June 29 – 30 Cool Planet’s Edina Family Frisbee Festival and Minnesota Overall Flying Disc Championships.  Half Page handout.  Flyer.  A celebration of flying disc play for all ages and abilities.  Join us for a weekend full of friendly competition, fresh air and FUN!

Saturday, July 13 noon-2pm Citizens Climate Lobby monthly call and meeting in 7 Twin City locations

Bill McKibben at Macalester College with students and the Cool Planet skiers

Cool Planet wishes to thank Bill McKibben for spending 5 marvelous winter days with us.  Bill presented to over 1300 people in St. Paul, MN and Hayward, WI in the time he was with us as well as skiing in the American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race.

Thank you to all who participated in the many different events!

Bill’s talk and J. Drake Hamilton’s comments were broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio on February 27.  Click here to listen.

The presentation in Hayward, WI was broadcast on Indian Country Television and can be viewed here.

Click here to register.

SPEAK UP!! 101 - for all

Sunday May 5th 2-5 pm (Edina location to be determined)

Invite your friends and family members to come!

Learn about the science of climate change from Dr. John Abraham from the University of St. Thomas.  Understand the psychology and challenges of communicating difficult information like this from Dr. Christie Manning (The Psychology of Sustainable Behavior).  Then using the Art of Convening (by Heartland Inc.’s Craig and Patricia Neal), learn to create authentic engagement in meetings, gatherings and conversations about climate change.

Click here to register.

Learn more about SPEAK UP!!

Celebrated author and founder of 350.org Bill McKibben will be joining the Cool Planet Skiers Feb 20-24 for 3 presentations and to ski in his 2nd American Birkebeiner Cross Country Ski Marathon from Cable to Hayward, WI.

McKibben recently completed his “Do the Math” tour to sold out audiences in 21 cities including Madison, WI and Mpls MN. The focus of the post election road trip was to educate and inspire college campuses and communities to begin the process of moving investments and endowment funds away from the fossil fuel industry and towards clean renewable energy sources.

McKibben, a long time cross country skier, will be joining Paul Thompson, co-founder of Cool Planet and 32 time finisher in the “Birkie” and over 30 other Cool Planet Skiers and supporters to bring the 350 message to the largest ski event in North America.

Paul at his first Birkie

The American Birkebeiner is in it’s 40th year of existence and already has closed registration at 10,000 skiers doing either the 50 or 54 km Birke or the shorter Korteloppet at 25 km.

Cool Planet and SPEAK UP!! organizer Paul Thompson recently said:

“Winters are getting warming and more snow free in recent years and cross country skiers will be among the first to experience the loss of the sport they love if business as usual continues. Science tells us that 350 ppm of CO2 in our atmosphere is the redline for stability. We are approaching 400 ppm with few signs of slowing our dependence on the burning of fossil fuels. As athletes and citizens we need to come together to call a halt to our current way of using and producing energy.

At the same time we need to point the way towards a sustainable, healthy way of living which cross country skiers exemplify with their focus on training, nutrition and doing what they love.”

In addition to McKibben’s skiing he will be presenting “Celebrating and Preserving Winter” 3 times while in MN and WI. Feb 20 at the University of St. Thomas, Feb 21 at Macalester College and at 7:30 pm on 2/21 at the Park Theater in Hayward WI

Visitors to our web site can participate in many ways:

1. Contribute to Cool Planet and other organizations working to slow climate change here. (use the donate button on our homepage)

2. Join the Cool Planet Skiers team and ski, skate, snowshoe or hike in your own favortite event or on your own and help to fund our work. Contact Paul at 952-920-1547 or ptflydisc@aol.com

3. Take the next SPEAK UP!! training March 10 and get educated about the urgency of our changing climate and the possibility of creating climate solutions ion your neighborhood. Register on our web site.

THANKS FOR VISITING AND TAKING ACTION!!

YOU ARE THE KEY TO A HEALTHY, SUSTAINABLE AND OPEN HEARTED FUTURE

Buckthorn is a highly invasive species that crowds out native habitat, and is sadly taking over many of our public lands. 

