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Earth Week 2022
Red Wing Earth Week 2022: Educate · Advocate · Mitigate
It's time to invest in our planet. Together we can all make a difference! What will you do?
Red Wing Earth Week 2022, organized by a planning team of representatives from community organizations, is focused on accelerating solutions to combat climate change by activating our community. We will provide educational information and activities, encourage advocacy for policy and system change, and challenge everyone to adopt sustainable behaviors.
This year we have a week full of activities, programs, challenges and educational opportunities for all ages. Please check out our schedule, the descriptions of our activities, programs, challenges and educational opportunities, and our Educate, Advocate and Mitigate tabs. Together we can all make a difference!
Events Schedule With Descriptions
Events
Registration or tickets may be required
Tuesday, April 19
- 12 p.m. – Lunch & Learn - Energy Smart for Businesses – Sponsored by Climate Coalition of Goodhue County at the Elks – Registration required
- 6 p.m – Climate in Our Own Backyard: A Minnesota Perspective, Virtual Presentation by Mark Seeley – Hosted by League of Women Voters & Citizens Climate Lobby – Registration required
- 7 p.m. – Learning on Tap – Sponsored by Red Wing Community Education and Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance at Jimmy's Pub in the St. James Hotel – Ages 21+ – Registration required
Wednesday, April 20
- 5:30-7 p.m. – A History of Sustainability Walking Tour of the Tower View Estate – Sponsored by the Anderson Center – Registration required
- 6:30 p.m. – Peacestock: Militarism & the Environment – Hosted by Veterans for Peace at the Ignite Building – Registration (only if attending virtually; no registration required to attend in-person)
Thursday, April 21
- 6-8 p.m. – Earth Day, Red Wing & The Future by Nate Hagens, Executive Director of The Institute for the Study of Energy & Our Future – Sponsored by Citizens Climate Lobby at Red Wing Public Library – Register at the door
Saturday, April 23
- Sunrise to Sunset – Hike the Bluff – Sponsored by Friends of the Bluffs
- 4-6 p.m. – Electric Vehicle Show at the Red Wing High School
- 6:30 p.m. – Wild & Scenic Film Festival – Sponsored by Red Wing Environmental Learning Center – Tickets
All Week
| Adopt-a-Drain | Communitywide | Sponsored by City of Red Wing Stormwater Division |
| Adopt a Trail | Communitywide | Sponsored by Friends of the Bluffs |
| Backyard Bingo with Dakota Translation (PDF) | Communitywide | Sponsored by Prairie Island Indian Community |
| Red Wing Earth: Student Streetscapes | Artwork displayed at downtown and West End businesses | Sponsored by Downtown Main Street |
| Treasures on the Trail | Red Wing parks and trails | Sponsored by Red Wing Arts |
| Young Artists & Authors Showcase – Generation Rescue Sustainable Water for All | Artwork displayed at Mandy's Coffee and Cafe | Sponsored by Sister Cities Commission |
Monday, April 18
| 5:30-5:45 a.m. | Sunrise Hike | He Mni Can-Barn Bluff | Hosted by Friends of the Bluff |
| 4:30-6:30 p.m. | Colvill Park Community Clean Up | Colvill Park | Sponsored by Thrivent Rivertown Financial Associates |
| All Day | Red Wing Clean-Up Day (grab your gloves and a garbage bag to pick up trash/litter) | Neighborhoods, parks, and trails |
Tuesday, April 19
| 12 p.m. | Lunch & Learn – Energy Smart for Businesses Registration Required | Elks | Sponsored by Climate Coalition of Goodhue County |
| 6-7:30 p.m. | Climate Change in Our Backyard: A Minnesota Perspective by Mark Seeley Registration Required | Virtual Presentation | Hosted by Citizens Climate Lobby & League of Women Voters |
| 7 p.m. | Learning on Tap – Age 21+ Registration Required | Jimmy's Pub in the St. James Hotel | Sponsored by Red Wing Community Education & Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance |
Wednesday, April 20
| All Day | Walking Wednesday – Walk to work, walk to school, take a walking meeting, take 10,000 steps or more... | Communitywide | |
| 12 p.m. | Mayor's Walk for Walking Wednesday | Meet outside Mayor's Office, 327 Third St. | Sponsored by the Red Wing Family YMCA |
| 12:15 p.m. | Riverfront Trail Walk (in case of inclement weather, treadmills and walking track will be available) | Meet at YMCA | Sponsored by the Red Wing Family YMCA |
| 6:30 p.m. | Peacestock: Militarism & The Environment Registration (only if attending virtually; no registration required to attend in-person) | Ignite Building, 419 Bush St. | Sponsored by Veterans for Peace |
Thursday, April 21
| 11 a.m. | Reducing Your Family's Carbon Footprint Registration Required | Virtual Webinar | Sponsored by University of Minnesota Extension |
| 5 p.m. | Solar Panels on Your Roof & Solar Gardens | 1478 Hillside Dr. | Hosted by Chad Kono/David Anderson |
| 6-8 p.m. | Earth Day, Red Wing & The Future by Nate Hagens – Register at the door | Red Wing Public Library, Foot Room | Hosted by Citizens Climate Lobby and the League of Women Voters |
Friday, April 22
| All Day | Take a Ride on Your Bicycle Day – Bike to school. Bike to Work. Bike the Cannon Valley Trail, Goodhue Pioneer Trail, or Riverfront Trail | Communitywide | |
