Monthly Archives: July 2008

Of rain barrels and rain gardens

I was turned on to the use of rain barrels and rain gardens by the Cannon River Watershed Partnership’s spring 2006 education/grant program supporting stormwater run-off reduction practices. I received a cost-share grant from CRWP to get a rain garden full of native species established in my front yard, was inspired to launch a crazy [...]

Energy Task Force talks community energy policy with City Council July 28

The Northfield Energy Task Force is scheduled to meet with members of the City Council at the Council work session scheduled for 7 pm, July 28th at the Council Chambers. The Task Force and Council will be discussing recommendations contained in the report recently submitted to the Council by the Task Force. Some of [...]

Opus on energy policy

I’ve toiled in the energy vineyards since I did my first energy audit in St. Paul in the summer of 1984. I worked for several nonprofit organizations between then and 1991, doing energy conservation/efficiency work (residential and commercial energy audits for the general population, energy audits for the federally funded low-income weatherization program, neighborhood energy [...]

Changing Gears

I was fortunate to connect yesterday with an interesting couple from Bloomington, Indiana who made a stop in Northfield. Andy Davis and Melissa Henige are in the midst of a cross-country bike tour from their hometown to San Francisco. Their trip is being documented on their website, Changing Gears: Shifting Into Sustainability. They describe [...]