On Thursday, July 17, former Vice President Al Gore issued a challenge to the American people, and to its leadership, to produce 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years. Listen to, read, or watch the speech on-line.

Continue reading Al Gore’s Energy Challenge...

What if, every time we used a non-renewable or threatened resource or contributed to climate change, a puff of red gas blasted out of our noses.

Continue reading Imagine This Scenario…...

The Natural Step Monona will be on-site at this year’s Monona Community Festival, with an information booth open from 10:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. on Friday, the 4th of July. This year we’re all about transportation.

Continue reading Come visit us on July 4!...

With the high cost of gasoline, “thought balloons” are floating over many a head. “Does the Monona Express pass near my house?” “How can I lessen the emissions from my commute?” “Doh! Why did I choose this gas-guzzling SUV over a compact hybrid?” At this year’s Monona Community Festival, The Natural Step Monona (TNSM) hosts a booth devoted to transportation. Those thought balloons can be popped from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Continue reading With the High Cost of Gasoline (part 2)...

With the high cost of gasoline diminishing our bank accounts, wouldn’t it be great to reduce fuel use and save some money at the pump? There are lots of ways to do so.

Continue reading With the High Cost of Gasoline… (part 1)...

Saving has not always been a hip endeavor, and saving money certainly goes against mass media marketing efforts. Yet, with the current economic crisis, saving has a new seal of approval from formerly non-frugal fashionistas and famine-forecasting futurologists alike.

Continue reading Save Some Money / Save the Planet...

Join your friends and neighbors in a Natural Step Study Circle, beginning this June. It’s the BEST way to learn more about sustainable living and sustainable communities. And a GREAT way to meet new people. No tests or pop quizzes, no dress codes, no demerits, and no grades. There are once-per-week meetings, invigorating conversations, enthused citizens, a celebratory ”graduation” pot-luck, and a great book to ground it all. Sign up NOW!

Continue reading Summer Study Circles!...

Green Tuesdays: Films & Lectures on Sustainability returns to the Monona Public Library this Spring and Summer, bringing enlightening and entertaining lectures, films, and conversations on sustainable living. Most events will be held from 6:30 - 8:00 pm in the Monona Public Library (1000 Nichols Road, Monona).
The series is presented by The Natural Step Monona [...]

Continue reading Green Tuesdays Return!...

Looking out at Lake Monona’s 28 billion gallons of water, canoing through the Monona Wetlands Conservancy, and watching the 100-plus inches of snow pile up since December — Monona seems so water-rich it’s easy to take our water supply for granted. You wouldn’t think we need to worry about our life-sustaining water. But we do.

Continue reading Taking steps to save our water...

So much of what we discard starts as an upstream problem, but we’re trying to fix it with downstream solutions. Instead of trying to pull the trash out of the stream, we need to not put it in the stream in the first place.

Continue reading Reducing waste…upstream...