PETERSHAM — In addressing the issue of climate change, Marilyn Castriotta asks, “What Would Thoreau Do?” on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 11 a.m. as part of the First Congregational Parish Unitarian service to be held in Davis Memorial Hall at 3 West St.
“Henry David Thoreau, the great American naturalist, writer and social reformer, was born on July 12, 1817, in Concord, Mass.,” said Castriotta. “Two hundred years later, his words and legacy are still very alive and relevant to the unprecedented environmental, social and political upheaval we are experiencing in America.”
She said Thoreau exercised great courage by speaking up and taking a stand for both conservation and civil liberties.
“What would Thoreau say — with his great wisdom and wit — and, more importantly, what would he do in response to current conditions?” she asked.
Castriotta said she developed an affinity for nature growing up in Barre, where she gravitated to the woods and nearby Mass Audubon sanctuary. With a Master of Science in applied anatomy and physiology, her professional path began in the medical field. She then transferred her understanding of biological systems to the environmental field, where, after a decade of work, she completed a Master of Science in environmental studies with a concentration in conservation biology.
Castriotta currently serves as TerraCorps community engagement coordinator at Kestrel Land Trust in Amherst. She is a commissioner on Northampton’s Public Shade Tree Commission and a training mentor for Climate Reality.
All welcome to attend the free event. Refreshments will be served following the service. For more information, call 978-544-1872.