Duluth

Do It Green! Minnesota

Green and Sustainable Living Resources for Duluth, Minnesota

Duluth, Minnesota is part of the Twin Ports (Duluth, MN and Superior, WI),
Approximately 150â€¯miles northeast of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan
area. With a population of 100,000, Duluth is a city actively involved with
sustainable issues. Several citizen groups such as Sustainable Duluth, Environmental
Association for Great Lakes Education (EAGLE), and the Sweetwater Alliance
are just a few of the many groups actively working to keep our area eco-friendly.
There are now two LEED-certified buildings in Duluth (Whole Foods Co-op and
St. Maryâ€™s Cancer Center) with another building on the UMD campus seeking certification.
The Hartley Nature Center also has many examples of green building techniques
that the public can view when visiting the park. In addition to several Earth
Day events, Duluthians can look forward to green-themed events throughout the
year: the Living Green conference, Midsummer Organic Food Fest (MOFF), Harvest
Fest and more. Duluth also has an active Farmerâ€™s Market and Community Garden
Program.

*Note: The organizations and businesses on this page were chosen by the
author and are not necessarily endorsed by Do It Green! Minnesota.

Food

Duluth Community Garden Program

Duluth, MN 55806, 218-722-4583

duluthcommunitygarden.org

A community garden program offering garden plots, education on organic gardening
techniques, food preservation, composting and a kidâ€™s garden program

Duluth Farmerâ€™s Market

Duluth, MN 55805

218-724-9955

duluthfarmersmarket.com

Local producers sell their wares every Wednesday and Saturday and Christmas
trees during the holiday season.

Positively 3rd Street Bakery

Duluth, MN 55805

www.d.umn.edu/~unde0082/5230

/glocal/assets/positivelythirdstreetbakery.htm

A worker-owned cooperative bakery using local organic and natural ingredients
and minimal animal products.

Whole Foods Co-op

Duluth, MN 55805

218-728-0884 â€¢ wholefoods.coop

Whole Foods Co-op, a Certified Organic Retailer, is the Northlandâ€™s largest
natural foods grocer and is located in the first Twin Ports building to carry
the LEED US Green Building Council designation.

Community Organizations

EAGLE (Environmental Association for Great Lakes Education)

Duluth, MN 55802, eagle-ecosource.org

EAGLE provides education and promotes community involvement focused on restoring
and protecting the Great Lakes ecosystem. EAGLE coordinates the annual Living
Green conference and produces EcoSource booklets as a reference to local
environmental groups.

Hartley Nature Center

Duluth, MN 55803, 218-724-6735

hartleynature.org

An environmental learning center serving the Duluth-Superior region providing
environmental education, sustainable design and positive outdoor activities.

Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory

Duluth, MN 55803, 218-428-6209

hawkridge.org

Hawk Ridge protects birds of prey and other migratory birds in the Western
Lake Superior Region through research, education and stewardship.

Sustainable Duluth

Duluth, MN 55801, 218-722-7200

sustainableduluth.org

The mission of Sustainable Duluth is to further economic, environmental and
social sustainability in Duluth and Western Lake Superior Communities.

Businesses

Common Ground Deconstruction and Reuse Center

Duluth, MN 55807, 218-740-3666

commongrnd.org

Common Ground provides general contracting, new construction, remodeling, plumbing
and deconstruction services as well as a ReUse Center selling recycled building
materials.

ECOâ€”Environmentally Consciousâ€¯Options

Duluth, MN 55803, 218-213-8616

Offering a variety of environmentally friendly building products for your building
or renovation project.

Green Mercantile

Duluth, MN 55802

218-722-1771

greenmercantile.com

A natural department store featuring environmentally and socially responsible
products.

Transportation

Duluth Transit Authority (DTA)

Duluth, MN 55806

218-722-7283

duluthtransit.com

Events

For information on Green Events such as the Living Green (early February),
Midsummer Organic Food Fest (late July) or Earth Day events, check out visitduluth.com.

Maps

GreenRoutes.org

Green Routes maps will help you discover small, unique businesses rooted in
their communities throughout Minnesota offering local, organic, natural, and
cultural restaurant and business selections. Green Routes gives you a way to
incorporate your values into your travels. Happyâ€¯Traveling!

Read Up

Act Locally

Duluth

Green Tips

Host an Art Night

Looking for a new way to connect with your neighbors, get free life advice, and spark your creative juices? Consider hosting an art night at your house, complete with paints, modeling clay, colored pencils and art smocks. Get messy, be creative, and let the conversation flow. For inspiration and resources, check out this article.

