A grant awarded to the University of Minnesota, Crookston will allow the campus to host a member of Minnesota's statewide initiative to help preserve and protect the environment, known as the Minnesota GreenCorps. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) coordinates the Minnesota GreenCorps, which is an environmental AmeriCorps program.
Michael Knudson (pictured,left) was appointed as the green infrastructure and stormwater management specialist and will be trained for his role as part of a new generation of environmental professionals under the program. He will be located on the Crookston campus and assist with the campus and the city of Crookston in addressing storm water management. He will develop and help implement action steps that will have an immediate effect as well as look at how to invest in the future in an environmentally conscious way. Knudson is a 2009 graduate of the U of M, Crookston, where he majored in natural resources.
The Center for Sustainability at the U of M, Crookston was also successful in hosting a GreenCorps member in 2009-10 when Chris Waltz was an energy conservation specialist. Dan Svedarsky, Ph.D., director of the Center for Sustainability, is enthusiastic about hosting another Minnesota GreenCorps member and what it means, "This opportunity connects the Crookston campus and community in an effort to become more environmentally conscious in managing stormwater in a responsible way," Svedarsky says. "Furthermore, it will help the community and campus have baseline data in place in preparation for future regulations that may be required."
The mission of the Minnesota GreenCorps is to provide its members with opportunities to contribute to improve Minnesota's environment, while gaining experience and learning valuable job skills. Local governments and community organizations statewide host Minnesota GreenCorps members and provide day-to-day supervision for members working on projects in the areas of local government energy conservation, school waste prevention, living green outreach, local food systems, and urban forestry. To learn more, visit the MPCA's NextStep sustainability Web site at www.nextstep.state.mn.us.
Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers 29 bachelor's degree programs, 18 minors, and more than 40 concentrations, including several online degrees, in the areas of agriculture and natural resources; business; liberal arts and education; and math, science and technology. With an enrollment of about 1,400 undergraduates from more than 25 countries and 40 states, the Crookston campus offers a supportive, close-knit atmosphere that leads to a prestigious University of Minnesota degree. "Small Campus. Big Degree." To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu.
Michael Knudson (pictured,left) was appointed as the green infrastructure and stormwater management specialist and will be trained for his role as part of a new generation of environmental professionals under the program. He will be located on the Crookston campus and assist with the campus and the city of Crookston in addressing storm water management. He will develop and help implement action steps that will have an immediate effect as well as look at how to invest in the future in an environmentally conscious way. Knudson is a 2009 graduate of the U of M, Crookston, where he majored in natural resources. The Center for Sustainability at the U of M, Crookston was also successful in hosting a GreenCorps member in 2009-10 when Chris Waltz was an energy conservation specialist. Dan Svedarsky, Ph.D., director of the Center for Sustainability, is enthusiastic about hosting another Minnesota GreenCorps member and what it means, "This opportunity connects the Crookston campus and community in an effort to become more environmentally conscious in managing stormwater in a responsible way," Svedarsky says. "Furthermore, it will help the community and campus have baseline data in place in preparation for future regulations that may be required."
The mission of the Minnesota GreenCorps is to provide its members with opportunities to contribute to improve Minnesota's environment, while gaining experience and learning valuable job skills. Local governments and community organizations statewide host Minnesota GreenCorps members and provide day-to-day supervision for members working on projects in the areas of local government energy conservation, school waste prevention, living green outreach, local food systems, and urban forestry. To learn more, visit the MPCA's NextStep sustainability Web site at www.nextstep.state.mn.us.
Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers 29 bachelor's degree programs, 18 minors, and more than 40 concentrations, including several online degrees, in the areas of agriculture and natural resources; business; liberal arts and education; and math, science and technology. With an enrollment of about 1,400 undergraduates from more than 25 countries and 40 states, the Crookston campus offers a supportive, close-knit atmosphere that leads to a prestigious University of Minnesota degree. "Small Campus. Big Degree." To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu.
Contact: Dan Svedarsky, director, Center for Sustainability, 218-281-8129 (dsvedars@umn.edu); Elizabeth Tollefson, assistant director, communications, 218-281-8432 (ltollefs@umn.edu)
