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A Guaranteed Ride Home

April 13, 2016October 10, 2012

Metro Transit Thousands of customers every day rely on Metro Transit to get them to and from work or school. In fact our 2007 goal is to serve 75 million customer trips and in 2006 we delivered 73.4 million customer trips (9 million of those were on the Hiawatha LRT …

A Sustainable Choice for Commuting

April 13, 2016October 10, 2012

Dave Van Hattum Downtown Minneapolis Transportation Management Organization-Commuter Connection Sharing the ride by carpooling or vanpooling is a sustainable choice for commuting to work. A carpool is one of the most energy-efficient and low-polluting ways to get around town. Pools take up minimal road space and reduce the need for …

Fighting Commercialism in Schools

April 13, 2016October 10, 2012

Sarah Church Unplug!: A zine for teens by teens The commercialization of public education is the manipulation of education to make a profit. It sounds pretty messed up, and believe me, it is, but you don’t have to take my word for it – look around your school. Do you …

Get Active

April 13, 2016October 10, 2012

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, …

Twin Cities Transit: What’s Next?

April 13, 2016October 10, 2012

Katie Eukel Transit for Livable Communities Investing in a region-wide transit system is a significant step toward reducing Minnesota’s global warming pollution. Think about this: there will be one million additional people living in Minnesota by 2030. If Minnesota had a 21st century transit system, it would reduce car travel …

Green 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.

Learn from Woodbury

Is it possible for one of the fastest growing cities in Minnesota to be sustainable? The City of Woodbury has committed to try. Since adopting its initial Sustainability Resolution in 2006, the City has progressed toward becoming a sustainable community through several initiatives. You can read more about them in here. Can your city follow suit?

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!

Plant a Seed, Grow a Community

Community Gardens are community spaces that are communally cultivated and cared for; these spaces may consist of individually-worked plots, multiple person caretaker areas, sitting areas, and small-scale children play areas. Some say community gardens are the last existing opportunity Americans have to reclaim common spaces. This article offers great information about the many benefits community gardens provide.

Host a Climate Café

Climate cafés are a relatively new offshoot of the café discussion movement, which takes its inspiration from philosophical discussion groups. These discussion cafés offer a venue for respectful public conversation on the challenging subjects facing us daily. You can host a discussion anywhere and get the climate conversation going. Interested? Check out this article.

Green Your Child’s Lunch

Home-packed lunches can be fun, healthy, and green, with very little time or money required. A child’s lunch, including organic fruit, requires less than five minutes on average to prepare and could cost as little as $1.00 per day-compared to over $2.25 for school lunch.

Try these suggestions to green your packed lunches, whether for children, adults, or picnics!

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.

Reduce Paper Waste at the Office

Office paper is highly recyclable, but reducing or preventing paper waste is even more cost effective than recycling. Some ideas for reducing office paper waste:

Double-sided copying and printing.
Reusing paper. Keep a collection box by the copy machine for bad copies so the second side can be reused.
Make use of electronic communication.
Use smaller cover sheets or eliminate the cover sheet all together.
Reuse items from old packaging.
Reuse materials in-house, through clients, customers and consumers.
Consider buying the most environmentally-friendly paper (100% post-consumer recycled) to stock in your printers, copiers and fax machines.

Check out our full article Green Your Office for more great ideas.

Get Your Mayor Involved

More than 600 cities nationwide are not waiting for federal action on climate change—they are taking matters into their own hands. The U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement is one way cities are reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and urging government to take action. Read more about the agreement here, plus learn what Minnesota’s government is doing about global warming.

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.

How Our Food Choices Effect the Planet

A Guaranteed Ride Home

A Sustainable Choice for Commuting

Fighting Commercialism in Schools

Get Active

Twin Cities Transit: What’s Next?

How Our Food Choices Effect the Planet

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