It’s one of those gloomy December days–31 degrees, overcast.

The Ukraine war is still on; inflation is rampant; covid is again on the rise My book is out, sales are slow. Thanksgiving is over, Christmas is weeks away. My brothers are both ill in distant states

I decide to go for a run on the Charles.

The light is no good for photos, I’m thinking, as I cross a nearly deserted Memorial Drive.

But then a tree I’ve passed by hundreds of times reaches out to me. It’s decaying, but, I note, still strong.

I move closer; a new trunk seems to be growing inside it; young branches are reaching to the sky.

I pull my camera out of my pocket and take a few shots.

I amble along. Some trees look injured, dead; the bark is wearing off. I stop again, camera in hand.

Close in: abstract beauty

Back to my run…stopping frequently.

Many of the trees have amazing shapes

I wonder why they are so gnarly.

One holds a nest of leaves.

Another: a bird

An empty nest

There are milkweed…

Rusted weeds…

Bittersweet.

Reflections, shapes, colors in the water.

Later, when editing my photos, I discover a pair of ducks.

Black and white

More ducks;
a willow

A human touch.

Heading back: more stunning formations.

I return to the river path the next day, and the next, reassured to find changed light, new growth, life and hope as I–and nature– progress, slowly, with starts and stops, toward spring.

Anita M. Harris is a writer, photographer and communications consultant based in Cambridge, Mass.
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, also in Cambridge.

Our friend R in San Antonio reports on the current weather situation in Texas…perhaps giving new meaning to the idea of “power politics.” He asked that his name not be used. —Anita Harris

To our friends who have been worried about us because of the crazy weather:  

Thank you for your expressions of concern.  We are fine.  Here is the story.  

We heard that last Saturday, the temperatures would go below freezing and our insurance company (State Farm) advised us to keep the water running to prevent the pipes from freezing.  We did that, and the pipes never froze.  In addition, the external parts of our pipes have long been covered with insulation.  What I did on Saturday was to put heating pads on the external pipes and turn the temperature of the pads up to the maximum.  I plugged the heating pads into an outlet in our bedroom.  The window there is open a crack and I put towels there to keep from freezing.   We have slept very comfortably.  

On Sunday night, it snowed about 4 inches. and that is when the problems started, mostly for the city, not for us, but unfortunately for many of our friends.  The electric company instituted rolling blackouts.  In theory they were supposed to be 15 minutes on, 45 minutes off, each hour, but in reality, they morphed into 5 minutes on, 23 hours, 55 minutes off, every day or simply being off for a couple of days straight.  Since we use gas for heating and since our power never went off, we were fine, but many people we know were not.  Collecting the data from these people I gathered that the electric company was punishing the major individual users (i.e., people who use electricity for heating) and neighborhoods that are major users (i.e, ones with small houses close together).  Our neighborhood has houses that are pretty far apart so, collectively, I doubt that the neighborhood uses much electricity compared to many other parts of the city.   Also (alas) much of our neighborhood votes Republican and even though the city government is Democratic and progressive, the individuals in charge of the power grid are Republican appointees. They have done a miserable job. 

 To make matters worse, because of the power failures and the bursting of pipes, the city water company has had to cut off water from many people (add these to the people who have no water because their own pipes burst). The water company fears that the water will back up and that raw sewage will come out of the faucets so they have advised people to boil their water.  (Of course, if you have no power, you can’t boil water).  In our case, we get our water directly from the aquifer, via a pump located at least 300 feet underground.  As long as we have power, we will have no water problems but we are stockpiling some water, just in case.  So, many people have been freezing in the cold and darkness and suffering from thirst.  Our former governor, Rick Perry, a Republican, says that Texans would rather freeze than endure federal regulation.  The city has opened the Convention Center and other buildings to people who need to keep warm.  Naturally, these places would be superspreaders of the Covid virus.  And just when the city had turned the corner and cases in San Antonio were going down rapidly!  

