CENTRAL WISCONSIN AREA
ECO-MUNICIPALITY Newsletter

Here are a few of the highlights from the past month as well as upcoming events.

Stevens Point Eco-Municipality Task Force To Meet

The Task Force will meet to discuss and edit the Stevens Point Eco-Municipality plan at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 24th at the Stevens Point Water Department, 300 Bliss Avenue. This final plan will be presented to the Stevens Point Common Council for proposed adoption in June of this year. The public is invited to attend.

Stevens Point Eco-Municipality Listening Sessions

The Stevens Point Eco-Municipality hosted four listening sessions on two separate evenings to collect input on their draft Eco-Municipality plan for Stevens Point. Approximately 50 people listened to a short presentation on the Eco-Municipality initiative. Public comments are available for viewing at the Stevens Point Eco-Municipality website. Most subcommittees are finishing up their recommendations and each subcommittee chair has received the input from all the listening sessions to take into consideration.

Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference

The Alliance for Sustainability is pleased to announce the upcoming Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference set for April 24 - 25 at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin. The conference will provide small business owners and managers the opportunity to learn about sustainable business practices, hear practical examples of what can be done within a business, and leave with the ability to begin exploring their own goals and initiatives.

Eco-Municipality Logo Design Contest

Students with an artistic flair and concern for the environment might get to see their ideas represent the Stevens Point Eco-Municipality through the city’s logo design contest. The contest is open to students in grades 7-12 and offers prizes. Complete rules are available at the Stevens Point Eco-Municipality website.

Randy Udall To Speak On UWSP Campus

Join the UWSP Students for Sustainable Communities in welcoming Earth Week featured speaker Randy Udall to the UWSP campus for a talk titled "What’s Next? Energy and Sustainability in a Post-Carbon World." This is the culminating presentation in the year long colloquium series addressing energy and natural resource issues. The talk is sponsored by the UWSP Students for Sustainable Communities as well as the College of Natural Resources, the Biology Department, and the University administration. The program begins at 4:00 pm the Dreyfus University Theater. All are welcome and there is no admission charge.

Randy Udall is the former director of Aspen, Colorado's Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) and is one of the nation’s leading activists in promoting energy sustainability.

Sustainability News!

Sweden & Sustainability
Interested in the international sustainability movement and roots of the eco-municipality? Check out Sustainable Sweden's website for more information.

UWSP Students To Plant 60 Trees To Commemorate Earth Day
Students at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) will be planting 60 trees on the campus on April 22nd in honor of Earth Day. Beginning at noon on Earth Day, volunteer UWSP students will spread across the entire campus to plant the trees. The event is being sponsored by Students for Sustainable Communities. Please contact Ben Vondra for more information.

UW-Superior Breaks Ground For Green Student Center
The University of Wisconsin Superior recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new student center building which will feature energy efficient design, a green roof, and rainwater collection. The University hopes that the building will achieve LEED certification. The building will house student dining services, the campus bookstore, offices for student organizations and university staff, an art gallery, meeting areas and lounges. It is expected to be complete by August 2009.

Milwaukee Selected As New America Solar City
Milwaukee, Wisconsin will receive a grant from the Federal Government to install solar technologies. Madison, Wisconsin was selected last year.

Sustainability Fair To Be Held In Door County
The first Door County Sustainability Fair will be held on Sunday, April 20, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Crossroads at Big Creek, Sturgeon Bay. The fair is intended to inspire county residents to envision a more sustainable future for Door County by promoting ideas for a sustainable society. Contact Cat Schmidt for more information.

Online Resources

Check out these other online resources for more information.
Stevens Point Eco-Municipality Website
City of Stevens Point Eco-Municipality Task Force 

If your community has a website that it would like to publicize, send the link to Ben Vondra or the Center for Land Use Education.

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*We are currently using the following definition for sustainability: "Sustainable development is...development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future, 1987.