Earthday is just around the corner! We're highlighting five key issues that impact our lives today and the future of our community. Check out organizations doing good, resources, and actions you can take.
Environmental Justice
Environmental justice asks for universal protection from activities (with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies) that threaten the very important right to clear the air, water, land, and food regardless of race, color, national origin, or income. Decisions made in the past contributed to the environmental racism and inequality that exists today in our community and beyond.
You can learn more about environmental justice and join advocacy work with the Center for Earth, Energy, and Democracy. The graphic to the left is a map screenshot of our neighborhood using their mapping tool linked here.
Climate Change / Global Warming
Global warming is the mainly human-caused rise of the average temperature of the Earth's climate system and has been demonstrated by direct temperature measurements and by measurements of various effects of the warming. If we continue along our current path, scientists say that the consequences will be devastating, having implications on where we live, how we grow food and other services vital to our well-being. A 2°C increase could mean more heatwaves, a ten-fold increase in Arctic ice-free summers and a complete wipe-out of the world's coral reefs, home to millions of species. [1]
You can take action to fight climate change by advocating for policy-level improvements and making a personal choice to lower your carbon footprint.
Check out Climate Generation: A Will Star Legacy who advocates for our environment locally with a focus on engaging youth.
Measure your Carbon Footprint and take personal action to lower it with the help of the Nature Conservancy's Carbon Footprint Calculator linked here.
Water Quality
Clean water is a key factor in your health and the health of everyone in our community. We use water daily and it's important we all do our part to support a healthy water system in Minnesota. Much of our own water quality is dependant on the Mississippi River and the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO)is working hard to advocate and take action to keep our water clean.
One of the ways we can protect our water is through Stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP), a wide variety of land-care practices and green infrastructure designed to prevent and/or treat polluted stormwater runoff. These include raingardens, street sweeping, rainbarrels/cisterns, permeable pavers, erosion control practices at construction sites; and stormwater retention ponds. [2]
You can learn more and take action with MWMO here.
Sign up for a workshop and learn more about resources out there to support you in establishing a rain garden and redesigning your landscape for quality with Blue Thumb and Metro Blooms here.
Get a low-cost rain barrel through the recycling association of MN here.
Protecting and Planting For Pollinators
Pollinators are essential to our ecosystem and our food system. Pollinator refers to any animal that moves pollen from a male flower to a female flower. That includes bees, butterflies, birds, beetles, flies and even bats. [3]
A great local place to start researching how you want to help pollinators, and specifically bees, is the University of MN Bee Lab. Their site is rich with resources and information about how we can support bees and keep nonnative honey bees responsibly at home.
Did you know all Minnesota residents are eligible to apply for a $350 cost-share in order to establish pollinator habitat in their yards? Learn more and apply here by June 2nd, 2020.
Reducing Waste and Litter
Trash can travel through the world's waterways and negatively impacts water quality, animals, plants, and people. Reducing waste in your own home is an important step to take to support a healthy community. The City of Minneapolis has resources outlined below to help you reduce waste and clean up litter in our neighborhood.
Participate in the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board D-I-Y Earthday Cleanup
Here's how it works:
1. Use a trash bag from home.
2. Head to a nearby park or trail and pick up trash, while getting fresh air and exercise!
3. Practice social distancing and other current guidelines to keep the parks safe for everyone (info at www.minneapolisparks.org/coronavirus-covid-19-information)
4. Post your trash haul to Minneapolis Earth Day Clean-Up on Facebook and get a prize!
3. https://ento.psu.edu/pollinators/resources-and-outreach/what-are-pollinators-and-why-do-we-need-them