By Marya Hart
Campaign teams advocate for legislative change on environmental issues.
Land Use and Transportation
There was lots of action on the Blue Line Light Rail Transit extension in April, with the Sierra Club voicing support for $200 million in funding from the state. Just recently, the Met Council released their recommended route for the extension, which will run up West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis before continuing through downtown Robbinsdale. Voice your support for the route and make comments on the interactive map by May 18th.
Final approval for the Hennepin Avenue South reconstruction has been pushed back, and the team asks you to take quick action to support 24/7 bus lanes and call on city leadership to approve the design without further delay.
There are two exciting opportunities coming up to support Bring Back 6th, an initiative to repair the harms of Olson Memorial highway and return it to North Minneapolis community members. Help urge decision-makers to publicly commit to community demands at the May 4th accountability forum, and celebrate the history and future of the street at the Imagine 6th Avenue North park party on May 15th.
And finally, a special shoutout to outgoing Land Use and Transportation chair, Alex Burns, for his four years of leadership and service. His passion and dedication keep the team motivated to continue our work on transportation advocacy in the Twin Cities. Thank you, Alex!
Clean Energy
The Minneapolis City Council voted 8-5 to pause the expansion of the Hiawatha Water Distribution Yard project. The team is working to convince city lawmakers that this is an important priority for the city — learn more here, and reach out if you are in Ward 3 of Minneapolis. Call 612-673-2100 with two demands: 1) Do not demolish the Roof Depot building. 2) Enter into good faith negotiations with East Phillips Neighborhood Institute to make the urban farm project a success.
The team will also host a training on May 5 highlighting Sierra Club’s partnership with Youth N’ Power, a youth program looking to create a just and sustainable world. This partnership is aiming to eliminate barriers to weatherization in certain neighborhoods in the city—Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy are also potentially partners for this initiative.
The team voted YES to support the Minneapolis Climate and Equity Plan with an intention to keep informed about the campaign and give necessary feedback. Learn more about the “Minneapolis Green New Deal” here.
Zero Waste Task Force
The team is participating in an Arbor Day event on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 from 6-7 pm at Bass Lake Park for a park clean-up and tree planting.
For Earth Day, we gathered some ideas for reducing plastic use that we’re passing on to everyone who’s interested: 20 Easy Plastic Swap for Everyday, The Ultimate List of Plastic Swaps and ‘How can I get single-use plastic out of my baking? Plastic has an impact on our health and the environment from production to disposal. Follow the links to read studies about microplastics that highlight why reducing plastic is so important: microplastics have been found in human blood and in lung tissue.