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Over 370 residents turned out on a Monday night for a Community Conversation on Climate Change and Stewardship.  The seminar was put together by local groups and was spearheaded by Chisago Lakes Middle School science teacher Pat Collins.

The event featured PaulâDouglas whom many of you remember from his days at Kare 11 TV.  Douglas has since developed two weather based companies.  Also speaking was Mitch Hescox. Hescox is a pastor and the head of a group called the Evangelical Environmental Network.  

Collins told the audience he had heard the two speak a few years back and decided he had to get them to Chisago Lakes somehow.

Collins then handed the microphone over to Douglas.  Douglas said that his goal was to leave Chisago Lakes with an optimistic message.  “Climate change is an opportunity for change” Douglas said.  “This isn’t about polar bears, it’s about your children and grandchildren.”

Douglas asked the audience if they have ever felt the presence of God while in nature.  Almost every hand raised. Douglas said that when we are in nature we are communing with God and it is a form of worshipping him.  

Douglas told the audience that Earth has experienced a couple of ice ages and that push back from opponents was immediate and unending.  Douglas pointed out that he was not speaking about cyclical weather events, but weather extremes.  “Rain is falling harder than ever before. What we have now is weather on steroids,” Douglas said.  Douglas noted last year alone, there were 19 major floods, five of which were 1,000 year floods.

“How many have to happen before we sit up and take notice?” Douglas asked.  He said Minnesota had two extreme rainfalls last year that totalled 8-12 inches per rainfall. Douglas then told the audience that Co2 levels are higher than they have been in five million years. Douglas followed that with “We have the solution, it’s shining down on us everyday.

“We are stewards of what is left of Eden,” Douglas said.

He then told the audience that Minnesota’s temperature has increased three degrees since the 1800’s.  Douglas said the question is, “We can manage three degrees, but what about eight degrees? Give it 10 years and we will see just that.”

Douglas said the solution is de-carbonization. He then asked how do we reach the 30 percent of voters who believe climate change is a hoax?  “Simple, you just ask them if they like to save money” Douglas said. Douglas said that windpower, sunlight and unsubsidized solar are the cheapest forms of new electricity.  âDouglas said fossil fuel has gotten us to where we are, but is definitely not sustainable. “God buried the toxic fuel way below the surface of Earth and gave us free energy above our heads” Douglas said.

Douglas told the audience he was very optimistic because of dropping prices of new energy.  

He noted, “...seeing and connecting the dots of climate change does not make you a liberal it makes you literate. We have to stop putting profits ahead of our kids and grandkids.”

Hescox reiterated much of what Douglas said.  He noted that we are in the midst of a plastic epidemic. Plastic is responsible for many of our illnesses including one in seven girls will contract breast cancer.

Hescox noted the Bible is the first book that writes about sustainable energy with verses in Leviticus and Numbers.

Hescox gave kudos to Chisago County for welcoming solar initiatives.  “You people are the experts, you are setting an expample for the rest of us,” Hescox said.

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