It was very unusual to see our cars buried in the snow.  We had not had a real snowstorm here since January 1985.  The temperature on Monday dropped to about 10 degrees.  

In terms of our personal situation, the weather has affected us a little bit.  First, L’s second Covid vaccination, scheduled for yesterday, had to be canceled.  They are supposed to contact her soon to re-schedule.  Our internet connection vanished on Tuesday and has just resumed today (Thursday).  I called AT&T and they told me that the cold weather had damaged some of their centers so that the internet was going down all over Texas and Oklahoma.  Our newspaper stopped being delivered as did our mail and the recycling has not been picked up.  We even ran out of coffee, meaning that we are threatened with the end of civilization as we know it.  Yesterday, our daughter volunteered to go out to get coffee.  Fortunately, much but not all of the snow and ice had melted by yesterday.  There was such a mob at the grocery store that she decided to try a drugstore.  It too was closed.  Then another one had all the shelves stripped bare.  The next place she tried was also mobbed   She observed that the traffic lights on Bandera Road were off and the traffic was not moving.  She spent about 20 minutes at the same spot before the police came and pushed a non-functional car out of the way.  The next place she went to was closed but finally she found an open drugstore and was still unable to get the coffee.   

We tried phoning people.  I could call or text some people but my efforts to contact my Argentine relatives failed.  Linda and Sara had similar problems with their phones.  

This morning when we got up all the snow had melted.  The driveway had turned to a sheet of ice so I had to navigate it very carefully as I went to look for the newspaper, which was not there.  Then at 8 AM it started to snow and it has not stopped.  It looks like it could be a blizzard although no blizzard is forecast.  It will probably taper off.  The forecast says that we will be above freezing by Saturday and that next Thursday the temperature will be 77.    

Interesting that our Republican senator, Ted Cruz, who fought until the last minute, claiming that Trump won in November, has flown off for a Mexican vacation in Cancun, while his constituents freeze in the dark and are afraid of drinking the water here.  I propose that, in the spirit of denialism, which he is very good at (e.g. climate change), Ted demonstrate that the water situation is fine by drinking a glass of tap water in Cancun.  

Life is interesting here.  So far, we are all fine and likely to stay that way.  

Un abrazo, as they say in Texas.   R

–Anita Harris is a writer and communications consultant based in Cambridge, MA. R is a childhood friend.
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, a PR and digital marketing firm, also in Cambridge.

 

Two weeks ago, I stopped to thank Ranger Jean Rogers for the information she sent after I emailed her about almost being run off the path at Fresh Pond, in Cambridge–and to mention it that I’d posted it on New Cambridge Observer (September 11).

She told me that several people had similar complaints, and that her office would soon be posting signs suggesting proper “etiquette.” (She also suggested that I call the police if anyone ran roughshod like that, again).

On my run this morning, I was pleased to see that signs outlining etiquette have been posted.

They apply to runners, walkers, bikers and dog people. (Well, to everyone)

• Keep to the right
• Pass on the left and make your presence known.
• Slow down when passing
• Keep your dog on a leash
• Be aware of your surroundings . When running with ear buds. check behind you before passing.
• Kindly move off the path to stop and talk.
• Slower-moving people stay to the right
• Use lights when it’s dark.
• See Fresh Pond Reservation Rules and Regulations for off-leash use.

 

.I want to apologize for occasionally running on the dirt path to the left of the blacktop–but only because, in some areas, the dirt path is very narrow and overrun with bushes or, worse, yet, poison ivy.

I also want to thank Ranger Jean for her help with this.

Anita Harris

Anita M. Harris is a writer, photographer and wunner (she walks and runs?)  in Cambridge, MA.

New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, also of Cambridge.

 

I often run at Fresh Pond. True,  I have a “running” debate with my exercise app, which sometimes  calls what I do “walking”  but be that as it may… I have struck up a number of very cordial relationships, there, with the dogs and their humans.

