Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation's annual symposium on a topic of community concern is coming up soon on Saturday, November 19, in the Meetinghouse from 1–4pm in collaboration with TownGreen, a non-profit that has promoted climate mitigation and adaptation strategies on Cape Ann since 2015.

Have you wondered about the various proposals for the development of harbor front properties, heard about the City’s efforts towards comprehensive urban planning as well as the work of the Harbor Planning Committee, or asked how you might have a voice about what downtown Gloucester is like in the future? Have you been concerned about what experts on the science about climate change might foresee and advise to inform these decisions? Would you like to pose a specific question to an expert and receive a thoughtful, well-informed answer?

Presenters will include: Greg Verga, Mayor of Gloucester; Professor Charles Waldheim from the Harvard Graduate School of Design; Professor Antonio Raciti from the University of Massachusetts, Boston; and Kevin Hively, CEO and Founder of Ninigret Partners, a management consulting firm that focuses on economic development and community planning.

The Symposium is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available. This is a rare opportunity to explore one of the most important civic topics of our time and to meet fellow citizens who care deeply about the future of Gloucester.

Come to hear about the proposed plans for Salem as a port supporting the offshore wind (OSW) industry, and what the future of offshore wind development will look like. Let’s hear about: What role could other ports play? What jobs will be created? How can we do this and protect wildlife and the fishing industry? How to participate in the OSW conversation?

TownGreen is pleased to announce the launch on September 1^st of a climate vulnerability project in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Cape Ann has been selected for an EPA “Building Blocks for Resilience” technical assistance program and TownGreen2025 has successfully raised the funds for a Harvard GSD study of climate threats and solutions in the region.

David Abel, Pulitzer-prize winning Boston Globe reporter, will interview Bill McKibbon, environmental advocate, author and founder of 350.org, about lessons learned and future solutions considering the climate crisis.

The Sawyer Free Library will kick off the first annual Gloucester Reads: Many Readers, One Conversation, which will be held from June 22 to Sept. 15.

Join MASSPIRG, Proterra, and Cape Ann Transportation Authority for an Electric Bus Presentation at the Cape Ann Transportation Authority on Pond Road in Gloucester.

This year's keynote speaker will be Nathaniel Stinnett. His Presentation is entitled, “Getting Environmentalists To Vote.”

The bills for the damage caused by climate change are arriving now for all of us to see. The costs are no longer theoretical. Costs and damage due to climate change will only get worse in the foreseeable future unless we undertake major actions in our community, our state, our nation and across the world.

Multiple presentations and discussions by experts about how to combine high sustainability standards like LEED with historically-informed building conservation practices and simple Yankee thrift for civic buildings and homes. Hosted in partnership with Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation, an initiative to minimize Gloucester’s carbon footprint in a decade.