Making a tri-fold display

Hello,

Yesterday I worked on making a new tri-fold display for my talk in the Twin Cities for the Twin Cities District annual business meeting. I will be speaking at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 Yes, my little doggie, Prof. Cricket, did get a walk before I started on this project.

Here is the blurb that appeared in their "Twin Cities Connection":

TWIN CITIES DISTRICT ANNUAL MEETING

Naomi Yaeger, the Minnesota UMW Green Team representative, to speak on Green Team projects! Naomi lives in Duluth

and attends First United Methodist Church. She is a freelance photographer and writer and edits a community monthly

newspaper, “The Hillsider”. She started as a Green Team member while living in Grand Forks, N.D. and serving as co-

president of UMW. As a reporter in Grand Forks she covered a community fighting the relocation of a landfill near their

town. The Green Team and environmentally consciousness has changed her life. She now thinks twice when shopping for

everyday little things likes soap, clothing and food. If having a cup of coffee means using a Styrofoam cup, she goes

without. Purchases are no longer just about the product, but about how much waste will need to be disposed after the

product is brought home.

The annual meeting for the Twin Cities District, United Methodist Women, will be held at Brooklyn United Methodist

Church on Saturday, September 19.

Registration and morning coffee will open at 9 a.m., with gathering for singing in the sanctuary at 9:30. The

worship service will follow, with the Emma Norton Tea (coffee break) following. The checks and cash given

at this time help us make our goal for support of Emma Norton Services for the year, so plan to give

generously.

The business meeting will complete the rest of the morning session. Following lunch, our speaker will be

Naomi Yaeger. She will discuss with us the direction the Green Team is taking concerning global warming,

clean energy and other environmental issues of concern to all women. You won’t want to miss her.

The Resource Room and other displays will be available for your browsing during free times.

Registrations may be made with Carol Foster, either by calling her at 763-537-3678 or emailing to GRUMPYTF@aol.com.

Please include the following information:

Name ________________________________

Church ________________________________

Need child care? ______ If yes, name and age of child. Please bring a bag lunch for each child. Snacks will be provided.

Deadline for registering is Tuesday, September 14. Cost is $8.00, payable at the door.

Directions to Brooklyn UMC: Take 694 W to Brooklyn Blvd exit; turn right on Noble Ave. Parking lot is across street from

church.

Preparing for presentation

I am preparing for an UMW talk in Brooklyn Park area of the Twin Cities. Currently I am trying to preparing a nice tri-fold. I am planning to talk about the Countdown to Copenhagen and how our food choices affect our environment.

This weekend my daughter and I took a trip and along the way we purposely stopped at a natural food store and a consignment shop. We like to support these storse. I think they are gentler on the environment.

We also shopped at a farmers market. I bought some homemade laundry soap.

Experimenting with video

Here is Prof. Cricket at the beach. She had a lot of fun trying to bite those waves.

The dog days of summer

Prof. Cricket get trapped in some rocks at Canal Park.


Youth squealed as they jumped of the cement structure into the cold lake. I stuff my feet in the lake...yeap 43 degrees!

74°F

Current: Clear
Wind: S at 0 mph
Humidity: 70%

Wed

86°F | 63°F

Thu

85°F | 65°F

Fri

83°F | 65°F

Sat

81°F | 63°F

It is almost the middle of August. Time to get serious about the content of the September Hillsider. Today I phoned some advertisers and worked on the layout a bit.

It was really, really hot today. I had a picnic lunch at Canal Park. I found out it is really hard to access the beach with all the boulders there. Those rocks were hot enough to fry an egg! My little doggie got trapped between a couple rocks, but she wormed her way out. Finally we went down near the canal and there is an easier access to the water there. Lots of kids were throwing rock and feeding seagull.

Later we went to Brighton Beach, were Prof. Cricket chased the waves. She likes to try to bite them. She go all the way in the water and believe it or not she did get cold. I had to put her in the car to warm her up.