 

 

 

Ordinarily,  everyone is quite friendly (though I can get a bit ferocious when a human attached to three dogs on leashes blocks the entire width of running path).

 

 

 

But a  few weeks ago,  I ran into a spate of ungracious humans who yelled at me that I was running on the wrong side of the road, gave me the finger (to be honest, I responded in kind)  and one who even tried to force me off the dirt path. I asked Ranger Jean Rodgers if there are right-of-way rules for the Pond. 

 

Here’s her response.

Dear Anita,

Thank you for taking the time to write and share your experiences here at Fresh Pond Reservation.  I’m sorry to hear you are having some less than civil interactions with other users.  Soft running surfaces are in short supply here at Fresh Pond.  No one has a right to them to the exclusion of others. As with all public spaces, sharing and civility are required however frustrating.   If most people keep to the right as they are able, travel on the Perimeter Road would have a level of predictability.  

The behavior of others as you have reported it is unacceptable for any reason.  I will post some signs in our information boards, the ranger station and at entrances excerpted from the street code booklet that help visitors know that sharing and civil interactions are  expected.

The City has just issued “Street Code, Rules and Etiquette for Getting There Together” to address the need for safe and civil behavior when people are moving about the City’s Public Spaces.  Shared Path Etiquette is addressed on page 16. I plan to post it around the Reservation.  http://bit.ly/CambridgeStreetCode  

Here’s a summary and some links to our Shared Use Plan that was developed a while ago with the public to encourage civil interactions and use of Fresh Pond Reservation:

https://www.cambridgema.gov/Water/freshpondreservation/aboutfreshpond/shareduse

Shared Use Plan 

As the terminal reservoir in the water system that provides drinking water to the City of Cambridge, Fresh Pond Reservation serves as in important buffer to protect the health and water quality of Fresh Pond.  The Reservation is also an important open space for Cambridge residents and visitors. Due to limited space on paths, trails, and open areas, as well as increasing popularity due to restoration efforts, occasional conflicts among users can arise. To address these conflicts, the City sought to engage the public in order to develop a shared vision for future use and a clear implementable plan between the Summer 2010 and Spring 2011. The result of this process was the Shared Use Plan with the intent to accomplish the following objectives (in no particular order):
*Protect the flora, fauna, and overall ecosystem and water supply, 
*Promote a welcoming and safe place, 
*Provide for a multitude of recreational activities, 
*Promote mutual respect and civility among users, 
*Improve communication among users and with those managing the Reservation, 
*Provide for additional education and opportunities to participate in stewardship, 
*Enhance user safety and enforcement through rules that are easy to understand, posted, and enforceable, 
*Provide for enjoyment by current and future generations. 

 

Please feel free to put the ranger phone number (617 349-xxxx) in your phone contact list and call me to come out and assist if you if people don’t settle down and share the space with you.   I do my best to answer the phone whether I’m on or off duty.   If someone threatens you or puts a hand on you, call the police for immediate assistance (911 or at their business number 617 349-3300).

We all matter and we all make a difference.

Jean Rogers
Chief Ranger
Fresh Pond Reservation

Anita Harris is a writer and communications consultant based in Cambridge, MA.
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, also in Cambridge.

 

With three days to go, the kickstarter campaign for BTW (Behind the Walls)  –a multi-platform media company devoted to beautiful, healthy, energy efficient and sustainable home, .is 85% funded.  Led by our friend and Cambridge Innovation Center colleague Harold Simansky, BTW needs $3K to get to $25K tor will take in nothing at all. I hope you’ll support the project. Here’s a link to the kickstarter site:

Harold writes:

Environmentally sound, healthy homes can be as stylish as they are sustainable; as beautifully designed as they are responsible; as glam as they are green… and a lot less expensive than you might think.

