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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016 VOL. 04 NO. 17 www.presspubs.com $1.00
LOCAL LOVE: Shops offer sweet Valentine’s specials PAGE 2
Honey Bee Club gets buzzed for bees at annual fundraiser BY JACKIE BUSSJAEGER STAFF WRITER
STILLWATER — The Honey Bee Club of Stillwater partnered with Lift Bridge Brewing for a second year to present its “Beer for Bees” fundraiser on Feb. 9. Among Lift Bridge’s original brews, there was a specially made honey-infused beer to sample, specifically to support research at the University of Minnesota’s Bee and Pollinator Research Lab. The Honey Bee Club is completely run by volunteers and relies on donations. “It works out pretty well if we get one food fundraiser a year to cover some of the expenses,” said Honey Bee Club Executive Director Elizabeth Welty. Lift Bridge has incorporated the event into their regular, once-aweek “Townie Tuesday” event, which supports other local businesses. The event encourages attendees to purchase Lift Bridge brews—for every bottle, $1 of the purchase goes toward the Honey Bee Club. However, “Beer for Bees” is also family-friendly, providing root beer for the younger crowd and presenting different educational and interpretive activities for children and adults alike. “They brew a root beer, they have a popcorn machine, you can order pizza, and with the taproom you can bring your children if they’re supervised, and having the root beer and popcorn makes that a little bit easier. We’ll have a hive set up displayed, several master gardeners, several master beekeepers,” Welty said. “It was pretty lively last year.” This marks the second year the club has hosted its fundraiser in conjunction with Lift Bridge. The Honey Bee Club has been around since Jan. 2013, and there are now 372 members. The Honey Bee Club plans to SEE HONEY BEE CLUB, PAGE 12
JACKIE BUSSJAEGER | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
The Wedge and Wheel in downtown Stillwater underwent a recycling assessment and began reducing waste when SEED was formed. Now the business has vowed to go above and beyond assessment recommendations to become totally waste-free.
Stillwater businesses unite to recycle BY JACKIE BUSSJAEGER STAFF WRITER
STILLWATER — Businesses in Stillwater are cutting costs and saving the planet all at once. They are participating in the Stillwater Eco-Empowerment Directive, or SEED, which provides resources for businesses to learn about and implement cost-saving methods of recycling. The SEED BizRecycling meetings first began in October. The program, hosted through Stillwater’s Independent Business Alliance (IBA), is made possible through funding from Ramsey and Washington counties to promote job growth while protecting the environment. So far, there have been two BizRecycling sessions for Stillwater businesses, and there are three more to come in 2016. SEED Project Lead Kristin Klemetsrud said she had no idea what kind of response to expect from local businesses, but the result has been overwhelmingly positive. There are currently more than 30 businesses enrolled
in the program, far surpassing Klemetsrud’s initial estimation of 18, and interest is still growing. Klemetsrud first began pursuing the idea last year when she and her friend Meg Brownson of Alfresco Casual Living heard about the possibility of receiving a grant from the Ramsey Washington Recycling & Energy Board. “We actually met with a guy from Ramsey County,” Klemetsrud said. We met with the Ramsey County representative because this program was so new that [Washington County] didn’t know what the response would be and they weren’t really ready to launch it, but we jumped on it. They said, ‘This is kind of our first foray into this program, so let’s do this as a group effort.’ It actually took us six months for us to put together the grant application.” Klemetsrud had been a business owner on Main Street for around 20 years, and had been very involved with the downtown business association and Chamber of Commerce, but she ended up closing Savories Bistro more than three years
er t n i W “ als Specible!” Availa
ago. Pursuing the application for this program was one way for Klemetsrud to get back to her Main Street roots and help her friends and colleagues in the independent business community. “We’re kind of trying to urge people to get involved now, rather than later,” Klemetsrud said. “It’s starting to get business involved with having a dialogue. Our customers are well aware of the need for doing more and more of this, so it’s something we can also put out there for our customers. The other part of what I’m doing is to make it evident, look how many businesses are banding together for long-term sustainability of our town.” The program assists businesses by providing whatever necessary resources they need to reuse materials before recycling, and recycle before resorting to using the trash. “There’s very little effort on the part of businesses,” Klemetsrud said. “We have resources that are taking them through this program step by step. SEE SEED PROJECT, PAGE 12
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