Confused about what sustainability means?  It’s all about achieving a healthy holistic balance between the three elements of community, economy and environment.  Check out out Earth Fest brochure for definitions and a description of the Iron Range Partnership for sustainability.   2012 IREF – IRPS Brochure

Iron Range Earth Fest is a one day celebration of local traditions and practical resources for sustainable living.  Over 2,500 people have attended Iron Range Earth Fest in the last three years, and were inspired to work towards making their own homes, businesses, organizations and communities more sustainable.

The success of Earth Fest has fostered a grassroots sustainability movement on the Iron Range, which in just three short years has fostered a number of incredibly successful projects, including:

• Formation of the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability (IRPS) -  a 501c3 nonprofit corporation dedicated to stimulating conversation and action for a sustainable future on the Iron Range of northeastern Minnesota.
• Earth Fest Green Inventors Contest – an opportunity for local youth and adults to show off their creativity and imagination to create an invention designed to solve a sustainability problem.
• Everyday Guide to Sustainable Living – an annual publication exploring the balance between the three elements of sustainability – community, economy and environment.  Featuring resource lists, stories of people who “walk the talk”, and sponsorship advertising opportunities.
• The Local Foods Project – bringing awareness to local sustainable food production.
• Congregations Caring for the Earth – an ecumenical, interfaith group of congregations working together to highlight the connection between our faith and our relationship with the earth.
• A new group has just starting their work to use recreation as a conduit to connect people to the land.

Please consider supporting the work of IRPS -  check out the sponsorship opportunities here or contact Ardy at 218-749-4331  2012 Sponsor Packet – Earth Fest & Green Inventors Contest

Iron Range Earth Fest offers opportunities to explore how we can all live more sustainably in our homes and communities, our economy and our environment.  Participants are invited to learn about new and existing technological approaches as well as rediscover some of our long standing local traditions.  We tap into the knowledge of cutting edge experts as well as our local indigenous knowledge through exhibits, demonstrations, speakers and vendors.  Emphasis is placed on local products, local services, local foods, local traditions and our local wilderness.

2011 Iron Range Earth Fest Speakers

1.  Geothermal Benefits: The Best of Both Worlds     

9:30-10:15      Mt Iron Community Center – Mt Iron Room

      Northern GroundSource Inc.    www.NorthernGroundSource.com

                Ground source heating and cooling technology is uniquely capable of providing both environmental and economic benefits.  Learn about the realistic perspective of geothermal in the northland.

2.  Heat Your Home With the Sun

10:45-11:30     Mt Iron Community Center – Mt Iron Room

      Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL)    www.rreal.org

                RREAL is a manufacturer and installer of solar air heating systems.  Once you have made your home more energy efficient; how can you reduce your largest expense – heating your home, is it an option for you? 

3.  How Energy Efficient is Your Home?

12:00-12:45      Mt Iron Community Center – Mt Iron Room

      Accurate Energy Rating, Ralph Nyquist     218-259-9591

                Home Energy Ratings, Audits and Assessments; what are they, when to use them and how to          interpret the results.

4.  Exciting Energy Projects at our Community Colleges

1:15-2:00      Mt Iron Community Center – Mt Iron Room

      NE Higher Education District  /  Hibbing, Mesabi Range, Vermillion Community Colleges

                Students from our local community colleges showcase their exciting energy projects.  

5.  Solar Energy 101

2:30-3:15      Mt Iron Community Center – Mt Iron Room

      Hibbing Community College     www.hibbing.edu 

                Learn about the basics of Solar Power from Jesse Dahl, instructor from Hibbing Community College. 

6.   Saving Energy in Your Home

3:45-4:30      Mt Iron Community Center – Mt Iron Room

      Duluth Energy Efficiency Program (DEEP)      www.duluthenergy.org

Understand our home, how you use energy, and how you can save money with energy efficiency improvements to your lifestyle and home.  This interactive workshop offers strategies for residents who what to reduce energy use, lower utility costs, minimize their carbon footprint and enjoy a “greener” and more sustainable lifestyle. 

7.  Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) – A Great Depression Work Program

9:30-10:15     Messiah Lutheran Church Library     

BWS Associates, Barb Sommer

8.   Wine Making 101

10:45-11:30      Messiah Lutheran Church Library     

      Natural Harvest Food Co-op, Wayne Wilberg & Lisa Hesse      www.naturalharvestcoop.com

                Celebrate the bounty of our own local berries and fruits by making your own wine.

9.  Make Your Own Artisan Breads

12:00-12:45     Messiah Lutheran Church Library     

     Natural Harvest Food Co-op, Wayne Wilberg & Lisa Hesse       www.naturalharvestcoop.com 

                Can’t you just smell it coming out of the oven?  Learn the basics of making your own homemade bread. 

10.  Cooking With Local Food On A Budget

1:15-2:00      Messiah Lutheran Church Library     

        Round River Farm     http://round-river.com 

                David Abasz of Round River Farm in Finland, MN will demonstrate a few healthy cooking options while talking about our local food system. Be prepared to nibble!

