Century College PPLP Summer session open for registration
To support employees’ diverse needs for ongoing career development, our agency has a contract with Century College that provides access to condensed college level coursework taught by credentialed instructors. Summer session offerings include courses on candid conversations, leadership, influence, and Microsoft Office. Summer session seats tend to fill fast due to the semester being condensed, so it is recommended to begin planning now.
To view registration requirements and the full course catalogs for Spring and Summer semesters, visit the Lorax.
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Learn more about your optional employee benefits
Sign up for a virtual informational meeting today to speak with an Ochs account manager to discuss the following benefits:
- Life Insurance (Employee, Spouse, Child)*
- Short Term Disability (Employee)*
- Accidental Death & Dismemberment “AD&D” (Employee and Spouse)
- Long Term Disability (Employee)
*Health questions and evidence of good health are required to enroll outside of your new eligibility period.
Be prepared — before your meeting:
- Visit ochsinc.com/stmn to learn more about your Optional Benefits
- Have your 8-digit employee ID number available
Erin Hertog joins Community and Business Sustainability Unit
Erin Hertog joined the agency's Community and Business Sustainability Unit, where they provide data analysis primarily for the Volkswagen Settlement program.
Erin adds, "For the past eight years, I have been working in the field of waste reduction, primarily working with businesses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by diverting waste from the landfill. I served as a sustainability coordinator for the Wedge Co-op and then as a sustainability specialist for the MN Waste Wise Foundation."
Find out more about Erin's experience and what keeps them busy on the Lorax.
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Newest statewide air quality report underscores need for funding and action
 The latest edition of Air We Breathe, a cornerstone report by the MPCA, that provides high-level data on Minnesota’s overall air quality, examines potential health risks associated with specific sources of air pollution in communities across Minnesota for the first time.
The report calls for increased funding and further action to reduce air pollution, especially in communities of color and where low-income residents live. The MPCA submitted the biennial report to the Minnesota Legislature in January. Read the report: 2023 Air We Breathe report
March’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.
Water Issues Seminar: The Role of green stormwater infrastructure in climate resiliency
Thursday, March 9, 9-10 a.m.
Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) encompasses a variety of practices primarily designed for managing stormwater runoff, but it can also provide additional benefits such as habitat or aesthetic value. There are conflicting views on the effectiveness of GSI in addressing climate resiliency, ranging from having no impact to having significant impact. As is usually the case, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Mike Trojan from the MPCA explores ways in which GSI can help address climate resiliency.
Join WebEx meeting.
Courageous Conversation training — Mental Health in the Workplace: The Stigma and the Costs
Thursday, March 9, 1-2 p.m.
Please join the Equity Committee in watching a couple videos that touch on the importance of recognizing how employee’s mental health is vital to workplace culture, the stigmas around mental health in the workplace, and the operational costs associated with ignoring this issue. Afterwards, there will be a guided discussion where we will reflect on the videos we watched, as well as discuss our own experiences with mental health in the workplace. This event is eligible for 1 IDEA Credit, and should be titled “Mental Health in the Workplace” in ELM.
Join meeting.
Air Issues Seminar: Air Toxins & Human Physiology
Wednesday, March 22, 9-10 a.m.
Please join us for the March Air Issues Seminar. Derek King, a Research Scientist in the Risk Evaluation and Air Modeling Unit, will present on human physiology: how the body eliminates toxins and reacts to toxic air.
Join Teams meeting.
IDI Qualified Administrator Certification Course
Interested in becoming a Qualified Administrator (QA) of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI)? As we roll out the IDI agency-wide, the MPCA is in need of more qualified administrators to host group and individual debriefs for staff. Minnesota Management and Budget is offering an online IDI qualifying seminar for individuals to be trained and licensed as IDI QAs.
The seminar runs April 3-6, 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The cost of the three half-day qualifying seminar will be paid for by the MPCA. Registration deadline: March 20.
For more information about the IDI QA Certification course, email here. Check out step-by-step instructions on how to enroll.
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Innovative EJ data tool presentation and discussion
Tuesday, March 28, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
On behalf of the Cumulative Impact Framework project team, we would like to invite you to a presentation by authors of the CalEnviroScreen report from California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to talk about their experience with this innovative environmental justice data tool! This is a chance to get a closer look at how data and research have been applied to address complex environmental challenges in California, and then explore how Minnesota can learn from California’s work. Our project team is closely reviewing a variety of data, tools, and resources to help move cumulative impacts work forward at our agency.
This will be an hour-long, virtual session with a presentation followed-up with time to ask California staff questions about their work. It will also be a recorded event for people who cannot attend the session
Join Teams meeting.
8 Hour HAZWOPER Refresher classes
This course is required for staff who respond to hazardous substances released in the environment. The course satisfies the OSHA requirements for uncontrolled hazardous waste operations, response, and management. The course will cover the levels of PPE, toxicology, chemical safety, and managing an incident. Sign up through ELM. A minimum of eight attendees is required to hold each class. Below are upcoming classes.
R32PCASAF002-092 In-person – St. Paul March 15
R32PCASAF002-093 In-person – St. Paul April 6
R32PCASAF002-090V Virtual May 31
In the news
Minnesota air pollution still a concern, study finds
The MPCA is asking for increased funding and action to reduce air pollution, especially in low-income and communities of color. In a recently released report, the MPCA says further work is needed to lessen the dangers of air pollution from transportation, permitted facilities, and wood burning. Additionally, since 2015, a spike in air pollution from wildfires has been a contributing factor, and one that is expected to continue because of climate change. — Fox 9
Hennepin County's incinerator faces pressure from environmental activists
Groups are pushing the county to stop burning trash at the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center. In the past five years, the HERC has had one violation of its air permit, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. In August of 2019, the plant shut down its pollution control system for 11 hours without warning state regulators. Agency spokeswoman Andrea Cournoyer wrote in an email that the HERC completed a corrective plan to avoid a similar situation. No fine was levied. — Star Tribune
Worthington sewer project costs come in over double $479694 estimate
The lowest bid for Worthington's 2023 sanitary sewer CIPP project came in at $996,637, exceeding the $570,220 project budget and over double the estimate made by city engineers. — Worthington Globe
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Recently in social media at the MPCA!
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Ag-Urban Partnership Forum. Partners from a variety of sectors — agriculture, government, local and urban — gathered to discuss extreme weather resiliency and strategies to improve Minnesota’s water quality.
We are grateful for the excellent turn out! Through partnerships like these, we can discover innovative solutions to some of Minnesota’s biggest environmental challenges. Check out the post on Facebook and share.
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