Deadline: October 18, 2011

Swap your sugary food and drinks for more nutritious and filling options!

Fill out the entry form below and you could WIN $500 worth of healthy groceries.

Six winning families will work one-on-one with a registered dietitian from The Boston Public Health Commission to identify healthy food and beverage options, meal plans, recipes, and grocery lists that can improve their family’s diet.

Open to Boston, MA, Residents only. Low-income families are strongly encouraged to apply; however, being a low-income family will not increase your chances of winning. See official rules for details.

Date:  October 13, 2011
Time:  5:00pm – 8:00pm
Location:  MassDevelopment (33 Andrews Parkway, Devens)

A review of building techniques for high energy-efficient homes that produce as much energy as they consume.  Enjoy a tour of Zero Net Energy homes already under construction in Devens and an opportunity to engage in a question and answer period with Carter Scott, one of the states pre-eminent sustainable developers.

There is no cost to attend this event but space is limited.

To register, please contact: scorbeil@massdevelopment.com

The webinar series will help queue up topics that will be covered in more detail at the upcoming Solutions for Sustainable Communities conference hosted by the Center for Housing Policy and National Housing Conference. The conference will take place in Washington, D.C., September 26-28, 2011. See the event page at NHC.org  for more details.

Thinking Globally, Planning Locally: Creating Sustainable Communities in the National Capital Region
August 4, 2011
12:00-1:00pm

Learn more about the opportunities and challenges associated with regional planning and coordinating sustainable development across metropolitan regions.

Register for this webinar

Preserving Affordability in Location-Efficient Areas
August 9, 2011
12:00-1:00pm

learn how local governments can work to preserve housing affordability near transit, employment centers, and other location-efficient areas.

Register for this webinar 

Questions about any of the sessions in this series? Contact Rebecca Cohen at rcohen@nhc.org or 202-466-2121 x 236.

Date: Thursday, June 23, 2011
Time:  8:00am – 12:00pm
Location:  UMass-Boston Campus Center Third Floor Ballroom

Join the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance’s second gathering of leaders who are builidng vibrant, welcoming, healthy, and affordable neighborhoods.

Admission is Free, but seating is limited. RSVP above under “Ticket Information”. Complimentary breakfast and sign-in begins at 8:00am.

For more information, contact Ina Anderson at 617-263-7470.

Registration

Sponsored by the Green Roundtable

Date:  Thursday, February 10, 2011
Time:  12:30pm – 2:00pm

Description
Sponsored by E*Trade Financial and presented by Enterprise’s Foreclosure Response Initiative, this event is the final presentation in a 4-part series focusing on comprehensive neighborhood stabilization. The webinar is intended for nonprofits, local governments and other community stakeholders interested in using data to guide and augment their neighborhood stabilization efforts. Local market data are of great value to all community stakeholders engaged in stabilizing neighborhoods. Using data on real estate transactions, code enforcement activity, property conditions and other factors provides a clearer picture of what is happening in a neighborhood and allows for limited funds to be used more effectively to stabilize the targeted community.

This presentation is complementary to a recently completed case study on the local market data system created and used in Cleveland, OH to provide current parcel-level data to support neighborhood stabilization efforts – “Data Driven Neighborhood Stabilization: A Case Study of Cleveland’s NEO CANDO System.”

Presented By:

• Michael Schramm, Research Associate, Center for Urban Poverty and Community Development, Case Western Reserve University.
• Justin Fleming, Esq. Program Associate, Neighborhood Progress Inc. (NPI).
• Matt Yourkvich, Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization.

Register for this event

Date: December 10, 2010
Time: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Location:  12 Hazelton St., Mattapan, MA 02126

Green Building 101 for Contractors

Date:  Thursday, December 2, 2010
Time:  9:30am – 11:30am
Location:  MassHousing (One Beacon St. Boston, MA 02108)

The Mel King Institute for Community will be hosting an Innovation Forum discussion on the current state of green efforts and initiatives within the community development field.  The forum will include the release of MACDC’s new report, “Community Development Goes Green” as well as guest speakers:

• Mariella Puerto, Senior Program Officer of the Barr Foundation
• John Kassel, President of the Conservation Law Foundation
• Madeline Fraser Cook, Program Director of the LISC Green Development Center

Date:  Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Time:  9:30am – 12:30pm
Location:  Thomas Crane Public Library (40 Washington St. Quincy, MA)

The Department of Housing & Community Development, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the City of Quincy and the MA Chapter of the American Planning Association are excited to announce a free 1/2 day workshop, Fostering “Green” Culture as A Community Economic Development Strategy — A Discussion and Resource Expo, to take place at the Thomas Crane Public Library, 40 Washington Street, Quincy, Wednesday, November 10, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM.

The workshop, which is being cosponsored by the DOER Green Communities Division, MassDEP, the MA Chapter of the US Green Building Council and Mass Audubon, will include a Panel Presentation and Green/Sustainability Resources Expo.  Group discussions will examine how promoting a “Green” culture in communities can lead support for a wide range of local sustainability initiatives, resulting in long-term cost savings.

Registration is open to elected officials, community & economic development staff, city/town planners, citizen volunteers, non-profits, and the development community from throughout the Commonwealth.

Registration

The Intersection of Sustainability, Revitalization, and Policy Reform

Date:  October 13-15, 2010
Location:  Cleveland, Ohio

Help your community realize its potential by participating in the Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference!

This past year has proven that by working together, communities can overcome the immense challenges caused by vacant and abandoned properties. While waves of foreclosures and a strained economy have ravaged neighborhoods throughout the country, public agencies, private companies, and residents banded together to develop solutions to preserve their communities and make sure they would come back stronger than ever.

Join hundreds of your peers from communities from the Sunbelt to the Rustbelt, to learn about the policies, tools, and strategies to catalyze long-term, sustainable revitalization. Share your experiences and insights, and become a part of the only national network focused on building the knowledge, leadership, and momentum to reclaim vacant and abandoned properties to foster thriving neighborhoods.

http://reclaimingvacantproperties.org/