Lodestone Project

A little bit about us...

The Lodestone Project is an initiative of the Moorhead Healthy Communities Initiative, funded by the Otto Bremer Foundation. It was started in 2007 to provide community members with meaningful information that will help Fargo Moorhead residents make sustainable choices that will then create a sustainable community.

The Lodestone Project is about how we think about the future of Fargo Moorhead. It recognizes that the future is not a foregone conclusion. We can’t expect to grow and thrive and succeed just because we always have.

What exactly is a Lodestone?

Lodestones are rocks that are naturally magnetic. They are made of Magnetite, a type of iron ore. A piece of magnetite that has magnetic qualifies is a lodestone.

What makes a Lodestone magnetic?

It is believed that once lighting strikes a magnetite it causes the magnetite particles to align in the right way to produce a magnetic field.

The Power of Lodestones

The first compasses were made over 2000 years ago using lodestones. If a long lodestone is freely suspended it will rotate until it lines up with the Earth's poles. Many versions of compasses have been made using this principle.

The word is derived from its early nautical use. "Lode" originally meant a leader, so sailors would "follow the stone" to a specific destination. In the sense of mining, miners also “follow” a lode or rock or minerals to extract the material. The use of a lodestone on board probably made navigation much safer, and it paved the way to creating magnetic compasses and other more sophisticated navigational aides. Lodestones were viewed with some awe by sailors, since the properties of these rocks were quite mysterious.

The term "lodestone" is also used to refer to something or someone with strong attractive properties. Many poets, for example, use the term euphemistically, especially in love poetry. This usage suggests that lodestones have played a very important role in human history and development, since many people have strong associations with the word "lodestone."

Source: http://www.buylodestones.com/aboutlodestones.htm and http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-lodestone.htm





Who is the Lodestone Project?

Just like a thriving community, The Lodestone Project is organic. It is not embodied by any one person or one organization, but rather a group of members that provide a framework for thinking about the future of sustainability in Fargo Moorhead.

SUPPORTERS - people who "get" that sustainability matters, that it’s possible, and that it's necessary for the future of this community.

  • Anyone who lives in or has lived in Fargo Moorhead can be a supporter of the Lodestone Project.
  • Sign up on this site – just submit a short statement that explains why you believe sustainability matters to Fargo Moorhead.
  • Participate in the conversation – online social networks, the blog, local events, or the next frontier. Real change can only occur if it comes from real people with real passion.

HOSTS – local businesses and organizations that "get it" and want to help bring information and resources on key sustainability topics to this community.

  • Each host will adopt a topic and commit to sponsoring a community conversation that explores that topic. Initial topics include:
    • Renewable Energy & Conservation
    • Green building & the built environment
    • People, Migration, and the Magnet effect
    • Excellence as Economic success
  • Watch the site for more information as hosts are identified. Better yet – send your ideas for topics and hosts. What will inspire you?

STAFF – provide a framework for local conversations about sustainability and bring people together around the Lodestone idea.

Local Events

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Lodestone Project

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