Hitchcock Center for the Environment

Edible Plant Series with arborist Alex Klein
2026-06-14 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-08-09 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-09-21 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Edible Plant Series
with local herbalist and arborist, Alex Klein
Three sundays: June 14, August 9, September 20
At Hitchcock Center, 2pm – 4pm
Sign up for 1 or all 3 programs
Sliding Scale $60, $75 or $90 for the 3 sessions.
Single classes $25, $32 or $40.
Ever wondered if you could eat that? This is your chance to find out! Join local herbalist and avid forager, Alex Klein, for a series of walks to learn about foraging for and eating wild food. Classes will focus on botanical identification, ethical harvest practices, and safety concerns around eating plants from wild and not-so-wild spaces. We’ll also talk about processing wild plant material and turning it into gourmet food. If we’re lucky, we might even get a snack while we’re out there!
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER

Battle of the Botanicals 2026
2026-06-18 18:00 - 20:00
Battle of the Botanicals
Thursday, June 18, 6pm – 9 pm
Amherst College Powerhouse
Tickets required, 21+ only
We will be inviting some of our region’s top bartender/chef teams to profile their talents and help us raise funds for the Hitchcock Center for the Environment’s environmental justice programs.
Held on Thursday, June 18 from 6 – 9 p.m. this ticketed fundraiser is expected to draw 300+ people. Each restaurant team will present a tasting station with an appetizer and cocktail sample that highlight a signature botanical feature. The three top-voted bartenders will then take the stage for a live cocktail mix-off!
A panel of local celebrity judges will name the winner!
Learn more and get tickets

The Heart of the Season: Summer
2026-06-24 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-07-01 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-07-08 18:00 - 20:00
With Dave Eyerman
Wednesdays, June 24, July 1 & 8, 6pm – 8pm
Sliding scale: $60, $75 or $90 for the series
Explore the seasonal themes of summer through the lenses of Chinese Medicine and other Earth-based spiritual practices. In this three-week class, licensed acupuncturist and shamanic practitioner Dave Eyerman will guide participants in understanding how this season affects their body, emotions, and energy, through a mix of teaching, group discussion, time outdoors, and guided meditation.
Summer is the season of full vibrancy and aliveness, of expression and reveling in the abundance that is around. It is the time to live with hearts wide open and enjoy the splendor of life at full throttle. We can be prone to overdoing it in summer, with FOMO and trying to take advantage of every opportunity available, and we run the risk of not taking the necessary time for breaks and rest.
In Chinese Medicine, summer is the season of the Fire element and its channels Heart, Pericardium, Small Intestine, and Triple Warmer. Lessons of boundaries, appropriately opening and protecting our hearts, sorting through the chaos, and letting our soul shine bright are rich this season.
Participants will learn practical seasonal self-care strategies, ways to support physical and emotional balance, and simple techniques for connecting with natural cycles. All the practices shown are designed to help everyone develop their own personal relationship with the land and its seasonal rhythms.

Hitchcock Harvest: A Celebration of Sustainability
2026-10-18 15:00
Hitchcock Harvest: A Celebration of Sustainability
Harvesting hope for more than 60 years – one petal at a time!
Sunday, October 18, 2026
3 PM – 6 PM
Rain or shine at Hitchcock Center
The Hitchcock Center has been sowing seeds of change and educating for a healthy planet in the Valley for more than 60 years. Come together in community to enjoy local food & libations in our Brew Garden & wander through interactive stations themed around the petals of the Living Building — Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Equity, and Beauty. See what local innovators, and Hitchcock Center, are doing to show what it means to shape a hopeful, resilient future.
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