Here's what we know: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are getting into Lake Superior and getting into fish. Here's something else we know: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are the most common of these chemicals and they bio-accumulate - which means they move through the food chain. And while we don't know how they're getting into the lake, or how they've getting into smelt, the Wisconsin DNR and Department of Health Services are recommending no more than one serving per month of rainbow smelt. For more information about PFAS and fish, visit the DNR’s PFAS webpage . For more information on PFAS and associated human health effects, visit the DHS’s PFAS webpage .

Green Visions on KUMD

Green Visions: "No more for me, thanks" - no seconds of smelt

Old, energy-inefficient houses are bad enough. But add some dangerously cold weather and people needing to stay home thanks to a pandemic and you've got a triple-whammy for homeowners and renters. Enter Ecolibrium3. The Eco3 Energy Team has energy audits available for any- and everyone , but f or folks who qualify, they've also got help to do some weatherization projects at no cost , and they can also get you in touch with pandemic-related programs that can help with energy bills.

Green Visions: help with the "triple whammy"

Yes, here in the upper Midwest, our wind turbines are winterized. And unlike texas, Minnesota is connected to a larger power grid. But back during the"polar vortex" of 2019, we had trouble up here pulling the power we needed from the grid down south. And Isabel Ricker, the Senior Clean Electricity Manager of Fresh Energy, says the key is connections: infrastructure connections like new and upgraded wiring, and connections in the form of creating relationships.

Green Visions: our wind turbines are winterized but we're not invincible

Everything from "personal awareness" to city-level action: that's what the Duluth Citizen's Climate Action Plan lays out for folks. The plan aims to help our community reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build a climate-resilient community without forgetting about considerations of equity and social justice. You can read the plan here:

Green Visions: how climate change affects you and how you can affect climate change

Imagine if "eating local" could mean a nice fillet of salmon, a tuna steak, or a lobster tail and a nice salad made with home-grown greens. Minnesota Sea Grant is working on a project to not only see if there's market potential for aquaculture here in the Northland, they're excited that they might be able to contribute to food production, local business growth and job creation without some of the downsides that have plagued the idea in the past. The solution, in large part, is moving the operation to a land-based building (not a pond or lake) and creating a Recirculating Aquaculture System. You can read more about Minnesota Sea Grant's Fish, Food, and Aquaculture Program here.

Green Visions: working out the kinks: aquaculture without the drawbacks

The below-zero temps and double-digit-below-zero wind chills of February can make the annual Winter Bike Week a hard sell some years. But this year? As we head into the second year of social distance and Covid precautions? Plenty of folks are already taking to the trails on their fat tire bikes - now the trick is reminding them to take advantage of the nice temps (before Saturday, that is) and walk or bike to work or maybe just to run an errand or two. More information about Winter Bike Week events and a bunch of helpful resources can be found here on the website or here on the Zeitgeist Community Facebook page .

Green Visions: "It feels like a whole different world of possibilities when you're self-propelled"

On the first day of his administration, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to have the United States rejoin the Paris climate agreement. Jenna Yeakle is an Organizing Representative with the North Star Chapter of the Sierra Club in Duluth. She says she watched the signing, heaved a sign of relief, poured another cup of coffee and got back to work. Yeakle is pleased with what she calls the new administration's emphasis on democracy, but points out that the onus is also on the people of this country to solve many of its ills. "It's up to all of us to figure it out together," she says.

Green Visions: "we need to implement a plan at the scale the science demands"

And now for a little good news: Minnesota has reached the public eomment phase of its draft Clean Cars Standard . It aims to adopt Low-Emission Vehicle and Zero-Emission Vehicle air pollution standards, which is nice enough on it's own. But the best news is, the public doesn't have to do anything. The action steps are geared toward car makers , not car buyers . And it might even make it a little easier to get an electric car in Minnesota in the first place. You can read more about the proposed standard and even submit your comments through this page : There will also be a series of virtual public information meetings; you can get more information here .

Green Visions: if you build it ... they will give you a place to charge it up

Green Visions: "Don't do anything if you don't know the right thing to do."

