Transition Longfellow plans events

Transition Longfellow is an all-volunteer group of Longfellow/South Minneapolis neighbors who create activities to engage the community in reducing energy use, growing (and learning to grow) more local food, preparing for extreme weather, and helping neighbors get to know one another. Anyone can participate, and most activities are free. For more information, visit www.transitionlongfellow.org.

Preparedness Book Group

The Preparedness Book Group meets Wed., July 5, 6:30pm, at Moon Palace Books (3260 Minnehaha Ave.) and Wed., July 19, 6:30pm, at Lake Coffee House (3223 E. Lake St.).

The group is reading “Making Home: Adapting Our Homes and Lives to Settle in Place” by Sharon Astyk. On July 5 the group will read out loud Chapter 8 on growing food, and on July 19, Chapter 9, keeping meat animals. While the greater Longfellow community is blessed with many grocery store options, price, not availability, is the biggest barrier to healthy eating for most low and moderate-income households (Wilder Foundation, 2016). Many families would be vulnerable to food insecurity should someone lose a job or experience large medical bills. Learning food growing and food storage skills can be one step toward greater food resilience.

Series: When Climate Change Comes Home

Part 3 of the Series: When Climate Change Comes Home – “The Heat is On in Minnesota: Caring for Vulnerable People, Plants and Wildlife” is planned for Thur., July 20, 6:30pm, at the Longfellow Park Building (3435 36th Ave. S.).

Minnesota is the third fastest warming state. Warming is happening twice as fast in the winter, which means more disease-carrying insects can survive. And warming is happening during summer evenings, which don’t cool down the way they used to. That can pose serious health risks—people and animals need cooler night temperatures to recover. Hot nights increase death rates.

Do you know how to care for yourself and your family in extreme heat? Do you have a plan if the air conditioning goes off in a heatwave? What about your food garden? How do you protect your plants? July’s speakers include:

• Brenda Hoppe, Sr. Epidemiologist, Minnesota Department of Health, what we’re facing with extreme weather;

• Pam Blixt, Public Health Preparedness Manager at City of Minneapolis, how the city is preparing; and

• Theresa Rooney, Hennepin County Master Gardener, protecting plants and wildlife.

This series looks at both personal preparedness and how to build a more caring and prepared Longfellow community. Attendees will be talking about what assets we have and what we need to handle heat stresses. The event is free and co-sponsored by the Longfellow Community Council Environment Committee.

Movie Night planned July 21

Movie Night is scheduled for Fri., July 21, with a 6:30pm potluck and a 7:15 movie, at Minnehaha Communion Lutheran (4101 37th Ave. S.—Note: this is a new location)

Meet new friends and neighbors and share a meal while learning more about the themes of Transition: food resilience, renewable energy, climate preparedness, community building, and more. The National Transition Gathering will begin July 27. July’s movie night will feature videos from some of the speakers and subjects at that event. The group will talk about the state of Transition in the Twin Cities, where it is, where it could be.

Transition National Gathering planned July 27-30

With the theme “Growing a Movement for Resilient Communities,” the 1st National Transition Gathering is taking place at Macalester College. With more than 70 presenters from Minnesota, across the nation, and the globe, it will bring information and inspiration to anyone working on community-based projects to build vibrant, economically and environmentally sustainable communities. There will be skill-building workshops of interest to a wide range of community volunteers—neighborhood council members, environmental group volunteers, church creation care teams, and business green teams.

The event kicks off Thurs., July 27, with two days of intensive workshops featuring nationally known trainers on topics of building local economic resilience, community rights, inner resilience, shaping local policy and techniques for effective collaboration for working groups. (Intensive workshops are $75 for one day; $150 for two days.) Thursday evening features a screening of the award-winning French documentary, “Demain” (Tomorrow), which showcases what communities around the world are doing to meet environmental and social challenges ($11, tickets can be purchased separately for the film).

Friday, July 28 features keynote speaker Richard Heinberg, a senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute, speaking on “Transition in the Age of Denial.” The federal government may have stepped away from the Paris agreement on climate, local governments, community members, and businesses are looking, and working, to achieve a more sustainable, fossil fuel free future.

The main gathering, on Sat., July 29 and Sun., July 30, includes 39 concurrent workshops with experts and community members from around the U.S. sharing stories of success and skills for building resilience and sustainability at all levels—individual, household, neighborhood, and city. Saturday evening features keynote speaker Phyllis Young, Standing Rock Elder and Water Protector, followed by music.

To learn more about the National Gathering, or to buy tickets, please see www.transitiongathering.org. There are work-trade opportunities available for residents who would like to help at the event for reduced entry free.

Garden Skillshare Day, July 22

Plans are underway for two long­er skillshare activities. Please see the website: www.transitionlongfellow.org for more details.