Find out how Minnesota Power is leading the way to a clean energy future! Check out this homegrown video from Northern Minnesota. Our state is now and has always been a leader n so many industries, why not clean energy as well? Watch how one MN electric company is doin just that!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgOjNEdhr7Nj7b_Ur_6zjcQ

University of Minnesota Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Ned Mohan presented a two part series on confronting the seriousness of climate change and energy from renewables like wind and solar. Energy conservation was also discussed.

His presentation is an accurate and real depiction of how climate change is right now impacting families, communities and invaluable landscapes across the world. He also discusses the cause of climate change and solutions.

Below are a few visuals from his presentation. Click here to see the full presentation.

Winning awards and making a difference for generations to come… How Liberty Apartments and Townhomes and Hilton Garden Inn are Leading the charge in clean living.

How would you like to live in a cutting edge community development that not only cuts your cost of living, but makes a real difference to the future of our planet? The Liberty Apartments and Townhomes in Golden Valley is building a new template for multi-residential housing. They are creating a view into a better future by integrating sustainable solar energy into their new apartment complex project. The complex will consist of 55 townhomes, 200 apartments units and a community clubhouse equipped with pool that boasts 1,448 Solar Panels alone. 

One of many benefits of committing the project as a sustainable solar community from inception, is the labor and installation costs are greatly reduced versus trying to retroactively adapt to clean energy years later. Residents of the apartment complex will also see the benefits from day one, consuming clean energy and offsetting 5,325 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over 25 years. They can also track the amount of electricity they are generating by smartphone app or online.

The development of Liberty Apartments and Townhomes will create jobs and opportunity for local companies. Twelve local design and installation jobs, will be created and multiple local companies such as Werner Electric will be part of the project. The solar arrays, consisting of 900 PV panes and 280,000 watts of energy will be designed and constructed by TruNorth and connected to Xcel Energy distribution system.

This project stands as an example of what can be accomplished in our communities using solar integration. The excitement for the project is growing. It won the 2018 Environmental Initiative award and is creating buzz within the development community as a leader in what can be done. Through partnership (more than nine companies!) they are showing the world what can be accomplished with solar. Learn more at http://www.TruNorthSolar.com or visit www.LiveAtTheLiberty.com for more information.

Another local business getting props for sustainability and clean energy initiatives is Hilton Garden Inn in Maple Grove. They ranked the top in efficiency out of 27 hotels in their management group here in the Midwest. What makes this accomplishment so noteworthy is that they were able to achieve an 80 on Energy Star portfolio manager, not by new expensive technology, but by high staff engagement.

While guests will notice some LED lighting, they may not notice the due diligence of the staff behind the scenes. Efforts are made by cleaning, maintenance and kitchen staff to adjust thermostats, shut off lights, close windows and blinds, perform regular equipment repairs and shutt of exhaust hoods between breakfast and dinner service. These small but impactful efforts add up and make a huge difference in energy and cost savings.

Hilton Garden Inn is able to accomplish this through teamwork and a strong sense to do the “right thing” by the entire team, starting at the top. Team members have a say in the projects they take on, and management supports them by providing the tools to be successful and finally the results of their efforts. They use a Green Scorecard where they track more than 150 conservation items. A Green Committee with representatives for each hotel in the group as well as a Green Newsletter  are also used to initiate and promote new ideas.

What would our communities look like if all businesses had such insight, vision and the drive to do what is best for its customers and communities? Examples such as these allow us to visualize what a better future could look like. With such successes as Hilton Garden Inn in Maple Grove and Liberty Apartments and Townhomes in Maple Grove hopefully other businesses and future developments will hop on the clean energy and sustainability band wagon.

On Thursday, July 19^th Northwest Metro Climate Action was privileged to host Sam Potter, Climate Scientist with a doctorate in atmospheric and oceanic sciences from Princeton University to speak at the Maple Grove Library. His presentation “Three Minnesota Futures: A Future to Fear, A Future to Prepare For, and A Future to Fight For” provided plentiful insight and information on the causes and current impacts of climate change. He also spoke about the possible future impacts depending on the decisions and changes we make regarding burning of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions.