| 6 a.m. | Sunrise Bike Ride – 10-mile bike ride around Red Wing | Meet at Red Wing Bicycle Company, 319 Main St. | Sponsored by Red Wing Bicycle Shop |
| 10 a.m. | Mayor's Ride – 5-mile bike ride around Red Wing | Meet at Red Wing Bicycle Company, 319 Main St. | |
| 9:30-5:30 p.m. | Story Walk – We are Water Protectors | Bay Point Park | Sponsored by Red Wing Public Library |
| 1-2:30 p.m. | Nature's Sunprints | 1920 Old West Main St. | Sponsored by Red Wing Arts Clay & Creative Center |
| All Day | "For the Love of Spring" Event | Downtown and Old West Main retailers |
Saturday, April 23
| Sunrise to Sunset | Hike the Bluff | He Mni Can-Barn Bluff | Sponsored by Friends of the Bluff |
| 7:30 a.m. | Accessible Bird Walk Registration Required | Meet at the Goodhue Pioneer Trail | Sponsored by Red Wing Park Naturalist |
| 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Nature Play | Twin Bluff School | Sponsored by Red Wing Park Naturalist |
| 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Earth Day Fun at Goodhue County Historical Society | Goodhue County Historical Society | |
| 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. | Flood Plain Walk in the Cannon Bottoms with Bruce Ause Registration required | Starts/Ends in Parking Lot of off the Cannon Bottoms Road | For more information, contact David Anderson |
| 1-2:30 p.m. | Nature's Sunprints | 1920 Old West Main St. | Sponsored by Red Wing Arts Clay & Creative Center |
| 1-2 p.m. | Sustainable Food: Restorative Agricultural Practices for Business of the Future | John the Baptist Beverage Company, 33292 County 5 Blvd., Lake City | |
| 4-6 p.m. | Electric Vehicle Show | Red Wing High School | |
| 6:30 p.m. | Wild & Scenic Film Festival – Tickets | Red Wing High School | Sponsored by Red Wing Environmental Learning Center |
| All Day | "For the Love of Spring" Event | Downtown and Old West Main retailers |
Sunday, April 24
| All Day | Get Out & Enjoy Mother Nature Day – Being in nature, or even viewing nature, reduces stress and increases pleasant feeling. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and the production of stress hormones. Spend time outdoors to end Earth Week – Go for a picnic, enjoy a walk on one of our many trails, take a bike ride, play in a park, go fishing or do whatever makes you happy. | Communitywide |
- Fair Trade Books Climate Change Book Read & Discussion
- The more you read, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more you grow. Read a book from tour list or choose your own: The Red Deal, Merchants of Doubt, Drawdown, The Next Great Migration, Finding the Mother Tree, Entangled Life, The Big Bad Book of Botany, Bright Green Lies, The Water will Come, Midnight in Chernobyl, The Nutmeg’s Curse, Doughnut Economics, Lie a Tree, The Overstory, The Hydrogen Revolution, The Insect Crisis, Fathoms, Animals Make Us Human, Islands of Abandonment, Carrots Don’t Grow on Trees, The Treeline. Books are available at Fair Trade Books or the Red Wing Library. Join us for a Climate Conversation at the Red Wing Conservation Clubhouse on Thursday, April 28, at 6 p.m. Registration required
- The Great Climate Bike Challenge
- There isn’t one magic silver bullet that will end climate change, but we know one thing: replacing car trips with bike rides is one small thing everyday people can do to help make a huge difference. Simply put, when you ride a bike to work, school, see friends and family, to run errands, you’re helping combat climate change – every mile counts. Start small, one ride at a time and see how easy it can be. Then, join “The Great Climate Bike Challenge” and see how small changes can make a big difference.
- Meatless Monday
- Meatless Monday is a global movement that encourages people to reduce meat in their diet for their health and the health of the planet.
- Home Energy Assessment
- A Home Energy Assessment can help you determine how much energy your home uses, where your home is inefficient, and which problem areas and fixes you should prioritize to save energy and improve the comfort of your home.
- Vehicle Miles Traveled Challenge
- Learn how many miles you travel around Red Wing by tracking your vehicle miles traveled. During Earth Week reset your odometer to zero at the beginning of the day and write down your mileage at the end of the day. Then look for ways to reduce them, carpool with neighbors, park in a central location and walk to the different stores you need to visit or try bicycling for some of those trips.
- Walking Challenge – How many steps can you take?
- Walk to school or work, schedule a Walking Meeting
- Red Wing's Historic Architecture Walking Tour – Brochures also available at Red Wing Chamber of Commerce
- Anderson Center tour on the history of energy generation and research at Tower View
- Reduce Food Waste Challenge
- Fruits and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags and leaves, and cut flowers can be composted and kept out of the garage. During Earth Week, take a 5-gallon bucket and collect all of above-mentioned items to learn how you can reduce your waste. To learn more about composting, go to: Composting in your backyard.
