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Join Earthwise Aware for a thought-provoking workshop examining how land use and climate change influence the design, function, and future of urban green spaces. Starting at the library’s front lawn, we will explore how conventional designs can undermine biodiversity and tree health. What makes a space truly nature-friendly? Can a lawn, sidewalk, or plaza be transformed into habitat? We will compare low-functioning green spaces with examples of micro-forests, native plantings, and meadows. Along the way, we will observe seasonal changes in plants and wildlife through the lens of phenology, the study of nature’s calendar. We will also introduce simple participatory science tools that help monitor habitat quality, foster community engagement, and inform better decisions. Even a modest native plant patch can be a pocket of resilience. Come learn how to spot, support, and reimagine urban nature that works with the ecosystem, not just mimics it. The program will start with a workshop in the Rossi Room, then move outside to Joan Lorentz Park. Registration required.

The City of Cambridge has partnered with Cambridge Bike Give Back (CBGB) to help eligible Cambridge residents get refurbished bicycles. You can help in this effort by donating your unwanted bikes for refurbishing and CBGB will pass them on to a person or persons in need. Cambridge Bike Give Back will be collecting bike donations on Sunday, June 15, from 11am to 2pm, at Green Rose Heritage Park. Thanks in advance for your help and support!

Join Earthwise Aware (EwA) for an interactive walk to observe, document, and take part in shaping urban spaces that work with nature. Together, we will explore how design choices and climate pressures shape the ecological value of our everyday green spaces, and document habitat conditions using simple citizen science tools. Starting at the library lawn, we will examine spaces that appear green but often function poorly. Manicured lawns and sparse tree plantings may look inviting, yet they frequently support little biodiversity and can limit soil health and resilience. What makes a space truly nature-friendly? We will record what is present, what is missing, and what that tells us about ecological function. During the walk, we will: Observe and document plant communities and habitat quality Identify signs of low and high ecological function Compare conventional landscapes with more resilient plantings such as native beds or meadow patches Contribute real data that supports local ecological understanding and decision making This is participatory science in practice. Your observations will feed into broader efforts to track urban biodiversity and inform better land use choices. The program will meet outside the library in Joan Lorentz Park. Registration required. Rain date: Wednesday May 6

This week's selection: Shakespeare, King Lear Reading Interests: We concentrate on Great Books in the following areas: a long novel over the summer, two sections of poetry and short stories, a book of the Bible, a Shakespeare play, an ancient and modern drama, a work of science, a smaller work of fiction, an even smaller work of fiction, and a rotating mix of politics, philosophy, and religion. Authors read in the past five years include Dickens, Keats and Yeats, O'Connor and Munro, Ecclesiastes, Sophocles and August Wilson, Darwin, Austen, Duras, The Federalist Papers, and Arendt. How to get the print book: Copies of the reading are set aside at the Main Library. Visit the Main Library at 449 Broadway during current service hours and a staff member can help you get a copy. How to register: Registration is required. Click the registration link below to register. This is a hybrid event. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants 1 hour before the event. For more information, contact Drew Griffin (dgriffin@cambridgema.gov)

This week's selection: Norman MacLean, A River Runs Through It Reading Interests: We concentrate on Great Books in the following areas: a long novel over the summer, two sections of poetry and short stories, a book of the Bible, a Shakespeare play, an ancient and modern drama, a work of science, a smaller work of fiction, an even smaller work of fiction, and a rotating mix of politics, philosophy, and religion. Authors read in the past five years include Dickens, Keats and Yeats, O'Connor and Munro, Ecclesiastes, Sophocles and August Wilson, Darwin, Austen, Duras, The Federalist Papers, and Arendt. How to get the print book: Copies of the reading are set aside at the Main Library. Visit the Main Library at 449 Broadway during current service hours and a staff member can help you get a copy. How to register: Registration is required. Click the registration link below to register. This is a hybrid event. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants 1 hour before the event. For more information, contact Drew Griffin (dgriffin@cambridgema.gov)

