Other Local Events
Below is a listing of upcoming programs from other like minded organizations in the area.
Newton’s Earth Day Festival,
Join us for a celebration of all things green for the whole family! Groove to live music and savor delicious food while discovering countless ways to make a positive impact. Explore booths hosted by local businesses and nonprofits, offering guidance on everything from going solar and choosing electric vehicles to home insulation and composting.
Thoreau’s Forests Confront Climate Change
Will We Still Have Forests in 50 Years? And Why We Should Care
Dr. William Moomaw, a lead author of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winning climate report, will explore the role of forests and other ecosystems in moderating climate change in combination with new technologies and our behaviors. The threats to our forests from climate change and other stresses will be a major theme. The discussion will be moderated by Delia Kaye, Concord’s Natural Resources Director.
Restoring Childhood: Why Playing Freely Outdoors Matters for All
Weston Forest & Trail Association
Guest Speaker: Peter Gray, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Boston College & Author of Free to Learn. Children and adults alike learn the most vital human skills—agency, courage, and resilience—through self-directed, unstructured play. Dr. Peter Gray will summarize research evidence showing how the lack of independent activity is a primary driver of psychological suffering in today's youth.
How To Love a Forest
Join SVT for a presentation by Ethan Tapper, an internationally recognized forester, ecologist, bestselling author, and digital storyteller from Vermont. His first book, How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World, was published in September 2024, and has since received international acclaim, including winning the 2025 New England Book Award for non-fiction.
Plant Sale
Come join us for our annual plant sale featuring perennials, vegetables, herbs, some annuals and a large assortment of native plants both straight species and cultivars.
Native Plant Sale
Lincoln Land Conservation Trust
Join on May 16th for their 7th Annual Pollinator Plant Sale. A variety of native perennials and shrubs will be available.
Walking in the Footsteps of Thoreau
An Earth Day Celebration - Multiple groups starting from Concord and Lincoln will meet at the Thoreau Cabin Site to celebrate the natural world and renew our commitment to protect it. A simple meet-up with music, inspiring words, and sharing of wishes & commitments.
Meet at First Parish in Concord Center or St Anne’s Church in Lincoln at 2 pm, arriving by 3 pm to the cabin site.
Learn How to Grow Your Own Veggies
Join Wellesley Natural Resources Commission, Wellesley Conservation Land Trust and Sustainable Wellesley for an afternoon at the Weston Road Community Garden. Learn how to start a garden, proper site selection, crop suggestions, growing tips, how to minimize maintenance, pruning techniques, pest management practices and more. Rain date: May 3, 2026 1-3PM.
The Plastic Detox Film Screening
JP Zero Waste and Greater Boston Beyond Plastic
All are invited to the "Plastic Detox" Movie with a community discussion afterwards. They will discuss the movie, the growing knowledge about the toxicity of plastic, and what we can do individually and as a community.
Land's Sake Earth Day Celebration
Bring the family and a picnic blanket for live music, local lunch, and plenty of hands‑on fun. Enjoy face and rock painting, alpaca visits, farm animals, flower potting with Flower Box Gardens, and unique finds from local artisans. Help get the farm spring‑ready with volunteer projects like mulching, cleanup, and rock removal.
Heat Pumps 101: Incentives, Quotes & More
Thinking about installing a heat pump? Go for it!
Heat pumps provide efficient heating and cooling, lower your carbon footprint, and can qualify for thousands of dollars in state rebates. Over 420 Wayland neighbors have heat pumps, join them and qualify for a lower electric rate next winter that can save you over $500/winter.
Mass Energize Community Climate Leaders Conference
Early bird registration is open. Community organizers, municipal sustainability staff, climate volunteers, students, and anyone working to inspire and empower others to take meaningful climate action. Not sure you’re a “leader” yet? This conference will show you just how powerful your role can be. The conference sold out in 2024 and 2025.
Tree Webinar with Dr. William Moomaw
Join us for a webinar with Dr. William Moomaw on the irreplaceable value of mature trees and the threat posed by the proposed private jet hangar expansion at Hanscom Field.
In Conversation with Chuck Collins
Action Network/Stop Private Jet Expansion
about his new book: Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet (published Oct 2025) & how it informs our fight to stop the proposed private jet expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere. Interview by Diane Proctor, League of Women Voters Concord-Carlisle
Solar without federal incentives: Why is still works
Thinking about solar but not sure where to start? Learn how solar works, typical paybacks, financing options, and how it can help lower energy costs while supporting a cleaner, healthier community! We will hear from Boston Solar, a long time local installer, and neighbors who have solar systems. Over 420 Wayland neighbors have installed solar systems – saving money and supporting a clean energy economy.
Third Annual Discussion with MA Climate Chief
What progress have we made against climate change since last year? Congregation Or Atid is pleased to once again welcome Massachusetts Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer to discuss our progress and path forward. This event is free and open to the public.
Georgia O'Keeffe The Brightness of Light
In collaboration with the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, we invite you to a Winter Carnival film screening of Georgia O’Keeffe The Brightness of Light, a new, comprehensive documentary of her art and life, featuring a Q&A with director Paul Wagner and co-producer Ellen Wagner. Reception to Follow.
In Person
Plastics: The Mounting Threat to Public Health
The League of Women Voters of Needham and Green Needham
The speaker: Dr. Philip Landrigan -- a pediatrician, epidemiologist and researcher. In addition to information about the health impacts of plastics, Dr Landrigan shared information about how plastics are made and why plastic production is booming worldwide.
Plastics: The Mounting Threat to Public Health
Microplastics pose an increasing threat to our health. They last forever and are everywhere - in the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and the products we use. Speaker Dr. Landrigan is a pediatrician and epidemiologist, and he directs the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College and the Global Observatory on Planetary Health.
