The Will Steger Foundation (WSF) office is located in the Greenway building, formerly known as the Phillips Eco Enterprise Center or Green Institute, a building created to help realize the dream of a better environmental way that would also serve the nonprofit and local community. WSF moved into the building in fall 2006 looking for a work environment that we could be proud of and work alongside others concerned about today's environmental challenges.

Our address is:

Will Steger Foundation
2801 21st Ave South Suite 127
Minneapolis, MN 55407

You can also reach us at:

Telephone: 612-278-7147
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Click Here for our organization's directory

Select Expedition Copenhagen delegates are organizing Clean Energy Forums for April 3rd and April 10th across the Upper Midwest to build public support for climate and clean energy legislation.

Focus the Nation is partnering with the Will Steger Foundation, the Alliance for Climate Education and Global Exchange to help young leaders make clear connections in their communities between jobs and clean energy. Together, we will work with a select group of youth organizing teams, including select Expedition Copenhagen delegates, in the Upper Midwest to support their efforts in better understanding where their energy comes from, what clean solutions are immediately available, how Washington can start spending money to make clean energy available and cheaper and how this connects to what jobs look like now.

Forum locations include:

• April 3rd: East Lansing, MI
  Michigan State University, 250 Hannah Administration Building, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
• April 3rd: South Milwaukee, WI*
  American Legion Post, 920 Monroe Ave, South Milwaukee, WI 53172
• April 3rd: Fargo, ND*
  Location TBD
• April 3rd: Iowa City, IA*
  Location TBD
• April 3rd: Chicago, IL
  Location TBD
• April 10th: Bloomington, IN
  Location TBD
• April 10th: Sioux Falls, SD
  Augustana College, 2001 S. Summit Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57197
• April 10th: St. Paul, MN*
  Location TBD

*Will Steger Foundation Expedition Copenhagen delegate is the Focus Organizer.

Stay tuned for event location and flyers! For more information, visit www.focusthenation.org

SAVE THE DATE! The Will Steger Foundation is proud to announce:

The 5th annual Summer Institute for Climate Change Education on Thursday August 12th, 8:30-4:30 pm at the University of Minnesota Continuing Education & Conference Center.

This year we will look back on our last five years of climate change education outreach and curriculum development and take time to “Go Back to the Basics.”

A January 2007 Pew Research Center poll found that 77% of Americans thought there was solid evidence that the world was warming. Just two years later only 57% of Americans think that this is the case. This year’s Institute will provide educators with an understanding of why this misinformation persists and the tools to respond to those in doubt, by getting back to the basics of climate science and climate change education methods. Breakout sessions will provide time to explore the curriculum resources developed through Will Steger Foundation’s first five years, and gain a solid understanding of climate science and the current state of climate policy. In addition participants will get a special sneak preview of the Foundation’s new curriculum (pending funding approval) using Wills lifelong archives to highlight Minnesota’s changing climate. Educators will leave the Institute with the tools necessary to empower student learning and leadership on the topic of climate change.

Registration opens in April for 100 onsite participants ($75/teacher or $100/pair) and an unlimited number of participants for our online webinar ($25/teacher).

Watch the Summer Institute video and return here for an application in April 2010!

About: Will Steger Foundation

Expedition Copenhagen educated and empowered youth to influence national climate policy and international climate negotiations through an interdisciplinary curriculum, delegation and grassroots advocacy, culminating at the Copenhagen convention (COP15).

The Will Steger Foundation launched Expedition Copenhagen, a Midwest youth delegation to the international climate negotiations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark, December 5-19, 2009, led by internationally renowned polar explorer Will Steger. Delegates assumed a leadership role in a regional climate campaign to pass strong climate legislation leading up to the international negotiations, and also supported the Will Steger Foundation Citizen Climate curriculum in schools across the United States.

The expedition goals were to:

1. Build U.S. awareness of climate policy and investment in strong participation in the confer- ence.
2. Highlight the unique role of the Midwest re- gion since the Midwest is a key player in driving national climate policy, public opinion, and the renewable energy revolution.
3. Bring the U.S. youth voice to the negotiations whose future is at stake.

Download the Expedition Copenhagen Final Report (PDF 2.9 MB)

Videos from the Montana Tour:

Press articles from the Montana Tour: The Missoulian - 2/11, 2010 The Montana Kaimin - 2/10, 2010 The Bozeman Daily - 2/10, 2010 New West Missoula - 2/10, 2010 The Billings Gazette - 2/9, 2010

Will Steger Montana Tour -- February 9-11, 2010:

The Will Steger Foundation (WSF) launched its Eyewitness to Climate Change tour across Montana to create and diversify public support and demand for a strong national policy on climate, and thus influence key swing members of Congress to ensure adoption of comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation in 2010.