Anyway, I got my laptop out and worked on the design, made some phone calls and looked at the photos I now have. We want to have a candidate questionnaire and it is looking very tight for space unless I sell some more adds to make a 16 pager rather than a 12 pager.

Water photo

For the past four years I have taken photos of public drinking water access. These might not be the best ones to start off with, but they are my most recent.

Public drinking water is very important. United Methodist Women believe that water is a human right. Not a commodity to by bought and sold.

Usually when I am out and about I will take a drink at a public fountain, not because I am thirsty, but because I want to see if the fountain works. And to exercise what I believe is a right.

Bulk shopping and plastic bags

I am usually aware of packaging as I am shopping. My favorite place to shop is Whole Foods Co-op so I can get natural and/or organic food and purchase in bulk. It does bother me that I use a lot of plastic bags. I have been trying to save them and reuse them. Washing them is kinda a hassle. Right now I have a whole bunch of used plastic bags.

I save them to pick up Prof. Cricket's dog doo. I don't know if this is a good reuse or not because I don't like the fact that it takes forever for these bags to break down (decompose). Picking up dog doo is important though. If we don't pick it up it all goes into our water supply. Here in Duluth that would be Lake Superior. So I am protecting the lake when I pick it up, even if it is being preserved in the plastic bag which ends up in a landfill.

I have started to use the little brown paper bags for my dry bulk goods, especially treats like nuts, chocolate drops and my peanut butter covered pretzels.

Recently I purchased BYO* Bags. They are a cloth mesh. The tag line is “*Bring Your Own. An Earth Friendly Alternative to plastic produce bags.”

I keep forgetting to put them in my car or purse to try them out.

Check out their website: www.coohatz.biz

UMW starts the Countdown to Copenhagen: Time to ensure enough for all

By Naomi Yaeger

UMW Green Team Dakotas Rep

Greetings! The UMW Green Team encourages you to get involved in environmental issues. As a Green Team representative, I attended Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C. this March. The theme year was “Enough for All Creation”. After the event we all spoke to our congresspeople and senators on Capital Hill.

Please study the issues and encourage President Obama to attend the Copenhagen, Denmark summit with other world leaders this December. UMW is working with the National Council of Churches and Church World Service in a postcard campaign. I have 1,000 of these postcards and would be happy to send you some. It is important that our president personally attend this event to show that the U.S. is committed to the environment. Caring about the environment is not just about trees and exotic animals. It is about caring for God’s children. The world’s poorest people are disproportionately affected by environmental derogation. Diseases and poverty go hand-in-hand with environmental racism. In our own country our poorest people have the most environmentally caused illnesses and diseases.

Please visit the websites www.churchworldservice.org and www.nccecojustice.org

You may join an environmental Internet group or learn more about UMW at www.umwonline.org.

Also please read your June issue of “Response”, I wrote an article on page 22 titled, “Loving God, people and the earth”. The article profiles other Green Team members and what they are doing within their districts. The Rev. Pat Watkins has founded Caretakers of God’s Creation ministry and another member, Kyung Yu, talks about her role as a Green Team representative and as a scientist.

I would be happy to consult with you or visit your church as a speaker. You may email me at sun_dog_press AT yahoo.com.

Organic hair care

Hello,
Last week I meet another woman who has an organic beauty shop. Have you ever stopped to think what a permanent does to your hair? Or some of the other chemicals that are common in a beauty shop?

There are ways to be kind to yourself, your beautician and the environment.
Naomi

House Passes Comprehensive Clean Energy Bill

I received this letter from Repower American. I also received emails from other environmental groups. The clean energy bill passed the house yesterday.
Dear Repower America Member,

The House of Representatives has just passed a landmark bill that will propel our nation toward a clean energy future.

The vote was close. Know that all of your efforts -- whether a signed petition, a donation, or a call -- made a difference in the outcome. Together, we are truly showing the power of government by the people and for the people.

