The Center for Sustainable Living

The Center for Sustainable Living will be bringing a Permaculture Film Festival and an Introduction to Permaculture workshop to Northfield! Guy Trombley and Paula Westmoreland of the Permaculture Research Institute, Cold Climate will be presenting these events on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21.

Permaculture is defined as “the conscious design and maintenance of productive ecosystems that have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.” Continue Reading »

Pictured, left to right, are: Sheryl Joy, Katie Blanchard, Arlene Kjar, Dan Hudson, Erin Barnett, and Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin

Why are these people waving garden tools and smiling?

On Monday night the School Board approved a collaboration between Northfield School District Community Services and the Northfield Community Gardeners that will establish a community garden on the grounds of Greenvale Park Elementary.

Right now just a flat patch of snow-covered brown grass next to Greenvale Park’s Lone Oak Natural Area, in a few months the site will be full of lettuce, broccoli, tomatillos, and new friends. Continue Reading »

After a very successful Sustainabilty Discussion Group on February 15, the Center for Sustainabile Living will be hosting more upcoming discussions and events:

Tuesday, March 20 - Community Sustainability Discussion
7:30pm - 9pm
Conference Room, 801 Highway 3 North
(former Sheldahl office building, across from Dairy Queen)
Topic: Energy Efficiency
FREE

Friday, April 20 - Permaculture Film Festival
6:30pm - 9pm
Room 515
Rolvaag Memorial Library
St. Olaf College (Campus Map)
This even will be hosted by the Permaculture Research Institute, Cold Climate. Co-Sponsored by the St. Olaf Environmental Coalition
FREE

Saturday, April 21 - Introduction to Permaculture Class
9am - 5pm
Conference Room, 801 Highway 3 North
(former Sheldahl office building, across from Dairy Queen)
Northfield, MN
$75 registration is required (details coming soon!)
Course taught by Guy Trombley and Paula Westmoreland
Permaculture Collaborative, Cold Climate

Thursday, May 10 - Community Sustanability Discussion
7:30pm - 9pm
Conference Room, 801 Highway 3 North
(former Sheldahl office building, across from Dairy Queen)
Topic: The Politics of Sustainability
Guest: Dr. John Barry, Professor of Political Science, Carleton College
FREE

For more updated information on upcoming meetings and events, visit our Upcoming Events page.

If you haven’t checked them out already, a Green Film Series is still happening at Carleton College on Tuesday evenings.

Time: Tuesday Evenings, 7pm-9pm
Venue: Leighton 402, Carleton College

Upcoming Films:

Tuesday, February 27 - “Affluenza: Consumerism”

Tuesday, March 6 - “No Logo” and “Another World is Possible”

For more information, contact Dr. John Barry, Professor of Political Science, jbarry@carleton.edu

In an ongoing effort to bring people together around issues of sustainable living, economic justice, and community well-being, the Center for Sustainable Living will be hosting Monthly Sustainability Discussions at the Northfield Public Library.

Please join us for our first of many discussion groups, Thursday February 15, from 7:30 to 9pm at the Northfield Public Library’s Community Room. Everyone is invited to attend!

Bring your ideas, visions, questions, and information you wish to share about sustainable living in Northfield.

We hope to see you there!

For more information, contact Scott Schumacher, Board Chair, The Center for Sustainable Living at info@centerforsustableliving.org, or 612-756-2671.

Northfield Public Library information - 507-645-6606.

The Northfield Winter Farmers Market - Again this year, is held in November and December only. If you enjoyed the market Saturday, November 11 (or if you missed it!), you can once again find locally grown meat and vegetables for your holiday feasts!

Available to buy will be fall vegetables, meat, baked goods, lefse, and other items. It will be located at The Village School, 1100 Bollenbacher Ct., just off South Highway 3, behind the AmericInn. and Wendy’s. The market will be held on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006, from 10 AM to 1 PM.

Come out and buy local food, and meet the farmers who grow it for you!

The Center for Sustainable Living is resuming the Community Composting Project once again! Over the years we’ve begun to realize that our Community Composting Project is more about creating community (in an interesting way), than it is just the collection of food scraps. We’re happy to tell you that we will be resuming this project once again! Beginning in September and going through the end of October, we will be collecting compost at the Northfield Farmers Market.

When: Fridays, 11:45 - 1pm
Where: Northfield Farmers Market - Riverside Park, off 7th Street
at the Red Tail Farm stand.

More details on winter composting options will be forthcoming in the month of October once details are worked out.

If you know of others wishing to compost, The Center for Sustainable Living can deliver a “compost kit” consisting of a bucket and information to anyone wishing to become a member of CSL. Membership is only $25/year. As well, if you have an address change or are no longer needing your compost bucket and would like to return it, send us an email at compost@centerforsustainableliving.org and we will accommodate your wishes!

To become a member and receive our Community Composting Kit, with your own bucket and composting guide, you can sign up at the Farmers Market, or send a check for $25 to:

The Center for Sustainable Living
PO Box 414
Northfield, MN 55057

Be sure to include your name, address, telephone, and email contact information, so that we may deliver your bucket to your doorstep!

Happy Composting!!

September 11 marks the five year anniversary of the formation of the Northfield People for Peace and Goodwill (PPG). This loosely organized group has held a silent vigil every Saturday at noon on bridge square since then. In addition to vigils on Bridge Square, PPG has hosted movies, lectures, panels, and events surrounding peace and social justice. When war began in Afghanistan, some 500 citizens gathered to protest the war. With students at Carleton College, they held a fundraiser in 2004 for Las Delicias. Now, to celebrate their five year anniversary, the Northfield People for Peace and Goodwill will gather on Monday, September 11, at 6:30 pm, once again on Bridge Square, for a 15 minute candlelight vigil. All are welcome.

Click on the picture above for a slideshow of vigils, events, and people of PPG.

Happy Anniversary!

In their August/September issue, Mother Earth News lists Northfield, MN in an article entitled 12 Great Places You’ve Never Heard Of. Northfield is listed among smaller towns that offer options for sustainable-minded people looking for “places to visit or sink roots”. Among the other cities listed were Fairfield, Iowa; Ithaca, New York, Blue Hill, Maine, and others. Northfield is described as “charming”, and having “an air of prosperous contentment that’s quite unusual for a town this small.”

The Center for Sustainable Living was pleased to have as our guest at our last meeting, organizers of the newly forming Northfield Community Garden planning group. In the beginning stages, the group has a goal of securing land by the spring of 2007.

Community Gardens can benefit a community in many ways. They contribute to increased food security, add to the overall economic and social development, provide spaces for cross-cultural sharing and exchanges, improve the health of individuals and families, and provide a healthy and fun way to connect with nature and protect the environment.

You’ll be hearing more about the progress of the Northfield Community Garden here on our website in the future. If you would like to be involved in forming the vision and future for a community garden in Northfield, contact Sheryl Joy at 649-0707, or by email at northfieldcommunitygarden@hotmail.com.

The group will be taking a trip to Minneapolis on August 19 to tour other community garden sites and collect information. Those interested are invited to join!