Earth Week 2023

Community Activities Throughout the Week

Be a Planet Earth Advocate – Make an Earth Day Sign for Your Front Window

Speaking up from home is a great way for you and your children to become involved. The classic cardboard sign (or poster board, paper, or whatever’s at hand) can let your neighbors know that taking care of our planet is important to you and your children. Here are some inspirational ideas: “Let’s Rise Up before the Seas Do,” “No Nature, No Future,” “Food Waste isn’t Good Taste,” “Fight Climate Change with Diet Change,” Mother Earth Doesn’t like Quitters; Pick Up Your Litter,” Don’t Be Trashy, Buy Less Plastic."  

Litter Cleanup 7 Bags in 7 Days Challenge

Litter adversely affects the environment. Littering along the road, on the streets, or by the litter bins means toxic materials or chemicals in litter can be blown or washed into rivers, forests, and lakes and can eventually pollute waterways, soil, or aquatic environments. During Earth Week, challenge yourself, friends, and family to become more aware of trash in your neighborhoods, backyards, sidewalks and collect a bag of litter each day from around your neighborhood, in our parks, along our streets, and our green spaces. Help track our community progress by signing up here.

Treasures on the Trails – Connecting the Arts with Nature

Red Wing Arts Treasures on the Trail is an Earth Day finders-keepers art-in-nature program. Red Wing Arts designed this program during the week surrounding Earth Day to celebrate and bring attention to the arts, as well as the natural beauty of the Red Wing’s parks and greenways. Treasures will be "hidden in plain sight" – no need to venture off the trail. Those who find the trail treasures get to keep them. Make it an annual family tradition!

Earth Week Walking Bingo

Walking is one of the easiest ways to be active.  The Red Wing Family YMCA is offering a Walking Bingo contest and 2 group walks during Earth Week.  Walking Bingo is open to everyone in the community and is free.  Pick up your Walking Bingo Card at the YMCA.  For more information contact Emily Hadler at ehadler@redwingymca.org.

Red Wing Earth Week Tree Giveaway – Plant a Tree and Help Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

To celebrate Earth Week, we are giving away trees to kids, adults, and families to take home and plant. We have selected the American Linden tree for its relatively low maintenance with bee attracting flowers. To register to receive a tree, please email earthdaytreesrw@gmail.com with your name, address, and contact information. One tree per household. Must be willing to water and care for tree until self-sufficient. Tree will be approximately three feet. Must be available Friday, April 21, between 11 a.m.-6 p.m. for pick up at Red Wing Public Library, 225 East Avenue, Red Wing, MN 55066. View the Red Wing Earth Week Tree Giveaway Flyer (PDF). Sponsored by Red Wing Shoe Company, Sargent’s Nursery, Red Wing Public Library, Resilient Red Wing, and the Sustainability Commission.

Adopt a Drain – Help Keep the Mississippi River Clean

When it rains in Red Wing, stormwater runs straight from our streets into the Mississippi River through the city's storm drains.  Anything carried in the stormwater, including grass clippings, leaves, pesticides, animal waste, and trash, also ends up in the river. For more information or to adopt a drain, click here.

NORTH

NORTH is an installation by Mary Ellen Childs, co-presented by Anderson Center and Zeitgeist New Music at the Anderson Center Untitled Gallery, 163 Tower View Drive, on Wednesday, April 19 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thursday, April 20 from 11 a.m.-7 pm; Friday, April 21 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Saturday, April 22 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

NORTH is a multi-sensory, immersive experience in the Anderson Center’s new, untitled gallery. NORTH showcases the habitat of the Arctic and reflects on human impacts on the most remote parts of our planet. This groundbreaking installation by Mary Ellen Childs was created in collaboration with visual artist Lindsy Halleckson, the musicians of Zeitgeist, and videographers Tamara Ober & Caitlin Hammel. Click here for more information.

Bike & Walk More – Give It a Try During Earth Week

How many times do you use your car to go somewhere in a week? Many people use cars a couple of times per day. We get in them when we go to and from work, drop off and pick up our kids from school, go to the grocery store, etc. Walking or riding a bike uses minimal fossil fuels. This means walking or bicycling offers a pollution-free mode of transport. If you replace a car with a bike or by walking each time you go to work, you save approximately 3,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Riding a bike is a big responsibility; it is important to follow safety rules of the road and to wear a helmet. To learn more, go to Smart Cycling.

Red Wing Student Earth Week Art Display

Students in Red Wing were asked to design a poster advocating for a healthier planet. Posters will be displayed in downtown Red Wing during Earth Week, April 16-22.  The community is invited to walk around to view their work.

No Mow May – Small Steps with Big Benefits

The start of the growing season is a critical time for hungry, newly emerging native bees. Floral resources may be hard to find, especially in urban and suburban landscapes. By allowing lawns to grow longer, and not applying pesticides to flowering plants in your lawn, you can provide nectar and pollen to help your bee neighbors thrive. Post a sign in your yard to show your support for pollinators; go to Bee City USA.

Become a Citizen Scientist

Citizen science is scientific work undertaken by members of the general public. It is often done in collaboration with or under the direction of professional scientists and scientific institutions. To learn more, go to Citizen Science @ UMN.

