11 Reasons Minnesota Is The Greenest State

Minnesota Nice extends beyond the people. Minnesota is the best eco-friendly state there is.

1. We were voted the Most Bike-Friendly Metro in the country.

Via huffingtonpost.com

Not only do we have the recently named best bike trail in the country, the Midtown Greenway, but we have one of the first bike-shares in the nation, Nice Ride. The great biking doesn't end in the MSP metro, either. We have fantastic bike trails across the state.

Via activelivingresearch.org

2. Which leads us to the fact that we have a great public transportation network.

Via minneapolis.org

We have buses (with bike racks) and the light rail spread through the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro that provide easy, low-cost transportation. Some of the buses are hybrids, including the "super hybrid" which is the cleanest bus in the US.

3. Our ballpark is the second most energy efficient in the nation.

Via cleanenergyresourceteams.org

Even if our team isn't always as efficient, this stadium is the only one with LEED certifications in construction and operations in the nation. The stadium's conservation efforts include recycling rainwater and using high-efficiency lighting.

4. We devote an entire building at the Great Minnesota Get Together to the environment.

Via MPCA

The Eco Experience is a collaboration of more than 120 businesses and organizations that demonstrate ways all Minnesotans can help protect and conserve the environment. Over the past 7 years, the building has become the second most popular exhibit at the Fair. This year, the Eco Experience at the Minnesota State Fair runs from August 22 to September 2 at the Progress Center.

5. Minnesotans love their locally grown food.

Via millcityfarmersmarket.org

We can't get enough of our farmers markets and locally grown food. There are almost 150 farmers markets in the entire state. The Metro area has over 50 farmers markets in the summer, and a few that brave the winter as well. Our schools across the state are joining in on the healthy, local food trend by instituting Farm to School programs. Bemidji Public Schools, Hopkins Schools and Minneapolis Public Schools are some of the more than 20 Minnesota school districts that have instituted Farm to School programs or started school vegetable gardens.

6. The reuse and thrift industries are thriving.

Via thelinemedia.com

We have lots of great thrift stores, and our reuse industry is flourishing. Our clothing thrift stores know how to do it right, with Arc's Value Village offering free personal shopping services. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities has a program that encourages students to donate items at the end of a semester or pick up something else for free from their large ReUse Warehouse. Plus, we've got Fix-It clinics around the Cities with volunteers who will help you try to fix what's broken instead of throwing it away or buying new.

7. We are getting more and more of our energy from wind and solar means.

Via joinmosaic.com

The state legislature recently passed a law that requires our utility companies to generate 1.5 percent of their electricity from solar. That may not seem like much, but it's a big step towards a renewable energy future. What else would Minnesotans do to meet this law but band together and create community solar gardens? The first of these solar gardens is nearing completion, but several more are in the works.

8. We are leading the nation in post-consumer takeback programs, better known as recycling programs.

Via ewaste-recyclers.com

Our intiatives include electronic recycling, flourescent light recycling, carpet recycling, and a new paint recycling program that begins in July 2014. Our product stewardship programs ensure that everyone involved in creating and using the product takes responsibility for recycling the product when it reaches the end of its lifecycle.

9. We've got great drinking water.

Via lakesuperiorstreams.org

In Minnesota, we have safe, reliable and affordable drinking water. You can drink from the tap without any worries.

10. We value our green space, trees, lakes and waterways.

Via Flickr: dougtone

Minneapolis parks were named the best in the nation, with all Minneapolis residents living within 6 blocks of a park. Aside from our over 10,000 lakes, the state also has plenty of rivers and forests to visit and explore from the Boundary Waters down to the Iowa border.

11. We support recycling.

Via Flickr: 78428166@N00

Residential recycling in Minnesota in 2006 saved enough energy to power more than 200,000 households! Approximately 37,000 jobs in Minnesota are directly or indirectly supported by the recycling industry. We also have plenty of manufacturers that recycle materials, such as a paint, glass and aluminum, for new uses.