Overview

Goal: A clean and healthy environment that contributes to our region's well-being now and into the future.

A long-running ad campaign dubbed Minnesota "the land of sky blue waters," hinting at the region's tradition of caring for the environment: Forward thinking in environmental preservation, an array of natural spaces, laws keeping our air clean, innovation in "green" practices, and people who enjoy the outdoors all year long. But are we doing as well as we could be? As the world begins to clean up its act, are we still setting the bar, or lowering it?

What's happening

The cleanliness of our water and quality of our air may pose a concern. Of the region's 138 public access lakes (10 acres or larger), 86 percent either do not meet basic standards or have other impairments. Since 2000, the air quality index, which is the Environmental Protection Agency's measure of our air quality on a daily basis, has rated our air as "moderate" or worse nearly 40 percent of the time. Minnesota's average annual greenhouse gas emissions are increasing at a rate nearly double that of the nation.

Making connections

There is no question that transportation in the region has a major effect on the environment. Likewise, how our business sectors work to the good or detriment of the environment has an effect on the economy and workforce. Poor air and water quality also negatively impact the health of residents in the region, which brings down our quality of life.