2025 Conference Schedule

*Schedule is subject to change and will be updated as presenters are confirmed

Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Bentley University 
8am – 4pm
Afternoon programming 4pm – 6:30pm
Download PDF of Schedule

Registration & Coffee

8:00 – 9:00 am
Registration & Sign-in
(Danielson Room)
Everyone is encouraged to arrive early for maximum networking opportunities

Art & Games

8:00 – 5:00 pm
Community Art Project
(Executive Dining Room)
Participants are invited to lend a hand on a collective community art project, Tree of Hope, which will depict a growing symbol of resilience, optimism, and collective action. Then have some fun with our handmade Climate Carnival games, crafted from reclaimed wood. Don’t miss the Harvard MA Temperature Quilts from 1993 & 2023!

Welcome & Plenary Session

9:00 – 9:15
Welcome and Opening Remarks
(Executive Dining Room)

9:15 – 9:50
Plenary Session
Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer

Panel Session #1

10:00 – 10:40
Lessons from Climate Campaigns
(Executive Dining Room)
Stories from around the region on what is working and what is not
Highlights from six successful campaigns:

  • PlugIn MetroWest: Electrifying Homes, Empowering Communities! (Fabiane Goncalves, MassEnergize and Leslie Lowe, Sustainable Sudbury)
  • Gas Leaf Blower Restrictions: Lexington’s ongoing transition to battery-powered landcare equipment (Maggie Peard, Town of Lexington)
  • Heat Pumps and Pizzas: A surprisingly effective way to engage residents (Karen Root Watkins, Town of Acton)
  • Climate Lessons: Connecting kids with climate change through education (Michele Buni, Bromfield Green Team)
  • Landlords Don’t Bite!: Having conversations with landlords about decarbonizing their buildings (Tom Ehbrecht, Save Green)
  • Vineyard Power: Empowering the energy transition on Martha’s Vineyard (Luke Lefeber, Vineyard Power)

10:40 – 11:00
BREAK
(Danielson Room)

Breakout Session #1

(50 minutes)
11:00 – 11:50 
Choose one breakout session to attend.

  • Advancing Equitable Energy Programs: Breaking Barriers to Access (Riddhima Dave – Room 325C)
  • Adventures in Heat Pump Coaching: Lessons from experienced volunteer coaches (Steve Breit – Room 305B)
  • Engaging Youth Voices: Youth Perspectives on Climate Education and Action (Lisa Paul – Room 335)
  • Grassroots Volunteer Roundtable: Share your successes and ask questions of your peers (Aimee Powelka & Karen Root Watkins – Room 325A)
  • Mass Save 2025 – 2027: Learn about the new Program Plan (Emily Horton-Hall – Room 305A)
  • Municipal Sustainability Roundtable: Supporting municipal staff & learning from each other (Jillian Wilson Martin – Room 325B)
  • Power Mapping: A strategy tool to understand power — and how to influence it (Meghan Murphy – Room 340)

Lunch & Keynote

11:50 
LUNCH
(Buffet located in Danielson Room)

12:25 – 12:40
MassEnergize Remarks
(Executive Dining Room)

12:40 – 1:30
Keynote Lunch & Learn moderated by Martha Grover, Policy Advisor for Building Decarbonization, MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
(Executive Dining Room)

  • Joshua Low, Partnership Director – Yale Program on Climate Change Communication 
  • Jamal Lewis, Director of Implementation Learning & Integration – Rewiring America 

Breakout Session #2

(30 minutes)
1:40 – 2:10
Choose one breakout session to attend.

Get hands-on with powerful resources designed to support community climate action! In this 30-minute breakout session, you’ll have the opportunity to explore one of several key resources in depth. Learn how it can enhance our work, ask questions, and connect with experts who can help you implement it in your community.

  • Battery Storage Demystified: What Works, What Doesn’t, Why it Matters (ReVisionEnergy – Room 325C))
  • Breaking Barriers: The Remarkable Power of Personal Climate Action Planning (Carbon Crew Project – Room 325A)
  • Clean Energy Lives… in Your Community! (MassCEC – Room 305A)
  • Save Money & Cut Carbon: Discover a powerful free tool to help residents create their own personalized home-decarbonization plan (Zero Carbon Home – Room 340)
  • Setting Goals and Measuring Progress: Data for local climate action strategies (Zana Cranmer & Lauren Mattison & Aimee Powelka – Room 335)
  • Shape the Future of Municipal Sustainability Training (Interactive Session) (MAPC – Room 325B)
  • Using Rewiring America’s Tools to Electrify (Rewiring America – Room 305B)

2:10 – 2:30
BREAK
(Danielson Room)

Breakout Session #3

(50 minutes)
2:30 – 3:20
Choose one breakout session to attend.

    • Arts in Action: Creatively motivate & engage your community  (Sabine von Mering – Room 325C)
    • Developing your Path to Opt-In Specialized Code Adoption: How to make a significant climate impact in your community (Lisa Cunningham – Room 305A)
      This may be helpful if you are working toward becoming a DOER Climate Leader Community.
    • Effective Communication: Best practices for climate messaging (Joshua Low – Room 335)
    • En-ROADS Live: Test, Explore, and Act on Climate Solutions (Ibrahim Shabra – Room 340)
    • From Scrappy to Sophisticated: Growing a grassroots organization from $0 to $10K to … (Dean Berg – Room 305B)
    • Funding Residential Decarbonization Projects: Options for Massachusetts residents (Travis Estes – Room 325B)
    • The Power of Conversations: A key to growing the climate movement (Sue Vatnick – Room 325A)

Closing

(Executive Dining Room)

3:30 – 4:00
Thea Iberall,  Facing the Future Together: Reflections of a Poet
Nathan Scott, Closing Remarks
Evaluations

Late Afternoon Programming

4:00 – 5:00
Non-profit Fair
(Room 325ABC)

Movie Screening & Q&A

4:45 – 6:30
Inundation District Screening and Q&A Session (David Abel)
(Room 305AB)

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