EARTH DAY

Harmony Foods to hold Customer Appreciation Day April 27

Pioneer Staff Report — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 19:35:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — Harmony Natural Foods Co-op will host a Customer Appreciation Day event on its 48th anniversary, Sunday, April 27, at Harmony Foods, 302 Irvine Ave.

The event will feature giveaways, kids' activities, sampling and more.

Activities for children will be offered from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Harmony's community kitchen. Attendees will learn about Earth Day and the importance of recycling, a release said.

Sampling featuring local and co-op brands will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The annual ownership meeting will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Harmony Co-op owners are welcome to come and learn more about the co-op's initiatives, accomplishments and future projects.

Owners who submit their Board of Director ballots by April 27 will be entered to win one of two $50 gift cards. The drawing will be held at the ownership meeting. Owners who attend the annual meeting will also be entered for a chance to win one of four $25 gift cards, the release said.

There will be a 10% off discount on items in the store for Customer Appreciation Day.

Additionally, anyone who becomes a Harmony Co-op owner during the month of April will receive a free Harmony Co-op Klean Kanteen and will be automatically entered to win one of two $50 gift cards.

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BSU's Center for Sustainability Studies to host wastewater treatment discussion

Pioneer Staff Report — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 14:19:04 GMT

BEMIDJI — Bemidji State University's Center for Sustainability Studies will host Northern Township Administrator Chris Lahn to discuss a wastewater project and its benefits for the area at 7 p.m. on Earth Day, April 22, in the Beaux Arts Ballroom.

The wastewater treatment project initiative, a community goal for more than 50 years, is designed to protect Lake Bemidji's water quality by replacing aging and failing septic systems with a centralized sewer system, a release said.

According to the release, the project will enhance land use, preserve the lake's environmental health and support long-term property values. Lahn will lead the presentation, outlining how this critical infrastructure will serve over 400 properties while safeguarding the lake and the broader Mississippi River ecosystem.

Mark Fuller, the project's lead engineer from Freeberg and Grund, will also be available to answer questions about the project and options considered. Additional content experts will be present at the event to field questions outside Lahn's and Fuller's purview.

This event will provide members of the broader Bemidji community with an opportunity to learn more about the project's impact, funding and timeline, while also highlighting the importance of community involvement in preserving the natural resources that define the region.

The event is free and open to the public. Attendees can also view the presentation on Zoom at https://minnstate.zoom.us/j/94729027498. Participants who join via the Zoom webinar will not be able to submit questions.

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Generations: Maintaining an environment for future generations

Sue Bruns — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 12:50:00 GMT

I sit on my patio overlooking the lake, hoping rain comes this weekend.

Patches of clouds waft above the lake while seagulls screech below. An explosion of wings launches five majestic swans from the lake; they fly off together. I breathe in the clean air and welcome the warm sun on my arms.

I want this world to be as beautiful for my grandchildren as it has been for me.

I’ve been concerned for Mother Earth for as long as I can remember. In grade school, I was a member of the GGG (Green Grass Growers), a proactive group that tried to get kids to use the sidewalks instead of going across the lawns and contributing to erosion.

When I was a junior at St. Peter High ��, our teachers had put together a full day of environmental awareness activities for the first Earth Day in 1970. As a retired teacher, I think of the amazing amount of planning it must have taken to pull off a day like that. Students could sign up for presentations of their choice.

Of course, we were typical high school kids and most of us signed up for whatever our friends were signing up for. Still, I appreciate the importance the school placed on that special day. It left a lasting impression on me as I remember it 54 years later.

I recall submitting a poster for a contest. I wanted to make a point about air pollution and everyone’s ownership of environmental issues. I drew a background of smokestacks, with filthy clouds billowing into the sky. In the foreground, I drew Uncle Sam, just as James Montgomery Flagg had created him for the iconic recruiting posters during World War I: the top-hatted, bearded, earnest Uncle Sam, looking directly at the viewer and pointing a compelling finger. The caption read: “I want you for U.S. Army.”

My caption parodied a slogan from Smokey Bear: “Only you can stop pollution.” My poster turned out pretty good, I thought. I was proud to have incorporated two famous allusions into it.

