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Global Warming Solutions for Minnesota

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Author
J. Drake Hamilton
Science Policy Director, Fresh Energy

Footnotes/Endnotes

Resources:

  • Fresh Energy
    www.fresh-energy.org
  • Union of Concerned Scientists
    www.ucsusa.org/greatlakes
  • The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth, Tim Flannery, Atlantic Monthly Press 2005.
  • Playing with Fire: Climate Change in Minnesota, Fresh Energy 2001.
  • Fresh Energy, 408 St. Peter Street,
    St. Paul, MN, 651-726-7562
    www.fresh-energy.org
  • Minnesota Department of Commerce Energy Information Center
    1-800-657-3710 (MN only)
    651-296-5175
    www.commerce.state.mn.us

The Do It Green! House Project THE GREEN REVOLUTION IS FINALLY HERE AND IT’S COMING TO OUR HOMES!

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Author
_
DO IT GREEN! MINNESOTA
We've all seen growth in the green building sector and have probably heard of LEED certification (The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System). There are quite a few homes being built from the ground up and shown as models or examples throughout Minnesota. Yet, what can the rest of us homeowners do to remodel and live more energy and water efficient in our existing homes?  What can homeowners, renters, landlords, and designers do to make existing homes more resource efficient on any budget?

Tips on Working with Your Landlord to Green Your Apartment

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Author
AMY PICKETT and CHAD SKALLY
Skally Management
Too often when we talk about living green, we focus on homeowners rather than renters. At Skally Management, a family-owned and -operated real estate management company in St. Paul, we're changing that concept by finding innovative ways to practice Eco-Management: sustainable, responsible real estate management designed to have a positive impact on our local environment and community.

We encourage renters to see their landlords as partners in living green. Try to start a face-to-face discussion with them, rather than using

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Xcel Energy, xcelenergy.com

Eureka Recycling,
eurekarecycling.org

Neighborhood Energy Connection, thenec.org

Installing a Residential Geothermal Heat Pump: A FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT

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Author
MARK SNYDER
Do it Green! Magazine
My journey toward geothermal climate control at my home in Minneapolis began some eight years ago, after my father installed a heat pump at his house in Andover, MN.

At the time, I'll admit I was a bit skeptical of the idea of actually being able to heat your home without burning some sort of fuel on-site such as natural gas, propane or even wood in a wood stove. This seemed especially unlikely in a climate like Minnesota's. I later visited my dad's house in the winter after his system was installed and found that it was actually quite comfortable.

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

How Geothermal Systems Work,
econar.com/howitworks.htm

Minnesota Homeowner Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency,
dsireusa.org/library/includes
/maphomeowner.cfm?State=MN

Read Up!

Geothermal Heat Pumps: A Guide for Planning and Installing, by Karl Ochsner and Robin Curtis, Earthscan Publications Ltd., 2007.

Act Locally!

Living Green Expo (sponsored by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency)
St. Paul, MN
651-296-6300 or 800-657-3864
livinggreen.org

We are Living in Individual Ecosystems

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Author
ELEISE JONES
Do It Green! Magazine
A home is made up of many things: foundation, structure, function, and of greatest importance, the people within its walls. A healthy home is a beautiful thing, for it implies a clean, life-supporting environment. Your home may include a whole household, or your dwelling may be a small apartment. Either way, being responsible for a home provides us many opportunities to make world-conscious decisions about what comes in and what goes out of our space, and what happens in between.

GREEN HOMES: Standards, Certifications, and Options for You

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Author
MICHAEL ANSCHEL
Verified Green, Inc.
Owning a home can be one of the great joys and challenges of life. Understanding the myriad systems that combined to make up your home can be mind boggling even for those of us who spend our lives studying, building, renovating, and repairing them. Until recently, few were aware of the role that their home played in contributing to climate change. Homes and buildings are, in fact, the primary consumers of both energy (43%) and electricity (76%). Our lifestyle choices are having a tremendous impact on our world, and perhaps most
Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines, msbg.umn.edu

MN GreenStar, mngreenstar.org

LEED for Homes, usgbc.org

Read Up!

Plan B 3.0, by Lester Brown,
W. W. Norton, 2008.

Green Home, by Wayne Grady, Diane Publishing Company, 1993.

Green Remodeling: Changing the world one room at a time, by David Johnston & Kim Masters, New Society Publishers, 2004.

Climate Change Stories

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Author
NEELY CRANE-SMITH
Center for Energy and Environment
Thousands of Minnesotans are taking real, measurable actions in their homes to lighten their carbon footprints, save money and curb global warming.
Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Energy Challenge,
mnenergychallenge.org

Treehugger,
treehugger.com

Read Up!

Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds, by David Gershon, Empowerment Institute, 2006.

Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings (9th ed.), by Jennifer Thorne Amann, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, 2007.

Act Locally!

Metro Clean Energy Resource Teams
Minneapolis, MN
612-278-7125
cleanenergyresourceteams.org

Minnesota Retired Engineers Technical Assistance Program (RETAP)
St. Paul, MN
612-624-1300
www.pca.state.mn.us
/oea/p2/retap.cfm

Has Our Environment Become Toxic?

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Author
By Sara Grochowski
Do It Green! Minnesota

What ever happened to stepping outside for a “breath of fresh air?” It is often said that the air inside a home could be more toxic than outside. However, it seems our environment is becoming contaminated, and scientists continually are finding links to the impact on human health. Air quality is not the only concern; the water we drink, food we eat, grass or gardens we cultivate, even the furniture on which we rest can affect our health.

Non-Toxic Cleaning Recipes

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Author
Do It Green! Minnesota

Feel like you are killing yourself trying to keep your house clean? You may laugh, but you may be closer to the truth than you think if you are using expensive, commercial cleaners. There are many chemicals in commercial cleaning products that are not adequately tested or regulated. An estimated 2–5 million exposures to household poisons occur every year. So what is the solution?

Environmental Illness

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Author
Sraddha Helfrich
University Of Minnesota Medical Student

Footnotes/Endnotes

American Academy of Environmental Medicine

American Environmental Health Foundation

Environmental Health Center - Dallas

 


Tired or Toxic?, Sherry Rogers, M.D.

The E.I. Syndrome, Sherry Rogers, M.D.

Chemical Injury Resource Guide, 612-647-0944 or sold at Valley Natural Foods Co-op


Chemical Injury Resource Association of Minnesota
3033 27th Ave. S.
P.O. Box 6085
Minneapolis, MN 651-647-0944

The Women's Cancer Resource Cancer
4604 Chicago Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 612-822-4846
Email
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