What We Do
Cascade Meadow Wetlands & Environmental Science Center is all about supporting the sustainability of the communities of southeast Minnesota. But before we get into how we support sustainability, let’s talk about what exactly sustainability means to us at Cascade Meadow.
What is Sustainability?
While sustainability is a word that many people use, it can be difficult to define what people mean when they say it. To paraphrase one widely-used definition, a community is sustainable when it meets the needs of the present generation of citizens without compromising the ability of future generations of citizens to meet their own needs.
A Conversation
When it comes to Cascade Meadow Wetlands & Environmental Science Center and the citizens of southeast Minnesota, sustainability really begins with a conversation about the health and vitality of our communities. While health and vitality certainly include both our physical health and the health of our surrounding environments, it also includes our community’s economic health and social health. A conversation about sustainable communities in southeast Minnesota must consider these three aspects: environment, society, and economy.
So, what shall we talk about first?
Cascade Meadow Wetlands & Environmental Science Center believes that a conversation about sustainable communities needs to begin with two important resource topics: water and energy. Ultimately, sustainable use of both water and energy resources in SE Minnesota will be dependent on the literacy of our citizens in these two areas.
What are water and energy literacy?
Understanding water and energy resource issues can be difficult given their complexity. When we educate for water or energy literacy, we attempt to make these complexities clear. But our water or energy literacy is about more than just our knowledge of the topic. Literacy also includes our awareness of the connections between human and natural systems, and our ability to act successfully to achieve the sustainable use of these resources in our everyday lives.
Navigate through the pages listed to the left to discover how Cascade Meadow supports sustainable communities through programs, interactive exhibits, tours, and resource sharing around water and energy literacy.