Now that eco-awareness is (finally and thankfully) skyrocketing, the country has exploded with new ideas for the home—everything from innovative, energy-saving technologies and home automation systems to products, decors, and furnishings that are toxin-free, sustainable and beautiful. Now you can live a green life at home without having to choose between what’s eco-friendly and what’s style-friendly, what’s efficient and what’s expensive.

BTW is here to keep homeowners on the cutting edge, building a community that shares our vision of healthy, energy-efficient and sustainable building and renovation practices, met with beautiful design. We’re also here to educate the community about service providers and funding—in the form of thousands of rebates and incentive programs—to make that possibility a reality. We want to make it clear that living a healthy, energy-efficient, and happy green lifestyle is within reach… and it all begins in the home.

What We Do

We’re creating a vibrant community of forward-thinking homeowners with BTW: Behind the Walls, a multi-platform media company that combines a magazine (both print and online), a website, social media, videos, blog posts, creative events, and—soon to come—podcasts and ecommerce, to help consumers envision and create a new kind of home and lifestyle.

Our goal is to help all homeowners understand, as they undertake some 20 million home improvement projects every year, how to do it more efficiently, more stylishly, greener, and healthier, using the best products, services and funding.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/959029715/btw-the-magazine-of-beautiful-healthy-and-sustaina?ref=home_featured

–Anita M. Harris
Anita Harris is a writer and communications consultant in Cambridge, MA.
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, an award-winning PR and digital marketing firm based at the Cambridge Innovation Center, in Cambridge, MA.

Pleased to post this July 30, 2014 release from our Cambridge Innovation Center Colleagues at  EnergySage, Inc., who have launched a partnership with Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, a national network of local chambers of commerce,   to help local Chambers and their member businesses install solar energy systems.

According to the July 30, 2014 release:

Under the partnership, businesses that are members of a local chamber can use an innovative and user-friendly online solar marketplace at no cost. Users receive quick and easy options for putting solar on their commercial or residential buildings.

The Metro South Chamber of Commerce in Massachusetts is the first local chamber to take advantage of the new partnership. “Lowering costs, saving time, and creating local jobs is a winning combination that strengthens business and increases profits,” said Christopher Cooney, president and CEO of the Metro South Chamber. “The EnergySage process makes it easy for our chamber members to receive multiple quotes, learn about tax credits, and gauge potential long-term gains.”

 “The EnergySage process makes it easy for our chamber members to receive multiple quotes, learn about tax credits, and gauge potential long-term gains.”

Through the partnership, chamber members will have access to robust solar options, an instant estimate of the costs, savings, and financial options and the ability to include local companies in the price comparisons. Chamber businesses that create a free account on the EnergySage Solar Marketplace will receive quotes from multiple pre-screened and high-quality solar installers, easing the process of shopping for the right solar system. EnergySage will make a donation – ranging from $250 for residential systems to up to $5,000 for large commercial systems – to the local chamber of commerce whose members go solar through the EnergySage Marketplace.

“EnergySage is excited about this national partnership with Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy,” said John Gingrich, Head of Corporate Development for EnergySage. “We understand that solar can be complex for business owners and this partnership offers a great opportunity to help these decision-makers choose solar with ease.”

Diane Doucette, Executive Director of Chambers for Innovation & Clean Energy, called the partnership a “win-win” for local chambers and their member companies. “Chambers are always on the lookout for valuable no-cost services for member companies,” Doucette said. “Our EnergySage partnership offers the added benefit of providing chambers with additional revenue for helping their member companies go solar.”

ABOUT CHAMBERS FOR INNOVATION AND CLEAN ENERGY

Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) is a national network of local chambers of commerce that recognize the economic development opportunity of clean energy. CICE works with local chambers to offer programs that help them and their member companies successfully navigate and prosper in the clean energy space. Through their clean energy information hub, CICE provides easy access to clean energy information, incentives, best practices, and an opportunity for local chambers to connect with clean energy experts throughout the country. www.chambersforinnovation.com

ABOUT ENERGYSAGE, INC.

