Project promotes 'sustainability'

Putting Green Park will teach youth about the environment

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM--The Putting Green Environmental Adventure Park's conference on sustainability drew nearly 100 environmentally concerned adults and youth Friday at the Holiday Inn.

"It was a wonderful turn-out," said conference organizer Laurel Gamm of New Ulm, coordinator of the Putting Green miniature golf park project--or the "queen of green" as she has been identified.

In welcoming participants, Gamm said, "The core of this project is youth participation and direction, and the collaboration (with the city and others) since day one has been tremendous."

Putting Green Environmental Adventure Park will be an 18-hold mini-golf course, with each hole presenting a different environmental lesson in six environmental areas. The club house will double as an interpretive center, and the course itself will be sustainable.

Gamm also announced the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance was providing a $32,000 grant for design, and Southern Minnesota Initiative Fund is providing $20,000 for youth entrepreneurship so that youth develop the park's business plan.

New Ulm City Council President Dan Beranek, standing in for State Sen. Dennis Frederickson, R-New Ulm, who was detained at the state capitol, welcomed the conference participants.

"Your goals are excellent," he said. "We're cognizant of zoning issues, and we're trying to help out there."

Barb and Paul Toren of Mahtomedi, representing the Izaak Walton League, a financial sponsor of the conference, defined sustainability as the quality of being able to keep something in existence through use of renewable resources.

"In 1973, the Minnesota Legislature enacted Chapter 412 which has become the basis for sustainability," Barb Toren explained. In tracing the development of sustainability in the environment, she said, "we must be able to see the big picture."

Minnesota's sustainability principles, as developed from Chapter 412, are global interdependence, stewardship, conservation, indicators, and shared responsibility, she explained.

The Torens then divided the group into five units for what they called a "webbing exercise" in which a subject is chosen and the interconnection of elements relating to the subject are diagrammed.

The New Ulm Middle School presented its report on the 11 sustainability indicators that they had been researching. The indicators were broken down into four groups: population, natural environment, wetlands and natural resource consumption.

Katy Frederickson reported on the four population indicators, including total population and annual growth rate which showed New Ulm's growth rate climbing while the county's is falling, numbers voting in elections, percent of students receiving formal environmental education and percent of students receiving population education.

Alex Harsha talked about the indicators in natural environment, such as water quality, wetlands, and the diminishing biodiversity. Finally, Chelsea Bottin talked about consumption indicators, including pounds of solid waste in landfills, electricity consumption from non-renewable resources, days with air quality index in a good range and acres of land available for agriculture.

Harsha reported all these indicators will be measured over the next three years.

Jonathan Wilmshurst, regional president of Aggregate Industries, Eagan, said while his company is associated with aggregate issues, he has his own views on sustainability. He said while he and his family try to be environmentally aware, "we own gas-guzzling cars and live in a much too large house."

What causes problems in sustainability, he said, "is that our investors drive our performance goals." It is also consumers who drive the product.

"Minnesota uses 60 million tons of aggregates," Wilmshurst said. "The problem is no one knows how much that is. Actually, it is a block one mile square and 50 feet deep."

He also described his view of sustainability as that of a three-legged stool. "Sustainability development is about balance."

The three legs are economy, environment and community. He said the economy leg is usually the longest as the thickest.

"If the economy is struggling, as it is now, it makes it easy to condone nasty practices," Wilmshurst explained. "If the economy goes well, then companies have the money to spend on the other two legs."

A positive trend, he said, is that the "investment community is starting to pay attention to environmental compliance as an example of good management."

Sara Ethier, director of environmental operations and energy management at 3M in St. Paul, said 3M is a large company with over 75,000 employees and $16.724 billion in worldwide sales that cares about the environment. She said, "The idea of sustainability is a warm, fuzzy one, but the question is how do you achieve it."

She outlined 3M's answer to the environmental responsibility, an initiative called "Life Cycle Management: 3M's Pathway to Sustainability". She noted the New Ulm 3M plant has an excellent environmental record.

Companies need an environmental policy, she said, because society and its expectations are changing.

"The values have changed," she said. "People need to understand that, and get with the program."

At 3M, life cycle management is part of planning and developing products, and it follows the product through disposal, she said. The LCM test is going to be applied to existing products, as well.

Mary Tkach, sustainability director at Aveda in Blaine, said, "Aveda honestly believes there is no responsible alternative to doing business other than through environmental sustainability.

"The world where we live isn't very healthy right now," Tkach said. "Aveda's vision statement connects beauty, environment and well-being."

Some questions asked by Aveda management are, "is the product designed to eliminate waste and is it available from a socially and environmentally conscious company", she said.

There have been changes, like in packaging, as a result, but the company still is just getting into life cycle management, she also said.

Following lunch, participants took part in six "adult" workshops, dealing with construction, transportation, water quality, food, landscaping and energy.

A seventh workshop was titled "The Big Hand-Me-Down" and was for kids only.

On display at the conference was the design model of Putting Green's first golf hole, designed by Washington School 6th graders.