Today is the day for the arrival of the Sustainable Future — September 16th.

Join the rapidly-expanding and large numbers of people in our area wanting to live in ways that are less harmful to our natural systems and more healthful for all of us. We’ll have fun while we learn how we can make our lives, work, and community more sustainable.

At this free event, exhibits and representatives from Focus on Energy, Sustain Dane, MPower, the Sustainability Section of the Monona Public Library, myfairlakes.com, Monona Community Gardens, and the Monona Farmers’ Market will be on hand to share their know-how and experiences.

See the fully-accessorized Gary Fisher “Monona” bicycle, soon to be raffled off by The Natural Step Monona. (Thank you, Mead Family!) Order a Sustain Dane RainReserve rain barrel. Enter to win the Sustainable Future door prize—a wealth of sustainable goodies, including: A stainless steel water bottle from Rutabaga, a $150 gift certificate from Dianné Aldrich at 4Pillars4Health Eco-Studio, a tote bag and bag of Co-op Bakery-made cookies from the Willy Street Coop, Shaklee Scour Off Paste from Sally Buffat, a $5 gift certificate from Crema Café, a Chico bag from Penny DePaola, a pair of DeFeet “Go by Bike” socks from Trek, a copy of the book The Natural Step for Communities from Heather Gates, and a 5-pack of GE compact fluorescent bulbs from Ace Lakeside! A door prize worth over $242!

The evening includes a screening of the short movie The Story of Stuff. This fun and fast-paced film reveals the threads of our stuff-oriented lives, and provides a clear understanding of the negative impacts that our production and consumption patterns have on the planet.

Katie Ross, from Seventh Generation Energy Systems, will give a brief overview of The Natural Step framework and its system objectives.

From the eco-municipality of Stevens Point, comes Anna Haines, the Sustainable Future keynote speaker. Haines is Director of the Center for Land Use Education; associate professor in the College of Natural Resources at the UW-Stevens Point; land use and community development specialist with the UW-Extension; and member of the Stevens Point Eco-Municipality Task Force, which successfully developed A Path to a Sustainable Point, a plan for guiding Stevens Point to a sustainable future. Haines will share her knowledge about the cooperation, support, and involvement needed from all aspects of a community.

Join us this evening. The future is coming, and you don’t want to miss it!