Three Legged Frog Club Ushers in Sustainability Month

The Three Legged Frog Club at Minneapolis College strives for an environmentally sustainable campus. Members of the club work to increase awareness of environmental conservation and preservation through education, with Sustainability Month in April serving as a key focus on stimulating discussions and offering interesting activities.

These range from an e-recycling drive, seed planting and an urban garden tour, movie viewings and discussions, to Zoom presentations, trash clean-up, plus a guided forest Walk at Wolsfeld Wood Scientific and Nature Area.
Jenny Sippel and Elissah Becknell, both Faculty Librarians, are co-advisors of the Three-Legged Frog Club and instrumental in coordinating the month of activities.

“The Three-Legged Club is rooted in education and science,” said Sippel. “There is scientific evidence that our planet is changing and warming from the impacts of human behaviors. Our club approaches our work with the understanding that we are past the critical moment of change needed. We also recognize that there are still ways we can make a difference rather than feeling that nothing can be done . . . that you are the only one in 7 billion people. It’s about the idea of empowerment. Doing something is better than doing nothing.”

Focusing on April as Sustainability Month at Minneapolis College achieves that. Sippel talked about a fable of a hummingbird (watch the story as told by Professor Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan environmental and political activist, Nobel Laureate and writer) “who tries to help put out a forest fire. Other animals ask the hummingbird what difference such a tiny creature can make. The hummingbird says, ‘I can either do nothing or I can do my best.’ That’s what Elissah and I as co-advisors, and Shelby Gunderson as Three-Legged Club president, are doing. Instead of wallowing, we get out and walk around campus to learn how Minneapolis College gardener, Randy Rau, has converted our entire campus landscaping into native plants. One person can make an enormous difference doing positive things.”

Sippel and Becknell, along with club members, have been as busy as hummingbirds putting together this Sustainability Month schedule with a wide array of collaborative partners:

• Monday, April 11: "Raptors of the Midwest" 45-minute presentation by the Raptor Center – an interactive experience featuring live raptors up close, much closer than you ever would see in person.
• Thursday, April 21 from 2:30-4:30 p.m.: "Remembering: Singing Water” Film Screening and Discussion." Register in advance for the webinar or attend in person H10022:30-4:30 p.m. More information!
• Saturday, April 23 from 9:30 a.m.-Noon: "Earth Day Cleanup @ Loring Park" Registration Requested. Meet on the T Plaza. We will check you in, collect liability waivers, distribute supplies, and provide instructions on where to leave your collected trash. Bring your own gloves if you have them. If not, we will have some to share. This event is in from with Friends of Loring Park, who have invited to share supplies and refreshments with us!
• Tuesday & Wednesday at April 26-27 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.: "E-Recycle Donation Event" 2nd Floor of T Building. This electronics recycling drive promote tech sustainability. Three-Legged Frog and Empowering Women in Tech are collaborating in this Sustainability Month. “We’d like everyone on campus to bring old phones, chargers, printers,” Sippel said. What you can donate.
• Thursday, April 28 from 11 a.m.-Noon: "Kiss the Ground" Movie Viewing & Discussion. Zoom link. You can participate in either or both parts of this event. Watch the movie and join in the discussion. You can also attend the discussion without having viewed the movie. Click on the video link to watch the movie. You will be prompted for a password: school.
• Friday, April 29 from 1-3 p.m.: "Urban Farm Collective Seed planting and garden tour" at the Science Building Lobby. The collaborative event brings Three-Legged Frog and the Urban Farm Collective together. Learn about the UFC's gardens and help with seed planting. Come ready to get your hands dirty.
• Saturday, April 30 from 2-4 p.m.: "Guided Forest Walk." At Wolsfeld Woods SNA. Space is limited, and Registration is Required. This event is brought to you with support from Minneapolis College Counseling Department. Join us for a guided therapy walk in the woods.

Interested in joining the Three-Legged Frog Club? Contact Sippel or Becknell.