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WINTER Newsletter 2014

Living respectfully, responsibly and reverently with one another and with Earth.

Support Our Local BusinessIt is important for all of us to support our local businesses that are using sustainable practices and/or helping us to become more sustainable. All of these businesses have gone above and beyond the norm to making a commitment to a sustainable world. Your support will aid in making sure that they will prosper and continue to be come an important part of our community.

Village Shopping Center1507 Losey Blvd.La Crosse, WI 54601608-519-2110fullcirclesupplyinfo@gmail.comhttps://www.facebook.com/FullCircleSupply

The mission of Full Circle Supply is to provide the community with products that leave the least amount of impact on our environment. Newlyweds Joshua & Mary's desire to reduce plastic waste in the community sparked the idea for a refill shop...and the ideas kept coming! Full Circle Supply is now offering eco-friendly baby and home goods.   Full Circle Supply is an innovative way to reduce your plastic consumption by not only refilling natural personal & cleaning products, but also by using every day items for your family that are safe and sustainable.

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2135 Enterprise AveLa Crosse, WI 54601Phone: 608-781-4030E-mail: info@dynamicrecycling.comhttp://dynamicrecycling.com

Dynamic Recycling is a full service R2/ISO-14001 certified; computer and electronics recycling company located in La Crosse, WI. We offer electronics (E-waste) recycling, asset management, and scrap material purchasing services to customers across the United States. Our focus on Environmental Responsibility, Customer Service, and Affordability is what sets us apart from other computer and electronics recycling companies. We continually strive to reinvent ourselves within each of our three divisions, so that we can better serve our customers now and in the future. Our service driven approach to computer and electronics recycling is one that we guarantee will meet and exceed your needs, in acquiring a vendor who understands the fair treatment you expect as an individual and quality service you deserve as our customer.

Repair Trumps Replace. The Root Note and the EcoPark partner to present Repair Cafe. Stop at the Root Note the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. and bring your things that need fixing or your skills for fixing things.

The Root Note115 4th St. SouthLa Crosse, WI, 54601(608) 782-7668 therootnote.com

The Freecycle concept has since spread to over 85 countries, where there are thousands of local groups representing millions of of members -- people helping people and 'changing the world one gift at a time.' As a result, we are currently keeping over 500 tons a day out of landfills! This amounts to five times the height of Mt. Everest in the past year alone, when stacked in garbage trucks!

By giving freely with no strings attached, members of The Freecycle Network help instill a sense of generosity of spirit as they strengthen local community ties and promote environmental sustainability and reuse. People from all walks of life have joined together to turn trash into treasure.

LaCrosse County freecycle at: https://groups.freecycle.org/group/LaCrosseCountyWI

Myrick Hixon EcoPark789 Myrick Park Dr.La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601(608) 784-0303info@mhecopark.org

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Great Lakes Trail Builders

Great Lakes Trailbuilders LLC was started in 2008 to bring a low impact and environmentally friendly approach to trailbuilding and design to the midwest.  Willie Bittner started working on trails 14 years ago with the Wisconsin DNR and over the years he has worked from coast to coast building trails and teaching the different methods and styles to volunteer groups, conservation corps and state agencies. 

Karla Collins Cell: 608-619-0900E-mail: karlasnorwex@gmail.comWebsite: karlacollins.norwex.biz

From our humble beginnings in Norway, focused on “cleaning without chemicals” to our most recent launch of Norwex in Australia, we remain dedicated to our mission of improving quality of life by radically reducing the use of chemicals in household and personal care products.

Solar Powered Printing!

