Important events in January!

On Tuesday, January 9, the Sustainability Institute at Western TC will host its MPower Summit highlighting local businesses who are working to move to renew-ables. Anyone is welcomed to atted the free event. Please register/Get more info here.

On Thursday, January 18, RENEW Wisconsin will hold its 2018 RENEWable Energy Summit in Madison. There is a registration fee for the event, but students and elected officials receive a discount. Organizers say the event will provide the opportunity to:

• Learn from experts, Wisconsin companies, and policymakers
• Network with peers, both new and old
• Honor Wisconsin's renewable energy leaders and best projects from 2017
• Get re-energized and motivated for a successful 2018!

On Saturday, January 20 a conference on INDUSTRIAL AG IN THE DRIFTLESS: How Do We Protect Our Communities? will invite citizens concerned about industrial-scale operations, especially hog CAFOs to gather, learn from panelists, ask questions, hear from an expert on rural economics, and network with others to explore actions communities can take to regain control of their communities, vital resources, and local economies.

The conference will be held from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at the AmericInn, 1700 Elm Street, in Boscobel. Organizers are trying to work out some streaming or online video of the event, but in person networking is a major component. Attendance will be FREE and OPEN TO ALL, but donations will be gratefully accepted at the door to help pay for the space, speakers, publicity and other event-related expenses.

The keynote speaker, John Ikerd, has had a distinguished career in agriculture, economics, higher education, agricultural consulting, and activism aimed at maintaining and improving the quality of life in rural communities and the sustainability of farms, food systems, and local rural businesses. His topic will be DEFENDING RURAL COMMUNITIES FROM ECONOMIC COLONIZATION.  

The program will include a panel of local, state, and national experts and citizens who will give a brief overview of some of the conflict points and challenges brought by industrial ag operations in our rural communities and will discuss what citizens and local governments and organizations are doing to address the problems. So it will provide education and tools for action.

Details are still being finalized and a flyer will be available soon. Please plan to attend this important grassroots event.

Co-sponsors include the Crawford Stewardship Project, Midwest Environmental Advocates, Preserve Grant County Farmland, Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, Concerned Citizens for Smart Growth, St. Croix County Defending our Water, Coulee Region Sierra Club, Farms Not Factories, Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network, South Central Wisconsin Farmers Union, Family Farm Defenders, Green County Defending our Farmland, Echo Valley Hope, Wisconsin Network for Peace, Justice and Sustainability; Upper Mississippi River Region Intereague Organization-League of Women Voters; Friends of the Lower Wisconsin Stte Riverway.

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR MORE DETAILS!