Archive for the ‘News & Trends’ Category

Creating a More Sustainable Western MN Feb. 27 in Alexandria

February 17th, 2012

Hope folks will be interested…

How can we work together to create a more sustainable western Minnesota where communities maintain control over their own futures? That question will be discussed at a special Land Stewardship Project (LSP) meeting on Monday, Feb 27, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at theFirst Congregational United Church of Christ in Alexandria (221 7th Ave W.). Admission is free for this public event, but spots must be reserved by contacting LSP’s Tom Taylor at 320-269-2105 or ttaylor@landstewardshipproject.org.

After a free-will donation meal, LSP staff will involve citizens in a discussion of ways to revitalize our communities economically and environmentally, while keeping control in local hands. Presentations and discussions will focus on:

  • LSP’s current efforts to build a local foods economy in western Minnesota and what people can do to help advance this important work.
  • What is the Chippewa 10% Project all about? LSP, partners, farmers and food and fuel buyers are working in the Chippewa River watershed to improve farm profits and stewardship.
  • What is LSP’s Farm Beginnings program doing to help the next generation of farmers succeed in western Minnesota?
  • What is LSP doing to create a health care system that is more affordable and sustainable? Come hear about the Federal Affordable Care Act and what we can do to make certain Minnesota’s Health Care Exchange works for the people of Minnesota, not insurance company executives.

LSP is a grassroots, membership-based organization working for economic justice, environmental stewardship, vibrant rural communities, and a healthy and accessible food system that profits farmers and supplies nutritious food to all people. 

We look forward to seeing you there and please remember to RSVP so we can better plan for the meeting and the dinner.

Tom Taylor
Community Based Food Systems Organizer
Land Stewardship Project
Montevideo, MN 56265
320-269-2105 X 10
ttaylor@landstewardshipproject.org
www.landstewardshipproject.org

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Consider Being A CERT Steering Committee Member!

February 10th, 2012

Looks like a good opportunity..

Please Consider Being A CERT Steering Committee Member!

Hello West Central Clean Energy Resource Team (CERT) members and friends: It is that time of year when we recruit folks who would like to help serve on our citizen-led Steering Committees. We have five positions available, and we’d love to hear from you!

What does a Steering Committee member do?

In general we rely on our Steering Committee members to help give us and the regional teams direction. Specific duties include:
• Participation in four conference calls a year to help plan regional team meetings and attendance at those meetings.
• Review of the text and process for our “Seed Grant Funding” request for proposals.
• Review of seed grant funding proposals to allocate project funding. We’ll ask you to read proposals and vote on their funding.
• Assistance with outreach on projects, events and funding opportunities to make sure that community members are connected with the resources and opportunities available to them. Essentially we ask you “spread the word” about CERTs and our resources within your existing networks.

What makes a good Steering Committee member?

CERT steering committee members are volunteers dedicated to helping their communities identify and implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. They are a great group of people, a pleasure to work with, and we consider them colleagues and friends. We hope their time serving on a CERT Steering Committee is an enjoyable experience and broadens their knowledge and network of fine people working around energy issues. With that in mind, we think that a good Steering Committee member is essentially someone with an interest in clean energy issues and projects and someone who wants to share that passion with others.

What do I do to throw my name in the hat?

If you or someone you know might be interested in serving on the CERT Steering Committee in your region, please let us know by Friday, February 10th, 2012. Please send us:
• your name and complete contact information (address, phone, e-mail)
• your volunteer/professional affiliations (if any, this is not a requirement)
• a brief bio that explains your interest in clean energy issues and what you think you’d add to the group

Send those details to either Joel Haskard or Lissa Pawlisch (contact info below).

What happens next?

We will send candidates our Operating Procedures document and answer any of your questions as best as possible to confirm your interest. Then we’ll review your materials and submit them to our existing Steering Committee members for review and approval. We have a limit of 16 members on the WC Steering Committee, so if we get too many nominations, we’ll have to do a bit more due diligence. Finally, we send the nominees recommended by the steering committee out to the list serve, and unless we hear opposition from a large segment, you’re in!

Contact info:
Joel Haskard
haska004@umn.edu
612-625-8759

Lissa Pawlisch
pawl0048@umn.edu
612-624-2293

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Western Minnesota a hotbed for entrepreneurs!

February 1st, 2012

MPR’s Ground Level is doing a series on jobs and entrepreneurship in Minnesota…

Ground Level, MPR News’ project for exploring community issues in Minnesota, is going to take a look at that effort over the next month or two. Look and listen for stories from around the state about incubators, microlending, start-ups, people with bright ideas and people forced by a poor economy to become entrepreneurs. We’re calling it “One Job at a Time.”

To introduce the series, they looked at two trends:

–When you look at graphs showing change in Minnesota’s self-employment or in new companies started or in income generated by sole proprietors — all of which get at part of entrepreneurship — you see a dropoff in the latest years for which numbers are available.

…

–But interestingly, when you break those sets of numbers down geographically, an area of southwestern Minnesota seems to be fighting the trend better than other places.

That includes Lac qui Parle. We saw a two percent decline in self-employed between 2007-2009 and we saw a 27 percent increase in proprietor income. And what is credited for LqP’s bucking the trend? The smart, hard working people!

The farm economy has been booming, he noted, but he also mentioned an ethic of hard work and something in the culture of the region that makes people do for themselves.

Pam Lehmann is quoted in the article…

“When I started in January 2007, my board said, ‘We don’t want you to chase any smoke stacks. We don’t want you to chase the big company that will employ a couple of hundred people.’ If they want to come here, we won’t turn them down, but we’re not actively recruiting them. We feel we’ll have more long-term impact by helping the one-man shops get started and grow. If you help 100 small guys get started, you’ve created 100 jobs. If one or two fail, that’s not the impact of one big employer failing and losing all the jobs.”

Posted in LqP in the News, News & Trends | Comments (0)

2012 Lac qui Parle Calendars for Cash on sale now thru December 28

December 13th, 2011

$20.00 Each
162 Chances to Win!
ALL Entries are eligible for every drawing – even if you have already won.
$100.00 given away every Monday, every Wednesday, and every Friday in 2012 – 156 Drawings
4-$1,000 Drawings plus 2-$200 Drawings

Calendars are available in Boyd at the City Office 320-855-2242, Dawson at Minnwest Bank 320-769-2911, at the Madison Chamber Office 320-598-7301 plus several other locations – including the LqP EDA Offices. Check out www.calendarsforcash.com to see past and current winners.

If you need calendars mailed out – contact me and we will get them to you!

Buy Yours Today and support these communities of Lac qui Parle County.

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