Southwest Connector

Kate Marnach holds a Trick or Trash box, a candy wrapper recycling program that her shop, Zeroish (2309 W 50 S. ), takes part in. The program will be back closer to Halloween and community members can drop off wrappers for recycling.

LIVING SUSTAINABLY ONE SMALL STEP AT A TIME

According to the Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, limiting the earth’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius would require reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 45% by 2030 and … more

Chloe Peter | 9/21/22

Carol Dungan submitted a statement on behalf of the Standish Ericsson Neighborhood Association Board, and then said she had a personal note for the MPRB board members. “I am deeply offended at the way some board members have addressed our community,” she said. “The misinformation coming from this board is unchecked and we deserve better. I would like you to consider giving us an apology for the op-ed that appeared today [in the Star Tribune].”

Is lake unsafe due to pollution from golf course?

The Hiawatha Golf Course Master Plan is heading to a public hearing, another meeting in a long line of contentious meetings since the course flooded in 2014 and the public learned how much pumping is … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 8/2/22

Writers and editors celebrate the launch of “We Are Meant To Rise: Voices of Justice from Minneapolis to the World.” Left to right: Tess Montgomery, Samantha Sencer-Mura, Carolyn Holbrook, David Mura, Anika Fajardo, and Suleiman Adan. (Photo by Terry Faust)

Diversity of Twin Cities highlighted in anthology

Carolyn Holbrook loves to bring people together to discuss difficult issues. As an educator, author and advocate for the healing power of the arts, she has spent much of her life doing just that. … more

By Jan Willms | 7/28/22

‘CLIMATE STORIES FOR JUSTICE’ PART OF FRINGE FESTIVAL

Change Narrative, an organization bringing creative climate programming that balances science with art, empathy, and emotion led by Jothsna Harris, announces “Changing the Narrative: Climate … more

7/27/22

East Cedar Lake beach will remain natural. A formalized event area and a concert area with natural materials is proposed, and some new soft surface trails will be added. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

No new structures on Cedar or Lake of the Isles

There are no new permanent structures in the revised master plan for Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles.That means no picnic pavilions. No new bathroom facilities. No rental kiosks. These items were … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 7/13/22

Judson Church shines on

Hope comes in many sizes and colors these days. And although it is a four-letter word, it can also be spelled in five letters: SOLAR. It’s not every church in south Minneapolis that invested in … more

By Beth Waterhouse | 7/13/22

Open Streets returned in 2021 to two miles along Lyndale Ave. on Sunday, June 5, 2022.

AN OPEN LYNDALE

In 2011, Our Streets Minneapolis hosted its first event on two miles of Lyndale Avenue. Since then, over 575,000 people have attended Open Streets events. After a pause in 2020 and a scaled down … more

6/16/22 | 1 comment

"We are committed to helping communities build connections through conversation and we will do our best to help however we are able," said Chelsea Rowles.

LIVING ROOM CONVERSATIONS

How can people have hard conversations that will bring them together versus driving them apart?In a city that is engaged in tough conversations about policing, race and more, Chelsea Rowles suggests … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 5/30/22

Standish-Ericsson resident Roxanne Stuhr said, "One of my biggest rewards comes from guiding people through the process of creating their own individual take on an effective system and seeing them be proud and excited of their contribution." (Photo by Penny Fuller)

Guardians of our freshwater

What thoughts or images come to mind when you hear “freshwater”? Do you see a sparkling lake, hear water lapping against the shoreline, feel it tickling your toes? Is it a gurgling creek … more

By PENNY FULLER | 5/30/22

Xe Moua (left), with sisters Youa, Linda and Anna Yang of North Minneapolis, fish for bass in the Kenilworth Channel between Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake on May 15. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

A SANCTUARY IN THE CITY

Soon, a light-rail train will stop in one of the most natural areas of Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) is considering how to plan for the future of Cedar Lake and Lake … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 5/24/22

Colleen O’Connor Toberman is the Land Use & Planning Director at Friends of the Mississippi River. She can be reached at ctoberman@fmr.org or 651.222.2193 x29.

