Last night the Northfield City Council passed a new sustainable building policy that will require new construction receiving subsidy from the
city to meet higher environmentally friendly standards than those required by the State of Minnesota.
The new policy is focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Any project receiving financial incentives from the city of more than $300,000 will now be required to meet the Minnesota SB 2030 standards, while at least 2% of the energy used by the project will have to come from a renewable energy source to be installed on site if cost-effective. Projects receiving between $150,000 and $300,000 will fall under the same requirements, unless they can show why the new standards are not feasible for that project.
The city had many meetings with developers and builders regarding the new code as it was in development. While most have been agreeable to the measures, many have asked for help in further education on how these policies can benefit both their customers and their own bottom lines.
The new policy is in place to support the city’s climate action plan, which calls for the city to use only carbon free electricity by 2030, and for the city to be completely carbon free by 2040.
County finding ways to work greener
Rice County is taking further steps to become more climate friendly.
In a new op-ed piece, Parks and Facilities Manager Matt Verdick outlined the steps that have recently been taken to decrease the county’s carbon footprint.
Verdick said the county has recently purchased its first hybrid vehicle. The 2021 Toyota Sienna is being used by the Veterans Services Department to transport county veterans to the VA facility in Minneapolis for medical appointments. He said the van is making, on average, four trips each week and while no official measure has been taken, it is obvious that the vehicle is using far less fuel than its predecessors.
The county will take delivery of three new hybrid SUVs in the coming weeks, said Verdick, and he expects to order three more this spring. County leaders are also discussing the potential for an electric vehicle charging station in Faribault, that would be available to the county’s fleet and to the public. When that is installed, he said, he anticipates the county will purchase its first completely electric vehicle.
Another area of focus is the lighting in county buildings, which are slowly being converted to LED systems. All the fixtures in the County Highway Department have been converted to LED, and the same project is nearing completion in the Government Services Building. The lighting in the County Courthouse will converted sometime this spring.
The county has also stepped-up recycling efforts as well. All paper products purchased by the county now contain recycled material, and recycling bins are being delivered to every county office.
Finally, Verdick said, the county is looking very closely at solar power. The Board of Commissioners Sustainability Subcommittee is exploring options, considering where panels would be feasible and practical, and whether the energy produced would be sold back to the grid or if it could be used to power county facilities.
“Rice County and its employees want to be good stewards of the environment,” he said. The steps to become a greener place are being taken wherever possible.
Full-time manager sees great possibilities for Northfield Public Broadcasting
Northfield Public Broadcasting Station Manager Sam Temple said he is excited for the changes that are happening in the city’s
Communications Department, and specifically with Northfield Public Broadcasting.
After spending the last two years in a part-time role, Temple is a newly minted full-time employee of the City of Northfield. He said under his former conditions, NPB was at capacity for what they could do in disseminating information and delivering the city’s messages. However, with nearly double the amount of time now at his disposal, he said NPB can move into what he called “enrichment” programming.
For instance, Temple has in other capacities produced historical documentaries about Northfield and the Rice County area, and he is eager to do that with NPB as well.
“There are no profit incentives to produce these videos and tell these stories,” he said, “but as a public broadcasting service, these are things we can prioritize.”
Other ideas, include children’s programming, and more content with artists and authors.
Even though he has only just moved into the full-time position, he said the ideas for what can now be accomplished are everywhere.
“It actually started with the pay period last week, but I am full time this week, which is pretty exciting. Being full-time, I think the development will come faster and faster every day now. And already the possibilities of what we can do in that position have opened up.”
Not only does Temple have more time to work with, but there is now more space with which to work as well. As a part of the ongoing renovations at City Hall, Temple said Northfield Public Broadcasting now has an actual studio. With a dedicated space, he said, they will no longer have to find somewhere to film, and go through the time-consuming activities of setting up and tearing down for every shoot.
However, despite not having these new resources at his fingertips last year, he and his crew were still able to put together very compelling programming. New this month, he said, is a video from the Spanish Language Sidewalk Poetry Capstone Event, and he said they have just released the first of a series of videos put together with Clean River Partners.
Northfield Public Broadcasting can be found at NPB.ci.northfield.mn.us, or on Spectrum channels 180 and 187.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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