Need a new hobby? A reason to get some fresh air in the woods? Want to help Minnesota’s forests grow healthy and strong? The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has an opportunity for you. The DNR needs hundreds of bushels of black spruce cones within the next few weeks to meet state and county spruce seed orders for spring 2021 reforestation efforts. Seeds from the nursery are used to reforest about 6,000 acres of black spruce in Minnesota each year. DNR silviculture program coordinator Mike Reinikainen joins us this morning to talk about the DNR's tree cone and seed collection program .

Green Visions: Help to repopulate black spruce

As we brace for the first good storm of the winter, we're probably making sure the shovels are handy and there's some kind of de-icer on hand. Whether you're a homeowner or a municipality, though, especially in this area, you need to remember that salt washes into the lake (especially down the hills of Duluth) and once it's there, it's there permanently. And it can change the chemistry of the lake. That's why those who work to keep our streets and sidewalks clear and us safe are also trying to do it with as little salt as possible. More information about the upcoming virtual conference, including the session by veterinarian Dr Brian Ray, is available here.

Green Visions: with salt, as with so many things, moderation is key

Invasive species are particularly hard on Minnesota, wreaking havoc on outdoor recreation, pumping stations and other infrastructure, and costing the Great Lakes $200 million a year. But the EPA's proposed new ballast water standards, intended to limit the damage of invasive species but released in October to a mere 30 day public comment period, give lakers a free pass from having to treat ballast water. No, says Marc Smith, the policy director of the National Wildlife Federation, lakers aren't responsible for bringing invasive species to the Great Lakes; it's the salties that do that. But the lakers do move the invasives around.

Green Visions: invasive species cost Great Lakes $200 million a year-why won't the EPA do something?

Behold the spiny water flea: a single black eye, a barbed tail, and it reproduces asexually. Small fish, like young walleyes and yellow perch, can't eat it because of the spiny tail. Then to add insult to injury, it turns around and eats the very things those same young fish eat - and out-competes them - leading to slower-growing bigger fish. Plus it's decimating populations of the zooplankton that help keep algae in check and lake systems in balance. In a recent interview, with Dr. Donn Branstrator, the Co-Director of the Water Resources Science Graduateprogram at UMD, National Geographic ( Tim Folger, "This ferocious water flea is mauling the Great Lakes," December 2, 2020 ) said "the tiny invader has already permanently altered the base of the food web on which all the lakes’ fish depend." What does it want? "Indefinite persistence." How do you stop it? Dry gear and Swedish dish cloths. You can find out more about ways to stop the spiny water flea here at the Minnesota Aquatic

Green Visions: What does it want? "Indefinite persistance." How can we stop it? Swedish dish cloths.

Climate Generation - and apparently a lot of Minnesotans - want the state legislature to be able to hit the ground running when they reconvene January 5. One of the ways they hope lawmakers can accomplish that is if they hear from their constituents. So they're gathering written testimony from people in all 67 legislative districts about the effects of climate change they've already seen, and why they're asking for "bold climate action." "Everything we cherish about life, whether it be the rich soil needed for us to grow vegetables and crops, the trees and plants that give us our oxygen, the clean water we all as human beings depend on to keep the blood flowing in our bodies–all of this will greatly be affected without our immediate intervention to slow or stopclimate change. For this art piece, I wanted to use as many materials as possible found innature, such as dirt, tree bark, and stones, to show that no matter how small or insignificant something may seem to you, everything in

Green Visions: "We are all eyewitnesses to climate change"

Winona LaDuke is angry, and she's not pulling any punches. Enbridge is prepared to begin construction on the controversial Line 3 project next Tuesday, and LaDuke, a longtime environmental activist and the executive director of Honor the Earth, is fed up. "This is a disaster for the environment, civil rights and the government," she says. "The least the governor could do is issue a stay. "We would like the dogs called off. Enbridge wants to push this through before the pandemic is over and in the middle of winter. And that's wrong."

Green Visions: "Line 3 is the epitome of what injustice looks like"

A feature on Duluth, Minnesota public radio station's Northland Morning program focusing on local environmental issues, heard Wednesdays at 8:20 a.m on 103.3fm or streaming at kumd.org.

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Green Visions on KUMD

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