Ecominds-a Mailing List: Hearing Tues; Meeting Thurs (Agenda included)!

[Joe + Madalyn (joemadalyn]

UU EcoMinds-A List for September 25, 2005

UU EcoMinds promotes lifestyles, policies, and technologies
that respect and sustain all life on earth and is a working 
group of the Metro Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance
(MUUSJA)

In this posting:

Organizing Events!
#1 REMINDER & AGENDA:  
UU EcoMinds Fall Kick-Off Meeting - Sept 29, 7 pm at 1st Universalist
Rep. Ray Cox on MN Renewable Energy Standard legislation

Action Events! (educational too)
#2 UUs invited to Senate committee hearing on MN Renewable Energy
Standard bill-Sept 27.  

Educational Events! 
#3 Toxic Hazards in Community: pollution sources in south/southwest
Mpls. Sept 26
#4 MN Solar Home Tour --  Oct 1, 2005, 10:00am - 5:00pm
#5 Films:  "Affluenza" and "The Cost of Cool: Youth, Consumption & the
Environment" Oct. 6 
#6 Weekend courses @ Hamline Univ; get a Energy Efficiency/Renewable
Energy Certificate

UU-specific Items
#7 UU Ministry for Earth (formerly Seventh Principle Project) -- Action
Item
#8 UU Ministry for Earth seeks Regional Coordinator for Prairie Star
District 

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ORGANIZING Events!

#1 REMINDER & AGENDA:
UU EcoMinds Fall Kick-Off Meeting (guest: Rep. Ray Cox)?Thurs. Sept 29,
7?9:15 p.m. 
1st Universalist Church, 3400 Dupont Ave. S., Minneapolis

Join us as we kick-off our 2005-06 year--PLUS: Come at 6:00 pm for
"Kilowatt Ours" ?short, hard-hitting movie about the problems with
coal-fired energy and how to reduce your consumption of it. Feel free to
bring a brown-bag dinner. We'll have drinks and light snacks.

FFI: Contact Chris Burda (612-827-1596 or cburda [at] smm.org)

PROPOSED AGENDA: 
6:00-6:50pm	Optional film: Kilowatt Ours: Plan to Reenergize America
by Jeff Barrie 	
7:00-7:05	Welcome.  EcoMinds mission and MUUSJA. 7th Principle
reflection.	
7:05-7:20	Introductions and congregational updates
7:20-7:30	Quick Summary of Last Year's efforts/CFL sales and Blue
Sky Book update 
7:30-7:45	Propose  UU EcoMinds? 2005-06 efforts:  RES and
Conservation 	 
7:45-8:15	The 20/20 Minnesota Renewable Energy Standard & Our
Energy Future: 
Rep. Ray Cox, 25B, Northfield, Vice Chair of House Environment and
Natural Resources Committee 
8:15-8:30	Q&A with Rep. Cox	
8:30-9:00	Frame our 2005-06 campaign; choose workgroups;
brainstorm activities	
9:00-9:15	Prioritize next steps	
9:15		Announce Next Meeting ? Thursday January 12 and adjourn

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ACTION Events! (educational too)

#2 UUs URGED to attend Senate committee hearing on MN Renewable Energy
Standard bill
Tuesday, September 27
1:10-5:00 PM,
State Office Building (between Capitol and Transportation Bldg)
Room 5 on ground floor (one floor below entrance level).

Don Jorovsky, Senator Ellen Anderson's Committee Administrator,
 invites UUs to attend this hearing of the Regulated Industries 
Committee (chaired by Republican Tory Westrum) on the Renewable
 Energy Standard (RES) bill.   

There will be no vote taken, and you don't have to speak. But in a room
full of utility lobbyists we want to make our presence known! 

Sen. Anderson is author of the RES bill. Because EcoMinds 
and ME3 will be working hard on passage of this legislation this year,
 understanding multiple political perspectives on it  and showing public
 interest in the bill will both be very important .  PLEASE COME!

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EDUCATIONAL Events! 

