My grandfather, who didn't go to college but nevertheless started a business in 1929 that thrives today, had a sign on his desk that said, "don't ask me, I didn't go to Harvard."

Well, I didn't go to MIT and I'm pretty sure I never will, at least not above the level of conferences, museums, and Edgerton Alley, a portion of a classroom building hallway devoted to luminary Harold "Doc" Edgerton, inventor of the stroboscope and the "E" in EG&G, who has been an influence on me since I saw him in a Junior Explorers Club session at Boston's Museum of Science when I was 12 or so.

But I am learning from MIT nevertheless, and another such opportunity is coming up on April 24, a one-day conference on sustainability. I regret that I won't be able to attend, but you can, I'm envious of your opportunity.

Presenters are to include Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres; Phil Guidice, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Resources; Laurie Burt, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection; and more than a dozen others.

Topics at the conference are to include how sustainability can advance during a recession, how to measure sustainability success stories, and how to identify opportunities for collaboration and innovation. All attendees will be able to submit their resumes to  a virtual job fair.

Plenty more information is at the conference website, where you can also register.