conservation

The Future of Energy is Conservation

Author
MARY MORSE
Neighborhood Energy Connection
Americans have been on a century-long energy spending spree. From automobiles to architecture, as long as energy costs have stayed affordable relative to our incomes, neither wastefulness nor environmental implications figured into our buying and building decisions. But with skyrocketing energy costs, people are beginning to rethink that approach. Unfortunately, the inexpensive and immediate fix for our energy problems-energy conservation-is mostly overlooked in favor of high-cost energy production solutions, most of which are slow to implement and some of which are counterproductive
Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Home energy conservation/car sharing: Neighborhood Energy Connection,
651-221-4462, TheNEC.org

Insulation/air sealing contractors: Minnesota Building Performance Association, MBPA.us

Home energy conservation fact sheets and do-it-yourself guides from the Minnesota Department of Commerce http://www.state.mn.us/portal/mn/jsp/home.do?agency=Commerce (click on "Energy Info Center" tab)

Bicycle use and route planning: Bike/Walk Twin Cities,
bikewalktwincities.org

Transit use, costs, schedules, and route planning, metrotransit.org

Read Up!

The Complete Guide to Reducing Energy Costs, by the Editors of Consumer Reports, Consumer Reports, 2006.

The Home Energy Diet: How to Save Money, by Making Your House Energy-Smart, by Paul Scheckel, New Society Publishers, 2005.

The Farm Bill: Not Just for Farmers

Author
BRAD REDLIN
Director, Agriculture Program, Izaak Walton League of America
the farm bill.jpg
The entire area of the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, totals nearly 2.3 billion acres. Land used for agricultural purposes constitutes a 52 percent majority of that total. That is reason enough why the federal Farm Bill, as much as any other single piece of legislation, has a direct impact on each of us. In determining how the majority of our land is managed, the Farm Bill further determines the predominate products and ultimate sustainability of our food system.

The Farm Bill-debated and re-authorized about every five

Footnotes/Endnotes

on the web!

USDA-Economic Research Service, Farm Bill issues,
ers.usda.gov/Features/FarmBill2007

USDA-Economic Research Service State Fact Sheets-Minnesota,
ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/MN.htm

USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service Minnesota Statistics, nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Minnesota/index.asp

Sustainable Agriculture Coalition,
sustainableagriculturecoalition.orgĀ 

READ UP!

The 2007 Farm Bill: Stewardship, Prosperity, and Fairness, by Izaak Walton League of America,
iwla.org/publications/agriculture
/Farm_Bill_2007_WEB.pdf

Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill, by Daniel Imhoff, Watershed Media, 2007.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan, Penguin, 2006.

act locally!

Participate in Community SupportedĀ Agriculture,
landstewardshipproject.org/csa.html

The Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA),
misa.umn.edu/home.html

Participate in local working groups,
mn.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/lwg.html

Minnesota GreenStar to Take Center Stage

Author
Michael Anschel & Corey Brinkema
Green Remodeling Group & Green Institute

This has been a great year of progress in Minnesota's efforts to become a national leader in preserving and restoring our environment. From the landmark legislation in addressing climate change and developing sustainable energy resources to the growth of our farmers markets and the success of the light rail, Minnesota is becoming a model for other states and on the national stage.

Minnesota GreenStar

Footnotes/Endnotes

Web Resources

Minnesota GreenStar
www.mngreenstar.org

Builders Association of the Twin Cities, www.batconline.org

National Assoc. of Remodeling, www.narimn.org

MN Pollution Control Agency
www.pca.state.mn.us

Green Institute
www.greeninstitute.org/reuse

Otogawa-Anschel Architects
www.otogawa-anschel.com

Verified Green
www.verifiedgreen.org

US Green Building Council, www.usgbc.org

Print Resources

Builder's Guide to Cold Climates: Details for Design and Construction, Joseph Lstiburek, Taunton publisher, 2000.

Buliding Green in a Black and White World, David Johnston, BuilderBooks.com, 1999.

The CERES Principles

Author
Tara Wesely

 

Footnotes/Endnotes

Web Resources

CERES Network for Change: www.ceres.org

Business for Social Responsibility: www.bsr.org

Green Biz: www.greenbiz.com

 

Print Resources

The Ecology of Commerce, Paul Hawken, 1994

Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business, John Elkington, 1998

 

Organizations

The Alliance for Sustainability
www.mtn.org/iasa

Minnesota Sustainable Communities Network
www.nextstep.state.mn.us/section.cfm
Syndicate content