Kent Solberg was born, as he puts it, “With a heart for the land.” And in the most recent LSP podcast (episode 57), the central Minnesota farmer wears his heart on the sleeve of his work shirt. Is there anything more enjoyable than chatting with someone who’s found a way to combine a love for the land with a way to make a living on that land? (more…)

by Lynne Bly, transportation connections director, Fresh Energy

In only a few days, it will all be over – (mercifully) no more political ads, new leaders chosen, and here in Minnesota (hopefully) new funding dedicated to preservation of our most important natural and cultural resources.

We are down to only a few days and hours before votes are cast, futures decided, and priorities set. And hard as it might be to grasp, there really are undecided voters among us.

Talk to them, explain your choices, talk about why their vote counts, what’s at stake, how this election can change our world. Who are they? – well you don’t really know; so talk to your friends, family, neighbors, fellow-bus riders, shoppers, and anyone else who will listen. Volunteer for your candidates. Help to get out the vote.

The future is up to us. Don’t think your bit doesn’t matter. Here’s good advice from Edward Everett Hale:  “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

“Clean, fresh water is vital to all life.

It is key to our image of who we are as Minnesotans and what we want for our children, and it is essential for our regional and national economies.

Despite our wealth of water in Minnesota, we cannot presume our access to unspoiled drinking water is sustainable into the future.  We know our rivers, lakes and streams are contaminated by runoff from sources near and far.”

So begins the Executive Summary of a new report released by the Freshwater Society, entitled “Water is Life: Protecting a Critical Resource for Future Generations.”

In just one week, we’ll all be asked whether we want to make a commitment to maintaining Minnesota’s sky blue waters or instead continue to follow the path to a mythical place where we can watch funding for water quality programs fade away and still expect good results, which is what some folks would like us to believe. (more…)

by Carin Skoog, Fresh Energy
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a published author or photographer? Do you have a compelling story or image to share that illustrates your concerns about global warming and how it is impacting a place you love? Well thanks to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and literary publisher Penguin Classics, now is your chance to put those thoughts or images on paper and help inspire action on global warming. Following in the great tradition of nature-writers such as Henry David Thoreau, UCS and Penguin Classics are encouraging YOU to submit essays and images about global warming for publication in a new online book, Thoreau’s Legacy: American Stories about Global Warming. (more…)

An interesting postscript to the devastating flooding that hit southeast Minnesota in August 2007: after the deluge, the Minnesota Department of Health tested 65 wells in the area for contamination. The good news is that most of the chemical pollution that may have been due to the flooding was short-lived. But, as is often the case, there’s a down side to this story. (more…)

John Myers of the Duluth News Tribune is to be commended for an article this week on a scientific study finding fault with U.S. EPA’s stormwater pollution control program. Why? Because this kind of pollution dramatically influences the quality of our waters, including the Great Lakes.

As the article notes, “In the Twin Ports, that polluted runoff flows through ditches, culverts, creeks, storm sewers and streams eventually into Lake Superior. On the way they help damage streams like Miller Creek and the St. Louis River.”

Now, no elected official or candidate will sway many votes by calling for ‘reform of the EPA stormwater pollution program.’ But it’s this kind of unglamorous work that will move us toward meeting the goals of the Clean Water Act. Let’s hope the report provides an impetus for that work.

A few years ago Hakon and Karen Torjesen went looking for someone to farm some of their 260 acres. The fact that they went looking for a farmer, and not just an open checkbook, is key. The future of sustainable agriculture depends on more landowners like Hakon and Karen who are willing to take a chance on the next generation. By passing up a big, immediate payday, people like the Torjesens are making an investment in the future that could produce priceless dividends far into the future. (more…)

By Erin Stojan Ruccolo, RE-AMP Commons coordinator, Fresh Energy

Stay up to date with these global warming and energy policy tidbits. (more…)

In July, I reported on the possibilities and problems associated with making diverse native prairie systems part of our bioenergy mix on Midwestern farms. Two weeks ago, I had a chance to get a farmer’s eye view of yet another prairie energy “P”: practicality. (more…)

By Kate Ellis, 1Sky Minnesota organizer, Fresh Energy

Growing up in rural west central Minnesota, there were two main things that were on the mind of everyone my age: 1) How can I devise a plan to move far away from this area (preferably to “the cities”), and 2) How fast can I do it?
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