Nerd Nite April: Greenwashing and Ranked Choice Voting
Hoy cow, it’s already (almost) April! We’re very happy here to bid winter a not so fond farewell and welcome green back into our lives.
Speaking of “green”… here are our talks!
A Cure for Greenwashing
Is your coffee eco-friendly? What about your favorite cereal? Your computer paper? Businesses who make these products might tell you it’s all “green”, but is it? Hear about Greenwashing and how it affects our planet. This fun and engaging talk will empower you and show you easy ways to live an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Kery Emma Ellis began as a veterinary nurse but found her true passion as a nature guide. She earned her master’s degree in conservation biology at Antioch New England and has since been leading bird hikes and giving talks on shade-grown coffee. Her other passions are dance and indie film.
No Spoiler Alerts: Ranked Choice Voting Explained
Every election cycle, we endure a familiar debate over “spoiler” candidates: one side decries “wasted votes” for a candidate that can’t win, while the other condemns voting for “the lesser of two evils.” I’ll show how the spoiler effect is not inherent to voting, but a consequence of the Plurality system we use in most U.S. elections today. We’ll learn about Ranked Choice Voting, an alternative system that allows voters to rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference, and we’ll consider its potential benefits to elections in Massachusetts and beyond.
Greg Dennis serves as Research Director for Voter Choice Massachusetts, a non-partisan, non-profit organization devoted to educating the public about electoral reform. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from MIT in 2009.
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$5 Entry. Guests under 21 years are welcome in the banquet room area, but are restricted from the front bar, so please have your ID on you if you’d like to order alcoholic beverages.
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