About Us

“Individuals are ingenious when it comes to dealing with complex systems—when we learn our first language, when we handle our cars in traffic, or when we play chess or the piano—whereas groups of people are often dumber than the dumbest participant of the whole group. The reason is that groups often fail to scrutinize the overall rules of the system and to agree on what they actually want to achieve before they act. If, on the other hand, a group does those two things–scrutinizes the rules and agrees on the goal—the group can perform better than any individual. With such a framework, the group can make use of having a higher collective knowledge than any of its individual members.”
—paraphrased from Karl-Henrik Robèrt, founder of The Natural Step

The Natural Step Monona is a grassroots, non-partisan group of people working to make our lives and our community more sustainable – environmentally, economically, and socially. We educate about, advocate for, and promote sustainability using The Natural Step framework. 

In the process of spreading the message of sustainability, a community of friends has formed. Fueled by possibilities, determined to make progress, and practicing ongoing dialogue and action toward creating a livable future – we are people making a difference. We hope you’ll join us.

Completed and ongoing projects of The Natural Step Monona

• Schluter Park clean-up in 2007 and 2008;
• Compost bin sale for Monona residents in 2007 (thirty composters sold, seven new converts to composting) and 2009 (75 composters sold, at least twenty-one new converts);
• Sustain Dane rain barrel sales at the Monona Farmers’ Market, 2007 through 2009;
• “Clean-Up Brigade” for the Monona Memorial Day Parade, 2007 through 2009;
• Spearheaded the creation of the Sustainability Section at the Monona Public Library, opened November 2007. The Sustainability Section subsequently received a generous grant from MG&E;
• Recorded The Natural Step Monona Kickoff Event, The Natural Step Monona’s “What is Sustainability?,” Wisconsin’s Inconvenient Truth, and multiple Green Tuesdays presentations for Monona Cable;
• Facilitated sixteen study circles on The Natural Step framework for sustainability, with a new round of circles to begin mid-February 2010;
• Assisted St. Stephen’s Church in the planning and creation of their 18-plot community garden, opened in April 2008;
• Spoke to the city’s Community Development Autority about the value of green demolition, subsequently used for the Garden Circle redevelopment on Owen Road, and educated the city council about the value of purchasing more environmentally-responsible vehicles for city use;
• Educated the city about possible sustainable practices for the Monona Drive reconstruction;
• Held three well-attended educational events at the Monona Community Center. They included representatives from Sustain Dane, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, the Village of Johnson Creek, the Jefferson County Board, the Alliance for Sustainability, the Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Focus on Energy, myfairlakes.com, Dane Buy Local, Seventh Generation Energy Systems, the Monona Farmer’s Market, Monona Community Gardens, Monona Elementary PTO, and the mayors of Washburn and Bayfield;
• Staffed sustainability education booths at the Monona Community Festival on the Fourth of July, 2007 through 2009;
• Co-hosted the Clean Wisconsin presentation of Wisconsin’s Inconvenient Truth at St. Stephen’s;
• Created seven award-winning Green Holiday promos for Monona Cable in 2007. Recorded five more for the holiday season 2008. The twelve videos feature 43 community members. The videos were also broadcast by Comcast in the City of Manitowoc. (View them by clicking on the “TNS Monona TV” link.)
• Created the series Green Tuesdays: Films & Lectures on Sustainability in conjunction with the Monona Public Library. This program, made possible by a grant from the Dane County Environmental Council, offers films and presentations on diverse topics such as Permaculture, simple home canning, biodiversity, and waste reduction;
• Write the The Natural Step Monona column in the Herald-Independent, running every other week;
• Write a short article for the Monona Senior Center’s monthly newsletter;
• Organized the community postcard art project, A Valentine to Monona, asking “What are your hopes and dreams for a green Monona?” Opening on Valentine’s Day, 2008,  the exhibit at the Monona Public Library had 197 entries; and
• Members of The Natural Step Monona continue to assist in the organization and work of the City of Monona’s Sustainability Committee.