| Wish You Were Here
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Do you
ever go by a sign for a Scenic Byway and think, "Hmm, wish I had time to
check that out."
On a recent trip to western Minnesota
our family decided to take the time and check out The Minnesota River Valley
Scenic Byway. This Byway follows the river through Western
Minnesota and cuts through the middle of the Tatanka Bluffs Green
Route. We got on the Byway near the Upper
Sioux Agency
State Park and traveled
south east to Morton on one of the Byways alternate routes, County Road 15. The
fact that Co.15 is a mostly gravel road may keep some people away, but that
fact is likely the reason it is so scenic! It winds through hills and valleys
of the Minnesota river, past fields,
farmsteads and forests. And in early October, even on an overcast day, it was stunning.
The cornfields seem to give off their own light. This would be a good place to
do some biking as we hardly met a car going the other way the entire trip. This
route has some interesting historical sites as well, the Rudi Memorial is a
dovetailed log cabin built in 1868 and houses early settlers household articles
and tools.
We didn't want to get too far south of the Cities so we headed straight East
when we got to Morton. This small town has a handful of interesting antique and
craft stores like The Red Sled. And a great little Mexican restaurant, Las Palmas (the only
place in town you can get an authentic Mexican tongue taco as far as I know!)
When you're in town be sure to visit the Renville County Historical Society as well.
Next time you are out, make time to "take the road less traveled" you
won't get a better, more authentic, view of Minnesota.
-Jan
The Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway =
http://www.mnrivervalley.com/sites/granitefalls-redwoodfalls.php
Upper Sioux Agency
State Park = http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/upper_sioux_agency/index.html
Renville County Historical Society = http://www.renvillecountyhistory.com
Travelers Wanted!
Have you been to one or more Green Routes destinations this summer> Do you have a story from your travels that you'd like to share with other green travelers in Minnesota? We'd like to share your story in our newsletter. If you're interested, call Margaret at 612.871.1541 or 866.378.0587 or email margaret@rtcinfo.org to set up a brief phone interview.
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| Introducing... Green Routes Coffeebreaks!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Are you and your co-workers interested in green tourism? Do you ever wish you could take 15-20 minutes out of your workday and think about something other than work, better yet, what your next weekend trip will look like? We'd like to come to your work and share a coffeebreak with you. If you can round up 5 or more co-workers who'd be interested in hearing about some of the great sustainable destinations in Minnesota, we'll bring fair trade coffee, treats, and a wealth of information on Green Routes! If you're interested in scheduling a Green Routes Coffeebreak for your business or organization, contact Margaret at 612.871.1541 or margaret@rtcinfo.org. Due to our location and size, we are only able to organize them in the Metro area at this time.
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Green Routes Travel Tips
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Understanding Carbon Footprints and Offsets
A Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities, especially burning fossil fuels, have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. Each of our everyday actions consumes energy and produces carbon dioxide emissions (airplane flights, driving cars, heating or cooling homes). These gases have had a great impact on global climate change and we are starting to see the effects now on water, land, animals, food production, and weather.
For example, a traveler can create a ton of CO2 is emitted when one:
travels 2000 miles in an airplane
drives 1,350 miles in a SUV
drives 1,900 miles in a midsize car
drives 6,00 in a hybrid
- Clean-Air Report from www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/
As Green Travelers there are two paths we can take: decrease the energy we use each day and offset the rest of our carbon-emitting energy. A Carbon Footprint calculator helps determine carbon dioxide emissions from major sources: home energy consumption and transportation by car and plane. Once we understand our Carbon Footprint there are options that Green Travelers can take to reduce: turn off lights, patronize places that use wind or other alternative sources of energy, use wind-up flashlights instead of batteries, use more fuel efficient transportation, plan a route to use the least mileage to conserve fuel, or rent a bike to explore a local area.
Purchasing Carbon Offsets can help neutralize our carbon emissions and reduce our impact on global warming. Carbon Offsets are offered by numerous organizations. For a fee the organization invests in carbon neutralizing tactics that include renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects. These tend to be the most controversial type of Carbon Offsets since there is little control and assurance over the projects. Do your background research in any case.
www.carbonfootprint.com
http://www.safeclimate.net/calculator/
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html
http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/carbon_offset_wind_credits_carbon_reduction
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| Events - With a Green Twist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Uncle Vanya - Commonweal Theatre Company
Sept 7 - Nov. 11
208 Parkway Avenue North
Lanesboro, MN 55949
For more information and for tickets, contact www.commonwealtheatre.org or
800-657-7025
Gale Woods Farm Group
Wagon Rides and Bonfires
Tuesdays and Thursdays in October 6:00p and 7:15p
Make a reservation at 763.694.2001
Harvest Creations at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
October 6 - 28
Chanhassen, MN
Call 952-443-1400 for details.
Minnesota's Greatest Generation: Preserving Family
History
Northwoods Bank, Park Rapids MN
Oct. 17, 2007 7:00pm
For more information, call Karen Danks at 218-732-5237
Halloween Farm Fun at Gale Woods Farm
Oct 27 5:00p-9:00p
$6/person, reservations required - reserve your spot at 763.694.2001
Reference program #437407TN-TU
Land Stewardship Project Crow River
Chapter Social:
"Eating Locally Year Round or Freezing is Not a Sin"
Nov. 2, 2007 6:00p-9:00p
Three Crows - Delano, MN
Reservations required - contact Jerry Ford at 320.543.33964 or jerry@marienne.com
2007 Northland Bioneers Conference
Nov. 2-4
www.nbconference.org
612.247.0781
Leading
From Within
November 7 - 10
Zion, Illinois
http://www.icl.org/programs/fli-leading.php
Please contact Jen
Lynch at 651.789.0654 or jenlynch@mepartnership.org
for scholarship details (limited number available).
Have an event you think would be good for the Authentic Traveler? Send it to us at margaret@rtcinfo.org.
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| Have Fun! Make a Difference! Take the Green Routes Travel Pledge!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  We're serious about growing and sustaining our rural economy. We want to support small businesses and communities that have made a commitment to be more environmentally and socially responsible while building their local economy. Join 1,000 green travelers who pledge to visit at least five Green Routes businesses this year.
You can still pledge by sending us an email with "I Pledge" in the subject line. We'll send you a card to take with you on your journeys to write down each Green Route you visit. You can then send the card back to us when it is complete and we'll send you a free gift (2008 MN Cooks Calendar).
If you've already visited 5 Green Routes destinations, don't forget to send your card back (or email us if you've misplaced it) to get your calendar!
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Happy travels,
- Brett, Christy, Deborah, Jan, John, Lindsay, Lisa and Margaret
Contact Information
Phone: 612.871.1541
Email: info@greenroutes.org
Website: www.greenroutes.org
www.renewingthecountryside.org |
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