La Crosse city, county officials announce eco-plan

by | Jan 30, 2009 | Uncategorized

From an article by Samantha Marcus in the La Crosse Tribune:

City and county officials unveiled on Thursday an ambitious plan aimed at improving the La Crosse area’s environmental sustainability.

The strategic plan calls for major reductions in energy consumption and shifts to renewable energy sources and is scheduled to hit the La Crosse Common Council floor Feb. 12 and the La Crosse County Board on Feb. 19.

“It’s for the good of the community, so I do hope everyone will be behind it,” said council member and mayoral candidate Dorothy Lenard, who sits on the joint Oversight Committee on Sustainability.

City Senior Planner Tim Kabat said Thursday this collaborative plan is unique in Wisconsin.

The city portion of the 67-page draft outlines targets for increasing the purchase of “environmentally preferred products” and services by 50 percent, cutting city hall’s paper consumption by 10 percent each year starting this year, reducing nonrecyclable waste by 25 percent and increasing the amount recycled by 25 percent.

The plan also recommends improving community transportation by reducing public transit trip times and starting a community car-sharing program.

Two of the more immediate priorities are recycling plastics within six months to a year and hiring a sustainability coordinator, said Jai Johnson, committee chairwoman, council member and county board supervisor.

Western Wisconsin Initiative for Sustainable Communities

by | Jan 19, 2009 | Uncategorized

From the home page of the Western Wisconsin Initiative for Sustainable Communities:

There have been a myriad of TNS [The Natural Step] study circles (approximately 15 to date) in the St. Croix River Valley, from River Falls to Hudson, Spring Valley, Amery, Osceola, St. Croix Falls, and beyond. We now have a TNS study circle umbrella and advocacy group emerging in the form of the Western Wisconsin Initiative for Sustainable Communities (WWISC) that has been developing in partnership with the SCISCD.

In mid-November 2008, the WWISC leadership group (Rainbow Barry, Stew Erickson, Peter Henry, Timm Johnson, John Kalmon, Tracey Mofle, Cader Olive, Jeff Peterson, and Rob Peterson, Chair) developed a mission of “Facilitating regional adoption of the TNS framework for sustainable communities through the exchange of information and the sharing of resources.”

The WWISC site includes a link to a summary table of western Wisconsin organizations and their activities.

Start seeds for spring gardening!Workshop, Jan. 29

by | Jan 19, 2009 | Uncategorized

The connection between gardening and energy might seem weak at first glance, but growing your own food can cut the energy needed for food production and transportation, especially if the food comes from far away.

From a news brief in the Onalaska-Holmen Life-Courier:

Get Sustainable Trempealeau County will present “Starting From Seed: Everything You Need to Know to Begin Your Spring Garden Now” on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Trempealeau Village Hall, 24455 Third St.

“Starting From Seed” is the first Talking Sustainability Forum of 2009, with several more to come. The program will feature area gardener Mary Graziano, who will demonstrate simple ways to start this year’s vegetables and other plants indoors.

The workshop will cover everything people need to know for starting their own garden seeds including:

+ Equipment and lighting;
+ Correct soil conditions;
+ Temperature;
+ Types of seeds (including heirloom varieties);
+ Caring for seedlings;
+ Other resources for finding seeds and equipment.

Graziano has been gardening for more than 30 years and has been starting her own plants for 15. She has a solar-heated, all-season greenhouse where she starts plants for her garden and to sell locally.

In the past five years, Graziano has begun growing heirloom varieties and also has grown native prairie plants and grasses.