Fall is in the air! The leaves are turning gold and red, but there are still some great green initiatives and events happening in Minnesota. There are plenty of people ad local communities working towards a cleaner environment for all Minnesota residents. Read on to find out more.
The annual report on organic farm performance from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and University of Minnesota said 2010 was a good year for organic farms. "Profits improved but were not outstanding." Balance sheets, however, were on average very sound as they headed into 2011. The report said that after a difficult 2009, the median organic producer earned a net farm income of $62,463 in 2010. That was a sixfold increase over 2009 and was consistent with returns earned in 2007 and 2008, which were considered very profitable for the organic sector.
As a Hopkins High School junior, Dustin Kloempken had the bright idea of getting solar panels installed to make his school more eco-friendly....
There have been some interesting environmental development happening around the Twin Cities and Minnesota. Here are some of the community-related green news and stories that broke in January.
An in-depth survey of 3,000 households in Ramsey and Anoka counties is providing environmental researchers at the University of Minnesota insight into what it would take to get people to make more of an effort to reduce their impact on the earth. They asked about thermostat settings, number of children, cars, bedrooms, miles driven to work, lawn size and fertilizer use, even whether there were vegetarians in the house. As it turns out, most people really do care about their impact on the environment. But what really drives them to change is knowing how they rank on their own personal pollution scores, how they compare to their neighbors, and where they can improve. In the end, the researchers hope to find out how best to influence social norms and change behavior toward a more eco-friendly culture.
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As lovers of the outdoors, Minnesotans try hard to be good caretakers of the environment. Read on to learn about environmentally friendly news that happened recently around the Twin Cities and Minnesota!
The Department of Commerce's Office of Energy Security has reported that more solar energy systems were installed in Minnesota in 2009 than in any other year. 72 solar photovoltaic systems were installed in 2009 with a combined capacity of 784 kilowatts, which is also a record for Minnesota. The previous record was from 2007, when 56 systems were installed, providing 286 kilowatts. Overall, just over two megawatts of electricity are produced in Minnesota by solar panels, which is less than 1% of the state's total energy capacity. Officials expect that number to double by the end of 2010.
A new area will be permanantly preserverd as a green space. For a price tag of $1.96 million, a parcel of land along the Mississippi River will become Washington County's latest park acquisition....
The Robbinsdale School District has to determine what to do with 7 expendable buildings. Members of the district's Divestiture Plan Advisory" Committee will meet with the public on Thursday to solicit ideas on how to put them to better use or sell them. The buildings include an elementary school in Plymouth that was shut down to save money.
Committee chairwoman and Robbinsdale school board member Sherry Tyrrell said possibilities include selling the buildings, putting them to some kind of new use for the district, or even razing them and holding on to the property until the commercial real estate market improves. Leasing them is unlikely because the district would still have to maintain the buildings.
In addition to the Pilgrim Lane elementary school in Plymouth, other buildings on the list include New Hope Elementary School, the old Highview Alternative School, the Winnetka Learning Center, and Hosterman Middle School, all of which are in
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Located on the western side of the suburban Twin Cities metro area,
Golden Valley MN real estate is regarded as highly desirable. Its strong blend of business, commercial and residential development and close proximity to downtown Minneapolis dining and entertainment, both employment and recreation options abound in Golden Valley MN.
Located at the conflux of Interstate 394 and Highways 169, 100, and 55, Golden Valley is located within easy commuting distance of Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and the rest of the metro area suburbs. Though at first Golden Valley seems very urban, the city has many outdoor recreational opportunities to offer its residents, including boating, swimming, hiking, biking, hunting, fishing and skiing.
Do you have school-age children? This community’s nationally and regionally recognized schools make Golden Valley real estate a hit with parents. If the family-friendly atmosphere of this great community...
Oh boy, there is a fitness challenge happening in the
Twin Cities metro area right now. The Hennepin County Public Health Promotions is sponsoring its first annual Step To It Community Challenge. It’s a competition pitting five metro suburbs against each other to see whose residents can accumulate the most steps taken in a four-week period. Other forms of exercise, like jogging or biking, can also be converted to step equivalents to be counted in the final tally.
The reason for this is because of a troubling trend. From 1998 to 2006, Hennepin County records showed that the percentage of adult residents classified as overweight or obese had increased from 48 to 54. The HCPHP is hoping the competition will spur more residents to seek a more active lifestyle. The idea was to get people doing an activity nearly everyone can do: walking.
The challenge began last Friday in the cities of Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Robbinsdale and...
There is still time to make the
Parade of Homes Easystreet tour! This tour of 112 association-maintained new homes includes townhouses, condos, lofts, villa homes and rowhouses throughout the
Twin Cities area. This event takes place through May 18. The times are from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and 3 to 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. Tour maps are available at local Holiday Station stores and at www.paradeofhomes.org.
Minneapolis Community Education is hosting a class entitled
Finding and Buying Your First Home. Topics include negotiating a price, choosing a mortgage, first-time buyer programs and hiring a real estate agent. This event occurs at 6:30 p.m. on May 19 and it costs $15. The class will be held at Henry High School, 4320 Newton Av. N., Minneapolis. To contact Minneapolis Community Education, call 612-668-1922.
Check out what the next generation has been up to by taking a
Student-Built Home Tour. Two new...