Vision for Better Bloomington

Shoreview Green Community Self-Guided Tour, August 4 - 5

2007-07-29T12:10:00.000-05:00

You can read about best management practices for water quality, but on Saturday and Sunday, August 4 & 5th from noon to 5:30 PM each day you can tour 11 real examples in Shoreview and Lake Owasso yards.

The free, self-guided Shoreview Green Community TOUR map is available at the
Shoreview Clean Water booth near the Lake Johanna Fire Station at Victoria and 694
at Slice of Shoreview July 27 - 29th and on the City of Shoreview's website: http://www.ci.shoreview.mn.us/WhatsNew/WhatsNew.html Sponsors include city of
Shoreview Environmental Quality Committee, Rice Creek Watershed District, Grass Lake Water Management Org., and the Sierra Club Northstar Chapter. Call 651-483-9867 with any questions.

Did you know that in 2006 Bloomington business and residents used 4.8 Billion Gallons of water on average, up from 4.5 Billion in 2005. That works out to 13.1 Million Gallons Per Day.

Bloomington wells provided 76% and the remaining 24% had to be purchased from the City of Minneapolis.

Izaak Walton Creek Clean Up

2007-05-18T09:43:00.001-05:00

Join us on Sunday May 20th at Izaak Walton Creek at 12:30 pm near the
Bass Ponds in East Bloomington for clean-up and short program on the
suitability of the spring-fed creek to support trout populations. The
meeting place is the MN Valley Bass Ponds parking lot one block east
of the intersection of Old Shakopee Rd. and 86th St. near the Cypress
facility.

The short program will be led by Dr. Leonard Ferrington, Professor of
Entomology at the University of Minnesota and developer of the
Volunteer Stream Monitoring Interactive Verification Program used to
do biological monitoring of streams and rivers throughout the U.S.and
Canada. Dr. Ferrington will demonstrate the invertebrates he has
found in studying Izaak Walton Creek and talk on the effects of
pollution and storm water run off on aquatic species and fish habitat.

http://www.entomology.umn.edu/midge/VSMIVP.htm

Dr. Ferrington, students, and staff of the Minnesota Valley National
Wildlife Refuge have been monitoring the stream with hopes of
restoring trout populations. The source of the steam is approximately
500 yards away from the light rail coming out of the MOA. It
originally flowed into the Bass Ponds which were established as a
volunteer fish hatchery by the Minneapolis Chapter of the Izaak Walton
League in 1926 in order to restore depleted populations of black bass
in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest--- hence the name "Izaak Walton
Creek."

The program is free and open to the public, especially school age
children. It will take place in conjunction with clean up project to
remove trash and debris from the creek and surrounding watershed area
led by the Boy Scouts. Volunteers should be prepared to walk short
distances on rough terrain while picking up trash and debris that
people have dumped in the valley. Trash bags will be provided. For
more information/directions, call John Crampton 612-396-6010 or Gregg
Thompson 612-618-8616.

Bloomington just won't adopt sustainability

2007-05-04T13:48:00.000-05:00

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/sustainability/GreenPrint07_home.asp

Why can't we get Bloomington to move forward with sustainability? They just want to keep putting up buildings without the road structure to support it. And they seem quite proud of it. Yet after at least 15 years have not even solved the 84th Normandale issue, and in fact worse now but the buildings continue to go up. And not even Green buildings at that.

I asked the City Council at the end of February 2007 to put some sustainabiliyt metrics on the city web site. Simple things like how much elcecticy does the city itself use and how much gasoline. It would be nice to know what we are paying and using as a city. Yet they have to "study" that.

Sad state of affairs.

Upcoming Events

2007-04-15T14:06:00.001-05:00

Clean Ups

Community Clean-ups-April 20-21

Join local clean-ups to pick up leaves, sand, salt and other debris that flows as storm water run-off to pollute local streams, lakes, and the Minnesota/Mississippi Rivers. These clean-ups, sponsored by the Friends of the Minnesota River and Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, are scheduled for:

Eagan cleanup is Friday April 20th along Nichols Road. Contact is Terry Houle at Lockheed Martin (651-456-4211) or terry99@gmail.com

Edina Cleanup is along Nine Mile Creek on Sat., Apr. 21st from 9-11 a.m. Contact is Kevin Bigalke at 952-835-2078.

