My spouse, Patrick, and I were two of the 155,186 people (a new record!) who visited the Minnesota State Fair on opening day, August 27, 2026. Our first stop was the Ag-Hort-Bee Building where we discovered that Patrick’s organic fruits from our yard had been awarded seven ribbons (three blue!), bringing his ribbon count to 64. Energized by these results, and a great Bonnie Raitt show in the Grandstand, we then left town the following morning in our only car, an electric vehicle, to visit friends along the North Shore and Gunflint Trail. There and back, we took advantage of fast and convenient Tesla superchargers in Carlton, Two Harbors, and Tofte. No range anxiety!
Our first destination was Two Harbors, where we stopped at the solar-powered dental office managed by the dentist husband of one of my former interns. Several years ago, during a visit at their home in Duluth, we encouraged him to consider including solar on the roof of his Two Harbors dental office. He did the numbers and was pleasantly surprised to learn that the economic payoff would be quick.
We stayed Friday night in the lovely home of friends on their beautiful rural acreage overlooking the Stewart River. It was an added plus that their house was designed and built to be heated almost entirely by geothermal! ‘Thank you’ to Barb and Bob, along with their dog Suzy, for touring us through their trails where they pointed out their many efforts to make their forestland more climate resilient.
Before leaving town the next morning, Barb and Bob mentioned that their electric coop, Cooperative Light and Power (CLP), had obtained a grant from Great River Energy to install a solar array at its Two Harbors headquarters. So, we stopped at CLP to photograph its solar array AND discovered that it also had a free EV charger, which we took advantage of to top off our Nissan Ariya. Members of CLP asked the coop to put a link on its website to GRE’s Zero Home webpage, asking them: Want to reduce your energy bill by up to 50%? The page describes electrifying your home by switching from gas to high-efficiency air-source heat pumps for heating and cooling.
Our next destination was our friends’ cabin on sublime Leo Lake, just off the Gunflint Trail. Thanks to Keith, Tersenia, and their dog Maddie for taking us on fascinating hikes around their property, where we learned about the extensive efforts they have made to make their land more resilient to wildfires, which are a growing threat as climate change increasingly dries out our northern forests.
People tell me they love hearing me speak. Audiences leave my talks energized to take more action from my sharing of positive, true stories of climate action happening in Minnesota. I’ve done public speaking all over the state. It helps that I have had the pleasure of staying in people’s homes in Alexandria, Duluth, Ely, Moorhead, Grand Forks, Grand Rapids, Grand Marais, Park Rapids, St. Peter, Walker, and more.
I love meeting with fellow Minnesotans and learning about their communities. Over the years I have addressed countless Rotary Clubs, college and high school classes, women’s clubs/men’s clubs, and congregations across denominations. Please know that I am available to speak in your community, most of October, the last week of November, and in December and January (if you’d like to learn about what I learned at the UN climate conference I will attend in Turkey November 7-20). Just email me, and we can start the conversation.
Let’s start a climate conversation! Throughout the year, a portion of J.’s time is dedicated to presenting to businesses, college classes, congregations, clubs like Rotary, and beyond. Learn more.