Attending or presenting at conferences is a regular part of our life in the SAGE programs at GCC. It’s a great way for students to connect to the partners in the energy and food and farm sectors. The conversations are fruitful, relaxed and sometimes lead to internships or even job possibilities.

Every March a cohort of students and RE/EE instructors heads to Boston to attend the nationally renowned BuildingEnergy conference in the World Trade Center of the Seaport District, organized by NESEA, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. Here are some of the reactions that students shared with us afterwards:

• “It was great to feel inspired, to be with people with a big vision.”
• “The industry was very generous about spreading information. People were not guarded, and the lectures were so numerous!”
• “The range of material was so vast, I could have benefitted from more days.”
• “NESEA made me realize there’s a group of people passionate about something like me. I’m passionate about using waste… and I’m not alone.”

In April, we presented at The Sustainability on Campus & Main Street Conference. During the first day at Hampshire College, SAGE Director Peter Rosnick talked about how colleges can contribute to a sustainable future and Kate Devlin presented on her trip to the Paris Climate Talks. The second day, GCC’s Farm and Food Program Coordinator Amy Louise Pfeffer, Sarah Kanabay of the Franklin County Community Coop, and GCC student interns presented on the new Tuesday Farmers’ Market in Greenfield. This collaborative effort strives to develop replicable model for coordinating food and farm systems education, the expansion of agricultural markets, and food access as ways to support the growing sustainable farm movement in the Western Mass Pioneer Valley region.