Happening

Though this is a difficult time for our global community and for us in Minnesota, we are so far doing our due diligence to flatten the curve and protect our neighbors. As Governor Walz said, we are used to long winters, and we are resilient. The field team has seen this over the past few weeks as we’ve reached out to our members to check in on how people are doing and how nature has been helping them through this slowdown in everyday life.

For the past three years, Conservation Minnesota has worked with partner groups to put on an annual Environmental Commissions Conference every April. There is a great deal of overlap in these sorts of issues from city to city, and also the potential for cities to coordinate, so commissioners and other interested folks get together once a year to share ideas, think about how to work together, and get to know each other.

There is one theme that shows up in almost every conversation we've had lately: how important nature and the outdoors are to staying healthy and coping with the stress people are feeling.

As COVID-19 continues to spread within our state and nation—Conservation Minnesota is taking measures to protect our staff, the communities in which we work, and all Minnesotans. 

Conservation Minnesota submitted a letter in support of the proposed Clean Cars standards to the Minnesota Senate Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee.

On December 17th, 2019 Rosemount Mayor Bill Droste and City Council Members in attendance enthusiastically voted to turn the task force into an official city commission.

On Thursday, January 22nd I went to a hearing of the Minnesota Senate’s Energy & Utilities Finance & Policy Committee held at Mound Westonka High School in Minnetrista.

Last week, the Minnesota Senate Energy & Utilities Committee was in Rochester for a public hearing on the Senate Republicans’ Clean Energy First legislation.

Over the past ten years, Minnesota’s cities have been increasing their sustainability goals and positively impacting their communities. I’m lucky to work with a few East Metro cities that are working toward achieving step 5—the top step!—in the GreenStep program.

CEE is recruiting owners of single-family homes for participation in a state-funded research project on cold climate air source heat pumps.