That first Earth Day was celebrated 54 years ago on April 22, 1970. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin is credited with founding Earth Day, a day of educating and increasing awareness to spur viewers to take environmental issues seriously and take action. That awareness led to the creation of organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency and to legislation like the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

While many people resent the intrusion of government in their daily lives, it’s tough to argue against regulations for safe drinking water and clean air standards. If there’s one thing we all have in common it is that we need clean air and water to survive.

Half a century later, I fear we haven’t come far enough. Although people are more aware and better educated today and strides have been made in moving toward cleaner air and water and renewable energy, we have a great deal of work yet to do to ensure that the earth will still be livable for our children and grandchildren. As individuals, there are small differences we can make, and a lot of small differences add up.

Little thought was given in the previous century about dumping chemicals or waste into waterways or burying hazardous materials in landfills. Here in Bemidji, county and city officials have attempted to stay ahead of major issues like water filtration and have worked to clean up landfills and restore lakeshore.

Volunteers work to make up for careless people’s littering. (Thank you, highway clean-up crews.) And on our lakes each year, volunteers clean up garbage and excrement left behind by inconsiderate ice fishermen.

Beltrami County’s Waste Management program has put out leaflets with information about how much solid waste is generated in the county and how to recycle containers, fiber materials and even appliances, electronics and hazardous waste. We can all reduce waste, repurpose, donate items we don’t need, recycle and reject buying things that create excessive waste.

Another important local organization is Bemidji State’s Sustainability Office, which aims to educate and instill a passion for involvement, learning and volunteering. When my daughter graduated from UND in 2015, I helped her clean out her apartment.

Previous tenants had left behind half-full plastic jugs of laundry detergent and enough cast-off items to fill a dumpster. We took everything we could to thrift stores, but dumpsters behind every student housing area in Grand Forks overflowed with cast-offs, many perfectly usable: kitchen items, cleaning tools and products, end tables, mattresses, floor lamps and more.

A place like BSU’s FreeStore would’ve been great for these items. Money-strapped college students benefit from donated items ranging from school supplies to clothing items, and even non-perishable foods, while students moving out have places to leave usable items they don’t want.

BSU has the right idea. Going Green doesn’t just mean cheering for the Beavers or celebrating Earth Day one day each year. Their sustainability program is active, applicable, practical, inspirational and ongoing and sets a great example for the community.

I’m glad to live in a community that wants to maintain and improve its air and water quality. Each night before I go to bed, I let the dog out, listen to the chirping frogs and yodeling loons, and take five deep breaths of the cleanest air I know and hope that my grandchildren can breathe this air.

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Bemidji Senior Center to hold Earth Day event

Pioneer Staff Report — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 16:55:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — The Bemidji Senior Center will host an Earth Day Games and Goodies event from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. on Monday, April 22, at the senior center, 216 Third St. NW.

"We are inviting the community to join us for this free event of playing games with treats and coffee," a release said. Participants can also paint pins.

Junior and senior high students from Voyageurs Expeditionary �� will collaborate with the center for this event.

"This is a great opportunity for elders and students to interact in a meaningful way," added the release.

For more information, call the center at (218) 751-8836.

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Harmony Foods to hold Customer Appreciation Day April 21

Pioneer Staff Report — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 16:54:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — Harmony Natural Foods Co-op will host a Customer Appreciation Day event on its 47th anniversary, Sunday, April 21, at Harmony Foods, 302 Irvine Ave.

The event will feature giveaways, kids activities, sampling and more.

Children's activities will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Harmony's community kitchen. Attendees will learn about Earth Day and the importance of recycling, a release said.

Sampling featuring local and co-op brands will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The annual ownership meeting will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Harmony Co-op owners are welcome to come and learn more about the co-op's initiatives, accomplishments and future projects.

Owners who submit their Board of Director ballots by April 21 will be entered to win one of two $50 gift cards. The drawing will be held at the ownership meeting. Owners who attend the annual meeting will also be entered for a chance to win one of four $25 gift cards, the release said.

There will be a 10% off discount on items in the store for Customer Appreciation Day.

Additionally, anyone who becomes a Harmony Co-op owner during the month of April will receive a free Harmony Co-op Klean Kanteen and will be automatically entered to win one of two $50 gift cards.

