April is the greenest month
Thanks to Seward resident Carol Greenwood for compiling this extensive list of environment-related events.
ENVIRONMENT CALENDAR – APRIL 2008
Everything You’d Want to Know About Raingardens and Water Management on Your Property April 10 through June 9. Various locations around Minneapolis. Check your water bill or go to this very comprehensive website. Sponsored by Metro Blooms. It’s not just flowers.
http://www.metroblooms.org/workshops.php
Wednesday, April 2 and ongoing – Fund Raiser at the Birchwood Cafe for the Seward Peace Garden Here are some of the ways you can help keep this program growing strong this summer and many summers to come.
EAT GREEN! Birchwood will donate $1 for every Green Salad and greens upgrade. DRINK GREEN! Birchwood will donate $2 for each 1 lb. bag of Organic Shade Grown Birchwood Blend Peace coffee.
SHOP GREEN! Buy a Blue Sky Guide @ the cafe and Birchwood will donate $5
GIVE GREEN! For every $5 donated the Cafe pick one packet of Botanical Interests vegetable, herb or flower seeds. (seeds provided cost by Mother Earth Gardens) Donate $25 and opt for an Organic Salad Bowl Kit. Includes Organic mixed greens “Salad Bowl Blend” seeds and a bowl full of organic potting soil to grow them in. Donate $100 and receive a $20 Birchwood gift card AND the Organic Salad Bowl Kit.
Dero Bike Rack Company and an anonymous donor have agreed to match our donations up to $1000 and I’m confident other businesses will too. We’re already half way to where we need to be for a successful summer program! You can donate directly to SNG & Peace Garden online @ www.sng.org.
Thursday, April 3 – Doors 6:30 p.m., Film 7 p.m. Free! Celebrate Sustainability Film Series
MCAD College Center, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2501 Stevens Ave. S., Mpls. Please join us for the following screening about key sustainability issues affecting our world. Discussion with practicing eco-designers after the showing. What Life Knows: New Ideas From Biology That Could Change the World Janine Benyus, 2005. The author of Biomimicry speaks to the Bioneers conference…and…The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono and Fredric Back. A parable about rebuilding our world.
Saturday, April 5, 9:00 am to 12:00 Noon. Discussion on the Future of Minnesota Forests with Dr. Lee Frelich Sierra Club North Star Chapter Office 2327 E. Franklin Avenue, Suite #1, Mpls.
Join the Sierra Club North Star Chapter for a lively discussion with Dr. Lee Frelich, the Director of the University of Minnesota, Center for Hardwood Ecology. We will discuss the implications, impacts, and action oriented solutions for the future of our forests in Minnesota. This event is free and all are welcome. Please RSVP to Lois Norrgard, lnorrgard@bcmn.com, or 952-881-7282.
Tuesday, April 8, 6 p.m Cafe Scientifique – Fueling the Future – Kitty Cat Klub, Dinkytown, Free information line: 612-624-7083 / registration: 612-624-9050 Despite evidence of global warming and its environmental impacts, our demand for energy is steadily rising. In order to address the problem we will need not one but many solutions—from cleaner, more efficient energy sources to creative conservation efforts. A panel of researchers and business leaders will discuss possible ways that we might fuel the future, such as increasing wind and solar power and generating electricity from microorganisms found in our waste.
Wednesday, April 9 – Green Drinks – 6:00 pm Red Stag Supper Club, 509 1at Ave. NE Mpls, , Banks lot free after 6. Theme: Green living! Trends, fads and function in a green household. Guest speakers; Ryan and Tina North of ReGifts/Twin Cities Green
Saturday, April 12th, 10 am to 12:00 Noon – Everyday Toxins…Guidelines for Reducing Your Exposure – at Twin Cities Green, 2405 Hennepin Ave. So., Mpls. – Guidelines for reducing your exposure to toxins and steps to take to reduce your body’s toxic load. Presented by Katherine Krumwiede, L.A.C. Register online at www.doitgreen.org, click on ‘workshops’
Tuesday, April 15, 5 PM to 8 PM – Metro CERTS kickoff, 5:00 to 8:00 pm Landmark Center, W. 5th St. St. Paul RSVP Diana McKeown, 278-7125 – Kick off the Metro Community Energy Resource Teams with this event. Food will be provided. Short program at 6:30.
Tuesday, April 15, The Future of Local Farming/Part 2 – Local Food As Economic Development – 7:00 to 8:30 pm -Hosted by Linden Hills Co-op, join this important discussion on efforts to gain government support for local farming & local food and learn what you can do to help ensure that our right to choose local foods does not disappear. For info: allie@lindenhills.coop or phone 279-2450 to find out location.
Tuesday, April 15, 7:00 PM Native Woodlands as a Shade Garden Model
Nokomis Community Center, 2401 East Minnehaha Parkway Shelley Larson. View several types of native woodland communities with Shelley Larson, owner of Hayland Woods Native Nursery. She will help you decide which plants will do best to transform your tough shady spot into a woodland garden retreat as well as a healthy ecosystem. Shelley grows native plants for homeowners, contractors, the Minnesota DNR and University of Minnesota Extension. She and her family manage 80 acres of certified sustainably-managed woodlands plus she is the plant coordinator for the Lost Valley SNA in Hastings.
Wednesday, April 16 12:30 to 4:30pm, Local Government Sustainability Workshop: Using Model Sustainability Ordinances to Implement Your City’s Sustainability Goals Paul & Sheila Wellstone Community Center, 179 Robie Street East, St. Paul 200 local government staff and elected officials and 200 citizen leaders will learn about model sustainability policies and ordinances cities can adopt to implement the sustainability goals included in their new comprehensive plans. For more information on how you can participate in the conference, call or email the Alliance for Sustainability at 612-331-1099×1 or sean@fors.org. Register online at www.afors.org.
