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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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Climate Cast

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

Lac qui Parle County heats courthouse with geothermal

Lac qui Parle County heats courthouse with geothermal

In the Lac qui Parle County courthouse, in far western Minnesota, a geothermal heating and cooling system saves the county money.
by Jennifer Vogel

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Wasted food takes heavy toll on environment

Food waste is a problem in rich countries and poor countries alike, and it's happening throughout the supply chain. Not only are we missing the opportunity to feed hungry people with this food, we're also exacerbating the impact of food production on the environment.

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Duluth drinking water judged Minnesota's best

Duluth's drinking water has been judged the best tasting in Minnesota, winning the 2013 "Best in Glass" drinking water taste test Wednesday.

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Feral cat management ordinance approved by Minneapolis committee

Feral cat management ordinance approved by Minneapolis committee

A proposal to manage feral cats in Minneapolis drew passionate public testimony at City Hall today. One opponent of the measure said that cats are non-native to Minnesota and "meet the state's definition of an invasive species." The proposal will go to the full council for a vote Sept. 20.
by Brandt Williams

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White Bear Lake suit against DNR moves forward

A Ramsey County judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the Department of Natural Resources. The suit claims the DNR has been allowing too much water to be drawn from an aquifer that affects White Bear Lake's water levels.
by Elizabeth Dunbar

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Study: Wind farms killed 67 eagles in 5 years

The research represents one of the first tallies of eagle deaths attributed to the nation's growing wind energy industry.

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Monarch butterflies migrating through Minn. despite population decline

Monarch butterflies migrating through Minn. despite population decline

Karen Oberhauser, professor of conservation biology at the University of Minnesota joins The Daily Circuit to discuss how this year's migration is offering clues to explain the declining population.

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5 x 10: Has global warming ‘paused?’ Probably not

5 x 10: Has global warming ‘paused?’ Probably not

What does Arctic ice tell us, shopping Moorhead and Moorhead only, trading your adopted child, teaching our kids to be criminals, and ballooning the St. Croix Valley.
by Bob Collins

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Scientists help farmers create greener dairies

A slew of studies have been started to determine how dairy farms can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. They will look at what animals eat, how their waste is handled and the effects on soil, water and air.

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Fertilizer by-product an unhealthy, expensive risk to water quality

Fertilizer by-product an unhealthy, expensive risk to water quality

Fertilizer use in farming is so prevalent that at least two dozen Minnesota communities have unhealthy levels of its by-products in their drinking water supplies. Crop researchers say there is a proven solution: perennial crops which absorb nitrates. But not many farmers have adopted the method.
by Mark Steil

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