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Visit Grand Rapids: The
Green Issue |
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Spring is a time of renewal. As
the snow melts away and the
plants and trees begin to bud,
what better time than now to
think about some of the ways our
community approaches
sustainability and stewardship
of our natural surroundings? In
this issue, we highlight green
initiatives in the community: |
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Brewed
Awakenings Coffeehouse
Ruttger’s
Sugar Lake Lodge
KAXE
Northern Community Radio
Cheri’s
Top 10 Reasons to Travel During
Spring |
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Brewed Awakenings Coffeehouse
When Joan Foster started her
little coffeeshop in the back
corner of the local food co-op,
she had no idea it would become
the hip, social locale it is
today. After ten years and two
location moves,
Brewed
Awakenings has become
a thriving local eatery,
community stage,
 and
gathering place where patrons
can find healthy, delicious
foods and great coffee
creations. Joan and crew
incorporate organic,
hormone-free products into a
wide variety of homemade soups,
desserts, gelato and other
recipes. Local produce and eggs
are used whenever possible. It
truly is a place where you can
eat good food every day and be
healthy--in fact, that’s their
motto. Even though the business
is busy, owner Joan makes
recycling and sustainability a
priority; even the coffee
grounds and food scraps are
composted. The comfortable,
relaxed atmosphere offers free
wi-fi internet access, plenty of
seating, and an eclectic mix of
art and music to complement your
coffee experience. Visit
Brewed
Awakenings online and
be sure to stop in and visit in
person when you come to Grand
Rapids.
Ruttger’s Sugar Lake Lodge stays
Green
You don’t have to take an
ecotourism trip to a far-away
land to have a greener vacation
experience.
Sugar Lake
Lodge welcomes guests
with the amenities and services
of an up-scale resort fused with
environmentally conscious
strategies that help preserve
the beauty of the Minnesota
landscape. The resort is working
with the Minnesota Waste Wise
Program to maximize their
recycling efforts, increase
energy efficiency and reduce
energy consumption, and has
stepped up efforts to donate
reusable building products to
local non-profit agencies. Small
changes such as bulk shampoo and
soap dispensers in guest
sleeping rooms have reduced
wasteful plastic packaging, and
the resort has virtually
eliminated the use of disposable
dishware – even for outdoor meal
functions. While these small
changes may not be noticeable to
many guests, we know their
impact will be felt years from
now when future generations
continue to enjoy the “up-north”
experience of Grand Rapids.
Visit
Sugar Lake
Lodge online.
KAXE 91.7 Northern Community
“Green” Radio
In the heart of the northwoods,
and on the banks of the
Mississippi River, KAXE radio is
a legendary little radio station
that takes green to a whole new
level. Not only do the talk
segments of their on-air lineup
feature such topics as Phenology,
For the Birds, and Living on
Earth, but the staff at KAXE
have persistently tried to be
“greener” in lots of meaningful
ways. General Manager Maggie is
going strong on her “100-mile
diet”- eating only things
produced within 100 miles as a
way of being mindful of the
energy it takes for some of the
things we eat to travel such
long distances to reach our
plates. Engineer Dan has
converted his 1991 Volkswagon
Jetta to run on discarded
vegetable oil to minimize the
impact of his
 125-mile
daily commute from rural Bemidji
to Grand Rapids. While the staff
continues their heated
negotiations about how to divide
a 10-pound wheel of local cheese
and make the most of co-op
purchasing, the station is
moving forward with the
installation of new solar panels
(donated by a fan of the
station) and a three-phase power
tower that will reduce overall
electricity use. Future plans
include the creation of a rain
garden to naturally filter
runoff into the Mississippi
River, and hopefully, a
sculpture garden made of found
items gathered during the spring
riverfront cleanup.
You can tune into KAXE radio at
91.7 FM in the Grand Rapids
area, or
see them
on the web. |
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