The Bright Side

By Rob Hardy, Hindsight Community Fellow, June 28, 2011 at 2:00 pm

With so much bad news lately—including gridlock at the state capitol and divisive and discriminatory issues on the ballot—I need to step back from time to time and focus on some of the good things about my life in Minnesota, and some of the progress we’ve made over the past decade. When I do this, I inevitably turn my attention away from political machinations in St. Paul to the life of my own mid-sized community here in Northfield.

Since 2001, both Carleton and St. Olaf, the two local colleges, have erected wind turbines on the east and west edges of town, and Carleton is planning a second turbine. Power from Carleton’s current turbine goes directly to the grid, but the second turbine—like St. Olaf’s turbine—will power the campus directly, reducing Carleton’s reliance on the local energy grid. Carleton is one of the signatories of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, which commits colleges and universities to significant reductions (or elimination) of their carbon footprints by the year 2050.

Since 2001, Just Food Coop has opened its doors in downtown Northfield, offering high quality local and organic food. The coop currently has over 2,000 members, and has been operating at a profit for several years. The coop also supports an impressive array of local producers.

Since 2009, Northfield has also been home to the SEEDS (Social Entrepreneurship, Environmental Design and Stewardship) Farm, which collaborates with the local Rural Enterprise Center to help get local Latino immigrants started in farming through the Agripreneur Training Program.

Northfield is also home to two thriving charter schools—ARTech and Prairie Creek Community School—both of which are sponsored by the Northfield Public Schools and have a strong and mutually supportive relationship with the traditional public schools. Both charter schools have installed solar arrays, and both provide a model for progressive education. ARTech is a winner of the 2011 school finance award from the Minnesota Department of Education. The positive influence of both schools is felt throughout the community.

Northfield faces plenty of challenges—aging infrastructure, empty storefronts, shrinking local government aid, declining home values, shrinking school revenues—but my hometown always makes me hopeful about Minnesota’s future. It’s in our neighborhoods and our local communities where we, as individuals and together with our neighbors, can really make a noticeable difference—and where we can feel good about living in the great state of Minnesota.

Photo credit: Dabble, creative commons

Posted in Economic Development | Related Topics: Economic Growth  Energy  Minnesota Cities