Building Merrill Series: Citizen-based sustainability issues

T.B. Scott Free Library Adult Department announces the continuation of the “Building Merrill Together Program Series” with an evening discussion to help guide and create citizen-based sustainability plans for a healthy and ecologically friendly lifestyle.

The Building Merrill Series will explore how in our daily lives we can enhance and increase our quality of life in relationship to our natural environment.

A concern facing people of all ages in our community is how we are going to address ecological sustainability and local resilience as we become aware of the myriad effects of global climate change.

Across the United States and globally, there has been a growing interest in approaches to sustainable living such as local food production (including CSAs and home gardening), solar and wind energy, less energy-intensive recreation, and consciously limiting personal energy usage to practice the stewardship of the Earth’s well-being.

A group of concerned citizens has formed the “Transition Lincoln: Local Environmental Activists and Friends (LEAF)” action committee, inspired by the sustainability movement, to raise awareness about these issues and encourage more people to participate in growing regional resilience and shifting to more sustainable lifestyles.

Looking to the future, consciousness regarding the environment and energy usage is important to today’s younger generations as they decide where to live or recreate. It’s important that our city, businesses, and institutions have clearly designed and defined actions for promoting ecological sustainability and local resilience to draw people into our community – whether for work, retirement, health care, excellent schools or recreation.

The action steps that are identified during this discussion will be used by the LEAF Action Committee to implement citizen-based sustainability action plans.

For more information, please contact Laurie Ollhoff, T. B. Scott Library assistant director, at 715-536-7191, lollhoff@tbscottlibrary.org or John Greenwood, WIPPS outreach consultant, at 715-218-0284, john.greenwood@uwc.edu.