HERC incinerator North Minneapolis closure is being demanded by hunger strikers and residents as a former EPA scientist confirms significantly higher cancer risk near the facility.
environmental justice
Posted inEvents
Minneapolis and Beyond: Incinerator Fights Under State Repression
Environmental justice organizers nationwide are uniting to challenge trash incinerators, state repression, and pollution while advancing zero-waste solutions.
Posted inOpinion
Public Utilities Commission (PUC) vote shameful
The Zero Burn Coalition condemned a PUC vote allowing trash incineration to be classified as carbon-free under Minnesota law.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Hunger strike escalates opposition to HERC pollution
The Zero Burn Coalition announced a hunger strike as part of an escalating push for HERC incinerator closure in North Minneapolis.
Posted inBusiness
NAACP ‘Stop Dirty Data’ conference probes data center effects
The NAACP hosted a summit highlighting environmental justice concerns linked to the expansion of data centers and their impact on Black, brown, and low-income communities.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Fossil fuels are poisoning Black America
Medical and public health experts warn that fossil fuel pollution is already damaging public health, especially in Black and brown communities, and that the harm will intensify without a transition away from fossil fuels.
Posted inOpinion
Data centers threaten Black communities, how to fight
As corporations race to build massive data centers for AI and cryptocurrency, Black and fenceline communities are disproportionately affected. These centers consume vast energy and water resources while emitting pollution. Boxtown, on the south side of Memphis, is a stark example. Founded by formerly enslaved people, Boxtown has long borne the brunt of industrial pollution, […]
Posted inArts + Culture
More than skin deep
Science Museum exhibit explores race, identity and nature At first glance, skin might seem like a simple surface: something we see in the mirror, cover with clothing, or protect with sunscreen. But a new exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota invites visitors to go deeper. “Skin: Living Armor, Evolving Identity,” which opened October 3, […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t let your climate power slip away
A call to action “You have power unless you give it away” are words my grandmother instilled in me as a young boy growing up in the mountains of Appalachia. Her words have been echoing in my head as the seasons turn. Today is the first day of fall, and already the air feels unsettled, […]
Posted inLocal & State
‘Soil Syndicate’ wants more people to see waste as a resource
Project Sweetie Pie and KilimoMax Solutions launched the Soil Syndicate on Aug. 23 in North Minneapolis, showcasing composting and biochar as tools for soil health and community resilience.
Posted inOpinion
The Endangerment Finding stands between us and disaster
Mustafa Ali warns that dismantling the Endangerment Finding would strip protections against climate pollution, with devastating impacts for vulnerable communities.
Posted inLocal & State
Northsiders decry Blue-Line disruption, displacement
Northside leaders demand $10M in anti-displacement funds as the Blue Line Extension threatens homes, businesses, and community stability.
Posted inPolitics
The Big Beautiful Bill ‘greenlights pollution’
Signed on July 4, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminates the EPA’s Environmental and Climate Justice Program, slashes grant funding, and rolls back air and water protections. Lawsuits are underway, but the future of climate justice remains uncertain.
Posted inOpinion
Wildfires endanger Minnesota’s peatlands
As wildfires sweep Minnesota, peatlands — which store 40% of the state’s terrestrial carbon — are burning away. LeeAnn Geshick urges immediate action.
Posted inPolitics
Climate Justice Isn’t Dead
Former White House official Ryan Hathaway believes the Trump Administration’s efforts to kill environmental protections will fail, as environmental justice is a guiding principle for the federal government and it is not possible to wipe out environmental justice.
Posted inEvents
Rooted and resilient: An environmental justice celebration
Join us at 825 Arts on April 2, 2025 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM for a historic gathering of three generations of Black environmental justice leadership to explore how collective wisdom, advocacy, and action can guide the ReConnect Rondo initiative and turn historical harm into a foundation for a thriving, sustainable community.
Posted inPolitics
Trump Outlines America First Agenda: What It Means for Black Americans
Donald Trump’s America First agenda, which includes measures to end DEI, has raised concerns among citizens and activists about the impact on marginalized communities, particularly Black Americans.
Posted inNews
Smith Foundry under fire for ‘environmental racism’
Activists rally to close Smith Foundry in Minneapolis’s Phillips neighborhood
Posted inGo Green
Wanted: Younger workforce ready to learn about climate jobs
‘We want to get people into these service programs, to get them employed, working in areas that they’re passionate about.’
Posted inLocal & State, News
Activists want to close the downtown HERC trash-burner
‘What’s big to us is the amount of waste that is generated. That’s culturally part of the capitalist system we live in.’