On Thursday night, the Northfield Environmental Quality Commission, in partnership with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, the Northfield Rotary Club Climate Action Team, and the Greater Northfield Sustainability Collaborative will host a seminar to educate homeowners and community members about new options to save money and become more energy efficient at the same time.
Responding to Climate Change: Personal and Local Options will explain local energy efficiency and renewable energy options, like rebates, tax incentives and community solar gardens, and will go in depth about options that have opened up thanks to the federal Inflation Reduction Act.
The Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed last year has been described as the single largest investment the U.S. Government has ever made into climate change issues. It’s stated goal is to decrease residential energy costs by focusing on improvements to home energy efficiency. Some of the measures in the law include $9 billion in home energy rebate programs that focus on improving access to energy efficient technologies, and 10 years of consumer tax credits for the use of heat pumps, rooftop solar, and high-efficiency electric heating, ventilation, air conditioning and water heating. The act extends the $7,500 tax credit for the purchase of a new electric vehicle while also providing a $4,000 tax credit toward the purchase of used electric vehicles, in an effort to increase low- and middle-income access to this technology.
Those who attend the meeting will gain valuable insights from presentations and panel discussions featuring local sustainability proponents and community leaders sharing their personal experiences. A statement on the City of Northfield website called the seminar an opportunity to stay informed and find out how to save money while reducing one’s carbon footprint.
The seminar is scheduled for Thursday night from 6:00 to 7:30pm at the Northfield Community Resource Center.
Turkey Trot is ‘an event for everybody’
Registration is now open for the 2023 Northfield Rotary Thanksgiving Turkey Trot.
Jim Loe, the chair of the Rotary committee that puts the race together, said the 5K run/walk is an important fundraiser for the Northfield Rotary Club. Money raised will support Rotary’s ongoing work with its youth exchange program and polio eradication. It also contributes to local and international service projects and club initiatives.
The Turkey Trot is a chip-timed event that will begin at the Weitz Center on the Carleton College campus at 9am on Thanksgiving Day. Loe said the race has become a homecoming event for many people who have moved away from Northfield and return for the holiday. It not only gives runners a chance to reconnect with old friends, but with a winding course, it can be a nostalgic tour through the town they once called home.
Runners and walkers are encouraged to bring their dogs to the event. Kids in strollers are welcome to ride along with their parents. Loe said, because it is a chip timed event, runners can be as competitive or non-competitive as they would like. Some will look to improve on their best time, and others will make it more of a family event.
“Oh, I guarantee it will be an event for everyone. For those that are competitive it’s a chip timed event, so you will be able to get an official score. But, like my family I’ve got a family of runners, but for the most part they all choose to walk together with my mother and it’s just really a fun event. Like we say it’s for kids, dogs and adults. Walkers and runners. It’s an event for everybody.”
The cost of the race is $30. Those who register online by Friday are guaranteed an official long-sleeve Turkey Trot T-shirt. Participants will be able to sign up after the t-shirt deadline, either online or in-person at the Weitz Center on the day of the race, beginning at 8am.
For more information on the Turkey Trot, and to register, visit northfieldrotary.org.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Jim Loe of the Northfield Rotary Club can be heard here
Human Rights Award nominations due by 8pm
The deadline to submit a nomination to the Northfield Human Rights Commission for its annual Human Rights Award is tonight.
To be considered for this award, a nominee should be a local group, individual, or organization that has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to the advancement of human rights in the Northfield area, either through volunteer work or their professional efforts.
As has been the case for many years, the Human Rights Commission is seeking a balanced and diverse slate of nominees that contribute to the cause of human rights in a variety of ways. All nominations should include a brief biography of the candidate as well as the reasons the nominee should receive consideration for the award.
The award will be presented during the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. community celebration.
Recipients from the past six years include Emmaus Church last year, Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann in 2022, Rahmah Abdulai, who at the time was a Northfield High School Senior in 2021, the employees of Laura Baker Services Association in 2020, the Community Action Center in 2019, and educator Jennifer Lompart in 2018. The names of each past recipient, dating back to the first Human Rights Award in 1998, are engraved on a plaque that hangs in the parking lot entrance of City Hall. They are also listed on the city website.
Nomination forms are available in English and Spanish at northfieldmn.gov/HRAward. Paper copies of the form are available at the Northfield Public Library or can be requested by contacting Claudia Garcia at 507-645-3078 or claudia.garcia@northfieldmn.gov.
Submissions for the award may be made on the Northfield website. The deadline to submit a nomination is at 8:00 this evening.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
