"Of bugs, food and sun" by Greenpoint

Insect diversity

The New York State Museum will offer a free lecture on insect biodiversity at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, in the Huxley Theater.

The lecture, “Insect Biodiversity in the World’s Wild Places,” will be presented by Museum scientist Dr. Jason Cryan, an entomologist and evolutionary biologist.

Cryan will discuss his ongoing efforts to document insect biodiversity in the rapidly disappearing jungles and rainforests of the world.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is free. For more information, call (518) 474-5877 or visit www.nysm.nysed.gov/.

Panel on eating local

Roots and Wisdom and Schenectady County will host a panel discussion Thursday on the pleasures and benefits of eating local food.

The forum will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, in the McChesney Room of the Schenectady County Public Library, 99 Clinton St., Schenectady.

Panelists include:

* Janet Britt — Pioneer in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement in New York and Land Steward for the Agriculture Stewardship Association.

* Dick Shave — Local food activist and founding member of Schenectady Green Market.

* Noah Sheetz — Local food advocate and Executive Chef to the Governor of New York.

* Leslie Wiedmann-Herd — Organic Grower and Educator, and Director of Garden Programs at Roots and Wisdom.

The program is part of “Celebrating Schenectady’s Bounty,” a joint project of Roots and Wisdom and Schenectady County, with funding from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Green buildings open house

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, groSolar will be offering tours of homes built by the Capitol District Habitat for Humanity featuring grid-tied photovoltaics.

Tours, free and open to the public, depart from 12 Petra Lane, Albany at 10 a.m., 12 noon and 2 p.m.

For more information, call 800.374.4494 or visit www.grosolar.com/events.

Also participating will be the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library, which is inviting the public to stop by any time for a self-guided tour, or at 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. for a guided tour given by Bill Connor of Woodward Connor Gillies & Seleman, the library architects.

The 55,000-square-foot library, opened in 2006, was one of the first green public buildings in New York state and was recognized by NYSERDA for its energy efficiency.

The tours are part of the American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour, and offer the public first-hand views at how clean energy and green building practices can be put to work.