Meeting Recap

Hey everybody!
This past Wednesday we got together for our first meeting of the semester. Naturally there was a lot of catching up to do! For those who couldn't make it out that night, some of the things we talked about included previous events we held and participated in last semester, including the Long Way Home/Alternative Construction Day and film screenings, as well as the meeting that Brittany, Brigitte and I attended with Becky Anderson, Coordinator of Student Activities at the BAC.

Believe it or not, we're already a quarter of the way through the semester! This means that the heat is on in terms of event planning. As we also discussed in our meeting, it's really important that we start brainstorming what types of opportunities we want to get involved in this year and how we can make it happen. I'm pretty excited about the ideas that were shared during the meeting, including:

• Archventures, a Boston-based organization that provides design/build assistance for urban nonprofits in underserved communities. Projects include the redesigning of trophy displays and the space they inhabit at the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics in Roxbury (January '10), refurbishment of the shed used by the Hawthorne Youth Community Center (March '10), and a remodel/renovation of the facilities used by the Piers Park Sailing Center in East Boston (March '10). One of the unique features of Archventures is their "Blitz-Build" approach to certain projects, a great opportunity to involve folks like us in a construction project that typically lasts up to four weekends.
  
• Co-op Power, a network of communities throughout New England and New York that uses the co-op framework to make renewable energy a more attainable option for all. Initiatives that the Metro East division have worked on include barn raising-style weatherization and solar hot water projects, group energy purchases, and continual support for both green jobs and green businesses.

So lets keep brainstorming! Feel free to share your ideas by commenting, making your own post (see the first entry to learn how), or by coming up with a gnarly list for next time. We won't be meeting next Wednesday as Brian reminded us of an awesome opportunity to see David Adjaye speak at Harvard next Wednesday for the 2010 NOMA Conference (more information on that here), so check for an email/post from us soon for updates!

Attendees: Brittany W., Brigitte D., Bryan K., Kevin Y., Daniel F., Ivy S.
Time: 7:30-8:30 PM.