The EnergySage Solar Marketplace, a comprehensive national consumer destination site for solar photovoltaics (PV) systems. The EnergySage Marketplace transforms the complex Solar PV shopping process into a simple online comparison-shopping experience, by enabling consumers to compare quotes from multiple pre-screened installers in an apples-to-apples format across all financing options. The unique, innovative platform provides unprecedented levels of simplicity, choice and transparency, all at no cost to consumers.

The EnergySage platform helps to reduce prices and make solar PV systems more accessible to a larger portion of the population. Its goal is to drive exponential increases in market adoption of solar. EnergySage’s benefits extend to providers such as manufacturers, installers, financiers and other professionals involved in the solar PV sales process as well, through increased consumer awareness, knowledge and demand for their services. By creating efficiencies in both the buying and selling processes, EnergySage slashes the time and effort required by consumers and installers, significantly reducing customer acquisition costs, boosting consumer confidence, and ultimately accelerating mass-market solar adoption.

EnergySage has received two prestigious SunShot Awards from the Department of Energy to develop and commercialize the Solar Marketplace. www.energysage.com

—Anita M. Harris
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of  the Harris Communications Group, an award-winning public relations and marketing firm based in Kendall Square, Cambridge.

Our friends at 360 Chestnut  and BTW [Behind the Walls Magazine [] present: 

DOES YOUR HOUSE KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT YOU?
What:  Panel presentation: impact of home energy monitoring devices on privacy
When:  April 8^th, 2014
Where: Cambridge Innovation Center, 1 Broadway,Cambridge, MA Havana 5^th Floor
With:  Deborah Hurley, Jim Bride, Joseph Kolchisnky, Jason Hanna, and Daniel Hullah. Moderated by Alexandra Hall & Harold Simansky

Google’s recent acquisition of “smart thermostat maker NEST” was met with excitement in the home energy world—Google is finally recognizing the importance of energy efficiency. But now that the excitement has died down, people are realizing that Google will be in their homes more intimately than ever before. What does this mean for Americans’ already compromised privacy?

On April 8^th at the Cambridge Innovation Center in Kendall Square, 360Chestnut, Inc., and BTW: Behind the Walls magazine will host a panel discussion titled, “Does Your House Know Too Much About You?” Featuring experts on the home energy industry and “green” home improvement, the panel will address the looming issue of “smart” home monitoring devices: with sales expected to increase by 300% by 2020, are we giving up too much of privacy when embracing them?

The panel will include Deborah Hurley, a fellow at Harvard University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science; Jim Bride, Founder and CEO of Energy Tariff Experts, LLC; Joseph Kolchinsky, Founder and Managing Director of OneVision Resources; Jason Hanna, Founder and CEO of Embue and Daniel Hullah, Partner and COO of Rockport Capital.  The moderators will be Harold Simansky, Founder and CEO of 360Chestnut Inc, and publisher of BTW: Behind The Walls and Alexandra Hall, Executive Producer of 360 Chestnut Inc, and Editor-in-Chief of BTW: Behind the Walls and COUPBoston will be the moderator.

 

The Panel:

Deborah Hurley is is a Fellow of the Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS) at Harvard University and directed the Harvard University Information Infrastructure Project. At the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, in Paris, France, she was responsible for drafting, negotiation and adoption of the OECD Guidelines for the Security of Information Systems. Prior to joining the OECD, she practiced computer and intellectual property law in the United States. Hurley is Chair, Board of Directors, Electronic Privacy Information Center. She carried out a Fulbright study in Korea and is the author of Pole Star: Human Rights in the Information Society, and other publications. Hurley received the Namur Award of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) in recognition of outstanding contributions, with international impact, to awareness of social implications of information technology.

