WORKSHOPS:

Several 45 minute educational workshops are planned.

1. AI Data Centers and Food Security: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a vital part of our daily lives, influencing both industries as well as our own personal lives. However, this technology often brings a range of issues, including the enormous amount of freshwater and electricity required to run these AI systems, that will conflict with local farming operations. This session will discuss the impacts of such AI super centers on food and water security in Montana.

2. Northstone Solar's Introduction to Solar Energy: A Homeowner's Guide to Residential Solar in the Flathead: this workshop will entail an introduction into how residential solar works from a technological perspective, how systems are sized and designed and how we work with the local utility to ensure that you are getting the best return on investment for your system. We will also cover off-grid systems and the benefits of battery storage systems for grid-tied and off-grid application.

3. Harness YOUR Hero - Meet Your Sustainability Alter~Ego: In this session, you will step into all the positive things you know to be true about yourself as a change~maker. We will become the main characters in a sustainability comic, connect with nature, define our internal motivators for change, and connect with each other as we form Hero Bands for impact. There will be creativity, fun, and more as we explore what a sustainable world could look like!

4. Power & Policy: Electrify Your Home, Amplify Your Voice: The transition to clean energy isn’t just about technology—it’s about action. In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore how the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is making home electrification more affordable and how you can take advantage of financial incentives to upgrade your home for safety, efficiency, and savings. But change doesn’t stop at your front door. Learn how Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) empowers everyday people to advocate for strong climate policies that drive clean energy solutions at the national level. Whether you're interested in upgrading your home, shaping policy, or both, this session will equip you with the knowledge and tools to make a real impact.

5. Efficiency and Radon: Saving Energy and Improving Indoor Air Quality: This workshop will focus on improving the energy efficiency of your home including air sealing, insulation, windows and more. This workshop will also explore radon, how it impacts health, how to test, and how to mitigate if needed.

7. How to Prepare Yourself, Home, and Property for Wildfire: This will be a presentation on co-existing with wildfire in the northwest, and the steps homeowners can take to live on a fire adapted property. The presentation will cover how to mitigate risk on and around your primary living structure, your forested lands, and what you can do to better prepare yourself for a wildfire event.

8. Taking Refuge in the Yaak: The Yaak Valley is uniquely poised to become our nation’s first Climate Refuge. A “Fort Knox” of carbon storage, the Yaak Valley is a hotspot for biological diversity, home to more than a quarter of all Montana species of concern, including the most imperiled of the five isolated populations of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states. As average temperatures rise and precipitation patterns shift, the Yaak Valley remains biologically rich and diverse, showing a unique resilience to climate change.