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Ground Level Blog

Budget’s a wrap, but some cities long for more involvement

As Minnesota wrap up their tax and budget plans for 2011, a few people are trying to think of ways to get residents more involved next year.
by Dave Peters

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Local growers seek markets, food safety

Minnesota Public Radio reporter Nancy Lebens offers more on the changing local food scene this afternoon on All Things Considered. As local growers of fruits and vegetables scale up to meet demand, life has gotten more complicated.
by Dave Peters

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Third World is ahead of exurbia in some green ideas

How can green infrastructure ideas that are catching on in the Third World benefit exurban areas like Baldwin Township?
by Dave Peters

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Basil, Walmart and exclusivity — the local food movement gets complicated

Basil, Walmart and exclusivity — the local food movement gets complicated

The local food movement grows more complicated as mainstream grocers increase their interest and the supply chains that feed them expand. You can find the latest exploration of the movement by MPR News’ Ground Level project here.
by Dave Peters

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Developers look to create small towns in the big city

Twin Cities developers are tackling smaller projects, hoping to build more of a sense of community into their neighborhoods. But if the suburbs are able to offer a small neighborhood feel close to the city, how does Baldwin differentiate itself?
by Dave Peters

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Trees, recess and people who cause change

Andy Lipkis started planting trees. Jill Vialet organized recess for poor urban schools. Both have built multi-million dollar organizations and been identified as changemakers engaged in social entrepreneurship by the global organization Ashoka. They were in the Twin Cities Wednesday.
by Dave Peters

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The courthouse renovation is a go

Todd County commissioners have approved bonding for a half million dollars to start on renovation of the historic courthouse in Long Prairie.

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Play with your food — on a map.

You can use a new open-source program created by the Civic Media Lab at MIT to map food sources and more. Here are the maps for a couple of dishes at Common Roots Cafe in Minneapolis, Minn.
by Dave Peters

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A bird’s-eye view of sprawl

A bird’s-eye view of sprawl

Artist Christoph Gielen uses aerial photography to offer a pulled-back view of suburban and exurban sprawl. What do aerial views of Baldwin say about the township?

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Local food goes to school, but how does it get there?

Schools want more local food and farmers want to give it to them, but distribution and processing problems stand in the way.
by Nancy Lebens

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