Category Archives: Environment

Beavers handing it to the City

November 1, 2008 – 5:46 am

Spring Creek flows under Jefferson Parkway at Prairie Street, forming 3 ponds in Spring Creek Park north of the parkway. (Click photos to enlarge.) A walking/bike path surrounds the pond with a footbridge over the creek at the north end of the area. See the screenshot of the Google satellite view with the arrow [...]

By Griff Wigley | Also posted in Government | Comments (5)

Much Ado About Autos

October 31, 2008 – 4:00 pm

An recent op-ed the Sacramento Bee had an interesting angle on some of the traffic and transportation issues facing many parts of the U.S., including Northfield.

We’re stuck with the landscape we’ve built over the past 60 years, much of which is literally uninhabitable without a car. Trying to make our communities less car-dependent simply by [...]

By Tracy Davis | Also posted in Community, Government, Health, Transportation & Streets | Comments (8)

“Slow Food” in Northfield

September 30, 2008 – 6:15 am

As a logical followup to my earlier post on the “Eat Local” challenge, I was reading a report of the Slow Food Nation conference in San Francisco earlier this month.
The “slow food” movement, which started in Italy in 1986 to protest a McDonald’s in central Rome, has picked up momentum, with foodie notables like Michael [...]

By Tracy Davis | Also posted in Arts & Culture, Colleges, Community, Health | Comments (2)

Anyone Take the “Eat Local” Challenge?

September 9, 2008 – 8:48 am

Just Food Co-op featured their third annual “Eat Local” challenge, running from Aug. 15 to Sept. 15.

Just Food Co-op is challenging community members to eat 80 percent of their diet –that’s four out of five ingredients–from food produced in the five-state region for four weeks. Those taking the 80% challenge are Leading Locavores. Folks not [...]

By Tracy Davis | Also posted in Businesses, Community, Health | Comments (10)

New college buildings go for LEED platinum, gold; any other buildings in Northfield?

September 2, 2008 – 7:17 am

According to the Wikipedia, “the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction.”
 
St. Olaf is aiming for LEED Platinum for its Regents Hall of Natural and Mathematical Sciences building, opening today. (Left [...]

By Griff Wigley | Also posted in Colleges, Government | Comments (3)

Is Northfield clothesline-friendly?

August 16, 2008 – 7:34 am

I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen someone hanging their clothes outside to dry here in Northfield.
Is it banned in places or just not, um, cool?
See the Project Laundry List website for the top ten reasons to air-dry your laundry.

By Griff Wigley | Comments (13)

Our local food waste problem: what’s being done?

August 8, 2008 – 10:06 am

This NY Times story from May was reprinted in yesterday’s Strib: One Country’s Table Scraps, Another Country’s Meal: Food riots are breaking out abroad but Americans toss a lot of their food in the garbage.
Grocery bills are rising through the roof. Food banks are running short of donations. And food shortages are causing [...]

By Griff Wigley | Also posted in Businesses, Government | Comments (18)

The new trees on 7th St by the swimming pool seem to be suffering. Who’s responsible?

August 2, 2008 – 8:17 am

In the discussion about the sudden removal of the trees on 5th St, Jean Wakely wrote:
However, I have a Vote of NO CONFIDENCE that the new trees will be cared for properly. Just drive down 7th all the way to the pool. The trees were not staked, nor watered, nor guarded from damage from children [...]

By Griff Wigley | Also posted in Government | Comments (6)

The Danes are At It Again

July 29, 2008 – 5:00 pm

Back in April of last year, I blogged about the Danes and their efforts to achieve energy independence. The efforts of these people in this area have come to my attention once again.
In the July 7 & 14 New Yorker, there is an article by Elizabeth Kolbert titled “The Island in the Wind”. The article’s [...]

By Ross Currier | Comments (17)

The America in Bloom judges are in town so be nice

July 28, 2008 – 9:35 am

Today and tomorrow, judges for the American in Bloom (AIB) competition will be making the rounds. They were introduced to Northfield earlier this morning at a breakfast at the Northfield Golf Club.
 
Left: AIB judge Bruce RiggsCenter: AIB judge Patrick Bones
See all the details on the Northfield Garden Club’s Northfield in Bloom page.

By Griff Wigley | Also posted in Non-Profits & Civic Orgs | Comments (1)

Single sort recycling arrives in Northfield

July 25, 2008 – 5:49 am

   
As reported here on Locally Grown back in this April discussion thread, single sort recycling (AKA single-stream or co-mingled recycling) is arriving for Northfield. The containers arrived on my street (Heritage Drive) yesterday.
See the  recycling page on the Rice County web site. New items now included:
Cardboard and food boxes (non-refrigerated). Items like cereal, [...]

By Griff Wigley | Also posted in Government | Comments (0)

Something’s happening here; what it is ain’t exactly clear

July 22, 2008 – 7:25 am

 
I took these two photos yesterday morning of some unusual activity adjacent to the Ames Mill on the Cannon River.
Can you guess what’s going on?

By Griff Wigley | Also posted in Government | Comments (5)

Wildflowers in the Arb

July 7, 2008 – 8:11 am

 
The Carleton Arb is awash in wildflowers. Areas surrounding the Rec Center are particularly spectacular. See the panel on the Arb Trailhead kiosk (right photo) for all the work that’s taking place this summer.

By Griff Wigley | Also posted in Colleges | Comments (0)

“Supporting Local Businesses and the Conservation of Gasoline”

July 2, 2008 – 2:51 pm

And more news on the biking/sustainability front: 2006 ArTech graduate Colin Colby, inspired by an idea he observed while in college in Sante Fe, has started “Green Hermes”, a bicycle delivery/courier service for Northfield. His tagline is, “Supporting Local Businesses and the Conservation of Gasoline”. Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest. [...]

By Tracy Davis | Also posted in Businesses | Comments (7)

Changing Gears in Northfield

July 2, 2008 – 10:33 am

I got this email yesterday from Joe Pahr, Advisor and Social Studies Specialist at ARTech:
Today I met Andy Davis of Changing Gears.  He and his fiancee, Melissa, had stopped at Blue Monday on their way from Bloomington, Indiana to San Francisco by bicycle.  Along the way they are filming a documentary about communities and organizations [...]

By Griff Wigley | Also posted in People | Comments (3)