Energy Storage in a Net Zero Commonwealth
Elders Climate Action - Massachusetts Chapter
Speaker: Tom Ferguson is Energy Storage Programs Manager at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER). In this role, Tom is responsible for developing and implementing new policies and programs to spur the deployment of energy storage throughout the Commonwealth.
Winter Seed Sowing
WORKSHOP
Wildflowers in the Snow, Winter Seed Sowing
Instructor: Jean Milburn Chair, Native Plant Committee, Wayland Garden Club
Open To: All Adults
Materials Fee: $10
To Register: Call 508- 358-2990
Why Is My Energy Bill So High?
Feeling the pinch of rising energy costs? You’re not alone.
High energy bills can be stressful – but there are options!
Carbon Countdown 2025: State Support for Local Climate Initiatives
Learn how State programs can provide crucial support for local climate initiatives. Learn from experts in the field, and network with like-minded individuals who are passionate about combating climate change. Online and in-person at Follen Church, Lexington, MA.
Mass Audubon - Advancing Resilience Along the Coast
A Mass Audubon member program
Join three of Mass Audubon’s leading conservation and ecology experts to learn how we’re shaping a resilient, thriving coast to mitigate climate impacts and provide essential habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. Mass Audubon’s Chief Conservation Officer, Jocelyn Forbush, Director of the Coastal Waterbird Program, Lyra Brennan, and Senior Coastal Ecologist, Sara Grady, will share some of the work underway.
Toxic Chemicals in Plastics
Few people realize that plastics are made with chemicals – a lot of them! There are more than sixteen thousand known chemicals added to plastics to give them various qualities - shiny, matte, flexible, hard, heat resistant, etc. Unfortunately, more than a quarter of these chemicals are known to be toxic. Learn which toxic chemicals are used in plastics that are commonly used to make children’s toys, dishes and kitchenware, clothing, food and beverage packaging, building materials, cosmetics, personal care products, and more.
2025 MARPA and DLS Statewide Municipal Partnerships Conference
Hosted by the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies (MARPA) and the Division of Local Services (DLS), the Statewide Municipal Partnerships Conference brings together municipal and regional leaders from across the Commonwealth for a half day of networking, conversations on pressing issues, and the sharing of best practices.
How Clean Energy Helps Lower Your Energy Bill
Green Energy Consumers Alliance
How does clean energy lower electricity prices? Join us and our partners at the Union of Concerned Scientists and Synapse Energy Economics for a webinar that breaks down the concept of price suppression and how clean energy technologies reduce electricity prices for all of us.
Introducing the Climate Resilience Playbook
Join the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), and Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) for a webinar to officially launch the Climate Resilience Playbook (the Playbook). The Playbook is an online interactive tool that local planners can use to identify and prioritize resilience actions for their communities. During the webinar you will learn more about the collaborative engagement process that shaped the Playbook, its features, and opportunities to help shape this evolving tool.
Sustainability Day at the State House
Hosted by the House Committee on Climate Action & Sustainability, you’re invited to join the inaugural Sustainability Day. This day will bring leaders, advocates, and residents together to highlight climate action across the Commonwealth.
Autumn Initiatives and Actions
Announcing new efforts to further the increasingly vital work of Commonwealth community climate activists:
- LAUNCHING: Climate Goals Tracker, KICKOFF
- Minimizing Embodied Carbon using MCAN's new RFP language
- ORGANIZE NOW: Disappearing Federal Incentives provides moment of opportunity
- RE-FORMED: Better Building Advocates group.
How the Chemical Industry Covered up the Hazards of PFAS
Reporter Mariah Blake, author of They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals, will speak on the secret history of forever chemicals with the moving story of how a lone village took on the chemical giants—and won. Published in May, They Poisoned the World is a gripping, impeccably researched account of how the chemical industry covered up the hazards posed by PFAS.
Is a Used EV Right for You?
Green Energy Consumers Alliance
Used electric vehicles (EVs) provide all the benefits of driving on electricity - lower maintenance costs, lower fuel costs, and better driving experience - at a more affordable upfront price. Every year, there are more and more used EVs and more varied models. Plus, there are incentives available for the purchase of a used electric car in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as (currently, at least) a federal tax credit! Join Green Energy Consumers Alliance for this hour-long webinar to learn more about shopping for used EVs and everything you need to know to feel confident you're getting a good deal on the right EV for you.
Pollinator Garden Open House
Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and Rural Land Foundation
Drop in at LLCT’s Pollinator Meadow to see the meadow in bloom and ask questions about LLCT’s pollinator initiative. Park at the Lincoln Public School, near the Smith School Tennis Courts 6 Ballfield Rd, Lincoln, MA 01773. Take the trail through the field to the meadow.
Climate Cafe
Enjoy complimentary Le Petit Four Bakery pastries with coffee
Get sustainability tips from Wellesley Energy Coaches and Town staff
Discover ideas and incentives for getting around sustainably, lowering your energy use, and increasing your property value
Learn how to landscape sustainably and reduce waste
Late Spring Nature Walk
Summer is almost here! Please join Jeff Adams for a nature walk at this beautiful property. We’ll primarily focus on Plant ID looking at native species along with a few non-natives. We’ll include some select natural history too and learn about helpful identifiers such as galls, leaf shapes, fruits and diagnostic characteristics that enable us to immediately identify the plant. And maybe we'll discover who named the area ‘Gowing’s Swamp’.
Electric Vehicle Charging On the Go
Green Energy Consumers Alliance
Do you have questions about charging options for electric vehicles (EVs) when you are on the road? Attend our Charging on the Go webinar on June 11!