It's not over though. The debate moves on to the Senate where our opponents will redouble their efforts. There will be more distortions and foot dragging, but the momentum is on our side.

Today, we have something to celebrate. For the first time in decades, we have taken bold action to help solve the climate crisis. I look forward to working with you in the days ahead.

Thanks for all that you do,

Steve Bouchard
Campaign Manager
www.RepowerAmerica.org

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Now, you to keep the pressure on the senate. The United Methodist Women's Green Team urges you to contact your senator and let him or her know we need a comprehensive clean energy bill.

In Minnesota, we still only have one senator: Amy Klobuchar. Contact her at:

Klobuchar, Amy - (D - MN)
302 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3244
Web Form: klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm

If you live in another state please click this link to contact your senator: U.S. Senate

Dulcimer Day organizer returns with Woman-Made | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota

Dulcimer Day organizer returns with Woman-Made | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota

Posted using ShareThis

Organic cotton, hemp and bamboo clothes

So a couple weeks ago I purchased organic clothes at the Green Mercantile which is in downtown Duluth.

The clothes I purchased had these brand names: Of the Earth, Indigenous, and Blue Canoe. I suppose I should have someone take a photo of me in my new clothes.

My jeans are made of hemp and they fit perfectly. Right now there website is down www.oftheearth.com so I will have to check back to see if they have photos of my jeans online. I also got a black jacket and a skirt made of cotton and silk.

I selected two shirts from Blue Canoe.
The one shown here, which I got in sapphire blue or what Blue Canoe calls cornflower and another black tank top with lace around the arms.

In the past I had only purchased organic cotton socks at the Green Mercantile because I told myself it was too expensive. When I found myself tempted by some new clothes at an upscale boutique I decided, "If I can buy these, I can buy the ones at Green Mercantile." So I went right over to the Green Mercantile and tried on some clothes. I am very pleased.

(The address is 209 East Superior Street, Duluth, MN 55802. And the phone number is (218) 722-1771.)

If you are living in another location in Minnesota visit this websearch page to find other stores with organic clothing.

Second hand clothing saves on the environment

Hi,

I had been on a contest with myself to see if I could purchase all my clothing second hand so as not to place a demand for new products on the environment.

I have had very good luck with this. I often get compliments on my clothes.

This spring while at a Ecumenical Advocacy Days I told another UMW member about this. She didn't like the idea because she had to wear second hand clothes as a child. She said they didn't fit right and often were smelly.

Well, I do have rules about purchasing second hand.

• The must fit and be comfortable

• There can't be anything wrong with them. No spots, stains and certainly not smelly

Wow, that certainly got this off on a sour note.

Another rule is that I know designer tags when I see them. I always look at the tag and see who made the clothing and what the fabric is made of. Usually a well made designer piece of clothing will last a long time. And you will feel proud to wear it.

Yesterday I purchased some new clothing for the first time in about three years. The only other new items I had purchased was two hats. (I am a hat lady.)

In the U.S., African Amercans are the hardest hit by climate change

Captions: left Prof. Cricket with her Christmas scarf. Right: the Rev. Michael McClain of the National Council of Churches of Christ Eco-Justice Programs.(Photos by Naomi)











By Naomi Yaeger UMW Green Team Rep and Prof. Cricket, her determined little dog.


Prof. Cricket and I live in a northern city, Duluth, MN. We go for lots of walks and this keeps us in contact with the people of the neighborhood. While Duluth doesn't have a large population of African Americans, we live in a part of the city that has a larger population of minorities than other parts of this city of 80,000 people.


One thing my little doggie and I have noticed is that of our environmentally minded friends we do not see many African Americans. I serve as the editor of "The Hillsider". It is a newspaper for the core neighborhoods in Duluth and we work hard to cover issues that affect minority people. One of the people on the board of directors of this non-profit newspaper, an African American woman, also had noticed that not many of her African American friends and acquaintances were as interested in environmental issues. She lived only a block away and I used to stop by with Prof. Cricket when we went for walks. (Prof. Cricket was fascinated with her cat.)

