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Electric car show raises awareness, educates about impacts of climate changes - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sports

Electric car show raises awareness, educates about impacts of climate changes

Organizers had their own electric vehicles on display, answering questions from people attending the show.

FARGO — It's not your typical car show over at St. John's Lutheran Church in Fargo on July 30.

There's plenty of stuff to gawk at, but there's a bit more to it than eye candy. All the cars, bikes, and even lawn mowers here are electric. No gas required.

Dennis Wiesenborn's a now retired Professor of Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering at NDSU. He showed off his He says big strides have been made in electric vehicle technology in recent years.

"It is progressing very rapidly from what I see," Wiesenborn said. "I think we're about to see just a slew of new models of electric vehicles coming out in the next few years."

He says the impacts of climate change can't be ignored.

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"We care very much about the young people in our lives, and we want them to have hope for the future," he said. "It's not a perfect solution. It's not the final solution. But I am convinced we need to transition to clean energy."

Also on full display at St. John's is the nature regeneration project, a project from the church's care for creation committee. Overtime, they've been transforming the church lawn, filling it with trees, shrubs, and grasses for native birds and insects to use.

"We've replaced perhaps 40 to 45 percent of our grass," said Steve Trandem, a retired Lutheran pastor and a member of the care for creation team. "We've replaced that with the native plants, and that has reduced our emissions. We should be able to have just quite a paradise here for insects and for birds."

Steve's a retired Lutheran Pastor. Over the years, he says he's seen the impacts of climate change firsthand.

"I've served farming communities, and I've served city congregations," Trandem said. "And I have seen the effects of waste, and pollution of air of our land. It's been kind of a real awakening over the years."

Both Steve and Dennis are well aware that using an Electric car or renovating your lawn are at best small steps in fighting climate change. But enough small steps eventually makes a mile.

"There's things every person can do, young or old," Trandem said.

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