Transition Longfellow celebrates its fourth anniversary

Transition Longfellow, the neighborhood sustainability group, will celebrate its fourth year of community building, food growing, and energy saving activities with a Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction on Sat., Jan. 17, 9-11am, at Bethany Lutheran Church, 3901 36th Ave. S. Everyone in the community is invited to attend. The cost is $6 for a hearty, all-organic meal, which includes gluten-free and vegetarian options. Children are welcome.

Run by neighbors in the Greater Longfellow community and surrounding neighborhoods, Transition Longfellow formed in January 2011 after Richard Heinberg of the Post-Carbon Institute spoke at South High School. Heinberg connected the dots between climate change, fossil fuels, and economic instability but rather than presenting the challenges as insurmountable, he talked about Transition Towns.

Transition Towns are a growing global movement that engages people in all walks of life to envision a positive future, working together to build communities that are more resilient and sustainable. There are more than 400 Transition Towns in 35+ countries. Transition Longfellow is one of 130 “official” initiatives In the U.S.

You’ll see many of the group’s most visible achievements in yards across the neighborhood. Transition Longfellow created a hands-on workshop where neighbors built 20 Little Free Libraries. And their Chard Your Yard program installed 42 raised-bed food gardens—at cost— with the help of volunteer “garden mobs.”

Ongoing monthly Transition Longfellow activities include: a 3rd Friday movie night and potluck; a 1st Saturday gardening discussion group, which will highlight a different plant family each month; and a sustainable finance group for people interested in living more frugally, consciously and sustainably. All Transition Longfellow’s activities are open to the public. Most activities are free.

One of the core principles of the Transition movement is learning and relearning useful skills. Transition Longfellow does this with ongoing groups and one-time events. Presenters are community members who have volunteered to share their knowledge. There are currently two skill share groups: The Longfellow Home Brew Club and a learn-to-knit group.

Past skill share activities have included: building a solar cooker, building a biochar stove, canning and jam making, pickling foods, making kefir and nutmilks, compost and vermiculture, emergency preparedness, tree pruning, and edible weed identification.

You can learn more about the group’s activities on their website - https://sites.google.com/site/transitionlongfellow/ where you can sign up to receive monthly e-newsletter alerts. The group also has an active Facebook page (Longfellow Transition Group), which provides a forum for sharing information and getting answers to questions.

The Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction is the only fundraising event the group does in a year. It’s also an opportunity to learn about activities for the coming year, and a time when community members can weigh in on programs they’d like to see and offer their skills and knowledge for new skill-share events.

If you would like to donate an item or service to the silent auction, please contact Annette Rondano, 612-221-013. To volunteer to help with the breakfast, contact Leslie MacKenzie, 612-724-4265.