Green Coffee Talks

Are you looking to “Go Green” or need help along our Green Journey? Come meet/collaborate with other like-minded, eco-friendly people! We’ll discuss how to overcome the challenges of staying Green and share tips/resources on eco-friendly options! Each meeting has a specific topic to focus on, but the conversations go with the flow. Green Coffee Talks are held monthly at varying locations around the Twin Cities.

Watch this page for specific dates, times, and locations. Topics and meeting details will be added.

Virtual Green Gifts Fair: Breaking Down the Walls of Environmental Apartheid

November 21 @ 6:30-7:30pm

Sponsored by UW River Falls Sustainable Management Online Programs Presented by: Family of Trees panel Join us for a discussion on what environmental justice looks like in our community and…

Virtual Green Gifts Fair: Cultivating Health & Wellness For You & the Earth

November 20 @ 6:30-7:30pm

Sponsored by UW River Falls Sustainable Management Online Programs Presented by: Unny Nambudiripad from Our Wellness and Liberation Taking care of the earth starts with taking care of ourselves! Please…

Virtual Green Gifts Fair: Zero Waste Holidays & Beyond

November 19, 2020 6:30-7:30pm CST

Sponsored by UW River Falls Sustainable Management Online Programs Presented by: – Kristine Kvamme, Do It Green! Minnesota – Colleen Hetzel, MPCA – Kim Erickson & Ashley Kennedy, Zero Waste…

Virtual Green Gifts Fair: Making Sustainability Your Work

November 19, 2020 12-1pm CST

Sponsored by UW River Falls Sustainable Management Online Programs Presented by: – Amanda Goetsch, Program Manager at University of Wisconsin Extended Campus – Angela Whitaker, Program Manager at UW-River Falls…

October 2020: Seed Saving + Giving as Gifts

October 22, 2020

Sponsored by UW River Falls Online Programs in Sustainable Management Presented by White Bear Lake Seed Library Founder Pam Larson Frink Learn how to save vegetable, flower and native plant…

September 29: Minnesota’s Changing Climate

September 29, 2020

Picture your favorite places in Minnesota. What will they look and feel like in the future with a changing climate? Join us for a presentation and discussion on Minnesota’s changing…

August 2020: Composting

August 29, 2020

Composting is a good way to greatly reduce your waste (and prevent your trash from smelling), and it doesn’t have to be hard! Whether the city where you live provides…

June 2020: Edible Gardening

June 6, 2020

Saturday, June 6 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. Virtual, at your home Have you “bean” wanting to start your own garden at home – vegetables, fruit, herbs, or edible plants and flowers?…

April 2020: Reuse Documentary Discussion

April 29, 2020

Hold on! Discussion notes will be posted soon. View the documentary:

March 2020: Wasted Food

March 18, 2020

We are canceling this event to keep our community safe and healthy during this coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and prevent further spread. We are working to reschedule this event and transition…

Green Tips

Host an Art Night

Looking for a new way to connect with your neighbors, get free life advice, and spark your creative juices? Consider hosting an art night at your house, complete with paints, modeling clay, colored pencils and art smocks. Get messy, be creative, and let the conversation flow. For inspiration and resources, check out this article.

Choose Safe Art Supplies

Arts and crafts materials can be hazardous to your health and the environment. Even though the Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act of 1988 requires stringent labeling of hazardous materials in art supplies, many materials are out of compliance. This article offers tips to help you choose safe art supplies, plus substitutes to harmful substances.

Support a Local Business

Did you know that roughly 73 cents of every dollar spent at a local business stays within the community, compared to 43 cents for non-local chain stores? When you buy from local businesses, you help that business employ community workers, support other local businesses, and contribute to the community’s overall health. Read more here about the benefits of buying locally.

Buy Green Office Supplies

“Green” doesn’t necessarily mean “good” when it comes to so-called green office supplies. To help your office green up, consider durability, natural resource and energy use, recycled content and recyclability, toxicity, biodegradability and packaging before you purchase supplies. You can also set up a reuse system for the supplies you already have. For more tips on green office products, check out this article.

Think Twice About Bottled Water

If you live in an area with clean drinking water, fill a reusable bottle with tap water and bring it with you wherever you go to avoid buying bottled water. The U.S. sends 2 million tons of plastic water bottles to landfills each year—and producing those bottles requires oil and emits carbon dioxide. Some restaurants in the Twin Cities feel so strongly against bottled water that they refuse to sell it. Learn more.

Contact Your State Legislator

As a constituent, you are your local legislators’ highest priority. Why not share your views with them and ask them to support your position? It may seem like your letters and emails will get lost in a deep, dark political hole, but don’t despair. Whether you call, fax, email or visit in person, this article offers tips on how to effectively communicate with your elected officials and get them to listen.

Get Engaged!

Individuals’ actions are important in setting sound policy, so become an engaged citizen. Whether you call your legislator’s office, testify in a legislative hearing or attend a rally, you can make your voice heard. Still doubt that you can make a difference? This article addresses couple common concerns about whether civic engagement is worth it.

Take the Energy Challenge

The fastest, cheapest, easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint is through energy efficiency and conservation. Plus, you’ll save yourself money in the process! Need a little boost to get started? Join the Minnesota Energy Challenge and learn from thousands of Minnesotans who have pledged to reduce their energy use—and are finding fun, creative ways to do it. Read more about the Challenge here.

Make an Action Plan

Wait. Scratch that. Don’t make your own list of simple things you can do today to make a positive difference for the climate—use ours! This list offers 20 easy things you can do that will help you and your family lighten your load on the environment, keep more money in your pocket, and inspire you to find even more ways to tread lightly on this earth.

Check Out This Template for Action

Scientists say a global warming “tipping point” in the Arctic seems to be happening before their eyes. Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is at its second lowest level in about 30 years. These news flashes are just some of our climate’s changes happening daily. You and your kids can help. Read more here, and then check out Climate Generations’s Take Action! Guide, which offers hands-on activities for grades 3-12.

How Our Food Choices Effect the Planet