Bloomington Cleanup is at Central Park (Moir Park) along Nine Mile Creek, from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday the 21st. Contacts are Lori Nelson (612-370-9123) or Erica Bonebo at Normandale CC (952-250-0196). Get outside, get some fresh air and exercise, meet new people, get the kids to help out….improve water quality in our local streams.

Izaak Walton Creek (Near Bass Ponds) Clean-up-May 19th

Mark your calendars for Saturday May 19th 1-5 PM for a work project to cut out invasive species and do clean-up at Izaak Walton Creek near the Bass Ponds/Mall of America. This creek is being studied for possible stocking as a trout stream. Entomology students from U of MN will demonstrate collecting and identifying invertebrates to assess the ecological health of the stream. Contact John Crampton, 612-396-6010 jcrampt@comcast.net or check our website: http://www.bushlakeikes.org

“Landscaping for Wise Water-Use” Classes Now Playing in Your Neighborhood

Interested in learning environmentally-friendly landscaping techniques? Gregg Thompson and our chapter received a grant from the Toro Foundation to conduct classes on environmentally-friendly landscaping and rain-garden design and construction. These classes are offered to interested citizen groups and individuals at our chapter lodge or by arrangement in neighborhoods. For more information go to our website: http://www.bushlakeikes.org or contact Gregg at (612) 618-8616 bushlake@bushlakeikes.org

An Inconvenient Truth" Screening and Community Meeting on Global Warming

2007-04-08T21:14:00.001-05:00

"An Inconvenient Truth" Screening and Community Meeting on Global Warming

April 10, 2007 - 7 p.m.

Normandale Community College, Room C1022

Come learn the scientific facts about global warming and about all of
the work happening locally to stop it by attending a screening of Al
Gore's Oscar-winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" and learn
about global warming solutions. Contact Sam Landenwitsch at
612.767.2444 for more information.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also sign up for free bus ride Saturday to Global Warming Day of Action on April 14th at State Capitol:

http://www.globalwarmingdayofaction.org/

Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) and the Izaak Walton League in the Midwest

2007-04-06T14:03:00.000-05:00

History of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) and the Izaak Walton League in the Midwest

Kevin Proescholdt, Director of the Midwest Wilderness and Public Lands Program for the Izaak Walton League of America-Midwest Office will speak on the history of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) and successful battles over the past 80 years by the Izaak Walton League and other environmental organizations to preserve and protect wilderness areas and hunting-fishing habitats in the BWCA, the Upper Mississippi River Valley and other areas of the Midwest. Mr. Proescholdt’s talk is 6:30-7:30 pm on Thursday April 12^th at the Izaak Walton League-Bush Lake chapter lodge, 7515 Izaak Walton Road, Bloomington. The program is free and open to the general public. A director’s meeting follows Mr. Proescholdt’s talk at 8 PM. For more information call Jill Crafton 952-944-5583.

For a complete calendar of upcoming activities, go to: http://www.bushlakeikes.org

Sign the Petition- online

2007-03-14T20:24:00.000-05:00

Bloomington residents please sign the online petition to urge your city council to sign the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. There is no time to wait. Also please tell your friends.

http://northstar.sierraclub.org/campaigns/air/coolCities.html

Click the link on right sidepanel or paste the above link into your browser.

Link may not be fully operational until Friday March 16, 2007.

Farm Bill 2007: How Farm Policy Effects the Environment

2007-03-08T20:04:00.001-06:00

Farm Bill 2007: How Farm Policy Effects the Environment

Brad Redlin, Director of Agriculture Policy for the Izaak Walton League
of America, Midwest Office will speak on how the 2007 Farm Bill will
affect the environment.

Mr. Redlin's talk is 6:30-7:30 pm on Thursday March 15th at the Izaak
Walton League-Bush Lake chapter lodge, 7515 Izaak Walton Road,
Bloomington. Congress is debating provisions of the farm bill that will
have a major impact in terms of global warming, water quality of rivers
and streams, and the problems of world hunger. The program is free and
open to the general public. A director's meeting follows Mr. Redlin's
talk. For more information call Jill Crafton 952-944-5583.

