OUR COMMUNITY: Interactive Video Library
Twin Cities PBS, Documentary, 2018, producer/offline editor: Leya Hale, 26:41min.
(English with German subtitles)
Watch the inspiring Emmy Award winning documentary (2018 Upper-Midwest Regional Award) about how five pairs of cities in Germany and Minnesota develop efficient and sustainable responses to the challenges of climate change. City administrations, citizens, politicians, business leaders, and educators are working together at the grassroots level to create comprehensive and economically beneficial solutions.
Get to know the CSM cities, their partners, and their efforts to grow their renewable energy capabilities! See how changes on the local level have impacts on a large scale.
Documentary, 2018, dir. James Redford, 9:52min.
(English with German subtitles)
Produced by Jamie Redford and the Redford Center, this short documentary is an example of what can happen when a state fully commits itself to a clean energy future, sets aggressive targets, and then shatters them. Minnesota’s not just home to 10,000 lakes—it’s home to a bright renewable energy future as well!
Watch director Jamie Redford discuss Minnesota's renewable energy revolution with MN state and community leaders Mark Dayton, Larry Herke, Jessica Looman, Dr. Sabine Engel, and Bishop Richard Howell, whose North Side congregation is home to the first urban community solar garden in Minneapolis.
International Exchanges Advance Renewable Energy Policy
Capitol Report, 2018, Minnesota Senate Media Services, 28:30min
Discover Minnesota and Germany's idea of "Energy Transition 2.0," which focuses on increasing efficiency, electrifying transportation, reducing carbon footprints of buildings and putting more renewables onto the grid.
Dr. Sabine Engel of the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment joins Capitol Report moderator Shannon Loehrke to highlight what the exciting transition to clean energy looks like in different sectors.
Senator David Senjem (R-Rochester), a regular participant in the Minnesota-Germany exchange, discusses Minnesota's energy frontier and the innovative concepts he is discovering as a result.
Twin Cities PBS, Documentary, 2013, executive in charge: Tom Trow, 26:46min
Produced by Twin Cities Public Television in cooperation with the UMN Center for German & European Studies, this documentary focuses on innovative leaders in Minnesota and Germany working together to find cleaner, renewable forms of energy in response to climate change.
Germany’s approaches to reducing energy consumption and costs are inspiring Minnesota’s public and private sectors. Shown in this documentary are creative strategies being implemented that reduce use or involve renewable sources like solar, wind, exergy and fluid power.
Project movie, 2016, Klimakommune Saerbeck, 3:47min
The town of Saerbeck in the Münsterland region is taking climate protection and the production of renewable energy to a new level. Watch this short video showcasing Saerbeck's innovative energy concepts.
The local Bioenergy Park generates power from wind, solar energy and biogas and is home to a large composting facility which recovers energy and material from organic waste. In addition to this, there are solar installations on private roofs, a central heating station behind glass, a renewable heating network for public buildings such as kindergartens, schools and churches, as well as an energy experience trail and an extracurricular learning site – a highly diverse range of projects.