‘Cover Stories’ Archives
Summer of Solutions Workers Listening, Responding, and Supporting
by Martha Pskowski and Nalatlie Camplair At the beginning of June, six members of Summer of Solutions (SoS) moved into a house in Midtown Phillips. This summer residence serves as headquarters for the SoS program, a grassroots youth leadership program that focuses on building capacity and potential in communities to address social and environmental injustices. There are 15 full-time SoS members in the Twin Cities. Summer of Solutions, hosted by the non-profit Grand Aspirations, was formed by Macalester College students in 2008 and is now made up of young people from around Minnesota and the U.S. Participants will work on bike access, urban agriculture, energy efficiency and green manufacturing. Summer of Solutions will support existing local organizations that already work in these project areas and support them with their time and energy. For example, participants will be working with a variety of urban farms this summer, including several in East Phillips. SoS is [...]
CURIOUS?
“Curiosity didn”'t kill this cat!” ”¦Studs Terkel When you asked too many questions as a child, you were probably scolded with this advice, “Curiosity killed the cat!” Studs Terkel died on Halloween Eve 2008 at 96 years of age. Three years earlier, at the time of major heart surgery, he said he wanted his tombstone to read, “Curiosity didn”'t kill this cat!!” He was curious when he asked questions of many great Americans””not Presidents, Generals, and the famous”“he was curious as he interviewed hundreds of common folks. After graduation from law school he became a doorman instead of a lawyer”“so he could constantly meet and greet people. His consummate curiosity was only exceeded by his superb listening. Terkel asked poignant questions and overbalanced that adroit inquisitiveness with listening and documenting the answers. Are you curious? That”'s probably, why you are reading this newspaper. You [...]
Curious about a “key victory” in the Xcel Powerline dilemma?
By Tim Springer, Executive Director, Midtown Greenway Coalition As many Alley readers may know, Xcel energy applied to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for a permit to construct two new high voltage transmission lines over the Midtown Greenway or nearby, and two new substations. The community has concerns about potential impacts on human health, aesthetics, and historic resources, and consigning this part of town to blight. Because of the relatively short distance of the lines, about 1.2 miles, a “certificate of need” was not required for the project. This means that the PUC cannot deny the project, they may only say where the wires go. This was a frustration to many people who felt that a closer look should be taken at energy conservation, local power production such as with photovoltaic solar panels, electricity storage, and smart grid. The only way to require an analysis of this bundle of alternatives is to require a certificate of need. Enter [...]
