Environmental Initiative

Environmental Initiative Catalyzing collaboration for social equity & environmental health.

We:

Facilitate conversations addressing environmental, economic, and public health issues between diverse stakeholders as we work toward social equity and environmental health. Take action and implement on-the-ground projects to improve our air, land, and water for all beings. Plan and host events for environmental leaders from businesses, nonprofits, government and most-impacted communities to share information, network and learn from one another.

Exciting news for Payne-Phalen! A new $115,000 Climate Smart Communities Initiative award will fund a resilience playboo...
10/08/2026

Exciting news for Payne-Phalen! A new $115,000 Climate Smart Communities Initiative award will fund a resilience playbook to address the health risks posed by wildfire smoke, extreme heat, and near-road pollution. The project grew out of a conversation at a Clean Air Minnesota workshop, and our network of partners helped bring the team together.

We recently celebrated the project with a full house at SunMoon Boba & Cafe on Arcade Street, including elected officials, city staff, and longtime climate organizers. We're excited to see the playbook take shape and look forward to what comes next for Payne-Phalen.

Read the full story on our website: https://buff.ly/lgNv0R2

Conservation outreach struggles to gain traction when it isn't designed with the producer's perspective in mind. Environ...
10/06/2026

Conservation outreach struggles to gain traction when it isn't designed with the producer's perspective in mind. Environmental Initiative offers workshops to help organizations get that right — a hands-on, data-driven approach for engaging farmers and ranchers based on real outreach campaigns.

Our approach is grounded in results. Last year, working with Trust In Food in North and South Dakota, we designed a campaign that influenced ranchers managing 272,374 acres to download written grazing management plan templates. That's more than 27 times our original goal of 10,000 acres. The five-step strategy behind our success is the foundation of what we teach, so you can reach your audience with messages they'll actually hear.

Ready to design smarter outreach? Contact Deborah Carter McCoy at [email protected] to set up a 30-minute exploratory call.

There's more than one way to support progress that takes years to build. If you have a donor-advised fund, you can recom...
10/01/2026

There's more than one way to support progress that takes years to build.

If you have a donor-advised fund, you can recommend a grant to Environmental Initiative directly through your fund sponsor. Or, if you're thinking long-term, a planned gift lets you include us in your will or estate plans.

Learn more about how you can support Minnesota’s environmental progress: https://buff.ly/AsmIFj0

Join Partnership Director Jenny Kramm at Transform Food & Agriculture USA Oct. 27-28! She will be leading a roundtable d...
09/30/2026

Join Partnership Director Jenny Kramm at Transform Food & Agriculture USA Oct. 27-28! She will be leading a roundtable discussion about cross-sector partnership on behalf of the Midwest Row Crop Collaborative. This session includes:

- Understanding the impact 45Z legislation could have on a food and feed company’s regenerative agriculture goals.
- Exploring benefits of food, fuel, and feed partnerships to accelerate a transition to regenerative agriculture.
- Defining success of a regional approach to food, fuel, and feed partnerships to unlock landscape-level impact.

We hope to see you there!

We want to thank the funders who make the Source Water Protection Collaborative's creative engagement work possible. Muc...
09/30/2026

We want to thank the funders who make the Source Water Protection Collaborative's creative engagement work possible.

Much of the funding for artist-in-residence Mary Beth Magyar comes from Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment funds via the Minnesota Department of Health. This work is also made possible, in part, by Minnesota voters through a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund to the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC), along with support from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and a Paint the Town grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation.

We're grateful for such a diverse base of funders. Interested in supporting this work? Contact Britta Dornfeld at [email protected] to learn about sponsorship opportunities.

One week ago today, we celebrated Mike Harley's 30 years with Environmental Initiative at 56 Brewing! It was great to se...
09/23/2026

One week ago today, we celebrated Mike Harley's 30 years with Environmental Initiative at 56 Brewing! It was great to see so many friends and partners in one place.

A special thanks to everyone who gave in Mike's honor. Missed the party? You can still join them and help us keep showing up for the long haul: https://buff.ly/7UrQt6l

What happens to our old electronics once we are done with them? Join the Sustainable Growth Coalition next Tuesday, Sept...
09/22/2026

What happens to our old electronics once we are done with them? Join the Sustainable Growth Coalition next Tuesday, Sept. 29 from noon to 1 p.m. for a virtual Lunch & Learn with Tammy Ly of Best Buy and Patrick Santelli of MRM Recycling. They will talk about how retailers, manufacturers, and recyclers work together to keep electronics out of landfills.

Attendance is free for Coalition members and $15 for non-members. Register today! https://buff.ly/ss1Mati

Check out these fish tiles made by Source Water Protection Collaborative and Chatfield community members last month at t...
09/21/2026

Check out these fish tiles made by Source Water Protection Collaborative and Chatfield community members last month at the Collaborative's member retreat! Artist-in-residence Mary Beth Magyar, M.Ed will use these and many more tiles in two mosaics in Chatfield, unveiled later this fall.

Come celebrate with us at one or both receptions:

Chatfield City Hall Mosaic Reception | Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m., Lower Level

Chatfield Center for the Arts Mosaic Reception | Nov. 7, 5 p.m., Atrium

This project has taught many Chatfield community members how the decisions we make on land affect our drinking water. Want to support creative engagement in 2027? Contact Britta Dornfeld at [email protected] to learn about sponsorship opportunities.

Some of our work moves fast. Most of it doesn't. Project Clean Air Repair started as a pilot in 2017 with two garages an...
09/17/2026

Some of our work moves fast. Most of it doesn't.

Project Clean Air Repair started as a pilot in 2017 with two garages and a goal to repair 40 cars. This summer, we celebrated our 1,000th repair, with 14 garages across Minnesota now providing no-cost repairs every day.

Reach Farmers Faster built momentum over years of research with Trust In Food™️, including a national study on why conservation programs struggle to reach producers. Not only did this project culminate in a free online tool to help conservation professionals communicate more effectively with producers, it received national attention in Nonprofit Quarterly, shining a light on the challenges conservation programs face.

Progress like this doesn't happen in one election cycle. It happens because Environmental Initiative stays in the room, year after year.

This fall, we're asking you to help us do exactly that. Every gift to our year-end campaign supports the years-long partnerships beneath projects like these—the behind-the-scenes work that gets us to big wins and national recognition. Donate today and help make sure we're still in the room for what comes next: https://buff.ly/dYS3ffl

How do you reach ranchers who are busy and short on time? You meet them where they are. Step 4 of the Reach Farmers Fast...
09/16/2026

How do you reach ranchers who are busy and short on time? You meet them where they are. Step 4 of the Reach Farmers Faster playbook breaks down how we chose the right outreach channels and what we learned when we looked at the results: https://buff.ly/jhwnQVG

Channel selection is part of what we cover in our workshops. Contact Deborah Carter McCoy at [email protected] to learn more.

Address

807 Broadway Street NE
Minneapolis, MN
55413

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16123343388

Website

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