February 2024 Newsletter
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In this edition of MCEA’s Environmental Monitor:
- Join us in Defending True North - and get our limited edition sticker
- RSVP to our March webinar - Climate Justice and Indigenous Rights at the Legislature
- Answer the question - What will your legacy be?
- Find out about our Spring Amici event!
- Delve into nitrate pollution and new bills at the legislature to protect drinking water
- Check out photos from the Prove It First rally at the capitol
- Register for our Mankato Town Hall on March 23rd
- Catch up on questions from our webinar on agency accountability and get the recording
- See if you can answer our trivia about the warm winter weather
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Save the date for our fall event!
On MCEA’s 50th Anniversary, we are inviting you to join us in Defending True North. True North isn’t a location, it’s a set of values that guides MCEA in our work to defend Minnesota’s environment and the health of its people.
We believe:
- Every Minnesotan deserves clean, safe drinking water, whether they live in a city or rely on a well
- Every current and future Minnesotan deserves a liveable future world where climate change is addressed
- Every Minnesotan deserves a safe and clean environment, regardless of their zip code, income, race, or gender
- Every decision that affects natural resources should be made with free prior informed consent of affected Tribes
If you agree with these values, you’re on our team of True North defenders.
Get your MCEA 50th anniversary sticker!
MCEA supporters know that the climate crisis is one of our most pressing issues and that the sovereign rights of tribal nations must be upheld. But how are these important issues playing out at the Minnesota legislature this session?
Join MCEA’s Chief Strategy Officer Aaron Klemz and Juventino Meza of Rise and Repair for our upcoming webinar, “Climate Justice and Indigenous Rights at the Minnesota Legislature in 2024” on Tuesday, March 5th at noon to learn more. Rise and Repair is a broad coalition of groups, including MCEA, that are advocating for climate justice and Indigenous rights in Minnesota. Juve will introduce us to the coalition's agenda at the Capitol this session.
Juve and Aaron will discuss the efforts to speed the adoption of clean energy. MCEA is working to ensure that these succeed while protecting communities and preserving Minnesota’s bedrock environmental laws. This is MCEA’s True North - fighting for a bright climate future for the generations to come.
Register today for “Climate Justice and Indigenous Rights at the Minnesota Legislature in 2024”!
MCEA’s values drive us to leave things better than we found them – whether that’s picking up trash on the trail or intervening to stop industries from polluting our natural resources. Thinking about our shared future is essential in environmental work, so it’s not surprising that many of our supporters have included MCEA in their estate plans. It’s common to think of estate planning as something for the ultrawealthy, but members of MCEA’s White Pine Legacy Circle are regular folk - former staff and board members, longtime supporters, and those newly awakened to environmental concerns.
Making a lasting legacy gift can be as simple as including a sentence in your will: “I give [percentage or dollar amount] to Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, a Minnesota nonprofit corporation, located at 1919 University Ave W, Suite 515, Saint Paul, MN 55104, Tax ID 23-7412105.” Consult your attorney and reach out to Development Director Debra deNoyelles to learn about other ways to include MCEA in your plans.
And if you’ve already taken this bold step, please let us know. We want to add your name to the roster of supporters staking a claim for generations yet to come. We, and they, thank you!
Supporters in our Amici Giving Circle are invited to participate in special activities throughout the year. Watch your mailboxes in March for an invitation to the April 25th Amici Social inside this beautiful, historic property in Eden Prairie.
Not sure if you’re a member of the Amici Giving Circle? Give Manager of Individual Giving Meredith Bruster a call at (651) 287-4864 to learn more!
We’ve been working hard to bring attention to the drinking water crisis in southeast Minnesota. And you have too. More than one thousand supporters signed our petition to the Environmental Protection Agency to declare a drinking water crisis in the geologically-vulnerable karst region, and in November 2023 the EPA responded and told Minnesota state agencies that there is an “evident need for further action to safeguard public health” in Southeastern Minnesota.
Now we’re taking the issue to the Minnesota legislature. MCEA is working on several bills this session to address nitrate pollution in drinking water, because we don't want to just point out problems, we want to help solve them.
Check out this blog post to learn more about solutions the legislature can support to help protect safe drinking water in Minnesota.
We want to send out a huge thank you to Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness for organizing the “Prove It First!” rally at the capitol this month.
It was energizing to see so many people speak up for Minnesota’s most important resource - our water!
It showed that Minnesotans want a law that requires independent scientific proof that a copper-sulfide mine has operated elsewhere in the United States for at least ten years without causing pollution and that the mine has been closed for at least ten years without causing pollution. It’s simple - if mining companies want to operate in Minnesota, they need to Prove It First.
Several legislators spoke about their personal connections to the Boundary Waters, to the importance of protecting wilderness, and most importantly, to the fact that Minnesotans won’t sacrifice our environment to corporate interests.
In an inspiring speech, MCEA’s CEO Kathryn Hoffman recalled our organization’s long fight for safe mining practices. MCEA started 50 years ago with a focus on mining, and protecting our resources and people from speculative mining continues to be central to our work.
Join MCEA Water Program Director Carly Griffith in Mankato on Saturday, March 23rd from 10-11:30 AM for an exciting opportunity to learn about the ecological health of the Minnesota River.
This event, presented with CURE and the Lake Pepin Alliance, will feature discussions about policies and priorities we will be working on during the 2024 legislative session, why water matters to you, and opportunities to get involved in being a voice for our water in Minnesota.
Seating is limited - register today to reserve your seat.
Last month, over 375 people registered for our webinar, “Defending True North: Holding Agencies Accountable.” It’s a testament to how important this subject is. Thank you to everyone who attended - and don’t forget to register for our next webinar.
Read three big takeaways from the webinar and find a link to the recording here.
How much warmer is this Minnesota winter than normal?
A) 8 degrees
B) 22 degrees
C) 13 degrees
D) 3 degrees