Wednesday, April 16 – Hub of Heaven Garden Plots will be available for new gardeners -(if space still available following the sign-up period for returning gardeners that ends on April 15. Call 375-0040. Rent $25 a plot. Required workday on April 26.
Thursday April 17, 2008, HAMLINE SUSTAINABILITY SERIES Meeting the Goal: Examples of Sustainability from the Field Registration & Reception: 3:45 p.m. Program: 4:15 – 5:45 p.m. Location: Kay Fredericks Room, Klas Center, Hamline University Saint Paul Campus. Panelists: Patrick Hamilton, Director of Environmental Sciences and Earth-System Science Exhibits Division, Science Museum of Minnesota; Anders Rydeker, President, District Energy St. Paul; and Karen Utt, Senior Environmental Analyst, Xcel Energy.
Thursday, April 17 – 3:00 to 5:00 – Southeast Como Improvement Association “Green Village”,
outside the van Cleve Park building, 901 15th Ave. S. E. – Targetted for SECIA residents but with exhibits and info for all attendees. www.secomo.org, 676-1731
Saturday, April 19, 9:30 – Meet at River Rd. & 24th St. for the Annual Watershed Clean-up in honor of Earth Day (which occurs on April 22).
Saturday, April 19, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm – 7th Annual Seward Co-op Community Sponsored Agriculture Fair (CSA) – 30 participating farms. 338-2465 www.seward.coop as part of this event the Birchwood Cafe will be conducting a Bake Sale to raise funds for the Seward School Peace Garden. Other fund raisers for the Peace Garden will be held at the Birchwood Cafe, 3311 E. 25th St.
Sunday, April 20 – Birchwood Cafe Annual Fair Trade Wine and Dine – Organic and biodynamic wines and fair trade fair. Call Birchwood to make a reservation – 722-4474 – or e-mail at
info@birchwoodcafe.com
Sunday, 20 April 2008 – 11:00am Harriet Island, Saint Paul – 11:00 am to 5:00 pm -Wishes for the Sky -More information at Friends of the Mississippi website. http://www.fmr.org/participate/events/wishes_for_the_sky-2008-04-20
Monday, April 21, 7:00, SNG Environment committee 7:00 pm at SNG office. – Presentation about permaculture, a more effective way of producing food from perennial plants in your yard, plus other business.
Climate Change Film Festival Bell Museum April 24–27, 2008 Complete festival program coming soon! (Google for details)
The first Science on Screen Film and Video Festival will focus a lens on climate change and global warming. Featuring a new documentary and fiction films, short videos, discussions, and workshops exploring the science and culture of our changing climate. Highlights include an opening night reception at the Bell Museum, a local “Green Shorts” short film showcase, and a panel discussion on food and global warming at the Red Stag, the first LEED-certified restaurant in Minneapolis.
Friday-Saturday-Sunday, April 25, 26, 27 – Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Adventure Expo
www.outdooradventureexpo.com
Arbor Day on the Midtown Greenway Saturday, April 26th
The area east of Hiawatha Avenue where the Midtown Greenway connects to the new bridge will be the site of the 2008 Arbor Day event. Volunteer to help plant oaks, aspens, small fruiting trees and evergreens—greenspace for LRT riders to view and shade for trail users. The design features the beauty and environmental benefits of native plants and will make a grand green gateway to the neighborhood. The event is sponsored by the Midtown Community Works Partnership, Hennepin County Regional Railroad, Tree Trust, the Midtown Greenway Coalition, LCC and other partners. Be sure to mark your calendars and contact Theresa Nelson at theresa@midtowngreenway.org to volunteer.
Saturday & Sunday – April 26 & 27, 2008 Mpls. & St. Paul Home Tour – www.msphometour.com,
check out the Nestingen home at 3641 47th Ave. So., a MN Green Star remodelling project.
Sunday, April 27, 1:00-3:00 p.m. Garlic Mustard Pull – East 35th Street & West River Parkway, Minneapolis Help remove invasive garlic mustard from the river flats and the oak savanna in the Longfellow neighborhood in the Minneapolis River Gorge. Pre-registration is required — visit our event pages for details: www.fmr.org
Saturday and Sunday, May 3 & 4 – Living Green Expo, Minnesota State Fair Ground, Go to
http://www.livinggreen.org/
Exhibits, food, entertainment, all your questions about green living answered. Flyers available at Birchwood, Clicquot, Matthews, the Seward Coop, and various places you want to be. The premiere environmental event in Minnesota (except for Eco Experience in August).
Saturday, May 31st, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm Longfellow-Shasta Planting -3400 28th Street East Pre¬registration required
Longfellow Community Council is partnering with Great River Greening on an exciting project to beautify the Midtown Greenway. We plan to establish an oak savanna plant community on the section between 34th and 36th Avenues, adjacent to the former Shasta bottling plant. 50 volunteers are needed to spread native prairie seed and plant oak trees and shrubs. The planting will increase wildlife habitat and will be highly visible to the many pedestrians and bicyclists who use the Midtown Greenway. Support for this project has been provided by the Longfellow Community Council and by grants from Hennepin County Environmental Services and Pilgrim Lutheran Church.
Individuals of all ages, families with supervised school-age children and community groups are welcome to participate. Pre-registration is required, so sign up today! Register online at www.greatrivergreening.org under “Volunteer” or contact the Greening Volunteer Program and Event Manager at volunteer@greatrivergreening.org or 651-665-9500 ext. 11. For more information about future Greenway events contact Hillary Oppmann at hillary@longfellow.org or 612-722-4529.
last revised: April 3, 2008