11. Earth Bound - Pitting Faith Against The Environment?

2:30-3:15     Messiah Lutheran Church Library          

 Congregations Caring for the Earth

                Too often we pit faith against the environment, even though our faith traditions all us to care for the          earth.  Come explore this meaningful topic.

12.  The Art of Basket Making

3:45-4:30      Messiah Lutheran Church Library            

 The Wicker Woman       www.WickerWoman.com

                Angora weaver Cathryn Peters shares her passion for chair seat weaving, bee skeps and antler basket making.  

13.  Beekeeping, and Encouraging Local Pollinators

9:30-10:15       Merritt Elementary #1 – Library      

 Ken Kallio

                Ken Kallio of Chisholm is a retired beekeeper who still keeps hives as a hobby. He will give a presentation about the art and science of beekeeping, and what we can do to help our local pollinators.

14.  Edible Container Gardening

      10:45-11:30   Merritt Elementary #1 – Library      

 Swanson’s Greenhouse     218-744-5099 

                How to mix vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a planting container that is beautiful, edible, and mobile.

15.  Build Your Own Rain Barrel

12:00-12:45 Merritt Elementary #1 – Library      

        Green Gate Guest House, Shawn Callahan    218-865-7146

16.  Red Tomatoes – “Not an Impossible Dream”

1:15-2:00      Merritt Elementary #1 – Library           

   Cherry Greenhouse, Diane Sikkila    218-263-9304 

17.  Cheap and Not-So-Cheap Ways to Extend The Growing Season 

2:30-3:15      Merritt Elementary #1 – Library      

        Fat Chicken Farm     www.fatchickenfarm.com

                Janna Goerdt of the Fat Chicken Farm in Embarrass uses season extension techniques to grow melons and sweet potatoes in one of the coldest places in the country; she’ll show you how you can do it, too.

18.  Safe home canning and freezing of food

3:45-4:30     Merritt Elementary #1 – Library      

        MN Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA)      www.misa.umn.edu 

19.  Gweyakminowiisinadaa – Let’s Eat the Right Foods

9:30-10:15     Merritt Elementary #2 – PT/OT Room          

 MN Chippewa Tribe – SNAP Education

                Let’s Eat the Right Foods; promoting healthy and active lifestyles though education, advocacy and training emphasizing culture and Healthy People 2010 Guidelines.

20.  Five Simple Steps to Zero Energy Building in Northern MN 

10:45-11:30        Merritt Elementary #2 – PT/OT Room     

 Coulson, LLC

                Deep reductions in energy consumption can be achieved in very cold climates following several basic  building design principles.  Learn about the process, systems & materials.

21.  Reiki – Relaxation Technique

        12:00-12:45       Merritt Elementary #2 – PT/OT Room     

Relax with Reiki      218-248-0996 

                Learn more about this Japanese Relaxation Technique that balances the energy of the body to relieve  stress and discomfort.  

22.  Mining Energy on the Range

1:15-2:00      Merritt Elementary #2 – PT/OT Room     

        Northeast Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTS)    www.mncerts.org

                Examine the  problems and possibilities of our energy transition, as we learn to mine local energy on the  Iron Range.  More challenges bring more opportunities. 

23.  Sustainable Building

2:30-3:15     Merritt Elementary #2 – PT/OT Room     

        Sunny Day Earth Solutions    www.sunnydaymn.com

                ECO expert Ramy Selim talks about simple sustainable remodeling; cordwood, straw bale and cob construction.

24.  Vehicle Efficiency

3:45-4:30     Merritt Elementary #2 – PT/OT Room     

        Sunny Day Earth Solutions     www.sunnydaymn.com

                Vehicle choices and things we can do to make them more efficient.

Bring an acceptable recyclable and get in free. Click on the Earth Fest Poster for more details!

Inventor’s Poster

Thanks to the generous support of Cliffs Natural Resources, the Earth Fest Green Inventors Contest is expanding its reach to schools all across the Iron Range, and thanks to Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, the contest will also include an open division for adults.

The Earth Fest Green Inventors Contest is an opportunity for area youth and adults to show off their imaginations and creativity, and to receive recognition for their “green” inventions designed to solve a sustainability problem or make something more environmentally friendly.  The goal of the contest is to spur imaginations, and to collectively work together to make our Iron Range communities, economy and environment resilient to the challenges ahead.   

The Green Inventors Contest will be presented by the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability and Cliffs Natural Resources on April 9, 2011 at Iron Range Earth Fest in Mountain Iron, MN.   Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners in the School Age Division for each category, grades 4-6, 7-8, 9-12.  The top two winners in the open division will be invited to participate in the Northeast Entrepreneur Fund’s program “Build a Business…Here’s How!”  This is the first step for a local inventor to explore the possibility of bringing their invention to market.  

Earth Fest is a celebration of local traditions and practical resources for sustainable living on the Iron Range, offering opportunities to explore how we can all live more sustainably in our homes and communities, our economy and our environment.  Participants are invited to learn about new and existing technological approaches as well as rediscover some of our long standing local traditions.  Participants will be able to tap into the knowledge of cutting edge experts as well as our local indigenous knowledge through exhibits, demonstrations, speakers and vendors.  Emphasis is placed on local products, local services, local foods, local traditions and our local wilderness.

