Minnesota is at an inflection point: We know communities thrive when they have clean drinking water and swimmable, fishable lakes and rivers, but agricultural production, a bedrock part of Minnesota’s economy, continues to contaminate water with high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment. Cities and small towns across the state are grappling with a combination …
What Happened During the In-Between Time in our DEI Work The neutral zone, as defined by William Bridges, is an in-between time. Bridges, a leading authority on change management, explains that transitions require letting go of what was, navigating a time of uncertainty in between, and accepting a new beginning. Think of a trapeze artist. …
Over 500 middle and high school students from 29 school districts across Minnesota are engaging directly in community efforts to conserve energy and apply science. As they learn by doing through the Youth Energy Summit (YES!) program, they are designing and building solar powered greenhouses; producing and selling local foods; building vehicles that get hundreds …
Recent events have generated difficult conversations about the issues of racial justice and police-community relations. Cities are grappling with an increasingly important question: How can we keep youth, particularly youth of color, safe? The Community Ambassadors Initiative, a grassroots movement in St. Paul — backed by the St. Paul Police Department and the city and …
There are changes happening in the electric system that touch everything from what we drive to how we use, manage, and source our energy. These changes impact our daily life and have major implications for the health of our communities, economy, and environment. To keep pace with the evolving system — and to plan for …
After a plot of land he sold lost nearly 90% of its trees in a hail storm, Caleb Tommila saw firsthand the effect global climate change was having on his community. “My grandmother has lived in the area her whole life. She’s eighty-some years old, never seen anything like it. She doesn’t have a tree …
The Dayton’s Bluff Community Council is dedicated to fostering citizen participation and promoting neighborhood assets for all. Formed in 1971, the organization’s mission is to be a valuable community resource for organizing and supporting collaborative action by its stakeholders to improve the quality of life in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. They do this by hosting …
River Alliance works to advocate for the protection, enhancement, and restoration of Wisconsin’s rivers and watersheds. Hatched in the 1990s by a university professor and his graduate student, along with a motley mix of trout anglers, paddlers and conservationists, the River Alliance of Wisconsin has grown into one of Wisconsin’s leading conservation groups. By encouraging …
Bluestem Communications works in regions throughout the country building creative communication campaigns aiming to protect North America’s most precious land and water resources. They advance public awareness and understanding on select environmental issues and build widespread commitment to addressing those issues through individual actions and policies. The organization’s primary task is to meaningfully engage people …
Rain Taxi is a literary organization that champions literary culture through programs and publications that foster engagement with innovative writing. Their main vehicle is the award-wining print quarterly, Rain Taxi Review of Books, with coverage of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art, graphic novels, and more. The publication aims to connect readers to books of merit that …