Anyway, we would talk about many things and one day she phoned me to tell me about an African American man she had just met. He was interested in the environment and trying to get people to recycle and participate in other environmental programs. She said this was the first African American that she had met who was "into" the environment. To her environmentalism was low on her priority scale. She thought she had more pressing issues to worry about.

Well, anyway the above story illustrates my personal experience with minorities interest in green issues. Here is an article I wrote for our newspaper:

Baptist minister says impacts of global warming fall harder on African-Americans than others

In March I attended Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C. as part of my role as a member of the United Methodist Women’s Green Team for the state of Minnesota. Over 700 people of faith from across the nation attended this conference. The theme was “Enough for all.” On the last day we visited our representatives and senators on Capitol Hill
We learned about environmental racism, in which the people who are already living in poverty are often dealing with the effects of environmental degradation.

I met Baptist minister Michael McClain, a staff-member of the National Council of Churches of Christ Eco-Justice Programs. He spoke about how minority people have often felt left out of the environmental movement when in fact they are the ones who are hardest hit by environmental degradation.

He said, “The worst impacts of global warming fall harder on African-Americans than on anyone else in the United States.” He cited asthma rates are often higher in minority communities, and minorities will pay a higher percentage of their incomes to increasing energy costs.
McClain works to reach out to historic black churches, explain the ways in which climate change is impacting poor people and people of color, and invite them to sign the National Council of Churches’ Faith Principles on Global Warming.
He is also working on home insulation programs, which help people lower energy costs as well as lower their carbon footprint.
If you would like to learn more email McClain at mmclain AT nccecojustice.org or visit nccecojustice.org

Eat fair trade chocolate at Easter time, urge Cadbury's to go fair trade in America

Many people eat lots of chocolate at Easter time.

Make sure you buy fair trade chocolate.

In England Cadbury's has made a commitment to selling fair trade chocolate.

Here is what Green America has to say:
he significance of this fantastic news is that Cadbury is the first major chocolate brand to go Fair Trade with one of its main product lines, one of the goals Green America has been striving towards. Cadbury's announcement proves what Green America has been saying for years: it is viable for a major chocolate bar to go Fair Trade without passing a significant cost increase to consumers. Congratulations on this important victory to all of you who have taken action by buying a Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate bar or writing a letter to bring us to this moment!

Read more here.

World Water Day is March 22

World Water Day Highlights Value of Water Resources

"On World Water Day, we are all called to think about how countries can collaborate to assure sustainable freshwater supplies for all people, especially when those supplies span different countries' borders. In doing so, let's all think about the value of water and call ourselves and others to a high standard of water stewardship."

Denver (Vocus) March 20, 2009 -- The American Water Works Association (AWWA (www.awwa.org)), the authoritative resource on safe water, today joined the United Nations and water advocates throughout the world in recognizing the 16th annual World Water Day, observed March 22, 2009. AWWA Executive Director Gary Zimmerman issued the following statement.

"World Water Day provides a great opportunity to focus on the immeasurable value of water and to recommit ourselves to being excellent stewards of our global water resources. AWWA's 2008 State of the Industry report found that water resources were the single top concern among North American water professionals over both the near- and long terms.

"In the developed world, we frequently take safe water for granted, expecting it will always be there when we turn on the tap. But as drought grips California, Texas and other regions in North America, we need to think about how we use water in our homes and our places of business. All of us - from scientists to resource planners to utility managers to consumers - have a role to play in maximizing the smart and efficient use of our valued water resources.

"On World Water Day, we are all called to think about how countries can collaborate to assure sustainable freshwater supplies for all people, especially when those supplies span different countries' borders. In doing so, let's all think about the value of water and call ourselves and others to a high standard of water stewardship."