Screening and Discussion of "Kilowatt Ours"

2007-03-03T09:54:00.000-06:00

Screening and Discussion of "Kilowatt Ours"

March 7, 2007 at 6 p.m.

Bloomington - Location To be announced, contact Sam

Global warming threatens to forever change our great state and
nation. The good news is that we can do something about it. Come
watch "Kilowatt Ours" and then learn how you can protect Minnesota's
great outdoors.

For more information, contact Sam Landenwitsch at 612.767.2444.

Email: samlandenwitsch@mepartnership.org

Coolcities launch in Bloomington, MN

2007-03-01T03:57:00.000-06:00

http://www.coolcities.us/

A Coolcities campaign has been launched in Bloomington, Minnesota. Stay tuned for upcoming events and how you can get involved.

Mayors Climate Protection Agreement

2007-02-24T13:34:00.001-06:00

On June 13, 2005, the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement was passed unanimously by the U.S. Conference of Mayors since the US would not ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Mayors inside and outside of the Conference continue to formalize their commitment by signing on to the agreement. As of February 22, 2007 there are 407 mayors that have singed on. In Minnesota the following have signed on: Apple Valley, Burnsville, Duluth, Eden Prairie, Edina, Mahtomedi, Milan, Minneapolis, Mountain Iron, Red Wing, Rochester, St. Paul, Turtle River, White Bear Lake, Winona,

reference links:
http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/climate/default.htm#contact

http://www.seattle.gov/climate/govResources.htm

Please encourage our Bloomington leaders to become part of the solution and not the problem. Please express your concerns today:

gwinstead@ci.bloomington.mn.us;
agrady@ci.bloomington.mn.us;
knordstrom@ci.bloomington.mn.us;
speterson@ci.bloomington.mn.us;
raxtell@ci.bloomington.mn.us;
selkins@ci.bloomington.mn.us;
vwilcox@ci.bloomington.mn.us;

National Day of Climate Action -April 14, 2007

2007-02-23T15:25:00.000-06:00

Mark your calendar today for this upcoming important event.

Do something important in the fight against global warming. On April 14,2007 people are rallying in hundreds of communities across the country to ask Congress to finally do something about bringing us into a clean energy future. This will be the first big nationwide rally against global warming--we hope you'll join us somewhere near your home.

For information, head to: www.StepItUp2007.org

Global Warming Solutions

2007-02-09T06:55:00.000-06:00

Thursday February 22, 2007
6:30 PM
Normandale College
(In the theater)
Bloomington, MN

Global Warming threatens to forever change our great state and no one knows better than WCCO TV Chief Meteorologist, Paul Douglas. Paul will be joined by J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director with Fresh Energy (http://www.fresh-energy.org/). Come and learn about what is happening in Minnesota, ask questions, and make a difference.

Free and Open to the Public

More information contact Sam Landenwitsch 612-767-2444

"Take the Minnesota Energy Challenge"

2006-11-17T10:32:00.000-06:00

Speaker: Kevin Brauer, MN Center for Energy and the Environment, www.mncee.org

"Take the Minnesota Energy Challenge"

7-8 PM Monday November 20 2006

Izaak Walton League, Bush Lake Lodge

Meeting of board to follow at 8 PM

We are all increasingly concerned about global warming and the need to reduce our CO2 emissions. Come and learn how to reduce energy consumption by taking the Minnesota Energy Challenge, home energy audits and conservation tips. Home diagnostic specialist Kevin Brauer from the Minnesota Center for Energy and the Envirnment will show us assessment tools he uses to identify specific areas in your home that are wasting energy and money.

- Check out the infra-red camera that can see into walls and find insulation weak spots.

- Learn how to make your home or office more energy-efficient, thereby saving money, energy and reducing CO2 emissions that cause global waming.

