How to Power a City - EcoMetropolis

 

Next City's EcoMetropolis Film Festival kicks off TODAY with a virtual screening of "How To Power A City". Tickets are available for purchase on a sliding scale starting at $5. Your contributions cover our streaming costs and help us preserve free access to solutions journalism for all readers who work to liberate cities. Grab your ticket now!

“How To Power A City” is a feature documentary and a solutions-focused climate story. Studies show that people want to use renewable energy. Many do not know where to get started. “How To Power A City” follows people in six different locations leading various types of renewable energy projects, from as small as a few streetlights to innovating an entire utility. These solutions will help audiences see we have more opportunities than ever before to transform our energy systems and take climate action. How to Power a City was also recently nominated for Best Feature Documentary by the Arctic Film Festival in Svalbard, Norway, the world's northernmost film festival and concerned with climate, sustainability, and UN SDG goals.

Watch the trailer.  TICKETS

Transportation cornucopia

There are several transit-related events coming up soon.

On Monday, May 20, the final draft of the update for the city's Bike/Ped Master Plan will be available to perusal and input at the La Crosse Public Library from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. There will be a presentation at 5:30. The City has spent the last year updating the 2012 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan with the goal of improving the bicycle and pedestrian transportation network throughout the city. The draft plan includes strategies for the creation, growth, and effective administration of current and prospective bicycle, pedestrian, and multi-modal networks within the City of La Crosse. Learn more at https://forwardlacrosse.org.

On Tuesday, May 21, the BOREALIS (formerly TCMC) begins service and there will be a party at the Amtrak station from noon to 3:00 p.m. to welcome the second daily trains, one in each direction, to our community. We hear there will be a food truck, music, dignitaries, and more. The eastbound Borealis is due to arrive at the station at about 2:16 p.m. Check out the schedule here.

 

On Thursday, May 30, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin and AARP will host a follow-up event to last year's Community Transportation Academy. 

"Please join us from 2-4:30 in the afternoon at UWL for an appetizer reception with local transportation project highlights and an evening screening from 5:30-7:30 of The Street Project, a documentary by the award-winning filmmaker Jennifer Boyd about the global citizen-led fight to make our streets safer, followed by an open Q&A at the historic Rivoli Theater in downtown La Crosse. This is a great opportunity to connect with others in the community who are dedicated to expanding transportation options in the La Crosse area.

These events follow Ride With the Mayor in the morning, an annual bike tour of new improvements and future challenges in La Crosse; Ride With the Mayor is organized by local advocates and supported by the City of La Crosse Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

 

These events are free and open to the public, but we ask that you RSVP here (please note that no RSVP is required for Ride With the Mayor): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd8KGIDdviW90EsoAWmgGib8oejY7qqOJawcjYUYj7D4giQEg/viewform 

 

On Saturday, June 1, the Coulee Region Group and Wisconsin Chapter Sierra Club will host a TRANSIT TO TRAILS event. Participants will meet at the Grand River Station Transit Center a little before 8:30 a.m., ride the bus together to the La Crosse River Conservancy Trail near Stoney Creek Inn, hike, and return on the bus to the Transit Center at about 11:40 a.m. An optional on-your-own lunch at Pickermans will follow the trip. Register here: https://tinyurl.com/LaXT2TRegister or call 608-315-2693.

Game Show Showdown for Hope Restores

 

Saturday, May 11 at 7 p.m.

It's our first Movie Trivia night at the Rivoli and we are getting together with Hope Restores to raise funds! 

Get ready for an unforgettable experience packed with fun, laughter and the spirit of giving back. Gather your friends and get ready to make new ones in this first ever movie game show night at the Rivoli. 

All ticket proceeds will be donated to Hope Restores.

 

Tickets for teams or individuals here.

 

Friday Strike for Rafah

 

GLOBAL STRIKE FOR RAFAH

FRIDAY 10th MAY

We are witnessing the final stages of genocide taking place in Rafah.

We call upon people of conscience worldwide to conduct a global strike in solidarity with the people of Gaza & demand an immediate ceasefire.

Here is what to do:

On Friday 10th May:

1. Do not work.

2. Do not purchase any goods or services.

3. Do not make any transactions on your debit/credit cards

• Spread the message
• Record your own video/photo or draft a message announcing that you will join
• Share your announcement on social media inc X/Instagram/FB/LinkedIn/Tik Tok and any other platform.

This strike aims to deliver a shock to the global economy and compel political leaders to take all measures to fulfil their moral, political and legal obligations to prevent genocide.

This initiative has no political leader or central organising body. It will succeed through each individual hearing this message, and taking action to the best of your ability.

The power of the people is greater than the people in power. Join the strike and Rise for Rafah.

Planning & Funding Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings

 

The City of La Crosse and the Sustainability Institute are offering a free workshop to help commercial building owners in La Crosse learn how they can adopt technologies that are available now, will make their buildings more energy efficient, and reduce their energy bills. The workshop takes place on Thursday, May 9, 2024, from 10:00 am to Noon and will be held at the Coleman Center, Room 133, on the Western Technical College campus. This is the second in a series of workshops the City is sponsoring to help businesses learn how they can incorporate sustainable practices that also make sense from a business perspective.

Local experts from Xcel, Trane, Solar Connections, and Focus on Energy will cover information ranging from simple actions to heating and cooling options. In addition, throughout the workshop information about associated incentives and rebates will be provided to help companies attending learn how to reduce the cost of investing in the new technologies.

People can register using the “Reserve your Spot” link on the La Crosse Climate Action Plan website or register on Eventbrite. Registration is limited to 25 participants.

Speakers and topics incude:

Tax Incentives & Rebates with Will Hutchens/Xcel Mid-Market Representative  and Christine Hau/Focus on Energy Energy Advisor. Will and Christine will be participating throughout the workshop, providing information about any incentives and/or rebates that apply to the technology being discussed.

Building Automation/Smart thermostats with Mayra Reyes/Trane Controls Sales Support Engineer. Learn about low-tech solutions you can implement today that can have an immediate impact, lowering your energy use and energy bills.

High-Efficiency Heat Pumps with Dan Gentry/Trane - Marketing Engineer. A heat pump uses technology like that found in a refrigerator or an air conditioner. It extracts heat from a source, such as the surrounding air, then amplifies and transfers the heat to where it is needed. Because most of the heat is transferred rather than generated, heat pumps are far more efficient than conventional heating technologies such as boilers or electric heaters. Learn how heat pumps can be a potentially easy way to lower your energy costs.

Solar with Josh Barbara/Solar Connections - Energy Consultant. Installing solar panels at your business is easier and more affordable than it's ever been. Solar fixes your electricity costs over the life of the system and protects your business from energy inflation. And, with tax credits and other incentives, a commercial solar system will pay for itself in 5-10 years. Since solar panel equipment is projected to last 30 years or more, your business could have more than 20 years of free electricity.

Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Monday May 6th at 11:00 in UWL Student Union Lunch is provided starting at 11:00 AM

Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with Professor Sara Docan-Morgan's enlightening discussion, "Transnational Korean Adoptees and Family Communication." As a Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, with a Ph.D. from the University of Washington, Professor Docan-Morgan brings a wealth of expertise to her research. Her work focuses on how family and personal identities are formed and negotiated through messages in both adoptive and birth families, offering valuable insights into the complexities of family dynamics.