In 2012 we installed a 39,750kW Solar Array of 159 panels on our building. The installation was done by Tim at Winona Renewable Energy. The annual power produced will exceed our usage,  and we will be putting completely environmentally friendly solar generated power back into the grid! Follow the links on our website to monitor the real time production, the historical production, and see examples of our carbon offset. Project payback period: 8 years

The Free Range Chicken Project

Where does our paper waste go? We have contracted with a local farmer from Trempealeau to take all of our shredded waste paper to use as bedding for his free range chickens and composting. For our efforts we are also rewarded with a steady stream of fresh eggs. What cannot be shredded is recycled by our friends at D&M Recycling. Project Payback: Immediate and ongoing

Insulate, Insulate, Insulate

When we remodeled our building in 2006 we chose to super-insulate the walls and ceiling with high density insulation, vapor barriers, and additional fiberglass insulation. We brought our total annual heating bill for a 4,000 square foot building to under $550. Project payback period: 2 years

146 Rose StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601Phone: 608-783-6440Fax: 608-783-6439Email: mail@laxprint.comWebsite: LaCrosseWI1190.sirspeedy.com

23592 Lake RdTrempealeau, WI 54661willie.bittner@gmail.com(608) 799 - 2389

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1201 North Main, Street Suite 9Viroqua, WI 54665608.638.COOPinfo.fifthseason@gmail.com

Through the formation of the Fifth Season Cooperative, we hope to extend or increase many things in our region: the health and wealth of our region, the connection between producers and consumers, and to develop a foodservice market for regional producers and processors.

MRS GREEN JEANSnon-toxic cleaning service

Elly Griswold, owner608-782-3175608-259-9036mrsgreenjeanscleans@gmail.com

Non-toxic 'green' housecleaning in La Crosse and immediate area. Have been in business here for about 4 1/2 years. I use only safe, non-toxic products.

the Root Note Organic Cafe & Music Venue

the Root Note is an organic cafe that follows the rhythms of the harvest to create delicious  crêpes (sweet and savory), salads, and soup.  We serve handcrafted coffees from Kickapoo Coffee, a fair trade artisan roastery in Viroqua, WI.  We also have a carefully chosen selection of craft beer, wine and cider. 

115 4th St S, La Crosse, WI (608) 782-7668 therootnote.com

Coulee Region Ecoscapes, LLC 

Coulee Region Ecoscapes, LLC, is an earth-friendly landscaping service based in La Crosse, WI.  We have a deep commitment to creating and maintaing landscape spaces that are sustainable, regionally suited, functional, and beautiful.  

We use certified organic chemicals and fertilizers at your property or business, keeping your landscape safe for people and animals alike. Call or email us anytime to schedule a free consultation. We believe strongly in the value of hard work, and we will make every effort to meet your personalized landscaping needs. 

2636 7th St. SouthLa Crosse, WI 54601608-316-5911couleeregionecoscapes@gmail.com

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Say goodbye to harmful dry cleaning chemicals. Say hello to a kinder clean.  GreenEarth Cleaning takes better care of fabrics and the earth

" Beautiful Clotheso Perfectly clean.  Wonderfully gentle.  Clothes look newer longer.

" Cleaner Air o No petrochemicals. No worry about smog or greenhouse gases.

" Cleaner Soilo No need for regulation. No more contamination.

No multi-million dollar cleanups." Cleaner Water

o Environmentally non-toxic. Nothing to contaminate our water.

Sew Clean 620 Cass StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601

56 Copeland Avenue La Crosse, WI 54601

Solar panels on the roof provides hot water for the hotel.

S3439 Cole Bluff LaneFountain City, WI 54629 P: (608) 687-3332http://kinstonecircle.com/

Kinstone is home to the Kinstone Academy of Applied Permaculture (KAAP). KAAP is an international Permaculture education center, established in 2012 that offers the traditional Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) as well as a variety of other core Permaculture courses and Advanced Programs.  We teach a fantastic version of the PDC – one that is in keeping with the tradition of Bill Mollison; but more, we have designed KAAP to offer ongoing Permaculture-based education to all those of you who are looking for more information and learning beyond the PDC. This 30-acre property is packed with diverse applications of Permaculture and sustainability in practice. It is a living/working classroom that facilitates hands-on learning in a wide range of systems and climatic contexts.

