Darwin Day is a global celebration of science and reason held on or around Feb. 12, the birthday anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin.  Click here for more information!

Smart Commute Week in Traverse City June 4-9 2012

From The Affirmations of Humanism…“We want to protect and enhance the earth…preserve it for future generations…”

Smart Commute Week is an annual week-long celebration of smart commuting that takes place the first full week in June. During Smart Commute Week an exciting, energizing, cool and noticeable transformation in transportation takes place in Traverse City and beyond of people getting around without their individual automobiles. Smart Commute Week’s critical mass and safety in numbers makes it a perfect opportunity for people to give smart commuting a try. In addition to encouraging new smart commuters, the purpose of the Week is also about gathering to celebrate the community’s year-round veteran smart commuters and infrastructure improvements to provide more safe, connected and accessible active transportation.

Enjoy free breakfasts at locations around Traverse City every morning if you ride your bicycle! Click here for more information.

Scott Blair Speaks at Etcetera on “Knowledge, Reason, Faith, and the Search for Truth.”

April 26 saw the first meeting of Traverse City’s “Street Level Philosophy” group, Etcetera, at the Good Work Collective on Union Street. Featured on the panel were Grand Traverse Humanist board member Scott Blair and parkour specialist Levi Meeuwenberg, with Anthony Weber moderating. Scott began the evening with an excellent summation of why reason and dispassionate inquiry are the best tools to discover what is true, as opposed to faith. Click here to see the session on youtube. Etcetera is planning to meet once a month for civil discourse on a variety of topics. It was an interesting evening!

Mark Elliott and Heather Kingham are attending the 71st annual American Humanist Association conference in New Orleans this weekend. (Our group is a chapter of this national organization.) The conference begins tomorrow…check back here for news and updates!

Remembrance of Harrison Nelson

Harrison Nelson, member of the Grand Traverse Humanists, died unexpectedly January 2 of this year. He and his wife, Dr. Kieran Fulkerson, moved to Traverse City five years ago and became members of our group in 2010. Harry was an aerospace engineer, rocket scientist, and design executive who was inventing right up to the end of his life. He was most proud of his contributions to NASA, the stealth bomber, and top secret projects for the Pentagon. Harry was a vibrant presence who exuded an optimistic outlook to his friends, family, and co-workers. He is sorely missed. More photos and remembrance of Harry…

Grand Traverse Humanists Make Darwin Day Presentation

Dr. Mark Elliott and Heather Kingham traveled to Petoskey on February 12 to make a presentation on their recent trip to the Galápagos Islands to the Freethought Association of Northern Michigan. Entitled “The Galápagos: Our Pilgrimage to the Holy Land,” Dr. Elliott discussed the flora and fauna of the islands, as well as Charles Darwin’s 1831 voyage to the Galápagos and the development of and evidence for his theory of evolution. We are very pleased to have been able to visit the recently-formed Freethought group in Petoskey, and look forward to future collaborations.

Darwin Day is a global celebration of science and reason held on or around Feb. 12, the birthday anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin. Click here for more information!