-Learn simple tips such as changing to high efficiency light bulbs, unplugging a second refrigerator, using a set-back thermostat, combining trips and driving a little slower--- all small steps, but taking even the simplest actions can make big reductions in CO2 emissions and save Minnesotans hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Kevin Brauer is a walking warehouse of practical knowledge that you can tap to learn about energy efficiency. Kevin did a home energy audit on our caretaker's cottage last year and taught us a lot about how to be energy-efficient and save money. The presentation is free and open to public, so invite your friends, neighbors and family. The IWL-Bush Lake board of directors will meet after Kevin's presentation at approx. 8 PM

How to STOP polluting.

2006-10-28T11:48:00.000-05:00

Unnecessay lights or electric power "ON" is POLLUTION.

You have the power to start or stop pollution today!

2006-10-18T21:09:00.000-05:00

It's as simple as turning your vehicle ignition switch ON or turning OFF.

Turning the light switch ON or turning OFF.

It's that simple

‘Think Globally, Act Locally.'

2006-10-14T10:25:00.000-05:00

The US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement was created by Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle. Under the Agreement, participating cities commit to take following three actions:

Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities, through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns;
Urge their state governments, and the federal government, to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol -- 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012; and
Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system

There is NO COST to sign the agreement and the results would probably result in a saving. Urge me in asking our elected city officials to sign on to this agreement so there is a world left for future generations. It is difficult to try and correct the wrongs of the world and so I have decided the best thing I can do is to start in my backyard. I hope you will help me.
terry houle

Ref:
http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/climate/default.htm#what

http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/cityhall/council/ccmember/ccmember.htm

Normandale Lakes Area Study -Council meeting

2006-10-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/cityhall/dept/commdev/planning/longrang/normlake/normlake.htm#input

The Normandale Lakes Area Study is on the City Council Agenda for
October 9, 2006. The regular council meeting begins at 7Pm at the
City Council Chambers.

Encourage stakeholder voters to be present.

Minneapolis City Council opposed Big Stone Power Plant

2006-10-07T06:09:00.000-05:00

The Minneapolis City Council unamiously passed resoution opposing
the proposed Big Stone power plant.

Coal plants are the single largest source of mercury emissions,
contributing to Minnesota's declaration of statewide fish consumption
advisories.

http://www.northstar.sierraclub.org/campaigns/air/coal/bigStonePropos...

Public Hearings Coming Up

Pull the plug on Big Stone II! Show your opposition to new dirty coal
power by attending a public hearing in your area:

October 16th - Saint Paul — at the PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMIS

More infor and discussion:

http://groups.google.com/group/vbbloomington

Global Warming: Minnesota Impacts

2006-10-06T08:14:00.000-05:00

Global Warming: Minnesota Impacts, Minnesota Solutions, Monday October 16th 7-8pm, Izaak Walton League-Bush Lake lodge, 7515Izaak Walton League Rd., Bloomington.

Global warming is the defining issue of our age and will be for many generations to come. Learn how it affects Minnesota and what actions everyday Minnesotans are taking to curb and mitigate its impacts. On Monday October 16th from 7-8 pm, J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director for Fresh Energy, will share her perspectives on the Minnesota impacts and solutions to the problems of global warming at the Izaak Walton League-Bush Lake Chapter lodge, 7515 Izaak Walton League Road, Boomington.

Ms Hamilton will talk about how, if we continue on a "business-as-usual" course with our energy use, mainstream scientific projections show that by the year 2090 Minnesota summers could be much like summers are in Kansas right now. Obviously, global warming will change everything about the character of our natural environment and the quality of life for our children, grandchildren and future generations. We could go from being the "land of 10,000 lakes" to being the "land of 10 lakes."

However, these impacts are not inevitable. The best scientists and engineers tell us that, by reducing our use of enery and making a transition away from the fossil fuels that are causing the problem to clean, efficient energy sources such as wind and solar, we can meet our energy needs, prevent the worst damages from global warming and grow our Midwestern economy in very promising ways. We need individual households to use energy more wisely, we need smarter business investments, and we need leadership from government at all levels.

J. Drake Hamilton serves on the board of the U.S. Climate Action Network and helped found Congregations Caring for Creation. In 2005 she studied global warming policy in Europe via a leadership fellowship from the European Union. She holds degrees in geography and environmental studies from Dartmouth College and the Unversity of Minnesota and was formerly assistant professor of geography at George Washington University in Washington DC, where she taught graduate and undergraduate courses in environmental geography and energy policy. Fresh Energy’s web resources are at: www.fresh-energy.org. Her presentation is free and open to the public. For more information/directions, call Jill Crafton, 952-944-5583 or visit the IWL-Bush Lake website: http://www.bushlakeikes.org

Take the Minnesota Energy Challenge

2006-10-03T19:16:00.000-05:00

The launch is October 13th launch where you will be able to:

* Take the Energy Challenge and commit to taking action steps to reduce your energy use.
* Learn more about programs and resources available to help you implement CO2 reductions.
* Ask an expert questions about energy conservation.
* Calculate your current emissions.
* Participate in an online forum to share your ideas and learn what other Minnesotans are doing to reduce their energy use.

Visit their web site for further information:

http://mnenergychallenge.org/

Rybak calls Climate Change bigger threat than terrorism.

2006-09-30T11:15:00.000-05:00

Minneapolis Mayor Rybak calls Climate Change a bigger threat to the city than terrorism. The solution will require more than government but they can lead the way. The city has already pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12% by 2012. Paste the entire URL below into your browser to read the Skyway News article.

But the question is how can be get Bloomington on board to do more NOW. Perhaps city staff or council can weight in on what they are doing now and they figure out how we ramp up. I am not aware that Bloomington even knows what the cites emissions are now to use as a baseline.

http://www.skywaynews.net/articles/2006/09/29/news/news08.txt

Minneapolis ahead of Bloomington

2006-09-25T19:55:00.000-05:00

Minneapolis has made some good strides in Sustainability from their city council actions in 2005. I am not sure Bloomington has done an adequate job and perhaps city staff or council will weight in here. Some of the Minneapolis information is listed below and hopefully Bloomington residents will demand the same or more.

From the Minneapolis city web site:

In April 2005, the Minneapolis City Council made several decisions that elevate the role of sustainability in directing city policy and operations. In 2005 they were ranked 10th in the nation < http://www.sustainlane.com/cityindex/citypage/ranking/ >.

Annual Sustainability Report will brought to the city council each June.

http://www.nextstep.state.mn.us/res_detail.cfm?id=1652

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/environment/Sustainability-Initiatives.asp

Envision Minnesota

2006-09-18T20:18:00.000-05:00

Envision Minnesota’s challenge to our leaders is to think long-term and make tough choices. A leader’s challenge is to prioritize and develop strategies that address a wide range of complex public policy issues. We need to support them so they can develop these priorities and strategies in a focused, thoughtful and meaningful way. We think that coming together with a simple statement sends a powerful message to candidates for the 2006 election. The Envision Minnesota project is deliberately non-partisan in approach, with the intention to bring together individuals from all ideologies around a consent agenda that all Minnesotans should agree on. By signing on you have joined a diverse group of citizens representing business, political, religious, labor and many other viewpoints.

Although our project is small, this grassroots effort to bring citizens together around the important issues of how we protect and enhance both our environment and the future of our communities has never been more important. We, like you, are aware that there are many competing priorities. Our leaders need us to help them with thoughtful and considerate dialogue. The Envision Minnesota statement can help articulate a few of those priorities and help create that thoughtful dialogue. We think that these broad recommendations can serve as a guide to helping leaders focus and to help citizens articulate their priorities.

What can you do next? Ask your friends and family to sign on as Citizen Visionaries. We need every citizen to take this simple stand. Please send this letter to your friends and family. Ask them to view our website at envisionminnesota.org.

Mississippi watershed degradation and the gulf

2006-09-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

Izaak Walton member Gregg Thompson provided this link to a editorial on the Minneapolis Star Tribune's website :

http://www.startribune.com/561/story/679640.html

It gives a good explanation of the condition of the waters, the reasons behind (or a lot of the reason) and how this impact can be reduced (and its importance).

Welcome to Bloomington, MN

2006-09-10T10:26:00.000-05:00

This is the Russell A Sorenson boat landing at Lyndale Avenue in Bloomington. Just a fraction of what is there. While it would not solve the issue a trash container there would certainly help. While some might object to this posting for Bloomington regretablly it is reality.

