MN350 blog

Shaping the narrative about climate justice throughout Minnesota
2023: The Year of the Electric School Bus in Minnesota
2023: The Year of the Electric School Bus in Minnesota

In 2017, Minnesota made history as the first state in the Midwest to get an electric school bus, in Lakeville. So in 2022, when the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorized the EPA to offer rebates to replace existing school buses with clean and zero-emission (ZE) models, our Clean Transportation Team engaged more than 30 school boards… Read more »

Regenerative agriculture in the MN legislature
Regenerative agriculture in the MN legislature

NOTE: This is the second of a two-part series on the 2023 Farm Bill. Part 1 offers insight into the federal level and Part 2 examines support in the Minnesota legislature.   In this year’s midterm elections, a few key issues drove voters to the polls: reproductive rights, inflation, and public safety. But this year’s… Read more »

Midterm election impact on regenerative agriculture in the 2023 Farm Bill | Federal outlook
Midterm election impact on regenerative agriculture in the 2023 Farm Bill | Federal outlook

NOTE: This is the first of a two-part series on the 2023 Farm Bill. Part 1 offers insight into the federal level and Part 2 examines support in the Minnesota legislature.   In this year’s midterm elections, a few key issues drove voters to the polls: reproductive rights, inflation, and public safety. But this year’s… Read more »

So much is possible in 2023!
So much is possible in 2023!

The midterm elections are over (thank goodness!), and the good news is that the allies of fossil fuel companies have a bit less influence in our government to delay climate policy that is much needed. We can now accomplish more at the state level in terms of bold climate policy. What is possible in 2023?… Read more »

In favor of community-centered advocacy
In favor of community-centered advocacy

No matter where in Minnesota you come from, you deserve to live in an environment where air, water, and soil are clean, fresh, and renewable. Communities should be affordable and accessible, with attainable climate-friendly standards. And community-centered advocacy is the key to defining those standards and holding leaders accountable to them. I grew up in… Read more »

Get Out The Vote Block Party built trust and people power
Get Out The Vote Block Party built trust and people power

On Oct. 22, 2022, we gathered for a day of community building during the Get Out the Vote Block Party in Bemidji, MN. Our intention was to build positive relationships and people power leading up to November 8, 2022, and beyond. Because we do better together! Through community building we cultivate powerful political and community… Read more »

Clean Plate Club Restaurant: Butter Bakery
Clean Plate Club Restaurant: Butter Bakery

Dan Swenson-Klatt opened Butter Bakery in 2006 with the idea of community in mind. In a culture full of restaurants disconnected from their customers, their ingredients, and their workers, it’s more important than ever to ask what it means to encourage and support one another, what it means to be a good neighbor, and what… Read more »

Clean Plate Club Restaurant: Wise Acre Eatery
Clean Plate Club Restaurant: Wise Acre Eatery

Wise Acre Eatery was started 10 years ago in Minneapolis by two horticulturists passionate about food and farming. The modern eatery seeks to spread its love of sustainable, local food to all its patrons. As a farm-to-fork eatery, Wise Acre has created a closed-loop waste system for the establishment: Their food waste is returned to… Read more »

MN350’s Clean Plate Club

A few years ago, as an environmental studies major facing an uncertain future and dealing with climate anxiety, I began to seek out climate work that gave me hope and helped me feel that my individual actions could have an impact. Discovering the work being done in regenerative agriculture and local food systems helped spark… Read more »

Rising energy prices highlight the need for clean energy

A few weeks ago, the gas station near my house was selling gas at $4.79 per gallon, an outrageous increase from a few months ago, not to mention the increased costs to heat my home this winter – and no signs of relief in sight. National prices were not any better with an average price… Read more »