Eighty-five World Water Day events have been planned across 27 countries as of this release. The United States and Canada will hold 37 such events, the most of any region of the world. Read about World Water Day in Streamlines (http://www.awwa.org/publications/breakingnewsdetail.cfm?itemnumber=47057). More information on World Water Day 2009 can be found at www.worldwaterday.org.

AWWA is the authoritative resource for knowledge, information, and advocacy to improve the quality and supply of water in North America and beyond. AWWA is the largest organization of water professionals in the world. AWWA advances public health, safety and welfare by uniting the efforts of the full spectrum of the entire water community. Through our collective strength we become better stewards of water for the greatest good of the people and the environment.

UMW Green Team's Initiative on Climate change

Carol Rieke and Jane Todd visiting at the Washington, D.C. office with Senator Amy Klobuchar's aide Charley (Photo by Naomi Yaeger-Bischoff)


Visiting with Rep. Jim Oberstar's aid in the Rayborn Building in Washington, DC. Naomi Yaeger, Franciscan sister and Jane Todd.

UMW Green Team’s Initiative on Climate Change: Countdown to Copenhagen Campaign 2009

From the GBGM-UMW website

The Women’s Division and United Methodist Women are active partners with Church World Service, the National Council of Churches USA, their member denominations, and ecumenical partners in developed and developing nations on the Countdown to Copenhagen Campaign (C2C).

This effort strives to build awareness among people of faith of the critical need for compassionate, bold action on climate change which is damaging God’s creation and imposing unjust burdens on the poor around the world.

The campaign calls upon the world’s leaders to commit to strong limits on carbon emissions. It also calls for wealthy nations to contribute funds to assist developing countries to adapt to the climactic changes that have already begun.

Clear here to learn things you can do

SCHOOLS OF CHRISTIAN MISSION

HOST A POSTCARD TABLE

LINK THE C2C CAMPAIGN WITH AN EDUCATIONAL EFFORT

· Adult Sunday School class

· Vacation Bible School class

· Teens – participatory learning

· Beat the Heat Fair

INFORM, INSPIRE AND ACTIVATE WITH A LOW CARBON FOOTPRINT MEAL

CELEBRATE MOTHER’S DAY IN A SPECIAL WAY

HOST A VIDEO PARTY.

HOST A PUBLIC VIGIL/PRAYER SERVICE

Click here to learn more

For more information

Contact Esmeralda Brown at Women’s Division: EBrown AT gbgm-umc.org

212-682-3633.

For Policy and Legislative Updates contact Susie Johnson at Washington Office: umwanet AT gbgm-umc.org / 202-488-5660

UMW Green Team members gather for envirnomental justice-learning event

United Methodist Women Social Action Coordinators, Green Team members and Women's Divison directors meet in Washington, D.C. for Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Alexandria, Virginia. (Photo by Naomi Yaeger-Bischoff)

Climate Change Tops Ecumenical Advocacy Days

by YVETTE MOORE*

Forty-seven United Methodist Women social action and environmental justice leaders shared organizing tips and boned up on legislation affecting women, children, youth and the environment at the 7th Annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days in the Washington, D.C., area, Mar. 12-16. The “Enough for All Creation” ecumenical advocacy event convened more than 600 people from various denominations and faith groups to focus on the urgent need for legislative action around climate change.

Even event workshops on Africa, peace, hunger and economic justice examined the impact of global warming on those issues.

“As Christians, we must be truth-tellers,” said the Rev. Sean McDonagh in the opening plenary worship of the ecumenical event. “If we continue in the way we are going, by 2100, a third of the earth will be desert. So children I baptize this year -- whom I would hope would live to be 100 -- they will be here when this happens. … This is a Kairos moment. Pray courage for individuals and courage for our leaders. We have the technology. The world has the wealth. But the world still doesn’t have the political will to act -- and we have a window of about 10-20 years to effect change.”

