Greening Minnesota - March
Posted by Barker and Hedges - Re/Max Results on Saturday, March 28th, 2009 at 4:06pm.Because there are so many great environmentally friendly things going on in Minnesota these days, I’m going to start another monthly blog piece like the blog round-ups that I’ve been doing. Today’s is inspired by Earth Hour, so here is the first edition of the Greening Minnesota blog post.
Because this is a real estate blog, let’s start with the green home building and remodeling matters. The Star Tribune has been a virtual gold-mine of information on this stuff. They recently did two stories highlighting some green homes in the area.
First, some families living in Twin Cities area homes are setting examples for how green remodeling can benefit the outside environment - and inside environments as well. Two families in St. Louis Park wanted to make changes to their homes that would also avoid exposing their children to the toxins and chemicals associated with conventional house building, like glues, paints, and construction materials. To one family, it was important that the new addition to be made out of recycled or renewable materials while the other desired an energy efficient expansion. A third resident in Minnetonka has a home converted a 1948 rambler to a "green" home showcase with four kinds of alternative energy and the best available insulation, windows and indoor air system.
Next, thanks to Hennepin County’s Building Better Neighborhoods programs, a boarded-up, foreclosed eyesore at 4307 Wentworth Avenue South in Minneapolis has been torn down to its foundation, then rehabilitated into a practically new, three-bedroom, two-bath, energy-efficient house, with a two-car garage. The 10-year-old program has been involved in the rehabilitation of numerous tax-forfeited properties, but this is the group’s first environmentally-friendly project. This green home includes a geothermal heating and cooling system, low-petroleum asphalt shingles, energy-efficient appliances, formaldehyde-free lumber, low-toxin paints and recycled products. It will also be on the Minneapolis-St. Paul Home tour next month, but I’ll talk more about that in April.
In the Hawthorne neighborhood's Eco Village, there are plans in the works to a build a Green Star- and LEED-certified passive home that will use the sun and smart, air-tight design to heat the home. The structure will be so efficient it won't even need a furnace to heat it, even in Minnesota’s climate. Yes, you read that right, no furnace! That means no furnace filters, maintenance or repairs, and most importantly, no major heating costs. Passive houses use about 1/20th the energy of a conventional home and are gaining steam in European countries and are really just starting to enter the U.S. market. If you’re considering building a new home, this may be an option to ponder, as building a passive home only costs about 5% to 7% more to build in Europe, and the target price of the one being built in North Minneapolis is $175,000.
Now, let’s say you’ve gone to the trouble of remodeling or building green. If something terrible were to happen, how could you guarantee that the environmentally-friendly real estate you’ve invested in stays green? The right insurance. Traditional insurance policies don't specifically provide coverage for green features, so if there's a fire or the house sustains water damage, the homeowner may have to pay out of pocket to rebuild the home to the same environmental standards to which it was built before the fire. There is now an insurance company in offering coverage to residents in Minnesota that want to make sure their property stays green, even in the wake of a tragedy.
In the ultimate green move, recycled wind turbines are expected to begin appearing this June in Anoka, Buffalo, North St. Paul and the eight other Minnesota cities that are part of the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency. The 115-foot-tall turbines are refurbished and were previously used at a Palm Springs, Calif., wind farm. Known as the Hometown WindPower program, the aim of this venture is to meet a state law requiring most electrical utilities to provide 25 percent of their total electricity sales from renewable sources, such as wind or water power, by 2025.
And finally, if you didn’t know it by now, tonight at 8:30 p.m. in each timezone, people around the world will be celebrating Earth Hour by shutting off their lights and appliances. Want a prime example of how green living is taking a foothold in the Twin Cities and beyond? The Minneapolis City Council and Mayor R.T. Rybak approved a resolution for Minneapolis become one of the first cities in North America to join Earth Hour. On Saturday the City will turn off all uses of electricity in municipal buildings that are not required for life, safety or operations, including the decorative lighting on the underside of the Stone Arch Bridge. Will you be celebrating Earth Hour tonight? That is all for now. Look for a Greening Minnesota April edition early in the month, as Earth Day is on April 18.
