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Goal: A clean and healthy environment that contributes to our state's well-being now and into the future.
A long-running ad campaign dubbed Minnesota "the land of sky blue waters," hinting at our tradition of caring for the environment: Forward thinking in environmental preservation, an array of natural spaces, laws keeping our air clean, innovation in "green" practices, and people who enjoy the outdoors all year long. But are we doing as well as we could be? As the world begins to clean up its act, are we still setting the bar, or lowering it?
What's happening
- In 2006, Minnesota's average annual greenhouse gas emissions registered a slight decline after increasing each year on record since 1970. The state will have to accelerate this positive trend to meet mandated targets for 2015 and 2025, as outlined in the The Next Generation Energy Act of 2007.
- Residents of Fargo-Moorhead and St. Cloud enjoyed the best air quality of any metros in the state in 2008, while residents of Rochester and the Twin Cities metro areas had the lowest number of "good" Air Quality Index days.
Making connections
There is no question that transportation has a major effect on the environment. Likewise, how our business sectors work to the good or detriment of the environment has an effect on the economy and workforce. Poor air and water quality also negatively impact the health of residents in the region, which brings down our quality of life.
New in our Library
- Minneapolis Greenprint: 2011 Environmental report
- Minnesota water sustainability framework
- Trends in land use in the Twin Cities region
- Annual pollution report to the Legislature: A summary of Minnesota's air emissions and water discharges
- Safe drinking water in Minnesota: A summary of drinking water protection activities in Minnesota for 2010
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