Read the whole story on the GBGM UMW website here

Biokleen laundry liquid has no phosphate or chlorine and works well

It works very well. Here is what the Biokleen's website says about the laundry liquid:

Citrus Laundry Liquid

Phosphate & Chlorine Free:
Our Laundry liquid removes the toughest dirt, grease, stains and odors, yet is gentle enough for cloth diapers, delicate fabrics and hand washables. Rinses clean without leaving residue on clothes that can irritate skin or ruin fabrics.

• 3x More Concentrated
• Grapefruit Seed & Orange Peel Extracts
• Naturally controls stains and odors
• Makes a great pre-treat for stains

I don't like fragrances in my laundry soap. I smelled my laundry and it smell clean and there was no flowery or other smell.

Here are the ingredients: Surfactants and conditioners form coconut and/or corn, orange peel extract, grapefruit seed and pulp extract, linear suffonate, filter water.

I went to a green conference the other day and Shannon from the Whole Foods Co-op gave me a sample of Biokeen. It is an all temperature Laundry Liquid and it is phosphate and chlorine free.

Giving up Carbon for Lent

Will you give up something for Lent?

Here is a post on Twilight Earth:

The 10 Best Ways to Give Up Carbon for Lent.

10. Get a cloth sack

9. Give the dishwasher a break -

8. Fill your plates - What plates are those? Light switches and plug plates!

7. Don’t let it shine - “Oh Honey! You turned down the lights! How romantic!”

6. The Secret Sister of the Recycle, Reuse and Reduce triplets -Let me introduce you to Precycling! Simply put, Precycling is the act of “not purchasing” something that would otherwise be Recycled or thrown into a landfill.

5. Eat Slow, Joe - Fast foods are Carbon intensive.

4. Got a Bounty of Brawny Scott’s in your kitchen? Give’em the boot! -

3. Wean yourself off the bottle - No, not that bottle, this bottle.

2. Don’t be Latte for work - How much water goes into that single Latte you buy on the way to work? 50 Gallons! Check out this video.

And the number 1 thing you can do to give up carbon for Lent? Give up Beef! For every 1 pound of beef that you eat, you are also consuming 7lbs of grain, and 2,500 gallons of water. Not to mention about 270 antibiotic injections. 1lb of beef also produces the carbon equivalent of driving a car at 60 miles an hour for 200 miles or burning a 100 watt bulb continuously for 20 years.

Our pastor is giving up red meat for Lent because he wants to lessen his carbon footprint.

You may read more about the effects of meat production on the environment here at:

Beef Effects on People, the Environment and Society.

Klobuchar Secures Nearly $50 Million in Funding for Minnesota Energy and Water Projects

Klobuchar secures funds for homegrown energy and additional job-creating measures

Washington, D.C. – Continuing her efforts to secure funding for important initiatives across the state, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced that over $49 million will be included in the Energy and Water section of the Omnibus Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2009. The measure includes funding for many projects that will provide jobs for Minnesotans, including flood control and mitigation in Breckenridge and Crookston, waste-to-energy facilities in Pope and Douglas counties and the Lewis & Clark Rural Water System in southwest Minnesota.

Klobuchar secured $4 million for the continuation of work on the Red River of the North Flood Control project in Breckenridge. After the massive Red River basin floods of 1997, government officials decided to implement permanent flood damage reduction projects for the communities along the river, including Breckenridge. Funding announced today will go towards creating a high-flow diversion channel and two separate permanent levee reaches that will protect all of Breckenridge.

“Early federal support was vital to Minnesotans’ efforts to recover and rebuild in the aftermath of the ’97 floods,” said Klobuchar. “Last summer’s flooding in the Midwest demonstrated how important these projects are to helping communities avoid catastrophe. Flood projects like this can mean the difference between minor damage and total destruction.”