Joseph (Joey) Kolchinsky is the founder and Managing Director of OneVision Resources, a company that merges his curiosity with technology and passion for simplicity. The firm is redefining excellent service for the modern family, providing comprehensive and stress-free support to members across a growing range of needs including personal technology, smart home design, and health management. Joey lives in Boston with his wife Jennifer and daughter Penelope.

Jim Bride has over a decade of experience in the energy and environmental industries. He launched Energy Tariff Experts, LLC to address an unmet need in the marketplace for accurate utility rate and energy cost information to enable more informed energy investment decisions. Prior to Energy Tariff Experts, Jim spent over four years at EnerNOC, a pioneering Smart Grid firm.

Jason Hanna is the CEO & Founder of Embue; a Boston-based company developing connected heating & cooling controls for residential and small commercial application. Jason is also the Founder & Board Chairman of Greentown Labs, a Boston-area incubator for clean energy and hardware companies, now home to over 40 emerging start-ups. Jason previously worked in high technology and was responsible for building an organization that automated over $1B of transactions for EMC Corporation.

Daniel Hullah is a Partner and COO of RockPort Capital a multi-stage venture capital firm that invests in the areas of alternative and traditional energy, mobility, and sustainability.  Daniel is an active member of the screening and diligence team and has worked on multiple transactions in several key cleantech sectors most notably solar energy and green buildings.  One such company is EcoFacto, a leader in home energy management, providing user-friendly active management of residential and small commercial thermostats using a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model.

Harold Simansky (moderator)  is the founder of 360Chestnut.  Before 360Chestnut he was involved in the creation of Green Guild of MA, LLC, a full-service energy audit and home weatherization company that has helped over 1,000 Massachusetts home owners make their homes more energy efficient.  Earlier, Harold was the developer of one of the first green, LEED-certified residential buildings in the Boston-area.  Harold also has experience in the world of finance and as a consultant with Bain & Company. He is a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management and Brandeis University.

Alexandra Hall (moderator) has more than ten years’ experience as a critic, lifestyle writer and editor of lifestyle topics in Boston and beyond. Alex has covered fashion, travel, entertainment, food, beauty, books, and the arts. She is currently editor-in-chief if COUP Boston, the city’s only luxury digital lifestyle magazine, and a freelance writer for publications including: Condé Nast Traveler, Bon Appétit, Town & Country, and Elle Decor.

360Chestnut is a multi-platform media company that helps consumers make their homes more sustainable, healthy and energy efficient.  This free-to-the-consumer service provides engaging experiences, expert information and personalized access to the 5000+ rebates that pay homeowners to be more energy efficient, as well as a connection to those who can do the work.  360Chestnut also published BTW: Behind the Walls magazine in partnership with the Wall Street Journal.

BTW: Behind the Walls is a quarterly magazine focused on healthy, sustainable and beautiful homes.  It is created in partnership with the Wall Street Journal and is distributed to more than 50,000 Wall Street Journal subscribers in MA, NH and VT.

COUPBoston is a multi-platform online magazine dedicated to all things innovative and forward thinking in Boston’s lifestyle community.

Info@360 Chestnut.com

–Anita M. Harris
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, an award-winning PR and marketing firm based in Cambridge, MA.
Anita Harris is the author of Broken Patterns, Professional Womenand the Quest for a New Feminine Identity, publisher of New Cambridge Observer, and  managing director of the Harris Communications Group. HarrisCom provided editorial advice on the above writeup and is listed as a co-sponsor of the event.

Ordinarily, at business meetings,if you work in the kitchen, you stay in the kitchen.

But, on Tuesday, Nov. 12,  in an unusual turn of event, following brief talks by  Alicia Barton, CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and James Graham, clean tech dealmaker (yes, that’s really his title) at  the UK Trade and Investment Agency in Boston,   the chef in charge of food for an elegant reception at the Global Clean Tech Meetup 2013, took center stage. In  explaining how his kitchen at the  Boston Seaport Hotel is working toward sustainability, Chef Khaled Abi Issa said:

“At first it seemed like a difficult thing. But  after you move past the resistance to change and the doubters and the initial up-front expenses….to our surprise, it seemed very much achievable.”

