Well, I may be biased…considering I went to school in Minnesota. But I think that we should all be taking a closer look at the environmental innovation coming out of the Upper Midwest. I mean California climate action is great and we all love New York’s billion dollar funds, inspired by student-created Clean Energy funds! But there is some serious momentum coming from the land of 10,000 lakes (carved by mile-high glaciers that covered MN in the not-so-distant past).
Most importantly, its activism is inspired or led by the student/youth climate movement. As an example, Campus Progress has an article up, here, which focuses on the rivalry between St. Olaf and Carleton College on which can go the most green…particularly with their dueling windmills. However, that rivalry has not been limited to those two schools. In fact, Macalester College was first to install a turbine, even if it was tiny compared to those on the other campuses. The University of Minnesota-Morris, a smaller agricultural campus, has taken on the challenge: Installing their turbine, a hydrogen production project, a biomass plant, and biodiesel! Phew!
In fact, Carleton and Macalester competed and collaborated on installing green roofs as part of an initiative to green the rooftops of the entire campuses/cities. The UofM - Twin Cities has done huge work on efficiency and green building while their professors, like Dave Tilman, have been focusing on solving the ethanol conundrum and fuel cell miniaturization.
Colleges and Universities across the state competed on reducing energy, building on the dorm wars that have been a campus standard into Campus Wars, making them compete not just on the playing field but in their energy consumption. After involving 14 campuses last year, now they want to take it regional and hopefully, nationwide. Well, Minnesota started to pay attention.
First, Minnesota passed the strongest Renewable Energy Standard in the nation, requiring 30% by 2020 from Xcel Energy and 25% by 2020 from everybody else. Now this past weekend, the state legislature set a target for cutting emissions by 80% by 2050 with a moratorium on any fossil fuel plants without 100% carbon capture and storage till new legislation is passed. Has Minnesota become a climate leader? You Betcha!
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There’s more on Minnesota: Minnesotans use more biofuels (E10, E85 and biodiesel) per capita than any other state. First state to require all grades of gas to be E10 (10 ethanol), first state to mandate biodiesel statewide (B2) and state with most E85 stations (more than 300) in nation. Minnesota motorists bought 18.2 million gallons of E85 in 2006, a national record.
Just for the record, the University of Minnesota, Morris campus is not an agricultural campus. It is a liberal arts college with a major green energy/sustainability program. One wind turbine isn’t all that’s there. There are plans to build two more in the near future. A biomass gasification facility for heating and cooling is in the final stages of development. Campus dining services sources much of their food from local producers. It’s rural location in west central Minnesota positions itself perfectly to take advantage of biofuel research and production as well as the endless supply of prairie winds.
Seriously? Minnesota is going to cut emissions 80% by 2050?!? Do you have the source for this, or know how they are planning to accomplish that? This is really exciting news and I’d like more details. Yay Minnesota!
Minnesota’s Governor Pawlenty invited the Center for Climate Strategies (www.climatestrategies.us) to Minnesota to develop a climate change action plan (www.mnclimatechange.us). The moratorium that Richard refers to would only become effective if, by July 2009, the Minnesota Legislature has not implemented that climate change action plan. So, Juliana, the details of how we’ll get there have yet to be worked out, but the consequences for not doing all we can to get there are already in place!
Since Richard mentioned green building techniques, I should also note that Minnesota is home to two major national green building programs: EEBA, the Energy and Environmental Builder Association, and Health House, the American Lung Association’s program for builders and homowners that set the standard for IAQ guidelines.
The Carleton kiddies have a sweet web page these days that they’re proud to show off: Carbon neutral Carleton
It’s great news MN will cut carbon 80% by 2050. Do you have a source to this? I want to know more, since NJ is about to do the same. Thanks!
Carlos,
Well, unfortunately its a bit more complicated than MN actually passing legislation to cut carbon 80% by 2050. The good news is that I do have a source, Fresh Energy, and it is still an awesome bill. Basically, the governor invited the Center for Climate Strategies to come to MN to help design a
climate plan. However, he left it up to the utilities to come up with the target. This bill makes
the target for the plan 80% by 2050 and has some teeth to back it up. It also contains a provision
that imposes a moratorium on fossil fuel plants without 100% carbon sequestration, if no climate plan
is submitted to the legislature and passed into law.
So a little complicated but still a huge step.