Open enrollment starts this Thursday
There are important things to consider during the annual benefits open enrollment period that starts October 27 and runs through November 16, such as whether or not you want to change the primary care clinic you go to or whether you may be able to receive care at your chosen clinic at a lower cost level by switching to a different plan administrator. These and other changes can only be made during this time.
Several Webex sessions are scheduled to help you understand your benefit options. Visit the Lorax for more information.
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Help fight the spread of flu
Flu season is upon us and to minimize and reduce the chances of getting the flu, handwashing is still the best method to protect yourself and others from getting sick. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Disinfectant cleaners are also available in centralized locations for wiping down shared spaces as well as in fleet vehicles.
With everyone taking the proper precautions, we should get through the flu season safely!
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Learn about the Employee Mentorship Program
Informational meetings are being offered to find out more about the Employee Mentorship Program.
Questions about retirement benefits?
Representatives from the Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS) will be available Tuesday, November 1, for individual appointments. Employees will take away information on all three benefits MSRS provides: State Retirement Benefits (MSRS), Deferred Compensation, and Health Care Savings Plan.
Click on the time that works for you and fill in the requested information. You will get a confirmation email with your date and time. To register: meet in person or to meet via phone/Zoom.
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MPCA website office hours
The website redesign and reorganization has been a significant change and we are committed to helping everyone feel comfortable and confident using the new site. We are offering additional office hours to help answer simple questions, locate information, or give brief tours on a one-on-one basis. During these office hours, we will schedule 5-15 minute meetings to help answer questions from anyone within the agency. Email Matt Mulliner with a brief description of your question, a day that works best for you and we will schedule a short meeting to help.
Office hours:
- Tuesday, October 25, noon-4 p.m.
- Thursday, October 27, noon-4 p.m.
As always, the web team is also available to answer questions and make website updates by emailing webteam.pca@state.mn.us.
Respectful workplace: Holiday celebrations and decorations
Diverse religious and cultural beliefs, like other forms of diversity, enrich our MPCA community and the work that occurs here. As we approach the traditional holiday season, it’s important to celebrate our diversity while also being respectful of our individual differences. It’s also important to keep in mind employees observe a wide variety of religious holidays that might affect their ability to participate in meetings and other events. A set of guidelines has been created to help with these topics.
Check out holiday decorations and celebrations for what type of decorations are appropriate for shared workspaces and individual workspaces when observing holidays. We also encourage staff to consult this list of holidays and religious observances before scheduling meetings or other events.
Still time to give to the Combined Charities campaign
The 2022 Combined Charities Campaign continues its fund-raising efforts with the Cute Pet Photo Contest! Thank you to all who submitted amazing photos of your adorable pets!! Now it’s time to vote!! Starting today, Monday, October 24 through Monday, October 31, you can vote for your favorite pet photo. Go to the Combined Charities Campaign Lorax page to get more information about the contest and a link to the voting site. The photo with the most votes wins a gift card to a local pet store.
There’s still time to check out and bid on items available on the On-Line Silent Auction! The auction runs through Monday, October 31 — check back often to update your bids!
We still need donations to the book/media sale. Drop off your donations with Chris Malec (6th floor) or Leslie Hunter-Larson, Library (1st floor). We need your support to help us reach our $30,000 goal for the 2022 campaign. Find out more about all campaign events and how to donate at the Combined Charities Campaign page on The Lorax.
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Recycling: Watch it happen live
Have you ever wanted to learn about what happens to your recyclables after they leave the curb? Sign up for a tour of Eureka Material Recovery Facility (2828 Kennedy St. NE, Minneapolis) to see recycling sorting live and in action!
The Sustainability Team has organized three tour opportunities:
- Tuesday, October 25, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Thursday, October 27, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, November 1, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
If interested, please email Sustainability Coordinator Carla Inderrieden Carla.Inderrieden@state.mn.us by Tuesday, October 18. Please note your preferred date. If there is another choice that would also work for you, let Carla know. Tours are limited to groups of 14 and depending on interest, Carla may consolidate the tours down to two dates.
Send us your photos!
 Here's another awesome photo we received for this year's Voyageur Awards and the Awards for Continuous Improvement and Innovation ceremony slide show.
Volunteers from the Brainerd office enjoyed sunny skies while picking up trash in the ditches via the Adopt a Highway program. No gold coins, cash or items of significant value were found but maybe next spring?
Send your photo(s) and a description to the MPCA mail box.
Job opening
To search for more details on these job postings, sign into Self Service. Click on Careers Portal and enter the Job ID number in "Search Jobs."
Hydrologist: This position supports overall management of cleanups and long-term operation and maintenance activities at assigned sites through hydrogeologic decision making to ensure that sites do not pose a threat to human health or the environment and risks are managed. Support activities may include data collection, data review and analysis, database upload, active remediation, and assistance on land management and other special projects. Job ID: 60072. Location: Various. Closing date: October 31.
