Minneapolis has taken sound strides in addressing climate change, but if we really want to take on this global crisis locally, we should aim to be carbon-negative by 2050 instead of carbon-neutral. The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board is in the perfect position to lead on this by increasing our carbon sequestration through expanding our city's green spaces and natural areas, in addition to expanding rooftop solar on park buildings. 

The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board acted irresponsibly during the 2024 workers' strike, making it last longer than it needed to while residents needed support after massive storms. I believe that the workers who create and maintain a park system that is considered one of the best in the nation should be compensated accordingly, and I will protect their rights to organize and collective bargaining.

The Minneapolis park system hosts 15 community gardens and counting. They allow people to connect with nature and feed their families. Not only do we need to protect and expand our community gardens, but we must also work with the City of Minneapolis and other community partners to develop a space to give Minneapolis gardeners and urban farmers a place to learn, connect, and share resources.

Urban trees provide a number of benefits including soaking up carbon emissions, helping clean our air and water, and improving our physical and mental health. We need to maintain and expand Minneapolis’ tree canopy, prioritizing planting in Green Zones and other areas impacted by red-lining and nearby industry.

We have seen lakes across Minneapolis experience blue-green algae blooms and this will only become more common as temperatures rise. We can help prevent blooms by installing more rain gardens, planting native grasses near bodies of water, and reducing pet waste going into our sewage system by installing pet waste stations across Minneapolis' parks.