Listing of upcoming events

Community Energy Services Workshop
Feb 4, 2012 at 11:00 am (add this)
Burroughs Community School (map)

Come learn more about the Community Energy Services program and how to reduce energy waste in your home at this free presentation! We always provide coffee, cookies and free childcare. You will also have the chance to schedule your home energy visit from our energy experts. The presentation will start promptly at 10:00am and typically lasts 45 minutes to an hour long.http://www.mnenergychallenge.org/Community-Energy-Services/Sign-Up-for-CES.aspx

Snowshoe Lacing Class
Feb 4, 2012 at 11:00 am (add this)
Laurentian Environmental Center (map)

Have you always wanted to make your own snowshoes or perhaps finish a pair you have started? Here is your chance. Join Laurentian Environmental Center’s Senior Naturalist Jim DeVries as he guides you through a full day of instruction on how to lace snowshoes. Pre-registration and a fee are required. Fees range from $110.00 to $140.00 depending on the type of snowshoe. Participants need to bring a sack lunch. The deadline to reserve a seat is Saturday, January 7, 2011. Call (218) 286-5258 for more information. This class is recommended for ages 13 and up.

Skulls of MN with Three Rivers Park District
Feb 5, 2012 at 2:00 pm (add this)
North Mississippi Regional Park (map)

Free Family Funday: Skulls of Minnesota Drop in anytime. Explore a large skull collection and see if you can match skulls to the animals they came from! Free.

Can Democracy Survive the Age of Science?
Feb 8, 2012 at 1:00 pm (add this)
IonE Seminar Room R380, Learning & Environmental Sciences Bldg., St. Paul (map)

Presenter: Shawn Otto, CEO and Cofounder of ScienceDebate.org and author of Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America. We are poised over the next forty years to create as much new knowledge as we have in the last four hundred years. At the same time, our major unresolved policy problems, from climate change to science education to biodiversity loss increasingly revolve around science, while less than two percent of congress has any professional background in it. As a result, we are becoming increasingly paralyzed at the science gap – the gap between science and democracy. Can democracy survive as a means of self-governance in an age of science? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Community Energy Services Workshop
Feb 9, 2012 at 7:30 pm (add this)
Pillsbury Elementary School (map)

Come learn more about the Community Energy Services program and how to reduce energy waste in your home at this free presentation! We always provide coffee, cookies and free childcare. You will also have the chance to schedule your home energy visit from our energy experts. The presentation will start promptly at 6:30pm and typically lasts 45 minutes to an hour long.http://www.mnenergychallenge.org/Community-Energy-Services/Sign-Up-for-CES.aspx

Winter Camping Basics
Feb 9, 2012 at 8:00 pm (add this)
REI - Bloomington (map)

Camp out in the cold and snow? Of course! It can be an overnight to a local state park or a backcountry excursion, but winter should be a part of your camping adventures. An experienced REI staff member and Three Rivers Park staff will share trip-tested information on dressing to stay warm, selecting equipment, safety considerations, and local winter camping destinations.

Animal Valentines with Three Rivers Park District
Feb 12, 2012 at 2:00 pm (add this)
North Mississippi Regional Park (map)

Free Family Funday: Animal Valentines Drop in anytime. Discover how animals find their mate and play a match-up game. Make valentines for the nature center animals. Free.

Clearing the air: Indoor air pollution, health and climate in developing countries
Feb 15, 2012 at 1:00 pm (add this)
IonE Seminar Room R380, Learning & Environmental Sciences Bldg., St. Paul (map)

Presenter: Jill Baumgartner, Postdoctoral Researcher, Global Renewable Energy Leadership Program. Over half the world’s population burns solid fuels, mostly wood and coal, in open fires or low-quality stoves for cooking and heating. The resulting indoor air pollution is a leading cause of disease and death - more than malaria and tuberculosis. New evidence also suggests that indoor air pollution contributes to climate change at regional and global levels. Interventions for reducing indoor air pollution (improved cookstoves or cleaner-burning fuels) are straightforward, yet billions will likely continue to depend on wood and coal for decades due to complex socioeconomic and behavioral barriers. Drawing from my field studies in China, I will discuss the contribution of indoor air pollution to health and climate, challenges to reducing indoor air pollution in developing countries, and several potential game-changing new interventions and strategies.

Community Energy Services Workshop
Feb 16, 2012 at 7:30 pm (add this)
Northrup Urban Environmental School (map)

Come learn more about the Community Energy Services program and how to reduce energy waste in your home at this free presentation! We always provide coffee, cookies and free childcare. You will also have the chance to schedule your home energy visit from our energy experts. The presentation will start promptly at 6:30pm and typically lasts 45 minutes to an hour long.http://www.mnenergychallenge.org/Community-Energy-Services/Sign-Up-for-CES.aspx

Tales of Scales with Three Rivers Park District
Feb 19, 2012 at 2:00 pm (add this)
North Mississippi Regional Park (map)

Free Family Funday: Tales of Scales Drop in anytime. They swim, slide and slither, but are they slimy? Meet live animals covered with scales and find out. Free.

