option

When you think of Austrian painter Gustav Klimt you may think of Art Nouveau or Symbolism, or Gold!

Join Jane Oneail of Culturally Curious for an introduction to this idiosyncratic artist while we review Klimt’s famous gold paintings and his lesser known works. This program is available live in the Library and virtually over zoom.

Brought to you by Ashland Public Library, Belmont Public Library, and Franklin Public Library"

Register for remote participation ->   https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8016757062025/WN_zXvOkATxRziOWqKNM3nmig

Franklin Public Library: All that Glitters is Gold: Gustav Klimt - 7 PM

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node: Meeting, Thursday, November 16, 2023

The 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node will meet this Thursday, November 16, at 7:00 pm. This will be a Zoom-only meeting. 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81930304274?pwd=Tm9VdGxYcDFaVTVDUkwyT3YvUnlFdz09             

Meeting ID: 819 3030 4274

Passcode: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

We will use the meeting to discuss progress and activities related to the 350 Mass Campaigns, and local actions and opportunities. 

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node: Meeting

Here are some highlights about local campaigns, plus a quick action to protect the Western Arctic Reserve:

Campaign: Make Polluters Pay. Make Polluters Pay is a campaign supporting legislation that will create a climate superfund, penalizing the worst polluters of greenhouse gasses, and funding resilience and adaptation projects in communities most impacted by climate change. 350 Mass joins Better Future Project and other groups like Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW), Mass Youth Climate Coalition (MYCC), and Mass Power Forward – with more partners on the way – to drive a grassroots campaign to hold polluters accountable. The fund will raise an estimated $75 billion over 25 years from the largest polluting companies. This influx of funds will enable the commonwealth to prepare for the coming climate impacts, guided by the vision of the communities with most at stake. This campaign is part of a national push to Make Polluters Pay, as we are campaigning alongside political leaders and activists in Vermont, Maryland, and New York. Learn more on the website, here.  You can view a recent webinar on the topic and campaign, here.  You can read the legislation we filed in the House H.872 and in the Senate S.481. Also, please sign the petition asking Governor Healey to establish a Climate Change Adaptation Superfund now.  

Campaign: Emissions Free Buildings Campaign. The goals are:

• Kickstart local action to drive down CO2 emissions from Massachusetts buildings; 
• Recruit new activists by engaging people in local projects; and
• Promote related legislation to support local projects, e.g. reforming MassSave or allowing green school retrofits.

The Nodes are asked to pick to pick a local action project, such as:

• Community choice aggregation
•  Municipal Specialized Opt-in Stretch Code
• Work with local groups and coalitions on efficiency and electrification
• Clean Green Schools
• Fight gas pipelines wherever they rear their ugly heads

Planning and implementing the campaign is organized around teams with specific tasks (e.g., outreach, materials, coaching, and legislation). If you would like to help with the Campaign, please send an email to one of our co-coordinators, Carolyn and Ralph (emails listed below). 

RSVP for Mass Power Forward's Decentralized Lobby Day. We need more climate and environmental justice policy state-wide! By December, we'll be closing in on the committee deadline for bills. Join us on Tuesday, December 5th to educate our legislators on crucial climate bills from winning better air quality to putting gas in the past to making polluters pay. You can connect with your legislators at the State House or in your district. RSVP here. 

If you're new to the process, we'll give you everything you need to succeed. You can sign up for a training on Wed, Nov 15 at 5 pm or Wednesday, Nov 29 at 6 pm.

Action: Protect the Western Arctic Reserve. The environmental law organization Earthjustice asks us to send a message to the Biden administration and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to thank them for the progress toward protecting the Arctic and to urge them to consider the strongest possible protections for this region, where 13 million acres of ecologically significant public lands are vulnerable to oil and gas drilling. Comments on BLM's proposed new rule are due by December 7. Sign Earthjustice's letter here. Please add your own words or comments so your personalized letter counts; otherwise all identical letters from Earthjustice, no matter how many, will only count as one letter. 

We hope you can join us on Thursday.

Our next Node meeting will be on the 1st Thursday of December. 

Node Co-coordinators,
Carolyn Barthel, carolyncbarthel@gmail.com
Ralph Halpern, ralph.halpern@comcast.net

Ralph Halpern
ralph.halpern@comcast.net
781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017