RSDP Happenings

More than 40 years after the first Hmong arrived in Minnesota, the state boasts the nation’s second-largest Hmong population (Minnesota Historical Society).

As the land of 10,000 lakes, Minnesota is known for its water. A new traveling exhibit is raising awareness of just how and why water is important to Minnesotans and their environment.

As gardeners know, deer can be a pest. Simple, low-cost wildlife exclosures offer protection for those growing food near deer habitats.

Spring through fall is a busy time of year for Brooke and John Knisley, owners of Alternative Roots Farm in Madelia. For most of the year, they are busy growing and providing certified organic produce to their local community.

You’re a Minnesota farmer who cares about conservation, but the risks of veering from conventional farming feel great. How would new practices affect the bottom line? Have they worked on other similar farms? And besides what any research says, what do actual farmers think?

At Duluth’s Hartley Nature Center, the future of solar power is part of children’s everyday learning. Every time they turn on the lights or wash their hands, students experience the potential of solar energy.

When City of Gary residents come together to work on a community project, they don’t just talk about the project. They physically do the work together. In this northwestern Minnesota town with a population just over 200, talent runs deep.

“People protect what they know and love.” It’s a concept that community leaders in the Crosslake area have rallied around, according to Molly Zins, Executive Director of the University of Minnesota (UMN) Extension Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership.

Wastewater treatment happens at a local level, but the impacts affect us all. When untreated sewage enters lakes, streams and rivers, its contaminants are discharged back into the environment. It’s a global problem that can exceed local budgets.

Carol Ford is good at imagining a brighter future. Even more importantly, Ford is good at taking steps to make that vision a reality. Whether writing a “hero’s tale” modern novel, creating a winter Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project, or building one of the first Deep Winter Greenhouses (DWG), Ford is an innovator.