Letter from the Executive Director

As the Minnesota Legislature and Governor Dayton continue negotiating a state budget compromise, Minnesota’s nonprofits face financial difficulties from the resulting shutdown. Like many across the state, the government shutdown affects us too. Our Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund project, which supports our Education Program and upcoming Summer Institute, is a major program of the Will Steger Foundation. This means some of our grant funds will be delayed several months, but we believe it is important to not turn a single educator away, especially when our Summer Institute has the highest number of educators enrolled, from communities across Minnesota. Your contribution means even more right to us right now!

For some brighter news, last week the EPA announced the finalized Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which protects over 240 million Americans from power plant air pollution by reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that cross state lines and worsen air quality in downwind states.  The rule requires pollution reductions from power plants in 28 states. See more info here and look for a reaction from Will Steger published in the Duluth News Tribune later this week.

A new survey by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication suggests the urgency of climate change can be communicated if the right people engage local constituencies and explain how human activities are impacting local communities. Our educational project, Minnesota’s Changing Climate, which will launch at our Summer Institute next month, meets this need by taking a local approach to understanding the impacts and solutions to climate change in Minnesota.

In addition to our Summer Institute next month, we are also hosting a free public forum with some of Minnesota’s noteworthy leaders! Join Us!

August 11th: Panel Discussion with Don Shelby, J. Drake Hamilton, and Will Steger, moderated by MPR’s Kerri Miller. The forum, Sense of Place in a Changing Climate takes place at 7:30 pm,  August 11 at the Town and Country Club in St. Paul. The purpose of the free public event is to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change on our state’s natural resources and what we as citizens can do through the personal stories and “testimony” of prominent Minnesotans. RSVP now!

Hope to see you there and thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

Nicole Rom, Executive Director

Education

WSF at National Education Association (NEA) Annual Meeting

WSF's Kristen Poppleton and Bobby Cato, National Environmental Education Foundation Senior Education Project Manager at June's National Education Association's Annual Meeting

Will Steger spoke to a group of educators at NEA’s Annual Meeting about his history of engaging students in adventure learning.  In addition, Kristen Poppleton, Education Program Manager, shared an exhibit booth with the National Environmental Education Foundation on NEA's Green Aisle.  Over 15,000 teachers from around the country attended this year's meeting and had the chance to learn more about the Will Steger Foundation.

Why are educator's attending the 2011 Summer Institute for Climate Change Education, August 11-12?

"This sounds like a fantastic opportunity to learn and inspire students to be responsible stewards of their world."

"We teach our students about biomes and lots of other environmental issues. Bringing all this together and showing students that this occurs all over is exciting."

"Today's students will be tomorrow's decision makers.  As teachers, it is our responsibility to make sure that our students have the knowledge, and, the tools to gather that knowledge to be able to make informed decisions."

Who will be there?

• All 4 of Minnesota's biomes are represented
• Our furthest participant is traveling 732 miles round-trip to attend (from Warroad MN)
• Over 1/4 of the participants are from outside the metro

Cities represented include; Warroad, Montevideo, Grand Marais, Rochester, Winona, Park Rapids, La Crosse, Duluth and Grand Rapids

Add your city to the list!  Find out more and apply while there is still space!

Emerging Leaders

Preparing for a Midwest Power Shift

WSF is proud to support Midwest youth coalition building on climate solutions through our Emerging Leaders Program, funded with support from the RE-AMP network.  Youth Programs Director, Abby Fenton, is working closely with organizers from the Ohio Student Environmental Coalition and Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition to prepare for a Midwest Power Shift youth summit, to be held in Cleveland, OH this fall. The summit will focus on re-industrialization and the green economy, as well as transitioning campuses beyond coal, fracking, high speed rail, energy efficiency, and renewable energy, among other issues. Youth organizers hope to engage and empower over 1,000 Midwest youth activists through the summit.

Midwest Youth Join the RE-AMP Annual Meeting

Richard Appleton, YEA! MN Coordinator

WSF is organizing a delegation of key youth leaders from across the Midwest to the 2011 RE-AMP Annual Meeting, Oct 6-8, at the University of Chicago. Along with the core issue areas of coal, transportation, clean energy, energy efficiency and global warming solutions, the meeting will also provide a forum to discuss fracking, building sustainable cities, and growing an authentic movement across the region. The meeting will provide an opportunity to build rapport between youth organizers and environmental non-profits and foundations and to strategize on shared goals across the generational spectrum.

Good Luck Richmond Appleton!

WSF says goodbye to YEA! MN Coordinator, Richmond Appleton, who is embarking on a Masters Degree in San Francisco. Thank you for you hard work and dedication this past year. We wish you well on your journey!

In The News

Star Tribune

ThreeSixty Journalism, a youth journalism program at the University of St Thomas in St. Paul, MN, recently published a story about Will Steger and long-time friend Don Shelby about low-impact living.

Read More...

Suffield Patch

Jeff Blumenfeld worked to secure sponsorship on several of Will's dogsled expeditions will be speaking at the Kent Memorial Library in Suffield, CT.

Read More...

Huffington Post

Formerly from Liberia, YEA! MN youth coordinator Richmond Appleton was featured in the Huffington Post recently about refugees speaking with political leaders to secure more aid.

Read More...

Pioneer Press

Another ThreeSixty Journalism student publishes a story about Don Shelby's concern for the environment and how he is helping to spread the word.

Read More...

Action

Mark your calendar for this important climate event:

• 24 Hours of Reality! September 14-15, 2011
• 24 Presenters. 24 Time Zones. 13 Languages. 1 Message.

24 Hours of Reality is a worldwide event that will share the reality of the climate crisis. From Tonga to Cape Verde, Mexico City to Alaska, Jakarta to London, people living with the impacts of climate change every day will tell their story. Join the event.

Photo of the Month

Sample preview from our newest curriculum resource, Minnesota's Changing Climate,
to be unveiled at the 2011 Summer Institute.