by Elena Velkov, media relations coordinator, Fresh Energy

On December 7, Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson announced the Governors Windpower Coalition, issuing a letter of invitation to the rest of the nation’s governors. Their objectives: to discuss interstate collaboration, exchange information on wind technology and policy, commission research on critical wind policy issues, and seek recommendations on federal and regional policy. (more…)

Here are a couple of items various readers may be interested in:

• Wisconsin has had a working group trying to find common ground in implementing the Great Lakes Compact.  That group has gone bust.
• James Rowen, who blogs from Milwaukee, has an opinion piece in Madison raising attention on a potential expansion of an oil refinery just across the harbor from Duluth. 
• Maria Energia has a Q & A with Al Franken in his bid for Senate.  This is in no way an endorsement, just an FYI.

Minnesota Public Radio is reporting that the Minnesota Commissioner of Health, Diane Mandernach, is leaving come October. 

Many have called for her resignation (such as State Senator Marty) over her stifling information about the health of miners on the range and their escalating cases of mesothelioma.  It seems they’ve received it. 

The Eco Experience started as an experiment at last year’s State Fair and it turned into the second most popular attraction.  Didn’t make it last year?  Have no fear, it is back again this year and promises to be better.

Housed in the Progress Center Building at the corner of Cosgrove and Randall (look for the wind turbine blade sticking up out front), the Eco Experience is home to information and demonstrations on all sorts of environmental issues.  There are sections on water protection, local food, waste reduction and dare I say oodles of energy issues, including wind, solar, hydrogen, and efficiency.  Here’s a map to guide you (pdf).

MEP member groups are a big part of the Experience.  I am not even sure how many will be there, but I know Renewing the Countryside, Eureka Recycling, Transit for Livable Communities, Center for Energy and Environment, Minnesota Food Alliance, Land Stewardship Project, Minnesota Project, Institute for Ag and Trade Policy, Will Stegar Institute and Windustry will be there – either for a day or the whole time depending on their role.  And if you are interested in helping, volunteer opportunties are available.

And if you are there on opening day (Thursday) be sure to come say hello to MEP.  We’ll be in the local food section helping tout the benefits of pasturelands and permanent ground cover for keeping our lakes and rivers clean.  And yes, there will be free samples and cooking demonstrations.  What more could you ask for?

Fashionistas on the prowl for new, cutting-edge styles and products now have another shopping option. Fast and Furless, a small St. Paul boutique may not have the expansive array of stilettos or the latest Parisian fashions but what it does boast in its line is exactly what few other retailers don’t: None of the stores products are made from animal products. But this is more than just a fanciful spin on pleather. (more…)

So far so good it sounds like.  The Star Tribune reports that the train cars crushed by the collapsing bridge did not contain hazardous material and that the MPCA has not observed any sheen on the surface of the Mississippi that would indicate spills.

A second report in the Star Tribune mentions a car on the River Road was carrying a type of polystyrene and that other hazardous materials may be present, according to fire chief Jim Clack. 

Update 8-10-07: Since this was posted, Minnesota Monitor and Outdoor News have also done stories.

Update 8-15-07: Minneapolis has a webpage dedicated to environmental concerns.

A quick appreciation of the state bird:

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I’ve been thinking about beer much more than usual the last few months.  One reason, I started making some in my living room in April.  For another, my coworker Stacey gave up imported beers (not a small ask for a Guinness lover) as a means of reducing her carbon footprint.  Then just recently, New Belgium Brewery started shipping the much beloved Fat Tire and a couple of other brews to Minnesota from their shop in Ft. Collins, Colorado.  Not only is Fat Tire a beer that I have a long history with from trips back to the Motherland (not to mention its growing national reputation), but New Belgium – an employee owned brewery – has a notable commitment to the environment.  They’ve been buying wind power for almost a decade, they did a lot of smart things in building their new facilities, and they’re active in protecting their local watershed.  Lovely work really, and they’ve grown to be the third largest “craft” brewer in the country (behind Boston brewing and Sierra Nevada).  But they are also almost a 1,000 miles away and shipping water out of an arid land.

So, I am finding myself in a modified version of the stereotypical food ”local versus organic” debate.  Here are some pro and cons of some of the options, as I see it: (more…)

Word on the street is that Nancy Gibson, a board member of the International Wolf Center, and Mark Martell, executive director of Audubon Minnesota, will be on MPR’s Midday program today at 11 a.m. to talk about wolves, eagles, and more. 

The news has been unsettling me lately.  Mining-related cancers hidden by the Department of Health for a year, the seemingly growing presence of 3M chemicals in drinking water and area fish, and another whistleblower lawsuit against the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) – the first occurring a couple of years ago regarding the aforementioned 3M chemicals and the second regarding high levels of the pesticide Atrazine in the waters of Southeastern MN (though it is all throughout corn country) – create a troubling appearance of reoccurring patterns that our state must address.  Not only to remedy the mistakes that have happened, but for our state to evaluate mines currently being proposed, to begin rebuilding lost public confidence, and to ensure that we have systems in place that protect the health of Minnesotans. 
(more…)