Education and awareness have a large impact on climate change. It is our responsibility to be informed and help to inform future generations of the environmental challenges we face locally and globally. The more you know the more you grow.
The focus of Red Wing Earth Week 2022 is on accelerating solutions to combat climate change by activating our community. In order to activate, we have to be educated. Below are a variety of websites, videos and movies that will help everyone learn more about climate change and how it affects people and planet. The following list of educational websites, videos and curriculum is not exhaustive, but we hope it can serve to motivate others and suggest ideas for future education during Earth Week and beyond.
Websites
- Earth Day
- Climate Generation
- Forest Carbon Works
- NASA Global Climate Change
- United States Environmental Protection Agency – Climate Change
- United Nations – Climate Action
Curriculum Links
- Climate Generation
- Stanford University
- NASA Global Climate Change
- Climate Curriculum
- Hamline Center for Global Environmental Education – Alex the Frog Series and Waters to the Sea: Mississippi River Adventure
- USGA Water Education Teacher Resources
- EPA WaterSense
- Friends of the Mississippi River – "Our Waters", "Ecosystems Invaded!", "Sculpting the Landscape", and "Wade into Wetlands"
Additional Activities/Websites
- Minnesota Rural Water Association "Water Week" Poster Contest
- Drinking Water Institute, August 1-3 in Red Wing
- This is a program for educators to learn how to incorporate drinking water education into their curriculum. For more information, contact Kelsey Van Deusen.
- University of Minnesota Extension – Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership, Yard & Garden, and Water
Environmental Stewardship Institute (Career Development Program for High School Youth)
Bicycling Education
Hiking Trails
Videos
- Where Climate Meets Community
- Where Science Meets Society
- Achieving Climate Resolution through CO2 Removal
Movies/Documentaries (may be streamed from various services)
- I am Greta
- Before the Flood
- Kiss the Ground
- Merchants of Doubt
- Chasing Ice
Advocacy involves promoting the interests of a cause or group. In this case the cause is the wellbeing of our planet and its inhabitants. During Red Wing Earth Week, we encourage you to become an environmental advocate, a person who speaks on the behalf of or in support of sustainable change.
There are many opportunities to be an advocate: at your place of employment, with organizations you belong to, at your children’s school or school district, by contacting your elected officials, or by joining a group that is already advocating for change. The following list of advocacy opportunities below includes local, state, and national organizations. We encourage you to research and advocate for the ones that you are passionate about.
The following lists are not exhaustive. There are many other environmental causes and organizations that you can join. Here are a few you can consider:
- Red Wing Sustainability Commission
- Red Wing Chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby
- Veterans for Peace
- Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance
- Clean River Partners
Additional opportunities:
- Joining Climate Coalition for Goodhue County
- Make a 2022 Earth Day Pledge (PDF)
- Complete your pledge, take a picture with it, and post it to your Facebook page using #RedWingEarthWeekPledge
- Vote green
- Contact your elected officials and encourage them to support green initiatives
- Be an advocate for the planet, right from your home – make an Earth Week sign for your window!
Minnesota
- X-Cel Carbon Free Minnesota Coalition (PDF)
- Climate Generation
- Land Stewardship Project
- Clean Air Minnesota
- Friends of the Mississippi River
- 1Mississippi
- 100 Percent Campaign
- Minnesota Interfaith Climate Justice Alliance
- MN350
- Environment Minnesota
To learn about additional Minnesota groups, go to:
National
- Earth Justice
- American Lung Association
- Clean Air Task Force
- Water Advocates
- Clean Water Advocates
- US Water Alliance
A list of 50 non-profits working to stop climate change can be found by going to: Climate Store.
Mitigation is all about action, the action of reducing the severity and seriousness of climate change. Earth Week is a global call to action to look critically at our behaviors and choices and consider how we effect our communities and the environment.
The little things we can do daily add up to something bigger and more meaningful. We encourage you during Red Wing Earth Week to be cognizant of daily decisions and consider their impacts. Below we have created a list of simple things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint, from shopping local to purchasing eco-friendly products.
10 Simple Things To Do To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
- Initiate climate conversations
- Contact your legislators about putting a price on carbon
- Vote for climate
- Plant something
- Walk and bike more; drive less
- Shop at Red Wing thrift/secondhand shops and the Red Wing Area Farmers Market
- Adopt a drain and pick up litter
- Get a residential energy audit
- Use water bottles and cloth bags
- Organize a carpool or a "Walking Bus" so the kids in your neighborhood can walk to and from school or activities
Conserve Energy
The City of Red Wing has provided and created a number of resources for residents, businesses, and public and nonprofit organizations. To learn what is available, click here.
Links to More Actions to Mitigate Climate Change
- 50 Simple Things: A Guide to Reducing your Carbon Footprint – Earth Guardians
- 18 Simple Things You Can Do About Climate Change – University of California – Davis
- Table of Solutions – Project Drawdown
Eco-Friendly Shopping
Wherever you shop, we encourage you to look for and research eco-friendly products and alternatives.