Daily Schedule of Events

Sunday, April 16

• Pollinator Party, 1-2 p.m., at Featherstone Community Garden: Pollinators are central to our lives by helping to sustain our environment and food supply. Learn what you can do to help them in your yard and gardens, find out what Resilient Red Wing and the Red Wing Community Gardens are working on and get a “No Mow May” yard sign.  Kids may dress up as their favorite pollinator and receive a packet of pollinator seeds. Sponsored by Resilient Red Wing and the Red Wing Community Gardens

Monday, April 17

• Minnesota Forests Peat Bogs: A Carbon Sink Worth Saving, 6-8 p.m. at Red Wing Fire Station 2, 4880 Moundview Drive. Kathleen Doran Norton, League of Women Voters (LWVMN) Climate Taskforce, Clean River Partners Board Chair, MEP Board Member. See MN Bill – HF2353. To prepare, listen to recorded conversation of Native American Jodi Archambault with Nate Hagens. Sponsored by League of Women Voters Red Wing, Citizens' Climate Lobby Red Wing, and Resilient Red Wing.

Wednesday, April 19

• Nothing But Native, 4 p.m. Prerecorded Zoom presentation about pollinators and habitat with a Master Gardener. Doug Tallamy, best-selling author, entomologist, ecologist, conservationist, and professor. Discussion with family and friends after watching the presentation is encouraged. For Zoom link, register with your contact information at redwing@citizensclimatelobby.org or call 651.388.3142. Sponsored by Citizens’ Climate Lobby Red Wing and Resilient Red Wing
• Earth Week Group Walk, 6:15 p.m. Join the Y staff for a walk from Levee Park to Bay Point Park and back

Thursday, April 20

• Earth Day, Goodhue County, and the Future, 6-8 p.m., at Red Wing Fire Station 2, 4880 Moundview Drive. Nate Hagens, Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Energy & Our Future, Ph.D. in Natural Resources and M.S. in Finance. Spread the word! Invite your friends to Nate's presentation. Sponsored by Resilient Red Wing and Citizens' Climate Lobby Red Wing.

Friday, April 21

• Earth Week Group Walk, 12 p.m. Join the Y staff for a walk from Levee Park to Bay Point Park and back.
• Climate Change and Militarism, 6:30 p.m., at the Ignite Building, 419 Bush St. Sponsored by Veterans for Peace.

Saturday, April 22

• Hike the Bluff, sunrise to sunset, at He Mni Can-Barn Bluff. Celebrate Earth Day with a hike on He Mni Can-Barn Bluff. It is one of the best-known natural features along the upper Mississippi River and is significant for its geology and its association with prehistoric and native peoples. Sponsored by Friends of the Bluffs.
• POSTPONED until May 20 due to flooding. Mighty Mississippi Cleanup, 9-11 a.m., at Colvill Park and at Sturgeon Lake Road and County Road 18. Participants welcome at either location. The Mississippi River is the lifeblood of the heartland, and No. 6 on the top 10 most endangered rivers list. Garbage bags will be provided; participants must wear gloves and closed toed shoes. Click here for more information. Sponsored by the City of Red Wing and Goodhue County.
• EV Show, 4-6 p.m. at Red Wing High School.
• Wild & Scenic Film Festival, 6:30 p.m., at Red Wing High School. For more information, click here. Sponsored by the Red Wing Environmental Learning Center.

Other Events

• Red Wing School District Bus Stop & Walk. Every Friday from April 14 to May 26

The Red Wing Sustainability Commission, working with Great Plains Institute, developed the five-year work plan that was adopted by City Council in August 2020. Building upon the many years of environmental and conservation leadership of the City of Red Wing, the plan leverages existing community efforts, including the Green Wing Energy Action Plan, its participation in MN GreenStep Cities, SolSmart programs, and foundational documents such as the 2040 Plan and the 2019 Strategic Plan.

There are three main sections of the Climate Action Work Plan (PDF): the existing conditions report, the greenhouse gas inventory, and the five-year work plan. The plan focuses on five strategies to reduce emissions across building energy use, transportation, and waste. Implementing this work plan aims to reduce community-wide emissions by 9% over the next five years. When combined with the impact of Xcel Energy's changing electricity grid mix and ongoing code enforcement for new construction, the reduction totals 21%. Additionally, many of the strategies outlined in the plan also have co-benefits that can positively impact the economic, physical, and environmental health of the community.

Increase Building Efficiency

Building energy use is responsible for 66% of total communitywide emissions in Red Wing. Commercial and industrial buildings account for the largest amount; however, we all can do more in our homes. Sign up for a free Home Energy Audit with the Xcel Energy Home Squad, and learn how to understand your home’s energy use and save money on your utility bills. For more information or to register, go to Home Energy Squad

Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled

Vehicle travel in Red Wing accounts for 32% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing transportation emissions requires switching fuel type, fuel efficiency, and mode shift – switching from driving to other forms of transportation. Walking and biking are the easiest way to reduce vehicle miles traveled. If you have errands to run in downtown Red Wing, park in a central location and walk to each stop.

Reduce the Waste Stream

Many of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with waste occur before consumers purchase goods; however, there are ways to reduce them after we purchase them.  Three easy ways are:

1. Recycle more – Learn more at Why Recycle
2. Start composting organics at home – Learn how at Composting 101
3. Use reusable or paper bags instead of one-time use plastic