Choose Safe Art Supplies

Arts and crafts materials can be hazardous to your health and the environment. Even though the Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act of 1988 requires stringent labeling of hazardous materials in art supplies, many materials are out of compliance. This article offers tips to help you choose safe art supplies, plus substitutes to harmful substances.

Support a Local Business

Did you know that roughly 73 cents of every dollar spent at a local business stays within the community, compared to 43 cents for non-local chain stores? When you buy from local businesses, you help that business employ community workers, support other local businesses, and contribute to the community’s overall health. Read more here about the benefits of buying locally.

Buy Green Office Supplies

“Green” doesn’t necessarily mean “good” when it comes to so-called green office supplies. To help your office green up, consider durability, natural resource and energy use, recycled content and recyclability, toxicity, biodegradability and packaging before you purchase supplies. You can also set up a reuse system for the supplies you already have. For more tips on green office products, check out this article.

Think Twice About Bottled Water

If you live in an area with clean drinking water, fill a reusable bottle with tap water and bring it with you wherever you go to avoid buying bottled water. The U.S. sends 2 million tons of plastic water bottles to landfills each year—and producing those bottles requires oil and emits carbon dioxide. Some restaurants in the Twin Cities feel so strongly against bottled water that they refuse to sell it. Learn more.

Contact Your State Legislator

As a constituent, you are your local legislators’ highest priority. Why not share your views with them and ask them to support your position? It may seem like your letters and emails will get lost in a deep, dark political hole, but don’t despair. Whether you call, fax, email or visit in person, this article offers tips on how to effectively communicate with your elected officials and get them to listen.

Get Engaged!

Individuals’ actions are important in setting sound policy, so become an engaged citizen. Whether you call your legislator’s office, testify in a legislative hearing or attend a rally, you can make your voice heard. Still doubt that you can make a difference? This article addresses couple common concerns about whether civic engagement is worth it.

Take the Energy Challenge

The fastest, cheapest, easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint is through energy efficiency and conservation. Plus, you’ll save yourself money in the process! Need a little boost to get started? Join the Minnesota Energy Challenge and learn from thousands of Minnesotans who have pledged to reduce their energy use—and are finding fun, creative ways to do it. Read more about the Challenge here.

Make an Action Plan

Wait. Scratch that. Don’t make your own list of simple things you can do today to make a positive difference for the climate—use ours! This list offers 20 easy things you can do that will help you and your family lighten your load on the environment, keep more money in your pocket, and inspire you to find even more ways to tread lightly on this earth.

Check Out This Template for Action

Scientists say a global warming “tipping point” in the Arctic seems to be happening before their eyes. Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is at its second lowest level in about 30 years. These news flashes are just some of our climate’s changes happening daily. You and your kids can help. Read more here, and then check out Climate Generations’s Take Action! Guide, which offers hands-on activities for grades 3-12.

How Our Food Choices Effect the Planet

Green and Sustainable Living Resources for Duluth, Minnesota

Food

Duluth Community Garden Program

Duluth Farmerâ€™s Market

Positively 3rd Street Bakery

Whole Foods Co-op

Community Organizations

EAGLE (Environmental Association for Great Lakes Education)

Hartley Nature Center

Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory

Sustainable Duluth

Common Ground Deconstruction and Reuse Center

ECOâ€”Environmentally Consciousâ€¯Options

Green Mercantile

Transportation

Duluth Transit Authority (DTA)

Events

For information on Green Events such as the Living Green (early February),
Midsummer Organic Food Fest (late July) or Earth Day events, check out visitduluth.com.

Maps

GreenRoutes.org

How Our Food Choices Effect the Planet

Green and Sustainable Living Resources for Duluth, Minnesota

Food

Duluth Community Garden Program

Duluth Farmerâ€™s Market

Positively 3rd Street Bakery

Whole Foods Co-op

Community Organizations

EAGLE (Environmental Association for Great Lakes Education)

Hartley Nature Center

Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory

Sustainable Duluth

Common Ground Deconstruction and Reuse Center

ECOâ€”Environmentally Consciousâ€¯Options

Green Mercantile

Transportation

Duluth Transit Authority (DTA)

Events

For information on Green Events such as the Living Green (early February), Midsummer Organic Food Fest (late July) or Earth Day events, check out visitduluth.com.

Maps

GreenRoutes.org

Our Sponsors

For information on Green Events such as the Living Green (early February),
Midsummer Organic Food Fest (late July) or Earth Day events, check out visitduluth.com.