Community

Have you ever made a New Year's resolution, only to find yourself giving it up a mere two or three weeks later? Changing habits is hard, in part because our human brains are naturally programmed to gravitate towards ease and repetition. Living more sustainably means changing many habits. From what we eat to how we get around, nearly all of our daily routines could be greened in some way. Although this may seem overwhelming, despair not! One key to successful change is to understand that it is a process, and that people need different things at each stage.

We all want to do the best for our children, especially when it comes to protecting their health and the environment in which they live. As a new parent, it is often hard to know what is best and how to do it. In fact, the best tips and knowledge often come to me from discussion with other friends and neighbors. This realization inspired me to start a neighborhood-based group focused on eco-parenting and environmental issues in general.

"Do you enjoy lifting heavy rocks?" This was a question I was asked during an interview last spring. By answering, "Yes" to this question, I found myself working as a farm intern on an off-the-grid homestead in southeast Minnesota. Considering I received a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts in Graphic Design and Illustration, one might not necessarily expect I would fall into the career path of organic agriculture. Despite my sincere intentions of pursuing creative work, I am equally interested in farming as a livelihood.

The University of Minnesota is a place for young people to expand their horizons by educating themselves about issues that are important and relevant to their lives. For this reason and many more, the 2009 Do It Green! Minnesota U of M Interns are establishing a University of Minnesota chapter of Do It Green! Minnesota.

Though the University has many clubs that focus on environmental awareness, we feel that the U of M is lacking a student group that focuses on how to reduce personal impacts on the environment while building a feeling of local community.

For many of us in younger generations, this moment in history feels like our defining moment. Sitting in a parked car to finish listening to the President of the United States address the United Nations on the topic of international cooperation after a decade of 'go it alone' strategies, the future continues to shine with hope and opportunity. Witnessing unprecedented levels of citizen participation in national discussions on healthcare and climate change policies, the role of the individual comes into focus more now than ever before.

Charles Durrett and Kathryn McCamant coined the term "co-housing" in 1984 after a research visit to Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands. They were intrigued by the uniqueness of this type of housing and its emphasis on building long term communities (many in existence for over 30 years). Residents in co-housing communities usually own their self-contained units, much like a traditional condominium, but co-housing communities usually have features such as shared meals and common spaces.

PHOTO: The pedestrian mall on Milwaukee Ave. in Minneapolis. Here, a four-block long street of historic worker cottages was built by the Milwaukee Road railroad for their employees. Revitalized in the 1960s, auto traffic was eliminated from the street. Jeff Schommer/StreetSections.com

City of Burnsville's Sustainability Guide Plan

During 2008, city staff worked with a consultant team to develop a 105-page Sustainability Guide Plan based on best practices and the Natural Step framework. The guide plan delineates 37 strategies, numerous implementation activities, possible partners and funding sources, and performance indicators for the city organization and the community that will make Burnsville more sustainable in future years. The consultant team included Emmons Olivier Resources and the Alliance for Sustainability.

In only a few generations past, neighborhoods were the cornerstone of the residents' daily lives. The neighborhoods were walkable, enabling people to perform daily activities (e.g. grocery shopping, going to the park, taking children to school) without the use of a car. Today's version of a neighborhood as a suburban subdivision often just has houses. As neighborhoods have changed and even people's daily activities, social interaction that happens in a walkable neighborhood lessens. One way to change this is merely to get involved in your neighborhood community.