This week's selection: Chester Himes, The Real Cool Killers Reading Interests: We concentrate on Great Books in the following areas: a long novel over the summer, two sections of poetry and short stories, a book of the Bible, a Shakespeare play, an ancient and modern drama, a work of science, a smaller work of fiction, an even smaller work of fiction, and a rotating mix of politics, philosophy, and religion. Authors read in the past five years include Dickens, Keats and Yeats, O'Connor and Munro, Ecclesiastes, Sophocles and August Wilson, Darwin, Austen, Duras, The Federalist Papers, and Arendt. How to get the print book: Copies of the reading are set aside at the Main Library. Visit the Main Library at 449 Broadway during current service hours and a staff member can help you get a copy. How to register: Registration is required. Click the registration link below to register. This is a hybrid event. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants 1 hour before the event. For more information, contact Drew Griffin (dgriffin@cambridgema.gov)

This week's selection: Marie Curie, selections Reading Interests: We concentrate on Great Books in the following areas: a long novel over the summer, two sections of poetry and short stories, a book of the Bible, a Shakespeare play, an ancient and modern drama, a work of science, a smaller work of fiction, an even smaller work of fiction, and a rotating mix of politics, philosophy, and religion. Authors read in the past five years include Dickens, Keats and Yeats, O'Connor and Munro, Ecclesiastes, Sophocles and August Wilson, Darwin, Austen, Duras, The Federalist Papers, and Arendt. How to get the print book: Copies of the reading are set aside at the Main Library. Visit the Main Library at 449 Broadway during current service hours and a staff member can help you get a copy. How to register: Registration is required. Click the registration link below to register. This is a hybrid event. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants 1 hour before the event. For more information, contact Drew Griffin (dgriffin@cambridgema.gov)

This week's selection: Euripides, The Bacchae Reading Interests: We concentrate on Great Books in the following areas: a long novel over the summer, two sections of poetry and short stories, a book of the Bible, a Shakespeare play, an ancient and modern drama, a work of science, a smaller work of fiction, an even smaller work of fiction, and a rotating mix of politics, philosophy, and religion. Authors read in the past five years include Dickens, Keats and Yeats, O'Connor and Munro, Ecclesiastes, Sophocles and August Wilson, Darwin, Austen, Duras, The Federalist Papers, and Arendt. How to get the print book: Copies of the reading are set aside at the Main Library. Visit the Main Library at 449 Broadway during current service hours and a staff member can help you get a copy. How to register: Registration is required. Click the registration link below to register. This is a hybrid event. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants 1 hour before the event. For more information, contact Drew Griffin (dgriffin@cambridgema.gov)

This week's selection: Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace Reading Interests: We concentrate on Great Books in the following areas: a long novel over the summer, two sections of poetry and short stories, a book of the Bible, a Shakespeare play, an ancient and modern drama, a work of science, a smaller work of fiction, an even smaller work of fiction, and a rotating mix of politics, philosophy, and religion. Authors read in the past five years include Dickens, Keats and Yeats, O'Connor and Munro, Ecclesiastes, Sophocles and August Wilson, Darwin, Austen, Duras, The Federalist Papers, and Arendt. How to get the print book: Copies of the reading are set aside at the Main Library. Visit the Main Library at 449 Broadway during current service hours and a staff member can help you get a copy. How to register: Registration is required. Click the registration link below to register. This is a hybrid event. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants 1 hour before the event. For more information, contact Drew Griffin (dgriffin@cambridgema.gov)

This week's selection: Voltaire, Candide Reading Interests: We concentrate on Great Books in the following areas: a long novel over the summer, two sections of poetry and short stories, a book of the Bible, a Shakespeare play, an ancient and modern drama, a work of science, a smaller work of fiction, an even smaller work of fiction, and a rotating mix of politics, philosophy, and religion. Authors read in the past five years include Dickens, Keats and Yeats, O'Connor and Munro, Ecclesiastes, Sophocles and August Wilson, Darwin, Austen, Duras, The Federalist Papers, and Arendt. How to get the print book: Copies of the reading are set aside at the Main Library. Visit the Main Library at 449 Broadway during current service hours and a staff member can help you get a copy. How to register: Registration is required. Click the registration link below to register. This is a hybrid event. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants 1 hour before the event. For more information, contact Drew Griffin (dgriffin@cambridgema.gov)