This meeting will be led by @Stardrop !
Online Meeting: Saturday 6th December 2025, 10:30am online @ bit.ly/climate-network.
With agenda items, upcoming events, or more email wcmncn@googlegroups.com
Notes:
- Community Check-ins
- Susan @Susan_Gilbert (she/they, trying to use they more) Sue has been at home by herself because Nic was gone. She thought working on art and not having the pressure to cook anything fancy was lovely.
- Nic @Nic_McPhee (he/they) has been in WI a lot, mom was in and out of the hospital a lot. She seems to be doing better. Nic is approaching the end of the first semester of not teaching, he will be full time again in the spring (ahh!). He will be giving a talk in WI about AI to a retirement learning crew. He went through photos with family to make into a book for a christmas present, that was lovely.
- Captain @cberthiaume (they/them) everything is always on their mind, nothing specific is sticking out today. What does it mean to “do” things: things they want, need, should (??) do. A bit of overwhelm with the things to do, but trying to pick and choose by re framing the “should”.
- Garrett (he/they) lately trying to go forward with stuff, news is overwhelming, wanting to do more, but that is complex to do with small child. Had lots of fun going sledding with friends last weekend! Thinking about digging more into the craft (plant) work.
- Anna @Agkilian (she/they) this week Anna has been sick and not sleeping well. Her job in Willmar is wrapping up the next few weeks and she is excited to go home and be with friends and family. She is thankful to be at the meeting to see friends and hear stories, she has been drinking warm drinks hooray!
- Barbara feels sad that folks feel a bit lost. She doesn’t have much to share right now.
- Hunter @badtothebohn went to visit brother and partner in Albuquerque for Thanksgiving, he has been job hunting and spending time with family.
- Syd @syd is trying to make some wintertime magic happen as she transitions into the new traditions of adulthood. Syd LOVES the snow and the magic of the sparkly times in our dark winter months.
- Vern (he/they/hen) has been traveling as a way of celebrating his 93rd birthday. Vern stumbled onto a disturbing video called “The Precarious State” talking about how things are going downhill in Mpls/St. Paul. He read Thomas Pickety’s book on a brief world history of equality.
- Dan is doing well overall, he saw his boys in Mpls, was with his older son’s wife’s family for Thanksgiving. He is glad his son married into a good family. Dan is attending the ISIAH gathering in the cities next week. Dan read “The Light Eaters”, a book about plants, which he loved because it reminds him about how incredible our natural world is.
- Nuzhat works at UMN in the Office of Sustainability and is working on the battery project. She has only been here for three months! She has been considering volunteering around town, keeps herself busy doing art, and making sure she is connecting in with her people. She has been reading “The Vegetarian”, a fiction book, which has been an interesting read.
- Kim @Stardrop has been attempting to wrangle all the things going on. Morris things tend to happen all at once. She has been continuing to recover from her hysterectomy that happened a few months ago. World news wise, Kim is excited to hear that people are standing up against Hegseth.
- Updates
- Climate Network Statement from 11/8 meeting
- Anna shared a recap from our meetings about purpose and mission: we shared some of our values (connection and relationships, conversation about local and global happenings, social support), we talked about how we aren’t static (the group ebbs and flows depending on who shows up and what folks want to act on).
- Sue and Anna agree that if there is going to be a “purpose” or we are going to tackle projects, there is a need to have more conversation and formed ideas about what our “process” is.
- Movie Theatre Slide
- Is not having a deadline an issue for our theatre slide? Lets ask @Jeff to have a slide for us to approve at the March meeting, lets plan to have our language and vibes decided and ready to send to Jeff after the February meeting. January meeting will specifically be thinking about the language for the Theatre slide.
- what is it about us that will help attract people to us? we have community to offer
- how are we we similar/different to other groups in the area? how do we showcase this group as something that is valuable, what about our group is valuable?
- Container Farming Project
- The water is hooked up, they are posting the position for the farmer job, we will get some dollars from the grant project to help do community engagement and education for the container farming.
- Future plans?
- Field trips
- Geminid meteor shower coming up (eastern horizon) on 13th and 14th, if there is interest we could hang out then and look at them together!
- Glacial Lakes Candlelight Hike Feb 14th
- Talk about it when we have time on an agenda:
- Longer term planning for a “community envisioning event”
- Community garden events in the summer
- Resilient Lawns & Pollinators meeting group
- Upcoming Events
- Christmas Bird Count - contact Dan!
- Next Meeting
- January 3rd online at bit.ly/climate-network
- Meeting Leader - Captain @cberthiaume
- Note Taker - Nic @Nic_McPhee
- MPL Meeting Room? Use the new Media Cart in February?