EarthSmart tees off for Putting Green

Event promotes

project and other

environmentally friendly groups and ideas

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Supporters of the Putting Green turned out Thursday night to hear about the project's progress and about developments in environmentally-friendly technology.

Putting Green held its EarthSmart Evening at the New Ulm Holiday Inn to promote the miniature golf course, raise funds for that project and promote other environmental groups and ideas.

The project, which started in 2000, has raised more $500,000. The funds went into design, development and construction.

The crowd sampled organic foods provided by several area catering businesses, grocery stores and food co-operatives while an all-acoustic bluegrass quartet sang.

Dr. Laurel Gamm, the New Ulm physician who is the executive director for Putting Green Inc., said the idea grew out of a family trip to South Carolina four years ago where it played mini-golf. Her son had drawn a mini-golf course on the way home. Gamm said she thought such a course would be an interesting way to learn physics.

Now, that idea has transformed into a non-profit organization that has many local collaborators and supporters, Gamm said.

"This park is much more than mini golf," she said. "It more than a place. It's process, program and working together to save the planet."

The group is tentatively planning a groundbreaking and other activities for May 15 on the 9 acres of land on the Minnesota River that it is renting from the City of New Ulm for 30 years. The course will be built near the corner of 20th South and Valley streets.

The project's focus, said Gamm, is sustainability. Each hole has a theme, be it watersheds, manure application or ethanol production. Gamm said the course is currently in design development stage. Engineers are also working on a 'no-energy' building that would use photovoltaic cells to produce power from sunlight.

Two of Putting Green's student board members, Katie Frederickson and Jeff Tiedeken, spoke briefly about their experiences with the project. They said their involvement with the Putting Green has taught them to think more closely about the environment. Tiedeken said he often talks to people about the project and carries leaflets about the project around in the back of his ethanol-powered pickup truck.

Dick Hemmingsen, director of the University of Minnesota's Initiative on Renewable Energy and Environment, said renewable energy can help economic development, energy security and have environmental benefits.

He said 75 percent of Minnesota's current energy supply comes from burning coal. He said producing hydrogen from renewable sources is a key challenge facing renewable energy science.

He said wind power is one example of a renewable source, since Minnesota is only third behind California and Texas in terms of how heavily it uses wind power. He said large 'windfarms' are being developed in Europe. Biomass can also be used to generate electricity. Converting waste into energy is another alternative to fossil fuels, Hemmingsen said. Those alternatives are being developed among government, higher education, non-profit groups and industry, he said.

Kim Carlson, KARE-11's EarthSmart Consumer, said she sees evidence of a 'green epidemic' in Minnesota, because one in three adults now base their buying decisions on environmental issues and since marketing and magazines now cater to a more environmentally-aware lifestyle.

An example: Texas-based Whole Foods had one store in 1980; it now has 180 across the country. And the spectrum of organic foods are expanding as a part of the national trend.

"I encourage you not to feel frustrated," Carlson told the group. "You can join a group that makes you feel more connected."

Carlson also offered a few tips on how to be an environmentally-aware consumer:

* Consider buying a hybrid vehicle.

* Mow your lawn responsibly. Get a manually-operated lawn mower or a newer four-cylinder or electric mower. Mow during the early morning or late evenings to avoid smog. Leave the grass longer.

* Let your lawn 'go native'. Carlson said many homeowners in the Twin Cities have a small lawn, but allow native plants to grow back on the remainder of their properties.

* Use fewer chemicals. Most of the pesticides used in the United States are used to keep lawns clean, Carlson said. An organic solution would be to plant marigolds, garlic, onions or use cayenne pepper to deter pests.

* Make a compost pile.

* Buy organic food locally.

* Recycle.