The 3nd annual Iron Range Earth Fest is on April 9, 2011 in Mountain Iron, MN and is presented by the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability, the Northeast Minnesota Sustainable Development Partnership with the University of Minnesota and Iron Range Resources.  Go to www.ironrangeearthfest.org for more information, or call Connie at 218-742-9504. 

Just what do we mean by sustainability?

Sustainability is most often defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. A sustainable community seeks to maintain and improve the economic, environmental and social characteristics of an area so its members can continue to lead healthy, productive, enjoyable lives there.

Community Members:

We are seeking sponsors of the Inventors Contest, prize donations, or material donations for the starter kits to be donated to students and teachers to help defray the cost of their inventions and presentations.

At Iron Range Earth Fest, the signature event of the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability, we seek answers to the question: how can we meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs? If you have a knack for creating new solutions, this contest is for you!

The 3rd annual Earth Fest is on April 9, 2011 in Mountain Iron, MN. All entries must have an entry form postmarked on/before March 15, 2011. Entry forms can be mailed or emailed (addresses are located on the bottom of the entry form).

 

1st Annual Iron Range Earth Fest – April 17 & 18, 2009

Activities will be held throughout the weekend at:
Mt Iron Community Center
Messiah Lutheran Church
Mesabi Family YMCA
Mt Iron Merritt Elementary School

Keep checking this website as the list of presenters and the schedule of events expands.

In the meantime, enjoy this introduction published in a recent Hometown Focus. In the coming weeks, articles from each of our presenting partners will be featured in the online and print editions of the paper. Check it out and read our stories of how and why we came together to get this community conversation going:

Once in awhile an idea gets rolling like the proverbial stone down a hill. As soon as people hear about it, they recognize it as something they have been waiting for. The idea turns into shared vision, shared vision into planning, and something happens which has never happened before.

Three months ago, a group of people from a local congregation (Messiah Lutheran) decided to organize an East Range Earth Day by bringing together a variety of groups and people around great local food to share traditional skills and new technologies for sustainable living. They believed that the people of the Iron Range have many of the resources and skills we need to shape a sustainable future for our children, communities, and land. They reserved the Mt. Iron Community Center for Saturday, April 18, and began to talk about it with people they knew. They soon realized that the vision was bigger than one church’s capacity to organize it.   

   

In the last two months, eight other organizations have joined Messiah to plan the first ever Iron Range Earth Fest for Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18. This brand new Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability currently includes Club Mesabi, Inc., The Creative Shop, Global Warmings, Hope Community Presbyterian Green Team, Laurentian Environmental Center, Messiah Lutheran Church’s Creation Care Team, Natural Harvest Food Co-op, North St Louis Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Virginia Sustainability Task Force. The Northeast Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnership became the Iron Range Earth Fest’s first presenting sponsor, offering seed money, services, and a world-renowned speaker. Hometown Focus newspaper and KAXE radio will be bringing you more about the 1^st annual Iron Range Earth Fest in weeks to come.

 

 

The group soon discovered that Iron Range Earth Fest would be sharing a one mile corridor of Highway 169 that weekend with a concert at Merritt Auditorium on Friday evening, April 17, sponsored by Mt. Iron Community Education and Quad Cities Early Childhood Coalition, and Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 18, at the Mesabi Family YMCA. Taking place so close to each other, the three events are perfect trio to draw people together with a common focus. (By coincidence, Pat Surface and the Boundary Waters Boys, lined up by Mt. Iron Community Ed for that Friday, is the same band that the Earth Fest planners were trying to get!)  

The Iron Range Earth Fest will feature Iron Range food, skills, interests, and traditions – local food, local skills, local connection with wilderness, local music, and children’s activities, as well as offerings from local businesses, state, environmental, and public interest groups. People in our area still practice inherited traditions of hunting, fishing, trapping, gardening, quilting, weaving, canning, composting, furniture making and many other skills which make life sustainable. At the same time, cities, power companies and businesses in our area are developing new energy-saving and job-creating technology. All of these, along with agencies and programs for protecting our land and air and water, have a place and a voice at the first Iron Range Earth Fest.   

With just over seven weeks before April 17-18, the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability already has over fifty contacts for prospective exhibits, demonstrations, and speakers on practical topics, but we know that there are many others who have something to offer, whether traditional skills or new energy-saving technologies. If you think you have a potential exhibit or demonstration, e-mail us at ironrangeearthfest@yahoo.com.   Space is somewhat limited, so please contact us soon.  If your business or organization would like to invest some dollars as one of our primary sponsors, e-mail us, or contact Connie Olson at North St Louis Soil & Water Conservation District, 742-9504.   

Over the next six weeks, leading up to April 17-18, Hometown Focus will feature two articles each week on local traditions and local/regional perspectives on living and working sustainably. As you read them, you are already entering a community conversation which is really what the celebration of Iron Range Earth Fest is all about, a conversation that can open us to the sustainable future that our children deserve. Their future is unfolding now, and it is ours to help create. 

Submitted by the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability