Letter from the Executive Director

We are proud to share the Will Steger Foundation’s 2009 Annual Report. The report highlights our activities from September 2008-August 2009. We are proud of what we were able to accomplish with the help and commitment of our friends, donors, partners, and sponsors. Will Steger Foundation is particularly grateful for your interest and commitment. We aim to honor your contributions by the uses that we put them. Thank you.

We are also proud to team up with a great company, Stonyfield Farm! Stonyfield Farm is helping us send a dozen young leaders on an expedition to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, December 4-19 to help raise awareness for what’s at stake: our kids and the health of the planet they’ll inherit.

“The fact that the United States is the most notable ‘non-member’ of the Kyoto Protocol makes our participation and activism around Copenhagen even more urgent,” says Stonyfield Farm President and CE-Yo Gary Hirshberg. “We are proud to partner with Will and his organization, and the participation of this group of young people is particularly inspiring.”

To celebrate this monumental moment in climate change efforts and Expedition Copenhagen, Stonyfield is sponsoring a Climate Conference Sweepstakes, which will give away five Trek bicycles. To enter the Sweepstakes – being promoted via Stonyfield Farm yogurt lids -- climate conscious folks can enter online or by mail from November 1, 2009 until January 15, 2010, when a winner will be randomly chosen from the entries received. Complete rules and entry forms can be found at www.stonyfield.com.

Finally, please consider donating to us on November 17th – through givemn.org – where your contribution will be matched 50 cents on the dollar for the first million dollars raised on this day only!

Learn more about recent developments with Copenhagen and other initiatives!

Sincerely,

Nicole Rom, Executive Director

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Emerging Leaders

WSF Co-hosts 350 Day of Action at MN State Capitol

Will Steger Foundation was proud to co-sponsor the 350 Climate Rally at the Minnesota State Capitol on October 24th, in partnership with Oxfam America, 1Sky, Augsburg College, as part of the 350 International Day of Climate Action (www.350.org). Close to three hundred students and community members participated in the event which featured high profile keynote speakers including U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison, U.S. Congresswoman Betty McCollum, State Senator Ellen Anderson, and State Representatives Kate Knuth and Jeremy Kalin. Students from Augsburg, Macalester, University of St Thomas,  University of Minnesota, and Minneapolis Community and Technical College participated in a massive bike ride to the event.

YEA! MN partners with MN Schools Cutting Carbon
Youth Environmental Activists Minnesota (YEA! MN) partnered with Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon, an initiative of the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTS), to host a training in early November for students and teachers regarding the $20,000 CERTS grants related to energy efficiency. Schools Cutting Carbon is helping over 100 high schools, colleges, and universities in the state save money and reduce their carbon footprints through online tools, technical assistance, and mini-grants. It is a collaborative initiative of the Clean Energy Resource Teams, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Office of Energy Security, and supporting partners. Between 10-15 grants of up to $20,000 will be awarded to participating schools for projects that will reduce the carbon footprints of schools and involve students in a leadership role.

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In the News

KARE-11: Will Steger appears on KARE-11 Showcase Minnesota, speaking about the upcoming Expedition Copenhagen in December and the importance of youth engagement in climate policy discussions.

Will Steger Foundation: Expedition Copenhagen Youth Delegate, Danielle Ostafinski of Grand Valley State University, gives viewers an inside look at the people who are making significant achievements in their academic life or professional field or in the community.

Washington Post: Expedition Copenhagen Youth Delegate, Jamie Racine organizes a 350 Day of Action in Racine, Wisconsin and is featured in The Washington Post. "A balloon representing the Earth is hoisted during an event in Racine, Wisc., to coincide with the call to bring carbon emissions down to 350 parts per million, which is said to be the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere."

350.org: On Saturday, October 24th nearly 60 activists gathered at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids, MI for the 350.org International Day of Climate Action. Overall 5,200 events in 181 countries happened on the 24th, marking it as the largest day of global climate action in the planet's history. By Danielle Ostafinski, Expedition Copenhagen

Minnesota Post Online: Expedition Copenhagen Logistics Coordinator, Maia Dedrick writes an opinion piece for policymakers on acting quickly to pass strong climate policy.

Will Steger Foundation: Bicyclists Pedal Climate Message  -  Led by Expedition Copenhagen Delegate, Reed Aronow and Group Makes Stop in St. Peter

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Expedition

The Expedition Copenhagen delegates have been working incredibly hard in recent weeks, producing extraordinary results. Each delegate was involved in the 350 Day of Action, an incredible international collection of grassroots actions emphasizing the importance of getting the CO2 in our atmosphere down to 350 ppm and many of the delegates were key organizers for their local events. Reed Aronow rode more than 350 miles across Minnesota drawing attention to climate solutions and bringing messages on climate change and sustainability from rural areas to the Capitol on October 24th. Jamie Racine from Racine, Wisconsin hosted a rally in Racine's Monument Square that brought together high school students from across the city for music, local food and beverages, speakers, and entertainment from dancing penguins! This event was featured on 350.org's website. We encourage you to visit that website and get inspired by the amazing global solidarity expressed through these actions.

Since then, Sarah & Danielle, our Michigan delegates, participated in a simulation of the U.N. climate conferences and got a better sense of the challenges faced by all in Copenhagen. Meanwhile, all our delegates are building support for the climate bill and lobbying their senators across the Midwest. They are becoming familiar with local issues that will be discussed in Copenhagen, continuing to fundraise, giving dozens of school presentations, participating in committee work, and talking to anyone who will listen about our upcoming trip.

We couldn't be more thrilled that in only 2-and-a-half more weeks we will be headed to Copenhagen! Don't forget to follow us while we are there!

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Action!

Have you signed the Climate Countdown petition yet?
Climate Countdown is a grassroots campaign working to raise campus and community pressure for a bold and just action on climate change in the U.S. and in Copenhagen this December 2009. Join our call for climate action!

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