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P.O. box 405Viroqua, WI 54665Phone: (888) 587-6540driftlessfolkschool.org

Driftless Folk School

The mission of the Driftless Folk School is to support healthy, sustainable communities and personal development by providing creative and meaningful educational opportunities and inspiring lifelong learning for individuals and families.We strive to accomplish our mission by offering experiences in agriculture, natural history, arts and crafts, and traditions of rural Wisconsin and other cultures. This includes offering:

• Practical guidance for farmsteading practices and land stewardship• Family activities, childrenʼs workshops and childcare• Traditional and contemporary skills that have proven to be sustainable• A context for dialogue and exploration of issues meaningful to human life• A non-competitive and supportive learning environment

Earthology Institute

Using advocacy, science and the arts, Earthology Institute provides resources and an action network that disseminates critical, forward thinking and practical tools for the advancement of human health, sustainability and the environment.Earthology Institute advocates positive environmental change with a focus on sustainability, environmental toxins, human health, ecological integrity, proactive and positive living in the 21st century, advocacy through the arts, and tools for green living.The concept for Earthology Institute was first established by Connie and Craig Minowa in the late 1990s. Since then, we have accomplished well over two dozen grant projects either directly through Earthology grant funding or via contracting through other allied nonprofit organizations.With Earthology Institute's newly acquired 501c3 status, we will greatly expand the scope and capacity of Earthology Institute to serve as an educational clearing-house of information and advocacy in the realms of sustainability, positive environmental change and children's environmental health.

P.O. Box 226Viroqua, WI 54665Phone: 320-287-1778http://www.earthologyinstitute.org

La Crosse, WI Green DrinksWho: Everyone interested in the environmental health of the Coulee Region What: Informal conversation and funWhere: Fayze'sWhen: Third Tuesday of the month @ 6:30 p.m. Why: The Coulee Regionʼs environment deserves our focusContact: Chris Schneider at chris-hybridguru@centurytel.netGreen Drinks is an international concept with gatherings all over the world.

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! 2014 Membership DriveYour membership is important to us and the work we are doing in the 7 Rivers Region. Please consider becoming a member and helping us to provide the 2014 Earth Day activities, publishing of the CPS Local Guide for Sustainable Living, Northwest Earth Institute’s Discussion Courses.

Go to the last page and fill out the membership form and mail it in today!

Checkout our website at: www.cpslax.org

Join us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ CouleePartnersforSustainability

Good reasons to JOIN

Coulee Partners for Sustainability Activities for 201354 people participated on the Northwest Earth Institute Discussion Courses

2000 people attended the 2013 Earth Fair

Purchased the rights to screen the movie Switch at Western Technical College, Viterbo University and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Purchased the rights to screen the movie A Fierce Green Fire  73 people viewed the documentary this summer

Northwest Earth institute Biannual Conference “Leadership, Action and Community” was held in La Crosse JuneLiving Green Expo: Past, Present and Future October 2012 Western Technical College Lunda Center

Added a map of La Crosse’s Sustainable Locations to our website

Created a La Crosse Sustainability Calendar on our website

Made presentations at Viterbo University, UW-LaCrosse, Evergreen Elementary and Bethany On Cass

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Become a Member of: Living respectfully, responsibly and reverently with one another and with Earth.

NAME: ______________________________________

ADDRESS: ______________________________ City: ________________ STATE: ______ ZIP: _______________

PHONE: _______- _______- _____________

EMAIL ADDRESS: _________________________________

_______$15 Individual _______$25 Family _______$100 Business/Institution _______$10 Student

Would you like to get involved in CPS sustainable projects? (please check all that apply)

_____Occasionally for specific projects! ______Planning or Administration

Study Circle Facilitating: _____The Natural Step _____Northwest Earth Institute_____Film/Other Books

Suggestions for CPS: ____________________________________________________________________________

Send to: CPS, c/o Glen Jenkins, 2642 Hackberry Lane, La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601

CPS is a 501-C3 non-profit, organization. All contributions are tax deductible.

Purpose: Promote sustainable practices in the Coulee Region.

Business: Advocate Natural Step Principles:• Educate• Foster and showcase sustainable practices• Facilitate “Green Group” networking

With the realization that human welfare is directly dependent on the health of the planet and that our welfare cannot be achieved at the expense of the planet. Coulee Partners for Sustainability will work with individuals, environmental organizations, educational institutions, businesses and governmental bodies to educate and create environmentally sustainable practices.