Safe Climate Act of 2006 (HR 5642) in Congress

2006-09-09T09:08:00.000-05:00

Urge your representative in Congress to Support the Safe Climate Act of 2006 (HR 5642). The bill sets targets and requires the actions that will be necessary to avoid dangerous, irreversible warming of our planet
As of this writing only Rep. Betty McCollum (MN-4) has cosponsored the bill.

ref:

http://www.house.gov/waxman/safeclimate/index.htm

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR05642:@@@P

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:1:./temp/~c109jBlZNF::

http://thomas.loc.gov/

Hennepin County Voter Ballot

2006-09-08T18:27:00.000-05:00

Go to the Hennepin County Online Services for your Primary Sample Ballot customized for your address.

http://www2.co.hennepin.mn.us/voterinfo/options.jsp

September 12, 2006

Raingardens and permeable pavement

2006-09-07T22:25:00.000-05:00

In response to a query I had on raingardens and pervious payment
Gregg Thompson (Izaak Walton League- Bush Lake Chapter) submitted
this:

A Burnsville project involved the City's retrofitting about 17
raingardens into a two-block residential neighborhood on Rushmore
Drive, north of Crystal Lake. This area of the city, like many,
have no stormwater ponds for settling out sediments and nutrients,
so their stormsewers discharge directly into Crystal Lake. The City
worked with Barr Engineering to do an on-the-ground study on the
effectiveness of strategically-placed raingardens to intercept and
infiltrate stormwater runoff. The project ended up reducing the
neighborhood's stormwater discharge by 90% (they have monitoring
equipment in the stormsewer system). I think their goal is to get a
cost-analysis done on the project, with their monitoring results
(measuring sediment, nutrient and pollutant removal, etc.) to
determine how much this method would cost for a certain level of
sediment/nutrient/pollutant removal. Raingardens (Bioretention /
Infiltration Basins) are being used all over the Twin Cities, with
the exception of Bloomington. The city claims two raingardens in
town, but they're simply wet ponds that they are choosing to call
raingardens because they don't seem to understand the function.
Anyway, raingardens are designed to infiltrate stormwater runoff and
treat that runoff through sediment capture, nutrient capture and
absorbtion, and pollutant breakdown by the soil microbes. These
raingardens can work in a variety of locations, from residential to
commercial areas, with priorities being locations that would keep
stormwater runoff out of the stormsewer systems and our wetlands,
lakes, streams and rivers.

Here's a link that has a photo of one of the Burnsville
raingardens:
http://www.metrocouncil.org/Directions/water/water2006/
raingardensApr06.htm and another good link to an article from the
DNR Conservation Volunteer Magazine:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer/mayjun04/raingardens.html

Also, regarding water conservation issues, there are a lot of
sprinkler systems in Bloomington (and everywhere else) that will
often be running during and immediately after rain events -dumping
drinkable water onto the ground.

We would also promote rainbarrels and other water conservation,
and measures for the landscape (and maybe have a couple of hands-on
'make your own rainbarrel' workshops). Anyway, getting back to your
question about permeable / pervious pavement, I don't know of any
good examples in our area, but there are installations in Prior Lake
(driveways), Apple Valley (driveway), UofM Landscape Arboretum in
Chanhassen (parking lot), Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District
in Little Canada (parking lot), Schmeltz Volkswagen in White Bear
Lake (huge parking lot), MnDOT-Annandale Roadway Testing Grounds
(interstate road surface) and a few other places. With the
permeable pavements, materials can be special concrete pavers (which
have wider openings between joints), permeable concrete, permeable
asphalt, and some other plastic products that are filled with turf
or crushed rock. The base of these permeable paving systems has
typically been over-excavated and a material with large amounts of
pore-space (like crushed rock or coarse-sand) has been put in to be
able to hold a large amount of stormwater. These systems are quite
interesting. Homeowners could also employ these materials
(specifically the pavers) in patios and sidewalks.

My hope is that eventually Bloomington will follow Minneapolis'
model (slightly revised) that charges people for their stormwater
runoff. If landowners reduce their runoff (and can prove it to the
city) the city will provide stormwater credits to reduce the
stormwater utility fee.