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Striding toward sustainability: Bemidji State celebrates Earth Day with campus activities

Maggi Fellerman — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 20:57:48 GMT

BEMIDJI — As Earth Day is being celebrated all over the world, Bemidji State University joined the annual celebration on Saturday, April 22, in hopes to inspire the community to better care for the earth.

The Earth Day celebration at BSU played host to a variety of activities to encourage environmental stewardship within the campus community and beyond. This year’s event focused on environmental regulation and investing in the planet through sustainable actions.

“We are gathered to celebrate Earth Day today,” said BSU’s sustainability project manager and event organizer Jordan Lutz. “This year marks the 53rd annual Earth Day celebration and international opportunity to gather in community, celebrate the earth that sustains us and think about how we can better care for that world.”

The event kicked off with the annual Stride into Spring 5k/10k Fun Run, Walk and Stroll. Outside of the Gillett Wellness Center, about 15 students, staff and community members bundled up and took their marks.

Lutz also mentioned that the T-shirts for the fun run this year were actually designed and repurposed by a group of students at the university.

“This year, a student group helped design and screen print the T-shirts,” Lutz said. “Essentially, they salvaged or repurposed T-shirts that had a misprint and would have potentially been thrown away. So instead of throwing them away we held onto them and gave an opportunity to a student to design an overlay and work with fellow students to screen print them.”

Meanwhile inside the John Glas Fieldhouse, sustainability educators, volunteers and vendors set up their tables in preparation to inspire the community with an Earth Day Fair. From gardening tips to tree-ring painting along with designing thrifted shirts with block prints so attendees could increase their knowledge on sustainability and a few fun crafts.

Several other community organizations were on-hand as well to share information and activities, including Bemidji Master Naturalists, Bemidji Parks and Recreation Department, Bemidji Sustainability Commission, Citizens Climate Lobby – Bemidji, Conservation Minnesota, Growing Our Future, Indivisible Bemidji, Mississippi Headwaters Audubon and the Birds, Bees, Butterflies, Bemidji organization.

“Besides the Stride into Spring fun run, we also have an Earth Day Fair. We currently have exhibitors or community organizations set up in the education complex with activities and information that they're excited to share with community members,” Lutz said. “Today is just an opportunity for families and individuals of all ages to come down, have a good time and learn something new.”

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COMMENTARY: Climate action is a prescription for better health

Laalitha Surapaneni and Mark Claussen — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 12:00:00 GMT

“Not even June and it’s 90 degrees out!” said one of our colleagues, who biked into work on a hot morning last May. “Need to get ready for folks comin’ in for their asthma today.”

As health professionals, we no longer need the latest climate report to tell us that the impacts of climate change are already here. We are bearing witness to the direct impact of a hotter planet on our patients’ health.

Over the past century, human activities — primarily burning fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil, have already warmed our Earth, our only home, by about 2°F (1.1°C), and this global heating is impacting our health all year round in Minnesota.

Hotter springs mean more pollen and allergies. In Minnesota, the ragweed pollen season has increased by about 18-20 days. The unusually hot weather this month was made up to 1.5-2 times more likely by human-caused climate damage in various parts of our state and we are expected to see more extreme heat in the summers.

These heat-health impacts are disproportionately felt by outdoor workers like farmers, the elderly, the unhoused or those who cannot afford energy bills, thus worsening health inequities. Extreme heat also impacts air quality, leading to a rise in asthma attacks and impacts on heart health.

Minnesota also has one of the fastest-warming winters in the country. And before you think this is welcome news, hot and wet winters are creating ideal conditions for ticks that carry diseases like Lyme.

Every day we delay climate action, we put our health and the health of our children at risk. So, while Big Oil money interests continue to spread misinformation and politicize climate change, health professionals are refusing to sit on the sidelines. Across the country, we are already taking action because cleaning up climate pollution benefits the health of those in our care.

We are starting by cleaning up our own house first. The U.S. health care system contributes 8-10% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and produces a lot of waste. So, hospitals and clinics are switching to renewable energy, implementing energy efficiency measures and reducing trash, including here at Sanford Health in Bemidji.

These changes benefit not just the planet’s and people's health, but profit businesses as well — the so-called triple bottom line. Gundersen, the nation’s first energy-independent health system in Wisconsin, for example, saved $28 million over the past decade with their conservation efforts.

