Green Visions

Every year, the St. Louis River Area of Concern coordinators draft an updated Remedial Action Plan.  This year, the draft is available online with changes, additions and deletions marked in red, so it's easy to see where they are and click for more information.

Back in the '30s, during the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps provided natural-resource jobs to out-of-work young men so they could support their families.

Many crucial decisions on PolyMet’s mining proposal will be coming out of the courts throughout January 2020. JT Haines, from The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA), bring us up to speed on the decisions and what they could mean.

Sad, but true.

For decades, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent to educate us about the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

And yet, in spite of it all, what does it take to change our behaviour.

A nickel.

 "What researchers found when they examined the data was that consumers are less motivated by emotional appeals to save the environment and more by the impact on their pocketbook—even when it’s just a few cents."

In part two of a special multi-part series featuring artists exploring their role in the climate conversation, KUMD speaks with poet and musician Ben Weaver about how small gatherings of music and poetry have become an outlet for working through climate grief. 

Who knew musicians had "climate stories"?

For that matter, who knew any of us did?

Green Visions producer Adam Reinhardt knew, and today, he talks with Jeremy Messersmith about his.

Here, up north, we figure we're in pretty good shape.

We take a lot of pride in our clean air and water and spend a lot of time looking out for them.

So it was a shock to hear that two- to four-thousand people in Minnesota die early every year from causes linked to air pollution - and most of those are in rural areas, particularly around Aitkin and McGregor.

Explorer Will Steger didn't capture the world's imagination through a recitation of dry facts: he did it by telling stories.

To paraphrase, courage is a dish best served around a big, crowded table packed with friends.

The vote to ban single-use bags - paper AND plastic - was pushed back a couple of weeks on Monday night to allow for more discussion.

A committee-of-the-whole meeting is set for October 24 to concentrate on the proposed ordinance.

Jamie Harvie of Bag It, Duluth says the group has been working to get the ordinance passed for over two years, so a delay to answer more questions isn't a problem.

Last month, UMD students threw away almost 200 fewer pounds of food than in September of the year before.

Solar production on campus has tripled since the SUN program got off the ground four years ago.

Tomorrow (October 10) is UMD's Sustainability Fair, and whether you're a student or a community member, there's a lot for you to take in.

There have been plenty of protests and public feedback, and even Minnesota's Department of Commerce has weighed in on Enbridge's Line 3 tar sands pipeline (they said a new one isn't needed and the old one should be decommissioned).

But the Commerce department doesn't have the final say: the Public Utilities Commission does.

So a group will gather Saturday on the shores of Gitchi Gammi (Lake Superior) for a rally and march to leave no question in the minds of the PUC where they stand on the issue.

Well, some people are listening to the educated.

On Friday, all across the globe, young people (and others) will walk out of their schools and workplaces to "demand an end to the age of fossil fuels."

Lake Superior College students are standing right at the intersection of science, social analysis and business.

Many people agree that climate change and sustainability need to be integral parts of our society going forward, but who is equipped to solve those problems and generate the solutions?