Infrastructure and Solutions:
There are concrete steps that we can take to both prepare for a warming world and fight against the sources of that increasing warmth. Check out these presentations that highlight the specific ways you can make a difference.
with Gerardo Roca, Center for Energy and Environment
25% by '25 Climate Action Plan Update (2023)
with Mary Britton
Beyond Recycling and Composting
with Kellie Kish
with Isaac Evans
with Bill Middlecamp
with Mary Britton
with Wendi Russo
Achieving Drawdown
Dr Jon Foley, director of Project Drawdown, presented to the membership in Nov 2021 about the dire situation the planet is facing regarding climate change, but also some notes of optimism and hope. Below is a link to the presentation as well as some climate background info from Project Drawdown.
by Dr Jon Foley
from Project Drawdown
Solutions
Solutions that are scalable, reliable and proven are the key to fighting climate change - we need both policy and ingenuity to solve the issues of a warming world. The proposed solutions below lead us in the right direction, and provide hope that we can win the fight against global warming.
Regenerative Agriculture (New!)
Groundwater-Sourced Heat Pumps
Healthy, Equitable and Local Food
Tree Planting for Climate Change Mitigation
Decarbonizing Aviation - Synthetic Fuels
The Future of Nuclear Power in an Evolving Energy World
Infrastructure Challenges
2021 highlighted significant infrastructure problems. In Northern Minnesota, the Line 3 replacement pipeline was completed and brought online by Enbridge Inc. to deliver Canadian tar sands crude oil to the energy markets. A coalition of indigenous tribes and activists fought the creation of this oil pipeline, warning of the risk of water contamination and other risks due to the existence of the pipeline.
Meanwhile, in Texas an overworked power grid and extreme weather pushed the capabilities of the electrical grid beyond its limits.
Take a look below at the challenges infrastructure poses, as well as some corrective steps to address the problems.
Action plans are an ideal way to lay out the steps needed to head off runaway global warming by providing concrete benchmarks to measure progress and point to specific goals that need to be implemented.
Climate Action Plans in Minnesota
by Dr. Kate Knuth
The Fragility of the Grid
Sept 8 2021
Meredith Angwin discusses how our current electric grid is controlled by a system of insider-dominated closed meetings, constant auctions and near-miss electrical shortfalls that generate profits but do little to establish a reliable system that can withstand current and future power demands.
Community Solar
Jan 13 2022
Timothy DenHerder-Thomas, co-founder of Cooperative Energy Futures, gives a high-level overview of the community solar project environment in Minnesota, including deployment volume, examples of solar projects in Minnesota, stakeholders and government processes that affect community solar installations.
Solutionary Rail
Feb 10 2022
Bill Moyer presents Solutionary Rail as a "higher purpose for our nation’s railroad infrastructure, transforming the way we use trains and the corridors they travel through. It is a grand strategic project that leads with a positive vision for the future."
Microreactors
Oct 13 2021
Distributed power using nuclear microreactors - emphasizing the scalability and flexibility of nuclear power, particularly with renewable energy sources, and the geographic and economic motivations surrounding future energy demands, Emma Redfoot explains why nuclear power must be a part of our energy future.
Sustainabilty isn't hard...
Mar 10 2022
... it's just not simple. Wendy Jedlička, industry packaging expert stimulates the discussion into the sustainability practices and business considerations for the consumer packaging that surrounds us, and how systems thinking provides a better context for understanding sustainable package design.