Environmental News

MPR News is your source for environment news from Minnesota and across the country.

Getting to Green: Minnesota’s energy future

Getting to Green is an MPR News series that shares stories about Minnesota’s clean energy transition, including what needs to be done to get there.

Submit a question or story for Getting to Green here.

Climate Cast

Listen to Climate Cast, the MPR News podcast all about our changing climate and its impact in Minnesota and worldwide.

Minnesota officials burn, bury, worry as chronic wasting spreads
There is no perfect, affordable way to dispose of deer carcasses potentially infected with chronic wasting disease. Crow Wing County offers a look at the stark challenges some Minnesota communities face as they try to keep the disease in check and control the environmental contamination.
Climate One series: How pro-sports can be a player in climate change
From stadiums packed with energetic fans to food, beer and waste, sports can have a big carbon footprint. Many sports franchises in baseball, hockey, basketball and football are embracing sustainability in venue design, waste, water, energy and food operations. And some athletes are speaking out about the bigger world around them.
Swedish teen climate activist to visit Dakotas reservations
A 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who garnered international attention when she scolded world leaders at the United Nations is visiting American Indian reservations in the Dakotas to talk about oil pipelines.
It's Fat Bear Week in Alaska's Katmai National Park - time to fill out your bracket
Bears preparing for hibernation need to eat as much as they can for the winter. In Alaska, it's turned into an ursine March Madness with bears going head to head to see who is the fattest.
Photos: Fall colors on Minnesota's North Shore
Fall colors are at or near their peak this weekend across much of northern Minnesota, including the North Shore — bringing a wave of red, orange and yellow to the rocky ridges overlooking Lake Superior.
'Let the Water Speak': Sharing stories, building relationships in the Folwell neighborhood
The Folwell neighborhood is separated from the Mississippi River by an interstate highway and a sprawling industrial site. On the evening of Aug. 22, an event was held in “The Story Garden,” dedicated to sharing stories and raising consciousness of the river among the people who live near its banks.
Home sweet volcano: Alaska fur seals thrive at unlikely spot
Alaska’s northern fur seal population for three decades has been classified as depleted, but the marine mammals are showing up in growing numbers at an unlikely location: a tiny island that forms the tip of an active undersea volcano.
Hydrogen power, modular nuclear and the other technology Xcel Energy has its eyes on
Xcel Energy CEO Ben Fowke says the utility should have no problem reaching its goal of reducing carbon by 80 percent by 2030. It’s that last 20 percent that will require still-nascent technology.
Ask a 'sotan: What's an eco-friendly way to bag groceries?
As Duluth weighs a plan to curb plastic bag use, we asked two local experts to answer questions from MPR News listeners about the merits of paper, plastic or something else to haul their groceries.