We’ll hopefully have more buckthorn pulls in the coming weeks. For additional details and to RSVP, please contact mnbuckthorn@gmail.com

 I want to encourage every Skyrim player that has loved the beautiful C. G. graphics to come out to the Appalachian Mountains and see the view for themselves. While you may not get to fight dragons, shoot bows and arrows, or become thane in every kingdom, the view is all the more breathtaking for having happened in real life.

Tomorrow will bring the start of our climate conference, where we will bring the experience of our journey with us as we talk to our Senators and Representatives and listen to sustainability experts speak. While I doubt they have the time to spend playing Playstation, I think the lesson of slowing down to look at the actual world around us may continue to be important for all of us.

More thoughts and notes to come.

-Melinda

Click here to register.

SPEAK UP!! trainers and participants at Macalester College, November 2011

SPEAK UP!!- Meet Up- for grads of SPEAK UP!! 101 and invited guests.

Sunday July 15th 2-5 pm
Spring House Ministry Center - South Sanctuary
610 W.28th St, Minneapolis
just East of Lyndale and 28th St.

Dr. Christie Manning from Macalester will tell us about recent research on how people with different worldviews and cultural values respond to information about climate change. Several recent studies show that those Americans who are most scientifically literate and well-informed tend to also be the most polarized in their response to climate science (either very alarmed or avidly denying). However, other studies continue to find that the large majority of Americans are simply disinterested in climate change – they don’t think or worry about it much at all. What is behind these trends, and what do they mean for those of us who want to see progress? Who should we be talking to, and what should we be saying?  How do we more effectively integrate climate conversations and climate solutions in the public dialogue as we enter the election season?

Come prepared to share the successes and obstacles you’ve had in speaking with others in your communities about climate change. You will leave the session having practiced 2 laser talks on climate conversations; have clear personal goals for 2012 -2013; and an opportunity to select a partner to support you in reaching your goals.

SPEAK UP!! 101 - for all

Sunday Aug 5th 2-5 pm
Holy Trinity Church- Fellowship Room on the lower level
2730 East 31st Street, Minneapolis 

This is where you invite your friends and family members to come and find out why you are so involved in this ‘great turning’ that we are all engaged in.

Learn about the science of climate change from Dr. John Abraham from the University of St. Thomas.  Understand the psychology and challenges of communicating difficult information like this from Dr. Christie Manning (The Psychology of Sustainable Behavior).  Then using the Art of Convening (by Heartland Inc.’s Craig and Patricia Neal), learn to create authentic engagement in meetings, gatherings and conversations about climate change.

Click here to register.

Learn more about SPEAK UP!!

Rove is the fellow on the left (but he is the conservative), and Gibbs is on the right (but he is the liberal).

The rest of my day was not quite as interesting, as the seminars I went to talked about the details of siting wind turbines. Most of it was too specific for my use. However, between sessions I wrote a letter to my Congresspeople about the need to extend the Production Tax Credit, and you can too! (Here is a little info on the Production Tax Credit if it does not sound familiar: http://awea.org/issues/federal_policy/upload/PTC-Fact-Sheet.pdf) For some reason, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) combined letter writing with a three hole miniature golf course. I don’t see the connection, so please let me know if you figure it out. Anyways, there is a prize if you hit a hole in one, and I was lucky enough to do it! The prize is a 12 inch “Executive Desktop Model” of a wind turbine, which I’ll have to somehow fit into my suitcase.

The prize for getting a hole in one on the random putting green.

The day concluded with a session on the economic impacts of wind power and why it should be a part of our future. This is definitely the most positive seminar thus far, and it truly is amazing how wind power can boost local economies. For example, the state of North Carolina basically has no wind power (202 kw, or 1/10,000th the installed wind capacity of Minnesota), yet over 5,000 people are employed by the wind energy supply chain in North Carolina. These are folks who add some piece to the overall puzzle, like making fiberglass for the turbine blades or recycling steel to make parts.