Chef Khaled and his team started with recyling, then began to collect food scraps for composting, he said.  They then focused on building  relationships with local and regional suppliers– farmers, bakers and cheese makers.

The kitchen now has its own  herb garden, makes honey on the hotel campus, is increasingly using recycled containers, has eliminated styrofoam from the campus and has embarked on an initiative to reduce energy use in its storage areas.

“This is an ongoing process, it’s hard work and we are not there yet, but we feel good about our commitment, he said.

The “green kitchen”effort is part of an overall campaign by the hotel to operate in an “eco-friendly” manner, according to  Katie Watson, conference manager at the Seaport Hotel World Trade Center.

As described on the Seaport  Web site, the campaign, called “Seaport Saves”  is dedicated to increasing sustainability and conservation. “It is possible to coexist in a delicate balance with the natural world while providing exceptional service in a luxurious setting.” the Website reads. (The hotel features “environmentally friendly guest rooms,’ local, farm to table organic dining options, green cleaning practices. It also offers complimentary electric vehicle charging stations; and bicycles and helmets  for guests).

At the reception, I  also spoke with:

• Howard Simansky, CEO of  Cambridge-based media company 360 Chestnut and  board member of SmartHomze, which he described as “the world’s first line of affordable, net-zero-energy homes.” Solar powered, all five sizes of Smarthomze use proprietary building systems and new materials to ensure lower costs, high quality, and a healthier environment, he said. I also met (among others):
• Jim Bowen, Boston-based Division Manager for International Renewable Energy at Vertex Engineering, who is working on a major solar site in Mexico City
• Chad Joshi, President and CEO of Altranex, a Toronto company with  a waste-based  biofuel to replace diesel–unusual in that it remains fluid in very cold temperatures
• Paul Laskow, of SaveEnergySystems in Somerville, which offers technology to help mid-sized companies measure and conserve their use of fuel.

BTW–In case you’re curious about the green kitchen’s menu: the beef, artichoke pasta,  lamb, burger sliders, spinach pie, and pastries were delicious.  I especially liked the chocolate-filled chocolate bonbons…and the Pinot. But, with apologies to the chef.the lentil burgers…not so much.

I wish I could have spent more time at the meetup–which included many high level speakers ( Masschusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Diarmuid O’Connell, VP of corporate and Business Development at Tesla Motors, for example) and companies from as far away as Norway and Israel. For more information, about the meetup, go to the conference website at https://meetup2013.pathable.com/#meetings.

As for the MassCEC: it began operating in 2009  with the goal of accelerating the growth of the Massachusetts clean energy industry. According to Catherine Williams, the  CEC’s  Senior Director for Communications,  as the  first agency of its kind in the US. , the Clean Energy Center:

(1) Provides financing and planning assistance to communities, businesses and residents seeking to adopt clean energy projects including solar, wind, biomass, water and organics-to-energy technologies.

(2) Works  with clean energy businesses to grow their operations, provide training and workforce development, develop industry reports and sector analysis, and act as a connector across the clean energy ecosystem from academia and incubators to entrepreneurs and investors.

(3) Provides strategic and early-stage investments growing clean energy companies in order to promote the development of innovative technologies, leverage private capital and create jobs in the Commonwealth..

The  Center is financed by  the Renewable Energy Trust Fund,  created by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1998 as part of the deregulation of the electric utility market. The trust is funded by a systems benefit charge paid by electric ratepayers of investor-owned utilities in Massachusetts, as well as municipal electric departments that have opted to participate in the program.

—Anita Harris

Anita Harris is a writer and consultant based in Cambridge MA. New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group,an award-winning  PR & market development firm based in Kendall Square. HarrisCom specializes in outreach for health, science, technology and energy in the US and internationally.