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[...]Because there are so many great environmentally friendly things going on in Minnesota, we like to do these little green updates on the Barker & Hedges blog. May's is inspired by Arbor Day. Okay, if you're up on your earth-friendly observances, you know that Arbor Day is celebrated nationally in April. But this year, some different things have been happening in Minneapolis, I'll get right into explaining it.
First, since last month's Greening Minnesota was so early in the month, I didn't get the chance to tell you about how the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) received the 2009 Celebration Award from the Arbor Day Foundation. The national award is given each year to recognize the community organization whose Arbor Day celebration best represents the spirit of the tree planting holiday. MPRB was acknowledged for its 2008 Arbor Day celebration, “125 Trees for 125 Years” which commemorated the board’s 125th anniversary with the planting of 125 trees just south of Kenwood Park.
Next, the MPRB will celebrate Arbor Day 2009 next week on Wednesday, May 20, at Waite Park and Waite Park Community School, located at 1800 34th Avenue NE. This is because Minneapolis is one of 13 cities chosen to participate in the national Trees for Success campaign. Sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation and The Home Depot Foundation, Trees for Success and other tree-planting events engage the community, raising awareness of the environmental, economic and health impact that trees have in their community. Over 500 students and staff will plant 100 new trees in 17 different species throughout the park and the school.
Gardening isn't just about beautiful foliage, the soil where the roots grow is where everything starts. The Longfellow Gardens in Minnehaha Park will literally be a testing ground for organic turf management by the Horticulture Division of the MPRB. The ongoing project will look at the implications of organic gardening for the long-term and how it will effect future generations.
The Minneapolis Farmers Market is open! Since the Lyndale Market opened back in 1937, it has been a source for fresh and locally grown produce and products for people all over the Twin Cities. The Market's precursor, Minneapolis’ outdoor Fruit and Vegetable Market at the corner of First Street and Hennepin Avenue, extends that history of providing for the community all the way back to 1876. There is now also a Nicollet Mall Market location.
The Bloomington City Council has approved the installation of an eco-friendly geothermal refrigeration system at the two rinks at Burnsville Ice Center. Projected cost of $4.3 million, the geothermal system drastically reduces the amount of Freon needed for operation, from between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds of Freon to between 120 and 360 pounds. Because of this and the fac that it will cut energy costs, it's expected to be worth the investment.
Finally, a national eco-friendly (and economically friendly!) story is hitting closer to home. In March, First Lady Michelle Obama dug up part of the South Lawn to put in a vegetable garden. It was the first at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt's Victory Garden during World War II. The garden will be organic and fertilized with compost, and its produce will be used for meals at the White House. Now garden advocacy group Eat the View is urging states to plant food-producing gardens at governors' official residences, including Gov. Tim Pawlenty. The Minnesota Governor's Mansion on Summit Avenue in St. Paul has gardens, but grows no veggies.
Back Issues: Greening Minnesota - April
Greening Minnesota - March[...]
Posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 8:51 PM.
