Become a Citizen Scientist

Eva Lewandowski There is a growing need for volunteers to help with science. Scientists who track water quality in our rivers, study migration patterns of birds and butterflies, or work to protect plant and animal species from extinction often need large amounts of data from across the country, or even …

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Book Picks for Green Communities

Amanda Luker Arise! Bookstore and Resource Center The Hidden Connections: Integrating the Biological, Cognitive, and Social Dimensions of Life Into a Science of Sustainability by Fritjof Capra, Doubleday 2002. Capra’s The Hidden Connections tackles a lot from cells and DNA to the complex social and business networks that have a …

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Book Picks for Green Communities II

Amanda Luker Arise! Bookstore and Resource Center Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp, HarperCollins, 2007. With characteristic poetry and pluck, Barbara Kingsolver and her family sweep readers along on their journey away from the industrial-food pipeline to a rural life in …

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Buddhism: A Culture of Peace

Lee Lewis MN Zen Center Buddhism is known generally as a tradition or religion of peace. As a tradition, it emphasizes the cultivation of inner peace and serenity, joy and repose through the observation of the mind. In the introduction to The Way of the Bodhisattva (Shambhala, 2006), the Padmakara …

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Citizens Can Prevent Detrimental Development: Environmental Assessment & Citizen Petition Process In Minnesota

Jessie Houlihan Do It Green! Minnesota Each year development continues to encroach upon open spaces in Minnesota. Regardless of where you live, you can probably think of a development nearby that was constructed on land that was degraded by the construction, such as wetlands or special animal habitat. In order …

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Clothing Swaps

Eva Lewandowski I attended my first clothing swap about four years ago, and I’ve helped coordinate Do It Green! Minnesota’s last three annual clothing swaps. They’ve become one of my favorite green activities; they are fun, they emphasize the importance of item reuse, and they create a wonderful sense of …

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Get Active

Ami Voeltz Do It Green! Minnesota We say, “They’re building a new highway” or “They’re cutting down the rainforests.” Our language reveals that we think of ourselves as spectators in our own societies. “They” are not the mysterious other people who have made the world this way. It is we, …

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How Can You Become Carbon Neutral?

Sara Grochowski Do It Green! Minnesota For most of us, it is impossible to live life without using energy. However, the carbon dioxide generated daily, whether by driving or turning on lights, adds up quickly and contributes to global warming. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), approximately four metric …

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How Green is Minnesota’s Government?

Sarah Ruth Lorenz How “green” is Minnesota’s government? Answering this question could involve examining various bills and polices. One needs to be cognizant of bills that have gained the legislature’s approval or what policies that are being enforced by state agencies, such as the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the …

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How to Get Your Representatives to Listen

Paul Gardner Minnesota House of Representative (District 53A) With electronic communications readily available at the State Capitol, it is easier than ever to share your views with your legislator. Constituents—not lobbyists, not legislative leadership, not the parties—are the highest priority to a legislator. But what’s the best way to get them …

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Live Simply That Others May Simply Live

Casa Maria Catholic Worker The real solution here is simplicity, a spiritual discipline. When we are running to and fro seeking out the latest material pleasure we neglect the beautiful that is present in everything, everywhere – we never “lieth in green pastures” or “stop to smell the roses.” The …

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Live Simply, That Others May Simply Live

Casa Maria Catholic Worker The real solution here is simplicity, a spiritual discipline. When we are running to and fro seeking out the latest material pleasure we neglect the beautiful that is present in everything, everywhere – we never “lieth in green pastures” or “stop to smell the roses.” The …

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Minneapolis Residents Tackle Climate Change

Beth Bennett Center for Energy and Environment In 2007, the city of Minneapolis became the first city in the country to fund small grants for its residents to prevent climate change. The grants garnered tremendous success; Minneapolis residents pledged to prevent over 8.2 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually …

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Public Financing of Political Candidates & Parties

Eric Makela Green Party of Minnesota Public financing is a system where a government provides candidates or political parties with money to help fund their campaigns or operations. It’s designed to help eliminate the negative impact that comes along with private contributions and special interests. It also levels the playing …

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Public Participation Principles

The Jefferson Center 1. Know… Know your goals. Know who should be involved in the process and how they can best proactively and constructively affect an outcome. Know the technical aspects of how to use public participation strategies or tools. 2. Public participation is two-way communication. 3. The public can …

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Sidewalk Etiquette

Eva Lewandowski For most people, sidewalks aren’t a common topic of conversation. At most, we might hear about them a few times in winter, when our weather makes (or should make) shoveling an almost everyday occurrence. But we’re still enjoying relatively warm weather, so why am I writing about sidewalks …

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The Power of Thinking Small — How Individual Actions Contribute to the Passing of State Legislation

Cesia Kearns Conservation Organizer, Sierra Club North Star Chapter “If you believe that one person cannot make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito in the room.” —South African Proverb Good environmental policy results from cooperative effort between many parties, but the actions of individuals are no less crucial. Without …

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Top 10 Environmental News & Tips Sources

Do It Green! Minnesota LOCAL 1. Do It Green! Magazine, Web Database & E-Newsletter www.doitgreen.org 2. Minnesota Sustainable Communities Network (MnSCN) E-Newsletter www.nextstep.state.mn.us/update.cfm 3. Organic Consumers Association E-Newsletter (Organic Bytes) www.organicconsumers.org/organicbytes.htm 4. Canadian E-newsletter www.eartheasy.com 5. Local newspapers NATIONAL 6. Grist E-Magazine www.grist.org 7. E/The Environmental Magazine www.emagazine.com 8. Union …

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What’s the Green Scoop on Political Parties

Keith Pille For better or worse, the American political system is rooted very strongly in the tradition of a two-party system. Many “green” advocates are left to wonder whether their best course of action is to work within one of the two major parties, the Republicans and Democrats, which are …

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