What makes Minnesota, Minnesota to you?

Sam started with this simple question that sparked images of snowy days and sun sparkle off summer lakes. Or fresh morning snow and hot chocolate on bitter cold days. Or what about the smell of pines and blooming spring flowers? We all have our own feel of Minnesota that we hold in our hearts and consider with pride.

How will climate change impact our great state, then? First, we need to understand what causes climate change. In simplified terms, the sun heats the earth, including land, water, people, etc. The earth in turn emits energy or radiation back into the air. Some of this radiation escapes, but much of it stays. Increased CO2 levels hold more of the radiation in the atmosphere, which in turn causes global warming.

The below chart shows the peaks and valleys of CO2 density in the atmosphere for the last thousands of years. The 0 on the horizontal axis represents current time period, to which you can see an unprecedented spike of CO2 parts per million of 408.32.

Heat on the earth is absorbed in several ways. The first way is by the ocean which absorbs about 90% of it. The remaining 10% of heat is absorbed in the melting ice caps, land with some run off into the atmosphere. The increased heat and therefore increased temperatures of ocean, icecaps and land has impacts such as rising sea levels, killing of coral reefs and other ocean ecosystems, melting permafrost and disrupted farming practices.

Climate scientists use complex models that have been proven out to predict what our world will look like in the future including rainfall, drought, temperatures, sea levels and weather changes. Right now climate scientists have predicted three futures; the future to fight for, the future to plan for and the future to fear.  Of course, which future we end up with depends on how much we reduce our carbon output now and in the very near future.

Global warming is more focused on higher latitudes. This means Minnesota is one of the fastest warming states. Most of us don’t need to see the chart below to know our springs and winters have gotten warmer. Already our Minnesota winters have gotten an average of 4-5 degrees F warmer, while spring has gotten 2-3 degrees warmer. In the

In the next 50 years we may lose 30 additional days below freezing and gain 30 days above 90 degrees. Not only will this significantly change Minnesota’s climate but also where and how we grow food, our eco systems and how we live.

The greatest impact of this heat will be on water. As the atmosphere heats up, its demand for water increases, sucking more and more from the earth. And while flood-causing rains will increase, the number of days with light and moderate rain will decrease and days without rain will increase. Droughts will be widespread and common; and those countries or states already water strained will struggle to find relief.

Much of this information we have heard before. This is why Minnesota and the rest of the world is working to mitigate the impacts of climate change. But is it enough? Sam spoke to the Paris Agreement and Minnesota’s own energy goals. No, they are not enough, was his definitive answer.

We have a lot of work to do and we need to start now. Our CO2 reductions need to go beyond the goals we have set for ourselves. But how we do this?

In Sam’s presentation he discusses the importance of meaningful action. Meaningful action recognizes that many of the tools needed for a fossil-fuel free future are already here, but renewable energy, non-car infrastructure, energy efficient buildings, robust local food economies, etc. won’t magically appear on their own. Collectively, people need to demand them (policy changes), while also reducing overconsumption and waste (societal changes).

Meaningful action also recognizes that nothing will magically save us. The only currently viable CO2 removal methods are soil carbon enhancement and re-planting forests, but they at best remove a fraction of the CO2 put into the atmosphere by fossil fuel burning. And finally, meaningful action confronts the past honestly and does not leave anyone behind.

Northwest Metro Climate and many other environmental organizations we partner with are working hard to promote the kind of meaningful action Sam talks about. Whether it be calling your legislatures and demanding they take action, or ensuring our communities are educated and voting on climate, there is no shortage of work to be done. The good news is that this means there are also plenty of ways to get involved.

To learn more contact Northwest Metro Climate Action  by emailing Info@nwmetroclimateaction.org to get on our email list to find out more about how you get involved or join us at any of our upcoming events.

To see Sam Potter’s full presentation Click here to see Sam Potter’s full presentation or visit his site here.