Featured Stories

Flower Plots and Food Forests: Community Gardens as Living Examples of Neighborhood Commitment

Loren Green Tuesday, July 26, 2016

The Bancroft Meridian Garden, founded in 1996 on a lot along 38th Street in South Minneapolis, began as a flower garden. But communities change. So do their gardens. Now it's a food forest for the neighborhood.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Sustainability

Saint Anthony Park, Southwest

Hmong American Farmers Association Cultivates Profits, Productivity, Community

Amy Goetzman Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Since they began farming in Vermillion Township in 2014, HAFA's members have introduced Minnesotan palates to new flavors, seen production and profits increase exponentially, and cultivated a greater sense of community.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Shopping, Sustainability

Urban Agriculture in MSP: Growing, Diversifying, Sustainable

Brian Martucci Tuesday, August 18, 2015

As the rapid proliferation of urban farms, CSAs, community gardens, hyper-local farmers’ market stalls and farm-to-fork restaurants shows, MSP’s urban agriculture ecosystem is only getting stronger.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Greater East Side, Midway, North Side, West Seventh, Downtown/Lowertown, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

spring veggies,courtesy Bill GourmetFoods, MIll City.jpg

Eat Up! 7 Transit-Friendly Farmers Markets in MSP

Brian Martucci Tuesday, May 05, 2015

Looking to sample the region’s freshest produce without braving traffic? In celebration of the Green Line’s first full farmers market season, here are seven MSP markets within walking distance of a major transit line (in many cases, the Green Line itself).

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Shopping, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Riverfront/Mill District, University, Downtown, Lake Street, Southwest, Downtown/Lowertown

Cultivating Youth As Agents of Change Through Urban Agriculture

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Youth programs with a focus on urban agriculture cultivate good health, leadership skills, community development and economic independence.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Healthcare, Philanthropy, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Greater East Side, Phillips, North Side, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Battle Creek

TC Solar Entrepreneurship Powers Economic Development

Lee Egerstrom Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Minnesota's rapid spread and development of solar energy generation is sparking Twin Cities entrepreneurship.

Creative Leadership, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs

Longfellow, Summit - University

Urban Organics produce at the Lund's Penfield, courtesy Urban Organics

Urban Farm to Urban Table: Growing and Sourcing Hyper-Local Food in the Twin Cities

Brian Martucci Wednesday, August 13, 2014

The Twin Cities is emerging as a hotbed of innovative agricultural activity. An ambitious group of producers and retailers aims to redefine what it means to be local, and give retaurants and consumers more control over what they eat and drink.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Riverfront/Mill District, Midway, Downtown, Lake Street, Southwest, Seward, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Northeast

Chris Andrejka training vines in the hops garden, courtesy Star Tribune

How Local is Your Beer? The Rise of Regional Ingredients

Issue Media Group Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Despite our love of micro-brews, many of the ingredients in our favorite beers haven't been sourced locally. That's changing as brewers tap into the local farming movement in their communities to add more fresh flavors and ingredients.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Nightlife

Como Park, West Seventh

Installing the Boyces' array, courtesy EcoMetro Tour

Solar Twin Cities: Where Urban Farming, Social Justice, Green Tech and Sustainable Living Meet

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, May 21, 2014

A sneak peek at the solar initiatives of a Twin Cities homeowner, nonprofit and entrepreneurial restaurant/farm featured during the EcoMetro Sustainable Living Tour on May 31 sponsored by the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development

University, Saint Anthony Park, Southwest, North Side, Downtown/Lowertown

Bogobrush: A Bamboo Objet d'Art for Social Good

Anna Pratt Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Heather and John McDougall, who are siblings, have designed the bamboo Bogobrush, a "buy one, give one" product that provides toothbrushes to people in need.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Healthcare, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Downtown/Lowertown

Barking Up New Businesses: Four Women Unleash Their Creativity for Canines

Anne Jin Soo Preston Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Philanthropy, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy

Northeast

Hank and His Bus: Catalysts for Changing Architectural Education?

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, November 06, 2013

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Higher Education, Reuse / Rebuild, Talent Dividend, Transportation

University, Northeast

Blue Flag Iris by Shelley Bowman and Marsh Marigold by Gerry Herriges

In a Multi-Year Project, Our Native Flowers Sit for Their Portraits

Meleah Maynard Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Green Jobs, Life Sciences, Sustainability

North Side

Turning Trash into Treasure, Creative Reuse Movement Boosts Urban Economies

Lee Chilcote Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Across America, creative reuse organizations are popping up to "upcycle" and sell stuff that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Artisans and artists are, in turn, turning this would-be detritus into artworks and products.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Summit Hill and Crocus Hill

Judy Gerdts and Becky Masterman of the Bee Squad atop the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Hive Minds: Urban Beekeeping in High Places

Meleah Maynard Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The rooftops of some prestigious locations are buzzing as local institutions hop aboard the global urban beekeeping bandwagon. The idea is to play a role in restoring declining bee populations, with the help of the U of M and some intrepid honey-oriented entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Life Sciences, Sustainability

University, Downtown, Powderhorn

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