Making buildings greener will be a monumental task for Minnesota

Katie Jones' new home has a secret hidden in the walls.

The house being constructed in Uptown Minneapolis includes triple-glazed windows and eventually, solar panels. Instead of using traditional foam insulation, Jones and her husband, Peter Schmitt, opted for bales of straw. They have the benefit of locking carbon in the plant material in the walls, and out of the atmosphere.

"Someone's got to try new things, and why not us?" Jones said.

Jones and Schmitt, who both work in clean energy, have spent significant time and money to ensure their new home won't contribute to the emissions driving climate change. Not every homeowner has the resources to do something similar, putting pressure on Minnesota to close the gap and hit new, ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from all kinds of buildings.

In the state's Climate Action Framework finalized last month, DFL Gov. Tim Walz's administration has set the goal of slashing emissions from existing buildings by 50% in 13 years. Continue reading the full story on the Star Tribune website.

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