Climate Action: Local Food Production
Apr. 16 – Learn More & Register
Climate Action
How do you respond to climate change which is changing our world in ways that will affect every living being? What informs your choices? These are important questions that each of us face. That is why the Sunday Assembly Climate Action team is organizing Zoom presentations with local experts who can share realistic choices with us.
PAST WORKSHOPS
Food Sovereignty recording
Food Sovereignty – Mar. 5, 2023
- Below are resources that Paul DeMain sent after the presentation.
Resources
- Enbridge Line 5
https://communitiesunitedbywater.org/ - Honor the Earth
https://honorearth.org/ - Contact for Land Back Movement and Food Sovereignty-Madeline Island
See map from The Nature Conservancy
Paul DeMain
skabewis@hotmail.com
Akiing 8th Fire – Madeline Island
PO Box 481
La Pointe, Wisconsin 54843 - Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Wisconsin by Dan Cornelius
Dan is a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and works for the Intertribal Agriculture Council and the UW-Madison Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center.
Click here to view video
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle recording
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Jan. 10, 2023
Transportation recording
Transportation – June 12, 2022
- How transportation affects climate change
- Alternatives for fossil fuel transportation, and information on the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit)
- Changes we can make in our own lifestyles regarding transportation
Sustainable Lawns & Gardens recording
Sustainable Lawns & Gardens – Apr. 26, 2022
Speakers
- Susan Carpenter, WI native plant garden curator, UW Arboretum; susan.carpenter@wisc.edu
- Anne Walker, teacher of gardening, advocate for green space, owner of Home Land Garden LLC; annewalker@homelandgarden.com
- Amy Alstad (video), director of land management & environmental education
Resources
Sustainable Yards
From Susan Carpenter presentation
Doug Tallamy, Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard
His Talk on UTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnLwAedfacU
(turning your yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats)
Heather Holm
https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com/plant-lists–posters.html
Native Plant Lists for Bees, Butterflies
100 Plants to Feed The Bees Xerces Society
Xerces Society webpages: xerces.org https://xerces.org/pesticides
Container and Vegetable Gardens Resources
UW Extension
https://learningstore.extension.wisc.edu/collections/vegetables-c81?grid_list=list-view
Scroll Down to The Vegetable Garden, even though sold out you can download as pdf
page 22 is the planting guide for vegetables
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/files/2021/02/Growing_Vegetables_in_Containers.pdf
From Anne Walker presentation
McGee and Stuckey’s The Bountiful Container
Potting Soil – link to discussion, www.MotherEarthNews.com/Potting-Mixes
Edible Flowers The Edible Flower Garden by Rosalind Creasy
Anne’s favorite seed, book and supply catalog FEDCO, fedcoseeds.com
Wild Edibles A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer
WI Dept of Natural Resources Forestry Publication PUB-FR-127 2009 Protect Your Trees from Oak Wilt
Vegetable cultivators and planting guide for WI Gardens by A.J. Bussan, Judy Reith-Rozelle, and Karen Delahaut
Rain Gardens
UW Extension
https://www3.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/UWEXLakes/Pages/ecology/shoreland/raingardens.aspx
This covers several resources related to designing to choosing native species from shade & sun in yard
Water is Life recording
Water is Life – Mar. 22, 2022
Speakers
- Mark Hansen, director of sustainable services, Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction, Inc.
- Jeremy Cramer, director of waste water management, Sun Prairie, WI
Resources
City of Madison Water Utility has tips on how to save water in your home and yard
https://www.cityofmadison.com/water/sustainability/conservation-tips
Focus on Energy has FREE packages available to start your water savings adventures!
https://www.focusonenergy.com/residential
Algonquin Water Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC2FHciQ0sU
Heating & Cooling recording
Heating & Cooling Conservation – Feb. 22, 2022
Speaker
- Kathy Kunz, Dane Co. Office of Energy & Climate Change
- The Story of Holy Wisdom Monastery video
Resources
Solar Contractors/Financing
Those who live in Madison check with MGE for solar program
Suggestions from Kathy Kunz for electrification of home – see more resources below from Sustainability U-Middleton
Cold climate heat pump
Dual fuel heat pumps
Induction stove instead of gas/electric
Sustainability U example of electrification of home video
Carbon Footprint/Hope
Dane County Energy and Climate Change website for calculating your carbon footprint
Book: Under the Sky We Make, Kimberly Nicholas, A review: Shows how we can save the world, just by making meaningful changes in our own lives
Science
Yale Climate Opinion May Sept 2021 a pdf that can be downloaded
Yale Climate Data– at this site you can pick a question and see the response by county, legislative district, etc.
A Conversation with Climate Scientist Dr. Katharine Hayhoe
Electrification from Sustainability U, Middleton Library
Beneficial Electrification Primer
Local nonprofit, Slipstream, offers a good overview of beneficial electrification
The Regulatory Assistance Project has a great policy discussion about beneficial electrification
GreenTech Media has a good discussion of what it will take to achieve beneficial electrification
Sources of information about reasons and policies for electrifying homes
Electrify: An Optimist’s Playbook for our Clean Energy Future by Saul Griffith. This book clearly explains the important role that electrifying housing must play if we are to avoid exceeding a 1.5C increase in global temperature rise. Griffith proposes policy strategies for financing this transition across income brackets
Electrify This! Podcast. This engaging monthly podcast presents excellent information about the movement to electrify everything.
A Pocket Guide to All Electric Retrofits of Single Family Homes by Redwood Energy
Go Electric! A guide to kicking fossil fuel out of your life
Health Risk Associated with Gas Stoves
California Air Resources Board (links to multiple studies)
Additional Resources
How To Fact Sheets for Energy Efficiency
Heating & Cooling Resource – Focus on Energy Rebates
Books/Articles
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy
- “Cooler, Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living,” written by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
- Climate Church, Climate World, How People of Faith Must Work for Change by Jim Antal
- Touching the Earth Bell Hooks, 1996
- Students Reduce Trash to Single Jar article
Cool Choices Actions
Transportation
- By Walking
- By Bycycle
- By Commuter Rail
- By Train
- By Carpooling
- By Combining Errands
Reduce Vehicle Gas Consumption
- By avoiding sudden stops and starts
- By slowing from 70-60 mph
- By reducing idling by 5 minutes/day
- By not using AC when under 40 mph
- By driving an all-electric vehicle
- By driving a hybrid gas/electric vehicle
- By walking if able
In our Homes
Reduce Electrical/Gas Use
- By line-drying clothing
- By using cold wash and rinse on laundry
- By using power strips on electronics
- By watching less TV
- By using auto-off settings on electronics
- By turning lights off when leaving room
- By replacing light bulbs with LED lights
Reduce Water and Food Production Inputs
- By shortening showers by 1 or 2 minutes
- By washing Dishes w/ energy efficient dishwasher
- By drinking filtered tap water, not bottled water
- By turning water off when brushing teeth
- By watering lawn/garden early morning/evening
- By replacing red meat with poultry, fish or veggies
- By preparing a meatless meal
- By buying locally grown food, member in CSA (Community Sustainable Agriculture)
Reduce Waste and Chemical Pollution
- By composting food and/or yard waste
- By using non-tox cleaners
- By recycling clean paper and plastic products
- By donating clothing and household items
- By using reusable shopping bags
- By carrying reusable straw when drinking/eating out
Care for the Earth
- By using electric powered lawn tools
- By growing seasonal vegetables/fruits
- By checking out Wild Ones for a natural habitat with lawn
- By planting no mow grass ( a sedge)
- By creating pollinator gardens
By using rain barrels for watering landscape