#3 Toxic Hazards in Community: pollution sources in south/southwest
Mpls. 
Monday, Sept. 26, 7:00 - 9:00 pm,
Free; at Matthews Park building (24th St. & 29th Ave. S)., Minneapolis,
MN
* Sponsor: Seward Neighborhood Group.
* A seminar focused on pollution resulting from transportation
 and power generation, with a particular focus on
SW Minneapolis. Presenter: Dr. William Toscano, Head of
Environmental Health Sciences, Univ. of MN.
Background on toxic hazards in community can be seen at
http://enhs.umn.edu/files/pdfs/seward%20PBT%20talk.pdf For
event details contact Bernie Weibel at Bernie [at] sng.org

----------------------------------------

#4  MN Solar Home Tour 
Saturday, Oct 1, 2005, 10:00am - 5:00pm
Local sponsor: MN Renewable Energy Society.
Self-directed tour of homes and businesses that use
renewable energy systems. An educational opportunity to learn
about energy audits, photovoltaic systems, solar powered hot
water systems, wind power, implementation and more. Sites in
the Twin Cities metro area, Brainerd, Duluth, Lake County, Red
Wing, Rochester, Sandstone, Mora, Houston, Olmsted. Part of
the National Solar Tour (see http://www.ases.org/).
        Free. Details at http://www.solartour.net/
----------------------------------------

#5  Films: "Escape from Affluenza" and "The Cost of Cool: Youth,
Consumption & the Environment " followed by panel discussion by faculty
and eco-design professionals
Thursday, Oct. 6, 7:00 ? 9:00pm (Doors open at 6:30)
Eco-Design and Business Film Series
Sponsors: Mpls College of Art & Design, o2-USA/Upper Midwest Chapter,
MPCA.  
2501 Stevens Av S / Minneapolis, MN 55404
 MCAD Auditorium 150 (in main building)
Suggested donation: $5. Details at http://o2umw.org/events
----------------------------------------

#6  2-day Weekend courses @ Hamline Univ. toward Energy
Efficiency/Renewable Energy Certificate
Series of graduate courses for teachers and others interested in finding
out more about Energy in Minnesota ?Fall 2005 at Hamline University.
Including: ENERGY BASICS -October 29 & November 12 and 
ENERGY POLICY ?November 5 & 19 (taught by J Drake Hamilton).  

FFI: Contact Roger Aiken 651-644-8318  rogeraiken [at] creedproject.org
 or www.creedproject.org

To register for the Hamline Courses please contact: -Renee Wonser,
651-523-2419   rwonser [at] gw.hamline.edu  or Brenda Erickson,
651-523-2591 berickson08 [at] hamline.edu

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UU-SPECIFIC Items

#7 UU Ministry for Earth (formerly Seventh Principle Project) issues
call for LETTERS

The call for Unitarian Universalism to take seriously its commitment to
affirm and promote the interdependent web of all existence is overdue
and now must come from you.
Commit to writing three letters: 

one to Rev. Bill Sinkford, 
Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon St. | Boston, MA 02108
wsinkford [at] uua.org

one to your District representative to the UUA Board of Trustees
Mr. John Blevins
4618 Warwick Blvd, 5A
Kansas City, MO 64112
Tel: 816-531-5242 
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church of Kansas City, MO 
jblevins [at] uua.org, 

and one to your District Executive. 
Nancy Heege
Prairie Star District
122 W. Franklin Ave., Suite 303 
Minneapolis, MN 55404 
(612) 230-3273
nheege [at] uua.org

Share your vision for a UUA which celebrates the unique religious
perspective embodied in our seventh principle. Share your concerns. Ask
them to do the business of the UUA in a 
GREEN way. Tell them what your congregation?s doing!  
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#8  UU Ministry for Earth seeks Regional Coordinator for Prairie Star
District
 from Claudia Kern, Aug. 13

UU Ministry for Earth (formerly the Seventh Principle Project) has funds
to recruit and train volunteer Regional Coordinators to help deliver
UU Ministry for Earth programming, offer Green Sanctuary 
support, and facilitate collaboration between neighboring congregations
locally. The role of a Regional Coordinator will allow committed
supporters of the UU Ministry for Earth
to deepen their volunteer commitment a little nearer to home. 

An initial two-day training for Coordinators to be held in Boston, 
November 18-20, will provide trainees with the appropriate tools, 
strategies, and resources to confidently assume the role of Regional 
Coordinator. Housing, meals, and carbon offsets for travel will be
provided 
by UU Ministry for Earth; however, trainees will be asked to cover 
transportation costs. In addition to this initial training, Regional
Coordinators 
will receive ongoing support and resources. 

You can download a full description at www.uuministryforearth.org 
For more information, contact: 
UU Ministry for Earth, PO Box 11, Lyme, NH 03768,
office [at] uuministryforearth.org
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E-mail your announcement suggestions to ecominds-editor [at] muusja.org 
If you have questions and want to talk to a real person about 
UU EcoMinds, call Madalyn at 612-926-5249.
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