This year, the United Nations Theme for the International Day of Peace is Climate Action for Peace. This event will have local residents and organizations working on local actions to protect the environment and the audience participation to create a short list of actions we can all do to help.

The City of Northfield’s Climate Action Plan Advisory Board invites you to join us for Northfield’s Climate Action Day on September 19th. See attached flyer. Events include:

*Ribbon Cutting for Electric Vehicle Charging station

* Electric Vehicle Tailgate

* Climate Action Plan Presentation and Conversation

The Steering Committee is pleased to welcome Karen to Carleton College for the 2019 UMACS Conference!

The Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability, UMACS, brings together 200 students, faculty, staff, and campus partners around the topic of sustainability by hosting a conference every other year. Carleton College is hosting the 2019 conference and welcomes you to the keynote presentation and community social hour. Tickets for the event are $30 and can be purchased at https://apps.carleton.edu/sustainability/conference/registration/

Karen Diver is currently serving as the Director, Business Development, Native American Initiatives at the University of Arizona, which is a joint appointment between the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy Native Nations Institute and the James E. Rogers College of Law Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program.

Prior to her current position, she served as the inaugural Faculty Fellow for Inclusive Excellence for Native American Affairs at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.

She was an appointee of President Obama as the Special Assistant to the President for Native American Affairs. As part of the Domestic Policy Council, Ms. Diver assisted with inter-agency efforts, policy and regulatory changes to benefit 567 Native American Tribes. Karen served in this position from November 2015 until the end of the Administration.

Karen served as Chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa from 2007 -2015. This position is elected and serves as chair of the tribal government and CEO of the reservation’s corporate boards. The Fond du Lac Reservation is the 2nd largest employer in northern Minnesota with over 2,200 employees. She served as Vice-President of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (MCT), comprised of six members Bands, and chaired its Finance Corporation.

Karen has extensive board experience in the nonprofit sector. She chaired the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota. She was an appointee of President Obama to the State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resiliency, and co-chaired the Natural Resources Committee.

She has a Bachelors in Economics from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and as a 2002 Bush Leadership Fellow, she received a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Tickets for Karen’s keynote include dinner with local foods, a drink ticket, and access to the poster session. Full conference registration rates are also available at https://apps.carleton.edu/sustainability/conference/

Giddy-up, everyone! The James Gang may be riding to defeat in Northfield this weekend, but that doesn’t mean you should miss your monthly chance to recycle your old, unwanted electronics and/or scrap metals.

The event will take place, as always, at the First UCC parking lot from 10 am til noon on Saturday, September 7th. Downtown will likely be busy considering the various Defeat of Jesse James Days activities, so try to come early.

I also have two additional bits of info.

1. While Jim is still collecting most old TVs for a slightly-increased cash fee ($10-$40), he asked me to reiterate that they must be movable by an average, able-bodied person. Furthermore, he may refuse some on a case-by-case basis, so it is best to check with him first if you have questions. His number is (651) 214-3857.

2. The material that was left at Jim’s house last month was reclaimed. However, I’d like to remind everyone that recycled items must be brought only to the church on the designated day.

Thanks, and as usual, feel free to email me or call Jim with questions.

Applications for grants to support habitat restoration, scientific research and educational projects in the Nerstrand-Dennison Minnesota area are now being sought by the Engeseth-Rinde Fund Advisory Committee and Northfield Shares. Grants typically focus on native habitat restoration of units of the Prairie Creek Wildlife Management Area working in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Scientific research and educational projects may also be funded where the projects have applicability in the Nerstrand-Dennison area. Applications for Engeseth-Rinde Grants can be made by government agencies, non-profit organizations, educational institutions and other similar organizations and usually are in the range of $500 to $15,000. Grant application proposals should be submitted by November 1, 2019. More information about the application process can be found on the website for Friends of Prairie Creek WMA at https://prairiecreekwma.wixsite.com/fopc/grants.

Tim Duane is an accomplished designer of environmental and energy solutions, with a unique combination of academic and practical experience. As an attorney and consultant, he has more than three decades of professional experience in the fields of energy, climate, land use, natural resources, water, and environmental policy, planning, and law. He began working in the renewable energy industry in 1979 and published his first reports discussing climate change in 1990. He is a leading expert on “greening the grid” and the regulatory permitting challenges of renewable energy development. Duane is also professor-in-residence at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he teaches climate law and policy and environmental law and policy.

Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin is the chief strategy officer for the Main Street Project, a Minnesota non-profit organization with a focus in rural development. For more than a decade, Main Street Project has been working to create pathways out of poverty for the growing numbers of rural Latino immigrants relegated to working in low-wage farm and food industry jobs, with no benefits and no future. Main Street Project has developed programs to deliver specialized agriculture training and skills that could help immigrant workers increase their incomes and leverage new job opportunities.