Story Walks
Feb 19, 2012 at 3:00 pm (add this)
Phalen Regional Park, St. Paul (map)

Participants will enjoy taking a winter walk and reading a book, staked page by page, along a short path at Phalen or Como Regional Parks. Warm fire provided. 1 to 2 volunteers are needed each day to help monitor the walk and keep a fire going Contact Andrew Rodriguez, Volunteer Coordinator at City of St. Paul Parks & Rec Andy.Rodriguez@ci.stpaul.mn.us; 651-632-2411

Geocache on Snowshoes
Feb 20, 2012 at 3:00 pm (add this)
Crosby Farm Regional Park (map)

Participants will learn how to use a GPS unit, learn about the history of snowshoes, and be able to combine two popular activities into one fun event. Geocaches will be hidden around the park and when people collect all of the caches they will be able to trade for prizes. 2 volunteers are needed to assist people with snowshoes, monitor a fire, or help with Geocache units. Pre-registration required. Contact Andrew Rodriguez, Volunteer Coordinator at City of St. Paul Parks & Rec Andy.Rodriguez@ci.stpaul.mn.us; 651-632-2411

film screening "Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time"
Feb 21, 2012 at 7:00 pm (add this)
Bloomington REI – Community Room, 750 W. American Blvd. (map)

6:00 – 6:30 pm Check-in & refreshments 6:30 – 8:30 pm Film & panel discussion Panel features Fred Kirschenmann, national sustainable agriculture leader; June Mathiowetz, Homegrown Minneapolis Coordinator & Tracy Singleton , Birchwood Cafe Owner Register ($10): www.rei.com/Bloomington

Are we getting enough crop per drop? Trends in global agricultural water use
Feb 22, 2012 at 1:00 pm (add this)
IonE Seminar Room R380, Learning & Environmental Sciences Bldg., St. Paul (map)

Presenter: Kate Brauman, Postdoctoral Fellow, Global Landscapes Initiative. People use more water for agriculture than for any other activity, yet we know very little about how much crop per drop we're getting. And water productivity matters a lot when it comes to strategies for increasing water and food security - can we get more food with less water just by increasing food production efficiency, or will big structural changes be necessary? We'll explore the highs and lows of water productivity to see where different kinds of interventions might make sense and how big an impact they could have.

Community Energy Services Workshop
Feb 23, 2012 at 7:30 pm (add this)
Southwest High School (map)

Come learn more about the Community Energy Services program and how to reduce energy waste in your home at this free presentation! We always provide coffee, cookies and free childcare. You will also have the chance to schedule your home energy visit from our energy experts. The presentation will start promptly at 6:30pm and typically lasts 45 minutes to an hour long.http://www.mnenergychallenge.org/Community-Energy-Services/Sign-Up-for-CES.aspx

Leap Year Lopper with Three Rivers Park District
Feb 26, 2012 at 2:00 pm (add this)
North Mississippi Regional Park (map)

Free Family Funday: Leap Year Lopper Drop in anytime. Bunny, rabbit, hare or cottontail! Regardless of what you call them, you know them and have seen them! Over half of the world's rabbit population lives in North America, so celebrate the rabbit AND leap year by hopping over and spending your day meeting, acting like, and getting to know this furry Minnesota neighbor. Free.

Putting the "Fun" Back in "Infrastructure": The electric system and the future of energy
Feb 29, 2012 at 1:00 pm (add this)
IonE Seminar Room R380, Learning & Environmental Sciences Bldg., St. Paul (map)

Presenter: Maggie Koerth-Baker, Science Editor, BoingBoing.net and author of Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before it Conquers Us Electricity just happens. Flip a switch, and the lights turn on. The system is reliable enough and invisible enough that it's easy to spend your entire life not knowing how it works, even though you use it every day. But in an age of limited resources and climate change, ignoring our electric infrastructure is a luxury we can no longer afford. The good news: Infrastructure is fascinating. Maggie Koerth-Baker explains how our flawed and surprisingly precarious electric system evolved, how it controls what we can and can't do to solve our energy crisis today, and what we can learn about the future of energy by studying its past. --

Community Energy Services Workshop
Mar 1, 2012 at 7:30 pm (add this)
Andersen United Community School (map)