Here's a little on Minneapolis' program that I had previously
sent to another person: The City of Minneapolis has enacted higher
stormwater utility fees. Landowners' stormwater utility fees are
determined by their amount of impervious surfaces. The City is
providing economic incentives to encourage runoff reduction by
offering "credits" for implementing runoff reduction practices
(raingardens, permeable pavement, etc.) along with proof of what
size of storm-event the practices were sized for. Some of the other
cities in the twin cities are in the wait-and-see mode, letting
Minneapolis work out the kinks, but I think this sort of 'pay for
your impact' fee will be utilized by other cities to both reduce
stormwater-runoff from private lands and help them pay for public
runoff-reduction project planning and implementation, as well as
education. Link:
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/stormwater/what-we-do/StormwaterRate
.asp

Normandale Lake Study Area -City Hall-Sept7

2006-09-06T21:43:00.000-05:00

Come to the meeting Thursday Sept 7th about the proposed reconstruction
of 84th & Normandale.

Public comment, 6-7 PM
Tri commission meeting 7-?

Residents in the area have only been fighting this for about the last 15-20 years. It goes back to what I think we called Citizens for a Better Bloomington when Kurt Laughinghouse and Jim Andrews among many others were involved. Some have moved but many of us are still here fighting city hall.

Please come and show your support for the neighborhood. Lets make it bike lanes, pedistrian areas, etc. We don't need more commercial development.

California to Cap Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2006-08-30T17:54:00.000-05:00

Front Page New York Times ( http://www.nytimes.com/

California is set to become the first state to impose limits!

So where is Bloomington and Minnesota?? There are 291 Mayors that have signed on to the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement institutd by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. Minneapolis, St Paul, Rochester but not Bloomington. Why is that?

Code of Conduct

2006-08-29T22:02:00.000-05:00

Does anyone know where the Code of Conduct and Ethics rules are for city staff and council. I searched through city web site but was unable to find them.

http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/index.htm

Normandale Lake Study Area

2006-08-26T06:10:00.000-05:00

I receivd a letter from City of Bloomington about a public open house and a formal presentation on Sept. 7, 2006 at City Hall. There is a public open house from 6-7pm followed by formal presentation at 7pm in council chambers. What I find distressing is the note that states: "No public comments or testimony will be taken at this informational presentation. Comment cards will be available to offer feedback following the presentation." I realize there were some some open houses already to present it to neighborhoods.
The letter indicates the next step is an overview of the preliminary design concepts at the upcoming study meeting of City Council(letter does not indicate but believe that is the 28 Aug meeting).
At the Sept 7th meeting at 7pm(council chambers)SRF (consultant) will formall present to a joint meeting of: Planning Commission, Transportation and Traffic Advisory Commission (TTAC) and the Park, Arts and Recreatiion Commission (PARC).

To me it gets back to who is runing the city? I feel it is being forced down our throats and gets so far down the road that impossible to change. I am not aware of any citizen or enviromental groups that have been, or are involved, with the process.

Community Discussion List created

2006-08-25T09:11:00.000-05:00

A Google Groups Discussion list has also been created to allow people discussion of Sustainibility. As neighbors lets discuss the topic and all learn from one another over the Internet fence since we can't do it over our backyard fence.

THR URL IS LISTED BELOW OR POST CAN BE SUMITTED BY EMAIL.

URL
http://groups.google.com/group/vbbloomington

Email
vbbloomington@googlegroups.com

Who we elect matters!!

2006-08-23T21:11:00.000-05:00

One resource of many for information about who to elect is from the Sierra Club. They have infomation online and the following was excerpted from their website. The appropriate URL's are included. Please learn more about who you are casting YOUR important vote for in the upcoming elections.

http://northstar.sierraclub.org/

Elections 2006

The people we elect to public office play a critical role in protecting our air, water and lands. That's why over the coming months the North Star Chapter will be very active in reaching out to Minnesotans about the importance of the 2006 elections. Get the facts, learn about what we're doing, and find out how to help by visiting our Elections 2006 page.

http://northstar.sierraclub.org/2006elections/index.html

trh

Who runs the city?

