HCC to Host ‘Green Ventures’ Discussion, Nature Walk on April 23

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) will host “Green Ventures: Lessons from Environmental Entrepreneurship,” a free public lecture, discussion, and guided nature walk, on Thursday, April 23.

The event, featuring retired environmental entrepreneur Bob Saul and HCC graduate Jamal Cumberbatch, begins at 10 a.m. in the PeoplesBank Conference Room in HCC’s Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, 303 Homestead Ave.

HCC President George Timmons will introduce the speakers, followed by an interview led by Cumberbatch, highlighting Saul’s journey as an environmental entrepreneur. The pair will examine four business ventures through the lenses of vision, funding, implementation, and long-term impact, concluding with an audience question and answer session.

The event will provide students and community members with insights into building successful environmental businesses in Western Mass., featuring case studies from Saul’s career and practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the sustainability sector.

Following the indoor program, at about 11:30 a.m., HCC Environmental Science Professor Heather Ruel will lead a nature hike along the forest trails behind the college, featuring tree identification and observations at a vernal pool.

Saul is a retired businessman and environmental entrepreneur with more than four decades of experience in sustainable business development in Western Mass. and beyond. His professional ventures have included water reallocation in the West; maple syrup production in Vermont; large-scale forestry operations in Maine, New York, the Pacific Northwest, and Central America; as well as his own private enterprises involving retail furniture, black walnut plantations, and table making.

Cumberbatch, a member of the HCC class of 2026, completed his studies in December, earning an associate degree in liberal arts. An adult student and community organizer, he is a development and engagement associate for the Holyoke-based Eagle Eye Institute, a nonprofit agency that organizes programs for area youth to learn about forests.

Environmental nonprofits are invited to reserve free table space to promote their programs. To reserve a table or for more information about the event, contact John Sieracki, HCC leadership gift officer, at [email protected] or (413) 552-2746. To register as an attendee, visit hcc.edu/greenventures.