Letter from the Executive Director

We’ve been hard at work this past month defending our key climate and energy laws. We survived attacks on the EPA last week, even though our own Senator Klobuchar voted in favor of two amendments that would weaken the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases, none of the amendments passed.

In Minnesota, the Next Generation Energy Act of 2007, which established Minnesota as national leader in statewide climate solutions, is being challenged at the state legislature. Legislators in both the Minnesota House and Senate are working to repeal the part of the Next Generation Energy Act that requires companies investing in new dirty energy from coal to compensate for the accompanied increase in carbon pollution. We organized a meeting with Governor Dayton and Will Steger, WSF Youth Programs Director Abby Fenton and nine youth leaders (representing WSF’s high school program, YEA! MN and several campus groups). The purpose of the meeting was for the youth and Will to share their concerns for our economy and environment and desire to move Minnesota towards a cleaner energy economy. The Governor was clearly moved by their passion and insistence that Minnesota cannot backslide on its transition away from coal.

In other good news, we’re moving next month! With anywhere from 2-7 people crammed into an office space of 449 square feet, we’re excited to move into a bigger and better space in the Greenway building where we can accommodate our growing staff and organization.

We were also added to the National Geographic Global Action Atlas giving platform to increase the opportunities where people can learn and support our work. Additionally, after a year-long process, we finally meet the Charity Review Council’s accountability standards for transparent and accountable practices. You can view our profile here.

Earth Day and the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are just around the corner. The National Environmental Education Foundation sponsors Earth Week every year, and this year the focus is on the world’s oceans, with unique resources on our oceans and the deepwater oil spill. We encourage you to get outside and do something for the planet this month! Check out many of the events we have in the coming weeks.

Kind Regards,

Nicole Rom, Executive Director

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Education

Parks Climate Challenge Comes to Minnesota

Kristen Poppleton recently went to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont to talk about professional development on climate change in our national parks. Read the recap and learn about our partnership with the National Parks Foundation.

Register today, our Summer Institute for Climate Change Education is over halfway full!  August 11-12, 2011

School of Environmental Studies, Apple Valley, MN

Remember this year's Institute:

• is free
• includes mileage and accommodations if you are traveling outside the Twin Cities
• will provide participants with a copy of our new Minnesota's Changing Climate curriculum, aligned with Minnesota State Standards
• includes a variety of sessions and workshops focused on climate change impacts in Minnesota, service learning and an introduction to our new online classroom
• provides $500 action grants to Twin Cities metro grades 6-8 teachers who apply

Click Here for more information

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Emerging Leaders

Midwest Youth Take the Lead

150 Midwest youth gathered in Chicago for the regional Power Shift 2011 Training for Trainers, April 1-3, in preparation of Power Shift 2011 youth summit in Washington DC. Based on the capacity building model credited to Marshall Ganz, of the New Organizing Institute (NOI) engaged a core group of five Midwest organizers as 'Lead-Trainers'. WSF Youth Programs Director, Abby Fenton, joined this team, along with organizations representing long-time WSF partners. 'Lead-Trainers' recruited five 'Coaches' each who then each recruited five 'Facilitators'. Trained in the empowering NOI model the Midwest teams, who engaged significantly more youth leaders than any other region, will join with teams across the U.S. to lead Power Shift youth participants through the transformational grassroots training in D.C.

Power Shift 2011

Will Steger Foundation is proud to support Power Shift 2011, a massive national youth climate summit run by and for youth, April 15-18 in Washington D.C. Over 10,000 youth will join one of the largest grassroots organizing trainings in history, coordinated in collaboration with the Energy Action Coalition and New Organizing Institute, as well as non-violent direct action training, and a youth lobby day at the U.S. Capitol in support of the EPA and Clean Air Act. The summit will also provide hundreds of youth led workshops following three main tracks: Catalyzing the Clean Energy Economy, Campus Climate Challenge 2.0, and Beyond Dirty Energy. WSF will lead a delegation of 9 students from YEA! MN to Power Shift, where they will be leading a workshop on high school leadership on climate solutions. WSF Youth Programs Director, Abby Fenton, is a Lead-Trainer for the Midwest region and will help facilitate the grassroots-training program over the course of the weekend the Minnesota break-out for youth leaders.

Earth Day with YEA! MN, Sierra Club and NAACP

YEA! MN will join an Earth Day event in partnership with the Sierra Club and NAACP at the Minneapolis Urban League from 10-2 PM on April 30th. The event will feature U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison and Vice Chair of the Maryland State Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities, and Co-founder West Harlem Environmental Action, as well as a panel of diverse speakers on the topic of the Clean Air Act and public health. A youth round table and opportunity for community dialogue will follow.

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Expeditions

Check out our regular features from Sarah and Eric McNair-Landry as they continue their kite-skiing adventure across the Northwest Passage. Sarah and Eric have been sharing videos from the field and historical information on the native communities they are visiting along the way. These two are no strangers to this way of life. Read More about the expedition.

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In The News

Expedition News

On May 1, 1986, the Steger International Polar Expedition went down in history for making the first, confirmed dogsled journey to the North Pole, without being re-supplied along the way. Read more...

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Hays Daily News

Being the only entries in the youth division of the Edible Books Festival at the Hays Public Library Saturday didn't dampen the Roosevelt Elementary School students' enthusiasm. One group read "Over the Top of the World" by Will Steger. Read more...

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National Park Service

Summer Institute for Climate Change Education: Climate Change and the Mississippi River, a teacher training institute on climate change in Minnesota and its connection with the Mississippi River and watershed, including the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Read more...

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Norwegian Embassy

Norway-AU Climate Event Featuring Will Steger. What would you do if drastic climate change drove you from your homeland, forcing you to leave behind your culture and your very way of life for foreign lands, strange customs, and unfamiliar environs? Read more...

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Action

In honor of Earth Day, the Earth Day Network has created a pledge to collect a billion acts of green! Get ideas and submit your action at the Earth Day website.

Here are some local events in the Twin Cities area where Will Steger Foundation will be participating:

• School of Environmental Studies
• Sierra Club and Minneapolis Urban League

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Featured Volunteer

Katie Eggers of Germany has been volunteering in our office this past month. She has assisted us with events, edited documents, and updated our main database. We wish her the best in her new position at Tunheim Partners!

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Photo of the Month

Will Steger, Abby Fenton (WSF Youth Programs Director) and nine youth leaders meet
with Governor Dayton in defense of the Next Generation Act of 2007