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.

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Worldwide smuggling crackdown rescues endangered wildlife
In a joint operation organized by the World Customs Organization and Interpol, thousands of protected animals, plants and wildlife products were seized in more than 100 countries.
Number of sickened 4th of July boaters nears 120
Officials say the number of people reportedly sickened while boating around Big Island on Lake Minnetonka over the Fourth of July has grown to nearly 120.
Avoiding water-borne illness this summer
Contamination at three Minneapolis beaches and reported illness among several Lake Minnetonka visitors has many worried about getting sick when they swim.
Beach closed? Blame it on the rain
Several beaches around the Twin Cities metro are closed because bacterial contamination poses a health risk for swimmers.
Your hummus habit could be good for the Earth
High in fiber and protein, chickpeas are playing a starring role on menus. They're also good for soil health -- and growing demand could help restore soils depleted by decades of intensive farming.
Photos: Immigrant kids jump into Minnesota's outdoor summer culture
A Minnesota summer camp is helping connect city kids and children of refugees to the state's outdoor summer culture, often for the first time. It's also altering perceptions about who enjoys the outdoors.
A fisherman's hope for balance between urban development and natural conservation
Minneapolis has proposed plans to develop the Mississippi riverfront with affordable housing, innovation hubs and a large outdoor amphitheater. Nicholas Hammer, a northside resident who's continuing a family tradition of fishing the Mississippi, hopes it can be done while protecting the beauty in and around the river.
Plastic has a big carbon footprint -- but that isn't the whole story
Plastic waste litters cities, oceans and even the air. Largely overlooked is how making plastic affects the environment. Plastic is a big contributor to global warming. So are its alternatives.
23 U.S. governors join Calif. in opposing Trump mileage freeze
The commitment underscores prospects for years of legal challenges and regulatory uncertainty for automakers if the Trump administration moves ahead on the mileage freeze over objections from California and other states.