Join us to explore the future of the Mississippi River

In the 20th century, we made major public investments to transform the metro Mississippi River for commercial and industrial purposes. However, some of that old infrastructure is no longer useful, … more

By Colleen O’Connor Toberman | 5/24/22

County zero waste plan

Hennepin County is working on a new zero waste plan. They are defining zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated. The new plan will … more

5/24/22

Installing a small elevator and widening doorways made this lower level more accessible. (Photo by Andrea Rugg Photography)

Home renovations to age in place

At age 69, I was a “silver sneaker” poster child – fit and healthy, living on my own, fiercely independent and proud of it. Ironically, my main fitness exercise, avid fast walking … more

By SUSAN SCHAEFER | 4/28/22

How to create a food forest

Food forests represent an abundant past and a hopeful future. A diverse planting of native trees, shrubs, and perennials that bear edible flowers, fruit, nuts, and seeds; food forests grow all the … more

by Russ Henry | 3/23/22

Volunteer Gail Frethem plays with Tupelo at the shelter. (Photo by Penny Fuller)

FELINES FIND 'FUREVER' HOMES

Longtime Feline Rescue volunteer Nancy Miller writes monthly newsletters and works as a shift lead. “I love this work because I see first-hand the difference that volunteering makes in the … more

By Penny Fuller | 2/23/22

Both retail stores carry three main brands of computers: Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Lenovo. Large quantities of computers are sold to schools and non-profits, but community members are welcome to shop, too. Wil James is the store manager of the St. Paul store. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

Tech Dump recycles almost anything with a cord or battery

The non-profit electronics recycler Tech Dump just celebrated its 10th anniversary. With retail outlets now in St. Paul and Golden Valley, they provide an affordable, reliable source of refurbished … more

By Margie O’Loughlin | 1/25/22

Kevin Smoky Day, Ojibwe language instructor at Takoda Prep High School, led the evening prayer. He said, “When students ask me how to say a prayer in Ojibwe, I tell them it’s simple. You only need these words, ‘Thank you, Creator.’”

Urban Indigenous Legacy Initiative unveiled

Many buildings that serve Native Americans across the Twin Cities are outdated and dilapidated, making it even tougher to help those in need, according to Dr. Joe Hobot, president and CEO of the … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 1/8/22

RETHINK owner Kristen McCoy in an upcycled denim blazer. She explained, “To upcycle is to add value to something in the processing. We’re able to take a worn garment and turn it into something new. We take jeans that are no longer wearable and cut them into denim squares. The result is a reversible blazer that still has a lot of wear. It’s on sale at the shop, and is size fluid (small to large).” (Photos by Margie O’Loughlin)

RETHINK upcycles old clothes with style

Artist and business founder Kristen McCoy has been rethinking the future of fashion for years. Along with her staff at RETHINK Tailoring & Sewing Lounge (3449 Bloomington Ave. S.), she offers an … more

By Margie O’Loughlin | 11/30/21

Jennie Leenay, GFS community member and caretaker of The People’s Closet, with their pup Joyoncé. It's important to Leenay that fashion reaches everyday people, and that people feel connected to themselves and their community. (Photo by Jill Boogren)

The People's Closet makes fashion, political statement

Sometimes a revolutionary act is quiet, unseen. Sometimes it’s loud and worn on a shirtsleeve. At The People’s Closet at George Floyd Square, it’s a little bit of both.Born out of … more

By JILL BOOGREN | 11/30/21

The HiBAR team at their workplace in the St. Paul Midway neighborhood. HiBAR launched in late 2018, and is already on the shelves in more than 10,000 stores across the country. Founder Nora Scharper said, “The world needs one or two brands that can popularize the idea and practice of being plastic-free, and we intend to be one of them.”

HiBAR co-founders drawn together by sense of purpose

By now, everyone has seen images of plastic-strewn beaches around the world. Half a billion shampoo and conditioner bottles get tossed out every year in this country alone. Nora Schaper and her three … more

By Margie O’Loughlin | 10/28/21