Dr. Sarah Fortner
@erthsarah
Climate mitigation, adaptation, and environmental justice through education, research, action and advocacy. Explorer.
The Mendenhall Glacier is almost out of site from one of the lookouts near Nugget Falls. It was just a few feet from the falls on my first trip in 1995.
So many summer sustainability research & action projects @carleton.edu. Shout out also to the student farmers & Arb crew.
Joining our oldest at the end of his HS study abroad in Germany & visiting our family in Heidelberg. We arrive in the heat dome. I sorted our lodging choices by the presence of Air Conditioning many months ago, eliminating 90% of our options. Hard to retrofit dense older housing.
And we’re off to a full time summer farm season. One student, Ruby, who is supporting our state funded mulching productivity experiment, has already dubbed it, “My Summer of Peppers”. Ruby will be supporting daily battles with weeds, ground squirrels, and also tracking data on time spent on plots.
While dam studies aren’t always or often on climate benefits biological, water quality, physical, and safety related climate resilience measures are all byproducts of dam removal & support resilience
Stay cool @carleton.edu! Our new sensors are in House Field and in the shade near the Carleton Farm. For folks teaching about heat exposure, wearing sensors is also a great way to illuminate why it matters how we work outside and consider safety.
Fun day at the @carleton.edu farm. Installing irrigation and sampling the very sandy soils for their compaction and aggregate structure before our mulching experiment to support Minnesota vegetable growers. Thanks to our state department of agriculture!
A beautiful day for professional development at the farm exploring how to make connections to sustainable agriculture, labor, business, archeology, and more.
A couple of things that resonate, first, intro classes with writing and learning communities are opportunities to support wellbeing even more. Second, I am not surprised to see jobs rank so high, we have about 20 sustainability & farm student workers-they all hang out. www.aacu.org/research/wha...
Visiting outdoor learning spots @carleton.edu to plan community discussions on targeted improvements at the farm and other potentials. Part of our committees hope is also to learn more about what this looks like in different classes. We have a good understanding of the Arb, but less in other spaces.
If you are in or near Northfield, today’s the day: Beaver Fest is from 1-3 on @carleton.edu campus near the islands of Lyman Lakes. Looking forward to seeing the @bellmuseum.bsky.social @mndnrewr.bsky.social @emilyfairfax.bsky.social, MN Trappers, Arb, and Sustainability Offices and you!!!!
Students leading a renewable energy tour @carleton.edu with Energy Manager Rob! A great way to celebrate Carleton’s accomplishments decarbonizing during Climate Action Week! Students putting on fantastic programs for other students & the community!
Joyful Carleton! Happy Earth Day, zipping between a few events this week, but they really happen all the time.
@carleton.edu faculty-student flash talks: ENTS comps on city heat solutions. Geology-arts solutions for leftover glaze and new flux materials tested using X-ray diffraction to identify more local material, Indigenous sustainability and sovereignty projects, & sustainable development in Paris.
Then walking home past Lyman Lakes & Lilac Hill passive housing. It’s going to be a great Climate Action Week & Northfield Earth Day celebration.
State of Minnesota funded experimental plots testing mulching strategies for vegetable growers @carleton.edu What a beautiful day for a walk by & connecting campus to community is something to celebrate!
World Economic Forum Risks Outlook mirrors all things on radar now. Also not surprised that short term top risks related to the environment moved down because conflict & misinformation threats to communication & democracy are urgent & environment is always a long term challenge…
How should we engage students in learning how to engage structural barriers to climate action. Examples: unmet climate adaptation needs to address flooding, including removing a dam & advancing green electricity on a grid unable to accept more renewables?
Happy world glacier day! Here are a few from Alaska & Antarctica. Glaciers store most of the world’s freshwater and are sentinels of climate change.
After watching Chasing Time I found pictures from 1997 on Solheimjokul. The film evokes that all of the ice in my pictures is gone, except maybe the very top of the last one. The first picture is David Mickelson, UW Madison geology professor and his son John.
Fantastic to see our hometown superintendent at “Bright Future for Rural K-12 STEM Education in Minnesota”. What a great place to learn about the opportunities in education including place-based and ecosystem models also applicable to colleges. We can feature cutting edge tech & connect w hearts.
Enjoying catching up with my @carleton.edu colleague and the Carnegie Sustainability Elective crew supporting colleges in advancing their sustainability work, whether they are all in like we are, or just developing where they will go together. I am grateful this national support structure exists!
Thanks to EDF for this fact sheet that makes clear what the cost is to wallets & lives of repealing the Endangerment Finding & our capacity to regulate GHG emissions. State by state results show 21 billion in added fuel & 16 billion to health in MN by 2055. library.edf.org/AssetLink/81...
Morning Joy! Minnesota stained glass window creates a rainbow over Camp 18 on Juneau Icefield, Tlingit Ahni.
Today from Minnesota Vicious cold weather We chanted “No ICE, No ICE” Love instead of hate
Minnesota is amongst states leading in geothermal development. We’re proud to be an early part of that @carleton.edu and a partner to others exploring opportunities. Check out the 2025 US Geothermal Market Report. www.nrel.gov/geothermal/2...
Went up north to find snow with my oldest. Along the Superior Hiking Trail.