August 2017        Smaller footprint. Stronger community.       TransitionASAP.org        District 12, St. Paul, Minnesota
In this issue:

With our SPTL percussion partners, we made a ruckus during the July 4 parade. Story below.
 

Transportation Committee 
(St. Anthony Park Community Council) 
Monday, August 7, 6:30-8:30 pm 
SAPCC offices, 2395 University, Suite 300E.
All welcome: help shape our transit future. 

Paul Kingsnorth & Eric Utne 
discuss Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist 
Tuesday, August 8, 7:00-9:00 pm 
University Club, 420 Summit Ave.
Advocating for a new balance with nature, author Kingsnorth 
cofounded the Dark Mountain Project in search of new stories for a world on the brink. RSVP.
 

Free outdoor movies
MOANA, Friday, Aug. 11, 8:00 pm  
(games & family activities 6:30 pm) 
Langford Park.
A Polynesian tale, Disney style!
SING, Saturday, Aug. 12, 8:00 pm 
Hampden Park.
More animated musical fun. Thanks to Hampden Park Co-op for hosting this film series! They're open tonight til showtime, so grab a picnic on the way.





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Gathering puts Twin Cities on the Transition map
In late July, Transition groups nationwide convened at Macalester College for the first-ever Transition US National Gathering. Watch our website for reports on this inspiring event.
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Old Clothes Poles
Child of a child of the Depression, 
I am my mother's daughter. 

Then, the thrifty wringer washer 
was scary with its hungry rollers. Hanging laundry is safe enough,
except to an adolescent's ego. 

Hoist up the flag of unmentionables: brassieres, girdles, panties...
Strategically position sheets in front
so the world won't view our undies.

Now, my home's shabby poles
are rusting, returning into earth.
Still I let my linens proudly fly,
whip and wind around the line.

If only you could see me, mom,
not whining at the chore anymore.
I love my iron eyesores, but I do not
exhibit my unmentionables.

-- Christine DeMars

Graphic designer Christine DeMars helped us promote our  Clothesline Challenge project at the Co-op on Earth Day.

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Stay in touch!
Join our email list: send your address to Communications@TransitionASAP.org. 
Visit our Facebook page .  "Request to join" our  Facebook group.  Follow us on
Twitter:   @transitionasap1 .  Submit news and views:  email  the editor  (and  see back   issues) .  Logo  by Pat Thompson. Transition "t" and  Bee  by Regula Russelle. 
"What this neighborhood needs is ...." 
  (please fill in the blank) 
Help shape the future of St. Anthony Park for the next decade, crucial years for climate adaptation. Our Community Council is counting on us to take its Ten-Year Planning Survey. What changes and innovations could benefit all of us? You can think small-- more bike racks, say-- or large: how about an aquaponics project for year-round fresh fish and vegetables? If we want our voices heard, here's our invitation. Visit the website: SAPCC.org.

Sunday, August 6: Zero Waste meets high fashion
Tech Dump brings robots to the runway 
Tech Dump's playful promotional bots. 

The Trylon Cinema design team shared this peek at some of their raw materials. 
by Madeline Harpell

Come to the one and only Can Can Wonderland for Tech Dump's free, first annual  Robot Fashion Show  tonight, August 6, at 755 North Prior. The robo-show starts at 6 pm with eight creative teams strutting their technological stuff down the runway: clothing made up of 25% recycled electronic material! 

With its St. Paul location at 688 North Prior, the nonprofit Tech Dump is a Fair Chance Business with a mission to recycle technology safely, save the environment, and provide jobs and experience for adults facing barriers to employment. This unique runway competition was created to ignite creative ideas and a reason to celebrate with recycled electronic material, as well as to raise awareness for their "Cell Phone Summer" campaign. Their goal is to collect one ton of electronic material to fund 1,000 hours of work for those in its employability program, and they'll be collecting on site at the show. So g ather up your old cell phones, and we'll see you at Can Can Wonderland!


Madeline Harpell  is an interdisciplinary artist and student at the University of Minnesota, majoring in design, communication, and cultural studies. 
Energy Fair comes to St. Paul September 9-10
The nation's longest-running sustainability festival is coming to us! Don't miss the Energy Fair on Harriet Island Saturday & Sunday, September 9-10 (with special events Sept. 8 for solar professionals).  For 28 years, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association has hosted its annual fair in Custer, Wisconsin, in June. This year, the spinoff event in St. Paul already rivals it in size. 



And it goes way beyond alternative power. You'll find dozens of
exhibits and 80 workshops-- all FREE-- on topics ranging from microgrids and windmill water pumps to strawbale construction, mushroom cultivation, biofuels, and our own "Transition Towns: Empowering Community" (Saturday at 4:00)-- plus live music and innovative vendors and artisans.

With an All Access Pass ($10-25), you also see special entertainment and keynote talks:  Michael Noble of Fresh Energy,  Tara Houska of Honor the Earth, and Tesla cofounder  JB Strubel (video screening).  For info visit TheEnergyFair.org.

Drill team nails it in July 4 parade



With buzzing drills and clanging hand tools, we marched with St. Paul Tool Library friends in St. Anthony Park's Fourth of July parade. As drillmaster Kit Canright conducted with a bright-orange level, we chanted "Share tools, make friends!" and some of the crowd along Como Avenue joined in. Visit the SPTL online or at 755 North Prior. For a $55 annual fee, you can borrow tools and use common workshop space. See the drill team slide show on our website.

The Transition Town - All Saint Anthony Park initiative grew from the Energy Resilience Group, a subcommittee of the Saint Anthony Park Community Council's Environment Committee. Visit the SAPCC website to learn more about Saint Paul's District 12 neighborhood projects, including the Creative Enterprise Zone. Lend a hand!   Our purpose:  To raise our understanding in Saint Anthony Park of climate change, the limits of fossil fuels, and the adaptation of our community that is possible and positive.   What's a Transition Town?   It's a community starting the transition from a fossil-fueled, energy-intensive way of life to a more satisfying, locally oriented community with increased stability in disruptive times.