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The MPCA is piloting two Smart salting refresher class options. Participants in these refreshers will learn about the impacts of salt on the environment, the fundamentals of Smart Salting and take a deeper look into specific topic areas like winter weather tools and more. These 3-hour online refreshers provide a proof of attendance with completion of the evaluation at the end of class.
The trainings are for city, county, state, and private winter maintenance professionals who are currently Level 1 certified in Smart Salting.
Find out more on the MPCA's Smart salt training page.
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Registration now open for Racism in Real Estate!
Wednesday, October 26, 5:30-7 p.m.
The Twin Cities Metro area has the lowest rate of Black home ownership in the U.S. with just 19% of Black Minneapolis residents owning their home in 2019. Racist real estate practices including redlining, racial covenants, and single-family zoning have been used for decades to segregate neighborhoods and bar residents from homeownership. How were these policies enacted and how do they continue to affect non-white residents today?
Instructors Denise Pike, Public Historian, and Jackie Berry, Realtor, will dive deep into the history and ongoing presence of racial housing discrimination in Minnesota. Come ready to learn some initial steps you can take to combat racist housing policies in your neighborhood! You can register for one of our Racism in Real Estate classes below by clicking on the class title. Both sessions are pay-what-you-can. Invite your friends, family, and colleagues to register!
Racism in Real Estate (In-Person)
Water issues seminar: Hydroclimatic changes in Minnesota — observations, trends, and projections
October 27, 9-10 a.m.
Minnesota’s climate is famous for its ups, downs, and extremes, but is also experiencing changes unlike anything we have observed. Climate scientist Kenny Blumenfeld will break down trends in the regional climate to its essential points, emphasizing the rapid rate of winter warming, ongoing changes in the timing and intensity of precipitation, and how these changes differ from other parts of the continent and world. He will distinguish the region’s long-term climate trends from typical variability, and will describe how these two interconnected components of our climate can lead to unprecedented conditions. This basic conceptual model of shorter-term variations superimposed over longer-term trends will guide our view of future climate scenarios, allowing us to consider more carefully the implications for actual climatic conditions in Minnesota.
Join Webex meeting
LGBTQ+ listening sessions
Thursday, October 27, 2-3 p.m.
The Equity Committee invites MPCA LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+) staff to discuss working at the agency. Having a workforce that reflects the diversity of race, gender, sexual identity, age, religion, culture, ability, and national origin among Minnesotans will better equip our agency to serve the state, and to adapt and innovate.
If you identify as LGBTQ+ we’d especially like to hear what the agency is doing well and where there are opportunities for improvement. This session will be similar to past listening sessions. These sessions help guide and support the committee’s work and proposals to senior leadership. This Listening Session is not a training opportunity for an IDEA credit.
Join the meeting
October’s Equity Experience events
Equity Experience events offer a variety of ways to “experience” equity, so we can hold ourselves accountable to learning, growing, and engaging with this important work and our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Check out the event list on The Lorax. In order to receive an IDEA credit for attending an Equity Experience event, you will be required to report what you learned, thought, experienced, etc. to your team, so that there will be accountability and shared learning.
Leadership Forum: Leadership means leading change
Thursday, November 17, 2-3:30 p.m.
Everyone is a leader at some time or another. In order to respond to shifts in their organizations, teams and individual environments a strong leader must make sure people see the need for change, embrace change and manage change. Leadership is about helping people. We will look at what change looks like, explore a process for dealing with change effectively, and collectively develop a Change Management plan for a theoretical organizational situation. Anyone and everyone in the agency are welcome to attend. Brought to you by Leadership Forum.
Join the meeting
Enbridge will pay $11 million to settle pipeline ciolations
State regulators say Enbridge Energy, the owner and operator of the Line 3 pipeline project in northern Minnesota, will pay more than $11 million after investigations identified water quality violations and three aquifer breaches related to the pipeline’s construction — U.S. News & World Report
Hubbard County welcomes new GreenCorps member
Hubbard County is hosting its third Minnesota GreenCorps member. Christina Hill began her service at the Hubbard County Solid Waste Department last month. Minnesota GreenCorps is an environmentally focused AmeriCorps program coordinated by the MPCA. — Park Rapids Enterprise
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Last week in social media at the MPCA
As always, be sure to like and share with your networks!
Healthy farms and forestland absorb and store more carbon, produce food and other products, sustain local economies, and more! 🍂 Learn more about the state’s plan to address climate change: https://bit.ly/3eaT2oP #ourMNclimate Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
We’re celebrating 50 years of water quality progress thanks to the landmark Clean Water Act! This act established water quality standards to protect our water for drinking, aquatic life, and recreational use. Learn more about the Clean Water Act and the MPCA's role maintaining Minnesota’s precious waterbodies. Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
To reduce climate impacts, we often focus on energy efficiency and recycling — but did you know extending the life of products through reuse, rental, and repair can offset the negative environmental impacts of “new” and single-use items? Learn more about our state’s efforts to manage materials more sustainably: https://bit.ly/3V1OSUf Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
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