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Browsing by Subject "Southwest"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 25
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    Community Heating Feasibility Study
    (2022) Ren, Lifeng
    One hundred sixty Lower Sioux Indian Community households currently use propane as their primary fuel source to heat their homes. To help the families and households reduce the financial burden of utility bills, Lower Sioux Indian Community discussed two options for the future. The first option is adding a natural gas line to the community to which each house can connect. The second option is to upgrade the homes’ heating and cooling systems by installing cold climate air source heat pumps (ccASHPs). In this study, we hope to analyze the feasibility of each option, especially considering the uniqueness of the Lower Sioux Indian Community.
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    Community-Scale Energy Storage Guide: How Community Groups and Small Businesses Can Employ Energy Storage to Save Money and Contribute to Minnesota’s Clean Energy Transition
    Venning, Alex; Everett, Akisha; Kenney, Melissa A.; Institute on the Environment
    This guide is for people who have or are interested in investing in renewable energy batteries to power their homes, businesses, or community spaces. In it, we’ll walk you through how the US electricity grid operates, how renewable energy generated by homes and buildings works alongside it, and how investing in battery storage for renewable energy can optimize resources and help protect communities against power outages. We’ll also overview the different technologies available for storing renewable energy for future use and the partners, costs, and steps involved with installing an energy storage battery. Recent case studies from three sites in Minnesota, a state without fossil fuel reserves yet rich in renewable resources, illustrate how energy storage batteries help aid in the resilience of communities and the health of the planet by reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
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    Innovations in Cooperative and Small Grocery
    (University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, 2020-03) Jarvi, Monica
    This set of case studies is part of efforts by the Regional Sustainable Development Partnership (RSDP), at the University of Minnesota Extension, to support rural food retailers as they struggle to survive in a challenging economic climate. New Ulm Community Market and Cooperative initiated this specific study as the new store is exploring options for growth. The objective of this study was to use interviews with small and cooperative food retailers to obtain a better understanding of the resources, strategies, tools, and techniques that support small food retailers in staying viable and sustainable. This final report provides details that allow food retailers to assess each set of practices for potential replicability.
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    Intergenerational Village, Slayton, MN
    (2020) Atha, Rajeev; Singh, Virajita
    This project, led by the non-profit organization Operation Prairie Venture (OPV) and partners, envisions an intergenerational village in Slayton, Minnesota with independent and assisted living options, community engagement spaces, and other amenities, including a childcare center. Working with other partners in Murray County and beyond, it aims to establish an intergenerational village that offers residences for older adults, assisted living, memory care, and a childcare center.
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    Kernza® in Southern Minnesota: Assessing Local Viability of Intermediate Wheatgrass
    (University of Minnesota Extension. Regional Sustainable Development Partnership., 2019-01) Muckey, Erik
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    Multilingual Journalism Course Evaluation
    (2022-05) Hussein, Dalila
    In Willmar, Minnesota, almost one-third of the population comes from the non-native-English-speaking community. The immigrant population is challenged by having an equitable access to information in their native languages. Ridgewater College and Mid-Minnesota Development Commission joined forces to propose the Multilingual Journalism Program to increase the availability of native language communication by equipping leaders with journalistic skills in collecting, producing and disseminating information. A pilot round of the Multilingual Journalism Course was conducted in March and April 2022. A quantitative and qualitative evaluation used data points from course graduates, potential course participants and the program team to identify findings related to recruitment, participant satisfaction and content and delivery.
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    Nonprofit Use of Deep Winter Greenhouses: Minnesota Case Studies
    (University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, 2020) Masterpole, Zoë
    A Deep Winter Greenhouse (DWG) captures solar heat and enables the growth of cold-weather crops all winter long, using minimal inputs of external light and heat. This report presents nine case studies of non-farm DWGs located in Minnesota that are used in the pursuit of a non-profit organization’s mission or used for educational purposes. Each case study explores the purpose of the DWG, how it was funded, zoning and construction considerations, current usage,management, and future usage. The report finds that the necessary steps to building a greenhouse are to 1) define the purpose; 2) determine who will be involved and in what capacity; 3) locate a suitable site; 4) define who will be involved in the construction, maintenance, and operations of the greenhouse; and 5) identify where the produce will go.
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    Pathways to Prosperity: Evaluating Collaboration Opportunities for Southeast and South-Central MN Funders to Better Serve Inclusion and Equity-focused Grantees
    (2024-10-29) Sutton, Andi; Mohamed, Farah; Swanson, Kaitlynn; Turvey, Margaret; Bishop, Pam
    From 2023 to 2024 the Southeast Region of the Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (SE RSDP) collaborated with the Southern MN Initiative Foundation (SMIF) to research a question core to each organization’s mission that might be able to be answered in a solutions-oriented way through the unique community/University research partnership approach that RSDP facilitates. That question was: ‘How is the current funding landscape working for the diverse communities in our regions, and is it sparking positive change in those communities and helping them – and our region as a whole – become more resilient?’ Participants in this research were funders from across Minnesota as well as non-profit organizations across SMIF’s 20-county Southeast and South Central service area that were either led by members of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, or that were BIPOC-serving. The goal in this work was to identify how Southern Minnesota funders could best equip resilient communities-focused organizations that are BIPOC-led and BIPOC serving to realize their goals and spark transformative change at the community level. This report details the process, results, learning, and recommendations for both grantees and funders that are informed by contributions from all of the research participants. Contributions were solicited via a survey, focus group discussions, and one-on-one interviews. The resulting analysis highlighted the challenges, best practices, and opportunities for BIPOC-led and BIPOC-serving grantseeking organizations and funders. The report also includes concrete recommendations that funders and grantees can implement across four categories: technical supports, relational strategies, cultural awareness, and systems change.
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    RSDP Partnership Project List Fiscal Year 2013
    (2013) Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships
    A brief summary of RSDP supported projects by region in fiscal year 2013.
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    RSDP Partnership Project List Fiscal Year 2014
    (2014) Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships
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    RSDP Partnership Project List Fiscal Year 2015
    (2015) Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships
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    RSDP Partnership Project List Fiscal Year 2016
    (2016) Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships
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    RSDP Partnership Project List Fiscal Year 2017
    (2017) Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships
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    RSDP Partnership Project List Fiscal Year 2018
    (2018) Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships
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    RSDP Partnership Project List Fiscal Year 2019
    (2019) Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships
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    RSDP Partnership Project List Fiscal Year 2020
    (2020) Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships