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The Info on Minneapolis Infoshops

April 13, 2016October 10, 2012

Amanda Luker Arise! Resource Center and Bookstore As Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon.com and the like swell rapidly in size and domination of the book world, independent booksellers and infoshops grow in importance to the health of our community. In the past few years, mega-chains like as those listed above …

Fan Zines

February 26, 2016October 10, 2012

Susan Leem Utne Reader / Intern When I began to read and collect zines I kept one or two in my backpack. Soon they sat in neat piles on my desk, and in a matter of weeks they haphazardly slouched out of shoeboxes. Now these self-made independent periodicals burst through …

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.

Learn from St. Paul

Wondering what our state’s capitol city is doing about climate change? The city is committed to making St. Paul “The Most Livable City in America” and a leader in sustainable urban living. To accomplish this, the city concentrates on energy efficiency and conservation, clean energy supply, alternative fuels, transportation options, recycling and waste reduction, and other areas. Find out more here.

Recycle Your Paper Products

Most people don’t realize it, but one way to reduce global warming is to recycle paper products. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees. Each tree helps reduce global warming by capturing and holding carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas. Remember your bottles and cans, too—any recycling you do means fewer of the Earth’s raw materials are used. Learn more here.

Learn from Winona

Environmental change is coming fast to the historic Mississippi River town of Winona. Learn about collaboration at its best in this article. It describes how Winona’s major public institutions—the city, county, Winona State University, and Winona Public Schools—are joining forces to become an ISO 14001 community.

Shop to Strengthen Our Food System

Each time we choose to find out the source of our food, we not only learn about our food supply, but we also have the opportunity to make a choice. Turning over a package of food or checking out those little stickers on our apples can open our eyes to the size and scope of the food supply. Gardening, farmer’s markets, food co-ops, and community-supported agriculture (CSA)—all of these food sources are growing stronger with every new gardener, shopper, member-owner and subscriber! Having a personal involvement and connection to our food is part of what has been missing in our convenience- and price-driven diets. And this connection to our food could be what changes our food system.

Check out the full article to learn more!

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.

Start a Neighborhood Eco-Parent Group

We all want to do the best for our children, especially when it comes to protecting their health and the environment in which they live. Sometimes, knowing the most effective ways to do this can be confusing and challenging, but you don’t have to figure it out alone. Consider starting an eco-parent group in your neighborhood to learn alongside other parents. This article offers some tips.

Install a Solar Water Heater

Solar water heating is one of the least publicized but most cost-effective renewable energy options. According to Windy Dankoff of Conergy, solar water heaters capture six times more energy than solar electric at a third the cost.

Read our full article on Solar Water Heaters for more information.

Support Strong Towns

The automobile era spurred the expansion of highways and the fragmentation of natural habitats and communities. Now, the suburban American lifestyle had led to an obesity epidemic, high levels of resource consumption, and oil dependency. Strong Towns is a nonprofit that helps cities focus on resiliency instead of growth. Find out more.

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.

How Our Food Choices Effect the Planet

The Info on Minneapolis Infoshops

Fan Zines

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