Tag Archives: Carleton College

Wading Through the Muddy Floodwaters: Social Vulnerability to Flooding in Northfield, MN, A Case Study

Focus: Water, Resource,

Many researchers have studied social vulnerability in coastal cities and at large scales, yet few have conducted investigations on a smaller scale. This study characterizes the current social vulnerability to flooding of Northfield, Minnesota, a small river town using the frameworks of Blaikie et al.’s (1994) social vulnerability definition and Cutter et al.’s community resilience dimensions (2008). Our methodology combines archival and interview analysis. Archival analysis illustrates that flooding has often been a risk to the economy, infrastructure, and people of Northfield. Interview analysis, through the lens of experts, residents, and business owners, shows how the community anticipated, coped with, resisted, and recovered from recent flood events. We generated 15 factors to characterize Northfield’s current social vulnerability to flooding, which generally fit into Cutter et al.’s dimensions (2008). We argue that Blaikie’s et al.’s (1994) definition and Cutter et al.’s (2008) dimensions are helpful frameworks to examine social vulnerability to environmental hazards in small communities. We also make policy suggestions for Northfield based on our 15 factors. We hope this study provide insights into flood management and research for Northfield and other small towns in Minnesota.

Contact: Kim Smith, ksmith@carleton.edu

Carleton College Wind Turbines

Focus: Energy, Resource,

Aided by momentum from community organizations like ReNew Northfield, Carleton installed its first, 1.65-MW wind turbine in 2004, a 1.65 MW Vestas V87.  The electricity produced by the first turbine is sold back to our energy provider Xcel Energy, and provided to the public utility grid.

Carleton’s second wind turbine is a 1.68 MW GE XLE, built in 2011 thanks to a generous grant in 2008 from environmentally-minded alumni Richard and Laurie Kracum.  The second turbine is connected directly to the campus grid and provides approximately 25% of Carleton’s annual electricity consumption.

Each turbine produces 4,000- 4,500 MWh of electricity per year.

Northfield Young Chefs

Focus: Food, Resource, ,

Project description:

The Young Northfield Chefs program, run by Carleton’s Firebellies student organization, aims to inspire and empower underprivileged teenagers  through the universal language of food. The program, which is partially funded by grant from the Statewide Health Improvement Program and supported by the Center for Community and Civic Engagement at Carleton College in partnership with the Northfield Middle School, connects youth not only with inspiring role models, but also to their community, their land, their food and each other.  The project started in the winter of 2013 and has continued to grow and be successful.

Each week Carleton students teach cooking as an art, nurturing an environment where the children are the artists and the ingredients their working material. You cannot define art for an artist. As a result, the workshops are not focused on strict adherence to recipes. Instead, participants are guided to go step-by step in order to define and get familiar with the art they are creating.  The lessons are designed to be interactive, presenting hands-on activities for students to gain a more comprehensive understanding of cooking and nutrition. One week might focus on knife skills and salsa making, while another focuses on simple stove top cooking through roasting nuts. Gradually, the program introduces more complex activities such as cooking meals. We hope to raise awareness about the importance of cooking as a great medium to promote not only sustainability and health, but also to emphasize food as a social event and the profound cultural role it plays in society. In addition, the participants learn basic cooking skills, food-related games, field trips, and lectures that enhance participants’ learning experience.

 

Additional Resources:

Carleton’s Firebellies Cooking Club has been featured in many publications such as this article in the Chronicle for Higher Education.

Learn more about the Firebellies group at their website: http://firebellies.wordpress.com

Project Contacts:

Vayu Rekdal (mainirev@carleton.edu), Emily Pence (pencee@carleton.edu.)

Northfield Energy: Abrupt Climate Change

Focus: Energy, Resource,

Description: As a final project for Carleton College ENTS 288 Abrupt Climate Change course, this website is designed to help residents of Northfield, Minnesota navigate the science of abrupt climate change and to illuminate the steps Northfield’s government has taken to address the role humans play in these processes: https://sites.google.com/site/northfieldenergy/

Participants:

  • Project Authors: Samantha Thompson, Amanda Savitt, Samantha Baker, Ryland Bowan Johnson.
  • Carleton Faculty: Trish Ferrett, Professor of Chemistry
  • Community Partner: George Kinney

Contact:  Trish Ferrett, tferrett@carleton.edu or George Kinney, geokinney@gmail.com

Carleton Climate Action Plan

Focus: Energy, Resource,

In May 2011, Carleton college’s Board of Trustees adopted its first Climate Action Plan, a document that compiles both short and long-term strategies to become climate neutral (net zero carbon emissions) by the year 2050.  Carleton authored the document as part of its participation in the 670+ member President’s Climate Commitment which unites higher ed institutions under the conviction that “…colleges and universities must exercise leadership in their communities and throughout society by modeling ways to minimize global warming emissions, and by providing the knowledge and the educated graduates to achieve climate neutrality.”