Come learn more about the Community Energy Services program and how to reduce energy waste in your home at this free presentation! We always provide coffee, cookies and free childcare. You will also have the chance to schedule your home energy visit from our energy experts. The presentation will start promptly at 6:30pm and typically lasts 45 minutes to an hour long.http://www.mnenergychallenge.org/Community-Energy-Services/Sign-Up-for-CES.aspx

Conserving Tropical Forests from the Ground Up
Mar 7, 2012 at 1:00 pm (add this)
IonE Seminar Room R380, Learning & Environmental Sciences Bldg., St. Paul (map)

Presenter: Jennifer Powers, IonE Resident Fellow and Assistant Professor in the Departments of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior and Plant Biology, University of Minnesota The tremendous biodiversity found in National Parks in tropical countries such as Costa Rica attracts ecologists and biologists from all over the world. The managers of these conserved wildlands often operate with shoe-string budgets and do not have an explicit mandate to facilitate international research. This results in many missed opportunities. For example, researchers often generate useful data for conservation, but these data fail to reach Park managers. How can we better connect academic research carried out by international scientists, education, and conservation in tropical Parks and Conservations Areas? Powers will discuss a personal perspective on how ecological research can be used to support conservation goals.

Preparing Students to Grow a New Agriculture: Experimental Curricula at the University of Minnesota
Mar 21, 2012 at 12:00 pm (add this)
IonE Seminar Room R380, Learning & Environmental Sciences Bldg., St. Paul (map)

Presenter: Nick Jordan, IonE Resident Fellow and Professor of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota New innovation systems are needed to help agriculture meet its ‘grand challenges’. These systems must integrate the major streams of discovery in agricultural bioscience (biotechnologies and agroecotechnologies) and engage this and other research with private enterprise, civil society and government sectors. The goal is to develop new agricultural systems that meet high standards for performance in economic, social and environmental terms.

“Cradle-to-Cradle” – A Design Concept whose Time has Come?
Apr 4, 2012 at 12:00 pm (add this)
IonE Seminar Room R380, Learning & Environmental Sciences Bldg., St. Paul (map)

Presenter: Chuck Bennett, Vice President of Earth & Community Care, Aveda Ten years ago Michael Braungart and William McDonough published their book “Cradle-to-Cradle, Remaking the Way We Make Things,” in which they outline a holistic economic, industrial and social framework that seeks to create systems that are not just efficient, but essentially waste free. The concept is a biomimetic approach to the design of systems, modeling human industry after nature's processes, and suggesting that industry must protect and enrich ecosystems and nature's biological metabolism while also maintaining safe and productive technical metabolisms for the high-quality use of organic and manufactured materials

Fight the Power(point)!
Apr 11, 2012 at 12:00 pm (add this)
IonE Seminar Room R380, Learning & Environmental Sciences Bldg., St. Paul (map)

Presenter: Todd Reubold, Director of Communication and Public Affairs, Institute on the Environment We’ve all been there, sitting in a darkened room while slide after slide flashes by thinking, “There has to be a better way!” Guess what? There is! We no longer have to suffer death by PowerPoint. In this informative and slightly irreverent talk, Todd will discuss some of the most common presentation mistakes along with tips for putting together a superstar talk. He’ll also peer into the crystal projector and share some thoughts on the future of scientific presentations and the importance of communicating science.

Can We Feed the World, and Sustain the Planet?
Apr 18, 2012 at 12:00 pm (add this)
IonE Seminar Room R380, Learning & Environmental Sciences Bldg., St. Paul (map)

Presenter: Jon Foley, Director, Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota In the coming years, continued population growth, rising personal wealth, increasing meat and dairy consumption, and expanding biofuel use will place unprecedented demands on the world’s agriculture and natural resources. These pressures are already overwhelming parts of the system: an estimated one billion people are chronically hungry and current agricultural practices are taking a major toll on biodiversity, land and water resources, and greenhouse gas concentrations. Humanity therefore faces the dual challenge of meeting growing agricultural demands while simultaneously reducing damage to global environmental systems. While the gravity of these twin challenges is enormous, recent analyses point to opportunities to increase global food delivery and dramatically reduce the environmental impacts of agriculture.

Environmental Issues Surrounding the Regulation and Commercialization of Agricultural Biotechnology
Apr 25, 2012 at 12:00 pm (add this)
IonE Seminar Room R380, Learning & Environmental Sciences Bldg., St. Paul (map)

Presenter: Greg Jaffe, Director of the Biotechnology Project, Center for Science in the Public Interest Are genetically engineered crops and animals as risky as some people claim? Will they solve the world's agricultural constraints and lead to more sustainability? Greg Jaffe will summarize the benefits and risks of this technology during the last decade and give his insight into the environmental challenges and issues that face these products in the coming years. He will critique the US regulatory system and challenge policymakers to translate scientific concerns into policy decisions that allow safe products to be commercialized and the environment to be protected. ---