BP: 'Momentum' makers: TEDxBemidji held at Chief Theater

BEMIDJI—The team putting together this year's TEDxBemidji event had a few ideas for what the theme should be, but settled on one they felt encapsulated Bemidji through the past decade. The theme was 'Momentum.' On Thursday, a variety of speakers discussed how momentum has impacted the community, and how it can help in different areas of life. "We looked into finding a theme and probably came up with 20 different words. Momentum was the one that won out," event co-organizer Tammy Schotzko said.

"I think the team realized that momentum can be a good thing, and it can also be a negative that people may want to stop." TEDxBemidji is a local, independent event based on the international TED nonprofit. Starting in 1984, TED is a conference originally focusing on technology, entertainment and design. Since its organization, topics have expanded to include subjects such as science, business and global issues. Locally, independent TED talks are referred to TEDx events. The goal is to help share new concepts with communities around the world and bring topics to a local level. The first TEDx in Bemidji was in April 2017. "We want people to come away with new ideas and a new way of thought," Schotzko said. "We want them to have a new perspective and an awareness for something they might not have known about in our community before." The first speaker at Thursday's event was Erika Bailey-Johnson, the BSU sustainability director. During her time on stage at the Chief Theater, Johnson talked about the importance of sustainability and how it relates to the environment. Additionally, Johnson shared some of the current challenges to sustainability, such as human population growth, a loss of natural capital, a nonrenewable energy infrastructure and an economy based on growth with limited resource. Following Bailey-Johnson was Caige Jambor, a classroom coordinator at Schoolcraft Learning Community. In his remarks, Jambor brought up the concept of toxic stressors in children's lives and how they can impact brain development. Other speakers at the TEDxBemidji on Thursday were:

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