No one's particularly surprised to discover a big corporation or entity is lying to the public. Actually, we kind of expect it. But Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is blowing past that kind of defeatism by filing suit last summer against Big Oil, charging they knew in the '60s about climate change, deliberately lied to Minnesotans about it, and made about $775 billion dollars in the process. The fossil fuel companies had hoped to move their case to federal court, asserting that it was a

It's not that people ignore news stories about climate change ... it's just that the information seems to really sink in when folks hear someone talk about how the climate crisis is affecting them. So to that end, environmental activist Tone Lanzillo is coming up with ways for people to tell their stories - and there's even a newsletter and a podcast in the mix.

When Chad Richardson's son announced that wolves had been added to the newest update to the online video game Fortnite, the family paid attention. Richardson is the communications director for the International Wolf Center, so he was curious about how wolves were presented in the game. Turns out it's perpetuating a couple of troubling stereotypes: wolves as snarling predators that attack humans or as animals that can be tamed and turned into pets. Is there any point in objecting to the portrayal

Here's what we know: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are getting into Lake Superior and getting into fish. Here's something else we know: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are the most common of these chemicals and they bio-accumulate - which means they move through the food chain. And while we don't know how they're getting into the lake, or how they've getting into smelt, the Wisconsin DNR and Department of Health Services are

Old, energy-inefficient houses are bad enough. But add some dangerously cold weather and people needing to stay home thanks to a pandemic and you've got a triple-whammy for homeowners and renters. Enter Ecolibrium3. The Eco3 Energy Team has energy audits available for any- and everyone , but f or folks who qualify, they've also got help to do some weatherization projects at no cost , and they can also get you in touch with pandemic-related programs that can help with energy bills.

Yes, here in the upper Midwest, our wind turbines are winterized. And unlike texas, Minnesota is connected to a larger power grid. But back during the"polar vortex" of 2019, we had trouble up here pulling the power we needed from the grid down south. And Isabel Ricker, the Senior Clean Electricity Manager of Fresh Energy, says the key is connections: infrastructure connections like new and upgraded wiring, and connections in the form of creating relationships.

Everything from "personal awareness" to city-level action: that's what the Duluth Citizen's Climate Action Plan lays out for folks. The plan aims to help our community reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build a climate-resilient community without forgetting about considerations of equity and social justice. You can read the plan here:

Imagine if "eating local" could mean a nice fillet of salmon, a tuna steak, or a lobster tail and a nice salad made with home-grown greens. Minnesota Sea Grant is working on a project to not only see if there's market potential for aquaculture here in the Northland, they're excited that they might be able to contribute to food production, local business growth and job creation without some of the downsides that have plagued the idea in the past. The solution, in large part, is moving the

The below-zero temps and double-digit-below-zero wind chills of February can make the annual Winter Bike Week a hard sell some years. But this year? As we head into the second year of social distance and Covid precautions? Plenty of folks are already taking to the trails on their fat tire bikes - now the trick is reminding them to take advantage of the nice temps (before Saturday, that is) and walk or bike to work or maybe just to run an errand or two. More information about Winter Bike Week

On the first day of his administration, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to have the United States rejoin the Paris climate agreement. Jenna Yeakle is an Organizing Representative with the North Star Chapter of the Sierra Club in Duluth. She says she watched the signing, heaved a sign of relief, poured another cup of coffee and got back to work. Yeakle is pleased with what she calls the new administration's emphasis on democracy, but points out that the onus is also on the people of