2006-08-21T21:17:00.000-05:00

An article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Monday August 21, 2006 was listed as- Hot Property - Bloomington Central Station. It quotes the McGough project manager as saying: " will change how Minnesotans live, work, connect and play in the 21st century" It is for condominiums, office and retail for the $700 million project.
Why does it seem like in the over 20 years that I have lived in the city developers seem to run Bloomington. In the NW quadrant we have been fighting development since probably the mid 80's. Sometimes it seems being a voter does not matter. Do the people run the city or the developers?

Strategic Planning Meeting coming

2006-08-20T12:49:00.000-05:00

Strategic Planning - Imagine Bloomington 2025
Imagine 2025

To plan for the City's future, the City Council, Housing and Redevelopment Authority and Port Authority are preparing a Strategic Plan. The plan will define the City's strategy for development, redevelopment, City services, infrastructure, and fiscal strength and stability for the next 20 years. The strategic planning process can be defined as "The process of determining a city's long term goals and identifying the best approach for those goals." A timeline has been set for the planning process.

Strategic Partners

An official strategic planning visioning meeting was held on June 21, 2006. The City Council, HRA, Port Authority, and Strategic Partners were in attendance and are responsible for developing a preliminary vision for the community. Strategic Partners include:

* Bloomington Athletic Association
* Bloomington Chamber of Commerce
* Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau
* Bloomington Fine Arts Council
* Bloomington Historical Society
* Bloomington Public Schools
* Bloomington Rotary
* Bridging
* Cornerstone Group
* Normandale Community College
* Northwest Health Sciences University
* Volunteers Enlisted to Assisted People (VEAP)

The group will meet again in late August to develop the preliminary vision that will be presented to the community in a series of town hall and focus group meetings.

**************

Strategic Planning meetings

Civic Plaza entrance

A series of town hall and focus group meetings will be held in late
September 2006 and early October. Residents, employers, and people who work
in the City are encouraged to attend in order to refine and revise the
preliminary vision. Since the vision will provide the foundation for
developing strategic initiatives and action plans. Participation in town
meetings is very important.

In addition to the town meetings, the City intends to hold focus groups
to enhance participation by people whose input is very important for the
success of Imagine Bloomington 2025. These groups include seniors,
ethnic and racial minorities, youth, and hospitality industry employees
and employers. Focus groups will be held in September and October.

Town hall meetings:

Date
Meeting
Time
Location

September 19, 2006
Council District I
6:30-8:30 P.M. Oak Grove Middle School
Auditorium
1300 West 106th Street

*********
September 26, 2006

Council District II
6:30-8:30 P.M. Olson Middle School
Auditorium
4551 West 102nd Street

*************
October 5, 2006
Council District III
6:30-8:30 P.M.
Northwestern Health Sciences University
2501 West 84th Street

**********
October 12, 2006
Council District IV
6:30-8:30 P.M.
Valley View Middle School
Auditorium
8900 Portland Avenue S

Letter to Editor of Bloomington Sun Current

2006-08-20T09:10:00.000-05:00

To start this Blog I thought I would begin with the following letter to the editor that I sent to the Bloomington (MN) Sun Current newspaper and was published on August 10, 2006.

The hope is to raise people's awareness and create a dialog of the issues facing Bloomington, Minnesota as we move forward.

Please enjoy and encourage your participation. As Margaret Mead said "We never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."

Copy of Letter to the Editor follows:

As I was sitting here roasting in the heat on July 28 (2006) I was wondering if Bloomington had signed on to the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement. After researching it, I disturbingly find that Bloomington is not on the list.

I find Apple Valley, Duluth, Eden Prairie, Minneapolis and St. Paul but no Bloomington.

Under the agreement, participating cities commit to take following three actions:

- Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities, through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns.

- Urge their state governments, and the federal government, to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the U.S. in the Kyoto Protocol - a 7 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2012.

- Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system.

I have asked my City Council representatives why we have not signed on to this agreement as many of our neighboring communities have already.

We have to start action now if we have any hope to slow what is happening to our world. I have always considered Bloomington a forward-thinking community, but we certainly are not in this case. I would certainly encourage others to call or write their government officials to demand immediate action.

END COPY

Terry Houle
Bloomington, Minnesota