Bozeman Magazine

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Montana State University, formerly MSU Wonderlust, will present a talk on “Positive Climate Impacts, One City at a Time: Bozeman Climate Plan” at a May 14 Friday Forum. The event will be presented online via Webex from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Natalie Meyer, the City of Bozeman’s Sustainability Program Manager, and Taylor Lonsdale, the city’s Transportation Engineer, will present and discuss key components of the 2020 Bozeman Climate Plan. This Friday Forum will be moderated by Duke Elliot, a resource conservation specialist with MSU Engineering and Utilities, who will share a sustainable architecture and energy efficiency perspective. Panelists will share information and initiatives from the Climate Plan, including examples and actionable steps the city and citizens are and can take to curb human climate impacts. Natalie Meyer has been with the City of Bozeman since 2008, leading development of the Climate Plan from drafting to adoption by the City Commission. Meyer earned a bachelor’s in forest resource management from the University of Montana and a master’s in land resources and environmental science from Montana State University. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy honored Meyer with a Clean Energy Education and Empowerment award in the government category. The awards are given to women for achievements or leadership in the clean energy world in categories including entrepreneurship, business and education. Taylor Lonsdale has been with the City of Bozeman as a transportation engineer since 2019. Before joining the city, he was a research engineer at the Western Transportation Institute from 2009 to 2019 where he worked on policies and programs to improve transportation choices for people in small urban and rural communities. From 2009 to 2013, he served as Montana’s Safe Routes to Schools Coordinator providing statewide support for pedestrian and bicycle safety programs for students throughout Montana. He earned a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Vermont. Advance registration is required and must completed by 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 14. For more information or to register, please visit the OLLI at MSU website at montana.edu/olli/register. Upon registration confirmation, participants will receive an email with the Webex link and instructions to join the program. Friday Forums are offered on the second Friday of each month, September through May, by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at MSU. OLLI at MSU is a program of Academic Technology and Outreach(ATO) at Montana State University. ATO works across MSU to support and advance our land-grant mission through unique and innovative opportunities for outreach and engagement.