Climate change and its impact topic of event being held at SOLC on May 5

Climate change is not happening “somewhere else.”

Wild fires continue to erupt out west, down south and as recently as last year, in northern Minnesota. Severe storm are occurring throughout the United States.

Interfaith Creation Care South Metro will host an event on Tuesday, May 5, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church in Prior Lake. Guest speaker will be Mike Augustyniak, director of meteorology at WCCO-TV.

Augustyniak is a leader with CBS News and affiliated e-teams, training station journalists and meteorologists on how to best tell stories that explain the link between weather, climate, climate change and the impacts to the local economy, safety and resilience.

The event will include table displays for attendees to visit both before and after the presentation that will show how local residents can personally make a difference. There will also be a display of how local faith communities are addressing the growing problem in their community.

Starting at 5:30 p.m., a variety of electric vehicles will be located in the church’s parking lot with their owners available to answer questions regarding how local residents can cut their carbon footprint. These types of EVs are expected to be on site: Tesla, Hyundai, Nissan and Kia.

The free program is open to the public. ICCSM is a collaboration representing 19 faith communities in the south metro area. Its mission is to restore a sustainable relationship between humans and the environment, which is the foundation of health and life for all.

Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church is located at 3611 Berens Road NW, Prior Lake.