Rick Fuentes, senior media relations specialist, Fresh Energy

Are you a gamblin’ kind of utility company? Just like Kenny Rogers, the Minnesota Department of Commerce (DOC) has held its recommendations pretty close to the vest regarding the proposed Big Stone II coal plant planned near Ortonville, Minnesota. Especially as two major investors dropped out and called the project “too risky,” the DOC has held back on its estimation of success.

To complete the Texas Hold ‘em analogy, Friday, January 25 was the turn, and the clean energy community got a good card. (more…)

I spent last Friday evening watching the documentary King Corn in a packed conference room at the St. Cloud Civic Center. King Corn is an engaging film that efficiently and entertainingly (Who knew Fisher-Price farm sets could tell us so much about policy and economics?) tells the story of how corn is raised, where it goes when it leaves the land, and what its ubiquitousness means to human, environmental and economic health. Anyone familiar with Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma or Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation will not be surprised by the conclusions of the film: corn is way, way too much of a good thing, and government policy is only making things worse. That message was not new to most of the other people present in the room. They were all attendees of the 2008 Minnesota Organic Conference—farmers, marketers, government personnel, researchers, activists and various other players in the sustainable ag world who have dedicated their lives to fight the monocropping malaise brought on by corn, corn and more corn. But what struck me about the film was the helplessness exhibited by the various subjects of the Maize Monarchy. Everyone interviewed—from farmers to university scientists to a former USDA head—seemed a little perplexed as to how to extract themselves out of a system where we don’t so much as raise corn, as serve at its beck and call. They were being carried along by the powerful corn current and didn’t seem willing or able to swim to shore and strike out in a different direction. When the lights went up at the end of the film, a bit of a cloud hung over the room. For me, that dark feeling didn’t lift until 8:30 the following morning, when farmer Tom Frantzen opened his mouth and let loose one of the most inspiring keynotes I’ve heard in a long time. Take a listen to what he had to say in episode 45 of the Ear to the Ground podcast. He makes one believe that palace coups are possible. (more…)

By Art Allen, Media Relations and Communications Intern, Transit for Livable Communities
An Op-Ed in the Star Tribune last weekend says, “It’s worth going green on Snelling Avenue”—and it’s right. A green median along the proposed six-block stretch of Snelling—bringing the street from three to two lanes each way and likely eliminating parking along the stretch–would do wonders to improve the sense of community in the area with the natural beauty of a green space. But equally important, the median would serve to slow traffic, making the area safer for bikers and pedestrians.

Before an action alert was issued to the area residents by Transit for Livable Communities, public comments on the issue were stacked two to one against the median. After the alert was issued, telling residents they had a say in the matter, the comments swung overwhelmingly in the other direction: according to the Star Tribune, 161 of the 204 asked approved of the project—that’s a margin of three to one in favor of the proposal.

And as the author of the Star Tribune article points out, this is a cheap way to do some real, long-lasting good: “With many multimillion- and billion-dollar transportation projects underway, this effort may seem like small potatoes. Yet, small changes like this can reap big benefits in neighborhood safety and livability.”

by Carin Skoog, global warming solutions coordinator, Fresh Energy

What in the world were they waiting for? That’s what I want to know. And so did the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), when they examined the prominence (or lack thereof) of presidential candidates’ thoughts about global warming in the mainstream media in 2007. LCV analyzed the transcripts from 120 debates and Sunday interviews presidential candidates had over the past year with national talk show hosts Tim Russert, George Stephanopoulos, Wolf Blitzer, Bob Schieffer, and Chris Wallace—and they found some pretty sorry results. (more…)

This week’s topics: Air Quality, Agriculture & Food, Cleaner Cars, Electronic Waste, Energy, Global Warming, Green Building, Green Business, Legislative Priorities, Mining, Mississippi River, OHVs, Outdoor Recreation, Parks & Trails, Transportation, Wildlife (more…)

By Cael Warren

The concept of “food miles” has spurred heated debate across the developed world, causing people to question the origins of the food that ends up on their tables. Despite how common the phrase is, many people never know more about food miles than what the phrase implies: miles traveled by food. What is behind this catch phrase, and what does it mean for our food system and the environment? (more…)

This Week’s Topics: Agriculture & Food, Cleaner Cars, Energy, Global Warming, Great Outdoors & Heritage Amendment, Legislative Priorities, Outdoor Recreation, Parks & Trails, Solid Waste, Toxics, Transportation, Water, Wildlife, Latest Updates for Loon Commons Blog (more…)

The day after Christmas my wife Kathleen and I took a frigid walk along 7-Mile Creek in southwest Iowa and got a firsthand look at a conservation sin that not even December snow could keep under wraps. As the photo below shows, dry corn stalks were marching literally right into a ditch adjacent to the creek. Summer erosion had sent some of the corn stalks, and a whole lot of soil, tumbling into the ditch.

Not all of that soil caving in beneath those stalks will make its way to the Gulf of Mexico; in fact, a lot of it may not even run into the 7-Mile. Technically, that soil is still part of that farm field. But as far as productivity goes, as far as that soil’s ability to grow food and support riparian plant systems, to filter out contaminates that are running off the landscape, it is a lost resource. That’s an important point to keep in mind as a certain prominent scientist tries to promote the idea that eroded soil is simply moved soil and is not really lost. Unfortunately, this fallacy is gaining ground, threatening to stymie solid efforts to promote sustainable use of soil. (more…)

by Erin Stojan, program coordinator, Fresh Energy

You could be forgiven for thinking that the legal proceedings related to the highly-publicized 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill were concluded. After all, it’s 2008, one scant year shy of two decades since an Exxon tanker ran aground and spilled millions of gallons of oil in Prince William Sound.

Alas, you would be wrong. (more…)