‘Environment’ Archives
Zero Burn Coalition Requests
Help to Close the Hennepin County Trash Incinerator
By THE ZERO BURN COALITION The Zero Burn Coalition, comprised of over 30 organizations and hundreds of individuals, is working on all fronts to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) trash incinerator located in downtown Minneapolis by the end of 2025.One big next step is to get the city of Minneapolis to pass a resolution calling for Hennepin County to close HERC, which we’re hoping the City Council will be taking up this month.Why is shutting down HERC an urgent priority, and how can it be shut down by 2025?Contrary to what Hennepin County argues, HERC has been poisoning communities closeby ever since it began burning trash in 1989. Nurses, teachers, parents, bus drivers, and other neighbors have attested to the fact that asthma rates and other health issues are higher in neighborhoods near HERC as opposed to neighborhoods farther away. Scientists now back them up. And regulations cannot keep up with the industry; HERC is burning chemicals that we don’t know the [...]
Southside Roots: Student Led and Community Grown
Illustration: Jake Ryan By OLIVE GRABE and LUCY JARMAN Do you live in the East Phillips, Corcoran, or Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis? Are you interested in workshops and resources centered around keeping food cultural, local, and healthy? If so, you should check out Southside Roots. We are led by South High students and co-led by Michelle Shaw of Minneapolis Edible Boulevards. We prioritize making food healthy and accessible, and connecting with youth and families to make sure everyone has the opportunity to explore urban agriculture. Our program is based around food justice, gardening, outdoor education, and community building. So far our team has planted an edible mushroom bed, three fruit trees, and a community boulevard garden at South High School, and helped plant edible boulevard gardens in our students’ own communities throughout Minneapolis. We have also co-hosted a seed sowing event together with Corcoran Neighborhood Organization and Minneapolis Edible [...]
Cumulative Impact Laws Ignored in East Phillips
The MPCA lacks a sense of urgency in addressing high levels of asthma, cardiovascular disease, and other negative impacts in East Phillips By KAREN CLARK AND H. LYNN ADELSMAN Jolene Jones directed anger and frustration towards a panel of officials from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency at a community meeting in November. Photo: DAVID PIERINI As community members continue to demand Smith Foundry be shut down due to toxic emissions and continue to show up at meetings where the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) says it’s listening and cares, the strong odor continues. On its website, the MPCA states: “The MPCA continues to focus on improving air quality in overburdened communities and to work toward environmental justice.” However, in February 2024, Círculo de Amigos staff called to report the exposure of children at the child care center to a strong odor of toxic emissions, but no one from the MPCA responded with a site visit. There is no clear [...]