Our overarching goal is to build diverse public support and pressure on policy makers for urgent, scientifically sound action to ameliorate climate change, based on our wholly unique eyewitness account of the consequences of a warming world in the Arctic and Antarctic. This unique account is effective in engaging a very diverse cross-section of the American heartland in climate change, which will be critical to overall national success. Legislators in Montana are essential to advancing federal policy. Second, we augmented diverse public support by imparting a better understanding of how Montana will benefit significantly from the opportunities inherent in a clean energy economy, based on their collective capacity for renewable energy production and conservation through wind, solar, geothermal, and carbon sequestration. Building momentum for climate action in the coal dependent Montana is an essential part of guaranteeing long-term change.

While in Montana, Will Steger delivered his Eyewitness presentation to over 800 Montanan’s in Billings, Bozeman and Missoula; met with business leaders, field directors for U.S. Senators Baucus and Tester, media, and University of Montana students and faculty and local high school students to engage different stakeholders in the urgency of climate change and the need for political action.

While in Bozeman, Will and tour partners met with over 30 area business leaders, three of whom also participated in a recent Washington D.C. fly-in of over 220 business leaders from across the U.S. where they met with their Congressional delegation and urged them to pass comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation this year. The Bozeman business leaders were excited to share their experience and reasoning for supporting climate and clean energy legislation.

The three public forums collected over 800 postcards to Senators Baucus and Tester urging them to continue to support comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation.

The Tour resulted in a cover page story in the Missoulian, and longer articles in The Billings Gazette and Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Additional coverage was provided by Public News Service, Montana Public Radio, Montana Kaimin, KBZK TV in Bozeman, KTVQ TV in Billings, and NewWest online.

Major sponsors include Montana Audubon, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Repower America, & Montana Conservation Voters.

Events

Billings, Montana:

WHAT: Multi-media slide show and presentation Eyewitness to Climate Change
WHERE: Billings Depot, 2310 Montana Ave
WHEN: 6:30 pm Tuesday, February 9
WHAT ELSE: Join all for Green Drinks @ 5 pm at the Depot! Food and drink available...

Bozeman, Montana

WHAT: Business Solutions to Climate Change & Sustainability - A Roundtable Discussion
WHERE: Bozeman Public Library - Large Meeting Room
WHEN: Noon-1:15pm Wednesday, February 10
WHAT ELSE: Bring your own lunch, light snacks will be provided.

Bozeman, Montana

WHAT: Multi-media slide show and presentation Eyewitness to Climate Change
WHERE: Hager Auditorium, Museum of the Rockies, MSU
WHEN: 7:00 pm Wednesday, February 10
WHAT ELSE: Resource Fair begins at 6:30 - information tables from sponsoring organizations.

This event on FACEBOOK Here's a great FLYER -- check it out and consider passing along and/or printing! Additional sponsors include The Wilderness Society, World Wildlife Fund, ASMSU Sustainability Center and NECO.

Missoula, Montana:

WHAT: Brown bag lunch discussion with legendary polar explorer Will Steger (bring your own lunch)
WHERE: University of Montana, Main Hall (University Hall), Room 210
WHEN: Thursday, February 11, 12:00 – 1:00pm

Missoula, Montana:

WHAT: Multi-media slide show: Eyewitness to Climate Change
WHERE: University of Montana Urey lecture Hall
WHEN: 7:00 pm Thursday, February 11
WHAT ELSE: Resource Fair begins at 6:30 - information tables from sponsoring organizations. And join us for a post-event reception at the Clark Fork Coalition's office!

Here's a great FLYER -- check it out and consider passing along and/or printing! This event on FACEBOOK Additional co-sponsors include UM's Climate Change Studies Program, the Clark Fork Coalition and the Trailhead!

Join Jon Bowermaster and his team as they explore the Antarctic Peninsula for five weeks. Departing from Puerto Williams, Chile, by sailboat on New Year’s Eve the team will stop at King George Island, pick up its cached sea kayaks and spend all of January exploring the Weddell Sea from sea level. The goal is to get as close to the Larsen Ice Shelf as possible, to document how the ice and sea that surrounds Antarctica’s most exposed corner is changing. Tune in to www.Antarctica2008.com or www.jonbowermaster.com for dispatches.

Listen to Jon's Audio Dispatches from the expedition

Saturday, December 12, 2009; 3 PM
Central Library, Pohlad Hall
300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis - Map It!

This December, world leaders will gather in Copenhagen for historic talks on climate change. Join us at the mid-point of these negotiations for an afternoon of learning and engagement on the high stakes of climate change, featuring Will Steger, Youth Delegates of Expedition Copenhagen, a screening of The Age of Stupid, and post-film discussion. Free and open to the public.

2:30 PM Doors Open
3 PM Will Steger and Youth Delegates of Expedition Copenhagen

Get the latest from Copenhagen with a video message from polar explorer Will Steger. Then, put your questions to Midwest Youth Delegates of Expedition Copenhagen, appearing live by video from Copenhagen.

3:20 PM Screening of The Age of Stupid
Set in 2055, this newly-released British dramadocumentary looks back in history to 2008 and asks,“Why didn't we stop climate change while we had the chance?” 92 minutes. Rated for ages 12 and up.

Post-Film Discussion
Led by the League of Women Voters – Minneapolis.

Download the Event Flyer (PDF 656KB)