News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Sunday December 21st 2025
Examining the Health Impacts of Older Housing Built Before 1939 in Phillips
By EMMA HESS, Community Journalist-in-Training
50.5% of the homes in Phillips were built before 1939 and that may be a problem for some residents in the Phillips Community. Specifically while older houses may be considered more structurally sound there can be a greater exposure to radon and lead poisoning. Other issues are related to insulation and a lack of air conditioning – and the intersection of these issues given the high levels of air pollution issues in Phillips.
Natalie Bullis, MPH, is the Operations Coordinator for Community Health for Pillsbury United Community. Bullis lived in Phillips for two years as part of her undergraduate degree, in an older home, and she works out of Waite House once a week.
“Phillips has a pretty extensive history of air pollution. And especially in the winter when there can be a lack of insulation, that doesn’t make it any better,” said Bullis.
According to Minnesota Compass, in the Phillips Community, 4062 or 50.5 percent of the homes were built before 1939. The total number of housing units in Phillips is 8046 (as of 2022).
Because of this, Community residents need to be aware of the possibility of radon in the soil, poor insulation in the winter, and the worsening air quality due to wildfires in Canada and other parts of the state as well as I-94.… Read the rest “Examining the Health Impacts of Older Housing Built Before 1939 in Phillips”
Four Things to Know About the East Phillips Urban Farm Project this December
- Meet EPNI at the alley’s celebration on December 5th to learn about the history and future of the Roof Depot site
- December Community Meeting: Learn about rainwater recycling and help design a rainwater collection system for the Roof Depot site, details on EPNI’s calendar at epnifarm.org/events (rescheduled from November)
- EPNI has a weekly public Zoom call every Wednesday from 5-6pm – hope to see you there sometime! (See EPNI’s calendar for the Zoom link.)
- Check out the recently launched “View from the Future” poster series, made by local artists and East Phillip community members at epnifarm.org/art
- Learn more and get in touch online at linktr.ee/epnifarm
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HERC Closer to Closing Down?
By ZERO BURN COALITION
On November 7, 2024 Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, joined by City Council Members, Representative Frank Hornstein, and local environmental advocates, signed a resolution urging the permanent closure of the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) trash burner located in downtown Minneapolis by 2027. The resolution to close HERC unanimously passed the Minneapolis City Council a week prior, As part of its ambitious Zero Waste Plan, the City has set a goal to recycle or compost 80% of its waste by 2030.
The HERC incinerator, which processes up to 1,000 tons of waste daily, is the largest industrial air polluter in Hennepin County. In recent years, it has faced increasing scrutiny from community and environmental justice groups for its disproportionate impact on nearby low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. Only 22% of what is burned at HERC comes from Minneapolis residents, according to the resolution, and Minneapolis is a state leader in the movement towards zero waste. Meanwhile, many suburbs without zero waste plans and with much higher waste generation per capita send their trash to HERC. Yet Minneapolis has prioritized greatly reducing city waste going to HERC and building a circular system focused on recycling, composting, and reusables.… Read the rest “HERC Closer to Closing Down?”
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