Some hospitals like the Boston Medical Center are combining climate action with community benefit. Their rooftop garden not only provides wholesome food to the hospital’s cafeteria but also benefits low-income patients.

However, for climate action to be truly effective, we need system change. A recent study showed that switching to clean energy, such as for electricity and transportation can save 50,000 lives and $600 billion each year in avoided health costs.

So, health professionals are advocating for clean climate policies at the state and federal levels. For example, Minnesota doctors, nurses, public health and allied health professionals have successfully advocated for the Clean Cars rules in 2021 and the 100% clean energy by 2040 bill which became law this year. Clean climate policies like these will clean up our air and save lives.

As Earth Day approaches, what’s the best climate action you can take on? While eating a planet-healthy diet, walking and biking — active transportation — instead of driving, are good for the planet and have co-benefits for our health, these individual actions alone will not “fix” climate change.

Think instead about where you live, work and play, and what sustainable changes can be made. Work together! Organize with your neighbors, work colleagues or friends to put these plans into action.

For example, if you’re a parent, organize with fellow parents and petition your kids’ school to switch to electric school buses. This will improve the quality of the air your children breathe and thus, their health — including their lung and brain development.

Be a climate-smart neighbor — contact your homeowners' association and organize a heat safety watch for the elderly who live alone. Set a good personal example to your children and friends by recycling and reducing trash, but also think big with your actions.

Urge your employer to subscribe to a community solar energy program or have a rooftop garden. This will not just help the planet but save money for your business. When we pool our time, talents and energy together, we can bring about long-lasting meaningful change.

The Go Green Committee at Sanford Bemidji has been an example of a cooperative effort that has saved money, reduced waste and decreased energy requirements without compromising patient care.

Climate change is not just a problem of melting ice caps or starving polar bears; it’s impacting our health — right here and right now. Cutting down on fossil fuel pollution and conserving our resources is a win-win for the planet and the health and well-being that our future generations deserve.

Laalitha Surapaneni, MD, MPH, is an internal medicine physician at the University of Minnesota and practiced in Bemidji for three years. Affiliation is provided for identification purposes only; the author participated in this work independently of their institutions.

Mark Claussen, MD, is chairperson of the Sanford Bemidji Go Green Committee and has been a general surgeon in Bemidji for 29 years. ]]>

Bemidji State University to celebrate Earth Day with campus activities

Pioneer Staff Report — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 17:52:48 GMT

BEMIDJI — Earth Day is an annual celebration to support environmental protection and raise awareness about environmental issues and this year students at Bemidji State University plan to do just that.

On Saturday, April 22, BSU is set to host a variety of activities to encourage environmental stewardship within the campus community and beyond. This year’s Earth Day events focus on environmental regulation and investing in the planet through sustainable actions.

Stride into Spring 5K/10K Fun Run, Walk and Roll

Starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 22, in the Gillett Wellness Center parking lot, faculty, students and the community are invited to kick off the spring season by taking part in the annual Stride into Spring 5K/10K Fun Run, Walk and Roll.

Registration information is available on BSU’s sustainability website at bemidjistate.edu/offices/sustainability.

Earth Day Fair

from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, BSU will host an Earth Day Fair located northwest of the John Glas Fieldhouse. From tips on how to support pollinators, reduce waste and grow vibrant gardens to supporting Earth’s pollinators, the fair will have it all.

Several community organizations will be on-hand to share information and activities, including Bemidji Master Naturalists, Bemidji Parks and Recreation Department, Bemidji Sustainability Commission, Citizens Climate Lobby – Bemidji, Conservation Minnesota, Growing Our Future, Indivisible Bemidji, Mississippi Headwaters Audubon and the Birds, Bees, Butterflies, Bemidji organization.

Attendees can expect to leave the event with increased knowledge on sustainability, free seeds and a few crafts.

Lunch can be purchased from Teresa’s Wicked Tasty Food Truck.

For more information, visit the event's Facebook page at facebook.com/events/s/earth-day-fair.

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Earth Day Community Clean-Up to be held in Bemidji

Pioneer Staff Report — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 19:57:16 GMT

BEMIDJI — An Earth Day Community Clean-Up will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 22, in Bemidji.

Anyone wishing to participate can meet at Marketplace Foods, 2000 Paul Bunyan Drive NW, where refreshments will be served from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Vests, gloves and bags will be provided.

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