Green Visions

They're responsible for millions of dollars in tourism revenue across the country, and feature prominently in the portfolios of photographers, artists and anybody with a smart phone.

But those fall colors: the gorgeous reds (anthocyanins) and shimmering yellow and oranges (carotenoids) are really a kind of tree sunscreen.

Seriously.

When the Lincoln Park Farmers Market started up six years ago, it wasn't just so folks could buy some flowers and a little fresh fruit for breakfast.

A survey had just been conducted that showed people in the Lincoln Park neighborhood weren't living as long as everyone else in the community.  In fact, no access to healthy food, due to transportation problems and the distance to the nearest grocery stores, was shaving about ten years off their life expectancies.

People of a certain age remember when "don't litter," was at the forefront of everyone's consciousness.   

47 years after Keep America Beautiful's famous public service announcement admonished "people start pollution; people can stop it," it doesn't seem like we've gotten the message.

Dr. Randy Hanson, Director of the UMD Land Lab joins us to talk about the 2018 UMD Farm Fest, a celebration of community, food, art and the hard-work of our on-campus farm, happening this Sunday from 12 to 4 pm at the UMD Land Lab, aka the Sustainable Agriculture Project Farm.

Cindy Hakala, the President of Starry Skies Lake Superior, talks about ways that we can reduce light pollution in our nighttime sky.  By using lights that emit warmer colors and limit their focus downward, we can support better astronomical vistas in the Northland, and also a better circadian environment for plants, animals and people in the region. 

Jerry Ford loves his garlic.

The founder of the Minnesota Garlic Festival is happy to talk about the over fifty varieties of garlic we have here in the state, the fact that garlic comes from northern climes originally (so yes, those garlics grown here are heirloom varieties) and the Minnesota Premium Garlic Project he coordinates.

Next month's Duluth Peoples Climate March will be more than an effort to educate folks about climate change.

We speak with Rolf Weberg, the Executive Director of the NRRI (Natural Resources Research Institute) about their onging mission, now 35 years along, to develop sustainable, natural resource-based industries, to inform environmental management and policy, to support business and entrepreneurial opportunities, and to assist industry and communities in defining and maintaining the social license to operate.

This week's Green Visions features audio from the Thursday, August 2 press conference by the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB).

When the video of a sea turtle with a plastic straw lodged in its nose (taken by a marine biologist and posted to YouTube) went viral, the conversation about single-use plastics heated up again.

Jamie Harvie of Bag it Duluth says yes, video like that is compelling, but we need a more holistic way to think about these issues, and, in the process, re-establish the connectedness to one another that people are hungry for.

A leader in Minnesota's environmental history and graduate of Duluth Central High school and UMD, Grant J. Merritt joins us to talk about his book "Iron and Water: My Life Protecting Minnesota's Environment."  Merritt chronicles his family history in iron mining and how his young life on the North Shore led to a career of protecting the waters of Lake Superior, as head of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.  

Animal Allies and Bent Paddle Brewing Co. have teamed up to raise awareness and funds. Dr. Shawna Weaver joins us with a preview of this months event, Animals & Environment, happening at the Bent Paddle Taproom, Wednesday, July 25, 4-6pm.  

Germany is well on its way to phasing out fossil fuels and nuclear energy and replacing them with renewables.

But in a stunning display of democracy (?), everyday people are driving this energy transition (called "Energiewende" which, literally translated, means "energy turn").

KUMD's Adam Reinhardt talked with co-author Craig Morris in Germany.

Duluth AmeriCorp volunteer Alayna Johnson has been working to bring recycling and composting to summer events at Duluth parks.  Creating low-waste events her focus and is a matter of providing proper receptacles along with good signage and education. You can volunteer this summer as a part of the effort where trash talking is encouraging composting at the Chester Creek Concert Series.  

Learn more about participating in Trash Talking at Chester Creek

What do Minnesotans like in the summertime?

Lots of things.  Many involving lakes, dogs and ... beer.

So if something comes along that threatens those things ... well, them's fightin' words.