Green Living Bemidji

Online Sustainability Resources for the Northwoods

   Sep 24

Celebrate with Garden Community Potluck on Tuesday! Upcoming Worldwide Day of Play & Library Events!

This Tuesday, September 25th , Sustainable Tuesdays is hosting a Community Potluck Evening! 

Bring your own favorite dish from your garden’s fall harvest and come down to the Rail River Folk School (303 Railroad St. SW) from 5:30 to 7:30 pm to join together to celebrate community and the bounty of fall!

Since Sustainable Tuesdays began in January, we’ve gathered together around many sustainability topics and ideas. We’ve hosted thirty-six events featuring speakers, panels, round-tables, hands-on workshops and movies. To date, over three hundred different community members have attended a Sustainable Tuesday program for a grand total of over one thousand total attendants (many people have come to more than one event).

Our topics have drawn from diverse voices in our community and focused on issues ranging from recycling awareness to improving energy efficiency and renewable energy utilization, from making water barrels and worm composting bins to discussing how to energize our burgeoning local foods movement!

On Tuesday, we’ll be looking back at the many highlights as well as looking forward to continue to enhance our program. The potluck will celebrate not only the turning of the seasons, but the transition between Bemidji’s GreenCorps members.  This Tuesday will be my own last official program “on the job” and one of Caitlyn Schuchhardt’s, Bemidji MN GreenCorps 2012-2013, first! Caitlyn will be joining Simone Senogles, co-founder of Sustainable Tuesdays and Development Associate for IEN, with continuing the weekly programming for the year ahead.

Come welcome our new GreenCorps member and celebrate all this year has held! In addition, given that the Sustainable Tuesdays program runs through funding cycles that  need to demonstrate results, we are also asking that everyone, regardless of attending Tuesday’s potluck, reflect back on the programs you’ve attended.  If you could take a few minutes and email a short description of any actions that you have taken based on the information covered here at Sustainable Tuesdays, we will compile all of this information for our own records and share the collected result back with the group. Thank you for your help in demonstrating the success of this program!
We look forward to seeing you Tuesday and sharing delicious food from our own hands and gardens together!
Seed Saving Workshop Teaches Resiliency
Last week’s workshop opened with a web speech by Dr. Vandana Shiva (click on her name for the link to the fifteen minute interview), the renowned global sustainability advocate from India, and her advocacy for growing GM-free crops, connecting the issue of genetic engineering with the whole global ecology focused movement.
We are also very thankful for the chance to learn from local community members Diana Kuklinski and Rochelle Quick about the importance and process of preserving seeds. Diana, who has converted acres of her own yard to native grasses, flowers, and vegetation, shared a wide variety of her own seed stock and presented information about how to begin to make the transition in our own yards, including recommending the Prairie Moon nursery as a wonderful resource. Rochelle spoke about the seed viability of many common vegetables and how to dry out and preserve their seeds. In the workshop, we worked together to begin drying out both heirloom sunflower and tomato seeds.
MN Design Team Visit Prompts Community Discussion

The Minnesota Design Team visited our community two weekends ago and after spending many hours listening to agencies, local businesses, and community members, reflected an overarching community vision to help stimulate discussion and look ahead to what Bemidji of 2030 could look like.  If you missed the event or if you’re curious about what the next step is now that the Design Team has visited, your support and involvement is crucial!  One of the main focuses of the presentation asked the question, how can Bemidji move towards greater and greater sustainability — in it’s local economy, energy generation, local food-shed, and land use among many areas.  If you have an interest and passion for making these dreams become a reality in the form of the written comprehensive plan, make sure to attend the upcoming Bemidji Sustainability Committee meeting, taking place Wednesday, October 3rd, at 6:30 pm in the City Hall. We’ll be talking about next steps we can take as a community and your voice and energy will be greatly appreciated!

2012 World Wide Day of Play

This Saturday, September 29th, the 2012 World Wide Day of Play will be held in Bemidji at Paul Bunyan/Waterfront Park. Among the many fun activities available, help is needed from volunteers with bike ride registration from 8:30am – 10:30am.  There is a Lake Bemidji Bike ride being organized by Natalie Gille to go along with the day’s events. The ride is free and open to all of the public and especially younger rides are encouraged to be a part of it! Free Active Living T-shirts, snacks and water will also be provided and to sign up to help volunteer, contact Natalie at natalie.r.gille@gmail.com or 218-239-0076. 
 
Bemidji Library promotes “REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE” program!
The Bemidji Public Library is promoting Earth Care through games, art, crafts and reading!  The programs  will be held at the library (509 America Ave.) on Thursday afternoon from 3:30 to 4:30, from October 4 through November 1, taking a break on the week of Thursday October 18.  Each week will designed for a specific age range.  Children should pre-register by calling 751-3963 as there is limited seating for each session, and drop-ins will only be allowed as space permits.  There is no charge, the series is funded through the State of Minnesota Legacy Amendment.  The series is presented by Happy Dancing Turtle, an educational organization from Pine River, MN.

As always, our program depends on your input and feedback, and we welcome your ideas and suggestions to broaden our community. We especially look forward to any feedback/stories you can share about what you’ve learned and behaviors you’ve changed this year as a result of the programming! Sustainable Tuesdays feature a variety of learning opportunities focused onsustainability that connect our beautiful, vibrant community and is a partnership program with the Indigenous Environmental Network, MN GreenCorps, Rail River Folk School and BSU’s Sustainability Office.

For more information, contact Brett Cease at 755-3765 or Simone Senogles 751-4967

Sustainable Tuesdays feature a variety of learning opportunities focused on sustainability that connect our beautiful, vibrant community and is a partnership program with the Indigenous Environmental Network, MN GreenCorps, Rail River Folk School and BSU’s Sustainability Office.

With appreciation,

Brett

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