[...]The regular Greening Minnesota feature was interrupted in June because we were moving over to the new website. But that doesn't mean that the collection of green stories stopped. This month's edition includes stories from and for June and July 2009. This is in some-what chronological order for when the stories were published. Four creative containers for recycleables (and only recycleables) were unveiled in Mears Park. The Lowertown park is the third location to take part in an experiment by St. Paul and Eureka Recycling to see whether "public space recycling" can be cost effective and help the environment. People can recycle aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles. If you see them, make sure you don't put garbage in them! That can take away from some of the benefits. St. Paul has set a goal to be waste free by 2020.Speaking of recycling, you probably know places where you can recycle electronics and cellphones in Minneapolis and St. Paul. But what about electronic chargers? A recent article by the Star Tribune answers that question for you. Cub Foods and Supervalu have announced that a Cub store has become the first grocer in Minnesota to be awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold NC2.2 Certification. The Cub store, located in the Phalen neighborhood of St. Paul, is one of three grocery stores in the nation to successfully achieve LEED Gold Certification. Check out the link to read all about the store's green technology, including its 44 skylights that illuminate 75 percent of regularly occupied spaces using a solar powered GPS system that tracks and redirects sunlight as needed.Workers have given the Target Center some of its first patches of green. Once completed, the $5.3 million, 2 1/2 acre project will be the fifth-largest green roof in the United States. It will prevent an estimated 3.68 million gallons of rainwater annually from draining into the Mississippi River. It is the the third green roof installed by Minneapolis city government. The City Hall and the downtown Central Library both have green roofs.Next, I'd like to describe the incredible green renovation project undertaken on a 1955 Prairie School home inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. I'd like to talk in-depthly about how additions to the Dellwood dwelling were made utilizing parts of the 1948 Allianz building demolished in the Minneapolis' Lowry Hill neighborhood to accomodate the Walker Art Center expansion. But I just don't think I could do it justice. Read all about it in this Star Tribune article. Minneapolis has moved to sever ties with EyeOn Energy, a Colorado solar developer, in hopes of finding another partner better able to install solar electrical-generating equipment atop the city's Convention Center. After more than two years of delays and negotiations, the council voted 10-1 to break off with deal for the company to install photovoltaic equipment to power a small portion of the convention hall's electrical needs. It would represent the largest such project in the Upper Midwest. The city will ask state utility regulators and a board overseeing renewable energy grants to shift a $2 million shared grant for the project solely to the city. If the city succeeds, it then would seek proposals from other solar energy developers.You're already growing fruit trees to help out the environment and provide your home with delicious fruit, right? If not, it's very rewarding and you should try it. If you are and you constantly end up with too much fruit, you can can share your harvest with people in need by registering your tree with the Minnesota Project's new Fruits of the City program. The program will match "donated" trees with groups of trained volunteers who will pick the fruit and deliver it to local food shelves. Fruits of the City is seeking apple, plum or pear trees, preferably in Minneapolis or St. Paul, and preferably pesticide-free. For more information, visit www.mnproject.org/food-FruitGleaning.html. Sorry, berry bushes are not being registered in this program.The use of LED lights is exploding in the Twin Cities. In fact, the reconstructed Interstate 35W bridge is now lit by ten pairs of LED street lights. It is the first interstate highway to be lit with LED lighting. LEDs are coming soon to the street lights of Eden Prairie. They already illuminate the parking lot of a Cub Foods store in St. Paul's Phalen neighborhood (which we read about earlier in this post!) For large projects, the long-run savings in energy and maintenance, as well as the environmental concerns, outweigh the short-run costs. Although LEDs cost more to manufacture than other lighting options, they consume a small fraction of the energy of even fluorescent bulbs and last 25 to 30 years.There are some events happening soon at the local Farmer's Market, located on North Lyndale. The July 19 Locavore program will feature cucumbers. Your kids will learn about ways to enjoy them. There will also be a little song and puppet bit. Also, when you’re visiting the Minneapolis Farmers Market any Sunday this season, buy a little extra produce to donate to Second Harvest Heartland. A collection station will be set up at the Market each Sunday to make donations safe and easy. Join regional growers in helping provide fresh produce to those seniors, children and working families who are facing hunger.Greening Minnesota - May Greening Minnesota - April
Greening Minnesota - March [...]
Posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 10:58 PM.
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According to Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", USA and Australia are the 2 environmentally unfriendly countries not supporting Kyoto protocol.
It is always heart-warming to hear of stories here and there about the change of attitude among the Americans.
Posted on Sunday, March 29th, 2009 at 9:26 PM.