Have fun sustainably: Summer weekend edition
Summer weekends in Minnesota remind us all why we brave the 8-month long winters. Whether it’s spending a day on the lake or going to a farmers’ market, there are ways to play more sustainably.
Get involved
The responsibility to protect and restore Minnesota’s land, water, and air falls on all of us, not just environmental professionals. In fact, it's the combination of many of us, outside of our paid work, that can have the greatest impact.
Simple ways to cut food waste
Can you use an extra $30 a week? A family of four can save that much by making changes in how they shop, prepare, and store food.
What you can do about air pollution
There are many small, but critical sources of air pollution in our homes and neighborhoods. Such sources — vehicles, construction equipment, lawn mowers, dry cleaners, backyard fires, and auto-body shops — are located where we live and work.
Resourceful decorating and creative reuse
Creative reuse — taking discarded, worn, or broken items and creating new products — can help you stretch your budget and keep materials out of the trash.
Seven green myths
Like any myth, the green variety may sprout from kernels of truth. But many are based on false or outdated information.
When good food goes bad
No one buys food with the intention of throwing it away. But according to the EPA, more than 34 million tons of food was thrown away in 2010 in the U.S.
Five high-impact actions you can take
Try out these 5 ideas that can help you save money and protect the environment.
Citizen water monitoring
Citizen monitors gather vital information about the health of our water resources.
The Repair (r)evolution
Tinkering. Being handy. Repair manuals. The town repairman. Valuing well-made belongings. These classic values and skills suffered in rise of the “cheap and disposable” culture. People forgot how to tinker, and even lost the urge to fix. But it’s making a big comeback!
Greening your next move
Moving can be exciting, stressful, fun, challenging, and rewarding. It can also be expensive and time-consuming and can generate waste, pollution and greenhouse gasses.
Too much junk mail?
Direct mail—catalogs, flyers, credit card offers, memberships to clubs and organizations of all kinds—makes for a lot of paper and plastic waste in the typical household. For many, these offerings are an interesting addition to the mail pile. But for some of us this mail is unwanted and unwelcome.
Reduce waste while shopping
By purchasing stuff that's over-packaged, disposable or of poor quality, your cash can soon end up as trash.
Put the care in personal care products
Some ingredients in products for your hair, face, and skin pose concerns for water resources (and for you).