-Advertisement-

Ecolution

Deep Dive: How the Attorney General’s Office Impacts Affordability, Housing, and Healthcare

At a recent campaign rally for Attorney General Keith Ellison, Sen. Tina Smith, Rep. Ilhan Omar, and Ellison talked about several key issues impacting voters this season. Following are excerpts of the discussion, including Ellison's talking points about the economics of daily living, healthcare, housing, and other details related to how affordability is tied up in government policy and enforcement.
Read more

A Conversation About Priorities with U.S. Senate Candidate Peggy Flanagan

Two of our Future Forward editorial board members — a board of women under the age of 25 — had a chance to talk with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is running for U.S. Senate. Here is some of the conversation.
Read more

EXPLAINER: Mining in Minnesota

Minnesota has mined iron for well over a century, and it is still the largest producer of iron ore and taconite in the United States. Now the state is at the center of a bigger question: should it open a second kind of mining, for copper, nickel and other metals, in some of its most water-rich landscapes? This Explainer is part of a series designed to help people understand how the government — and the people we elect to it — serve the common good with the decisions they make about policy and funding priorities that impact the interconnected whole.
Read more

-Advertisement-

Everyday Donors are Redefining Minnesota’s Generosity

Since 2009, thousands of Minnesotans have raised more than $330 million for more than 10,000 nonprofits and schools across the state. And women have been at the forefront of it all.
Read more

Cathy Johnson: From Classroom to Unexpected Lobbyist

As a former teacher and a master gardener, Johnson could not have predicted that in 2024 she would step into a significant leadership role, which has included testifying multiple times to the Minnesota legislature.
Read more

ELECTION: What Your Board of Estimate and Taxation Does

This role matters because we work too hard for our money for it not to be managed responsibly. BET ensures fiscal responsibility, equitable allocation of resources, and transparent decision-making.
Read more

COMMENTARY: Renters Deserve the Opportunity to Put Down Roots

This means that, on average, 1,143 units of affordable housing were preserved or created every year. Imagine how powerful that would be here.
Read more

DATA CENTER SERIES: The Impact on Minnesota Waters

Residents worry that the data center will overshadow their own water needs, especially in the summer months. Tract developers convinced city officials to let data centers use municipal water supplies — despite the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ statutes governing water use — meaning that center water demands will be prioritized alongside domestic use.
Read more

Part 3: Talking with Minneapolis Mayoral Candidates About Pollution

“The zip code you live in is a better indicator of your health outcomes than your genetic code.”
Read more

My “Bystander” Education in Community Organizing

  I sat down in the last open chair in Cathy…
Read more

Anne Mavity: How to Get Housing in All Corners

“We need to make it easy to build,” she says. She cites the 12-month streamlined rebuilding process after the 35W bridge collapse as evidence that it is possible for the state to waive its labyrinth of guidelines safely and to great effect. Mavity points out that half of other states are ahead of Minnesota in addressing the regulations issue.
Read more

DEEP DIVE: The Farmington Push for Responsible Hyper-Scale Data Centers

At a recent public meeting hosted by the Minnesota Women’s Press, about 50 residents, legislators, and advocates invited by the Coalition for Responsible Data Centers gathered to discuss the rapid growth of hyper-scale data centers. The conversation centered on a proposed facility in Farmington — a project that could use as much as 2.93 million gallons of water per day — as well as implications statewide for taxpayers and neighborhoods if corporate needs are not regulated.
Read more

The Public Health Mission of Open Cupboard

With looming cuts to safety net programs like SNAP and Medicaid, it’s more urgent than ever. We’re eager to support other communities in building food access models that center people, health, and dignity.
Read more

What Climate Generation Is Doing About the Crisis

Across the U.S., schools spend nearly $8 billion on energy annually
Read more

Rukia Abdi: How Community Energy Futures Is Powering the Current Generation

  Q: What does Cooperative Energy Futures (CEF)…
Read more