Along with five senators from South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota, Klobuchar announced further federal funding allocations for the Lewis and Clark Rural Water System. Klobuchar announced today that $27 million would be sent to the project for the construction of a water pipeline that will provide clean water from the Missouri River to over 300,000 people in Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa through its 20 member cities and rural water systems.

“This important initiative will provide fresh, clean drinking water to people across southern Minnesota,” said Klobuchar. “In the land of 10,000 lakes, we value clean water and this project will help deliver that to families and businesses.”

In addition, Klobuchar secured nearly $1 million towards a new Plasma Gasification Waste To Energy facility in Koochiching County that converts municipal solid wastes into energy and other marketable by-products in an environmentally sound manner. The Renewable Energy Clean Air Project (RECAP) would use the funds to conduct a feasibility study to assess technical, economic and environmental matters.

“This is the type of innovation and leadership that we need to achieve energy security,” said Klobuchar. “At a time of unstable energy costs it is important that we invest in new technologies and the homegrown energy that will create the new jobs and businesses that will fuel our future.”

Senator Klobuchar secured nearly $1 million for the expansion of the Waste to Energy facility shared by Pope and Douglas Counties. The expansion is needed in order to meet the growing needs of the two counties. The Waste to Energy facility provides steam energy to neighboring businesses, such as the 3M Manufacturing plant and the Douglas County Hospital, and produces 500 kilowatts per hour of electricity for the Waste to Energy facility itself.

“The Pope/Douglas Waste to Energy facility is an example of Minnesotans leading the push for homegrown energy,” said Klobuchar. “Projects like this can create good jobs in Minnesota while capturing new energy sources, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and protecting the environment.”

Klobuchar also announced funding for the Minnesota Center for Renewable Energy. The center’s purpose is to move the Midwest toward greater environmentally friendly, sustainable energy use and energy independence. The Center, funded at $713,625 will operate as an applied research consortium of faculty, business and industry partners, and entrepreneurial leaders.

Klobuchar also secured over $8.6 million for a program to improve navigation efficiency and environmental restoration efforts on the Upper Mississippi River. The Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program works to ensure economic and environmental sustainability of the Upper Mississippi River System. It aims to reduce commercial traffic delays and protect and restore the environment.

Klobuchar was also successful in securing funding for a public-use harbor and dock in Duluth. The McQuade Road Safe Harbor Project includes a three-acre harbor where small craft can be protected during storms, ramps for boat and kayak launching, and adjustable docks. The facility also includes fishing spots and sidewalks above the shore and an underpass beneath Scenic Highway 61.

In addition, Klobuchar obtained funding to guard against floods in Granite Falls, Grand Forks, Ada and Montevideo. Funding for the Drayton Dam is also included in the bill.

Klobuchar secured funding for the restoration of Minnehaha’s Painter Creek, a water system which was straightened for agricultural uses in the early 1900s.

Other major Minnesota environment and water initiatives included in the bill include:

* $287,000 for repairing two levees damaged by ice in April 2005 in Crookston, MN.
* $217,000 for funding towards the Marsh Lake Aquation Ecosystem Feasibility study which would identify measures to restore more than 5,000 acres of wetland habitat within the existing reservoir and to reconnect Lac qui Parle to more than 750 miles of streams in the Pomme de Terre River basin. This restoration would allow more Minnesota hunters, anglers, birders, canoeists and outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy thousands of migratory waterfowl and other birds and fish.
* $382,000 for use by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District for flood mitigation between Lake Itasca and Lock and Dam #2, near Hastings, MN.
* $478,000 for the restoration of the Red River of the North Basin.
* $598,000 for the restoration and protection of the St. Croix River Basin.
* $259,000 for the restoration of the Wild Rice River of the North Basin.
* $500,000 for flood mitigation efforts in Roseau.


“It's our responsibility to provide communities with clean drinking water, protect our homes and businesses from flooding and restore our beloved rivers and lakes” said Klobuchar. “Today we took a significant step in making sure that we invest in infrastructure to allow communities to grow and our ecosystems to prosper.