Educational Events

Bringing Tree Equity to Boston
Tuesday, Oct. 26th 7 pm

Virtual Webinar host via Zoom
(registration link)

In an era of climate change, trees are a critical component of building healthy and resilient communities. At Speak for the Trees, Boston, they care about trees because trees care for us. Join us as we host David Meshoulam from Speak for the Trees. They work at the intersection of environmental justice, racial and social equity, public health, and climate change to advocate for a healthy and equitable urban forest in Boston. They recognize the inequities of tree canopy coverage and believe that trees are a vital component of developing, building, and maintaining healthy and vibrant communities. This talk is cosponsored by the Swampscott Conservancy, Town of Swampscott Conservation Commission, Swampscott Library, and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn.

David co-founded Speak for the Trees in 2018. Trained as a science educator, his work has focused on ways to increase understanding of the connections between science, culture, and history and to empower them to be change agents. He holds a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a Senior Fellow at the Environmental Leadership Program, and is co-chair of the Urban Ecology Collaborative.

Social resilience in the realms of climate change within the Mystic River watershed
Tuesday, Nov. 9th 7 pm
Virtual Webinar host via Zoom
(registration link)

Join us to learn more about the intersections of climate change, heat, and health in the Greater Boston Area with Melanie Gárate from the Mystic River Watershed Association. The Mystic River watershed faces disproportionate impacts from climate change. Climate vulnerabilities are largely separated by the exposure, sensitivity and the ability to bounce back from an extreme weather event. How did we get there? What are the root causes? And how can we move forward in a just and equitable way? This talk is cosponsored by the Swampscott Conservancy, the Town of Swampscott Conservation Commission and the Swampscott Library.

Melanie Gárate is the Climate Resiliency Project Manager for the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA). She started her career as a marine scientist examining how people impact climate change. At MyRWA, Melanie works with municipal CEOs, grassroots organizations, public health officials, and local residents in the Boston area to understand who the most vulnerable populations are during and after extreme weather and ways the municipalities within the watershed can work collectively to enhance climate equity and resilience.