The Little Free Library project promotes literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide and builds community through sharing skills, creativity and wisdom across generations. Take a book, leave a book—this little library will always be free. There are already a couple Little Free Libraries in the Keweenaw, look for a kiosk near you: http://littlefreelibrary.org/. Contact Harriet King (Houghton – harrietcookking@gmail.com, (906)281
-7122) or Bill Knoblauch (Hancock – william.knoblauch@finlandia.edu) to help with the local initiative.

Great Lakes Research Videos including seminars sponsored by the Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Technological University.
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Date: Tuesday, March 3
Time: 4pm
Place: Houghton County Court House, 5th Floor Meeting Room

We want to clean up Houghton County, create opportunities for recycling, educate the public about recycling, and decrease the amount of waste going to the landfill. If you're interested in getting involved in local recycling efforts, then please join us for the first meeting of the Houghton County Recycling Task Force. We'll hear a report about the U.P. Recycling Coalition meeting; discuss current issues with recycling cardboard, shingles, tires, electronics, prescription medicine, white goods and organic waste; and look at existing and proposed village recycling drop off centers. If you're interested in attending or have questions contact Susan Burack at sburack@pasty.net.

Date: Saturday, March 7
Time: 10:30am-6pm
Place: Portage Lake District Library

The Co-op and the Portage Lake District Library are collaborating again to bring the day long conference TEDx Manhattan: Changing the Way We Eat on Saturday, March 7. "Free access to some of the most exciting ideas happening in sustainable food and farming."

More info and the list of speakers and topics >

Date: March 13–15, 2015
Place: Marquette
Cost: Free

The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition is hosting its seventh annual Celebrate the UP event! Celebrate what artists, tribal elders, linguistics professors, botanists, and northern lights watchers among others find so special about life in the UP! View the full presentation schedule and summaries >

Date: Thursday, March 19
Time: 7:70–8:30
Place: MTU Forestry Building
Cost: Free ($3 donation suggested)

Explores changes in national attiude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to growing awareness that our future is bound to the life and health of our rivers. Where obsolete dams come down, rivers bound to life, giving wild fish the right of return to primeval spawning grounds, after decades without access. DamNation’s majestic cinematography and unexpected discoveries move through rivers and landscapes altered by dams, but also through a metamorphosis in values, from conquest of the natural world to knowing ourselves as part of nature. (87 min)

View food/farm events for western, central and eastern regions>

Find out more >

Michigan utility customers may be eligible for a free furnace or boiler tune-up through a statewide energy efficiency program. Tune-ups ensure heating systems are running cleanly and efficiently, saving residents money and eliminating health and safety risks.

Blue Terra Energy is conducting the free tune-ups, normally priced at $100, for natural gas utility customers in the western Upper Peninsula. Residents must be Semco Energy Gas Company customers to qualify. Customers can call (906) 487-5342 to schedule.

The free furnace and boiler tune-ups are funded by revenue collected from a small surcharge Michigan utility customers currently pay on their monthly bills. In addition to a free tune-up, customers may also be eligible to receive a new programmable thermostat and/or new carbon monoxide detector, free of charge.