The Natural Step - training seminars in Minnesota

We had our first meeting for the GSE trip to Sweden last night. We basically went over some of the information that will be needed to from the Rotary Club in order to go on the trip. It was so great to meet all of the other women that are going on the trip; they all have incredible stories and a passion to learn about sustainability can be incorporated into their lives and careers. It is going to be a really interesting and educational trip!

In Sweden, one thing we will be learning about is the Natural Step process, but thankfully you don't have to go all the way there to learn about it yourself; there are local seminars as well. It's very short notice, but the Alliance for Sustainability is hosting a two-day Natural Step Framework Seminar on Oct 30 & Nov 6 at the Edina Community Lutheran Church. The cost is $95. More information can be found here.

If you are not able to make these dates and will still like more information, the pdf of the Powerpoint presentation by Terry Gips is available for download here. Thank you to the Alliance for providing this information!

I will post more information on locally-available resources as this GSE trip moves forward. Three great sources to learn more about sustainability in Minnesota include:

NextStep - A website for Minnesota Sustainable Communities Network (MnSCN) and others to use to share information about events, networking opportunities, and resources all related to environmental sustainability.

Alliance for Sustainability - Their mission is to bring about personal, organizational & planetary sustainability through support of projects that are ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just and humane. Included in their list of many projects are the Natural Step Framework, The Living Green Expo, Sustainable Sweden Tours, and the Green City Initiatives.

Dovetail Partners - Dovetail's mission is to provide authoritative information about the impacts and trade-offs of environmental decisions, including consumption choices, land use, and policy alternatives by creating inventive solutions to challenging questions. Some of their projects and areas of expertise include Land Use, Responsible Trade & Consumption, the Eco-Affordable Housing program and the Minnesota-Made Home project, Sustainable Forestry and the FSC Family Forest Alliance, and their monthly e-newsletter The Outlook, which reaches over 10,000 subscribers every month.