Upcoming Events
Friday, October 7, 2022 12:01am - 11:59pm
24 Hours of Reality: Spotlight on Solutions and Hope
People everywhere are taking the planet's future into their own hands, working to leave fossil fuels behind and build a more just and sustainable tomorrow for us all.
On October 7, we're telling that story, with 24 Hours of Reality: Spotlight on Solutions and Hope.
For one day, we’ll be traveling around the world hearing stories from activists about how they created real climate solutions in their communities and step-by-step to help you get involved and make change where you live. We’ll also be hosting Global Dialogues with former US Vice President Al Gore and other changemakers on the topics of:
Join us on October 7 to get inspired, learn more about what you can do, and take action to build the future we all want.
Friday, October 7, 2022 1pm-2pm
Virtual Teach-In: How Extended Producer Responsibility Can Help End Plastic Pollution
Sierra Club and Mankato Zero Waste have been involved in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging legislation and we want to share some information with you. EPR legislation has passed recently in 4 states and many others are working on similar bills, including here in Minnesota. Plastic waste is at crisis levels, in Minnesota and world-wide, and good EPR legislation has the potential to reduce excess packaging, make it more recyclable, and make packaging safer. Plastic packaging is damaging our environment, impacting our health, and low-income and communities of color are impacted the most from pollution during production and disposal of plastic.
Sierra Club and Mankato Zero Waste are partnering with Beyond Plastics to hold a 'teach-in' on Effective Extended Producer Responsibility legislation on Friday, October 7th from 1-2:00 PM CDT. Rep. Sydney Jordan is authoring an EPR for Packaging bill and will be joining as well.
Thursday, October 13, 2022 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Our regular CHAPTER Zoom meeting
Climate-Poverty Connections:
How can climate solutions advance human well-being and contribute to poverty alleviation
Featured Speaker: Carissa Patrone Maikuri, Program Coordinator with Drawdown Lift
We will hear from Carissa Patrone Maikuri, Program Coordinator with Drawdown Lift, a program of Project Drawdown, who will discuss findings from Project Drawdown's new landmark report, "Climate–Poverty Connections: Opportunities for synergistic solutions at the intersection of planetary and human well-being". Carissa will share concrete evidence of how climate solutions can also contribute to meeting human well-being needs and alleviating poverty in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and how policymakers and decisionmakers can take action.
About the Speaker: Carissa Patrone Maikuri is a passionate connector and Program Coordinator with Drawdown Lift, the newest program of Project Drawdown that works to deepen collective understanding of the links between climate change solutions and poverty alleviation, particularly in Africa and South Asia. She has over ten years of experience in community-driven development, sustainability, equity, and climate change. She earned a Master of Public Administration degree with an emphasis in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Grand Valley State University and holds a certificate in Climate Change and Health from the Yale School of Public Health. In her spare time, she can be found running around one of the lakes in the Twin Cities or reading a good book outside.
Zoom link for registration will be published around the first week of October.
Thursday, November 10, 2022 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Our regular CHAPTER Zoom meeting
Forest Management and Tree Planting for Climate Change Mitigation
Featured Speaker: Lee E. Frelich, Director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology
Forests store large amounts of carbon, and optimal management of forests and expansion of forest cover could help mitigate future climate change by sequestering carbon. We will examine the forest management and tree planting practices that have the potential to draw down atmospheric CO2, as well as their limitations. GreenAgain Madagascar, a tropical rainforest restoration project associated with the University of Minnesota, will be highlighted as an example of expanding forest cover in a deforested area.
About the Speaker: Lee E. Frelich is Director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology. He received a Ph.D. in Forest Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1986. Frelich has authored more than 200 publications with 287 coauthors from 26 countries, including major works for Cambridge University Pressand Oxford University Press. He is listed among the top 1% of all scientists in the world in the Ecology and Environment category by the Web of Science. His research has been featured in the news media 500 times, including such venues as The New York Times, Newsweek and Washington Post. Frelich has provided consulting services on forest management for the U.S. Army, Air Force, National Forest Service, and National Park Service. Current research interests include large-scale fire and wind, earthworm invasion, and climate change in temperate and boreal forests.
Zoom link for registration will be published around the first week of November.
Note: Chapter meeting invitations are sent to all current chapter members a few days before the event. Membership is free and open to all trained Climate Reality Leaders and the public. If you join (https://www.climaterealitymsp.com/join) less than a week before a meeting or event, please email info@climaterealitymsp.com and ask for an invitation or follow the registration link on this page.